The Passage of Twin Disciplines
Chapter Twenty-Four
Loaded Dice
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Akali walked down the streets of Demacia with a quick purpose to her stride. The sun had just begun peeking over the horizon with the first rays of the dawn when they had left Vayne's mansion. She knew they had to speak to the King before they left, less their actions be seen as hostile or should anything happen to the prince in her absence she did not wish for it to reflect poorly on the Kinkou. However...
Akali looked down at the cougar who trotted by her side, ears fully focused forward as she followed the ninja without hesitation. Fully trusting Akali in whatever decision she made, no matter where it put them.
That's the way it had always been. Nidalee had left her home, naive and completely uninformed with the ways of the world and she had followed Akali without question. She had accepted that the Kinkou would keep her promise and stay true.
Akali closed her eyes momentarily and sighed, she did not deserve such blind faith. Not when she had put her own needs, and her own mission, before the needs of the huntress as well as the safety of the cubs.
"Halt and state your business." The guards at the castle's front gate ordered as they slid their feet together and crossed their lances in front of the approaching pair.
"I am Akali of the Kinkou come to consult with the King." The heiress replied, waiting patiently. Beside her, Nidalee tossed her head and scratched at her ear with one of her large paws. Akali smiled slightly, the show of trust not lost on her when only days before she the huntress had found herself at the end of one of those spears. Akali snapped out of her trance when the guards uncrossed their lances and signalled for the doors to be opened.
The heiress steeled her mind, ashamed at the increasing amount she had allowed herself to be distracted as of late. When it came to the huntress, Akali found it difficult to remember her training although she still couldn't understand why.
Physical engagements were only made for the purpose of reproduction. In the Kinkou, once you proved yourself worthy of creating an heir could you request a pairing be made to assure your bloodline. Past that, the link to another living being was between squad mates and the kinship with other Kinkou members. Anything further was a weak point which was not allowed.
So then why did her heart race whenever her mind would wander to thoughts of the huntress? Two females could not even reproduce without the assistance of a male so surely it could not be lust or need.
While it was true that Akali had seen others who had claimed they were in love, and then wed, it had never lasted. The man would slink into another's bed in the dark of night, as would the woman in reverse cases. They would stay together due to the bond of marriage, but it seemed pointless. A bond that was only there in title and not out of any essential need for survival or deeper bond forged within the being. It seemed like a sentence to the dungeons, a place where you must stay as you looked out of the one small window you were allowed, staring into the rain and clouds as you hoped for a brighter tomorrow.
Love did not exist. Bonds existed. Lust existed. Love was part of fairy tales that were told to children so they might marvel at some fanciful future that they should aspire to rather than the dingy reality that awaited them. It was a small lie that parents and story tellers told to offer some comfort.
Akali had never been told such stories. Her mother had never told her she loved her, and it was not something Akali had ever felt that she needed to hear. She knew that her mother cared for her, tended to her, trained her and in doing so, put her faith in her that she would one day be worthy of her legacy. Akali had been allowed to live, and by doing so her mother had shown that she was trusting her to uphold her mother's bloodline and all its glory. There was no room for the weak within the Kinkou, they were the protectors, not the protected.
And that, if anything, was love.
No, what she felt for Nidalee was nothing more than a misplaced instinct to protect, interwoven with the hormones that came with her ageing. It was foolish to allow her imagination to run away with thoughts and images of the huntress until she found herself wondering and pondering. Her dreams to be filled with the soft touches, quiet sighs and playful looks that were meant only for her.
Such thoughts were nothing more than the late appearance of her childhood fairy tales.
What she needed to do was distance herself from the huntress. She had grown too lax in the mediation of her thoughts. The thoughts Nidalee had, had the other night... comparing her to the knights in the story. Her questions surrounding why she had protected her again and again, throwing her own life to the wind as she stood in front of the fatal blow... it had all been reflex. To protect the weak, those who could not protect themselves. That had been what she had been trained to do. To bring balance where there was none. The hunters had stormed her home with weapons and stolen the predators from the jungle. It was only right that Akali return that balance by retrieving the cubs.
The Kinkou were the force that brought balance to the world, and that was what she was doing for Nidalee, nothing more.
She as no knight. Simply Kinkou.
As Akali forced herself to accept that fact, her mind flickered momentarily to the kiss they had shared and her pulse raged under her skin.
Shaking her head, she forced them away as Nidalee looked up at her curiously and bumped Akali's legs with the top of her head.
Scowling, Akali stepped purposefully away from the cougar and stormed inside the castle.
Once inside the castle walls, a paige approached the pair, rubbing his hands nervously as he bowed shallowly.
"I am afraid that the King cannot be disturbed at this time except for news of the utmost importance. I assume you can wait for an audience during his breakfast?" The paige asked nervously, dropping his gaze when he noticed Nidalee watching him.
"I understand. We will wait in our quarters until he is ready." Akali replied stoically, ignoring the probing touch of Nidalee's mind as she sought to find what had caused the sudden change in the Kinkou's mood. A moment ago she had been so happy, so full of energy. Her mind was like one of the sun-flies that would float during the night. Making sporadic patterns with their energy.
As the paige bowed once more and left, Akali turned heel and stormed down the hallway that led to her assigned room, trying desperately to ignore the curious feline, the worry leaking through all but breaking Akali's resolve to shut her out.
Her chest aching terribly, Akali quickened her pace, all but running to the sanctuary where she couldn't be seen breaking down. She couldn't understand the feelings coursing through her body. Why it ached so much to push the huntress away when she knew all she wanted was to pull her in and envelop herself inside the comfort that was offered. She knew she wanted to, but Akali could not fathom why.
As the door shut behind them, Akali tore at the necklace dangling from her neck and tossed it across the room in sheer frustration. The need for silence, for the prodding and heartache to end, overriding all other reason or thought.
She didn't understand what was happening to her and weight of all the doubt had begun to tear at the very fabric of her being. At everything she had ever known and trusted in.
Never before had she questioned. Never before had she felt a need to. But after the previous night she didn't know what to believe anymore. It seemed like no matter where she turned a new question was poised and just when she believed she had found an answer, the answer itself ripped at another part of herself.
Her mother, her mission. Her reasons for coming to Demacia, the lies from the King. Hunting Summoner's who were suppose to protect her and yet were being painted as the disease of the world! Champions turning on their contract holders, feelings that she couldn't understand.
Nothing made sense anymore, nothing she had previously known was still seen as true.
Why was she here? What was her purpose in this web of lies that she had found herself caught in the middle of? Why was it that everything she had ever known, ever been taught, was crumbling around her? Was she being tested? Was that why she had been sent alone? To test her resolve to stay to the path she had been given? Was Vayne simply another test? Had she been told to throw so much doubt that Akali had to prove her loyalty to her mother and the Kinkou? To prove that she could trust her mother's word as absolute?
She just didn't know anymore. The heiress wanted to believe, wanted to trust but she couldn't push away the questions anymore. No matter how hard Akali tried, she could not grasp the resolve that had been so prominent when she had left her home. Everything was clouded, nothing made sense and most frustrating of all was the terribly pain that raked at her body, a pain that for the first time in her life wasn't the cause of a physical wound but an emotional tear. A pain that no bandage could help heal and left Akali at a loss as to how to heal it or make it stop.
She just wanted it to stop.
Akali slid down against the door, falling to the floor as she covered her face with her hands, frustration, pain and confusion blurring her to everything else.
But the one thought that haunted her the most, was the loneliness she felt the moment she had thrown away the necklace. Why should she feel lonely and alone because of simply tossing away an old necklace when in reality, for her entire life, she had been alone?
Why now did she feel the unimaginable need to have the comforting presence of the huntress against her subconscious? What purpose did it serve?
"I can't do it..." She whispered, unaware as tears rolled down her cheeks and dropped onto her bunched up legs. Fighting against the pain in her chest, Akali barely registered as a warm hand brushed away the tears from her cheeks.
Nidalee rumbled out a whine, unsure of what to do. She did not know why her mind-mirror had thrown away her necklace, but even without it she could tell Akali was in pain but was helpless to lessen it. She did not see any wound to heal, or any damage to repair, and yet the other girl was so obviously distressed.
Nidalee wanted desperately to help, but was unsure of how she could. So gently, she wiped away the water springing from her mind-mirror's eyes and hummed quietly. Hummed like her mother used to do for her when the sky would break open and the air would snap. When her paw had been full of thorns, or she had ever felt hurt or scared. It was her comfort, and maybe it would comfort her mind-mirror as well.
It was all she could think of to try, and she had to try. Watching the only being she had ever felt for wither in so much agony was causing her to be in pain as well. Nidalee watched for some form of clue as to how to help but found herself only frustrated when Akali only seemed to be in more pain. So she did the only thing she knew to offer her comfort, and she hummed quietly offering her help if it was wanted.
Akali turned to her and watched for a moment before slapping her hands away, causing the ache in her chest to increase. She wanted the touch, she wanted the comfort but she knew that she shouldn't.
Time and time again she allowed herself to fall to temptations, to fall to her weakness. Because that's what Nidalee had turned into, her weakness. Proving without a doubt the reason for why bonds were not allowed within the Kinkou. She wasn't strong enough and that was why everything around her was crumbling. If she had been smart enough, perhaps she could have understood what it was her mother was thinking. Perhaps then she would have been able to figure out the inner workings of what the shadows were hiding without another having to come to her aid, once again.
If she was strong enough, the cubs never would have been captured and then Nidalee never would have had to leave the confines of her forest.
She never would have sworn to find and return the cubs. She never would have taken a step off of her path, fallen to temptation or allowed herself to become so weak. Her mother would be ashamed.
Akali would not blame Nidalee, it was not her fault. The only one at fault was Akali herself, for failing at her teachings and not living up to the standards her mother expected her to.
However, knowing all of that, and logically being able to process the thousands of reasons she should distance herself from the cougaress. Why she should not allow the look of pain and confusion upon the huntresses face to enter her train of thought. All Akali desperately wanted to do was lunge across the room and adorn her necklace once more so she might allow herself to be swallowed within the presence of the other woman's mind.
"Ak-Aka-li..." Nidalee forced out, obviously struggling to form the words. "Hurt?" She asked in her own, choppy command of speech.
Akali looked into Nidalee's green eyes, so full of worry as she struggled to communicate. It would have been so much simpler for the huntress to pick up the discarded necklace and try to return it.
But she hadn't. Because Akali had thrown it away and while she didn't understand, and while the action had hurt, she was still trying to communicate. Still trying to help.
"Need heal." Nidalee continued, moving carefully to touch Akali's chest, right over her heart.
That one simple action was all it took to finally break through the rest of Akali's resistance as she broke down in a deep sob, falling into the comfort that Nidalee offered, falling against the other woman as her heart broke into a thousand pieces and she begged the huntress to put them back together.
For the first time in her life, Akali allowed her raw self to show through to another person as she let all of her pain and doubt flow as she crumpled against Nidalee's chest. In the back of her mind she knew she should straighten up, to hold onto the small amount of dignity that she had left but she couldn't let go.
She couldn't bring herself to tear apart from the huntress and instead let go in another sense. In that moment, the Kinkou princess let go of who she was and everything she had been brought up to know was true and she let herself lean on another. For the first time, she allowed herself to adorn the role of the protected, of the weak.
Nidalee hummed quietly, running her fingers through the other girls hair, imitating the actions her mother used to take when she had been upset as a cub. The dark nights when she had found comfort from her mother's grooming tongue as it seemed to work all the sadness from her body.
She still didn't understand the sudden out-lash or the bared fangs Akali had momentarily shown her, but she understood that it was not out of malice. It was similar, to a way, when her father would have an outburst at her mother. But instead of returning the growls with snarls of her own, she would sit and wait for her mate to calm down, offering the grumpy male soft croons.
It had always confused Nidalee, that her mother would take his growls and bared fangs without a hint of threat, when the actions had scared her into a curled tail. But now, she understood. Her mother had known that no matter how angry her mate had been, he would never hurt her, and often the hurtful action had simply been his way of showing he was in pain without wounding his pride.
Nidalee understood now that Akali throwing away the necklace hadn't been meant to hurt her, it was because her mind-mirror had been in pain and had not known how to ask for help. So instead she had charged, with fangs bared and claws out, begging the huntress to help her when she herself was unable to ask.
Gradually Akali's sobs lessened within the cocoon of Nidalee's arms, under the guidance of the huntress's soft humming and the gentle stroke of her hair she began to relax. She found her mind blank, unthinking as she allowed herself to be swallowed within the moment. Unwilling to revisit the tangled mess within her mind. For now, the only thing she wanted to listen to was the steady heart-beat of the huntress and the hum of her chest beneath her cheek.
For now, that simple reality was her eye within the storm.
Shortly later Akali awoke with a start at a knock at the door as Nidalee's hum changed into a growl.
Embarrassed at having fallen asleep, Akali pushed away from the huntress and wiped the dried tears from her cheeks at the same time as trying to hide the blush on her cheeks as she struggled to stand.
"Lady Akali?" The Paige from earlier called from the other side of the door.
"One moment." Akali replied, biting back her own embarrassment as she refused to look the huntress in the eye. Quickly she stuffed the few belongings she owned into her bag and retrieved her weapon as well as the discarded necklace, hesitating momentarily before stuffing it into the bag.
Nidalee did not need to understand the conversation she was about to have. She would put it on later perhaps.
That was the reason Akali told herself she would not put it on at the present time, when in her heart she knew it was because she was too embarrassed and flustered and did not want the huntress invading her mind until she had a little more time to think and allow her thoughts to sort themselves.
Akali allowed one glance at the huntress to make sure she had shifted into her animal form before she opened the door.
"The King will see you-" The paige began as the door opened, fumbling when he took in the obviously annoyed cougar, Akali's packed bag, weapons and swollen eyes. "Now...?" He finished as Akali strode past him, merely waving to show she understood.
The ninja walked through the halls she had come to know, heading towards the dining hall with Nidalee close at her heel, her mind set on her goal. 'To tell the King she was leaving to consult with her mother and to then rescue the cubs, trusting in Vayne's promise.' If she allowed her mind to wander, even a little, she knew she would break and that was not something she could afford at the present time.
Striding into the grand hall, Akali stopped at the far end of the table that had already seated the King and the Queen of Demacia, bowing low as she waited to be addressed.
"Princess of the Kinkou! So nice of you to join us for breakfast, please, sit. Join us! My son will be joining us shortly and I'm sure we can find something to feet your- er – pet." The King greeted as he spread his arms out wide in invitation, motioning to the array of food before him.
"I am sorry, Sire, but I must decline. I have come to give you a report and cannot tarry." Akali replied, formal and rigid in her speech as she straightened to address the King directly.
"Nonsense, I'll not hear of it. You are far too skinny for your own good as it is. A warrior needs a hearty breakfast! Now come, sit! My son will be here soon and we have merry news to share with all!" The King insisted, beaming as he reached to clasp his wife's hand, hers instantly going to her stomach as she looked down with a smile and a blush.
Akali watched the exchange and her brow furrowed as she processed the information when everything suddenly clicked. It was like watching a puzzle that you had slaved over for hours trying to piece it together finally make sense, the picture you had been trying to see suddenly became clear all except for one piece that still did not make sense. Why?
The Fool. The Unfaithful. The Devil's Spawn. It all made sense now. The reasons behind depicting the Prince as a babe and not a man. The reason the face was left blank.
The Queen was pregnant.
Additionally, if Akali were to take the cards writing as any indication, not with her husband's child. The fool, of course. The King was the fool for obvious reason, as was the unfaithful. But then why 'Devil's Spawn'? Who was the father of the child that would justify the title of Devil's Spawn and not simply 'bastard' or 'nameless'? Both are commonly given to children without a father or a family name.
It made sense now. Why there was no evidence of a true assassin hunting for Prince Jarvan, why the King had no true leads to send her on and instead she had been sent to sniff out those he considered trouble. But still not the why. Why he had chosen to send her after people who, according to Vayne, were helping Demacia. Who were, as Shauna had put it, their Unsung Heroes.
Akali was sure of it now. The card had been meant as a threat to the unborn child. But who would know of a child that had not even yet been conceived? Unless it had been planned from the start. A sinister twist from the shadows? But who would have access to the Queen, who would be able to bed her without the King's ever having noticed?
Were they in league with the assassin? No, that made no sense. But then the assassin was trying to stop the birth of a bastard child... So in the end he was trying to help Demacia? To stop something before it had a chance to start?
But who had the power to see where all the cards fell? To look into the shadows and watch every player's every movement?
Besides all of that... How did her mother know? What did her mother know?
As Akali stood there, frozen with shock as she tried to process everything the same Paige as before walked into the dining hall and bowed beside Akali.
"I am sorry, Sire but we still cannot locate the Prince." The Paige reported, keeping his head low as he waited for new orders.
"Bah, damn love-struck fool probably snuck out to see his bride-to-be. I should have been a bit more diligent in my teachings on what it means to be a Prince, right, my dear?" The King laughed, slapping his hand down on the table as Akali's eyes narrowed. "But then I was the one to but thoughts of an heir into his mind." No, something did not feel right.
"Have a guard go and fetch them both! I suppose she must be considered as family and should be present as well. Although with this news, perhaps not."
"Dear." The Queen cut in, halting the King's laughs as he cleared his throat and righted himself.
"Ah, right right. Send for Lady Luxanna and my Son. You should find them at General Garen's home within the military district if I am correct in my assumptions." The King commanded, regaining his composure as he reached for another slab of pork from the plate in front of him.
"At once, Sire." The paige replied, turning heel as he left the hall.
"Now, Kinkou, why don't you deliver your report since my fool of a son has gone missing? Either that or my guards have simply forgotten where his quarters are." The King rolled his hand as if to ask Akali to continue.
Startled out of her thoughts, Akali cleared her throat as she struggled to regain her earlier, temporary composure.
"I um-" She stuttered, flustered when Akali felt Nidalee's head bump her legs and she was able to find her centre. "I believe that with all of the new information I have recently gathered that I must return home to consult with my master before taking any further actions."
"What? What information?!" The King roared, slamming his fist and fork down onto the table. "You were brought here to protect my son against a threat on his life. Is that not what the Kinkou do? Protect?"
"We bring balance to the world, your liege. That is our goal. However I do not believe there is any threat still remaining directed towards Prince Jarvan. Even so, I agree that he should not be left unguarded merely on my beliefs which is why another has been appointed to his protection." Akali continued, watching as the guards came to attention as their King became increasingly distressed.
Things were not looking good, and if she were to be confronted to introduce the new 'protector' Akali was not certain that she would be able to locate Shauna, assuming she would want the King to know at all.
Stupid. She should have thought this through more with a clearer head. This was why she could not allow her judgement to be clouded! She had moved too fast! Moved too quickly in her rush to rid herself of all the confusion, in her hurry for answers, to properly think through a course of action. And now her foolishness would pay a price.
"New protection," The King spat, narrowing his eyes. "What blasphemy is this? Do you mean to say that the Kinkou now finds that my son is not important enough for the Princess herself to be assigned to his protection? That I am to get some rookie who has not even been trained properly?" The King roared as the paige once again entered the room.
"Sire." The Paige squeaked.
"What!?" The King bellowed, drowning out all other noise before a deafening silence took over.
"I have returned with Lady Luxanna, Sire." The Paige reported, shrinking back, wishing to simply disappear from sight. Behind him, Lux walked into the hall and bowed, holding a letter tight to her chest. Her appearance dishevelled and her hair a mess, as if she had put no thought into how to look before entering her King's presence.
Akali watched her curiously, eyeing the letter in her hands. What now? What would now be thrown into the mix, now that things were suddenly starting to make sense.
Pausing to regain some of his composure, The King took a deep breath before addressing the mage.
"Why have you not returned with my son?" He asked, jaw rigid.
"I'm afraid that is not possible, Sire." Lux spoke, her voice soft and timid like a mouse, eyes swollen from recently shed tears as her brushed a strand of golden-white hair behind her ear. "You see..." Lux hesitated, not wanting to let go of the one part of Jarvan she had left, but knowing also that she had no choice in the matter. It would be taken from her forcefully otherwise, and if she said nothing, someone without fault could be pinned with the blame. Even knowing this, to relinquish the last piece of him she had she found painfully impossible.
It had been his last words to her, his promise to her that he would return, that she had not been forgotten. If that were to be taken from her, Lux knew that she would never make it through all the cold nights that separated her from her love.
The King's eyes narrowed as he studied her, waiting for her to continue with her explanation when he understood the implications of her silence. What other reason could there be? That Lux had come to him, obviously distressed and without the ability to admit why it was not possible to present his son to him.
The King's eyes widened with horror as he turned, once again, to the now guilty ninja before him.
"It was you! Your fault!" He accused, misunderstanding what Lux had said, the pain the thought of losing his only son had caused him sending him into a blind rage. "You were suppose to be guarding him!" The King roared before suddenly stopping, a thoughtful look overtaking his visage before he spoke again, in a quieter, more even tone.
Akali's jaw opened to protest, not understanding what the King was suddenly so furious about.
"You... You are the assassin! That's why the Kinkou sent the Princess herself! Why I am the fool for handing him to you so perfectly! I trusted you! That's why you meant to leave so suddenly and with so poorly a reason!" The King accused, coming to his feet.
"No!" Lux and Akali both protested in unison.
"I have done no such thing!" Akali retorted, her hand instinctively going to the hilt of her weapons.
"No! Sire, Jarvan is just-" Lux protested before a pair of metal gloves grabbed her and dragged her back. The guards doing their duty as they rushed to protect Lux. "You don't understand!" She yelled, twisting in their grip.
As the King rose to his feet he stormed to a nearby guard who held his massive sword within it's sheath and drew the weapon, pointing it at Akali as a ring of guards closed in on her and Nidalee.
"I will have your head!" He bellowed, leaving his Queen's side as even her guards left their post to help corner the new found threat.
Akali lowered herself into a defensive stance, her right hand reaching for the necklace that sat atop her back pack. The King was too furious to listen to reason, she had no choice but to fight her way out and escape. Smite them! Why could he not simply listen instead of jumping to assumptions. What a fool the King truly was.
The only blessing she still had was that Nidalee had not charged at the first sign of a threat as she usually did, but instead still hung back by her side where it was easier for Akali to protect her.
No! Smite it! Why even now did her thoughts instantly go to the protection of the huntress? Smite it all!
As the King stepped closer, the room suddenly fell black and everyone froze where they were, unable to see through the sudden thick blackness that fell over them like a blanket.. Akali took the distraction to seize her necklace and adorn it quickly, the sudden wave of Nidalee's thoughts crashing against her mind temporarily stunning her, and she was thankful no one was watching.
'Danger, danger... Bad, bad.' Nidalee's thoughts thrummed like a nervous rabbit that had been caught within its burrow, cornered with no where to go. The huntress's muscles were bunched, ready to pounce with only the slight twitch of her tail proving that she was not a well carved statue.
'Bad, bad. Danger, danger!' Nidalee panicked, unaware that Akali could once again hear her.
'It's alright, calm down,' Akali replied, allowing herself to speak mentally to the huntress for the first time. It was a step that she had not previously been willing to take. It was so personal, allowing herself to speak directly into another's mind, without the barrier of speech to temper her thoughts. 'I won't let anything happen to you, I promise.' Akali assured Nidalee and she could feel the huntress beginning to calm, her breathing beginning to steady.
Everyone turned as a spark of light appeared behind the Queen, three cards forming on the stone floor that glowed a bright red, blue and yellow. In the same instant a short man appeared, wearing the three-pointed hat and holding a card identical to the one the King had received. His face was shadowed by his hat, and his clothing was unlike anything Akali had ever seen. Rigid and black with white seems. The fabric seemed to run straight up and down, ignoring the flow of the muscles beneath.
A moment later, before any could turn fast enough to stop the attack a card was sent flying straight at the turning Queen who had risen in her seat during the confusion.
A click of a crossbow sounded from above in one of the windows, and the silver bullet pierced the card, shattering it in mid air and burrowing deep into the stone floor.
The man with the three-pointed hat scowled, looking upwards toward the figure who had issued the counter attack before quickly regaining composure.
Drawing another card, the man readied his throw before the sound of a fluttering cape sounded and Vayne appeared on the floor at the far end of the hall. Another click and another card shattered as the Queen now hid beneath the table and the King rushed to shield her.
The confused guards moved, some to protect their King, some still kept an eye on Akali and Nidalee while still others held back Lux as she watched with a slack jaw. Without any direction of where the biggest threat was coming from, most simply watching in abject shock as the scene unfolded before them.
"Go!" Vayne called, snapping Akali out of her trance as she watched the perfectly percise aim shatter yet another air borne card. "I told you I would protect the Prince, now go!" She yelled again, Akali not missing the fact that the second call was aimed towards the King and his doubt from earlier. Or perhaps... it was aimed at her as well, hinting that she too had known about the pregnancy? No... but- There was no time to ponder now. Akali had to leave while she still had the chance.
Taking the hint, Akali tore past the surprised and confused guards, bursting out of the hallway with Nidalee close at her heels.
"Time for your reckoning." Vayne whispered, tumbling towards the attacking magician. Another shot fired, piercing his deck while she brought the crossbow from her back out and shot a much larger bolt, aimed so it perfectly dug into the assassin's shoulder and pinned him against the wall, blood rolling down his chest.
As Vayne ran closer, her crossbow poised, the attacker began to chuckle.
"Well I guess, that's just how the cards were played." Without another word, the red, yellow and blue cards appeared once more and the man with the three-pointed hat disappeared. Leaving only a couple drops of blood as another crossbow bolt burrowed into the wall in an attempt to stop him. A shattered deck of cards the only evidence he had ever been there at all.
"Tcch," Vayne muttered, returning her crossbow to her back. The archer looked to the shocked King who watched her warily and smiled, bowing slightly before another flutter of her cape sounded and she was gone as well.
As Akali ran for the front door, it became apparent she would not be able to escape that way and instead turned towards the room Nidalee had first entered the castle through. Without any guards stationed inside of a wrecked guest room, they were able to escape through the window the ease. With Akali running the first few steps up the wall before lunging, and Nidalee easily springing the distance in her cougar form to clear the window. The pair left the castle through the same route they had first entered.
Once they were outside no guards pursued. They had no yet been told that Akali had been marked as a threat and were used to seeing her within the castle grounds. With all the sudden confusion to add to the mix, by the time the news of what had happened spread, the pair was already gone.
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I know it took me forever to update. Hopefully it was worth waiting for. Also, yay for things finally coming together! :))) I hope it made as much sense written out as it does in my head
Drop a review, I hope you enjoyed it. -Kiravu