“Kyen!” Adeya smiled and started towards him.
He held her eyes.
She stopped in her tracks as she took in the look on his face. Her smile faded. “Kyen?”
For one moment longer, his gaze fixed her in place; his expression hardened.
Adeya’s eyes grew wide. “Kyen, no! Don’t—!”
He took off running.
Down the stairs.
Straight for the fiends.
“Kyen!” She ran after him, but the crowd of the battle blocked her.
Outside Kyen neared the bottom of the steps. The fiends nearest turned their grinning teeth at the oncoming warrior. Their smiles spread wider, and they hunched down, tails whipping. He slung out both hands, and two ribbons of light exploded from the air over his head. They shot down the middle of the horde.
Kyen swung his arms wide.
The two ribbons slammed the horde apart, slicing limbs, throwing bodies, and crushing them into the ruins. The fiends pressing the Blades all gave pause. Their grins fell, and together they turned on him, abandoning the fight against the Blades. They chased Kyen as he took off running straight through their ranks, pelting for the canyon. All around, the injured pounced on one another or bit into rubble to regenerate. Clambering to restored limbs and bodies, they sped after him as one. Their wailing and shrieking hit a higher pitch. Kyen vanished into the darkness of the canyon, and the black horde emptied the circle in pursuit of him.
The Blades inside the dome lowered their swords, watched the last of the fiends disappearing, and looked at each other in confusion.
Adeya took off running, shoving her way through them. “Kyen!”
“Stop!” Wynne grabbed her arm as she exited the dome.
“Let me go!”
“Chit—I mean—my lady Adeya! Wait!” Oda grabbed her other arm.
“But Kyen!” Adeya looked on them, her aquamarine eyes bright.
“Don’t you see? He’s drawing them off,” said Wynne.
“Now’s our chance to escape!”
“But Kyen!” She looked towards the canyon. The last fiend vanished into its mouth. Their ringing wails receded into echoes among the rocks.
“Sworddaughter.”
The weak, throaty voice drew their attention.
Gennen, using his sword as a crutch, hobbled out of the ruins. Blood ran from his temple and his nose.
“Gennen!” cried Nella, pushing her way free of the Blades.
“Blademaster!”
They hurried to his side. Before they reached him, he dropped to a crouch, breathing hard. Nella fell to her knees beside him in time to catch him before he toppled to the ground. Oda and Wynne knelt at his side as Adeya helped her lower the blademaster to the ground.
“Stop fussing” —Gennen wheezed and coughed— “and listen to me.” He thrust the white sword at Adeya. “Take it. Give it to Kyen.”
“But—”
“Take it!” He snapped.
Adeya accepted it and hugged it to her chest.
He gripped her shoulder with a bloodied hand as he struggled to focus on her face. “It’s up to you now, princess. His training—finish it.”
“Me?! But—Gennen!”
The old man dropped back, limp and unconscious.
“Gennen!” cried Nella.
“Is he dead?” asked Wynne.
“No, but his wounds need attention,” said Adeya. “But—but I can’t—” Rising to her feet, she gripped the sword. She took a step towards the canyon.
“But, my lady Adeya!”
“Adeya, wait!”
She looked back.
“What do we do?” asked Wynne.
“Gennen left you in charge,” said Inen.
“What?” Adeya’s mouth dropped open.
“He said, if anything happened to him, we’re to take orders from you,” said Wynne.
“He said that in jest!” She cried with an edge of hysteria.
Oda, gathering Gennen’s limp form onto his back, rose. He joined with Nella, Wynne and Inen as they looked to her. The rest of the Blades of Avanna began to gather around. The men, the women, the children: all looked at her. Adeya’s aquamarine gaze took in all the dirty faces, the gray eyes, the black-haired heads. She drew herself up.
“As Crown Princess and Sole Heir to the Throne of Isea, hear my order,” she said, her voice ringing through the circle. “Go to Isea Palace. Seek audience with the king. Tell him you’ve been sent by the Princess Adeya, seeking a new hold in exchange for the service of your blades.”
“You won’t come with us?” asked Wynne.
“No,” said Adeya. “I have to help Kyen. But I leave you in charge.”
“Me?” repeated Wynne.
“You, Odallyan, and Inen, all equally,” said Adeya. “That means nobody is bound to obey you unless the three of you are all in agreement. Do you understand?”
“What?” Wynne flinched as if struck.
Inen looked as if he were struggling to understand.
“Right away, my lady Adeya,” Oda saluted with a cheeky grin.
“Go! Before the fiends return!” she said. “Don’t waste any more time!”
With that, Adeya whirled around and sprinted into the canyon.