Nerissa looked back, relieved that they were now far enough away from Lucien that he couldn't hear or see them.

"We gave you a chance to run. Don't blame us for being rude." Morana said as she withdrew a dagger from her belt.

She scoffed, "You expect me to believe you? I knew as soon as I'd turn my back you'd shoot an arrow through me. Just like you did to the young lad last winter." 

Morana paused her advances toward her, "How do you know of this?" 

She sneered, "Arwan and Morana, you are quite reckless. Don't you ever wonder why they only send you out for such small insignificant matters?"

"M-morana... That night the leader of the shadows rescued that boy and he is now working for the shadows." Arwan said.

"I'm quite curious...What makes you so sure that I'm not the leader of the shadows?"

Arwan spoke before Morana could, "The leader of the shadows is known for their overpowering aura and many other amazing abilities.  They have never once revealed their identity. They live up to the name of the shadows, not even their most trusted clients know who the leader is. It is said they took over the guild at the mere age of 6, eliminating all who tried to overthrow them. I believe They are merciful, they even allowed us to live that winter night." 

"It seems Arwan here is a fan of Nyssa," she said as she created a sword with her aura.

"H-how did you do that? I didn't sense an ounce of aura from you. There's no way you could be an assassin from the shadow," Morana stuttered.

"Oh? Why not?" she said as she took a step closer.

"You're only a child," 

She smirked, "That's what makes me the best in the shadows."

She allowed a third of her aura to flow around her.

"Morana she just confessed she's from the shadows. I have a bad feeling, she was not only hiding her aura but made it seem as if she only had a small amount. She's in perfect control." Arwan stammered as he took another step back. 

"What's wrong? Why are you hesitating? I'm only a child after all." she mocked as she proceeded forward.

Morana infused her blades with her aura. "Stop being a wimp Arwan. Let's finish this quickly."

She smiled, "It's about time."

 Morana ran at her "I'll make this quick little one."  she declared as she swung a dagger at her.

Nerissa blocked her using the force of the water, "I'm sorry, but I cannot engage in hand-to-hand combat with you as I have a time limit to adhere to."

A bubble of water surrounded Morana, her eyes began to fill with terror as she tried and failed to swim out. 

Arwan began to throw daggers at her, and with one swipe of her hand, she directed them back in his direction.

He blocked them but missed one and it pierced his leg. 

Morana pointed in the direction where they had left Lucien unconscious. "The target" she mouthed.

"I should have gotten rid of you two back then," Neri muttered her voice filled with annoyance.

 Morana's eyes widened as she realized who she was. Neri began to pressurize the water around Morana, 

 "Wait! Please... don't kill her. " Arwan begged. "We're sorry we disrespected the guild leader unknowingly."

"By sorry do you mean, 'Let's pretend you never tried to hurt my friend?'," she replied

Arwen looked puzzled, "Your friend? You're not here to guard him?"

"Well it wasn't exactly what I was doing but it is now." 

She released Morana from the bubble of water, and Arwan rushed to Morana's side as she collapsed, gasping for air.

Perfect, just where she wanted them. She infused the water into the ground under them while they were distracted. Now she had to keep them there until the water could fully dissolve all the dirt, turning it into quicksand.

Arwan patted Morana's back as she coughed up water. "To think the leader of the shadows is a child." He mumbled in disbelief. After Morana's coughing eased she spoke, "I apologize for disrespecting you, we swear on our lives we'll keep your identity a secret. Thank you for showing us mercy." 

She tilted her head and looked at them, "Ah, I don't recall saying I would let you go. If my memory serves me right, Ms. Morana here said 'A witness should be silenced' and I couldn't agree more. " A smile slowly spread across her face. 

The assassins tried to stand up only to realize they were stuck. 

“You... you tricked us!”
She stepped closer, her shadow cast over them. “I didn’t say a word.
You assumed. That was your mistake.”

Morana clenched her fists as she struggled to move. "Then why'd you release me?"

She snickered, "Isn't it obvious? It was so I could handle both of you at once. As mentioned earlier, I am constrained by a time limit." 

They had already sunk halfway in. "But we swore not to expose your identity!" Arwan yelled.

Her expression became cold, "You injured and attempted to murder my friend. 

That Is something I can not forgive." 

She noticed the quicksand was now slightly above their waist, "You're sinking quite rapidly but not as fast as I'd like, let's speed the process up shall we?" 

Morana and Arwan's eyes became filled with terror, they began to plead for their lives but it was of no avail. "Vortex" At her words the quicksand began to spin devouring them in seconds. She removed the water from the dirt leaving no traces of the fight that went on minutes ago, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

She headed back to check on Lucien.