two huge felines collided, spat, and howled at one another. For a moment, the two creatures were a blur of claws, fangs, and flying fur; then they parted and retreated, slinking out of harm's way. The three dire-jaguars separated themselves from Xaphira and Emriana and once more began to circle the two women, tails twitching, waiting to spot a true opening in the mercenary officer's defenses.
Suddenly, all three dire-jaguars rushed Xaphira at once. As quick as she was, she knew she would never be able to fend off three simultaneously. As she snapped another kick in the direction of the closest beast's head, a flash of motion caught her eye from down low, near the ground. She landed her kick solidly, slamming the dire- jaguar's jaw shut, but the great cat managed to swipe at her leg with one paw. She almost bit her tongue in pain as she felt the talons cut through her boot and rake her leg.
Xaphira nearly stumbled off balance as she completed the motion of her kick, and the dire-jaguar she had struck twisted in midair from the force of her blow. It landed with a shriek and darted off, disappearing into the undergrowth. In the same heartbeat, Xaphira followed through and snapped an elbow into the second beast's face, expecting to have her arm mangled for her troubles, but the huge beast collided with her, its motion strangely dull and heavy. The collision knocked Xaphira off her feet, piling both her and the dire-jaguar on top of Emriana. The blow knocked the wind from Xaphira's lungs as the huge cat rolled on top of her, feeling like dead weight.
The third beast mistimed its leap and sailed over the top of the pile, but Xaphira felt its hind claws rake her across one hip, and she would have cried out in pain had she any breath. As it was, the dire-cat on top of her flopped over and lay still across her face, blinding her and cutting off her air. The mercenary officer felt Emriana struggling beneath her legs, trying to shift so that she could get up.
In a panic, Xaphira began struggling to get out from underneath the obviously dead dire-jaguar that was atop her face. All the while, she was desperately thinking, this is it. They're going to rip Em to shreds, and I'm next.
Despite her pain and fear, or perhaps because of them, Xaphira found the strength to shove the carcass away from her head. She scrambled out and up, bringing her fists up, expecting an attack. But the remaining dire- jaguar was several paces away, limping as it paced back and forth. Blood leaked from a wound along its foreleg, saturating the sandy ground. It screamed a defiant challenge at the two women then turned and slunk off into the forest.
Panting, Xaphira peered in every direction warily, looking for signs of the third cat, which she had chased off with her powerful kick. She could not see either one, but she feared that one or both had circled around, hoping to sneak back in close for another attack. Finally, when it was obvious that the two remaining dire-jaguars were gone, she allowed her shoulders to slump in relief, letting down her guard.
Emriana, who was seated near Xaphira's feet and breathing just as heavily, was holding one of her new throwing daggers, its blade bloody. Her eyes, which were big and full of fear, looked back and forth between Xaphira and the dead cat lying next to them.
Slowly, Xaphira rose to a kneeling position, resting her hands on her knees. She grinned at her niece. 'I guess you found a use for them,' she said between breaths, nodding at the weapon. 'But you're supposed to throw them.'
Emriana looked at the blade in her hand, dropping it as though it were white hot. 'I did, the first time,' she said, pointing at the dead cat beside the two of them. Xaphira turned to gaze at the creature and spotted the thin wound piercing its chest, just between its front legs. A steady flow of blood was just subsiding. 'It was within reach, though, so I grabbed it again.' Then the girl shuddered. 'I thought we were finished,' she added, swallowing hard.
'So did I,' Xaphira confessed, grimacing and examining her wounds. The cuts on her leg were not deep, for her boot had absorbed the majority of the damage. Her hip, however, was bleeding freely, soaking her trousers in crimson. 'Thanks to you, though, we're still here,' she added, reaching into her shirt for the medallion dedicated to Waukeen.
Suddenly, Emriana was beside Xaphira. 'You're bleeding!' she exclaimed. 'It looks bad,' she said, tentatively touching the slash marks with one finger.
'It is,' Xaphira replied, wincing. 'Give me a moment.' Closing her eyes, she began to pray. The pain was making her light-headed, but she pushed the discomfort out of her mind for the moment and concentrated on the orison of healing. Pressing her palm against the wound, she muttered the final words and felt cool, soothing energy radiate into her hip.
When Xaphira opened her eyes, the gashes in her clothing revealed only fresh pink skin and lots of smeared blood. A second spell closed the wounds in her shin.
When she was done, the mercenary officer noticed Emriana sitting next to her with her knees drawn up. The girl was hugging them tightly and watching intently, her yellow-gold eyes wide with concern. 'That's a pretty handy talent to have,' she said when she understood that Xaphira was finished.
Xaphira nodded. 'Only when no one is trying to take my head off,' she replied, 'or I'm about to pass out from the pain.' For a moment, she thought of what might have been, if her injuries had been worse. 'Have you ever had to field dress a wound before?' she asked.
Emriana shook her head.
'Well, if you're going to accompany me tonight, you've got to know more than how to throw a dagger.'
Emriana giggled, realizing what her aunt was agreeing to. 'Tonight?' she said, her eyes shining with excitement.
Xaphira nodded. 'But only if you do what I say, beginning with learning how to stop someone from bleeding to death.'
'The way you fight, I won't need to do it very often,' the girl said. 'It was…' she paused, contemplating. 'Amazing,' she said, her face filled with wonder. 'I don't think I've ever seen you do that before. And against three of them. You're incredible.'
Xaphira chuckled as she got to her feet. 'Not so much,' she replied as she wiped a forearm across her sweat-soaked brow. 'Without you there, they would have taken me down. I'm getting old and slow.'
'It was one against three!' Emriana protested.
'Sure, and in that instance, the best thing I could have done is take them out quickly, before they tired me out. But those cats were smart. They were toying with me, wearing me down before they prepared to close in for the kill. I was a fumbling buffoon this morning.'
Emriana rolled her eyes, refusing to let her aunt's words diminish her appreciation of the display. 'Whatever you say.
'Ah, but eventually you can, if you want to learn ' Xaphira remarked. 'I can teach you.'
Emriana smiled, looking genuinely delighted at the prospect. 'I would like that.'
Xaphira smiled. 'Come on, let's get back. Those other two might come back for more, and other things are going to come feast soon, regardless,' she said, pointing at the dead dire-jaguar. 'I don't want to be around when the quarrels over portions start.'
Together the two women began to hike back up the streambed, and it was not long before they found Dancer and Honey, nickering at one another as they feasted on berries.
The ride back to the country estate was less boisterous, and along the way Emriana grew quiet. Xaphira wondered if the morning's attack had unnerved her, but when the girl spoke, her words reminded the mercenary that the impending journey back to Arrabar weighed heavily on her niece's mind.
'Did you learn anything about Junce Roundface last night?'
Xaphira pursed her lips before answering, feeling all her own concerns welling up inside her. 'Not exactly, though I might learn something tonight. An old friend of mine promised to do some digging, and if anyone knows someone who can tell us more, he does.'
'You mean,
Xaphira nodded. 'Right. But we're only going to sit in a bar and talk with Quill. There won't be any rooftop climbing this trip.'
Emriana sniffed, obviously a little less enamored of the expedition than she had been previously. 'Well, let's hope we learn something, at the least,' she said determinedly. 'Every time I think about that assassin still running loose in the city, after everything he's done to our family…' She left the thought hanging there, but Xaphira understood.
'Me, too,' she told her niece. 'We'll get him, Em. I promise.'
'Good,' the girl replied. 'Because I can't sleep, knowing he's still free.'
