"So let me get this straight…" Nitiko muttered, rubbing his temples with his fingers to ease the headache that had started to pound his head. "You found her in a dark sorcerer's tower, terrified, and decided to take her with you to the magi? What on earth would the magi want with the girl, other than to kill her?"
Hunter blinked in shock and frowned. "I thought they could heal her eyes."
Nitiko let out a sour laugh. "No lad, if they could have I would have asked long ago. Once your eyes are gone, they're impossible to get back." The man raised a hand to his face, running a finger along the scar on his cheek.
"I could have told him that. Didn't you ever talk to that water magi I dated a while back?" Solinur asked his brother, who rolled his eyes.
"No, you didn't talk with her much, either. You were too busy f-"
"We have no time for bickering." Nitiko glared at the brothers. The twins glanced at him before glaring at each other and moving away.
Nitiko groaned in frustration and looked over to Stella as she laid on the couch where she slept. The two intruders had insisted that she had only used too much magic and would be fine, but he was still nervous. She was a nice girl, if not a little sassy. He would hate to see her hurt in his own home. "If the magi are trying to kill her, then they probably noticed you two are already gone. What did you say to them before you left?"
Hunter glanced at Solinur uneasily. "Uh… that I didn't want to kill her?"
Nitiko let out a growl of displeasure. "Then I'm going to assume they're thinking you're defecting from their order." He said, trying to think of how a magi would understand what he was saying. Why did magi always assume that their magic would solve everything?
"Wait- so they'll be hunting us as well?" Hunter asked in shock.
"Duh." Solinur chuckled. "You really didn't think this through very much, did you? We're out of the keep right now, brother dear. Your fascination with this girl has cost us both our studies."
Hunter couldn't help but feel guilty as he looked at Solinur. "And you're okay with that?"
"Don't have much of a choice, do I?" Solinur shrugged. "Besides, studying is boring. I've learned pretty much everything they have to teach anyway, and I'm not killing some girl to finish my studies."
Hunter nodded in agreement. "So then… what now?" He looked back to Nitiko.
"I have no care for what you or your brother do from now on." The paladin said harshly. "But this girl obviously has a problem with you being around her. Are you sure you told me everything about her?"
Hunter watched him uneasily, before nodding.
"You're a terrible liar. Alright, well she's going to stay here until she wakes up, and you two," Nitiko glared at the men. "had better not go near her."
Hunter looked down in annoyance, but nodded slightly.
"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have finish my vigil." Nitiko stood, his armor settling over him with loud metallic clangs before walking into the hallway, disappearing into another room.
"Well isn't he a ray of sunshine?" Solinur scoffed at the paladin after he had disappeared.
"I can't believe I destroyed both our lives. I'm sorry, Solinur." Hunter said, putting a hand up to his face, groaning in agony.
"Destroyed? Naah, more like made a bit more exciting." Solinur laid back in the chair he was sitting in, putting his arms behind his head. "You may be a bit dull dear brother of mine, but you do tend to attract the best adventures."
Hunter looked up at Solinur and sighed in frustration. Well, he was right about one thing- he had no idea what would happen next, and the thought of being outside the keep terrified him, but at least it was for a good cause.
He glanced over to Stella as she slept and laid back in his own seat, setting a hand over his face to try and think of what to do next.
"B-but sir, don't you think we should tell Thane at the main keep what's going on before we send out more magi?" A younger magi said uneasily, looking at Fram from across a desk.
"That old codger would never understand the delicacies of this situation. All those years have made him soft… he'd probably let the girl go, insisting that she's done nothing wrong." Fram muttered darkly. "No, we'll keep this to ourselves for the moment. I want you to send out our best battle magi to hunt down those twins and the girl. Have them come to me first to get the details of their mission."
The younger magi hesitated for a moment with a frown, before nodding and bowing lowly to his master. He walked to the door and glanced back uneasily, watching Fram flip through a book before running down the hall to his duties.
He had to warn them of what was going on…
"HO, men, fall in!" Nitiko yelled in the courtyard in front of his castle, the men who had been wandering around the grounds frantically running into place, standing in a line in front of him. "Now, I have a question for you men. If a woman were to be in trouble, what would you do as men? Would you save her, or leave her?"
"Save her, sir!" One of the men yelled loudly.
"Now, what if she had some strange and mysterious power that may be used for evil? Would you still save her?" Nitiko stopped in front of the men, looking at them curiously.
"Sir, yes I would sir." The man said more gently this time.
"And why would that be, knight?" Nitiko stood in front of the man with a smile.
"She may or may not be evil herself, sir." He answered.
"Is there a way to tell if she is or is not? What if she is a sorcerer or evil magi?" Nitiko said.
"A sorcerer must have an amulet, and a magi would reveal their powers to the stones." The man answered, looking up at his lieutenant in confusion.
"That's true. Now what if this woman could kill you with just a touch? Would you still want to travel with her?" Nitiko looked at the man in interest as he shifted uneasily.
"T-that's a strange power, sir. I've never heard of it." The knight said nervously.
"Aye, it is, isn't it? A small, blind girl with the power to kill a man on a whim… It's quite an interesting situation." Nitiko muttered thoughtfully.
"Sir?" The knight looked at him in confusion.
"Alright men, I told you one day I'd have to leave you, correct? Well it seems that day has finally come." Nitiko looked to his men, who all stared at him in shock. "I know it's sudden, but I am leaving it up to you men to protect this town. Do as I've taught you, and you'll all be fine."
"But sir! What is this all about?" One of the men shouted.
"There's a situation that's come up that I'm not sure I'll be able to leave alone. I will only say, it involves a girl and a stupid magi, and we'll leave it at that. Do not delve into it, otherwise you'll be caught in the web as well." Nitiko looked at the men and smiled warmly. "You have all become like brothers to me, and I thank you for your loyalty. I hope to come back, though I don't know how long this journey will keep me away from my home."
"We'll keep the city safe sir, go help the girl." The knight in front of him smiled warmly up to the older man. Nitiko rested a hand on the knight's shoulder in thanks and walked back toward the castle as the men looked at each other uneasily.
Hunter looked up as a talvar flew in through a small window of the castle, landing on his knee with a flutter and chirp. He saw the small paper attached to its leg and untied the parchment, reading it as the bird flew off back out the window.
'They are sending Brodrick and Lex after you. RUN!'
Hunter stared down at the note in terror and handed it to Solinur, who stared at it as well.
"I was afraid they'd do something like that." Solinur muttered before setting the note down on the arm of the chair, standing quickly. "We have to get going quickly, before Lex's Raiju sniffs us out. You get the cats and get the elk ready- I'll go find Nitiko and tell him what's happening. We have to go quickly."
Hunter nodded and stood, running out the door to get the kuras tigers and elk ready to leave.
Solinur glanced over at the crumpled note with a frown. Fram was serious about killing them… sending a fire magi and an air magi… of course they would send the two elements earth was weakest towards.
He swore and ran to find Nitiko, hoping they would get away in time.