The Emperor's Arrow

Chapter 4: Attack in the Night

Evony's eyes snapped open. All she could see was darkness as her eyes slowly adjusted to the tiny amount of light that crept in from around the edges of her room's door. Noiselessly, she rolled out of her bed, grabbing the dagger that lay under her pillow and drawing the knife she wore even in sleep.

The footsteps that had stopped in front of her door hadn't restarted, but every instinct and ounce of training told her whoever was out there hadn't moved. Ghosting over so she stood to one side of the door, Evony pressed her back against the cool stone of the wall, keeping her breathing even as she strained her senses.

Her door burst open, the attacker rushing in a few steps then freezing as he noticed the empty bed. Evony didn't hesitate. She jumped up and lashed out with a hilt-laden hand. Her blow slammed into the side of the man's head and he dropped to one knee with a moan. Evony didn't let him move any further, turning her landing into a pivot that had her foot smashing into his head again, this time with his momentum only stopping when he hit the wall.

Gripping her knife in preparation for finishing him, Evony's attention was caught by a scream. Several other screams followed it. She threw herself towards her open door to see another man outlined in the doorway of Admina's room.

Evony's body followed her first impulse and she was halfway across the hall before she even realized she was moving. Her training asserted itself, allowing her to continue moving as her heart pounded in her ears and her mouth went dry. When the man half-turned to meet her, Evony's body moved almost on reflex.

She ducked down, under his attempt to grab her, dodging around him so she was at his back. She shot her leg out so that it connected solidly with the back of his knee, sending him stumbling off balance. She spun and stabbed him in the side. He jerked away from her strike before she could rip down and across, crying out as her knife was yanked free of his body.

The blood dripped from Evony's knife without her paying any attention to it, her attention focused on her opponent. He had a hand pressed to his injury, blood welling up between his fingers. She took a step towards him and he scurried back and fell. "Please," he said. "Please, brightness, I never meant you harm."

Evony's eyebrows came down as she studied him, her brain finally acknowledging what the man was wearing. The long black tunic was familiar though she hadn't immediately recognized it without a chestplate on top. A low hiss escaped her lips. "You're a soldier."

The man nodded rapidly, face still pale and his gaze alert to her every movement.

The other screams combined with the shouts and other noises she could hear coming from outside Admina's room painted a clear enough picture. Her eyes alight with barely controlled emotions, Evony glared down at the man. "Was this a test?" she whispered, arms trembling with the force she used to clench her hands around her knives.

The soldier gulped. "Yes, brightness."

Evony's eye twitched but she managed to keep herself from striking out at the man sitting prone in front of her. She couldn't blame him for following orders, as much as she wanted to lash out at someone right now. His honour demanded he follow orders much the same as hers did. No, she had to take this up with the people who had authorized this.

She turned her attention to Admina instead. It took her a moment to find her friend. The sound of shaky breathing alerted Evony to Admina's hiding place. She certainly approved of her friend's strategy, especially since the other girl had no defensive training to speak of. Leaning over the bed, Evony could see the back of Admina's head, her friend's hands pressed into her hair as if to ward off a blow.

Evony took a deep breath and did her best to send out all of her anger at the same time so she didn't frighten Admina, sheathing her knives as she did so. "It's safe now," she called. "You can come out."

Her friend flinched and then slowly looked up. When she caught sight of Evony, her face crumpled up and she began to cry. "Evony!"

She offered Admina her hand. "You're safe."

Admina scrambled out from under her bed and practically threw herself at Evony. "I thought I was to going to be killed!"

Evony awkwardly patted her friend as the other girl clung to her. She really didn't have any words or ideas for this situation, and settled instead for giving her opponent a look she hoped made him feel guilty for scaring Admina. He might not have had a choice in the matter, but he still deserved to feel bad given what he'd put her friend through.

The heavy tramping of synchronized footfalls drew Evony's attention away from Admina. There was only one reason a whole unit of soldiers would be on their way and she hoped they were accompanied by someone in charge or none of them were going to be very happy when she was through.

Carefully she pulled away from Admina, patting the girl's shoulder. "Everything's fine," she said. "Just stay here. I need to speak to the new arrivals."

"But—" her friend stopped as she caught sight of the man still on the ground and bleeding. "Ev—"

She cut her off. "This was a test and he's a soldier. I didn't realize until I'd already marked him. As he is now, he's no danger to you. Please, stay here while I sort the rest of this out."

Admina hesitated for a moment, biting her lip, then nodded. "Please be careful."

Evony offered her a hint of a smile and strode out of the room. Every door along their hall was open, some with people still visible inside, while the hall itself was chaotic. Young women in nightdresses sat, lay, and stood throughout the hall, several pale, some still crying, and one looked unconscious. Various men in identical black tunics to the men she'd fought stood awkwardly around, most trying to avoid looking at the women around them, while a few were trying to calm girls down.

At the very end of the hall were six soldiers in full uniform standing in two neat lines at attention. The man in front of them all was familiar. Evony hadn't seen anyone else with that peculiar red-brown hair of his, and she was hardly likely to forget what the emperor's aide looked like.

Her target acquired, Evony stalked towards him, noting the way he looked around. Her swift movement quickly caught his attention and he watched her approach. The tensing of the men around him made her realize her hand had fallen to the knife at her waist. A flick of her eyes told her that the short chiton she wore would need to be bleached to erase the blood splatter along the bottom.

Evony stopped in front of Rakin, consciously making the effort to drop her hands to her sides so she wasn't tempted to pull a weapon. The anger that had flared back up showed in her eyes, she was sure. Her mother always said that when she was angry, it was like lightning flashed through her eyes. "Whose idea was this?" she demanded, not bothering with any sign of respect. Anyone who had ordered such a test didn't deserve respect from her.

Rakin studied her for a moment. "This was by order of his imperial majesty," he said, stressing the title the tiniest bit.

She took a step closer so that there was barely a hand's difference between the two of them. "Then tell his imperial majesty that he is an idiot!" she snapped. "What kind of person thinks that terrifying a group of people, doubly so for a group of non-combatants, is a good idea? I don't know what this was intended to test, but I can assure you, it wasn't worth this!"

The aide leaned back from her words, his eyes widening slightly. "You—"

Evony had warmed to her subject and her voice rose along with her anger. "Most of these women are barely out of girlhood and you attack them in the night? If the emperor thinks this is an appropriate test for those not trained in fighting, I'll be happy to help him practice dodging arrows! And so you're aware, two of your men almost lost their lives tonight because of this test."

Rakin blinked. Evony didn't wait for a response but turned around and headed back towards Admina's room. She was sure her friend still needed to be calmed down and as much as telling Rakin what she thought made her feel better, Admina was the higher priority.