Starlight

Chapter 1

SILENCE.That was the only thing that I could hear.I clutched my bow tight in my hand with the arrow positioned steadily in the rest, ready to use when needed. I knew she was here; I couldn't see her. Taking the chance, I stepped into the clearing, my eyes never leaving the tree line, searching, seeking for the slightest movement, showing where the dangers were hiding. The trees stood around, cascading shadows intheir brilliant green hews and dark trunks.I moved around the clearing, hoping that my actions would draw them out, but I knew she would stay hidden for as long as possible and would only attack when my guard was down—not going to happen. Animals scattered, seeking hiding places as if they knew what would happen. No creature was in sight, not even the alluring vulpids or the Kirin whoalways roamed these woods.I made my way to the center of the clearing and kept my gaze tight on the tree line. I heard branches breaking and leaves crunching as someone was moving around. I knew it was her, but I couldn't place where she was around me. She was moving too fast to keep track. Even the scattering of animals didn't show me where she was or in which direction she wastraveling.I closed my eyes and stretched out my senses. I was bending them to work for what I needed. I could hear the soft breeze blowing through the trees, rustling the leaves, and whispering to each other as they witnessed what was unfolding right before them. If they couldtalk, the stories they could tell had my mind deviate from the task.Focus Tekana.I concentrated harder, putting all my focus on the task at hand. Every sound became amplified with me at that moment. The blades of grass whistled as they moved, the insects moved along the ground, and the bird's wings flapped as they soared through the skies.A breath.A heartbeat.Different from my own. Turning my head in every direction, I pinned the point where the heartbeat had come. I clutched the bow's grip tighter, and my fingers slid on the arrow's nock, ready to shoot. The rustling of leaves made me realize she was moving. She was getting ready to make her attack, and so was I.Silence.I opened my eyes, and in one swift motion, I lifted the bow and slid the nock between my fingers as my shoulders tightened, my arm pulling the string as far back as I could. My elbow raised, my shoulders squeezed, and I could feel how my back muscles searched for the memory of what to do at the moment. I could feel everything stretch and pull as I angled the arrow towards the trees, where the heartbeat was still pounding in my ears.Holding my breath, I released my grip on the string. Feeling the vibration as the arrow flew toward the canopy of trees, I knew my aim would be true.With my enhanced senses, I could hear the arrow cut through the air as it shot through to its intended target.I waited for a few seconds, but it felt like minutes when the sound of a sword being unsheathed hit my ears. The metal hit the arrow, and I could hear it break mid-air.Shit.The tree tops rattled with movement, and without even thinking, I pulled out another arrow from the quiver, locking it into the rest and pulling the nock at the point back to let it fly to the target. A few seconds passed, and another metallic sound echoed through the trees. It missed the mark, and my heart started pounding louder.A shadow moved through the trees, and I knew she was getting ready for her attack. I pulled another arrow from its place on my back and let it fly. My eyes never left the shadow as it moved along the trees. She was fast; I gave her that, but so was I. I used the adrenaline pumping as motivation for what was coming as I pulled more arrows and shot them into the tree line. Inever let my gaze drift away but was watchful of my surroundings as you never know what might wait for you when your back's turned.After a couple of arrows, I stopped, trying to focus on my assailant. My heart was thrumming in my chest, and I wanted to still it so I could use my senses to track the assassin in the woods. It was quiet. Too quiet, and I knew it was now.A movement caught my eye over my shoulder, and I turned, bow at the ready.The assassin was there, mid-air from a jump, her sword gleaming in the bright sun. There wasn't time to shoot off another arrow. Instincts kicked in, and I dove to the side, rolling on the ground just as her sword contacted the ground. If I had stayed there, my head would have been the one rolling around, not me. I shot to my feet, facing the opponent, ready for every move she might make. She quickly pulled the sword from the ground as if it hadn't been stuck in theground. She moved fast, and I had to be ready.Swinging her sword in my direction, I lifted my bow, using it as a shield, blocking her strike mid-air. She pulled back and struck again from a different angle, but my bow was ready and blocked her attack just as easily as it did the first time.I could feel the strength behind every blow of her sword, and I just hoped that I wouldn't lose my grip on the only weapon in my position at the moment. The assassin mirrored my every move as if she already knew what I would do, just like I was mirroring her movements.It was a dance at that stage, where she would move to the side, and I would counter her every step, never giving her the ability to get an advantage on me. The sword and bow connected over and over. Thank goodness for the enchantment on my weapon; otherwise, it would have been splinters on the field.I could see the sweat dripping from the woman's face as we moved in synchronicity around the clearing, dancing with the weapons, not allowing the other person to follow through with an attack. I could feel sweat running down my face as I blocked another blow of her sword. No one would be the victor at this rate, as we seemed evenly matched in battle.A glint in the woman's eyes told me she was planning something, but I was too busy defending myself to think like she was. Before I knew it, she released a hand on her sword, and I thought this was my only shot to disarm her, but I was wrong.She picked one of her sais from her belt and lifted it just as she brought her sword down on me. Iblocked her blow, which was still as strong with one arm as it would've been with two wielding it. She pushed with all her might down on the sword, trying to get me on my knees. I used all my strength to keep the blade away from my face when the sai contacted my bow. One of the fork points lodged itself behind the bow. I knew what was happening then but was tooslow to counter the attack.She dropped her hand from her sword and, in one swift motion, pulled out the partnering sai blade and locked it on my bow, all before the sword hit the floor.With a quick and graceful movement, the assassin used both sais to shoot the bow from my grip, leaving me exposed without a weapon. I watched as the bow shot through the air, landing a few feet away. Without another thought, I dove toward my only weapon, but the assailant had the same idea. She got there before me, and just as my hand gripped the limb, her foot stepped on the other side.She kicked at me, and I swerved away to miss the impact, which put me farther away from the bow. The woman threw her sais to the ground and started throwing punches and kicks in my direction. My training kicked in, and I defended myself as best I could. With every kick or punch, there was a counter. We fought hard, and neither one landed a blow on our opponent. We were evenly matched in physical combat as if we were reading each other's minds. Anticipating each other's movements and attacks and countering with all we have.I needed to get to my weapon before she would think of it to get hers. I needed to get the upper hand in this battle; otherwise, no one was walking out of the clearing alive today. Faking a punch, the assassin's hands lifted to protect herself and counterattack the movement when I dropped to the floor and kicked out her legs, sending her stumbling backward to theground.I ran and dove for my bow using this as my only chance. The movement was fast; I was sliding on the grass and had to use the momentum of my speed to grab the weapon and spin around on my knees. As I turned, I reached for the arrows strapped to my back, but I wasn't fast enough. 

I came to a halt on my knees, my one hand clutching my bow, my other hand touching the arrow in the quiver as I stared into the steel point of the sword, mere breaths from my face.