'It is not over yet.' Tiraris watched the crowd, losing Windsor in the chaos. 'He is no longer my concern,' she thought trying to find Azaldi. Seeing him grab a passerby's hat and flee to the alley she swiftly began to follow. Guards were closing in on him and she needed to get to him first. 'I am not letting my efforts go to waste,' she thought as gained speed.

She moved about on the upper levels trying to get ahead of Azaldi. Seeing her chance she jumped to an opposite building and dropped down into an alley. As the healer ran by she grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. Her hand came up to clasp over his mouth and she quietly shh'd him. She listened as the running footsteps came closer, pressing her body firmly against the healer's. "Not a sound," she whispered in his ear as she adjusted their pose to resemble that of a lover's embrace.

When the guards saw them and continued on she grabbed his hand and dragged him through the streets. They had to stop twice more before they made it to the relative safety of her current residence. Once inside she removed her hood, revealing her face and red hair. "It seems I left some loose ends last we met."

Zurna laughed. "Yes all my brothers are married now although two are widowers. The twin girls you met earlier are the youngest of my brother's. Yotar has only been married a few years now. When the girls are a little older he like my other brothers will form his own family group. Then I will be the one left at home to care for the elders." Her voice was happy but a passing sorrow touched her eyes.

"Your home sounds nice." She leaned back on the cushions letting him eat. Her eyes watched the flames as she thought about what he said. "Can I ask you something? You do not have to answer if you do not wish to." She queried without looking at him. "If you were so happy at home, why did you leave?" She kept her gaze off him so as to not add unnecessary pressure. If he did not answer she would understand. They were strangers after all. 'I should not have asked. It is not my place.'

"You like the name? I named her after someone she reminded me of. A very annoying and useless individual who falls too easily for ego-stroking praises." She raised her brow at him. "Quit touching! Did you learn nothing from earlier? Physical touch is painful right now."

She lowered her head into her hands. "Even my hair hurts," she grumbled. On cue Caydence slunk over to the pair and raised her paw to bat at Tiraris locks. "Do not even think about it," Tiraris hissed back not looking up. The cat paused giving her a look before batting the swaying strands anyway and running into Caden's lap. "You live a charmed life fuzz-ass."

Tiraris weaved her way in and out of the throngs of people gathered in the square. Public executions had never brought her any amusement. 'All this show and ceremony for something I do with less time and energy.'

She pulled her cloak tighter around her ensuring that the hood hid her recognizable hair. It had been a month since she had been injured and saved. Her side from time to time gave her ghost pains but other than that she was fully functioning again. She had managed to escape the guards that night and smuggle herself into, of all places, Arca. There she had collected her payment and been able some more suitable clothes befitting her station.

She wondered if Winston was here today. 'He said his home was in Arca, or did I imagine that?' Some of her memories of that week with the healers were foggy and distorted by the pain she had experienced. Focused in her thoughts she was not watching where she was going and ran into another person. She quickly apologized stopping in shock when she saw just past the stranger a very miserable looking Windsor. "Dyre."

Moving out of his line of sight, Tiraris looked to see what Windsor was mooning over. 'Probably found a girl and she rejected him.' Following his gaze she saw it was directed to the execution platform. A closer look revealed the prisoner to be, 'the healer! Oh poor Dyre, he truly looked up to him.'

Moving closer to the platform she listened intently as the healer's crimes were read off. 'He is sentenced to die because of me.' Her heartstrings twanged as guilt took over. 'If I help him I endanger myself. It is unfortunate that he must die. My debt was to Windsor and that has been paid.' She began to walk away when she saw a woman sobbing. "My husband!" she wept leaning on another woman.

'That is right, he has a family. It was his home I was hidden in. I owe him my life as much as I owe Windsor. The debt must be repaid.' Swiftly she began to assess her options. She could not run in brashly. This would take cunning and a perfect execution. There was no room for error.

Scaling one of the building's walls, she pulled herself onto an upper level corridor. From there she had a perfect view of the entire square. Looking into the crowd she spotted Windsor again. 'Wish me luck Dyre!' With all her strength she threw her dagger slicing the noose just as the floor dropped out from under the healer's feet.

"Now why would I do that? I did tell you twice that I was going to castrate you. I do not make idle threats," she informed him very seriously. "Put some clothes on before my sanity returns," she said standing and moving away from him.

A scratching at the door drew her attention away Caden and his state of apparel, or lack thereof. Opening the door, she was attacked by a very familiar purring ball of fur. "Caydence!" she cried. "You blasted thing! How dare you abandon me like that and expect me to just welcome you back." Moving over to the bed, Tiraris threw the cat onto it, albeit gently.

Affronted the cat gave her its backside, flicked its tail, and then sauntered over to Caden. "If I did not any better I would say that you are trying to seduce him." She snorted watching the feline's antics. "I would not waste my time if I were you. He is all talk and no action," she told that cat smirking as she sat down on her edge of the bed.

Slowly and painfully she rose from the bed her back to him as she picked up her now dry shift. She struggled for a moment getting it on, her arms still not following all her brain's commands. Looking at the condition of her things and finding it suitable she turned back to Caden.

Seeing him still naked she yelled, "You ego-centric thing put some clothes on! You are not that impressive to look at!" She marched over to him and thumped him on his newly healed chest, her hand tightening around the dagger she had picked up and was hiding. Moving closer she leaned against him, as much as she could without causing herself another seizure. Her knife came between them, lightly grazing against Caden's exposed skin between his legs. "Now what was that about doing more than cuddling," she crooned in his ear.

Fast, fast, fast, he had to do something. Heal it. Fix it. Stop bleeding. Mouth and nose? Puncture. Not much time. Serious injury. Rib broken again. Not simple gambling anymore; it wasn't roulette, it was Russian roulette now. Every minute was a spin of the cylinder and a pull of the trigger.

~Windsor trying to heal Tiraris' punctured lung and broken rib

The Fallen Will Rise Once More

When Tiraris woke again it was the middle of the night. The pain had lessened greatly to an overall dull ache. She only felt severe instead of excruciating pain as she tested moving her limbs. She lay there peacefully opening and closing her eyes slowly adjusting to sight once more. She vision was still not back to normal but she could make out some blurry shapes.

Beside her the still naked Caden cuddled close, sharing his warmth with her. For a while she just watched his chest rise and fall. Then, when she realized what she was doing she sat up and pushed him off the bed. "Clothes!" she shouted pulling the blankets up over her. "What in your right mind thought it would be fine to undress an unconscious armed woman and cuddle up naked with her? Need I remind you how well I can use said weapons?"

Tiraris was shocked back into consciousness by the pain of such a rapid healing. The energy tearing through her was amazing and terrifying. It snapped the damage back into place like a mother scolding an errant child back to attention.

She opened her eyes, shocked to find herself out from under the bed. Still laying down her eyes caught that of Windsor's mentor. She held her breath fearing the worst. The healer motioned with his eyes to the door before returning to his task.

Understanding that it was safe, Tiraris say up, hissing as her side protested the movement. Looking down she noted that she was covered in blood and her nightgown was singed as was the flesh beneath it. Her gaze moved from herself to the figure slumped beside her. "Windsor," she whispered before she could stop herself. Looking towards the door, she detected no movement. She looked him over, her hands coming up to feel for a pulse and then run through his hair. 'What have I done to you? Why have I allowed this to go on? You are not a death I was not meant to give. I will not let myself be the death of you, Dyre.' She paused as her mind called him that, her body frozen in surprise. 'Dyre. A fitting name indeed. Forgive me "dear heart" for I go to end what I started. You will not die for me.'

Gently, she leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to his brow. Her face was a mask of stone as she stood and faced the other healer. Moving beside him she took a fleam from his tray of tools. Their eyes met for a moment, hers warning of what would become of him should he interfere. He nodded once.

Her strides were quiet and long as she made her way to the door. Slowly she opened the door to face the guards standing on the other side. Wood jumped to his feet, drawing his sword when he saw her standing there. Calm and resolute she slashed the blood-letting tool across his throat not even blinking as warm viscous blood sprayed out all over her. He gurgled clutching his throat and swinging the blade blindly at her. Deftly she caught his arm and used the sword in his hand to disarm Cutler as he tried to attack. She then ripped the sword out of Wood's hand and ran him through with it. He fell forward, the sword impaling him further, instantly killing him.

She turned to Cutler. "I am the assassin who killed Noble Geoffrey Bracken. I have killed one of the healers and now your friend." At the mention of the healers, Cutler looked over her shoulder and into the room. His face paled as he saw the crumpled form of Windsor covered in blood. "Go and inform the guard or join their fate." Cutler took one look at Tiraris' impassive face coat in blood and fled.

Moving to the room next door, Tiraris found her armor and weapons. Quickly she suited up, feeling more secure and comfortable at once. With her weapons all back in place and her sword once more at her side, Tiraris returned to the room she had spent the past week or so in. Her gaze fell on the unconscious Windsor. For a moment a brief flash of sorrow crossed her features before the hard mask was slammed back into place. Addressing the healer she said, "Tell him." Her throat tried to lock up on her but she cleared it and continued. "Tell him the debt that was owed has been fulfilled." She spared Windsor one last look before exiting the room and house.

On the threshold she paused to say her goodbyes. 'Fare thee well Dyre. May our paths never cross. May your life be blessed. May you find the woman who will treasure that precious heart of yours.' Outside in the darkened empty streets she weaved her way through alleys in her attempts to avoid the guards. 'I am going to miss him,' she thought as she ducked out of sight.

In her unconscious state Tiraris sputtered and coughed blood pouring out of her nose and lips, staining the blue-tinged skin the color of her hair. She only had a few scarce minutes of time remaining before her natural healing capabilities would fail to keep her alive.

Angered by Windsor's truth, Wood grabbed him by the shoulder, turning him to face him. Then, quickly he slammed his fist into Windsor's solar plexus before walking away. At the door he motioned for Cutler to follow before turning back to the healers. "When the Captain wakes you will be hearing about this. Mark my words healer, your days are numbered." Wood gave a final glare to them both before exiting the room, slamming the door with a harsh bang.

"Enough Sonia!" Zurna's mother Minali called out. "Have you not done enough with your accusations and actions? You have injured my daughter, the child that I prayed desperately to the gods for! Do you think I will just let you get away with it because you are married to my youngest son? No. Zurna is right, you must make a decision. You will have three days of solitude to decide. Now get out of our sight!" The older woman commanded it her voice all the while sounding sweet and motherly despite her words and the anger showing on her weathered face. Humiliated, Sonia fled with tears in her eyes.

"Go inside Zurna. I will make you some tea with honey for your throat No protesting!" she added as Zurna opened her mouth. "You did well daughter, you bring us all honor," she reassured. Zurna bowed her head before moving to beckon Brynmor to follow. Minali stopped her. "I have some things I wish to discuss with the man that saved my sea-daughter's life." Sparing one last look for Brynmor, Zurna nodded her head and went inside.

The rest of the family began to disperse going about their business. Many of the men could be seen entering the larger main tent, checking on their youngest sibling, reassuring themselves that the child who had brought their family joy was going to be okay.

"I do not think in my near hundred years of life I have ever been grateful to another person than I am to you today sir," she said addressing Brynmor. "Zurna is my little girl. She means more to me, to us than anything else. I feared we were going to lose her today." Tears formed in the older woman's eyes as the severity of what almost happened impacted her. "Sonia is not usually this way. She and Zurna have always fought. I do not what caused this escalate into such violence. Perhaps it was my seemingly indulgence. I believed if we ignored it, then it would pass. It seems  I am wrong. Thanks to your help I think that Sonia will now realize her mistakes and will end this foolishness." Taking Brynmor's hands in her own she kissed the back of each. "Thank you. Thank you for preserving my little one's life, as I could not."

Smiling she continued, "I think we best get inside. It really is too cold to be out here when there is a warm fire and a hot meal inside. Will you join me, Mr...?" Minali queried with a motherly smile once more gracing her features.

Tiraris smirked darkly baring her teeth as she did. "How about we split it 100/0 where I get the 100 of course. After all I am the one holding the knife here." Upon mentioning said knife, Tiraris crouched closely in front of the gnome her face in his and her blade sharply against his abdomen. "We are not what we seem. Do not mistake what you see on the surface for the madness within. I am no fool. You should not be one as well," she coaxed him. "Hand over the money and this can be over here and now with you no worse for wear." She pressed the blade harder into his flesh but not enough to pierce. "With me this close to you your blood is sure to stain my pretty dress. I would truly hate for that to happen," she claimed making the face of a pouting little girl.

She rolled her eyes at Windsor's cover for his pain. 'Could he be any worse of a liar?' She was not going to complain though when he got the guard off her hair. 'When this is all over he is going to hear it about stepping on my hair!'

It really was quite boring under the dusty bed. Tiraris had had worse hiding places during her career as an assassin and knew better than to fidget or make any noise. But, this was really, really boring, 'and uncomfortable.' Finding nothing better to do she began counting the number of rings on the wooden bed slats. When she ran out of that she counted the number of times the floor creaked under the movements of the room's other occupants.

Wood was making a nuisance of himself still but, refused to be sent outside the room, stating that he had every right to be there. "If you send me away I will have you both and your families executed for murder," he sneered. "Am I understood?" He took another step closer to the bed he foot connected hard with Tiraris' newly healing ribs.

Tiraris did not cry out despite how much she wanted to. She could not afford for another sound to endanger them all. She heard the distinct crack of bone come from her abdomen. The urge to vomit overwhelmed her as pain swam through her alighting already raw nerves. Her vision faded in and out and her breathing became severely difficult, she felt like she was chocking on something. The last thing she heard before she passed out was the guard yelling at Windsor and demanding to know what was under the bed. Unbeknownst to all, Tiraris had stopped breathing, her lungs drowning in their own blood.

"You're welcome," she replied moving back to her own bedroll on the other side of the fire. She paused at his second comment. Staring once more at the flames she cryptically replied, "it cost me something." Looking over to him she bowed her head, wishing him a goodnight before returning her brooding gaze to the flames.

She would not sleep this night, nor any other for as long as they were traveling. Her time was meant to be spent meditating so that she was prepared when she entered the holy grounds. Sleep was considered a selfish luxury. She was required to make such a sacrifice. Others in the past had chosen food, fire, warm clothes, and shoes. Zurna had seen enough frostbite to know how dangerous that all way. She hoped that by sacrificing sleep over food she would fare better longer.

She let her mind go. Breathing in the crisp night air. On the exhale a flood of memories swamped her in a jumbled mess. In her mind she swam through a mass of colors, sounds, scents, and feelings. Memories from childhood surfaced first. Her brothers throwing a ball. Her first bow. Her first kill. From there the memories took a different road, they became darker, hinting at pasts best left forgotten. Again as she stared at the flames she saw a related memory flash scenes in her mind's eye. A boy ran through the snow laughing has he chased a young Zurna about. A little foot standing on a crushed pile of fragile periwinkle eggshells. A child's scream. Hot red liquid covering and melting pure white snow.

Zurna jolted, gasping softly as she was torn from the memories. Stretching, her back cracked protesting after the hours of complete rigidity it had endured through the cold night. Looking up she noted that the sun was just starting is ascent into the new day. 'One long night done. However many more to go.'

Tiraris shakily exhaled as she was released back onto the bed. For several minutes she just lay there, her body giving off slight spasms as the nerves resettled. Her breathe gradually evened out again and she felt herself fading into sleep. As her body relaxed the pain began to dull. Only deeper breaths disturbed her and caused her pain if she was careful to not move.

Weakly she began to speak to him, her voice no louder than a whisper. "No touch....pain touch...huuuurt....heal you....pay pain price....your fault...your fault....Remina." Each set of words was broken up by long pauses where she just lay there trying to breathe as painlessly as possible. After the last word she fell completely silent once more. Sleep had claimed her once more.

Pain fired through her again as she was jostled by Caden's antics. She cried out again, arching her body. The pale column of her throat strained back and away, her chest thrust up by her straining shoulders, she hung like that upside down, hoping that it would all just end. She wished desperately to pass out again or to wake from this blind nightmare and be far away from all the pain and Caden's complications. She cursed her mother for driving her into becoming an assassin, her employer for hiring her, Remina for being Caden's brother, and Caden, she cursed Caden for being an incompetent individual. Then she mentally started the cursing all over again.

"Hurting me," she hissed out to him, praying he could figure it out on his own and could she go back to the dark lifeless world of sleep.

He was touching her head, moving strands of hair that sent rapid impulses of pain down throughout her entire body. She mewled in pain, sobbing as she caused her more and more pain and distress. She was frozen with the pain, blind and unable to move. Her throat was hoarse from all her screaming and crying. "Let me go. Let me go," she chanted over and over to him unintelligibly before swinging her arm down hard towards his nether regions.

Tiraris woke to a strange high-pitched keening noise. Then, the pain hit her and she realized she was the one making the sound. Her first reaction was to jerk to escape whatever was hurting her. She nearly threw up from the added pain that caused. Every miniscule movement, every heartbeat, every breathe sent waves of pain crashing onto the shores of insanity.

Her pained whining tripled in volume with each passing moment. She flailed her arm back hitting something soft and warm. Struggling to open her eyes, she found that she was temporarily blind. She knew from past experience it had taken her a week to even heal enough to wake up followed by another month of bed-rest after a forced healing.

Slowly she ran her hand down the surface she was in contact with. Smooth hard planes of flesh yielded under fingertips. When her fingers encountered the jagged scar, she realized who she was touching. 'I did it.'

"Caden," she whimpered. Her hand fell limply, brushing against him as it did. Tiraris tensed as she realized her hand had touched his lower abdomen and thighs without encountering anything besides warm flesh. Her entire body tensed in anger and she screamed in pain her hands coming back to curl in on herself. That was when she realized she was also naked.

Trying to take short even breaths and not cause herself anymore severe outbursts of pain she growled, "Now I am going to castrate you."

"You are foul. You are a spoiled little brat pretending to be a princess, who if she doesn't get her way throws a temper tantrum. Do you realize what you have done? You could've killed me and I wouldn't put it past you to believe that that was your intention. Do you forget who I am? I am the sister of your husband. The man you swore to love and work beside! Beside, Sonia. You do nothing for this family but bring it grief. You knew we had no money, that we were simple and yet you chose Yotar as your life companion. You may not like it Sonia but, I am the stand-in matriarch of this family. What I say goes unless unsupported by my parents," her voiced cracked as tears continued to stream down her face.

Looking around her she saw her entire family was gathered around listening, waiting for her judgement. Despite the pain she gave her ultimatum. "This is you last chance. Decide carefully Sonia, do you want to be a part of this family or do you want to be apart from this family? Leave and you will not have your daughters or our support. You will be cast out and abandoned. Stay, and you will work with this family. You will do the tasks we do. You will learn and learn properly what you do not know. You will apologize to my parents for your ways. You will not stop your childish temper trantrums and behave as the adult you claim to be. Is that understood" Zurna asked her voice finally giving out.

Sonia looked around at those gathered before her eyes settled behind Zurna. "How can you trust that thing? He is dangerous!" she screeched.

Tiraris still felt the energy crackling beneath the surface. It was shifting, changing as her emotions rose and fell. The ability to channel it had never been something she was capable of unless it was healing direction directed at herself. On one occasion she had managed to heal a bird with a broken neck, but that had been minor spontaneous magic spurred by extreme fear.

She did not feel such fear now. 'I can fix this. I must fix this and then I must end this.' Quickly before she lost her nerve she slammed her palm into his chest at the deepest part of the slash. Her face scrunched together in concentration as she forced the magic out. It painfully tore through her as she tried to control the channel. It burned through her nerve-endings sending waves of stabbing pain through her as it tried to find release. Her hand became hot as the energy began to slowly bit by bit mend torn flesh back together again.

Her breathing became ragged as she was drained in the effort to heal a wrong. She listened to the rain as it began to increase pour down on them. 'One. Two. Three. Four. His arrogant. Five. Six. Seven. He kisses like I am the only one. Eight. Nine. Ten. I am going to kill his sister. Eleven. I do not feel so good. Twel- what am I counting again?' She was gasping for breath when the energy finally stopped flowing, leaving a ragged scar behind. Every cell of her being shrieked in pain. She swayed dizzily her eyes half closed. "Going to castrate you," she stated before falling forward onto Caden.