The sound of metal clanging reached Xanthy's ears even over a great distance from Edgerift's entrance. They left Nanvera hours ago and had spent the midday walking past its luscious farms and galleries that seemed to pop out everywhere. Xanthy laughed a good while after seeing a sign that Canelis translated as the gallery of cheese.

June had suggested they leave the paulsaris in the inn, seeing as they could walk the rest of the way to Edgerift. Xanthy had agreed. Nanvera's peace faded behind them just as the sun crept higher in the sky. Xanthy took a deep breath against her roiling stomach.

Why did she feel like something's not going to go well? What if the High Queen throws them out of the castle? What if Xanthy was sentenced to the dungeon, or worse, executed? How was Xanthy going to explain that someone like the Heiress was out, prowling around in Umazure?

Xanthy played with her fingers until the road followed the slope of a small hill. Edgerift's tall spires jutted from the horizon, just over the hill's crest. Crimson flags flashed pink against the breeze that blew through them. Xanthy craned her neck in the sky. What awaited them in the Imperial Palace?

Soon, they crested the hill and the Imperial Palace's glory came into full view. A rectangular, two-story building carved from a slab of shiny rock flanked on four sides by tall, cubical towers that made up the spires greeted Xanthy from the base of this last hill from Nanvera.

Bridges sped from three entrances, each going off to a different city in Lanteglos. A great, gray wall punctured by huge arches to give way to the bridges surrounded the Palace. Beyond the mass of land where the Palace stood, a large moat carpeted the expanse underneath the bridges.

Xanthy swallowed against the lump growing in her throat as she followed June and Canelis down the hill and came to where the cobbled roads of Nanvera met the wooden planks of the bridge. "Okay, here goes," she whispered to herself.

She didn't dare look back to Nanvera. She might lose all her will to leave behind the comforts of the city in place of the pressure coming from the Imperial Palace before her.

Xanthy kept her hand on the bridge's rails as they crossed. Once, she leaned over to watch the water below them churn and splash. She swore she could see something dart through the greenish water. Let her hope that those animals were friendly.

The wood plating the metal braces creaked as they walked over it. Xanthy's dream about the burning bridges flashed back into her memory. Was this what it's referring to? She shook her head. The water wasn't even raging. Besides, there's no fire and the planks look like they could hold her weight.

Her chest heaved. The air in this city was somehow difficult to breathe. The sun seemed to have paled a few notches while the wind blew quietly enough for Xanthy to forget it even existed save for the light kisses it planted on her arms. Even the heat seemed to have dialed down, replaced by an electric vibe that wafted in the air.

Xanthy's hands itched to touch her bow, yearning for its calming presence. "Keep your hands off your weapons," June had cautioned both Xanthy and Canelis before they departed the inn that morning. "There are watchmen at the spires who would be checking. They would deal with people they deem to have malicious intent against the Imperial Palace."

Xanthy's gaze flicked to the said spires but past through the holes along the walls posing as windows, there was no movement. She knitted her eyebrows. Invisibility spells, perhaps?

Canelis's spotless robe edged into Xanthy's periphery. The pixie's hands were slapped to her sides. They weren't even swaying as she walked forward. Freaky.

The quiver by Xanthy's waist bounced against her leg and it took all her effort to not reach out and move it out of the way. She didn't want to be the one who would doom her because her quiver annoyed the afterlife out of her. The colorful arrow heads waved at her as if inviting her to take one and shoot something at random.

From the way her stomach knotted, her chest refusing to take in air more than a few quick gasps, and her palms clammy with sweat, a glaring instinct pulsed at Xanthy's temples. Something was wrong.

"Canelis," she edged closer to the pixie. "Is it just me or is there something wrong with all of this?"

Canelis opened her mouth to reply. An arrow shot past between them and embedded into the planks. "Xanthy, Canelis, take cover!" June yelled, throwing his arms over Xanthy. Arrows began raining upon them. Xanthy braced the bridge's rails, keeping careful track of all her limbs. She raised her arms up.

"Cover," she chanted. A bright green light shone around her as her shield materialized. A series of thunk, thunk noises emanated from where the arrows bounced against her spell. Canelis stood in the middle of the storm, swinging her sword in fluid routines—flipping, whirling, slashing. Broken pieces of shafts and arrowheads scattered around the pixie's feet like leaves on the forest floor after a storm.

Xanthy stood up and expanded her shield. She slung her bow off her shoulder, nocked one arrow and pulled the string back. Her eyes scanned the wall, tracing the crenelations where at least a dozen fairies in bright red uniform craned crossbows in their direction.

Xanthy took a deep breath, emptying her mind. She kept her eyes open and her fingers sure on the string. She envisioned the fairy in the middle of the wall having an arrow on his shoulder. Her shield spell dissipated. She let the arrow fly. The answering pained cry told Xanthy that she had hit true.

Canelis's sword swung past her head as the pixie drove an arrow that might have hit her in the forehead. "Take care of the source," Canelis's slippers scratched against the bridge's planks. "I'll cover you."

Xanthy nodded, drawing another arrow from her quiver. "Sure."

Canelis leaped forward. Xanthy shot. Another archer from the wall vanished behind the wall. Xanthy smiled. How easy was it to pick on stationary targets? She nocked and shot in quick succession, each arrow hitting true to its mark.

Soon, Xanthy traipsed across a bed of splintered wood and scattered arrowheads. She recalled her arrows to her quiver and they obeyed. Canelis raised her eyebrows and Xanthy shrugged. The arrows stopped coming at them, with Xanthy having shot the whole front horde. Canelis pressed her shoulders against Xanthy's.

"The Half-blood," Canelis looked behind her. "Where is he?"

Xanthy followed Canelis's action and looked around as well. June had gone. She knitted her eyebrows. That's odd. Earlier, June was in her line of sight. Was he captured already? "Why are they firing at us?" Xanthy's insides squirmed when the crossbows by the crenelations moved again when new soldiers took charge of them. "We didn't touch our weapons!"

"It's either the High Queen is in a good mood for live duels," Canelis leveled her sword in front of her. "Or she is in a bad mood and ordering an execution."

Xanthy whirled. "What?"

Something metallic slammed down from the arched entrance. Metallic footsteps rang in the air. Lots of it. Synchronized, rhythmic, ominous.

Canelis squinted in the distance. There's still a lot of the bridge they had to cover. The pixie lowered herself into a stance. "Get ready," she hissed. "It's going to be bloody."

Xanthy chewed on her lip but followed the pixie. Shouldn't they be trying to escape now? Why were they trying to fight their way in? Xanthy called her magic to the surface, eyeing their shadows.

A squadron of about thirty soldiers halted a few distance from them. All of them were dressed in a bright red coat and no armor. Pommels of swords glinted against the midday sun from their sheaths by the soldiers' belts. A fairy sat astride a dagrine marched to the front of the group. He must be the leader.

"The High Queen wishes you to surrender for trespassing," the fairy's hair was hidden in a black cap perching on his head. Xanthy couldn't tell what race he belonged to. "It would be best if you come with us quietly."

Xanthy relaxed. "Okay, we—"

"Not a chance, witch," Canelis stepped forward and brandished her sword. "We came here for an audience with the High Queen!"

The pixie yelled as she charged at the squadron. With a swish of her sword, a fairy flew into the water. Their scream faded beyond the bridge's rails as they dropped into the water below. The splash that came after was loud in Xanthy's ears. Oh, dear. The fairy with the horse had galloped away, screaming at the top of his lungs for reinforcements. That couldn't be good.

Xanthy gritted her teeth and leaped into battle, kicking shins and tripping soldiers with a well-placed foot. The red-coated fairies ganged on Canelis but the pixie flipped with her undeniable grace, scything anyone who comes across. Already, twelve soldiers lay dazed at her feet.

Xanthy ducked as Canelis's sword sang past her ears. Xanthy yanked at the ankle of one soldier who attempted to charge at the pixie. "Run," Xanthy warned the wide-eyed soldier. The fairy nodded before crawling on all fours away from the scuffle. She swept her leg, knocking several soldiers to the floor.

"Xanthy, what are you doing?" Canelis yelled, slashing her sword at a soldier's stomach before kicking him away. Blood rained on Xanthy's head.

"Stop it!" Xanthy moved forward but was barricaded by three more red coats. "You're going to doom the both of us!"

"They attacked us first!" Canelis's voice rang through the wall of bodies between them. "They should pay."

Xanthy cast a shield spell and drove the soldiers into the bridge's edge to send them into the water as well. "No!" Xanthy lunged at the pixie and barked a stun spell. It hit Canelis in the chest, making the pixie crash to the ground. Her sword skittered away from her reach. The red coats froze. Xanthy stood over Canelis's squirming and cursing form, drawing her arrow.

"Stay away," Xanthy dropped her tone to a dangerous edge. She regarded Canelis who writhed at her feet. "Let me deal with this."

The pixie cursed. "How are you going to deal with that?"

Xanthy turned towards the entrance and her heart dropped to her feet. At least two more squadrons marched out to meet them. She gripped her bow tighter. Okay. New plan. She released her spell on Canelis. "Get up," she hissed. What was the plan, anyway? "This has just become more complicated."

The pixie grunted as she picked herself off the ground and found her sword back into her hands. "It's fun."

Xanthy shook her head. "It's not."

As one, the squadron, Canelis, and Xanthy lunged.

Xanthy slammed her fist flat into the ground, barking a spell. The bridge groaned and cracked. A sword swung near her and she rolled away.She might not want to hurt them but they would hurt her if she didn't do something. She eyed the beams supporting the bridge. Gather the rest of the soldiers in one spot. That's the plan.

The sound of a sword being unsheathed rang from her left. Xanthy put her bow up, meeting a sword set to cleave her head in half. She growled, driving the soldier's force away from her body with a kick to the stomach. Thank the gods they weren't wearing armor.

The fairy slammed into the railing, his feet sliding past the planks and into empty air. Xanthy tore her attention away from his screams as the water erupted in a splash. Bones crunched. Another fairy sailed past Xanthy's head, limbs flailing. His red coat shimmered against the sun. He tipped past the railing and fell into the water as well. Xanthy tuned out the noise that came after.

Xanthy took that time to slam her hand into the bridge once again. It groaned. Good, just one more. She blocked a sword with her magic pulsing on her fingertips. She yelled as she swiped her leg underneath her attacker. The head slammed into the ground. The red coat lay there, dazed. Xanthy stood up just as another sword came her way. She squeezed her eyes shut waiting for pain when Canelis's grunt arrived instead. Sparks rained on her.

"Watch my back," Canelis said from somewhere to her left. "I'll watch yours."

Xanthy nodded as Canelis kicked the red coat off her sword. The body plopped against the ground, unmoving. Xanthy pressed her back against Canelis's, propping her bow forward.

The soldiers formed a tight circle around them, hesitating to attack. Xanthy decided. She shot then barked a spell. Both achieved their purpose with a fallen red coat and a wailing soldier. Canelis growled as she met sword after sword—parrying, stabbing, slashing, and dodging. Xanthy swept her hand in a wide arc, a spell loose from her fingers. The soldiers in front of her fell backward into their comrades.

Xanthy snapped her fingers calling back all her arrows. She drew one. A fist slammed into her cheek. Stars exploded in her vision as she fell. What happened? Something snapped, the bridge groaned. Xanthy struggled to stand up. Her limbs refused to obey. "Get her," a voice growled.

Strong hands gripped her shoulders, then disappeared. Xanthy shook her head, attempting to clear her vision. Screams of both defiance and fear blurred together. Through her murky view, she caught a glimpse of a single figure leaping among the soldiers, a cloak flying from his back every time he jumped.

Xanthy staggered. Her cheek throbbed. Damn, this was going to bruise. Slowly, her vision returned to see the soldiers reduced to nothing but a herd of squealing animals. Among them stood a very friendly face.

Nyxis looked back at Xanthy and grinned. "Nice day for curses, eh?"

Xanthy returned his smile although her cheek hurt. "You should teach me those some time."

Nyxis picked up a small creature with dark fur and four horns. It bleated before grunting. He gave it a little shake. "Are not topiagas cute?"

Someone groaned behind Xanthy. Canelis hoisted herself up just as Xanthy turned to the pixie, balancing her weight against her sword. "Worry about animals later," Canelis rasped.She pointed north. "There is someone else."

Xanthy whirled in that direction. From the hazy horizon, Xanthy could make out a figure dressed in all black, a hood pulled low over their face. A dagger flashed in their hand. They walked without a sound with muffled footsteps even when the bridge creaked and groaned under their weight.

Nyxis whistled and threw something into the direction of Nanvera. The red coats-turned-critters scampered after whatever it was, disappearing in a mass stampede like a river current, their coarse fur brushing against Xanthy's boots.

Canelis yanked her sword from between the planks. "The Death Knight," she breathed.

Nyxis paled, stepping back. "Is he real?"

Xanthy eyed the black clad figure stalking closer to them. "Yeah, he is right there."

Xanthy nocked an arrow. Canelis lowered into a stance. Nyxis's hands burst into electric sparks. The Death Knight charged.

Nyxis sent the arcs of lightning at the assassin's direction but the famed assassin leaped and twirled, effectively avoiding any forks that came their way. Nyxis stepped back, cursing as he sent spell after spell. The words slurred in a complicated garble in Xanthy's ears.

The Death Knight dodged until they reached Nyxis. The human swung his hand, in the middle of chanting a spell when the assassin's hand shot out and clasped his mouth. The dagger flickered in the sun.

Xanthy's blood cooled. She lunged, knocking the hand off of Nyxis's face before maneuvering her foot to the Death Knight's stomach. The assassin grabbed her foot and swung her aside. She went weightless before she crashed into the bridge's rails. Her back arched as the air was knocked out of her lungs. Spots burned in her eyes as she sprawled on the wooden planks.

She heard grunts and metal clashing. Something crashed. The bridge tilted. Nyxis yelled something inconspicuous but was immediately silenced by some unknown force. Sparks glowed in Xanthy's fading vision. Canelis growled almost like a feral animal. A clang and a gasp. The air turned quiet.

Xanthy heaved. Come on, limbs. Work. Her senses shut down one after the other. Soon, her vision was just a wall of darkness. She came as far as twisting her upper body around with her elbows bracing her weight. Just a little more and she could crawl away from this mess.

"Chain her up and take her to the High Queen," an eerily familiar voice rang in her ears. Her limbs froze. She knew that voice. Why...? "I will be requesting an audience with the Imperial Highness soon."

Xanthy fell limp. Of all the things he could be, this? How could he...

Strong arms gripped her shoulders. Chains snaked around her body with audible clinks. Xanthy's chest heaved.

June was the Death Knight.