“I thought we agreed she would find somewhere to hide.” Dyric whispered.

Akua shook his head. “Five bandits against just the two of us could get dicey. I think if you take the two on the left, I’ll can handle the two on the right. Then Zora can sneak up on the other guy and kill him while he’s distracted.”

Dyric sighed “And if she freezes up again? Then what?”

Neira shook her head, her jaw set.

“I won’t freeze up.” She said, “Not this time. I have a score to settle with that man.”

Dyric sighed, massaging the space between his eyes.

“Fine. Let’s just get to it then.”

She nodded back, fist curled around the hilt of her sword. The two men crept off to either side of the thugs while Neira moved closer to the leader. She crouched in the shadows with baited breath.

The screams in her memory haunted her, fueling the rage that simmered in her veins. It had been many years but his cruel smile was the same, the greedy glint in his eyes that had lived in her nightmares for years.

Akua and Dyric leapt out of hiding, sending a cascade of gold and jewels to the cave floor. Swords clashed and men shouted, the tumult echoing off the stone walls. The leader spun around only to find a sword pointed at his throat.

Neira stepped out from her shadowed hiding place, her hatred searing the air between them. She pressed the tip of her blade into his flesh, a spot of crimson seeping out.

“Hello… I don’t expect you recognize me.” Her voice was low, and laced with hostility. “But I could never forget you.”

The man swallowed as the metal dug into his flesh. He held his arms out and offered an uneasy smile.

“Woah now, little miss, why don’t we talk about this?” He wheedled “I’m sure I can make you an offer to compensate for any grievances you may hold.”

Neira pressed the blade harder, her knuckles white and her eyes narrowing.

“Do you think anything could make up for the deaths’ of my entire family? For my life after being sold into slavery?”

Her voice shook with rage. His eyes flicked to the piles of treasure surrounding them. He snatched an ornate dagger and knocked her sword away. Darting past her, he dashed to a nearby tunnel. Neira scrambled for the sword and slashed in a wide arc, but only managed to slice the back of his shirt. She rushed after him, treasure scattering across the cave floor.

He ducked around a corner, going out of sight. Neira followed and found herself looking into an empty space. It was a dead end, still filled with treasure. She cursed herself for letting him slip past her. There had been ample opportunity to slit his throat, but for some reason she felt the need to make him know how he had wronged her. Why? It wasn’t as though a monster like him could ever feel remorse. Would it even matter if he did? Nothing could restore what he had taken from her.

She stepped in further hoping to find some trail. There was a shuffle behind her. She spun around just in time to block the dagger plunging toward her heart. His hand shot out and clamped down on her wrist. He pulled her in, that cruel smile carved into his now weathered face, and threw her to the cave floor. He drew his own sword with a wicked chuckle.

“Trembling on the ground like a frightened bunny after all that? Did you think this was a game?”

He whipped his sword out at her. She scrambled out of the way, sucking in a pained gasp as the edge sliced her arm. He snarled and swiped at her again. Ready this time, she brought her sword up to block it and leapt back to her feet, struggling against the pressure of his blade.

“The game ends here little rabbit, I can see your arms shaking. You’re too weak for a real fight.”

He had her backed up against the cavern wall. Leering at her as he pressed closer.

“It’s been some time since I did any work in trading slaves. Looks like I should kept you for myself. I find I rather enjoy your liveliness.”

Her heart pounded. He leaned in at her, the stench of his hot breath snaking over her face.

“You might have made an excellent underling.”

The quiver in her arms was undeniable, any moment they would give out, leaving her at the mercy of a monster. Gritting her teeth she looked around for anything that could help. Assems’ insistence that she be unpredictable rang through her mind.

He was too close for a kick, and it took both her arms to keep his at bay. An idea sparked, and she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. She sucked at the wound drawing out all the blood she could.

With her mouth full of blood and saliva she spewed it into his eyes with all the force she could muster. He recoiled and she shoved him aside, rushing past him into the open area. She spun back to face him, just as he cleared his vision.

“You little wretch!” He snarled, lashing out at her again. “You’ll pay for that!”

He hammered away at her with a series of devastating blows that left her arm tingling each time she countered. More blood dripped down her arm with each strike, and a bead of sweat rolled down toward her eye.

“It’s over little slave.”

He swung in a wide arc toward her neck. She dropped to her knees, breath stalled in her throat and plunged her sword up into his abdomen.

He sputtered, collapsing to his knees as blood drenched his clothing. Neira scrambled backward, her breath coming in short rapid spurts. She stared in disbelief at what was left of the man who had haunted her nightmares for years.

He lay in agony, clutching the blade in his stomach and gasping for air. After a few moments he stilled, his eyes going glassy as the last vestiges of life seeped out. Neira pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed, a swirl of emotions flooding her.

Footsteps sounded in the tunnel and Neira snatched up the fallen blade just as Akua rounded the corner. He stopped, taking in the blood spattered across her, and the crumpled form of the bandit leader. Neira let the sword slip from her fingers with a whimper. Akua pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her hair while she sobbed into his shoulder.

“Akua I killed him.” she murmured, “I did it.”

She looked up at him, full of shock and disbelief. He wiped the tears from her cheeks, cradling her face in his hands.

“Yes, you did. You did great. He can’t hurt you anymore, Neira.” He pulled her in close once more. “It’s over now.”

“Neira?”

Dyric had come up behind them, his brow furrowed in confusion. “I suppose after the revelation that Akua is actually a fire demon, I really shouldn’t be surprised that you lied about your name too.”

Neira pulled away from Akua and stepped toward Dyric, fresh panic washing over her.

“I’m sorry Dyric, I can explain-”

“Don’t worry about it.” He waved the thought away. “At this point you’ve both proven you mean no harm. It just caught me off guard, that’s all. Anyways, I came to find you two so that we could get the camels and supplies back to the others.”

He turned to leave, not waiting for Neira and Akua to follow. With the six camels in tow they made their way back to the knot of survivors huddled around the fire. Morai was the only one upright when they returned, her eyes rimmed with red. The others were all circled around the flames, dozing in the gentle light of sunrise.

“How is she?” Dyric knelt by Assem, stroking her dust smeared cheek.

“She’s still weak.” Morai responded, “She woke up just after you left, but she was still a bit dazed.”

Dyric nodded. “Thank you for looking after her.”

Morai smiled in response and let her eyes drift closed. Neira wrapped bandages on the wounded while Dyric and Akua put up the awning to protect them from the sun. Soon after, exhaustion took its toll and the bedraggled remnants of the caravan slept.