END

Cecilia's sword fell to the floor with a loud twang that reverberated in the large room and the occupants of said room all moved into action.

"What is he doing here?" The red head reached the new arrival first and knelt by the older man's side.

He was lying prone on the floor looking more dishelved then she had ever seen him although he still breathed which was a relief. Simon helped raise the injured man into a comfortable position while Beth arrived with a pitcher of water. Their fourth companion closed the wooden door carefully and locked it behind them.

"What a foolish dimwit! If he weren't so injured I would have acquainted his cheek with my knuckles," Cecilia muttered to herself as she lightly tapped on his injured face.

Sir Russell's eye was already swallowed up by puffiness and darkness. It was difficult to imagine the prim and proper Sir getting roughed up in a fight.

"If you are to punch a man then aim for his nose or his eye. Cheeks are more durable," Their handsome companion crouched down with the rest of the group and gave his roommates a strained smile.

"Your advice is oddly timed but appreciated," The red head whispered back.

"I have a feeling you might use it one day," The tall man gave her a small smile which cause her heart a small summersault.

"If only I were that lucky," Cecilia sighed before she started barking orders, "Wash his face, Beth. Prop him up further, Simon. What in the world has happened to you, Sir Russell? Has the camp burnt down?"

"The smell of smoke is intense and it's not just Sir Russell that reeks of it. It's in the air," The taller man announced with a delicate sniff.

"Yes, they inteneded to be close to the town for this portion of the studies. It seems like the camp has been overrun," Cecilia explained redundantly.

"Is he still alive?" Beth whispered as she mopped the middle aged man's forehead, gingerly.

Cecilia flicked Sir Russell's bearded cheek making him groan out in pain. The middle aged man blinked rapidly and finally opened his eyes. Even his dark eyelashes were covered in soot.

"Sir Russell, may I be frank? You have chosen very poorly. We are in hiding. This is the last place you should have chosen as your destination," The Lady tried to keep her judgement out of her tone but failed.

"We were surrounded by the those same men that attacked us earlier. I ran and ran unthinkingly. I knew I needed to reach you," Sir Russell seemed out of breath after his short speech. He gratefully took the sip of water Beth offered him.

"They shall follow you and find us," The Lady chastened gently.

"No need. They already know you're here," The man explained regretfully.

"Blast it," Cecilia exclaimed, "We need to get out of here now. Beth, Simon gather our essentials."

"It's too late," Sir Russell coughed.

"Did they talk about him?" The girl gestured towards her new friend.

"They were speaking in an Eastern language but I understand the dialect enough to know they were indeed talking about your find," The man replied. He focused his attention on the subject of their conversation, "They want you, badly."

The taller man who had been twisting his gold ring around his finger in a nervous frenzy stilled. His shoulders drooped while his face took upon a pained expression. He took a shuddering sigh and stood up with his back to them.

"I stuffed the samples under my chest..." The injured man paused as he wrestled with himself to sit up straight.

"What chest? Surely you did not drag up your wardrobe?" The redhead felt an immense wave of stupidity as soon as the words left her mouth.

"The actual physical chest on my body," Sir Russell enunciated slowly as if agreeing with Cecilia's mental admission of idioticity, "We have found the flower. At least I believe we have."

"Oh, blessed angel!" Beth cried out, dripping her wet handkerchief on all the occupants of the room in one swift motion.

"We were to come here tonight for your opinion but were detained by the interlopers," The older man continued as if he had not been interrupted.

"My opinion..." Cecilia felt a certain lightness in her stomach she had not felt for a very long time. It was a pleasing feeling to be thought of as competent from the people who had believed her useless.

"If it's not with me then it's in the possession of Clyde Chester or Lord Fanning. They were supposed to be here by now. We split our paths to evade the intruders. I apologize for the hasty manner of my arrival," Sir Russell forever the consumate gentleman bowed his head regretfully. With Simon's steady hand he finally managed to find himself upright. Beyond his bruised face there seemed to be no other obvious injuries.

"We shall deal with the matter of the flower later. First we must vacate our lovely prison immediately. We are about to be jail broken by the worst possible companions," Cecilia announced.

She began rummaging through her belongings placing all her essentials in her leather satchel.

"Do we need to hang our bedsheets down the windows to escape?" Simon looked young and spotty faced in the harsh candle light.

"Too obvious. Our windows open up into the main road," The stranger explained.

He too was mindfully going over their belongings while Beth raced all around him preparing for their abrupt exit.

"Can you run?" Cecilia asked the injured man who stood near the door waiting for them to be ready.

"I believe so," Sir Russell was on his feet although barely so. He would periodically close his eyes and take deep breaths trying to clear his windpipe from all the smoke he had inhaled.

"Oh, dear. He's creaking. He'll have us all killed," Cecilia muttered under her breath while she rummaged through the chest.

"My Lady, surely you should hide. They do not want you or your companions," The Eastern man tried to reason with the girl. She placed her hands on her hips with a dismissive scoff.

"You, my friend, are not alone. I shall not stand by and let you perish," Cecilia was adamant although her shoulders drooped as her attention was stolen by her own phrasing, "See, it is so awkward referring to you in conversation. We need to assign you a name."

"Perhaps if it were safer if you do not refer to me at all," The stranger replied somberly.

While the attention of the rest of her roommates was away from her Cecilia surreptitiously stuffed the bag of gold down her dress. Her stays mercifully hid any awkward buldges. She then sat down to change into her sturdiest riding shoes, finally satisfied with her preparation.

Q

"They've told you where to meet?" Cecilia asked Sir Russell as she hid her dagger in her shoe. Simon tied up his bedroll on his back and his sword in his belt.

"We were to reunite in this room but planned to make way outside the town gates if we were delayed," The man answered looking regretful he had no firm plans made.

"The gate is fairly rural with a scattering of trees and sheep. I think we can find them easily," The Lady tried to look confident but her false optimism fooled no one.

Suddenly the inn shook as if it's very foundations were being rattled from beneath the earth. The furniture shivered and the lamp fell to the ground although the flame within it continued to burn.

"Run," Cecilia hissed to her companions but before she could move the glass windows smashed inwards showering them with a cascade of glass.

Cecilia fell from the force of the explosion being the closest to the windows. She instinctively had her arms shielding her face and neck from the glass.

The redhead coughed and shakily stood up facing away from the open windows. The previously locked door was now hanging on its hinges. To her relief Sir Russell, Beth and Simon had escaped but the stranger stood in the room as if frozen by the events. His eyes were not fixed on Cecilia but instead on whatever was behind her left shoulder.

The girl slowly turned around with the tinkling of falling glass following the movement of her velvet gown and found herself facing a masked man. Whether it was the same man she had thrown her shoe at or not she did not know but they were so close she could see the flecks of colour dotted in his brown eyes.

"What business do you have with us?" Cecilia croaked unable to clear her throat. The fear had paralyzed her and it was a miracle she could even speak.

"We want the Shah's Noor back," The man replied back with a heavy accent. His attention was completely focused on the man standing in the middle of the room.

"The Shah? The Noor?" Cecilia asked, finding her curiousity overtaking the overwhelming sense of fear.

"I do not wish to give a contemptible woman importantance she is not worthy of," The man's words oozed his displeasure. Cecilia took a step back feeling the potency of his acidic stare.

"You will not deprive her of the respect due upon her," The dark haired man's words were low and impassioned. Cecilia started at the threat in her friend's voice. The cords of his neck were strained as if he was hanging onto control via a thin thread.

The masked foe did not wait even a heart beat before in two swift foot movements he had his arms around Cecilia's pale throat. The girl tried to resist and slip out from under his grip but all her training flew from her head. With each fighting movement the grip around her jugular squeezed tighter and tighter. Cecilia gasped for air weakly as her fingernails bit into her captor's arms.

"Still a weak fool for a pretty woman," The enemy tsked uncaringly.

"Do not dare..." Cecilia's companion threatened with a hoarse hiss. Gone was the mild mannered, bookish gentleman Cecilia had grown accustomed to. His dark brown eyes were flint while his body was now positioned to attack. What else he hid beneath his serene exterior the girl wondered while her vision blurred with unshed tears.

The dark haired man took a step towards the captor and his captive but the aggressor slashed the front of his shirt using a silver dagger concealed in his free hand. Cecilia whined seeing the attack. What she had tried so hard to prevent was happening in front of her eyes. She kicked her attacker but the masked man was unperturbed by her resistance.

Her friend bowed his head, his hair spilling all over his hidden face. He seemed to be taking his time to regain his footing but during an exhale struck unexpectedly. His quick hands seemed to aim for the dagger which the masked man tried to withdraw but it was not Cecilia's friend's target. The dark haired man's hand went straight for the masked man's jugular.

His fingers tightened over the covered neck and the enemy was forced to let Cecilia go. He was now in the same position the girl had been. The strength behind the grip was so great that the masked man was nearly on his toes.

"I'm afraid it has not been a pleasure meeting you," The taller man announced, bringing the foe close to his face to make a point and pushed the masked man back down the window where he came from. The crash outside broke the eeire silence descended upon the town.

"Are you injured?" The amnesiac asked.

"I do not believe so," Cecilia breathed and pointed at the window, "I doubt he's dead."

"Yes. I am not a murderer," The dark haired man proclaimed.

He took Cecilia's hand and she did not need to be told what to do as he urged her out of the room. It was only a matter of time before other hunters would arrive at the room.

The pair jumped down the narrow, steep staircase. The thick carpet could not muffle the sounds of the them skipping over steps. Mariana was mercifuly not at the counter so without pause they barged out the backdoor hoping their friends were safe.

"I thought they caught both of you," Beth shrieked hysterically as they raced out to the back garden of the inn. All three of their travel companions were safe.

"Our friend has talent hidden within him," Cecilia explained mysteriously. Her voice sounded as if she had a cough for weeks.

"Where should we go?" Simon asked as he allowed Sir Russell to rest against him. Even the smell of the outhouses could not mask the smell of smoke hanging in the atmosphere.

"We could hide in one of the shops until these men retreat. We can easily enter one of them from this pathway since it links to all the backyards in this row. Surely they won't sack all the town in search for us," Cecilia fervently hoped.

"You shall be surprised," The taller man murmured but shook his head as if freeing his head from his thoughts, "The wilderness behind us will lead to where your fellow travelers shall be, correct?"

"Correct!" Sir Russell nodded.

"Then we must depart town and find the gate immediately."

-tbc-