UNMARKED

38: Ignorance is Bliss

She felt the burst of magic that was sent out as Nasally Voice simultaneously yelled "Who's there!?" The spell intended to reveal her presence, obviously did nothing to expose her. They would have to find her the hard way. But she questioned the practicality of running back to Caval - he could be affected by their magic. Besides, her best option was to attack them before they discovered that she was immune. Unless they recognized her as that "Seeker bitch", she thought wryly.

She doubted it. She was too nondescript and she certainly hadn't interacted with them much before. Probably not since the Academy days, she reasoned, if at all. If they were Conal's underlings they would have come up through the Academy, though they seemed several years older than her or Caval judging by the gray hairs in Gravelly voice's beard.

Feeling for her knives, she backed away from the statue so she could get a running start. She was better off running straight at them - especially if they thought they were capable of taking her down with their magic.

"Shit," Said Nasally voice when he spotted her, "One of the clanspeople. GET HER!" He yelled at Gravelly Voice, stooping to grab the spellbook and frantically working at the spell that had previously failed to release the dragon egg.

in the distant back of her mind, she was amused that he thought she was a clansperson. She supposed if he had encountered them as recently as she had, he would think of that. She had some of the look about her.

Gravelly Voice would have been a more than formidable foe for her - had he been planning a physical attack rather than relying on his magic. He was her height but stockily built with a broad, well muscled chest and shoulders. All physical traits that could have easily taken her down. He bared his teeth and she felt his magic build as she stampeded toward him, willing every ounce of energy she had into the churning of her legs on the slippery smooth stone floor, a knife in each hand.

She flung one at him - she knew he would stop it, and it was best to let him divert his magic to stopping the object rather than stopping her - he couldn't stop her of course, but she didn't want him to know that just yet.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins like lightning. She was a mountain storm, crashing through trees and The thrown knife clattered to the floor and Gravelly Voice laughed heartily in satisfaction. "Think you can get me with a wee knife little girl?" He built up his magic again - he was taking much longer to build than he should be.

Definitely tapping out of magic. Blayre thought with some degree of satisfaction.

She sucked in air and grimly pressed on toward him, with as much speed as she could drum up. Vaguely she felt Caval's magic behind her, it's familiar coolness stroking the channels of her sense like cool fingers running through her hair.

Hold back. Not yet. She thought at Caval, wishing again that he could hear her thoughts.

With satisfaction, she felt Gravelly Voice's magic peak and he released it with enough force that it should have sent her flying backwards, head over ass, her entire body splattering on the wall behind her.

The look of shock that registered briefly on his face when that didn't happen, made her grin wickedly as she launched herself at him like a one of the mountain wolves taking down a massive buck. She was a wolf with knives and fists.

He was down far too easily as one of her knives pierced between his ribs and up into his heart. She pulled the knife back out with a sickening crunch, and turned her attention to the blond mage.

It was then that Nasally Voice grabbed the egg, scooping it up into his arms, and taking off with it as the blue light winked out and Blayre tripped over the slickness of Gravelly Voice's blood on the floor. Distantly, sickeningly, she realized she had killed the man without even knowing his name.