Pain blinded her. The blow was so sudden, so fast, she had not prepared herself for it. Ellowyn shrieked in warning. Lia backstepped quickly, trying to find her vision again. She staggered back into the far wall, realizing there was no where to run.
Her vision cleared as a forearm rammed at her throat. Lia ducked the blow and the kishion’s arm struck the wall with a shudder. She was frantic. With one hand, she clawed at his eyes and felt skin rip beneath her fingers. She brought up her knee but he was moving again, her fingers suddenly tangled and he threw her to the ground.
She knew at once that she could not stop the kishion. He was trained every bit as a hunter, even more so and more deadly. It would have been easier to fight off Martin, and she knew that his experience dwarfed hers. As she gazed up at him, she was amazed by what she saw. The strength of his hands belied his size, for he was shorter than her. Wiry and thin, like a page boy. Had she seen him in a crowd, she would not have looked twice – except his eyes. They were a muddy brown color and devoid of any spark of compassion. It was like staring into a spider’s soul. He had killed countless men, dispatched them with brutal efficiency. He had no care that he was killing a girl. Only his assignment mattered to him.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Astrid rush for the door and enjoyed a surge of relief. If she could delay the kishion for a few moments, it would be enough to bring Colvin and Edmon and even the Aldermaston. She kicked up at the kishion, but he caught her foot and buried his elbow against the side of her knee. He kept his grip on her ankle and twisted it, spinning her effortlessly onto her stomach. Astrid seized the door handle and pulled.
Lia did not see the dagger appear in the kishion’s hand. She only saw it stick in Astrid’s back and watched his legs gave way. Leaving Lia on the ground, he rose and walked to the door, shutting it quietly and then dropping the crossbar in place. Astrid twitched on the ground, gasping in pain. Ellowyn let out a hiss of fear and shrank against the wall, cowering.
By the bathing tub on the stone tile, Lia saw her gladius still in its freshly cleaned sheath. The room was not large, but it seemed as if a chasm separated her from it. She pushed herself to her feet, wishing she had even the feeble protection of her hunter leathers instead of the thin chemise.
The kishion approached her without a word. There was no worry in his expression. He knew how it would end, with her dead on the ground and Ellowyn his prisoner – or also killed. Lia looked into his eyes, his dead eyes. His hair was cropped, not much to grab at. A short beard covered his sour mouth. He could be no older than Jon Hunter when he died, though gaunt as a starving man. Lia wished she had her bow at hand, but wishes were for fools. As he approached her, Lia moved away from Ellowyn, towards the large bed, concealing her true aim. She snatched a blanket from the bed top and hurled it him, but the kishion only stopped a moment and let it flutter to the ground. A small smirk tugged one corner of his mouth. Just a twitch, as if a fish hook snagged him.
“Lia,” Ellowyn whimpered, biting her hands. She was terror-stricken.
The kishion came forward again, closing the distance more quickly, backing Lia towards the tub. Her cheek throbbed, her knee ached, but she was not afraid. Seeing Astrid laying there, a dagger in his back, made her furious. The hunter was patient. The prey was careless. Lia saw the tremor of the bathwater from the corner of her eye and realized her blade was somewhere on the floor near her and knew her back would collide with the wall if she kept retreating. She did not look away from the kishion’s eyes.
Astrid gurgled, spasmed, and then stopped twitching. Somewhere deep in her mind, it was as if she should hear Astrid screaming, though no more than whispers. She knew at once he was dead.
Hate, a searing bitter hate, filled Lia’s heart. She glanced quickly, saw the weapon and lunged for it as the kishion lunged for her. There was no time to draw it from its sheath yet. After she closed her hand around the hilt, she swung it, scabbard and all, at the kishion’s head. He dodged the blow and sidestepped her. Lia sidestepped the other direction to increase the space between them, putting herself closer to Ellowyn. She cleared the gladius from its sheath, throwing the empty leather scabbard at him, but again, he flinched slightly and it sailed past his ear. It was the only moment she had left.
Lia twirled the blade in front of her, whipping it in large circles and lunged straight at him. His eyes watched the blade’s dance as he back stepped in time with her advance. If she could drive him into the corner, it would reduce his movement.