Ancestors forgive me. Kitaya took her dagger to her palm and sliced it open. She clenched her fist, allowing the blood to pool inside. It seeped through her fingers and rolled down her arm. Good, she'd need a lot of it.

Aldeheid was crouched on a tree branch below her. His still form was merely a shadow against the moonlit clearing below. A score masked of figures flitted about in its argent glow, lighting fires and drawing symbols on the trees. The cool night air reeked of burning wood, and smoke billowed high over the mountain's summit.

Kitaya observed them for a moment. They worked in perfect harmony, like a hive of honeybees. She didn't know who they were or what they wanted, but they'd been popping up all over earth around the thin spaces that led to her world. To Magika. And now they had the audacity to show up on her island – in the middle of the night no less – like a band of thieves.

Luckily, she had wards placed wards over the thin space to tell her when anything was amiss, or whatever they were trying to do would've gone unchallenged. But they would pay dearly for wandering into her territory.

It was time to smoke them out, like the pests they were. Kitaya held her bloody fist up and recited words of Magika that were older than her. Drops of golden light seeped from the swirling mark on the back of her hand, following the rivers of blood on her arm. Magic bloomed around her, its power riding the gentle cadence of her words.

Activity in the clearing came to a halt, but by the time the masked figures turned their heads her way, it was too late. A howling gale ripped through the clearing with the fury of a tidal wave. It tore through the grass and uprooted trees, sending bodies and debris flying high into the air.

Kitaya slumped against the tree as a high-pitched buzzing filled her head and her gut twisted. Through doubled vision, she saw a few stragglers rising to their feet, but it seemed her spell had wiped out most of them. "Aldeheid go," she said through gritted teeth.

But he didn't budge.

"Aldeheid!" She caught the glint of a chain as it snaked towards them. "Damn." She dropped down and tackled him out of the way, but the chained caught her leg and she was yanked through the air, arms and legs flailing.

Kitaya didn't know which way was up. It felt as though her leg was going to be ripped from her body as she was flung back and forth. Gravity gripped her by the gut and dragged her to the ground. Pain bloomed in her shoulder and the air was ripped from her lungs. 

And still no sign of Aldeheid.

He's dead. If these freaks hadn't killed him already, she was going to.

Through blurred she watched Aldeheid slam into the one that held her hostage, taking them down to the ground with him. About time.

"Apologies, kitten." He helped her to her feet and put his back to hers.

The pain in her shoulder redoubled and putting too much weight on her right leg was a bad idea. Four masked people circled them like a pack of wild dogs, their chains whirring as they swung them.

"I need one alive."

"As you wish." Aldeheid threw himself into the fray, the blade of his longsword catching the moonlight and throwing it in elegant arcs.

Kitaya focused on the two closing in on her, breathing though the throbbing pain in her shoulder and leg. She wouldn't last long going two-on-one. Ending it quickly was her best bet.

She dodged one chains, a backdraft ticking her face as it whizzed past. She closed in, quick and sure as a snake and struck. Her dagger sank in to the neck of the masked person. They went down together, with Kitaya landing on top. But she rolled off immediately, just in time to avoid a deadly strike from another chain.

She grabbed the chain and yanked hard. The masked person came flying forward and slammed into her waiting foot. Her foot connected with the side of their neck and an audible crack rang through the trees. They crumpled like old paper, falling into the uprooted grass.

Kitaya swore and picked them up and their head lulled at an unnatural angle. "Uh... I got a little overzealous. All two of mine are dead."

Aldeheid picked up one he was fighting, holding their limp form by the collar. "I think this one is still alive."

The masked person raised their head, porcelain chips falling from a crack down the center of their mask, and recited words in a language Kitaya had never heard. Their marked hand glowed with a liquid gold light that made her heart skip a beat.

Her lips parted. It couldn't be. Someone... like her?

Their body burst into white flames, and Aldeheid dropped them, clutching his hand and backing away. One by one, the other bodies followed suit, until a score of white fires lit up the night like stars.

Kitaya didn't bother shielding herself from the heat and light. The numbing cold that had settled in her bones was enough. She stood there, still as a stone pillar, and watched the bodies burn until they were nothing but piles of white ash.

Then the night became very quiet. And it wasn't a comfortable quiet. No, this was the type of silence that came before a rampaging storm.

"Kitaya...? Are you alright?" Aldeheid's words went over her head, as her mind raced with the implications of what she'd witnessed.

"Did they just...?" She couldn't complete the thought.

He looked down at the pile of white ash, lips falling into a frown. "That looked an awful lot like... Like they way you spellcast."

Kitaya swore under her breath and raked her hands through her hair. Get it together. "I don't like this, angel eyes." There had to be a reasonable explanation for what just happened. She hadn't even seen if that person was a cape or not. They could've been a magician doing a fancy trick with their magic.

Aldeheid nodded his ascent and tucked his sword into its sheath. He walked to one of the trees toppled over by her spell and crouched down. "You think they were trying to expand this thin space as well?"

She joined him and studied the symbols crudely etched into the tree's trunk. They looked alien, as alien as a score of bodies going up in white flames. "It's the safest assumption. Whoever these people are, their goal seems to conflict our. They're trying to speed up the disaster we're trying to stop."

As if the thin spaces were bad enough on their own, but now they had these masked freaks to contend with as well. Hopefully, someone amongst their ranks would know something about them. But for now all they could do was be vigilant, watch the thin spaces. They were contending with an unknown enemy, which made things all the more frustrating.

Kitaya rose, wincing when pain shot through her leg. She'd be feeling it even more in the morning. "Let me see your hand."

Aldeheid placed it in hers. This skin was an angry red that would likely blister. "It's not too bad." He looked away. "And what about you? Are you hurt?"

She shrugged. "It's nothing I can't handle. "Why did you hesitate? When I told you to go, you didn't move."

Even in the pale moonlight, the blush that coloured his cheeks stood out. "I apologize. I got distracted. You shouldn't have taken the hit for me. Then I would've..." His word trailed off.

"Would've what, Aldeheid?" She folded her arms and regarded him with one eyebrow arched. "What exactly would being dead have taught you?"

His lips twisted into a grimace, but he said nothing.

Kitaya could imagine he was internally berating himself. "All in all, that wasn't so bad. I see that Leandyr's sword lessons are taking effect."

Aldeheid's blush intensified, and a small smile graced his lips. "And I was beginning to think that getting beaten up regularly wasn't doing anything for me."

"Well, there will be lots more beatings to come." Kitaya clapped him on the shoulder. "He and Lady Hiroh will be joining us for our trip tomorrow."

"That's good to hear." He stood and stretched. "I haven't finished packing yet, so we should get going." He started down the mountain path ahead of her.

Kitaya stared at his retreating back, her head tilted curiously. There was a time where he'd cringed at the mere mention of Leandyr's name. Yet he'd seemed almost eager a moment ago. A strange sense of pride welled in her chest, and she found herself smiling at him.

In less than a fortnight's time, he'd be her magician. T'was a decision she'd made after much thought, but one she wouldn't regret. After all it was her nature to fly headfirst into her decisions and worry about the consequences when they became relevant.

Aldeheid seemed unassuming, and maybe a tad thick at first. But she knew that underneath all of that there was more. A spark of something waiting to be unleashed. She was seeing it more and more every day. And perhaps having a cape on his shoulders was the key to drawing it out.

"Are you coming, kitten?" Aldeheid asked over his shoulder.

"Right behind you."

[A/N]: This one was a little shorter than my normal chapters, but this was the most sensible place to end it. I have a question for you guys. What do you think of Kitaya's decision to take Aldeheid as her magician? Was it too sudden? Are her reasons clear enough so far? Should I elaborate more? Does it seem in character for her? I'm seriously worried about this, so any feedback is appreciated. Also, I'm dedicating this one to snowdeux. Thanks for reading all my brain vomit.