Viv rode on the back of a galloping horse, cursing every moment she had spent thinking pony girls were uncool. If she had learned to ride better, she wouldn’t be feeling like a potato bag strapped to a roller coaster right now. At least, she took solace in the fact that Marruk had it even worse.

“Damn. Stupid. Beast! Gah.”

It was cultural. Probably. The pair clung to their saddles on the mad dash to a large dirt road lining the forest that surrounded the farmland. Once there, they turned north at breakneck speed and Viv finally caught a glimpse of their pursuers.

So here on Param, there were people who could rival a sprinting horse. She saw men in civilian clothes racing over the growing cereals on an intercept course. A woman with a pixie cut lifted a shortbow but she hesitated. The fastest runners got close enough that she could see the white of their eyes. They probably wouldn’t be able to sustain that speed indefinitely. The horse had slowed down to turn, but now they were accelerating again.

For a brief moment, the two sides took each other’s measure. Viv knew hired muscle when she saw it. Many of them wore colored shawls, armbands, sometimes even whole dyed shirts, a luxury Kazarans had no way to afford. They formed a colorful, eclectic group of city cutthroats from different bands, eyes shining under the moonlight like a pack of jackals. She inspected them calmly and felt no fear.

Viv let the pursuers know what she would do if they got any closer. There was a certain reluctance in her to kill again, but it would not extend past their attempt to get her. She opened her soul and gave this piece of information to them freely, without artifice.

The air suddenly smelled of ashes and roasted meat.

They faltered.

The men and women froze in their tracks, cowed. Viv spared them one last glance and galloped away.

The Dark Blades guarding her sheathed their throwing knives without comment. The group fell silent. Behind them, the towers of Koltis’ keep disappeared behind the odd trees. They were leaving this strip of farmland behind on their way out. Soon, the forest surrounded them on all sides again, and the visibility decreased, but they didn’t stop. The horses and the dark blades apparently knew where they were going, though Viv was blind as a bat right now. After less than ten minutes, they slowed down dramatically.

“Trap,” a dark blade whispered before Viv could ask what gave. No sooner had he said so that Viv felt mana burst in front of her.

The forest always had a familiar blend of brown mana with a life and black background. A rush of brown warned her of the impending attack before it even launched. Her training and experience took over.

“Nope.”

The shield expanded past the dark blades as they yelled warning. It hit something, which exploded mid-air. Shrapnel snapped against the ground and nearby trunks with loud thuds. Viv spread black mana on the ground to nullify traps, though she felt nothing, and for a good reason. The path in front of them stopped as a wall rose to block their way. Viv felt the locus of power causing the spell somewhat to the left of the road. She didn’t hesitate.

“Purge.”

The thickened version of her simple spell speared through the wall and into the person behind. She heard a gasp. The magic weakened. Her instincts screamed at her of danger in the darkness. She felt projectiles coming at her more accurately than ever before. Two to her left, and back. She sent large shields after them.

“This way!”

The horses barely ever slowed before they changed course, diving into a gap between trees to the left. A branch slapped Viv in the face. She couldn’t see anything. There were noises, and screams. Snaps. She huddled and held to the bridle with all her might.

Acuity Reflex: Intermediate 1