Part 13
No Matter the Cost
The severed hand struck the ground and the sound echoed in the silence of the room. All eyes were fixed upon the darkness, which moments before was Sworder. Fear filled the hardened thugs as the blood dripped from the cutlass, pooling at the feet of the figure clad in black armor. The man, whose hand had been severed, stared down in stunned disbelief at the frozen stump where his hand had once been.
The black clad figure suddenly moved forward. Death lurked within the cold stare of his hidden eyes, which were hid beneath the visor of his helmet. With a flick of his cutlass a long line of blood painted its grim story upon the floor. The figure raised his cutlass above the man, paralyzed with fear. The shadow of the cutlass cast its dark intent across the floor, halting at the feet of the girl. The cutlass seemed to reach its zenith in the hand of its wielder. Suddenly without warning the blade slashed down heading straight for the man’s neck.
“Sworder, No!” the girl cried.
The sword stopped less then a blade’s width from the handless thug. Slowly, the helmet of the black armor turned towards the girl, the cutlass remained motionless. The girl took a step back as the black clad Kazan faced her.
“Even she fears him in this form,” Namic said, but Ranin remained silent.
The girl took a deep breath and stepped forward, “Enough, get what we came here for and let us leave. There is no need for you to hurt anyone else.”
The armless thug stumbled back, and turning he fled. The black clad figure remained completely still starting at the girl, and the girl glared back.
“She is forcing her will onto him,” Namic said, “but in this state can she control him?”
Ranin, still, said nothing.
The silence drew on. At last, the black clad figure lowered the cutlass and began walking towards the man with the ring, which they had come for. The tongue shot from the shadows wrapping around the dark clad Kazan. Despite the restraints, the tongue was shredded under his blade. The soft flesh around the black clad figure went limp and what was left of the tongue retracted to the Chameleon, who shuffled off not even bothering to disappear first.
Continuing on, the black clad figure was challenged by the suit of empty armor. The empty armor raised its sword to strike, but before his blow landed he sunk to the floor his breastplate being cleaved in half. There it lay motionless as the black armored Kazan continued unhindered.
No one in the room moved to stop the black armor, but many fled. He grabbed the serving girl’s father, pulling him to his feet and headed to the exit. The man hesitated until he was reassured by the girl who motioned for him to follow. The three exited the building unopposed and crossed the lane to where the serving girl hid.
“Dad!” She cried, when he entered, “You’re alive!”
“I can’t thank you enough,” the Father said.
“Thank you, the both of y-,” the serving girl stopped before finishing, “Where’s your Kazan?”
He was gone. The three were alone. “He’s around,” the girl said. “He does this a lot.”
“She sounds more confident then I think she really is,” Namic said.
“When a force as dark as that is before you it would be hard to remain certain,” Ranin replied, breaking his silence.
“We have to get out of here,” the Father said, “We need to leave the city as soon as possible.”
“You could leave with us,” the girl said.
“We make for Calta,” Sworder said from behind the girl.
“Calta!” the Father said, “That is a place only the truly desperate would flee to. No. Simply fleeing the city should be safe.”
“Then maybe we can go back to the inn and see if uncle is willing to lend you our horse,” the girl said.
“I doubt we would be able to return it,” the Father said.
“Well, it can’t hurt to ask him now can it,” the girl said.
“We’ll have to go back to the inn to pick up our stuff and tell the Inn Keeper I can’t stay on his staff,” the serving girl said.
“Right then,” the father said.
“She does not seem concerned over our old friend’s recent actions,” Ranin said.
“No, she is distracting herself,” Namic said. “She understands it is not the moment to discuss such thing. Look.”
The girl was watching Sworder from the corner of her eye, and continued glancing back until he vanished from her sight. When they reached the inn, the girl ran up to find Uncle Ben. Sworder was nowhere to be seen.
Uncle Ben was rocking silently in his chair when the girl found him. After a brief discussion he agreed to give them the horse.
“We won’t have much need of him,” Uncle Ben said to them when he made the offer, “And he would just increase the fare on any ship we board.”
“Thank you,” the father of the serving girl said, “How could we ever repay you.”
“No need,” Uncle Ben said, “You need him much more then us.”
“Be safe,” the girl said, hugging the serving girl before the two separated.
The girl went to her room but she did not rest. Rather she sat quietly in a chair near the window. Silence stretched on for minutes.
“Sworder,” she finally said.
“I can’t watch,” Ranin said, without looking away.
With only a moment’s delay Sworder voice responded, “Yes.”
He circled from behind the chair she was sitting on and stood before her. They stared at each other for a moment. Then the girl reached out and grabbed Sworder’s hand.
“I’m scared,” she said quietly.
Sworder looked at her silently, waiting for her to continue.
“What happened?” she continued.
“That was the Vassal of Darkness,” Sworder said.
“Why did you do that?” the girl asked.
“That man was threatening your life,” Sworder said. “He deserved to die.”
“No Sworder!” the girl said, her grip tightening.
Sworder gazed silently into her face, “I am charged to protect you.”
“But I don’t want it to go that far,” the girl said. “I don’t want to see you in that form.”
“I can not say I choose the form.” Sworder began. “I take the form which is natural. When I charged that man, my form just left me and I staged without thinking.”
“Sworder, that form… I was scared when I saw you. I thought I would lose you.”
“And I thought I might lose you today,” Sworder said. “I will do anything to protect you.”
“Don’t say that!” the girl said clasping his hand with her other hand also. “I don’t want you to.”
There was a moment of cold silence.
“I will protect you, no matter what the cost,” Sworder said, pulling away from the girl.
“Sworder!” the girl said, but he did not turn, and in a moment she was alone.
She buried her head in her hands, as silence enveloped her.
“How will this affect their relationship?” Ranin said.
“The bonds they share have not changed,” Namic said. “He is still bound to protect her and she is bound to be his master.”
“Not the bindings,” Ranin said, “but them. Will she have to keep a close eye on him from now on?”
“In most disagreements between a Master and a Kazan, the Master has the final say,” Namic noted.
“But will it be so this time? We’ll have to wait, won’t we?” Ranin said glumly.
Sworder did not return that night, and in the morning Uncle Ben woke the girl.
“She did not get much sleep, did she?” Namic asked.
“No,” Ranin said.
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