The silver coins jingled in the stableman's hands as Khal led his horse outside the stable. It was going to be a long night, Khal knew, but he didn't mind. He had already calculated the repercussions that would come with killing a Noble in her own city. Time was of the essence now, it won't be long before others find Lady Stigs' body. Hopefully, he'd be long gone by then.
Lowel had yet to wake up, they must have hit him harder than Khal initially thought. Khal rolled him across the horse, needing to clad his arms to lift the heavy man. He then tied him securely at the back of the horse. Without wasting another second, he mounted it and headed towards the northern gate. He cladded the beast's feet before embedding his wind element. Although it wasn't a warhorse, Khal made sure it maintained a similar speed.
The night was quiet, the streets empty, the horse's hooves clopped loudly down the streets. Khal wasn't familiar with the layout of the city but continued onwards in one general direction. Whether what he had done was right or wrong did not matter to him. His grandfather had taught him that only those with power could determine those frivolous things. In the distance, he could see the city gates, short and considerably smaller than the ones in Elfheim. While during the day a lone guard manned the gates, the nights were different. Two guards on either side, equipped with leather armor and longswords stationed the gate, providing a deterrent to petty criminals and their ilk.
Khal slowed his horse, undoing any of his abilities as he approached. As far as they were concerned, he was a young noble going about his business. "State your name!" One of the guards shouted confidently. He awkwardly adjusted himself and sang a different tune as he saw Khal approach the light. "Mi.. Milord, it's past midnight. Surely it's too dangerous to roam about at this time."
"I have urgent business, open the gates!" Khal said firmly.
"Open the gates!" shouted the guard after a short nod.
The gates creaked open, flaunting their age with a crackling sound. Slowly, they swayed as the three slaves at the side worked on the pulley contraption without uttering a sound. Khal nonchalantly waited for the gate to fully open as any noble would, not showing any sign of urgency. He fulfilled his role as the haughty noble, something he constantly learned from his cousins.
"Close the gates!" someone shouted from behind Khal. The slaves stopped while everyone looked at the incoming Calvary. Khal knitted his brow in annoyance, he was already too late. He clicked his tongue as he forced his horse forward, despite the arriving Stigs entourage. The gate was already partially opened, enough for him to squeeze through if it didn't spook his horse first. "Stop him!" the same voice called out as they closed the distance between them and the gate.
The four guards were a second slower than Khal. He evaded them easily before escaping through the slit in the gates. Scores of arrows whistled in the sky as they descended on Khal. Some piercing the gates while others broke on the stony road. Khal's horse was just a few seconds faster than the closest arrow as he comfortably escaped the city.
The marshlands were difficult to trek through unless one had experience. It was an uneven, muddy area where the tributaries from the Tiger River branched out. As such, Khal found it painfully difficult to guide his horse through the right areas. Frequently, his misguided horse found its way into pockets of water, slowing it down considerably. There was barely any solid ground to guide the horse as several attempts ended in him sinking into the mud. The muddy terrain coupled with the darkness proved to be a worthy adversary to Khal as he tried to evade well-placed arrows aimed his way.
"After him!"
Khal was eventually cushioned on both sides by Stigs soldiers. Wild swings from their longswords edged closer with each attempt while Khal tried his best to evade. He could see Ser Longcross, further in the back having just as much trouble as he did with the terrain. Khal grunted loudly as he was forced to parry an attack. They had finally caught up to him and didn't seem too eager to lose him again.
"He killed Baron Stigs and the young Lady Stigs, don't let him get away!" Ser Longcross screamed to the Stigs soldiers. It only served to enrage them further, forcing Khal to block more of their angry slashes. Khal dodged another of the attacks but missed his counter when his horse found its hind legs into yet another pocket of water. The horse neighed in protest as Khal forced it forward. Lowel's screams didn't register to him as he focused on blocking another well-aimed arrow. He withdrew one of his daggers before throwing it in a fluid motion. The black dagger found its home in the darkness, gliding through the air before finding its way into a guard's shoulder. Khal used the opening to stab, his cladded blade forcing its way through the guard's chest. This only seemed to enrage the soldiers even further, another taking the place of his fallen comrade.
"Lowel you still breathing?" Khal asked.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Untie me! Do yer want me to die?" Lowel screamed.
Khal covertly allowed the wind to bombard the ropes before Lowel's own strength could overcome it. He used his one free hand to grab on to the man before he could slip off. "Take the reins!" Khal shouted out before he jumped off the horse. He knew that he stood no chance against the troops unless he could focus on the fight. Since he didn't know the terrain well he would let Lowel take care of it while he protected them. Khal wind-walked towards the first soldier, poking a thin hole into his neck before slipping pass three arrows aimed at him.
Khal had learned from Sergeant Michael the way those from Talawa fought. Horseback fighting was their bread and butter, something Khal intended to use to his advantage. He danced between two enemy horses, grabbing both reins as a flurry of cladded kicks connected to the soldiers flank. Both men lost their balance by the surprising display, falling into a water pocket in the process.
Khal jumped from the horses, aiming another of his dagger at an archer's chest. He had been the one with the best aim. Multiple arrows rained on him after, forcing him to retreat. Khal miscalculated an arrow aimed at his leg but surprisingly a dirt-like substance got in the way of the arrow and its intended target. Strange, Khal felt the substance retract into his chest as though it was never there.
Without the time to investigate, Khal wind-walked back towards Lowel who was much further away than the soldiers. He had to wind-walk at least four times before he could catch up to the man. He landed at the back, more exhausted than he'd expect. "Go! Faster!" Khal screamed as he nursed a few shallow wounds. His leather armor had protected him considerably. Luckily none of the soldiers he encountered knew how to clad.
---
Ser Gale Longcross was the young son of Howser Longcross, leader of the Cross mercenaries. Although they weren't related by birth, Howser had adopted him after failing to produce a son of his own. His love for Gale was unquestioned throughout the Cross Mercenary Band. He had even allowed Gale to roam around Tale City on his own accord while they caught the three wanted men.
Gale didn't expect to catch the eyes of the young Lady Stigs. His intentions were initially pure, coming to deliver much-needed information to her. He was apprehensive after their first meeting, she was both strong and intelligent, rare qualities for the women that he would usually go after. His loins had flared up like it did so many times before and just like then he needed to satisfy his needs. Not many women of her caliber would lay with him without expecting something in return. All he had to do was show her how powerful he was. The robbers had been so brazen before, unknowingly attacking the carriage. Luckily, he was there else his little Lady would have been dead. He only intended to threaten them, but the robber had more skills than he anticipated. With more pressure than he'd ever felt before he had mistakenly killed the robber while the other got away. He knew it was best to take the Lady home before she was exposed to further danger.
He had only recently been promoted to Knighthood by the capital. 25 years old, although it wasn't the greatest of accomplishments at his age, he never had the privilege of attending Skystead Academy. Cross Mercenary Band had been his home for many years before Lord Rhodes had commissioned his father. Now, after ten years of service, his father's promise of nobility might really happen.
Lady Stigs had ignored his warning to escort her around town after the incident. That didn't stop him from following her though. Although he found it strange when her carriage entered the abandoned section of the city he still shadowed her. Minutes went by and Gale's intuition screamed at him, something was wrong. He slowly approached the building only to see Lady Stigs dead, with her guards littered all over. She was assassinated he knew, probably the same person who killed her uncle. The area barely had any clues, whoever did it must have been a professional. There were no unnecessary movements nor long clashes. Every guard was killed after one attack.
Gale instantly alerted the mansion before ordering his men to close the southern gates as well as send word to his father. He, along with the Stigs soldiers quickly headed to the northern gate. Once he had done that then the assassin would have no way to escape. There was no way the assassin would escape through the southern gates unless he was stupid; the Cross Mercenaries had blocked off the Braxton Bridge.
Who could have guessed this predicament now? Although he could tell that the assassin was not familiar with the marshlands, the experienced soldiers couldn't prevent his escape. One after another, the soldiers at the front fell to either his blade or flying daggers. In fact, in his last bout, the assassin's speed increased tremendously, rivaling that of the horses as he cut down one soldier after the other. Even though the horses were not running at maximum speed due to the terrain, it was still a feat. Gale was simultaneously terrified and amazed.
Gale's horse came to a stop as the rest of the Stigs' soldiers crowded around him. They were without direction after both Baron Stigs and Lady Stigs were now dead. "Ser Longcross, the men want ter know the circumstances of Lord Stigs death and how yer came ter learn this," a soldier in steel armor asked. Gale could only assume that he was the Knight Sergeant in charge of the soldiers.
Gale stared at them as he tried his best to organize his thoughts. "Lord Stigs death was known to me for a few days now. His body was found outside the city while my mercenary band was passing further south. He was buried in a shallow grave, a short blade sticking out of his back. I had thought then that a highwayman must have attacked. It was for that reason that I came to Teal City, to notify Lady Stigs. She had expressed to me some problems with two of her old guards, so I assumed the threat level was within my control, but I was wrong. Beyond that, I know nothing."
The Stigs soldiers faces became solemn. None of them uttered a word as they all rode back to the city. Without the baron or Lady Stigs, the Great House was no more. Duke Braxton would thoroughly investigate the matter and any soldier found guilty of aiding the assassin would find themselves at the gallows for all to see.