Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 4)

Tomhas saw what she wanted and pulled her into a hug himself. "Welcome, welcome," he said with a broad grin. "Welcome to our family, officially, Ky." He felt giddy now, not nervous. She was actually his daughter now, in the eyes of the law and the gods, and especially in his heart. This was his eldest, now.

(omgggg :') )
(also is there anything more to the ceremony? feeling out when to crash... lol)

She grinned, hugging him back tightly. It was official now! She was really a Loquitur daughter for real! It was -- this was-- he was her father! She was getting a hug from her father.

"Thank you!" she murmured, but her words were muffled from the way her face was pressed against his chest.

(Nope that's it!)

Tomhas chuckled, looking up to Anneke, who was grinning as well. Their other children were clustered around her. Anneliese and Lyra were smiling, Oscar and Peter both looked sleepy, and Raina was watching Ky.

Ky followed his gaze, smiling at all of them, then at Zander. They held eye contact for a long moment -- and he looked like he was about to burst from pride. Because he was. She looked at the bone. The custom was still so odd to her, but she wasn't going to question it. She glanced up at the rest of the tree.

The bottom fell out of her stomach when her eyes locked on Jaerek -- one of Aleth's assassins -- crouched on one of the lower branches overhead. She scrambled backward in an instant; chest so tight she couldn't breathe. She wished she was the sort of person to be noble and warn her new family. Or stand and fight. Or... something other than run. But she wasn't.

"Don't--" Jaerek said.

She whirled around, eyes wild as they found Tadaaki. "RUN!"

Tadaaki thrust Tasia into Aashi's arms in an instant. He didn't need to see whatever it was that Ky had seen. He trusted her entirely -- and if Ky said run, you ran. He'd already talked to Aashi about something like this happening. Not here. None of them could have possibly anticipated it happening here. But he'd told her again and again and again that if someone came for him -- then she was to run as fast as she could in the opposite direction of him. It made him feel like less of a man to run from his family rather than stand and fight -- but he knew fully well that he was who they'd be interested in, so getting himself away from his family protected them more than he could himself.

Ky sprinted towards where Tadaaki was standing, near the back of the pack.

In the same motion of thrusting Tasia into Aashi's arms, he gave her a hard shove forward. "GO!"

He whirled around and ran the same way Ky was heading; Aashi ran the opposite way, clutching a sobbing Tasia in her arms -- her own eyes tearing up from fear. This couldn't be happening! Gods.

Jaerek landed where Ky had been standing moments before and started after her.

Tomhas was completely thrown off by the sudden flurry of movement--like a deer startled by a predator--from Ky, and he looked around wildly, trying to see what had scared her. Then the assassin landed, and he took a couple steps back. Oh, gods. Oh, gods, no. His hand flew to his sword, but it wasn't there. Gods--he'd taken it off for the ceremony! Fuckfuckfuck...Tomhas threw himself at the man.

Gaius tensed the moment Ky fled, and as the assassin hit the ground he nearly bolted. This was everything, everything that he strove to avoid. The guards atop his walls, the reinforcements, the weapon checks, everything. He stumbled back a few feet even as his wife and children turned to run, and from his sleeve he drew a long, curved dagger. He'd be damned if he couldn't defend himself a little.

Zander didn't know what was happening. Ky had intentionally not told him that she was in danger. She could see that he was blaming himself for what had happened to her, and she wasn't going to add to his burden by fretting about an assassin that might or might not come. But he knew who that fucker was. And he saw the dagger in his hand as he dodged Tomhas. And it really didn't matter who he was after, Zander wasn't going to let him hurt a single person at this gathering. But certainly not Ky. And that's who he seemed focused on.

"JAEREK!" Zander screamed, chasing after them. He gained quickly. "Hands off!"

"Fuck off!" Jaerek yelled back.

Zander dove forward, wrapping his left arm around Jaerek's head in an attempt to snap his neck. Jaerek, however, predicted it and ducked then bent swiftly, slamming his shoulder into Zander's gut and flipping him over his head. Zander kept a hold on his shoulders and dragged him onto the snow on top of him.


Tadaaki and Ky had both made it several meters away from the group by now. Then someone leaped out from behind a snow-covered and slammed both hands into Ky's back as hard as he could. She slammed into Tadaaki's back hard enough it plowed both of them over, splitting her lip in the process.

She rolled as she hit the ground, knocking the breath from her. Tadaaki and the assailant were off to her right -- then someone else appeared on her left, popping up from behind a snowbank. The man grabbed the shoulder of Ky's cloak as she scrambled to her feet. She twisted out of, but it stayed wrapped around both arms as she backed away from him.

Nyler. Another of Aleth's men.

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" she screamed, terrified.

"Oh, so you do know why I'm here, huh?" He gave her a shove. "C'mon, you know dragging it out just makes it worse."

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" she screamed again, looking at him desperately -- then at the dagger in his hands.

"You think Aleth left that loophole?" Nyler asked with a cruel smirk. "How about you go ask him yourself!"

He dove at her.

Gaius saw this. "Tomhas!" he yelled. Tomhas charged for Nyler next, hoping to distract him, throw him off balance, anything. Gaius limped after him, circling around behind him. He'd finish the job if he had to, he knew Tomhas wouldn't be able to stand another death at his hands.
Harold had drawn his longsword and was heading over to help Zander. Wick and Ka'Nor split, with Wick clenching his fists as he approached Nyler and Ka'Nor drawing an elegant rapier to deal with Jaerek. General Wai had jerked out one of her daggers as well.

Ky managed to throw her hands up at the last moment -- Nyler's knife cut a large slice down the middle of her cloak that she held in front of her as her defense. He made another pass at her. She again blocked it from hitting her throat or chest, but this time his blade stabbed her forearm. Not a proper-all-the-way-through wound, but enough to do damage and if the cloak hadn't still been wrapped around her arm, then it would have been enough to reveal the blood soaking through her sleeve.

She could barely feel it.

The only thing she felt was complete and utter terror.

Zander snapped Jaerek's neck and threw him off of himself, searching for Jaerek's dagger. He grabbed it and leaped to his feet, running after Tomhas. He wished he had a clear path to just throw the dagger and get Nyler -- but he didn't.

Meanwhile, the man that'd hit Tadaaki and Ky in the first place was struggling with Tadaaki. It was Wyl. Yet another of Aleth's men. Dear gods how many had he sent? Wyl was making quick progress with Tadaaki.

So many people, so much movement. Gaius's eyes searched desperately for another target and found Wyl. Tadaaki was fighting with him and losing badly; Gaius could sneak around and stab him in the back. Nyler had stabbed Ky now, too, and Tomhas was half-paralyzed by that alone. Wick and Harold were coming over now, as was Ka'Nor. Somebody was going to handle this. He chose his target and, leg screaming in protest, tried to maneuver behind Wyl.

(Who do you want to get the third person, since Zander has one other handled? Would Tadaaki conceivably kill Wyl?)

(Nah, Tadaaki is -- as my dad would say xD -- up shit creek without a paddle haha he stands no chance without help. And it's totally up to you! I kind of want Nyler to fall on top of her when he dies because I think when she stands up her shirt is going to ride up and Zander's going to be horrified at the scars on her abdomen -- and anyone else you want to see them as well -- but otherwise no clear plans. But Tadaaki and Ky both desperately need help haha)

Ky was breathing heavily but was otherwise silent -- too terrified to even scream. Aleth hadn't liked it when she screamed. And her Aleth-induced-manners were fully-fledged right now. It was exactly the same feeling she had with Aleth standing over her with a knife. At least, that it'd been at the start. By the end Ky had known Aleth knew how to inflict maximum pain without actually killing her -- she was too much of an investment for that. But when he'd first started on her she feared for her life. Just like this.

She kept struggling with Nyler, doing her best to keep his arm tangled in the cloak enough that he couldn't get free enough to take another pass at her. He had his left hand clenched around her throat and was putting his full weight on it, driving her into the ground and making her eyes swim as he crushed her windpipe.

Tadaaki was on his back on the ground now, scuttling away as fast as he could and staring up at Wyl with wide, horrified eyes. "Please!"

"Heh, well, since you asked so nicely--" Wyl came towards him. "No."

(Sure thing! Gaius is gonna be somewhat competent then, if I can manage it. If you've seen Arcane he's gonna go full Silco in Episode 3)

Gaius was up behind Wyl now, face completely emotionless save for his eyes, which burned with unnervingly intense hatred. He raised the dagger in his left hand and, with a swift, underhand motion, drove it exactly towards Wyl's liver, intending to stab as many times as he needed.

Tomhas tried to hook his fingers in Nyler's ear, scratching desperately at him.

(I have not haha but I approve)

Neither Tadaaki or Wyl had noticed Ash approaching until it was too late, and his blade made contact -- though Wyl did have the presence to dive forward just in time and make it a shallow stab instead of a deep one. He whirled around on Ash, raising his dagger towards him instead. Tadaaki tried to scramble up to his feet fast enough to intervene, but Wyl was moving awfully quickly.

Nyler growled in anger, slamming his right arm into Tomhas's side -- hard -- as he whirled around. He got his dagger free from Ky's cloak and made a backward stab towards Tomhas, shifting his weight and taking the pressure off her throat.

No!

Ky thrust both hands forward into Nyler's shoulders, trying to topple him over. It didn't work. But it did knock him off balance enough that he missed Tomhas. He whirled around on her and backhanded her hard enough that she collapsed back into the snow again.

Zander was almost upon them now.

(Do you want Tomhas to get Nyler? It's 100% up to you. Zander isn't going to feel bad about killing him at all so if you don't want to re-traumatize Tomhas then I'm perfectly happy for Zander to take him out -- but I don't mind sharing if you'd like Tomhas's hands to get dirtier lol)

(Tomhas definitely isn't gonna be able to kill him this time so Zander can take it)

Gaius realized his mistake the moment Wyl turned on him, but he held his ground. He brought his dagger up in defensive position and tried not to let on just how badly damaged his leg was. He had the advantage of being left handed, at least. Or was it a disadvantage?
"Come on," he growled. "There's more where that came from." It would be like dodging Michael, except there was full intent to kill this time. He just had to stay light on his feet--easier said than done--and everything would be alright.

Tomhas leaped toward Ky, planting himself between her and Nyler. "Bastard!" he spat even as he saw the blood, the blood on Ky's cloak, oh gods she was bleeding. He shuddered badly and felt bile rise in his throat, but he tried to focus on Nyler.

Wyl made a pass at Gaius -- but Tadaaki had managed to get to his knees and crashed into Wyl's legs, making him stumble forward -- closer to Gaius -- off balance but still making an attempt.

Nyler was pissed off. This was supposed to be an easy in-and-out. He'd been planning on just picking her off as they walked away -- he hadn't planned on her seeing him. Little bitch. He hit Tomhas as hard as he could with his left hand, pushing him to the side just enough to get a clear shot at Ky again.

Fuck this.

He wasn't making enough money to be taking on the entirety of whatever the fuck this was supposed to be. He'd kill the little slut and be on his way. Jae and Wyl were on their own. He drew his dagger back and made a pass straight for her throat.

Ky saw her life flash before her eyes. Not really. All she saw was the flash of the blade and the overwhelming doom of the knowledge this was the last thing she was ever going to see in her life.

Zander was there now. He grabbed Nyler's hair with his left hand, yanking him away from Ky, and in the same motion stabbed his dagger into the side of Nyler's neck. He collapsed instantly -- leaving Zander with a fistful of hair as the man landed heavily on top of Ky.

Gaius took the opportunity and swung again, this time making for Wyl's stomach, reaching up with his damaged hand to push Wyl down.

Tomhas staggered with the blow, stars exploding in his vision. He blinked, shaking them away, and whirled in time to see Zander end it--with more blood. The assassin collapsed on top of Ky, and Tomhas sank to his knees.