Heirot

Frowning, Mizuki closed her eyes as if to ignore him, but then he went on about how he had been in control... it set her off.

"It's hard to concentrate on my child with you yammering on about yourself." she snapped at him. She was sick of hearing how she had messed things up.

Micah frowned and looked away, dropping it. He suddenly felt sympathy for her perspective. It was his fault that Rai was stuck with his mess, and it was his fault Mizuki hadn't been there to protect her child. All because he knew she could-...wait... He looked at her unreadably, some hope in his eyes. She might be able to get them out of this after all, but he could only hope she'd find a way to use her power to get them out of this. Perhaps having her stuck with them wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Fray led them out of the city and soon they were approaching a small makeshift wall of sandsacks amidst the trees. Inside, there should be supplies and more soldiers. But when Frey approached with his hostages, he found the place vacant. Where had the other soldiers gone? Oh well...he had Sid's orders to stick to.

"Against that tree, both of you," he ordered them when they were behind the wall, pointing to a large tree that was helping to support it. Micah did as instructed and sat down, half falling into the tree as his knees barely held his weight. the back of his shoulder left a wide stain on the bark where he'd slid down. "You too, lady," Fray ordered.

Narrowing her eyes, weighing out whether or not she could trust this man to give her Rai. "Give me her first." she said pointedly. "She has wounds that must be tended to." She gave him a demeaning look as if to say 'It's all your fault', which it was, but morale wasn't going to make this man feel remorse, she just wanted her daughter in her arms and away from anymore potential harm from him.

"Not until you've both been secured. I'll follow my orders, but I'm not a fool."

"Come now, 'Fray', does it really look to you like I'm about to bust out a move against you?" Micah chortled weakly.

"You're a crafty one. I've been warned of your schemes. You'd be wise to refrain from any plotting this evening. But I won't need to tie you down," Fray said, sliding aside the lid of a crate and pulling out a loaded crossbow. Training it on Mizuki as he approached her, he lowered Rai into her lap and stepped back, sitting on another crate. He got out a small case and threw it to Mizuki. "That's a personal first aid kit. Should be enough to treat one wound," he said. "Now, this arrow shoots teh first thing that moves." He stared at them like a hawk.

Nodding stiffly, her once smiling and beautiful mouth set in a hard line, Mizuki went to work binding her daughter's wound. She hummed to Rai now herself, not using magic but still keeping Rai at peace. She grimaced at the wound Rai had received, clean, it would heal nicely, but it was still an injury set upon an innocent young girl.

"No mercy for children I assume." and replied bitterly, not expecting an answer. Finishing the binding, Mizuki held Rai in her arms and rocked her carefully. Now she could tell Soran...

Closing her eyes, Mizuki concentrated on finding him. Not that hard when his thoughts were the loudest. He was panicked trying to save those he could. 'Soran...'

"If you stopped talking, you could pay attention to the show," Fray said to Mizuki and Micah, gesturing toward the city in the distance. As he spoked, the main attack began, and fire shot up from the periphery of the city like a ring of light, growing taller and brighter as it rapidly began its spread inward. there was no way to escape the city now without running through flames.

Sid ran as fast as he could through the center of town, looking around for Soran. Damnit, what was he doing? Mizuki understood what was happening to the city, but did he know? He stopped short as he spotted the rogue's coat flying by the other end of an alley he was passing, and immediately ran after it.

Soran ran into the tavern on his left; this was his last stop. The building was already surrounded in flames. He was out of time. When he entered, the building was already empty; apparently his directions had been followed, and the other men had helped spread word. But there was someone in this tavern who probably hadn't been alerted.

"THORNOCK!" Soran shouted over the roar of the fire, running up the stairs. There was no response. "DRALAN! Answer, damnit!" he called as he pounded on the door of the old vampire who'd assisted them in the past. The door suddenly opened and a surprisingly strong hand yanked him inside, slamming the door behind him. "Young one, just what the hell are you doing here?" the old man snapped.

"Warning you," Soran gasped, confused.

"You're an idiot. Do you think i didn't notice the building's on fire?"

"Then let's go!" the rogue shouted, annoyed.

"I'm staying here. This is my home."

Soran stared at him very darkly.

"I've lived a long, long life, Nightblade. Do you realize how long it takes a vampire to look as old as I do? I've made my peace with this place, I will stay."

"What point is there in dying for no reason?!" Soran shouted.

"My dear boy," he chided with a smirk. "You always were so naive." Soran balked at that statement; it was the last word he would apply to himself. The old man just went on smiling and turned. "Now to save your time in trying to rescue me, I'll make this simple," the old mane said, walking toward a weak spot on the floor where the fire was already licking up through the boards.

"Stop!" Soran was too late; Dralan saluted casually and fell through into the roar beneath them.

"Rhen!" came another voice from downstairs, warped by the heat. A few seconds later, Sid kicked in the door of the room and stared at his friend in bafflement. "What are you doing up here? This building's about to collapse," he said cautiously.

"Unlike you, I didn't have this all planned out in advance," Soran roared, turning on Sid.

"Rhen...I was going to warn you, once I realized you were here...they weren't supposed to attack this soon!" Sid pleaded.

"I don't believe you," Soran said icily, his blades shooting out along his arms.

"It's the truth," Sid said, stepping back. He'd never seen such hatred in Rhen's eyes before. "Rhen, stop this for now, we need to get out, NOW." Soran lunged at him with his left blade and Sid dove sideways, barely escaping the attack. He rolled and jumped back to his feet. "Rhen, please, you know I won't survive you in a fight," he pleaded, hurt and alarmed.

"I never planned for you to survive," Soran growled, diving at him again.

Soran... Mizuki's voice emerged in his head. Soran blinked; he always forgot she could do that. I'm here...are you hurt? he asked in a rush, drilling in on Sid while the soldier blocked him frantically with every inanimate object he could put between himself and the rogue.

"No," Mizuki replied back very easily. She ignored the other men, ignore the flames roaring a ways off, ignored the terrified screaming... "But Rai has been..." Her mental voice chocked in remorse. "I have her now, she's sleeping, but we're being watched. Myself, Rai.... Micha. He's wounded as well... We were too late Soran!" She paused a moment, trying to regain her composure. "And Sid," Venom seethed in her voice, "He's one of them, he watched them take us captive!"

Sid froze, lying on his back with a chair held up in front of his chest. Soran had suddenly stepped back, looking distracted.

"I promise I will make Sid pay for this. Try to hold on; I'm coming as soon as I can," Soran thought, trying to make his mind gentler than the anger that was filling him. He was suspicious that Mizuki was wounded and not telling him to avoid worrying him, but there was nothing he could do to be sure, and it wouldn't make a difference in how soon he could get there. "Where are you now?"

Sid misunderstood Soran's retreat for a change of heart. "Rhen, I know you won't believe me, but I didn't come here for you! I thought you were dead!"

"If that were so, then you joined leagues with the forces that murdered me," Soran condemned coldly, coming in and dealing Sid a stiff hook to the face. Sid caught his balance; he wasn't nimble, but he was definitely sturdy. THe next punch he caught with his hands, but Soran's leg whipped up into his gut while he was slowly wrestling the arm away. He stumbled back, coughing.

"What else was I supposed to do?!" Rhen screamed, "You just disappeared and left us behind to go visit that chick from the ruins!"

"You spied on me!"

"You were DEAD!" Sid shouted. Soran was suprised by the sorrow in the soldier's voice. Sid's voice dropped. "We all believed you were dead. THey showed us your body. I had to bury you with my own hands. The Queen commanded us to reunite with the military. What else was I supposed to do without you?" The man was nearly crying now, or was he just hoarse from the smoke?

"I loved my life here. This was my home. My family. It was a home, and you're destroying it," Soran hissed, pressing in harder on Sid and attacking with both blades. Sid had no option but to evade.

"Well it's burning down, so get over it and get out before this building takes you with it!" he yelled.

Soran glared at Sid, but just as he moved to attack again a moan sounded overhead and a part of the ceiling above them collapsed. A beam landed directly on the back of Soran's neck and send him with a silent thud to the floor, unconscious.

More creaks came from the roof above them as Sid stared at Soran in astonishment. "Rhen?" He climbed through the burning rubble to the elf's side. "Rhen! Damnit," he growled, looking around the room. The stairs had collapsed; all he saw was a large window at the far wall. Yelling with pain, he got the beam off Soran and managed to drag the elf to the other side of the room. He yanked off his shirt and bound it around his fist, then punched the window and sent it shattering all around them. There was no time to look down; he grabbed Soran and hauled him up in front of his body, then jumped back-first out the window toward whatever awaited them below.

"Where are you now?"

Mizuki was just about ready to respond to him when she lost contact with him. Her eyes snapped open and she looked everywhere with a worried, and panicked expression. What had happened to him? The burning.... smoke... Oh sweet Gods, he couldn't have--!

Fighting back tears, Mizuki fought off the dreaded thoughts of what may have happened to Soran. She clutched Rai to her and rocked her, but she was really rocking herself.

This was exactly what she had been trying to avoid. Why they had followed him! And she failed at protecting Rai, Soran... she had failed. Her family, her life, her home... they were crumbling to pieces right before her eyes and she couldn't stop it.

Then she prayed. 'Dear gods, if I die tonight keep Blade safe in the care of the Dark Angels. Send our souls on our way peacefully. Give Rai no pain.'

When she finished, she glared darkly at the assassin who was aiming the crossbow at them. "Damn you all," she growled bitterly. Her mind pulsing furious waves of energy, causing the air to still again. Making an electrical atmosphere that would make even the strongest man nervous.

Fray blinked, feeling uneasiness fill him for no explicable reason. He frowned at his hostage, not responding to her words.

"What's gotten into you, woman?" Micah said under his breath from beside her, or maybe that was all the strength his voice had, "There's a crossbow trained on your skull."

"But...if this crawling in my spine's just a sample of what you're capable of, you've just got to tell me how to help and I'll do it," he whispered.

"Just shut up." Mizuki whispered curtly. She kept her concentration on the man. She had done this before to Sid, but only this time she wouldn't exhaust her powers trying to break a mind. She'd settle on making this man so uneasy, he couldn't stand their presence any longer... But that would take time they did not have so...

"When I tell you," Mizuki muttered to Micha, "Attack him."

Micha paused, but nodded. Fray cocked his head at them suspiciously, unable to hear what they were saying. But there was nothing to worry about; he had the undeniable upper hand here. Then why was he worried anyway... He wondered why the other soldiers hadn't been here. Was this some kind of trap? Were there enemies in the woods, watching him? He couldn't explain it, but suddenly the whole situation seemed wrong, planned. He sat tight; he'd been ordered to keep these two in custody and alive.

Mizuki watched the man's eyes. Yes, he was beginning to doubt his situation. Now all she had to do was mess with his perceptions...

Birds chirped and flutter away from the blaze over head. A twig in the forest snapped from a fleeing deer. These sounds normal people wouldn't have paid much attention too, but with the assassin's altered perceptions, every sound sounded like an ambush.

Fray almost flinched as the birds over head. He wanted to look up at them, but he couldn't take his eyes off his hostages. Then twigs snapped in the distance behind him. Just a twig...no, it could definitely have been a branch just now. If he didn't look, he could be screwed. Frowning at Mizuki and Micah, he looked briefly back over his shoulder, studying the woods suspiciously. He left the bow trained on Micah; it didn't wander a millimeter as he turned.

The bow was still steady. Damn, she needed him so unstable that he wouldn't be able to react quick enough. If Micha attacked now he'd surely get wounded even worse.

"Whistle." She told Micha without breaking her concentration. The electricity in the air stirred somewhat, causing branches in the tree above them to crack as if a heavy weight was upon them.