They both soared back, and Kain slammed against the wall, white feathers crumpling and some coming loose, fluttering to the floor. He shoved Abel back, nails slicing through clothing as the two grappled for control, with Abel ending up on the floor more than once. The crowd could do nothing but watch in horror, frozen with fear and uncertainty, looking to their Queen for guidance, but she was as fearful as they, too worried about the outcome of this match to concentrate on anything else. Astharoshe was watching from the floor where she had fallen, tempted to get up from her spot, even though she would be of little help against a Krusnik.

"You're weak, Abel. You haven't drank from a vampire recently, have you?" he grinned, pinning Abel's wrists to the stone wall behind him. "Just like before." Abel growled,

"Esther! Get them out of here! All of them!" the wind was knocked out of him as he took a knee to the solar plexus, and went to the floor. Esther squeaked, hand over her mouth, but nodded.

"Please, everyone, we have to go! Right now! Ion... Help me..." she touched his arm, and he proceeded to help move the crowd away from the warring Krusnik. Esther turned back, when most of the crowd had gone, to see Astharoshe still watching with worried amber eyes as blood, feathers, and emerald and white cloth littered the floor, the clanking of metal heard as their weapons met in midair.

"Duchess! Come on!" Ion called, but she didn't even look back, her hand adorned with many rings outstretched for Abel.

"Now that they know what you are... I'm done... For now." Abel had taken a flying leap at Kain, scythe held high to strike. Kain's hand shot out, momentarily breaking the priest's concentration. Astharoshe got to her feet, time seeming to slow as she watched the brothers, her eyes on the lance in Kain's hand. She dove, screamed a warning to Abel,

"TOVARISHCH!"

Kain thrust the lance forward, impaling the silver-haired priest straight through, the barbed tip protruding from his back. Abel screamed, and Esther screamed, the scythe clattering to the floor as he was dropped and the lance torn from his body, his Krusnik form fading. The wings shrank, his hair fell in a silver river around his shoulders, and the scythe vanished. Astharoshe paused in mid step, teeth clenched with rage, and knelt to get a good leap at Kain as he made a high jump for the window. Her nails grazed his skin, slicing his cheek as he vanished into the night. Isaak had been long gone for quite some time.

She came back to earth, boots clacking on the stone floor, hair falling from her bun, and turned to look at her partner, afraid that she may already be too late. He was laying there, gasping, his hand over the wound. It was hard to believe that his internal organs hadn't spilled out all over the floor beneath him, but by the look of the gaping hole in his abdomen, it wouldn't be long before something of the like did happen. Astharoshe dashed to the fallen priest, kneeling and lifting him off of the floor to cradle him in her arms, fingers tracing delicately over the badly damaged flesh, emerald cloth stained black when crimson blood soaked his clothing through. There were cuts and scrapes all over his body, hardly a stretch of his pale skin untouched by the other Krusnik's wickedly sharp nails.

Esther and Ion came running, at a loss for words, both horribly shocked, Ion shaking slightly. Abel shook with the shock brought on by such severe injuries, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. He coughed, flecks of the red substance spattering him and Astharoshe, who had long since stopped caring that Abel's blood was staining her beautiful dress. At first, as Abel struggled to speak, she seemed to be unable to help him, unable to react in any way to the current situation. She was near tears; images of her former Tovarishch, Count Rayne Yarnosh, flashed through her memory. Enderles... And now Abel was to be lost to Kain? No. She would NOT allow another companion to be taken from her. Former aggression back in place, Astharoshe turned to Esther,

"Show me the way to the infirmary. He needs help now!" The last image Abel recalled before his brain blanked out was Astharoshe lifting him off of the floor with her Methuselah-born strength, and being carried off down the hall.