Ghostwalker

shoulder, and yanked him from the hazy night into pitch darkness.

Walker recovered enough from the surprise to draw his shatterspike in the blink of an eye and slash up and across at his unseen attacker. The hand released his shoulder and the dark figure leaped back, but Walker did not let up. He followed, his blade thrusting up and down, then slashing right to left. The first thrust the attacker managed to dodge and the second scraped off hard steel, as of armor. The high slash slammed against a hastily raised shield, a parry that barely managed to block it. The shield did not resist the sword's cut directly, but instead let the slash continue, straight into the wall of a nearby building, where the shield held it.

Releasing the sword, Walker lunged forward and shouldered his opponent, who was already off balance, against the wall of the nearby building. A long sword came up, held in the attacker's other hand, and Walker immediately stepped inside its reach, putting his shoulder against the upper right arm, and held his opponent against the cracked timber wall with his body. The overhang stopped the rain from falling on Walker's head, but the darkness obscured his attacker's face.

'Stop-' he started to say, but a flash of lightning overhead lit the alley for the barest of instants and bathed his opponent's face in light.

It was the auburn-haired woman, the one he had happened across in the alley, saved from an unknown assailant, then confronted in Torlic's house, all within a short amount of time.

'You-' began his next question, but it cut off in a grunt as pain exploded up his leg from where she had stomped hard on his foot. He staggered back and a knee met his midsection. Walker doubled over, the air stolen from his lungs, but managed to reach up for his sword, still stuck in the wall.

The woman made no move to attack, but she kept her sword up as she stepped away from the wall. 'A less honorable woman would have put that knee between your legs,' she observed casually as she wiped a lock of auburn hair out of her face with her sword arm.

Walker managed to right himself, holding himself up against the opposite wall until his stomach cramp disappeared, and his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

The knight saw that he was vertical again and smiled. 'Now-'

Whatever the knight had been about to say became a startled gasp as she leaped back, barely avoiding a silvery blade through the ribs as Walker lunged. She slapped the sword away and fell back into a defensive stance, shield up and ready.

That was fortunate-for her-because Walker's second slash came not a breath later, slamming into her shield with bone-numbing force. The fine steel held, though the keen shatterspike left a wide notch in its surface.

The knight attempted to swing back, but Walker parried the sword out to his left, spun toward her, dropped the shatterspike, grabbed her wrist, and rolled along her arm, coiling up to her sword hand all in one smooth movement, holding her blade away from him. Then he punched her stomach hard with his off hand and slammed his palm against her sword hand, knocking the sword from numbed fingers. Uncoiling once more, he slammed her back against the wall, and held the point of a knife to her throat-a knife that he had slipped from his left sleeve.

In the space of a breath, he stood, back to her front, her right hand in his, holding her against the wood.

Walker hissed in her ear. 'Now-'

She twisted her hand and pulled a dagger from his right wrist sheath. Walker's eyes widened, but the surprise did not stop his reflex. With his free hand, he slapped the blade away.

'Well, that's out of the way,' she said, half jokingly, as the knife fell to the ground.

'What?'

'You don't understand,' the woman said. 'I'm not here to fight you-'

'Then why are you here?' Walker demanded, so harshly that the knight flinched.

Then, as though she had steeled herself with the same icy resolve that ran through Walker's veins, the knight's face went calm.

'Are we through interrupting each other?' she asked slowly and levelly.

'Are we?' Walker kept his voice calm.

'What kind of answer is that?' asked the knight. 'Obviously, I'm in no position to surprise you with an attack, so it's really a matter of whether you-' Walker was impassive as he held the knife to her throat. The knight swallowed. 'Right, well, let's assume that's a 'yes.' In that case, I'll tell you why I'm here.'

'Indeed.'

Though his rasp was chilling, the knight, unafraid, was staring into his sapphire eyes, a gaze that made him uncharacteristically uncomfortable. It was not a sensation he was used to. Fortunately, her eyes were drawn to a silver gleam on his finger-the wolf's head ring. Walker shifted his stance, pulling her attention from the ring.

'Will you do something for me?' she asked after a moment.

'Perhaps,' replied Walker.

The knight lifted her chin, heedless of the blade poised there. 'Allow me to speak without attacking?'

Walker's face was impassive.

'My name is Arya Venkyr of Everlund, Knight of Silverymoon,' she said.

'Men call me Walker,' said the man in black.

'I know,' said Arya. 'I have seen you before-'

'And?' Walker hissed, forcing her back to the former subject.

'I'm here on assignment to investigate the disappearances of half a dozen couriers-'

'Couriers?' asked Walker, unfamiliar with the term. He spoke Elvish more often than Common.

'Messengers,' said Arya. 'They have vanished over the last few tendays-'

'Then why are you here?' came the interruption.

Arya's brow wrinkled. 'The couriers, they-'

'No, why here-why follow me?' corrected Walker. 'I know nothing of your couriers.'

'You do know something,' she said. 'Something that will help in my invest-'

'I know nothing of your couriers,' repeated Walker.

'How do I know you're telling the truth?' asked Arya. Walker turned the knife he held to her throat. 'Well, I suppose I'll have to take your word-'

'Indeed,' said Walker.

Then he took the blade away from her throat, though he made no move to release her. He did not even realize he was still holding her until she tilted her head, examining his face.

'It was you, wasn't it?' she said excitedly, as though making a discovery. 'You saved me. You're not as old as I thought-you can't have seen many more winters than me. Why do you wear your collar so high? What are you hiding?'

Not answering any of her questions, Walker released her and stepped away, toward his fallen sword. She stood there for a heartbeat, massaging her stung wrist. Then, as though remembering something, she clutched the trailing edge of his cloak and stayed him.

'You're going after one of Greyt's friends, Bilgren,' Arya said, holding him back.

Walker shrugged, as if to concede the possibility.

Arya continued. 'Turn back. Knowing my… knowing him, it's probably a trap.'

Walker smiled. 'It matters not,' he said. He turned. 'If you knew how I am committed, you would not stop me.' He pulled his cloak out of her grasp and stalked away.

****

'Wait!' Arya shouted, not knowing why. She had almost let him fade away into the shadows, but something within wouldn't let her.

He turned, showing no emotion at all in his face, but she could tell he was confused.

The rush of words burst out of her faster than her mind could hold it back. 'I wanted to thank you for saving me the other night.'

Walker's expression did not change, but Arya could feel something shift. That had startled him. He stood still for a moment, gazing at her, and she felt none of his bitter, icy resolve burning at her. Instead, he seemed almost a simple man gazing at her through the darkness.

'You are welcome,' Walker said quietly. He turned, bent low to retrieve the weapon, then headed back toward the street. Then he paused and looked back.