Forest of Ruin (Age of Legends 3)

"Die? Yes. I will make you die, boy. The emperor may want you alive, but I'm sure your head will suffice. Your head on a pole at the palace gates."

Moria eyed her daggers. Gavril was parrying the blows, but making no attempt to land one of his own.

"I think you are mistaken," Gavril said. "The people of the empire would much prefer me alive. Executed as a traitor. A platform erected for me to commit ritual suicide before the crowd. Then my head put on a pole. I think that would quench the empire's thirst for vengeance far better."

The man laughed. "You'll say anything to avoid death, won't you? A coward, like your father. Do you honestly believe he was innocent of the charges against him? He was not. I was there. He withdrew from the field under cover of sorcery and left us to die. I saw it, boy, and you are as much a coward--"

The man charged then. Gavril went to parry, only to have nothing to parry, because the bounty hunter's sword swung the other way suddenly, heading for Gavril's neck. Moria lunged to knock Gavril aside, but he spun out of the way just in time. His own blade swung and the bounty hunter feinted . . . and a blow sliced clean through the man's forearm and into his chest. The man's arm fell. Then so did the man himself, gasping, wide-eyed, his severed arm pumping blood, more gushing from his side.

The younger bounty hunter bolted. Gavril followed. Moria grabbed both daggers and tore after them. Once Gavril saw she was coming, he circled back to deal with the other man.

Moria threw one dagger, aiming for the same shoulder she'd hit already. The dagger was still in flight when a dark shape shot from behind an outcropping of stunted trees. A black, four-legged shape running for the bounty hunter. Moria stumbled in her shock, Daigo's name on her lips. Her wildcat pounced at the same moment the dagger struck, and the young bounty hunter let out a scream of pain as he fell face-first to the ground. Daigo pinned him by the back of the neck.

"I'd say 'surprise,'" a voice called, "but someone ruined it for me."

Tyrus strolled out from behind the trees, walking toward her as casually as if they'd parted only moments ago.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Tyrus shot Moria a grin that made her heart somersault.

"Stealing my prey, are you?" he said. "I don't know who's worse. You or your wildcat."

Daigo growled. Tyrus walked over and stopped right in front of Moria, so close she could feel his breath on her upturned face.

"Hello," he said.

Then he bent and kissed her. A soft, sweet kiss that had her rising on her tiptoes to follow it as he straightened.

"I thought we should catch up," he said. "See how you were doing, if you needed our help. We'd have been faster, but, you know." He shrugged. "Dungeons. They're very inconvenient."

She laughed and kissed him again, her arms going around his neck in a brief, fierce hug.

"You can thank me for the rescue later," he said as she stepped back.

"Umm . . ."

"Not even going to pretend to cushion my ego, are you?"

"You came closer this time."

He sighed.

She smiled. "Given the number of times I seem to need rescue, think of them as practice drills. Eventually you'll succeed."

"You don't need rescue at all. That is the problem."

"Could someone please get this beast--" the fallen bounty hunter began.

"You did find me again," Moria said, ignoring the young man. "That's a feat."

"Y . . . yes. We did find you, didn't we, Daigo?"

The wildcat growled.

Tyrus continued. "We absolutely found you and did not accidentally stumble upon you while waiting for those bounty hunters to go to sleep so we could capture them. Absolutely not."

Moria laughed and kissed him again. "Do I presume you were their target then?"