Iskondra lunged forward while Tauri was momentarily distracted, her sword flashing with light. The assassin twirled to the side. The blade-bond kept moving forward towards the door, but a long tail swished out from beneath Tauri’s cloak to grab onto her leg, tripping her up. She rolled onto her side as she fell, and ended up on her back, though she lost her grip on her sword.
Her warding hand came up as Tauri leapt at her, interposing a blue flash between them that briefly arrested his flight mid-air. She kicked up with both legs, sending him vaulting back, then got to her feet.
“More tricks,” Tauri growled, using his tail to push himself up onto his feet.
“More tricks? If you insist,” Iskondra said, and she hurled the ball of blue light surrounding her hand at the assassin.
He sprung up and over the glowing orb, surprising her with his agility. She had no shielding ward in place when he rushed in, ducking impossibly low under her outstretched blade and slashing at her leg with his wicked claws. She shifted backwards, too late to prevent three shallow but painful rips in her scaly skin.
“Gah!” she cried out, shifting her stance to favor the other leg. She stepped back several paces. The crowd that had gathered around them had not dispersed, but had pulled back further which each display of magic, as they did again at sight of first blood. “You will come to regret that.”
“Already do,” Tauri replied, maintaining his distance for the time being. “Intended to hobble completely.”
“Yes, well, if I had a tetra for every time my actions fell short of my intentions…”
“Would not owe fifty thousand tetrae,” Tauri said.
“Do you have a formula that determines precisely what words you omit when formulating a sentence?” Iskondra asked. “Or is it purely random?”
“Father had saying…”
“Oh, shut up!” Iskondra said, re-conjuring the defensive shield around her hand.
“Apologies,” Tauri said. “Didn’t realize had heard saying before.”
“Listen to me for one moment,” Iskondra said. “If you kill me now, the House of Hulgar will get nothing.”
“Yet Hulgar pay me anyway,” Tauri said. “Not bad work, when can find it.”
“Listen!” Iskondra said. “Do you have any idea why I have yet to gut you where you stand?”
“Have several. Incompetence near top of list. Cowardice… maybe slot higher.”
Iskondra’s grip tightened on her sword, which glowed a vivid and ugly purple.
“If you kill me, Hulgar gets nothing and you get whatever they pay you,” Iskondra said. “But if you throw in with me, not only will I be able to pay them off but we’ll be so rich that you’ll never have to work again.”
“Money one thing, but like to keep busy,” Tauri said. “Enjoy working… with hands.”
Snarling, Tauri came on again.
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