The other attacker quickly engaged Kiln, his long sword vainly trying to find any gaps in Kiln’s defenses. The cloaked man parried a strike and flicked his blade toward Kiln’s throat. Kiln stepped into the attack, pivoting sideways. He grabbed the man’s sword arm at the wrist with his free hand and used his sword to slice him from his groin across his inner thigh, lacerating an artery. Kiln’s face was right next the assassins, his cold eyes stared into the man’s face as the fatal wound did its work. Kiln pushed him away and he fell to the ground, blood quickly pooling around him.
The two men that Jonas had been fighting fell backwards as their free hands instinctively grabbed at the deep lacerations on their legs. Jonas used the brief distraction to his advantage. He lunged forward with his right blade, skewering one of the men in the heart. The man grunted and fell backwards, but the second assassin was faster and he quickly got his blade up to block Jonas’s second strike. But the retreating wounded man could not stop the third and the fourth strikes. Jonas fell into the attack quickly and had both blades cutting devastating wounds across the man’s chest. The assassin groaned, stumbled to his knees, and fell across a table, upturning it in the process.
Jonas scanned the room for more attackers. His heart pounded and his hands began to shake as the energy of battle still surged through him. These were the first men he had killed, and despite the fact that they had tried to kill him, he felt strangely sad about it. He saw Kiln to his left doing the same, blood dripping from his sword. Now that he had time he glanced back towards the fire and saw Taleen holding herself up against the wall, one hand on her sword and the other holding the shaft that protruded from her shoulder. She smiled weakly at him as she saw his look of concern.
“I’m fine, make sure there are no more assassins,” she ordered.
The bar was now clear of all patrons. Everyone had run outside and away from the danger. Jonas moved toward Kiln who was wiping the blood from his blade on the cloak of one of the assassins.
“What do you make of them?” Jonas asked.
“Assassins it would seem,” Kiln replied nonchalantly.
Suddenly, armed men, wearing the Annurien colors, rushed into the bar. They wore metal breast plates embossed with the Annurien symbol. The men fanned out, holding their swords in front of them at the ready.
The commander approached Jonas and Kiln hesitantly, his eyes quickly scanning the room and assessing the situation. As he neared them he lowered his sword. He was beyond middle aged, maybe fifty winters, and had a large shaved head. Tall and muscular, he had the look of a veteran warrior.
“I am Dagmar, captain of the night watch. What happened here? ”
“I am Kiln, and this is Jonas, cavalier to Shyann. We were attacked by assassins. Behind me is Taleen, cavalier to Bandris. She is in need of healing,” replied Kiln.
“I will see to her,” Jonas said.
Kiln nodded his head in approval. He knelt down next to one of the bodies to get a better look. The man wore no armor, just a thin black cloak, and his legs and torso were covered with a dark tunic and leggings. His face was young and unremarkable.
“I had heard that cavaliers were in town. It seems that the rumors of attacks are not mere rumors,” added the red haired warrior. Dagmar motioned to his men. “Get the bodies out of here and get this mess cleaned up.”
“Wait,” Taleen said as she approached one of the bodies with Jonas right beside her. She was able to walk, but the pain from the bolt was evident in her strained voice. “Just a second, I want to check something.” Taleen knelt near one of the bodies and removed the hood. She used her left hand to lift the man’s eye lid and turned it inside out. Jonas had moved up next to her to see what she was doing. On the underside of the man’s eye lid was a small tattoo of a spider. “Just as I thought.”
“What is that?” asked Jonas.
Kiln and Dagmar moved closer to her as she stood up.
“That was Bor-Zan’s mark. I believe you call her, Naz-reen. She magically marks her servants on the inside of the eyelid or the lip.” Dagmar