Arad smiled, standing in the water with Mira in his arms. “Should we get out? We’ve been here for a while,”
Mira looked away, not even bothering to tell him to put her down. “You’re right,” She gave up way too quickly, knowing he wouldn’t let her go with words only.
“Please, a moment!” One of the maids bowed and rushed toward the changing room. She smacked the door open and glared at the two maids in the room. “Did their clothes arrive?”
The two maids pointed at the shelves, smiling. “They did a moment ago. Lady Eris brought them.”
The maid sighed in relief and turned back into the bath, “Your clothes have arrived. Please head to the changing room.” She walked toward Arad carrying a white clean towel.
“Arad, put me down.” Mira looked at Arad’s face, “I need to dry my hair before wearing clothes. Otherwise, they would get wet.”
Arad gently let Mira stand on her own. “You’re right,”
Another maid approached Arad with a towel, “I will dry you hard,” She said with a smile, but Arad looked at her and lifted his hand, “No need. I have a faster way,”
FISSH! The water dew on Arad’s skin and hair evaporated as heat emerged from his body, radiating across the bath in a gentle burst of warmth.
The maids stared at the ground, steaming as Arad’s body dried in the blink of an eye. He used fire magic to heat his body with an extremely weak version of flame cloak.
As the maids stared at him in surprise, Arad walked into the changing room and started wearing his clothes.
Mira stared at the surprised maid beside her and snatched the towel, “It will be faster to do it myself,”
The maid gasped, “Sorry, my lady.” She bowed, “I will get to work immediately,” Her did stop as she stared at Arad.
***
After the bath, Arad and Mira went to the dining room where they had a fulfilling dinner with Aella and Eris, discussing her new weapon and intentions to improve it.
Arad stared at the girls talking with a smile on his face. They seemed to be getting along, and that made him happy.
As the dinner ended, Arad stood and took a walk around the castle before heading to Mira’s room. The reason was simple, the friends of the assassin he killed before seem to have come for revenge or to finish the mission.
***
Up on the roof, four assassins silently crawled across the castle walls, “We’re going over this wall and climbing to the roof through the old drain tubes. Make sure to use the one at the most left as that’s the maids’ quarter, and they should still be working around the castle.”
“Where did Athen dies?” one of them asked, looking around for guards. “You sure our path isn’t exposed?” one of them asked white looking for guards. “We won’t get killed as well, would we?”
“Athen died on the roof. I bet it was a random guard, probably trying to sneak a peak at the princess in her room,” Another replied, “Keep your eyes open, and we will be fine,”
They kept pushing through until they reached the rooftop, looking around for the pervert guard that killed Athen.
CHIRP! CHIRP! One of the assassins blinked, hearing a bird chirping behind him. It was midnight. Shouldn’t birds be asleep? He stared back, sweating, and saw a tiny yellow canary flying across the sky, approaching them.
The assassin could hear his heart beating loudly in his chest. His life flashed as he saw the bird draw closer to him, looking both harmless and intimidating.
TAP! The bird hit the assassin on the shoulder with what looked like a gentle tap, but that only lasted for a split second. CRACK! The assassin’s shoulder cracked, his bones breaking and twisting to the other side of his body. Thwack! His corps blasted away with a splash of blood, ripping several roof tiles off and breaking a chimney before flying outside the castle.
The other assassins froze as their friend’s blood splashed on them. “What?” One of them cried in terror, it only lasted for the blink of an eye, but his friend was nowhere to be seen.
CLICK! CLACK! Behind them, they heard something crawl on the tiles, snapping them back to reality. They turned, seeing a big black rat staring at them.
As the three assassins gulped down, the rat stood on his back
and took a stance, a silver knife glowing under the moonlight in its hand.
Bewildered, two of the assassins turned and lunged off the roof, running for their lives as the last one rushed at the rat, swinging a dagger.
The rat expertly dodged the attack, stepping on the assassin’s dagger before cutting his throat with the knife and using his head as a stepping stone to lunge back.
Thud! As the rat landed, the assassin’s chest plate expanded as blood rushed from his armpits and stomach. Something had burst in his chest.
The rat glared toward the two running assassins, seeing them jump off the castle’s wall and lunge into the water canal outside the city, making a run toward the thick mountainous forest.
The rat’s teeth started clicking as his body crushed, disappearing in the darkness.
The two assassins ran as fast as they could. What was that they saw? An assassin rat?
GAH! As they ran, the one at the back cried as a tiny hole burst across his chest. He slowed down, holding his chest as the blood rushed out. “What is this?” As he cried, he could see it, a tiny fly circulating around him.
BUZZ! The fly suddenly accelerates to a blinding speed, flying through the assassin’s body and riddling him with holes.
The last assassin cried, “What is that? What is that?” He turned around and threw a smoke bomb. He then used that cover to make a dash deeper into the forest, never looking back.
After a minute, he stopped to catch his breath, believing he was safe.
CRACKLE! The assassin’s face twisted as he looked up at the tree, seeing a tiny brow squirrel staring at him with glowing purple eyes. He instantly knew this was the monster that chased them.
“Did you think you can run away from me?” The squirrel spoke, staring down at the assassin with a gold glare.
The assassin’s mind slowed to a halt, he did know what this was, but couldn’t understand where all that raw power came from.
CRACK! The squirrel’s neck twisted as dark magic consumed its body, transforming it into a massive shadow.
As the assassin pissed himself in terror, he could see the massive jaws and claws emerging, a full dragon glared down at him. “Who sent you?” Arad growled.
“Monster!” The assassin crawled away, crying.
CRACK! Arad swung his massive claw down, crushing the man into a paste.
Arad looked down at the blood on his claw and scrapped it on the trees, “Well, this is it,” He sighed and looked toward the castle, “Someone doesn’t want Isdis alive, probably one of her brothers,”
****
Back in the castle, Mira sat on her bed, brushing her hair as she heard a bird chirping outside. She smiled, rushing toward the window, and opening it.
A tiny yellow canary flew inside, landing on her shoulder. “What took you so long? I was getting lonely,” She smiled, patting the tiny bird.
The bird flew from her shoulder and transformed, Arad landing ahead of her. “I went on a walk through the roofs and the forest.”
Mira stared at him, “I heard something loud, was it just a walk?”
“A very enthusiastic walk. Include killing some assassins that came after Isdis, again.” Arad sighed with an exhausted face.
“The castle isn’t safe when a power struggle is on,” Even Mira could guess, it was one of Isdis’s brothers sending assassins after her.
Arad scratched his head, there was nothing he could do right now besides enjoying the night and hoping for the best. There can’t be two attacks on the same night. 𝑜𝑣𝘭.𝘯𝑡
With a smile on his face, Arad looked at the walls and sensed Kin’s barrier was active. He can’t do it with Mira here after he took Aella on a whole trip.
“We’re going out, get some clothes on yourself,” Arad smiled.
A few minutes later.
GRWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Mira cried on Arad’s back as he flew close to the sea surface. “Where are you taking me!” She cried, seeing nothing but endless water around them.