Chapter 3.b.: Distraction

The three guards start moving more quickly toward the show, weapons drawn now. From the open gate of the citadel, a familiar face appears. It's the Angry Woman from your initial meeting with the Crows.

"Torm!" she yells toward the guards. "What the hell are you..."

Suddenly, her body shudders, like her skin is crawling. She's looking directly at Ember with a hard, flat expression.

The woman raises her heavy mace in one hand and begins to stalk forward. "Kill the big one. Leave me the girl," she says to the guards. "We’ve got plans for her."

Jacira breaks into an easy loping trot as she heads toward Ember, carrying her mace low and ready. Yelnar is an afterthought, but Ember... Jacira has her eyes fixed with an intensity that would be frightening even if you didn't know anything about her.

As Yelnar and Ember move past the building that they first exited the tunnels from, three arrows come sailing from the broken-out window at Jacira.

One arrow is faster than the others, and takes Jacira in the shoulder. A voice from the building shouts, "That's for Alia! That's for my WIFE, you cold-blooded harpy!"

The other takes her in the leg, and causes her to stumble back and growl in pain. A ragged cheer can be heard from inside the building. She's bleeding badly, but she still stands. If anything, she looks even more furious now, her lips drawn back in an animal snarl. There's little thought left in her wide eyes, her pupils dilated so far her eyes appear black.

Or... maybe they are black.

The guards run toward Yelnar. As intimidating as the big guy must be, it seems they’re more afraid of Jacira. The blonde boy that Ember was chatting up earlier is the first to come within the axe’s range, which proves to be his undoing.

As he raises his sword arm to slash at Yelnar, the axe takes him in the side and bites deep through his meager leather armor. Blood spills from his body, and he crumples to the ground with a confused look on his face.

The others pause, their companion’s sudden death making them far less certain about moving in. They settle into defensive stances and do not press the attack. "Come on, just let her have the girl. Everyone will be better off," one of them says to Yelnar, pleading.

If Jacira even hears what Ember is saying to her, she shows no sign of it. Raising her mace, she breaks into a run -- strangely unhindered by the arrow in her thigh -- and charges.

Not much has been able to break through Jacira's single-minded purpose of reaching Ember, but a sudden wave of skittering, squeaking rodents does the trick. They surround her, climbing up her legs and blanket her in furry, gnawing terror.

She shrieks, dropping her mace as she tries vainly to bat the animals away. But for everyone she dislodges, it takes a bit of flesh with it, and another just arrives to take its place. Before long, she's crumpling to the ground, the fight slowly leaving her body until she lies motionless on the ground.

The guards turn, lowering their weapons as they stare in horror at what's just happened to their leader. "Forget this," says one, his voice nearly over the edge of panic. "I'm not sticking around for this!" He runs off, in as opposite a direction of the rats and the citadel both as he can find. His companion, walking away backward, eyes wide, turns and follows suit. Soon, they're both gone.