The Hunted

3. The unexpected visit

"What was that noise?" It was the gravelly voice of the innkeeper.

"Are you all right in there?" he asked with some tone of concern in his voice. Relieved that it wasn't another assassin I put the knife away and opened the door. There he was standing the old innkeeper of the Avocadinn. Even though he was old, he was still impressive. As he was leaning on an ancient staff with strange signs carved into the black wood, he was still as tall as the door and he had so many muscles it was impossible to see what was happening behind him in the hallway. I'm sure that in his younger days and maybe even still now would have been able to crush my head with his bare hands.

"I heard a loud noise, so I came looking if you were all right, Madam," He explained while his dark green eyes scoured through the room. Afraid that he would see Magi, I did the same but couldn't find her. She must have gone back to being invisible. His eyes rested on the blooded dagger who still stuck out of the wall close to the door.

"I'm fine, I just dropped something on the floor," I commented to get his attention back.

"Good, very good," he murmured.

"Anything else?"

"No, I wast just checking. If you need any-" his eyes widened and he let out a cry of pain, as he turned around I saw why. A two-sided ax was sticking out of his upper back, it didn't go in far enough to kill the poor man at once, but it became painfully clear he wouldn't survive this. I stumbled back as he fell to his knees only kept up by the support of is staff while he was losing a lot of blood.

"That's her, GET HER!" screeched someone, and then I saw them, the people or rather things responsible for the poor man's fate. At the other end of the dark hallway, there were three white circles

I couldn't tell who was yelling but the circles on either end came closer. I assessed the situation while bringing out the daggers tied to my thighs.

The innkeeper was still on his knees only kept up by his staff, blood streaming out of his nose, his back, and his mouth while muttering something that sounded like a strange language. Magi was nowhere to be seen and was probably on the way to her next victim, and the two circles had already crossed half of the hall. When they passed a candle, I could get a glimpse of them dressed completely in black except for the masks.

Time seemed to slow down as they kept getting closer, they were running harder than I would ever be able to; they were almost close enough for me to throw my knives. Only a few more steps. When suddenly the old man stopped muttering and threw something red towards the attackers. After the red thing left his hand he fell face down on the ground, not having the power to stay on his knees. As the red thing flew through the air it was clear the attackers recognized it, as one of them turned around and tried to run away. When it hit the ground a few feet before the attackers a small flame came out it, barely larger than a pebble. The flame circled above the red thing in circles, getting larger and larger. As it got larger, the shape became clear; it was a flaming bird.

The attacker who didn't run had come to a halt standing there nailed to the ground out of fear, eyes wide open as the bird has reached the size of the hall and was looking in his direction. A look of fear on his face before the bird flew through him leaving nothing but aches. The other attacker was still trying to run away, and he had almost reached the third person who hadn't moved all this time when the bird started the pursuit leaving a track of burned wood and flames. As the bird was catching up with the running attacker, I crouched down next to the innkeeper who was breathing heavily, coughing up more and more blood. I could see a tear rolling down his bronzed cheek as the bird caught up with the running enemy turning him to ashes as well a few feet in front of what I assumed was the leader.

The leader and last attacker left didn't move, as the bird was coming towards her now. Just as the bird was about to hit him it flew against something invisible disappearing into nothing. Now the leader moved, drifting towards us through the burning hallway. Each step she took the time seems to slow down my heart was racing, and I got ready to throw my knives. I knew all too well there wouldn't be a second a chance, he just needed to set one more step.

I aimed around 1 foot beneath the middle of the circle which was now close enough to see it didn't belong to a man but to a tall woman. As soon as the knife left my hand, I knew it would hit, but to be sure I threw the second one after it. Both knives were going straight for her heart if she had one, but just before the first one hit her it vanished like the bird, and the second one did the same a few seconds later. She didn't even seem to notice them, as she continued to walk towards us without flinching or even slowing down. I stumbled back falling on my ass into the room not having my sword or my other weapon around. She just stepped over the innkeeper with a big step pulling out her two identical broadswords with an emerald on each pommel. I stumbled further back until hitting the wall

"That was a nice trick from the old man, but who is gonna save you know baby girl?" she screeched while swinging her swords in circles. This was it, this was the end, she would capture me and kill me or torture me until I tell it to her. I had no way to get out of this, I was stuck against the wall, my weapons were on the other side of the room, except the one knife from under my pillow. The innkeeper would not save me this time and Magi was still nowhere to be seen. Where did she go? I am not gonna go down like this, if she wants me she is gonna have to fight for it. I got up on my feet with my last knife in my hand.

"So you think you can beat me with a knife, you are full of begel and stupider than I thought." she blurted.

"You mispronounced bagel," I pointed out before launching at her.