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~15~

Someone was crying. It was a soft sniffling sound at the edge of Yuri's consciousness. He was bone tired and told himself to ignore it and dive back into sleep. Unfortunately, his eyes didn't listen and they opened to a blurry world. He blinked slowly before finally focusing on a white ceiling. He was lying on a hard bed and surrounded by scratchy blankets. He vaguely noted that he wasn't wearing any clothes. Turning his head toward the noise felt like the hardest thing he had ever done.

Karol was sitting in a small and uncomfortable looking chair and crying. He had scrunched himself up into a ball with his feet pulled up onto the chair. Yuri distantly felt a pang of guilt run through his chest at the sight.

If he had been stronger, and if he had been smarter, this wouldn't have happened.

It took Yuri a couple of moments before he got his mouth working. Even then, his voice was only a whisper, "Hey, Captain."

Karol face flew up from where it had been hiding behind his knees. His eyes were red and his face tear streaked, but now his sadness had been completely replaced by surprise. His mouth was gaping open at Yuri as if Karol thought he was dreaming.

"Y-yuri? You're awake?" Karol got off the chair and was at Yuri's bedside in an instant. "You're awake!"

"It is that amazing?" Yuri mumbled.

"You were poisoned! I thought you were going to die!" Karol was actually angry. Yuri was amused at this, though his sluggish brain couldn't pin down why. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to attack Barbos? I could have gone with you and helped! Repede is really mad at you, too!"

"Wasn't planning on attacking anyone. Barbos just showed up and started swinging at me," Yuri slurred. "Didn't Raven give you a job to do?"

"That's not important! That job could have waited another day if it meant I could keep you from getting poisoned!" Karol threw his arms in the air. "I can't believe Raven let you go off on your own!"

"Old man told me to be careful. It's not his fault," the words slipped out of Yuri's mouth before he could stop them. He felt like he was floating, even though he was definitely lying on a bed. "Where are we?"

"A healer's house. Raven brought you here. He told me that you said you were poisoned before you passed out." Karol had his fists clenched at his sides, but at least he had stopped lecturing Yuri. "There was total chaos at Barbos' mansion! Leviathan's Claw was there and a dragon showed up! Raven pulled you out of the fight and dragged you here as fast as he could, even though the Don got mad at him for it."

It looked like Yuri was starting to stack up life debts. At this rate, by the end of the year he would owe everyone he knew. Maybe he was a little too reckless.

"Y-yuri," Karol's voice morphed into whisper, "you can't do this again. I-I don't know what I'd do if you d-died."

Yuri vaguely wondered if Karol had taken a course about how to guilt trip people. "I promise I won't, Captain."

Yuri expected Karol to smile at him, but instead his frown only deepened. "You told me not to make promises I couldn't keep."

When had Karol gotten so smart? "What do you want me to say?"

"Next time, take someone with you before you go rushing off into something. You already said you'd let me help you!"

"Feel like if I brought you," Yuri was running on empty, and he could feel his eyelids drooping, "then you'd be the one lying here."

"Yuri?" Karol's voice sounded very far away.

Yuri tried to tell Karol that he was just going back to sleep, but his mouth wouldn't move. His eyes closed.

~15~

Yuri awoke with a start and sat up. He was breathing heavy and he was covered in a layer of cold sweat. The window was open; a cold night breeze was causing the white curtains to billow. The room was dark except for the soft glow coming in from the window. Yuri felt eyes on him, and he turned his head to face the other side of the room.

Raven was sitting on the same chair Karol had been curled in earlier. He was staring right at Yuri, his chin cradled in one of his hands.

Yuri realized that he was still naked under the blankets, which had pooled around his waist when he sat up. He felt exposed and almost tried to pull the blankets up around himself before stopping. He wasn't a blushing teenage virgin and didn't give a damn what Raven saw.

"What are you doing here, old man?" Yuri's throat was dry and scratchy, but he felt much better than when he'd spoken with Karol.

"Ya got a death wish?" Raven's voice was cold.

Yuri wished he had his sword. "What?"

"With the way ya were actin' I thought ya might be suicidal."

"Karol already gave me a lecture," Yuri grumbled. "I didn't go charging in there looking for trouble. Barbos just showed up out of nowhere and starting trying to cut off my head."

Raven wasn't here to hurt him. Yuri forced the tension to drain from his shoulders. A snide voice in the back of his head pointed out how ridiculous it would be for Raven to hurt him after dragging him to a healer in the first place. He was just paranoid because of bad dreams.

"I ain't here ta lecture ya. I just gotta make sure yer not gonna jump off a buildin' or somethin'."

"I'm not," Yuri replied sharply, "but if I was, wouldn't you be happy? You wouldn't have to worry about me telling anyone the truth about you if I was dead."

The cold expression on Raven's face shifted, and Raven covered his eyes with his hand. "Even after all this, ya still think the worst a me?" He pushed his hand back so that it ruffled through his bangs and let out a humorless laugh. "Yer right, though. My life woulda been a lot easier if I'd just let ya die on that lawn."

"But you didn't," Yuri said quietly, feeling guilty for his harsh words.

"But I didn't." Raven slowly stood up from the chair and walked over to Yuri's bedside. Yuri felt the urge to cover himself again but quickly shoved it down. "It's my fault ya were in danger like that in the first place. Karol gave me a lecture too, ya know. Kid's got a lota heart."

"Guess I owe you one."

Raven shrugged nonchalantly, though his expression was still dead serious. "Ya almost died doin' a favor fer me, so as far as I'm concerned, we're even."

He set a white cloth down onto the bed next to Yuri. It had strange black writing on it that Yuri had never seen before.

"Barbos was killed before we could arrest him. That dragon rider that blew up the blastia in Nor swooped in an' ran him through with a black lance. It had this tied ta the end."

"What does it say?"

"It's a Krityan word that means 'world killer'."

Yuri pulled his eyes from the cloth and looked up at Raven. The older man wasn't looking at Yuri. He was staring out the window, his mind a thousand miles away. The realization that Judith had killed Barbos was a detached one. Yuri found that he was simply curious to find out what Duke and she were up to.

"Remember my lecture about politics and how ya gotta be careful? At that time I suspected a whole guild a bein' corrupted, and that was somethin' I could handle. But this is a whole lot more than I coulda imagined. A war was fought over this word." Raven shifted his eyes back to Yuri's face, and there was a haunted look in them.

"I don't understand. I thought the Krityans were peaceful."

"That's what I thought, but this proves otherwise. I'm gonna find out what this is all about, and it'll probably be real damn risky. Would ya mind if I drag ya along with me?"

Yuri was taken aback by Raven's question, before he burst out laughing. "I know who the dragon rider is. I was just thinking of trying to find her again and see what the hell she thinks she's doing."

Raven comically gaped at him, and Yuri found himself happy to see that haunted look fade away. Even if he suspected that Raven hardly felt any better. "That lunatic is a lady?"

"A Krityan lady, supposedly," Yuri said as he put his hand over the jagged edge of the cloth.

"And you met her?"

"It was by chance. Like how we first met."

Raven shook his head in exasperation. "Knowin' ya, it won't be too long before ya run inta her again."

"If you're going to be sticking your nose into this, I might as well hang around for a while. Judith likes me, so she'll probably try and kill me first. That way, you can make a clean getaway," Yuri drawled.

"Ya know me so well." Raven smiled, and it was one of those small, genuine ones that sent Yuri's heart racing. The smile shifted into a more mischievous one. "There's another reason I'm here."

"Oh?"

"I got word about somethin' I thought ya'd like ta know. Now, if I was a responsible adult, I'd wouldn't tell ya and let ya recover in peace, but I know ya'd never forgive me if I let ya miss this chance."

Yuri leaned back against the headboard of the bed and crossed his arms.

"Ya see, a little birdy told me that a knight Captain by the name of Warren Agrioli got in a lotta trouble. He got demoted and even has some prison time in his future. Unfortunately, he's got friends in high places, and he managed ta slip outta Zaphias."

"Shit," Yuri swore as his good mood evaporated.

Raven put his hand on the bed, and Yuri's anger hit a brick wall when he realized how close it was to his leg. "Let me finish before ya start flippin' out. Tomorra night, he'll be walking inta Dahngrest through the East entrance, and the guards that usually watch the bridge are gonna be otherwise occupied."

"I see," Yuri said as his mind raced. He felt pretty good. He was sure he could be up and about by tomorrow.

He felt pressure on his leg, right above his knee. Raven had moved his hand off the bed. Yuri's eyes flew to meet Raven's, and they were full of concern. "If yer not up ta it, I can arrange somethin'. Just wanted ta let ya know that bastard was gonna be around."

"What are you talking about? I'm fine." Yuri's mind was running on autopilot as he focused on the steady pressure on his leg.

Raven raised his eyebrows so that they disappeared behind his bangs. "Ya were out cold for eight days, ya know. The kid said ya woke up fer a few minutes yesterday, but I don't know if ya should be gettin' revenge on anyone right now."

"I feel great. I'll be able to handle it. You need to stop worrying so much, old man." Without a thought, Yuri uncrossed his arms and put his hand over Raven's.

A look of genuine surprise crossed Raven's face before he started smiling one of those sincere smiles. Yuri suddenly found it impossible to meet Raven's eyes and looked out the window.

"Alright then," Raven said softly. "I'll take care a the gritty details. Ya just rest up here and head out when I get yer stuff ta ya."

Raven squeezed Yuri's leg before he pulled his hand away and stood up. He walked over to the window, and the breeze from outside ruffled his hair.

"It'll be good fer ya ta get the guy that tried ta kill ya and that friend a yers."

Yuri pushed the heady feeling in his chest aside at Raven's words. "I never told you about Flynn."

Raven turned away from the window and put his hand on his chin. The sincerity he'd shown moments earlier was gone. "I guess ya didn't. It wasn't too hard ta make the connection, though. Yer not mad, are ya?"

"That's how you knew where my inn room was, back in Zaphias," Yuri said instead of answering. He felt a small jolt of fear that Raven would tell Flynn what he'd been doing, but he quickly quashed it down. Raven had no reason to tell Flynn anything.

"Yeah. Yer name was Yuri and yer were pokin' around in the same thing Captain Andrey was havin' his men investigate. It didn't take much ta find out who yer were and that ya used ta be in his brigade. I thought ya were workin' fer him, until ya told me ya were just tryin' ta help people." Raven winked. "Now, why don't ya get some more rest? I'll get yer clothes up here so ya don't have to stab Agrioli in the nude."

Raven climbed up onto the windowsill. Before he disappeared over the edge, he gave Yuri a mocking salute. Yuri was left staring at the empty window, trying to fight off a blush.

~15~

Yuri woke up the next morning to his stomach growling. He felt like he hadn't eaten in a week. A slight tremor of anxiety was still running through him from half remembered nightmares. The window of his room had been closed, and a small pile of plain blue clothes sat on the end table by his bed.

"You're awake. Good. I'll have some breakfast sent up for you."

A woman with blonde hair and skin a few shades darker than Raven's stood by the edge of Yuri's bed. She was holding a clipboard and scribbling on it while a scowl marred her face. A translucent, magical screen floated in front of her. Even though Yuri was looking at it from the wrong way, he could tell it was reading off information about his physical condition. It was strange seeing the pulsing line that was meant to simulate his heartbeat.

"You're lucky to be alive, you know." The screen disappeared with a casual wave of the woman's hand. "We had you put into a healing sleep. You're vitals are looking much better now, and I imagine you'll be fully recovered with a few more days of bed rest."

"You put me into a comma for eight days?" Yuri sat up. Raven had mentioned it the night before, but he hadn't said it was magically induced.

"You're a warrior, right?"

Was she trying to change the subject? "Yeah, why?"

"If we hadn't put you into that sleep, you would have spent another month recovering. Would you have rather have been unable to move for a couple more weeks?"

Yuri still didn't like the idea of a magically induced coma. "I feel great. Why can't I leave now?"

The woman huffed. "Your condition could still relapse. The poison attacked your nervous system. If you feel numb anywhere, don't hesitant to tell start yelling. You're lucky that Altosk member dragged you here when he did. A couple more minutes without an antidote, and you might have been permanently paralyzed."

Yuri balked at that. The seriousness of what had happened to him was starting to finally sink in. He had to make sure he didn't rush into another death trap. Agrioli would be arriving tonight, though. He had to take care of him, no matter what.

The woman gave Yuri a deadpan look. "Do you still think it would be ridiculous to stay for a couple more days?"

"I promise I won't try and escape." Yuri smirked at her.

She sighed, clearly unconvinced. "My name is Healer Greenwich. I'm responsible for you during the day, and my partner, Healer Novak, will be responsible for you during the night. He's much larger and more muscular than I am, so keep that in mind before you wander where you shouldn't."

"What is this, a prison?"

Greenwich smiled at him. "I really can't tell the difference sometimes." She put her hand on the top of the pile of blue clothes. "These are for you. The clothes you were wearing when you arrived here will be returned to you when you leave."

"Do you have something against black?"

She had turned to the leave the room, but gave Yuri a wry look over her shoulder. "Those clothes of yours were quite morbid. You should try and expand your color horizons. Well, I'm off to go find that breakfast I promised you." The healer left the room with a flourish, leaving Yuri alone.

After Yuri pulled on the blue clothes and ate something, he was visited by Karol. The boy was much calmer than he'd been the last time Yuri had seen him. He happily told Yuri about sneaking around in the tunnels under the city in order to complete the job Raven had given him.

"Raven said that I might be offered a position in Altosk soon!" He'd hardly been able to sit still at the thought.

Yuri almost told Karol about Warren Agrioli, but decided against it. Karol would freak out if Yuri told him he planned on sneaking out that night. Besides Karol might insist on helping him and Yuri didn't want Karol to get mixed up in his assassinations.

Karol had been kicked out once evening fell, and Yuri was left to pick at his dinner in peace. Once the dishes had been cleared away, Yuri went to the window, impatiently waiting for Raven to deliver on his promises. Yuri noted that he was only on the second floor, so it wouldn't be hard to escape.

Time passed, and Yuri grew increasingly impatient. Night was quickly falling, and still Raven was nowhere to be seen. Yuri started to climb out the window, when he was greeted by the sight of a white bag sitting on the stone outcrop right below. A note was pinned to it with a small black arrow. Chicken scratch handwriting spelled out, You can thank me later.

Yuri smiled. "Thanks, old man," he said to the lone white sack.

He grabbed it and pulled it into the room before closing the window to shut out the cool air. The bag had his own clean clothes, bodhi blastia, and sword in it. Much to Yuri's surprise, Clay's scarf lay at the bottom of the bag. He stripped off his blue clothes and quickly got dressed. Once he had his sword in hand, he felt more like himself. He could do this.

Yuri opened the window again and climbed onto the sill. There was a set of metal ladders leading to the street in case of a fire that he could use. He smoothly grabbed onto the metal of the ladder and pulled himself over. It felt good to get moving again after so many days stuck in physical limbo.

The streets were almost void of activity. Most of the noise was coming from the entrance of the building, which was thankfully far from where Yuri had climbed down. He weaved his way to the East entrance, making sure to avoid the major drags. He didn't want to risk anyone see him heading towards the area. He emerged from an alley and found himself standing right before the East entrance's bridge. The guards were still there, along with a small line of travelers waiting to get in.

Raven had said that the guards would be occupied, but so far it looked like they weren't going anywhere. Yuri scanned the small line, but Agrioli was nowhere to be seen. The night was still young, though. Yuri could wait. He shifted back into the shadows and leaned against the alley wall, his eyes set sharply on the bridge. Even if Raven didn't come through, Yuri could still stalk Agrioli into the city and take care of him in a secluded location. In fact, it might work out better for him that way.

Time passed, and he was knocked out of his musings by the echoing sound of a large bell ringing in the distance. The line had dispersed, and the guards had been dosing off until that moment. They all began to rush into the city while shouting at one another. Yuri noted that the archers on the rooftops fled, as well. The bridge was now deserted, but there was no sign of Agrioli. Yuri stepped from the shadows of the alley and made his way out into the open. He checked over his shoulder multiple times and kept an eye on the rooftops. No one was there.

When Yuri got halfway down the bridge, he spotted a group moving towards the city. The torches they held stood out brilliantly against the dark forest. It looked like there was only four of them. That had to be Agrioli's party.

The river was a fast torrent under the bridge. Yuri decided this would be as good a place as any to do this. He could throw the bodies into the river when he was done. As much as he disliked killing people who were simply guarding a target, it would be best if he left as little of a trace as he could. A group of knocked out bodyguards would be far too conspicuous. Yuri sat down on the wide railing of the bridge and waited.

Agrioli was walking in the midst of three men. One walked in the front and two walked behind him. Agrioli was a middle aged man with short-cropped hair. His clothing was warn and everything about him screamed exhaustion. He certainly didn't look like the powerful Captain that had made Flynn's life so difficult.

The group halted when they came upon Yuri. The man in front was larger than the other two bodyguards and had two battle axes strapped to his back. He wore armor on his shoulders and upper body, while the other two only wore traveling clothes. Yuri would take care of him first.

"You on the night shift?" the man asked. "I got some papers for me and these men right here." The man started digging through the small leather bag he carried with him.

Yuri stood up and walked over to him. When he was only a foot from the bodyguard, he drew his sword and ran it through the man's gut. The man's eyes widened as he gurgled, bloody spittle frothing from his mouth.

"No!" Agrioli yelled, "This can't be happening! Not now!

Yuri had his sword pulled from the large bodyguard's gut in an instant and was on Agrioli just as quickly. The ex-knight's eyes were filled with complete horror as he drew his own blade. Agrioli had hardly even raised it to defend himself before Yuri jammed his sword through the center of his throat.

The two other bodyguards had drawn swords of their own and were charging at Yuri. Yuri pulled his sword free from Agrioli's throat and dodged an attack. He noticed he was already out of breath. It seemed he wasn't as well as he had originally thought. Yuri blocked a swing and danced out of the way of another before slashing one of the bodyguards on the thigh. As he went down, Yuri ran his sword through the back of his neck.

The last bodyguard dropped his weapon, his sword making a racket on the stone bridge. "P-please."

Yuri closed his eyes for only a moment and let out a breath. He couldn't let this man go. He opened his eyes and raised his sword again. The bodyguard backed up a step, but Yuri still ran him through. The bodyguard toppled over the side of the bridge and landed into the rushing river with a quiet splash.