Siege (The Warrior Chronicles, #5) - K.F. Breene Page 0,29

that was coming right at them. Xavier was right there with him. The other Honor Guard filed in, their steps blaring in contrast to the stranger in the night.

“Get out of—”

A flare of light cut Xavier off. Bright orange sparked at eye height.

A man dressed all in black with a strip of fabric over half his face was moving toward them at a half-jog, sword held out, moving as lightly as a dancer.

“Oh no—it’s one of them?” Leilius whimpered.

The flare left Maggie’s bow and zipped through the night, the tip of the arrow on fire.

With movements precise and perfect, the man flicked his sword, knocking the arrow out of the way.

Marc’s mouth dropped open.

“I have no Gift.” S’am’s voice was calm yet elevated as she sprinted toward them.

Another flare lit up the area, but this time, Maggie aimed at his feet. Fire licked the grass before spreading out like a hungry thing.

The man danced to the side, his focus on S’am rushing toward him. “Get out of here, boys!” she yelled, slowing as she got within sword-striking range.

Marc had never seen her slow when taking on an enemy.

“What is he?” Marc asked with a quivering voice.

“Death,” Leilius said in a breathy rasp.

The man’s eyes crinkled in the flickering light. Words came out, musical but unintelligible. He spoke to S’am in a friendly tone.

She lunged, her strike precise and elegant. He blocked with an effortless flick of steel. S’am didn’t immediately counterattack, or notice that the Honor Guard hadn’t departed. She stared at the man in front of her as smoke curled around her feet.

She stepped to the left, starting to circle. He stepped diagonally, cutting her off. He brought one hand up and waggled it slowly. His words made no sense.

S’am attacked, her style changed to deliver fast, brutal strikes. Her sword glimmered in the firelight, smashing down, getting blocked, and coming in again at a different angle. Fast and hard, her body worked in perfect symmetry. But for every strike, he had a counter-strike. He wasn’t blocking anymore; he was meeting her attack with one of his own.

His body, moving in a circular style Marc hadn’t seen before, dodged. He feinted, then struck. His sword clattered against hers.

Her attack came immediately, her steps beautiful yet deadly. He matched each movement, then counterattacked, his sword narrowly missing her. She lunged, her point snagging his shirt but missing flesh.

They were two masters in the fight of their lives.

“Shoot him!” Xavier yelled at Maggie. “Help her!”

“They’re moving too fast. I might hit her!”

A sleek black shape skirted the fire, followed by a feline cry that could only be described as frustrated. S’am and the man stepped through and jumped over the growing flames, swords still moving in that incredible dance.

“Should we charge?” Marc heard himself ask. He licked numb lips. Quivers from his body made his teeth chatter.

“You’ll distract her,” Gracas said in a level voice. “We can’t let anything distract her.”

Another black cat joined the first, staying away from the flame. Eyes fixed on the man S’am was fighting.

Feet thumped through the night. Large swinging shoulders and a powerful stride announced the Captain, followed by the lithe movements of Rohnan.

“Over here, sir!” Xavier shouted.

The man danced away from S’am, uttered a few garbled words, and then sprinted into the darkness. The cats launched after him, but before they could reach him, a scream rent the night, followed by a fierce feline snarl. The third cat had been waiting to ambush him as he ran.

Shapes ran forward around Marc, shaking him out of his disbelieving stupor. Women were stamping at the ground, trying to put out the flame.

“Help them,” Xavier said, following suit.

Moving like a man made of sticks, Marc lurched forward, stomping through, thinking about that fight. It didn’t take long for someone else to voice his fears.

“That guy was just as good as S’am,” Gracas said, his customary excitement at all things to do with fighting missing.

“He was one of those guys that guard the Being Supreme,” Leilius said in barely more than a whisper, standing with a rigid body and wide eyes.

“How do you know?” Marc asked as his body succumbed to shaking.

“I remember seeing guys just like him. From the Shadow Lands when I went into the Trespasser Village. It might not have been the Being Supreme, but S’am thought it probably was.”

“They’re the best.” Xavier stomped at the ground more heavily. “And he was here.”

“Are you guys okay?” S’am jogged back into the area with Rohnan on