“I am only here for him,” the man said, pointing at Raith from his perch atop the wagon. “The rest of you may leave. I will not make this offer twice.”

  Thea hurled her shield in response.

  The assassin dropped directly downwards into the shadow of the wagon, disappearing entirely as he sank into the darkness while the shield passed through the empty air where he’d been standing. He sprang up from the long shadow Nyhm cast to the left, thrusting with a bright sliver dagger.

  The elfling fired off [Imperceptible Dodge] while slashing out with a vicious claw strike across the man’s chest. The cloak swirled in front of Nyhm’s blow, absorbing the attack as the assassin disappeared back down into the shadow.

  This time he popped up next to Raith, who used [Acrobatic Evasion] to narrowly avoid the second blade, this one coated with a pale green liquid. In mid leap, [Piercing Shot] flew at the assassin and stuck his arm, eliciting a shout of pain. Raith’s heart soared with elation that this living terror was fallible.

  “Be ready with an antidote. One of his blades looks poisoned.”

  After again disappearing, the man didn’t again immediately launch an attack. The Myth Seekers cast around nervously, trying to look every direction at once. Raith finally spotted him in the darkness nearly one hundred feet away, finishing off a potion. He threw the bottle casually behind him where it clinked off a rock, then began to pull throwing knives from the brace across his chest and hurl them into the shadows at his feet.

  The first two sprang up from Raith’s shadow. Sharp pain exploded across his leg as one penetrated his calf up to the hilt. He cried out and staggered as the second flew into his armpit, scraping a deep cut across his ribs and nearly causing him to collapse in agony. Quickly ripping the daggers out he quaffed a healing potion while blood poured from his side and clenched his jaw as the wounds mended.

  His brother and Thea had also been struck by the knives, leaving only minor wounds on their enhanced skin. Thea charged, but the assassin disappeared and came up beside her in mid-stride. He slashed down with his poisoned blade, but she tangled the arm with her vine gauntlet and smashed forward with her shield. The assassin let out a grunt, then slashed down at Thea’s gauntleted arm.

  The telltale flash of a [Skill] accompanied the assassin's silvery blade as it slashed through the air, severing her arm right above the gauntlet at the elbow. She screamed and stumbled backwards, suddenly free of the tension of vines pulling against the man’s weapon. With her arm still attached in a tangle, the assassin disappeared back down into the shadow.

  Raith sprinted forward and uncorked a potion, pouring it directly onto the spurting stump of her arm. The blood flow slowed, then stopped, and he got out another potion for her to drink. The assassin reappeared as he reached out, slashing at his arm with the poisoned blade. It cut to the bone, and burning instantly began to flow through the veins of his arm, spreading with each heartbeat.

  [Life in Staccato]

  He took a long moment to let the horror of Thea’s missing arm sink in and pass through him. It was awful, and she would need his help dealing with the aftermath. But only if they survived this.

  Which wasn’t looking very likely at the moment.

  Where the fuck are Tolliver and Zinny?

  Taking the time to examine the scene, he saw that a number of small arrows were poking from the man’s black cloak. At least he knew Zinny had been trying, even if she hadn’t been able to get a shot in past his magical defenses. The [Mage] probably ran, which was somehow hurtful all over again even after everything he’d done.

  We need to get somewhere there aren’t any shadows.

  He cast around desperately, but there wasn’t such a place. Even if they could all make it up to the mesa, the sun was peeking down past the horizon and casting long shadows from everything its light touched. The assassin had chosen the time of day perfectly to complement his skills.

  [Mnemonic Library]

  One of his Thieves’ Guild books had [Skill] descriptions for shadow powers. He hadn’t paid much attention because they required at least two [Rogue] classes, but maybe they held a clue that could give them some advantage.

  Veil ran up to greet him the moment he arrived, and he patted the little creature’s head.

  “Hey buddy. We’re in a bit of a bind right now, so I can’t stay long this time.”

  It followed Raith while he found the book and sat down to read. Aside from being limited by the obvious need for shadows, a caution for those who stitch these [Skills] caught his attention.

  ‘If the target shadow disappears when utilizing [Shadow Jump], the [Skill] user will be shunted into a random shadow within one hundred yards. Additionally, the user will become momentarily disoriented and suffer damage as though they had fallen from an equivalent height.’

  He had a bunch of flash grenades left. They would handily dispel any shadows, but it would require perfect timing. Even then, he wasn't confident it would be enough to turn this battle in their favor.

  Raith idly fiddled with the ring Remi of the Forgotten Ones had given him. Maybe that was the solution to this never-ending stream of shit. Just join up and no one will even remember he exists. No more Order, no more assassins, no getting caught up with noble’s politics.

  But also no family. No Thea or Vandamir. They’d all forget him as surely as the assassins.

  He walked over to the desk and reviewed his notes from that discussion at his uncle’s funeral, that seemed almost a lifetime ago.

  ‘To reach out you must twist it on your finger three times in one direction, the opposite way five times, then reverse for another three.’

  Raith put the note away and shook his head. That wasn’t going to be necessary. They’d pull together and beat this guy.

  He ended the library and reassessed the scene. First thing was to drink an antidote potion. They each only had two, so he couldn’t keep taking cuts from that blade. Then get everyone positioned so a single flash grenade could dispel all of their shadows at the same time. Taking a deep breath to steady himself against the pain, he set his plan into motion.

  If the assassin had thought cutting off Thea’s arm would take the fight out of her he was sadly mistaken. Before he could disappear again, she fired off a [Shield Bash] that sent him flying away from the shadow.

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  The attack gave Raith time to chug his potion while Nyhm rushed in for another attack.

  “I have an idea, but we need to be close together.”

  Thea nodded and they ran towards where his brother was fiercely clashing with the cloaked man. The assassin saw their approach and broke off, sprinting to dive into another shadow where he disappeared.

  [Hawksight] picked him up on the other side of the canyon, drinking another potion and leaning heavily against a rock. Raith quickly briefed his team on the plan.

  Carefully watching the assassin, Raith saw the voluminous black cloak twitch and intercept another arrow. The man looked up in irritation, but couldn’t see the invisible archer. He then turned back towards the gathered team and grinned wickedly before jumping into a shadow.

  Raith hurled the flash grenade to their feet, dispelling everyone’s shadow before the assassin could complete the jump. He heard a loud curse and a thump as the man tumbled out of the shade of a boulder a hundred feet distant. Thea’s shield shot across the space between them, striking him on the side of the head with a crack and he crumpled to the ground.

  As one, they sprinted towards the fallen assassin to finish him off, but the bastard managed to pull himself into another shadow the moment before they arrived.

  “Shit, where’d he go?”

  Casting around, Raith couldn’t see him anywhere, but for the first time found himself at an angle to spot the crumpled robes of Tolliver behind a rock near the canyon wall. He let out another curse and sprinted for the fallen [Mage].

  He arrived to see that Tolliver lay deathly pale with white foam coming from his mouth. As Raith reached for an antidote potion, he heard the assassin chanting runephrases and whirled to see the scroll in his hands turn to dust as the last words rang out. The small shadows between the stones that littered the canyon floor exploded into black ropes that bound his hands together, encircled his legs and yanked him fast against the ground.

  From his vantage, he saw that Thea was held by the same shadowy ropes, but Nyhm’s tattoo had protected him. His brother flashed back and forth through his field of view in a fearsome battle as Raith struggled fruitlessly against his bindings.

  A cry of pain from Nyhm sent an arrow of panic through Raith’s heart. He knew that the assassin wouldn’t stand a chance against the elfling in a fair fight, but this fight was anything but fair.

  Raith’s stomach exploded in burning pain from a thrown dagger, and this time Nyhm’s cry was one of alarm. He watched as two more knives sprouted from Thea, and he could see the blood welling out around the blades to soak into the sandy ground.

  Nyhm backed through his field of view, clutching at a wicked cut across his upper arm. He tried to make a dash to Raith, but the assassin rushed to attack him from the rear the moment he tried. The elfling grimaced as the poisoned blade cut another line across his back, and he whirled to face his assailant.

  We’re not going to win this.

  He looked at his brother, slowing under the growing wounds and poisoned blood. Thea was bearing her injuries stoically, but she would not long survive without healing. Nor would he, if the agony in his gut was any indication. He was facing away from Tolliver, so although the [Mage] was the closest, Raith didn’t know if he was even still alive.

  Desperate fear lent new strength to the struggle against his shadowy bonds, again to no avail. With his hands bound close, he fondled the ring for summoning the Forgotten Ones. What was it Remi had said?

  ‘I must warn you never to do this for frivolous reasons. The consequences would be dire, and not at my discretion.’

  This definitely wasn’t frivolous, but the price they would demand…

  Another cry from Nyhm made the decision. He spun the ring three times, then five, then back three again.

  Nothing happened.

  A surge of pain from the dagger in his stomach forced a wave of nausea, circling back to more pain. As he writhed on the ground, he could see that the pool of blood under Thea had grown alarmingly and where she had been holding herself stiff with pain she now sagged limp.

  The sound of Nyhm’s battle dragged on for long, hopeless moments with no sign of the Forgotten Ones. Just as he resolved to retreat into his library to plea with Amaris, who would surely refuse, the assassin’s voice rang out.

  “Why are you here? My Guild has no quarrel with your kind.”

  The terror in his voice was unmistakable.

  Raith heard rocks crunch beneath heavy footsteps as someone approached him from behind. A pair of hooves came to a stop in front of his face, far larger than any satyr he’d ever seen. The furry legs bent and a dark clad figure squatted in front of him.

  Panic set in as the ceramic horse mask came into view. A black stallion head with a wild mane, each individual hair formed in exquisite detail. Black holes where the eyes should be seemed to lead to infinite darkness. Aside from the fine craftsmanship, there was nothing unusual about the mask, and Raith knew the fear effect must be magical. That knowledge did nothing to ease the feeling, and he squirmed to distance himself from the object of terror, sending new jolts of agony shooting from his wound.

  A low, rough voice came to him from behind that horrible mask.

  “Why have you summoned me?”

  “Remi asked me to join, and I accept. Just don’t let that man kill my friends.”

  A growl escaped the Forgotten One.

  “I am not here to bargain with you.”

  “I’m godlaced!”

  He sensed hesitation from the man.

  “Please.”

  The assassin found the courage to speak again.

  “Fool, this creature had no better nature for you to appeal to. Your friends will die and you shall be utterly forgotten, but you shall never forget the deadly blades of…”

  Faster than Raith’s eyes could follow, the Forgotten One hurled a pair of bolas at the assassin. The balls spun through the air, wire stretched tight between them. It hit the man’s neck while he was in mid sentence, removing his head cleanly from his shoulders. Blood spurted from the decapitated body as it fell to the ground. A rush of weft from their battle washed across the team, and Raith could have wept with relief.

  As the shadow ropes melted away he hurriedly removed the dagger and quaffed a healing potion. He began to rush towards Thea, but Nyhm got there first, having already tended to himself. His brother looked up as he pulled out the knives and poured the precious potion into her wounds.

  “She’s alive. Check on Tolliver.”

  The [Mage] bore only one wound, but it was clearly from the poisoned blade. Raith dumped half the antidote straight into the gash and the other into the noble’s mouth. The liquid pooled without going down, and he was afraid he was too late. Frantically, Raith poured some healing potion onto the wound and let out a breath as it slowly began to knit closed. A few moments later, Tolliver swallowed the antidote, so Raith followed it with the remainder of the healing potion.

  Color returned to the [Mage]’s face, but he did not stir.

  Raith stood and faced the masked Forgotten One. At some point the fear effect had vanished, but the eight-foot creature was still terrifying to behold.

  “Thank you for killing him.”

  The Forgotten One snorted.

  “I did not do it for you, nor do I require your thanks. I’m still annoyed that their Guild presumed to sanction us several years ago. We should have killed twice as many in our lesson, but my voice was overruled. Now we go. The path is this way.”

  Several years? The fabled clash between the Forgotten Ones and Assassin’s Guild occurred over a century ago. The masked man turned and began to walk back down the canyon towards where they had been hiding.

  “Wait. Can they come?”

  Raith didn’t expect the answer to be yes, but figured it was worth a try. Thea was sitting up now, and looked at him with concern. Nyhm’s brow was furrowed in consternation.

  “If you guys want to, that is.”

  The Forgotten One stopped, but didn’t turn around.

  “I care not. If the Earl can make no use of them, they will be dealt with appropriately.”

  Maybe bringing them with wasn’t such a good idea after all, but it was too late now. Thea and Nyhm both hurried to his side and gave a sharp nod. Nyhm put a hand on his arm.

  “If you’re going, we’re going.”

  Thea gestured towards the fallen [Mage].

  “What about him?”

  Raith moved to grab his fallen comrade. Tolliver had not abandoned him in his hour of need, so he could not repay that by abandoning him now. He opened his mouth to tell Nyhm to help him carry the [Mage], but the Forgotten One interrupted.

  “I have no use for the damaged one, and I will not permit you to slow our journey with his presence.”

  The harsh voice left no room for argument.

  “Has anyone seen Zinny?”

  Thea shook her head.

  “Naught but arrows since the attack began.”

  Raith looked around the sky but saw no trace of her. He took a chance an called out.

  "Zinny, if you can hear me and can look after Tolliver please give me a sign."

  The Forgotten One looked around suspiciously, and then leveled his dark gaze at Raith.

  "Neither will I wait for your foolish prayers. We have wasted enough time. Now come."

  As soon as the Forgotten One turned away, a flash of color caught Raith's attention in the fading light. He looked above Tolliver to see Phineas flicker into sight for the briefest moment with a solemn looking Zinny astride him giving a thumbs up. He breathed a sigh of relief.

  Rocks crushed beneath the massive hooves as the Forgotten One moved to trudge deeper into the canyon, and the remaining Myth Seekers followed.

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