.The Shadow Knight.

-25-

"Oh my." Elise chuckled as if we just happened to have met an old friend and not been shot at. "How did you know my dear sire? I do wonder." She even pushed her hood off.

"Simple dear empress."

"You were warned, to think my own maids were spies." She made a sad face and sighed, keeping the pose for a little before grinning. "I will miss their talent but they'll miss their life."

"You knew about them?" He seemed taken aback, my gaze on the executioner in case they'd try to move which they yet had too.

"Oh of course, I am not stupid sire, I am the empress."

"But now you are at our mercy."

"Am I truly?" She asked with a raised brow. "Go on then, I won't move, try to even lay a scratch on me, I swear to my honor I will not do anything." She was toying with them, this was their trap but she was the hunter and they the prey.

He didn't know what to say.

"Nothing to say? Boring, Melore, Akito.... Do you job."

I heard a loud roar and saw a huge orange and black striped cat bounce onto the nearest man.

I flipped my blade in a revers hold as I slid close to the man and stabbed through his stomach before yanking off the side.

"Akito!" I looked at Elise and passed her, the executioner sprinting to the exit, if they are caught this can be all over.

"On it!" I took off after them.

I opened a hole in my palm and let a yet of fire escape from it, lighting the enemy on fire before they were ever in range of me to use their weapons.

"Out of my way!!" I yelled, slashing this Gregor's spear and then threw his neck and slammed the door open.

 Ducked a strike from the underbite man and slammed my palm into his nose, sending the bone shards up into his face before I elbowed the one that never talked and ended in an uppercut, biting his own tongue.

I ran at the last and jumped up, using his as a stepping stone to grabbed the roof and pull myself on it while making his fall to the ground.

I grabbed my mask from my pocket realm and placed it on, it was purely for aesthetic as it was recognizable and I wanted this people know who I was.

The executioner might think they are fast but I am too and jumping from a roof to the next wasn't as hard as in Solor where the houses were more far apart in places while these were at equal distance.

"You will pay for what you did!!" I threw the hole off of my hand and it flew like an arrow, sticking to their back before a gust of wind escaped it and it slammed them down on the roof.

They rolled off it and I jumped off as the crowd parted to not be caught it this.

"In the name of the empress of Kazaras Elise you are declared traitor to the crown and enemy to peace, come peacefully or resist and I shall use force." I said to them, aiming the point of the katana at the standing figure.

"Enemy of the crown?" They spoke but I couldn't understand anything other then they words, I many I couldn't tell if they were old or young, male or female.... That accursed wild magic at play again. "That empress of yours it the real enemy.... I know that face, you should be with us."

I glared through the mask that hide my eyes.

"If you know of the shadows you should know I'd never fight alongside the likes of you."

"So be it, I longed for a fight since the last time we met--" They declared, freeing their arms from the capes hiding, revealing female morphology and she pulled free a sword. "Realm knight."

My grip tightened, so she knew me, that might help narrow down the suspects as a lot of slaves that were freed from duty had similar scars to her.

"Where did you get that katana?" I coldly asked, the handle was wrapped with green fabric and the blade itself was what black and green just how mine was blue and black.

"Wouldn't you like to know." I could almost imagine their smile as they waved my mother's lost katana before my eyes. "I see you have the matching pair, maybe I should take it as my price?"

"As if I would let you." I bent my arm so my hand was up by my face with my palm was facing away from my face, blade in a reverse grip so it was still pointed at them. "And I'll be taking that one back too." Now I have a personal reason to find out who she is as she has my mother's missing blade.... She was part of those that killed her, how ironic of fate to have us meet after all this time.

"I doubt it." A chuckle escaped her, grabbing it two handed and pointing at me, holding the blade up at eye level.

By now the street emptied, the scared people pressing into every little hiding spot but the bravest peeking out to observe the on coming fight.