Lyssa had no time to wonder who her benefactor was. She had to focus all of her attention on Rufus. She could tell he was getting ready to lunge at her by the way his body shifted back just slightly.
"You may have gotten yourself a little help girlie, but that isn't going to stop me from giving you a lesson you won't forget." Rufus said eyeing Lyssa menacingly.
Rufus held the dagger out in front of him and prepared to attack.
As she had done previously with the grimalkin, Lyssa decided to dodge, only this time she dodged to the left because the knife was in Rufus's right hand.
Rufus stabbed forward but found his target suddenly right beside him.
Lyssa didn't give him a chance to recover, bringing her hand swiftly down on Rufus's neck in a quick chopping motion, she sent him to his knees. Then with a swift pivot she brought her booted foot up into the back of his head, sending him sprawling on the barn floor.
She was surprised to see him start to get up, obviously having more resiliency than she thought he had.
Holding the knife over his head he charged at Lyssa intent on burying the blade in her.
Lyssa put her hands out and grabbed the front of Rufus's shirt. Then she hoisted him completely off the ground and pressed him over her head. She held him there for just a few seconds and then slammed him into the wall of the barn.
After Rufus crashed to the ground, Lyssa went over to check on him. She examined his still form and found a large lump forming on the back of his head. She could see he was still breathing but was very obviously unconscious. She then felt blood dripping from under her arm.
Rufus had managed to swing the blade of the knife down into her side before she threw him. She managed a few steps towards the door before she collapsed.
Lyssa awoke in one of the bedrooms in the tavern. Amazingly she felt refreshed and the wound under her arm was but a dull pain as if she had merely bruised herself.
Then she noticed someone else was in the room. In the corner sat a figure in a cloak with a hood that covered her features in shadow.
"Ah I see you have survived you're little skirmish." It was the voice of the one who had aided her in the barn.
"Who are you?"Lyssa asked, still feeling a little groggy.
The figure stood up and pulled her hood down.
She was stunningly beautiful with bright red hair cut to her shoulders. Her eyes were bright green, but there was something strange about them. Then Lyssa noticed that there was something strange on top of the girls head.
"You're one of the Untamed, aren't you?" she had never met one of the wild folk before. They were more numerous in the south near the City of the Lost which was their capital, of sorts. The city wasn't anything like Etherblade, the capital of the north and the main human city. The City of the Lost was mostly huts and small buildings made of wood or clay. Etherblade was a grand city with tall buildings and beautiful gardens.
"Very observant, I suppose the ears gave it away." The girl looked amused with her reply and when she smiled Lyssa noticed pointed teeth at the two corners of her mouth.
"You're a little far from home." Lyssa replied. "My name is Lyssa. What's yours?"
"I am The Lady Katarina Gabriella Regina Leticia Lafleur, but anyone who calls me that will get a swift kick in the behind." The girl bowed while giving her name. When she came back up she said, "Everyone calls me Kat."
"Is Lyssa your full name?" Kat asked.
"I don't know my real name, since I was left here as a baby." Lyssa told Kat as she managed to stand up beside the bed. "My adopted parent's last name is Vandal, so I use that."
Lyssa noticed that Kat got a funny look in her eyes, the pupils were slits like a house cat, but her facial expressions were similar to a human.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lyssa tried taking a step toward Kat.
"I have something to tell you Lyssa and it may be a bit of a shock, so you may want to sit back down."
"Listen, first I have to tell you that I am not just of the Untamed, I am also the daughter of Duke Lafleur and I've been traveling in the north to gain experience as a venomancer. I have been using my abilities to tame wild beasts in the forests north of Etherblade." Kat paused for a second and then walked toward the window. "My parents are very wealthy, and I spoke with your folks and they were willing to let you travel with me for a fee."
"What!" Lyssa stood and cried out. "I am not a slave to be bought by anyone with enough coins! Take your money and leave now."
"Wait, you do not understand." Kat continued. "I do not want a slave, slavery is evil and I'll have no part of it. What I really want is a body guard and traveling companion. You have great skill, even if you are untrained, you'd make an excellent blademaster with the proper tutelage."
"Wait a minute." Lyssa looked puzzled. "Why don't you have a body guard? If you are truly royalty then your parents wouldn't have sent you out alone."
"Well….aaa." Kat stammered. "Oh drat. Look, I'm not exactly out here because my parents sent me. Actually I kind of…well…ran away from home. You have to understand, it's so dull living in a big mansion, being waited on hand and foot, never getting to do anything fun or adventurous. So I packed up some stuff and headed north, and here I am."
"Okay, I'll buy that." Lyssa rubbed her hand over the area where the knife had gone into her. "I'd also like to know what you did to those two guys in the barn, and why I'm not dead or at least still lying here in pain."
"Oh that." Kat smiled at Lyssa. "The two, ahem, gentlemen in the barn I laid low with a venomous scarab. It's a little like magic, but a gift only a venomancer can employ. As for your wound, I happen to be carrying a few rare bottles of chaos powder. It is made from nectar and salvia root. It is expensive, but as I said earlier, I'm loaded."
"Ok Kat." Lyssa gave the other girl a speculative look. "Let's say I go with you. Where are you headed and what will I do once we get there?"
"Alright, this is going to be so fabulous." Kat was obviously excited. "We are headed to Archosaur, the biggest city in the east. Once we get there I will find Mistress Er, she trains people in the art of venomancery. If you want I can get you hooked up with a blademaster, they can teach you how to fight."
"And then what?" Lyssa asked.
"Then we go out and make a name for ourselves." Kat grinned. "We can be champion monster slayers, ridding the world of evil. Not to mention meeting guys and finding priceless treasures."
"I'll tell you what." Lyssa had come up with an idea in her head. "I'm not terribly sorry to be leaving this place. It's not as if these people ever treated me like a real daughter anyway. I'll travel with you to Archosaur, but then you're on your own and I'll go my own way."
"Ok Lyssa." Kat shook her head. "I still think you'd swing a mean sword if given the opportunity to train."
"We'll see about that." Lyssa replied.
It was going to be a long trip so Lyssa told Kat she would have to pack her few belongings before she left. Orley told her she could only take what was in her room and nothing else. She told him that was fine and goodbye and that she would probably not be back. Neither Janice nor Hubert had much to say to her and she didn't have much to say to them.
When she went out to the barn to say goodbye to the animals she got another surprise. Kat was standing there with Lucky and one of the mares from the stable.
"I purchased some mounts from your father and some food to start the trip." Kat beamed at Lyssa. "He said you liked this one." She handed Lucky's reins to Lyssa. "He actually does care about you, you know. I didn't have the chance to tell you, but he tried to take on those three hooligans while you were off saving your mother. I found him unconscious when I came to the tavern but didn't have a chance to rouse him because I noticed the three heading to the barn, which was shortly before you came back."
"I know he cares Kat." Lyssa patted Lucky's neck and looked down at the ground. "I'm mostly leaving to see if I can find out who I really am. Maybe in Archosaur I can find information on my real parents from one of the Elders or a sage or someone."
"I understand." Kat told her. "I will try to help you if I can.
"Thanks Kat." Lyssa mounted and started Lucky into a trot down the path.
Kat watched the girl riding off and thought to herself, I hope you're not too disappointed when you find out the truth.