He thought about the number of steps involved, keeping the count in mind. Wrenlow was usually dead on when it came to tracking the number of steps required to go from one place to another, but in this case, Gavin wasn’t sure if the count was quite right. It seemed as if everything was farther than suggested. Even the next tree seemed more than the dozen paces Wrenlow claimed it would be.
Readying himself, he darted across the lawn. A light moved overhead and shone out into the grass.
What kind of light was that?
It wasn’t from a lantern. The only thing it could be would be an…
“Enchantment,” he whispered.
They weren’t cheap. It was a luxury he and Wrenlow shared, and anything much more sophisticated would be incredibly expensive. He prized the communication for their jobs and were it not for a gift he’d been given long ago, he might not be able to have something like this. In Yoran, enchantments were rare. That was part of the benefit of working in this city—there wasn’t much magic to contend with.
Gavin sprinted. He was nearly to the next tree when somebody separated from the shadows near him. Not just somebody. Two somebodies.
A sword came swinging toward him. He ducked underneath the blade and slipped his knife forward to block the blow. He expected to meet resistance, but he carved through nothing more than air. The attacker was fluid and far quicker than him.
Gavin rolled off to the side. As he twisted and swung the knife around, the second attacker was waiting. The two fought him in unison. Not only that, but they were far more skilled than most men he’d faced.
He smiled to himself. It had been a while since he had a fight that would engage him fully. If only he had time to savor it. If he wasted too much time, the target would get away, and the job would go unfulfilled.
Twisting his knife and shifting his stance, he feigned darting forward before backing away, sweeping his leg down, and hooking it beneath the leg of one of the attackers. He drew it forward and stabbed the nearest person in the shoulder. The attacker dropped his sword. For good measure, Gavin jammed his knife into the other shoulder. That left him with just one attacker.
Gavin switched his technique. In the years he’d been training, he’d learned many different fighting techniques. These men were skilled, but he should be far more skilled than them. There was no one within the city of Yoran who posed a real challenge to him.
At least, he hadn’t thought so.
The man he faced now was not only skilled but fast. The sword was a blur, and the darkness made it so Gavin could barely keep track of the spinning blade. He traced the man’s movements in his mind, having learned to watch not only the blade but the wrist and shoulder too. It was the attacker’s leg that betrayed him.
The other man swung his foot, crashing a heel toward him. Gavin reacted by falling back. He pressed his hands against the ground and flipped back to his feet. While in midair, he twisted, swinging his heel around. It connected with the attacker’s stomach, driving him back. Gavin didn’t hesitate.
“How is it—” Wrenlow said.
“Not now,” Gavin growled.
“You don’t have to yell at me. I just wanted to know whether or not you needed any help. You know, sometimes you do have a little difficulty with counting. I just wanted to make sure that you—”
Gavin tapped the earpiece, silencing him. If he got through this, then he would apologize, but Wrenlow wasn’t going to be able to help him in a fight like this.
He crouched low, gripping both knives. They had long blades, almost like daggers, but they were still short-range weapons. Against the sword like this other man carried, he couldn’t get close enough. The man spun his blade, creating a deadly arc around him. He was waiting.
Gavin had to react soon. Otherwise, more guards would appear, and if they were even half as skilled as this man, then he’d be in trouble. He wasn’t going to be able to get inside the sword arc. The other man was far more skilled with the blade and had enough reach that Gavin didn’t trust himself to get through without being carved up.
What if I tried something different?
He rolled to the side and threw one of the knives. It bounced off the sword, landing harmlessly away from the attacker, who hesitated in surprise. Gavin didn’t expect the knife to penetrate the swordsman’s defenses. All he needed was to find a way to get beyond the blade, which required a little bit of risk.
The opening was what he’d been hoping for.
As the man twisted, Gavin twisted with him, going low. He curved one wrist around, slicing the blade toward the attacker’s thigh. He expected to meet muscle, but there was nothing. Only air.
He swore as he rolled away and leapt forward. He did so just in time. The sword spun, carving through the air over his head, and would have decapitated him had he been standing.
This time, when he switched hands and drove the knife forward, there was enough resistance that he was able to get through it. He felt the knife strike home. The attacker attempted to bear weight on the leg and surprisingly was able to do so far longer than expected. The man leapt to his feet.
“How about that,” Gavin whispered. Someone who could tolerate pain. It had been a while since he’d faced anyone like this.
The man moved forward. A hood covered his face, but Gavin detected a lithe figure underneath. The steady grace he attacked with made it so that he didn’t even need to bear weight on the injured leg all that often.
Gavin nodded to himself, focusing on the other leg, and then lunged forward. The suddenness of the movement caught the man off guard, and as he backed away, Gavin shoved his shoulder into him. He connected with the man’s leg, causing him to crumple to the ground. He jammed a knife into the other leg, the only place he could reach.
As Gavin jumped back to his feet, light filled the entirety of the manor yard. He darted forward, trying to stay on the edge of the enchanted light, but he knew he was going to be too late. Not only that, he’d raised the alarm. He had failed in this job.
The door wasn’t all that far from him. It was close enough he thought he might be able to reach it if he sprinted, but it would take everything within him to do so. Even at top speed, he still might not be fast enough.
He tapped the enchantment, and Wrenlow’s voice called out in his ear. “Please tell me you’re still there.”
“I’m here,” he whispered as he looked around the yard. Three others were coming toward him from the south side. The only way he could go would be toward the wall, back outside.
“Good. I thought they’d gotten to you. What happened?”
“Patrol. Skilled.”
The man he’d cut down started moving again. Gavin was going to have to decide quickly—and act quickly. Doing anything but running would be a risk. There was an obvious answer, but the problem was that sometimes the obvious answer wasn’t the right one.
He glanced down at the man he’d cut down and retrieved his fallen knife. “How many steps did you say it was to the door?”
“I thought you said you weren’t going to be able to reach it.”
“I’m not. I just want to know how many paces it is to the door.”
“Well, from where you were, it was a dozen paces. I don’t have any idea where you are now, so I don’t really know how far it is.”
“Considering the attack took me a little bit away from where I was heading, I’m not really sure either.” Gavin swept his gaze around the inside of the yard, gripping his knives tightly, and started running. He had to hope that he could be fast enough. At least, he had to be faster than those behind him. He felt movement all around him and worried that this was a terrible mistake.