Duel (Part 2)

A guard appeared at the end of the corridor, carrying a short spear, followed by two more. From the stairs, he noticed three more appearing, with the sound of steps still ringing in the staircase. He tried thinking quickly, but his mind suddenly went blank.

He felt his body moving, but he did not command it. His hand shot out, and it ripped off the doorknob. His leg shot out, and the doors exploded inwards with a spray off wood. He ran into the room, and saw a short, bald man, in his night robe standing with two knives in the middle of the room. Kanu noted his hand extending, and blood enveloped it. The blood red light spread, and he moved forward.

The bald man, who must have been the vizier, was shrouded by the light, along with Kanu. The guards burst into the room, and ran straight for Kanu.

"I’m here for you alone," Kanu heard himself say "but anyone who cares to come with you is welcome"

With that, the guards reached the darkness, and collapsed. Kanu vaguely noted the Crusader standing in the doorway, watching the scene. The vizier was standing stock still, and he didn’t move a muscle, as Kanu walked to him, and touched his neck with a finger. A dark red bar of fire punctured through it, and the vizier collapsed in a heap. There was no blood, Kanu noted with amazement.

Suddenly, control returned to his body, and the light disappeared from around him. He looked at the guards quickly, and turned. He broke into a run, towards the balcony, shattering through the glass of the huge doors, and continued towards the edge.

This was the only way he saw, and jumped. He cleared the marble railings with ease, and he turned with extreme speed, his hand shooting out and grabbing one of the marble bars.

It slipped of, but that one touch was enough to send his body swinging inwards onto the other balcony.

He crashed through the window with a spray of glass, and landed ungracefully on his back. The pretty serving maid ran up to him, and said "Back already? Can we go now?"

"You better know how to fly girl!" he said, standing up. He grabbed her hand, and ran right back out to the balcony, just as the guards started banging on the door. The gauntleted fist of the Crusader crashed through the door, lifting the bar blocking the door.

Kanu and the girl boosted off the railings, and flew out into the empty air. Luck was with Kanu that night, as they landed safely on the roof of a nearby house. They got up, and ran towards the wall, hidden in the shadows of the night. The rooftops provided a safe passageway all the way to the fortifications, where Kanu uncoiled the rope from his shoulders.

He set the grapple firmly in a crevice, and dropped down to the ground, followed by the girl.

"I got a lot of explaining to do for you! And you got a lot of clarification on your part as well." He said, as they ran towards the encampment in the forest. Kanu knew what was to come next. The Ruler was nothing without the wisdom of the vizier. Nothing. The negotiations would crumble into discord after this.