Fortunate was the hero, he observed wryly, who writes his own story. If ever this tale were told, Taeros Hawkwinter would be foremost among the fair maidens' defenders. Until then, he'd have to acquit himself as best he could.
He picked himself up, drew his sword, and charged after his more nimble friends.
Hard fingers raked down Naoni's back, then snatched at her hair. Desperately she jerked her head away, clenching her teeth against the burst of pain as tresses tore.
She stumbled and almost went down, but a glimpse of Faendra's wide-eyed terror gave her new speed. She caught her sister's hand and pulled her along. Lark was several paces ahead, running like a rabbit. Then, suddenly, there were men with drawn swords shouting and running toward them, too!
'Oh, Lady Luck!' Naoni gasped, as a heavy hand fell on her shoulder and dragged her down. 'Be with my Faen…'
She struck the cobbles, hard. The pouch at her belt slammed into her midriff, leaving her no breath at all. Writhing and sobbing, she looked frantically about for her sister.
There! Somehow Faendra had slipped past the onrushing men and was nearly to the main street. She'd be safe there.
Relief swept through Naoni. She was dimly aware of rough hands clawing at her belt and her hand, where it was clutching the heavy little bag. Her attacker was snarling promises of what he'd do to her if she didn't yield it up right quick, and Suddenly he was gone. A bloodstained cobblestone rolled past Naoni's hair-tangled gaze, and she saw a determined-looking Lark reaching down for another.
A man with a long, gleaming sword in his hand and a red cloak flapping-a cloak made of Jacintha's gem-fabric, woven from her thread!-sprang past Lark, soaring right over Naoni in a leap that snatched him from view.
'Have at you, miscreants!' a cultured voice rang out.
Naoni rolled out of the way of Red Cloak's companions. As she came up to her knees, she caught sight of one of the halfling guards from the Warrens. He winked at her as he darted past, a blur of dusty gray, to hamstring one of the ruffians.
The man screamed and went down, and his fellow behind him went pale and staggered hastily back out of the way as a second grandly garbed man sprang past Naoni, blue cloak swirling and blade flashing.
The thieves brandished knives and muttered curses as they hastily retreated. One fell heavily, tripping the man behind him. Naoni saw a leather thong slide out from behind his ankle, and the two halflings responsible for tripping him vanish behind the tangle of frantically struggling arms and dirty, hairy legs.
These must be guardians, sent by Jacintha to tail her home. She'd often been assured the Small Folk protected their own, but this was the first time she'd caught them at their work.
'Run, lowlife scum!' exulted one of their sword-waving rescuers, a red-bearded young giant in a green gemcloak with, oddly enough, a Moonshar accent. 'Bested with barely a slash of my steel!'
'They weren't all that good at standing, let alone fighting,' observed a dark-haired youth whose cultured tones were heavily laced with sarcasm. 'No, Beldar, let them go. I believe we can trust the Watch to find crawling men.'
Nobles. These must be nobles. Who else would speak of Watchmen with such weary disdain? Plenty of crafters and dockers hated the Watch, but Naoni had never heard them dismissed with amusement before.
A sword slid back into its sheath, and firm but gentle fingers were under Naoni's elbows, lifting her. She looked up into a handsome face framed by fair, short-shorn hair. The man's eyes were blue and kind, full of concern… and something more.
It took Naoni a moment to recognize that 'something more' as the sort of look commonly directed at pretty Faendra.
'Are you hurt, my lady?'
She considered this, and the man's lips twitched.
'Had I asked how your companions fared, you'd have a ready answer,' he said quietly. 'In the midst of danger, you spared no thought for yourself.'
'Well, there wasn't time, you see,' she said lamely.
He smiled, not in mockery, but with genuine warmth, and beyond him, Naoni caught sight of a rising cobblestone, clenched in familiar work-reddened fingers.
'Lark, no!' she cried.
The man whirled, blue cloak swirling. Lark stepped deftly back and tossed her weapon down.
'My… yon goodwoman means no harm,' Naoni said urgently, putting a staying hand on the man's sword arm.
'Oho!' the red-bearded man grinned knowingly, as the nobles gathered around.
She snatched her hand away. Her pouch might be heavy enough to tempt even these young blades-and didn't such highnoses come to Dock Ward to sport with lowborn lasses? Would the refusal of a damsel they'd just rescued be heeded?
Her younger sister was wandering back, pretty face cat-curious. Fear choked Naoni. Not Faendra! Never that!
'Lark meant no harm,' she repeated hastily. 'Can you say as much?'
'Aye,' the fair-haired man told her firmly. 'Korvaun's my name-Lord Korvaun Helmfast-and despite what some say about the habits of the nobility, I'm not in the habit of attacking women in the street.'
'He speaks for himself,' the red-bearded man said cheerfully, giving Faendra a good-natured wink.
Naoni's heart sank at the delight in her sister's face. Faen might have their mother's beauty, but that didn't mean she had to repeat Mother's mistakes!
The sardonic man sighed. 'Malark, not now! Save the jests for ladies not so unsettled. Ah, forgive me: I am Lord Taeros Hawkwinter, this buffoon is Lord Malark Kothont, and our foremost battle-blade yonder is Lord Beldar Roaringhorn. Usually his tongue is as swift as his sword, but just now he seems at a most uncharacteristic lack for words. Collectively we're the Gemcloaks for, hem, obvious reasons. Are you unhurt?'
Naoni nodded, alarm fading. 'Bruised, perhaps. They took nothing.' She managed a smile. 'I'm Naoni Dyre. This is my sister Faendra, and our servant Lark.'
Faendra pointed at Naoni, her eyes bright. 'She spun the gems that went into the cloaks you're wearing.'
The one called Beldar frowned. 'Crafters?'
'Lord Roaringhorn,' Lark said, her voice like acid, 'you seem surprised to learn we're respectable women.'
The leader of the Gemcloaks reddened at her rebuke. 'Forgive me, mistresses, but what do you hereabouts? These streets are no place for-'
'Folk who must go where their work takes them?' Lark's voice and gaze were now positively glacial. 'What would you know of work?'
Beldar and Lark locked gazes. What passed between them only they knew, but it looked profoundly unpleasant. Naoni winced.
Gods above, we should be thanking these men, not insulting them! They seem pleasant enough, but they're nobles-and who knows what such grand folk might do if they take offense?
'We just came from one of my father's worksites,' she said hastily. 'It was badly damaged by some bold blades playing pranks.'
The four nobles exchanged uneasy looks.
The one called Malark frowned. 'Stands this, ah, site on Redcloak Lane?'
'It does.'
Four throats were cleared in unison. 'Good ladies,' Lord Roaringhorn said stiffly, 'you're probably not going to like these next words of mine well…'
'That's a certainty,' Lark said under her breath, causing Faendra to giggle and Malark to grin.
Naoni sent both girls a quelling look and turned it into a warning frown when Malark offered his arm to Faendra. Ignoring her, Faendra slipped her hand into the crook of Lord Kothont's arm with an easy grace that suggested long practice in front of a mirror.
