The Hunted

4. Sage

Aiming my knife straight for her heart, I flew towards her. She tried to avoid it by turning away, but my attack came out of nothing and she didn't react quick enough so I hit her shoulder, planting the knife in so deep that it was impossible to pull it back out in the second part of my attack so I let go of it rolling past her. She dropped the sword in her right hand, I could go for it, or I could try to run out of here through the burning hallway which was collapsing.

"Don't think about running away, you won't make it past the door," she screamed. I didn't listen, turned around, and started running. Before I had set two steps it hit me, the same sharp pain I felt earlier that night. The pain shot through my entire body making me fall down on my side. Her sword had my leg, she must have thrown it. I turned myself on my back trying to push myself away from her with my other leg, ignoring the pain of my leg which kept getting worse. She picked up her sword she dropped earlier and started walking toward me. This time I was definitely done for it, the wound in my leg was almost healed but it still hurt so running wasn't an option this time.

"I told you not to run," she mocked condescending, as she reached me.

"Oh, and this for my shoulder, bitch," she spat out as she plunged her sword into my stomach. I gasped for air as the pain made me so nauseated it got hard to breathe.

"W-who are you calling a-a b-bitch?" I stammered.

"The person who is gonna catch me a nice amount of gold." she chuckled while removing her mask revealing her blond hair, pale face, but the most remarkable were her eyes, one of them was blue while the other one was brown.

"Why would you wear a white mask if your face is that pale?" I asked, instantly regretting it as she twisted the sword around in my stomach.

"So you think you are funny don't you, let's see how funny you think you are when I'm done with you," It was the last thing she would ever say as her eyes dilated, staring at the hole that just formed in her chest. As we were both staring at the wound and the blood streaming out of it, a rapier appeared in the wound, and behind the pale woman holding it another person appeared, smiling, it was Magi.

"I have been wanting to do that for a while now," She said, pulling her rapier out and letting the woman fall to the ground.

"You couldn't have done that earlier?" I growled while removing the sword slowly from my stomach.

"It's not like you would die and I wanted to give Sage the feeling she won." She replied, nodding at the body.

"Who is she?"

"You haven't heard of Sage's ghosts?" she gasped, while I shook my head.

"They are one of the best assassin groups around, but so annoying, thinking they are the best and no one can stop them. I proved them wrong, didn't I?" she laughed.

"We should get out of here, this place is gonna burn down," I said trying to get up but falling back down because of the wound that wasn't completely healed.

"Here let me help you," she offered while giving me a hand to help me back on my feet. She guided me to the wall, and I leaned against it while she got my backpack off the chair, pulled the dagger out of the wall, giving it to me before picking up Sage's swords.

"Very nice swords, it would be a shame if they got destroyed in the fire and it's not like she needs them anymore," she observed while turning the swords around in her hands. She put them away and came walking towards me. As she reached me she took my arm and threw it over her shoulder and put her arm on my lower back to support me on the way out. I looked the other way while walking out of the room in the hope she wouldn't notice the blush on my cheeks.

"What about him?" I asked as we stepped over the innkeeper into the hall.

She turned her head to look at him and answered, "He is already dead."

Just as we were to set off something grabbed my ankle, and I screamed and would have definitely tripped if Magi wasn't supporting me.

"What is it?" Magi responded with her rapier drawn in second. She followed my gaze as I looked down at my ankle to see the old man's hand clamped around it.

"LET GO, we need to get out of here," Magi yelled at him, he mumbled something but I couldn't understand is. A part of the roof to our right came falling down as I let go of Magi and dropped to my knees bringing my head to the floor.

"We don't have time for this, we will be burned alive," Magi nagged as I told her to be quiet.

The old man looked gratefully at me and mumbled, "You have to find her, she is the last one,"

"Find who?" I whispered.

"Find her," he repeated pushing a leather pouch and a small green book in my hands while coughing up some blood.

He continued, "she has to find the rest of them, she is the last hope, please you have to find her and give her this and the staff, please I beg of you,"

"Who do I have to find?"

"Rolonda," he answered coughing up more blood.

Magi interrupted, "what is he saying?"

I turned around and made the sign she has to be quite bringing my finger to my mouth. Turning back to ask where this Rolonda person could be found I saw that I was too late. The light in his ancient green eyes that must have seen so much has gone out, his last tear still rolling over his bronzed cheeks and his mouth open with a steady stream of blood coming out of it. I muffled the book and pouch into the pocket of my coat, picking up the staff which was lighter than expected.

"What did he say?" Magi repeated her question.

"I will tell you once we are out of this."

After glancing one more time at the innkeeper we started our way out through the burning hallway this time I used the staff to support me. The red thing the old man had thrown was nowhere to be seen, like it vanished together with the bird.

Halfway the hall we heard a loud noise from and saw that the floor where the old man has been lying was gone, so we increased our pace making our way out into the muddy streets of Gabedam leaving the burning Avocadinn behind with only one thing on my mind, Who is Rolonda?