Rio stood motionless. She lay, her short copper hair fanned out behind her, on the polished hardwood floor. Blood from a wound on her leg blossomed out onto the floor, a flower opening. Her cherished naginata, now stained, was clenched loosely in her hand, the silk sodden and the wood scarred, resin battered away. Her dark eyelashes clashed horrendously with the white that was her skin, so different from its normal bronze tan. She was his sister, and, ruthless as her was, blood is thicker than water. He had been meaning to capture her but, to see her hurt like this, by someone other than himself no less, almost took his breath away. Almost, but not quite. He was ruthless, and even seeing her like this could not take away his harsh authority or soften his Spartan manner. "Well, it seems as if our work has been done for us. Pick her up, carefully! and make sure that the building is secure. We'll meet at rondezvous point delta 143 at 18 hundred hours." His quick mind began to work. You could almost hear the springs and cogs whirring. It must have been Copper Islanders. Only they would know where she was and what she was doing. They had a new mage on their side. Not that he would be a match for that great Tortallan mage certainly but he was certainly a match for his unGifted sister. He couldn't believe that they had discovered she was working for Tortall. He hadn't guessed that for a whole year and they had always been close. When he discovered her allegiance he'd hated her for choosing the opposite side to his in a game of death, war and destruction. His plan to capture her, although he also wanted to use her, was to keep her out of the way of bloodshed, a scarlet stain spreading over the land, consuming the fighters.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"My Copper Island connection is down!"

"What?! Myles, you had better not be joking. It's not funny."

"I'm not. One Chia, well, Chiamarisami to be precise. Yamani born, brought up in the Copper Islands. It seems as though she was attacked then left. Apparently her brother then captured her. We have to do something. She's a great fighter, if a little, um, antisocial is the word I think."

"Damn! We need that connection." Yelled the Baron of Pirate's Swoop.

"George, calm down." Said a man with jet-black hair and sapphire eyes.

"I can't Jon. She was our last connection in the Copper Islands, and she is only 15 Mithros damn it!"

"Well what can I do?"

"Send someone out there. Kelad-"

"Don't even go there George. I'm keeping her here where I need her."

"What about Alanna? She'll go for me."

"George, you know you can't ask her. I really need her. She's the Champion. "

"I know," whispered George. "I just hate being so helpless."

"We all do." Said Myles.