When they came at us, Garrett put a bullet through two of their hearts. They dropped without a sound. Then the gun was empty.

He swore, throwing the gun at the closest thug. It hit him between the eyes. He grunted and blinked.

Our weapons were ready. I fought the first one for a minute, opening his guard, waiting until I was ready.

Then I backed him up, slowly, through the still-falling snow, until he came out through the last line of trees and stumbled on the sand by the lake. That was his mistake.

Now that he was off balance, I determined to keep him that way. Before my people were slaughtered, the lake usually didn't freeze in the winter, since they made sure they kept it clear. But now there was an inch of ice on the water. Not enough to hold someone's weight, but enough to keep the water below just above freezing.

I forced him back. He couldn't find a good grip on the sand, so my twin knives flashed all the quicker with the lighter defense he was putting up.

At last he stood on the edge of the water. I forced him out along the boat dock. At the far end of it, the boards were probably thirteen feet above the bottom of the lake. He slipped on the frozen wood, and scrambled backward, fear in his eyes now.

"You killed my family," I said simply, as I advanced. "Now you pay for what you did."

He shook his head, no words coming from his mouth. He managed to get to his feet, pointing his sword at me, his fencing skill forgotten.

I disarmed him with a simple stab to the hilt. The sword flipped out of his hands and onto the lake ice.

"Die," I said. I kicked him in the chest with all the force I had.

He flew a yard, then landed on the ice. With a wail, he shattered the ice, and slipped through, into the frozen water. A few moments later, a plume of bubbles came to the surface.

I nodded, satisfied. I turned.

And there, on the edge of the dock, were the last two.