Ryon didn't like it. Not one bit.
And Lily could read it from the way his forced grin was not genuine. Of course, it was a trap.
‚Join us on the other side of the river. Your friend and your family are already awaiting you with great anticipation. '
That was what the note attached to the arrow had read. Yes, she knew it was a trap. But what was she to do about it? They had Louise! She had to save her!
And she said as much to Ryon. Ryon regarded her for a long while. Probably trying to calculate my date of departure, she thought.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally subsided.
„Alright. Let's go then. I will clear you a path", he said unhappy.
Lily heaved a sigh of relief.
„Yes!", she called, and: „Thank you!"
Together they resumed their walk towards the sound of the river. They moved in the same order as they had in the forest for very much the same reasons.
But when they heard a warning shout from the other side of the river, they knew that they were very close and Ryon flew ahead - clearing away the mist in his wake.
She heard the men shout when Ryon flew over their heads in a close shave and grinned. Cowards.
After that, Ryon returned to her and landed behind her.
Now it was time for her to fight her own battle.
And with that, they reached the bank on their side.
***
Ryon didn't know what to expect when Lily, faced by more than fifty foes, turned to him. But she didn't leave him to guesswork for long.
„I will distract her", she said. „You go and get Louise."
„What? But I want to help you!", he exclaimed.
„Then trust me and do what I say. When I kill this brat it might be that they decide to kill Louise at the same moment and I won't have the time to get at her quickly enough. Save her. Bring her to safety. Please, Ryon…", she said and even though her eyes were fixated on the woman on the other side of the river, her voice sounded so pleadingly that he didn't even need to make up his mind.
„Alright", he said. „You have my trust. Don't abuse it."
For a short moment, a faint smile flickered over her face but it was gone before anyone but him could see it.
„I won't", she promised and turned back towards the woman.
After two or three lines of exchanged banter - Ryon had to admit that he liked her sharp tongue when it lashed at someone else for a change - Lily flung herself into the duel that had been long due.
Ryon himself then turned towards the boy holding the cat and leaped over the river in a similar fashion to how Lily had done it. Some men scattered out of the way, others remained standing as if they were rooted to the ground, but their gun barrels were shaking.
Maybe they think that I don't see them if they don't move. Mouthbreathers, he thought.
Ryon didn't concern himself with them. Their fate had been sealed long before this day.
He had a different task, now. He leaped onwards towards the boy. It took a moment for people to realize who he was after, but when they did, they immediately started shooting him with their loud and stinking chutes, but he didn't feel much of the bullets that hit him. At most, it wouldn't be more than a sting, but otherwise the bullets would just sink into his body ineffectively and the holes they made would close directly after the bullets had penetrated his skin.
The boy holding the cat now realized that the bullets ejected by the chutes wouldn't protect him from Ryon, so he did the second best thing. He pressed the cat against his chest and ran. Ryon became airborne and followed him at a high speed.
But the boy ran into the camp where the fog was still so thick that even Ryon's keen eyes couldn't see far ahead, and he moved in a zigzag between the rows of tents so it wasn't easy for Ryon to follow him. Plus, the boy was small and agile and Ryon was not.
„Stop!", he called, but of course that was the last thing on the boy's mind. In fact, he ran faster.
Ryon cursed.
The cat meowed pathetically, but after a moment Ryon realized what it was doing. It was piloting him.
Ryon pulled up and circled above the camp rather than flying through the rows.
Apparently, the boy noticed that the Ookubi wasn't following him anymore and he decided to crouch down, hoping that that would be cover enough.
The cat, however, meowed louder and shriller, and when the boy pressed his hand over its muzzle to silence it, the cat bit him.
The boy yelped and thanks to that Ryon knew exactly where the boy was.
He flew near the source of the sound and stooped down on him.
The boy, however, had the presence of mind to duck at the right moment, so Ryon missed him and landed in front of him instead.
„Don't kill me!", the boy cried.
„I won't", Ryon said, estimating the child to be about ten to twelve years old. „Just give me the cat and I promise I won't hurt you."
The boy looked up at him in terror, so Ryon repeated himself.
„Give me the cat, and I won't hurt you", he said.
„You're lying!", the boy cried.
„First pleading, then insulting? Usually it works only the other way around", Ryon said, then added. „Listen. Don't you know that spirits like me can't lie? We're obliged to tell the truth. Always."
That was a lie of course, but there was no way this boy would know that. He didn't intend to hurt him more than lying to him would, anyway.
„Really?", the boy asked wide-eyed.
„Really", Ryon replied. „Now give me the cat and I won't hurt you. I just want my friend's friend back, that's all."
The boy hesitated, then, finally he stretched his arms towards Ryon and handed him the cat shakingly.
Ryon took the cat and grinned genuinely.
„Thank you", he said, and when he turned away he added as an afterthought. „You should run away. Not because of me but because of my friend. I fear things will get ugly. You're only a child. She wouldn't want to hurt you, either. So please, run away now."
He didn't look back to ascertain whether the boy followed his advice or not, but launched himself into the air and climbed higher with powerful wing strokes.
The cat butted its head against his chest, and he looked at it, grinning.
„Don't tell me you're a cat that's afraid of heights?", he asked.
The cat meowed what sounded like protest and Ryon laughed.
„I like you already", he said.
He flew back to the forest and well into it, then he landed on a high branch of an oak that looked stable enough support the two of them.
„You wait here", he said, placing her on the branch as well. „When all is over we come and get you here, okay?"
The cat meowed and huddled against the tree trunk.
„I take that as a yes", Ryon said and stood up. „Be patient and quiet. We won't be long!"
And with that, he launched himself back into the air. For a moment he clawed for altitude, then he decided that he would rather glide through the forest. All this flying upward put too much strain on his wings!
He maneuvered as nimble as possible for someone his size, and he thought he did fairly well, but he was very glad when he was finally out in the open again. He sped up. Now he could help Lily!
When he arrived at the makeshift arena the two duelers were still at it. He circled above them just out of sight and watched Lily and her foe fight.
To an amateur's eye, the two women seemed to be each other's equal but to Ryon it was evident that Lily had more strength and stamina then the other woman.
Again and again she banged away at the woman's sword. Lily's opponent couldn't do much more than to counter each strike as best as possible.
The loud clatter of steel against steel and the occasional sparks, when the two swords' sharp edges slid off each other, filled the air.
It was, however, evident to everyone that Lily was gaining more ground than her opponent, because the other woman had to back away from her more often than the other way around.
Ryon had to admit that it was a rather one-sided duel. Compared to the lack of skill the woman now displayed she had sounded very sure of herself before.
He wondered, if she had something more up her sleeve.
He looked at the woman whose facial features were distorted by fury and determination. Then, all of a sudden, she smiled the most evil smile Ryon had ever seen.
What…, he wondered and looked at Lily.
It was then that he realized a crucial mistake Lily had made. Gaining ground was a good thing in a duel. But in this specific case it meant for Lily to veer away from the river bank, which allowed the enemy lines to close behind her and to trap her in a circle of foes.
Lily, however, didn't seem to notice the change. She was too focused on her apparently imminent triumph over her nemesis.
But when Ryon looked at Lily a second time, he saw something else. His still heart froze further and plummeted into his stomach. Or at least, that's what it felt like. Because right before his eyes Lily's life span measured in days decreased rapidly until only one number was left dangling over her head.
Zero.
Zero? How is this possible? No one draws so near to death twice in so little a time!, he thought with rising panic. This is not how this was supposed to go!
But this time, he remembered, he could do something! No one was stopping him now from saving his friend!
„Lily!", he cried out.
But just the same as last time, Lily didn't hear him. However, this time it was for another reason.
Not, because his voice wouldn't obey him, because it did very well. But because his cry was drowned out by the sound of a gunshot, amplified by the huge stone wall nearby. Following directly the sound of the shot was that of a painful cry.
There was a short moment of confusion, then Lily staggered - and fell to the ground. Blood was oozing from a hole in her leg. She was gasping in pain and biting her lip in order to keep from crying further.
„Lily!", Ryon roared.
He saw her looking up but she couldn't see him, because at the same moment the evil woman stepped into her field of vision, filling it out completely. As fast as he could, he stooped down.
***
„Die and rot!", the woman hissed like a vengeful viper. And with that she lifted her sword with both hands, swung it above her head - and stabbed down.
Lily didn't flinch. She just glared at the woman.
Ryon didn't so much see it than feel it in his back. What he did feel was the seething hot black blade piercing his stomach.
He was instantly glad that Lily didn't have to experience that.
„Ryon", he heard her confuse mutter. „What… are you doing? It's just a blade… Get out of the way… I was just about to finish her…", she panted.
„No, you weren't", Ryon said. „You were about to die for good."
For a moment she didn't say anything. In fact, it seemed as if the whole scene had been frozen in time. No one spoke, no one breathed. Everyone was staring at them wide-eyed and confused.
Then Lily, groaning with pain, got to her knees.
„Alright… Thank you then", she breathed heavily. „I will finish her now, so stay aside."
Ryon did neither move nor reply, so she looked up at him and saw him grinning. His eyes were wet.
„…Aaw Ryon… It's alright… I guess you were worried… But I'm fine now. So go and stand aside, okay? We'll be going home soon", Lily spoke.
Still, he didn't move.
„Ryon, cease. I have to do this myself. And I can. I'm fine now", Lily said and put her hands on his long arm to push him aside.
But to her surprise, he was no longer cold to the touch. He was sticky and… porose. She looked at her hands and noticed a fine sandy dust clinging to her skin. Correspondingly, a bit of his arm was missing. Confused she looked up at him.
„Ryon…?", she asked quietly.
„I'm glad to hear that", he said finally, if belatedly. „Now get them. And beware the blade."
And before Lily could say anything else, a wind rose from out of nowhere. It blew the fog away, pulled at the tentcloths and swirled all around them.
Lily watched in disbelieve as the wind snaffled Ryon and ate away at him.
She couldn't quite grasp what was happening, what she was witnessing right now, so she called out to her friend, in hope he would explain it to her.
„Ryon!", she cried. „What is going on? Ryon, stop!"
But nothing stopped. Neither the wind nor the transformation of her friend into sand.
She cried but it helped her nothing. And after what seemed like an eternity, even though it couldn't have been more than a few minutes, the wind finally died down. The fog had completely vanished, and so had Ryon.
All that remained of him was a pile of gray sand-like ash in front of Lily. She stared at it in shock, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Oh Ryon… What did you do?, she thought in grief.
Around her, the men regained their posure and looked around themselves in order to see what else might have changed. When they realized that their forces were still unruffled and the most scary of their opponents had been done away with, they relaxed and they cheered loudly and rattled their rapiers.
Lily burrowed her hands into the pile of ash in front of her. She didn't understand what had just happened, but no one had to explain to her what it meant when someone was turned into ash.
Apparently, Diana came to the same conclusion.
„Now look who died for nothing!", she laughed. „Your friend sacrificed himself to save your life, but here you are: Crouched before me, still wounded and at my mercy!"
Her laugh was harsh and cruel, and the men around her joined in.
„Now, let us finish this. Oh, and don't worry. I will show you mercy. You will be with your ugly friend in a short while!", Diana grinned viperish and lifted her sword once again.
She stabbed down with malicious triumph glinting in her eyes.
However, the triumphant look on her face faded when she realized that she couldn't follow through with her strike, for Lily had grabbed her wrist and now fought against her with muscle power alone.
Diana whined when she realized that she had been caught and was unable to move her arm downwards. Lily knuckled her wrist until Diana cried out and a nasty crunch ended the struggle. The black sword fell into the mire.
Diana pulled away from her and stared at her hand that hung limply and useless from her arm.
Then she made up her mind.
„That's it. Kill her!", she cried to the men and the dark skinned commander snapped to attention.
„Level guns!", he shouted.
But just like Diana, Lily had had enough, too.
Slowly, she rose to her feet and as she did so, the bullet fell out of her flesh.
Her red eyes flared with unspeakable fury and her canine teeth grew to the size of real fangs.
„You shouldn't have done that", she hissed. „You really shouldn't have killed him!"
„Oh no! You can't do anything! You are weak and pathetic! You are alone and wounded! You are powerless and you always have been!", Diana cried defiantly.
„This may have been the case at the mansion, but not anymore. Now you arre in my land!"
It was at that exact moment, and Lily would never forget it, that everyone around her realized that they had made a terrible mistake.