Well, this is Chapter 8. Again, sorry it took so long. I originally had this chapter a little bit longer, but I decided to cut it short and leave the next part for the next chapter. The good news about that is, I'm already halfway through Chapter 9. =P

Please read and review, it's appreciated. =)


Halt slipped past the guards with practiced ease, sliding through the tower's defenses with the expertise that only a Ranger could possess. He stopped in a shadowed alcove not far from the entrance to the tower and what he suspected was the main hall. Halt knew Dane was somewhere in the tower, the black and white gelding that danced unhappily around in the courtyard was proof enough. A servant was trying unsuccessfully to lead the skittish animal off to what looked to be a meager stable.

Two guards stood watch on either side of the main door, both staring out into the night with looks of stone on their broad faces. Both had the standard build of warriors, broad in the shoulder and narrower at the hips. Leather studded armor covered their upper bodies and they each held a spear shaft in each hand.

Tacky was the word that came to Halt's mind as he observed them. They looked truly full of themselves as they stood there, oblivious to Halt's presence. More like arrogant ornaments than real guards. The Ranger wasn't complaining however, men who held arrogance close were usually less than impressive opponents. Halt was confident he could take them both down in broad sight without much trouble. Now who's the arrogant one? he thought coyly.

"It's not arrogance if it's true," he whispered to himself as he drew his flint.

The alcove he'd chosen as his look out was bordered on one side by a wooden structure. It was a dowdy looking place made of rough timber and roofed with the same material of wood. The wood was dry and looked quite promising for what Halt had in mind.

The Ranger had surveyed the area already, and most of the lookouts along the walls had their eyes facing towards the North. The servants and other guards not on duty that moved through the courtyard were a problem however, and Halt needed a distraction before he could make his move towards the hall.

Halt had guessed that the little structure was something of a command post or an armory of the like for the guards. He'd seem a few disappear inside and return with sword belts and spears missing. The simple fact made burning the little place down all the more beneficial for Halt. It would leave some of the guards weaponless if it came down to a fight for escape.

With that in mind Halt knelt and pressed close to the dry wood of the armory shed. He used his saxe knife to shave off curls of the wood for kindling. He struck his flint watched as the sparks caught and flames eagerly began lunging up the wood. He retreated a ways and hid in another niche to wait.

It wasn't long before someone cried out as they spotted the blaze. It was beginning to greedily consume and spread across the roof and side of the shed. By then the guards at the door were among the many servants and men of arms racing to get water on the fire.

Halt sheathed his knives and tucked his flint back into his belt. Arrogantly, he strode to the main doors. He slipped inside just in time to see Dane being mauled to the ground. Halt could only see the back of Dane's attacker as they rose to full height above the thief. A swift kick knocked Dane's sword from his hand and left him defenseless. Incomprehension was clear on Dane's face, and his eyes held heavy traces of shock and maybe even disbelief.

For the first time Halt noticed the figure standing in the archway, watching the scene unfold. Tears slid down the figure's face, and the disguise was shattered as the woman screamed.

"Dane!"

There was no time to think, Halt's bow was up and drawn just as Marwick swung his sword for Dane's throat.

It would have been a killing shot, it should have been one. But Dane's attacker shifted slightly as he put his whole body into the force of his swing, and Halt got a glimpse of the man's face.

The Ranger made the slightest of adjustments as he let the string slid from his grasp. The arrow struck Lord Marwick of Caraway in the upper arm, a painful wound at the most. It might have even left Marwick maimed if it festered, but it was not a killing blow in the least.

From where Dane lay on the floor clutching at his left shoulder with his right hand he'd seen the arrow sprout in Marwick's arm. It was a stroke of luck that Marwick lost his grip on his sword, and Dane wasn't about to let what might be his only chance at retaliation slip away.

"Time to move!" The thief hissed through gritted teeth as he rolled onto his side and staggered to his feet. Dane had to get his sword and get away from Marwick before the man butchered him. He spotted the silver length of steel lying on the polished floor, firelight dancing along the blade.

Just before his hand closed around the leather bound hilt a muffled yelp sounded from the archway. Immediately Dane's eyes flicked to Peronel as someone, presumably a guard by their uniformly attire, grabbed her from behind. Alarms screamed in Dane's mind. He lunged forward to snatch up the sword, new resolve burning in him.

"Guards!" Marwick yelled, and one booted foot slammed down on Dane's sword. Dane tried to wrench it free and was rewarded when Marwick's foot let up. The brief moment of victory was dampened as Dane was kicked heavily in the side.

The air left him in a rush and he crumpled up, gasping for breath. He could still hear Peronel struggling, shouting his name as her captors fought to subdue her. Marwick ripped the arrow from his arm and tossed it aside.

"Get the Ranger!" Marwick yelled as Dane struggled to get back up. Guards were surging by now in in two's and three's, more guards than Dane had thought might reside at one supposedly insignificant tower. So far they didn't seem all too interested in Dane himself, and he snaked a dagger from his boot and half rose to his feet.

Marwick moved forward, his face the picture of rage itself. The sleeve of his right arm was stained with blood but otherwise seemingly fine. He'd already reclaimed his weapon, a long sword with an engraved blade and jeweled hilt. The eloquent weapon gave Marwick a menacing accent. Oh, the guards might not care much for Dane, but Marwick sure did, and that alone was enough to put Dane in over his head.

Dane struck first, taking Marwick by surprise as he surged forward and aimed a slash at Marwick's wrist. The man brought his blade up in defense of himself, and Dane narrowly managed to avoid being cleaved in two by the stroke. Marwick was fast, and Dane had to be faster, for himself and for Peronel.

The little stiletto blade that Dane wielded was his life line, but there was only so much he could do with it against a full fledged swordsman who happened to have a sword. His best chance was to duck and dodge, and he could only keep it up for so long. Dane's shoulder still hurt, and his arm was numbing from the coursing pain. The odds were stacked against him, just like they had been his whole life.

The wiry thief swept forward again before Marwick could raise his weapon, this time going for Marwick's sword hand. He rammed his bad shoulder against Marwick's bleeding arm and brought his other elbow back into the burly man's ribs. It was an awkward thing to do, swinging himself into Marwick's arms, but Dane wasn't complaining. Instead he pressed his back against Marwick's chest and used both hands to try and wrench the blade from the man's hand. Each time Marwick stepped back Dane followed, never giving the knight a chance to reach for his dagger.

Dane gave up the struggle of pulling the sword from Marwick's hands, seeing that he was never going to get the sword through brute strength. Instead he jerked his knife across Marwick's hand in a more hopeful attempt at disarming the knight.

The blade sliced across the soft skin on the underside of Marwick's wrist, splattering droplets of scarlet across the granite tile. The sword, like Dane had hoped, slipped from Marwick's grasp and clattered onto to the floor as well.

Dane spun out of Marwick's grasp quickly, pausing to aim a rather illegal kick at his opponent. He left Marwick crumpling to the floor behind him. The next thing Dane knew his hand closed around the hilt of the fancy sword and he dashed for the guard holding Peronel.

Someone had beat him to it. And they seemed to be on his side of the battle to his surprise.

The guard that held Peronel captive was swiftly being cut down by Halt. The Ranger's bow had been hastily discarded in the sudden skirmish, and now he had his throwing knife in one hand and saxe knife in the other. The guard released Peronel, shoving her away roughly as he aimed a sweeping slash at Halt.

The sloppy downwards chop was easily stopped by Halt's crossed blades, and then Dane was there to disarm the guardsman with a crooked cut to the man's side. As the warrior cried out and fell Dane's cold eyes flicked warily to Halt.

Halt gave Dane a little nod of thanks, his eyes as grim and unreadable as ever. He turned away from Dane to the thief's surprise, not even attempting to engage Dane in combat.

"Dane!"

The thief turned just in time to be half mauled by a hysterical Peronel. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed close to him. Dane loosened his grip on the hilt of the sword and half embraced her in return. He ignored the stinging sensation of pain that lanced through his shoulder at the movement and ever so slightly pulled away from Peronel. He kept his good arm wrapped around her, almost scared to let her go in fear of losing her again.

"Peronel? Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you? Anyone at all? I'm so sorry I-" The words spilled from Dane's mouth in a fierce rush and Peronel reached up to take his face in her soft hands. The effect her touch had on Dane was astounding, and Dane fell silent.

Dane was frozen in place, his gaze riveted on Peronel. The cowl of her cloak was laying across her shoulders, and her blonde hair poured down her back in a waterfall of straight locks. Her usually warm brown eyes were wide with fear and concern. It warmed Dane to know that the emotions shining through her eyes were for him and no one else. The storm in his own eyes subsided, as if Peronel's very presence was enough to waylay the winds that raged there. He hadn't lost her after all.

"Hey…" Dane murmured stupidly. He didn't know what else to say, all the emotions he's wanted to express and the words that had sprung to his lips to do so

simply died in his throat as he looked at her. Dane could pick out a thin little scar across the line of Peronel's jaw along with the foreign remnants of a bruise along the hollow of her neck. Certainly those marks hadn't been there before?

"If the both of you are quite finished…" Halt called from where he fended off a guardsman. The Ranger had taken up a guard of his own of the couple, and he was beginning to grow slightly impatient as more guards poured into the main hall. He slammed the hilt of the saxe knife into one man's temple, dropping him to the floor before he could get in another swing at Halt. The Ranger turned to them, and Dane stepped in front of Peronel defensively.

Halt looked unperturbed by Dane's clear show of distrust. "Don't be silly. If I had wanted to kill you I assure you, you would have been long dead. It would have been less than simple to put a knife in your back while the both of you were mooning over each over."

Dane opened his mouth to reply, then snapped it shut abruptly. Halt jerked his head at the door. "Right now we have the same intention of getting out of here alive. As far as I'm concerned, I can drag you back to the castle later."

Dane eyed Halt dubiously, but the on surge of guardsmen made his decision a quick one. He might not like the idea of agreeing to anything the Ranger suggested, but there was more at stake than his pride. Dane's left shoulder was no good, and he was fairly sure he'd pulled a muscle or shredded a tendon somewhere.

There was no way he was going to be able to fight very well or for very long in his current condition, and he still had to get Peronel out alive.

"No tricks?" Dane queried cautiously.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Halt told him, "But we don't exactly have time for that, now are you with me or not?"

Dane nodded, seeing the logic in Halt's words. He joined Halt, falling in step beside the Ranger as more guards headed towards them. Dane made sure that Peronel stayed close, telling her to stay behind him and follow along as they tried to forge a path to the door. They kept the curving wall at their backs and moved as swiftly as they could.

Halt and Dane fought side by side, taking out the guards who rushed them with the occasional assistance from another. As much as they would hate to admit it, they fought well together. Dane was there to deflect the rather lethal sword thrusts and cuts aimed at Halt, giving the Ranger a chance to retaliate and finish off the guard.

The only real problem was the odds. It didn't matter how well Halt and Dane fought as one, the guards that poured into the main hall were simply overwhelming against the two men. Dane could see where things were going, and he felt a sinking feeling as he realized that they might never make it out of the tower alive.

He couldn't help but wonder if Peronel's resurrection was going to be cut short. He shoved the thought away viciously as he knocked a glancing sword thrust away from Halt. The guardsman let out a cry of pain as Halt swiftly felled him with his two knives. The effort was proven vain as the fallen soldier was replaced by two more of his comrades.

"We have to run for it, we can't fight them all off!" Dane yelled to Halt as he moved to guard the Ranger's right side. Behind him Peronel was moving swiftly along the wall that flanked the trio, staying close to them but out of their way. She didn't want to leave Dane, and something told her that their time together was limited. Then again, hadn't it always been?

As Peronel watched her beloved do what he'd always been best at, she couldn't help but think back to the days when life had been simpler. All the warm summer evenings spent under a blooming oak on the outskirts of Araluen's capital, and the little walks on dark and secluded streets was suddenly so distant a memory. Those little snatches of time spent with Dane were pieces of paradise to Peronel.

Peronel swallowed hard as the doors of the main hall slammed shut, sounding all too similar to a death bell's tolling. This was it, they were trapped.

Halt and Dane stepped back a little as Marwick and a few of his more knightly looking followers fanned out to corner the trio between them and the wall.

Seeing the improbable odds of the situation Peronel felt a sickening wave of fear rise in her. There was no way out now, and it wasn't as if Marwick was known for his merciful punishments. The three of them could easily be put to death without a second thought.

The sane part of Peronel felt regret for the moment, and she couldn't help but think that this was somehow all her fault. If only she hadn't fallen for a no good thief, a low life murderer who had laid claim to more than his fair share of dark deeds; she just might have lived to grow old with a husband as they watched their children grow up themselves.

And all the memories came back to her again, the warmth of their first kiss and the comfort of being wrapped in Dane's arms, the gentle whisper of his voice, with just the touch of a lower city lilt to it.

Somehow that meant so much more than any life that she could have-might have-had with any other man.

There was nowhere else that Peronel would rather be than beside Dane, even when they were facing the last moments of their lives. She moved forward to wrap her hand around his, feeling his rough and callused fingers twin around hers in return.

For what Peronel thought might be the last time, he turned his ghostly grey eyes on her. The transfixing sight of the storming sadness that she saw there was enough to make her heart clench painfully, but for some odd reason, Dane smiled at her. To his surprise, his voice didn't come out quite as shattered as the rest of him felt.

"Just for the record, I love you. I'm sorry."

Marwick's orders rang throughout the hall, and the line of guards moved forward, their gleaming sword points leading the way.


Please read and review, it's appreciated. =)