The trapdoor closed with a thud, alarming Tylen. The arrows kept coming. They left no room for them to move. The spots they hit on the wall stayed in a close range. Even with the plywood as a shield, Tylen knew the tips would find its mark on his fingers.
The ambush was clearly well-prepared. Someone had been waiting.
Deelah vanished from her post.
Crawling on the floor as a pest, she squeezed herself between the hinges of the trapdoor. Once she passed through, she transformed back into a human. She fell down with her feet below her. She kicked the assassins that stood by the ladder, landing perfectly. In haste, she left them behind and continued down the stairs.
The Pirate Queen found Cleon and Maia engaged in combat. The two had their backs pressed against each other while a group in black cloaks surrounded them. The blue-haired pirate kept an eye on the nearest attackers. The redhead withdrew her hidden knives. She threw them at whoever tried to make a sudden movement.
The battle wasn't easy but they could hold them off.
Deelah came out of the tower's shadows as a rabbit. Sprinting through the weeds and the bushes, she stayed out of sight. When the plants became sparse, she turned into a chameleon and blended with the grass. She aimed for the forest where the arrows came from. She fumed in her mind since this form couldn't give her fast speed.
She needed someone to stall more time.
When the trapdoor didn't open, Raz knew Deelah had left. Her eyes darted between it and the window. She cursed their luck. The trapdoor just happened to be located directly in front of the window. It sounded too convenient for their attackers—whoever closed the door would have locked it as well.
The set up gave them no time to try and escape.
"Stay here." Raz sternly told the Prince.
She took out her butterfly swords and rose to her feet. When no one else came for them, she knew that the two pirates below had been attacked. At first look, the tower didn't seem to have any hiding spots when they climbed. They might have missed a hidden passage. Her worries about two made her focus more on reaching the top quickly so they could leave right away.
She hissed at her mistake. How could a secret door pass by her sight?
The sergeant rolled on the floor until she kneeled under the window. She gazed at the wall where the arrows landed. Since they had an expert shooter in their hands, it didn't take long for her to notice a pattern. She stretched her arms to the sides and raised her knee slightly.
Three arrows flew consecutively, one after another.
Raz sprang into action.
Her butterfly sword sliced the fourth one in midair. Turning on her heel, she faced the window. Her sharp eyes searched the trees. More arrows came out of nowhere. She stepped back and pushed a heel against the floor.
Tylen watched Raz dance. For the nth time since he saw her in action, his mouth gaped. The sergeant really had superior skills. One by one, broken arrows littered the floor. Her butterfly swords flew around her like razor wings.
The agility she displayed looked unreal. None of their knights had executed such prowess. He could barely see where her blades were. They became a blur of metal beacons. They moved faster than any arrow that came.
Raz also stayed in place. Her feet absolutely planted on the floor, only her upper body moved. The arrows began to change directions. Their destinations had opted for a wider range. The shooters must have noticed that the sergeant had studied their movements.
But no matter how high, how low, how near or how far the arrows aimed, they met their demise with her swords.
The Prince could only sit in awe.
The Pirate Queen ran until she passed by the archers. Since their eyes were on the tower, a sneak attack from behind would be her best chance. She crawled up a tree with light steps. She chose a branch that was a few meters from the shooters.
They wore black outfits and cloaks, similar to the ones that attacked Maia and Cleon. The lower half of their faces were hidden behind masks. No sign or embroidery hinted her on who this group could be. However, their arrows made of carbon had silver tails. That gave her a hint.
She counted a total of three. Like she predicted, their attentioned stayed on the tower. One of them stood up from his post and unexpectedly knocked on three arrows at a time. The Pirate Queen smirked. She figured Raz must have made a move.
Not one to miss the action, she placed her weight on her rear feet. They lengthened and sharpened into claws while the front ones spread out on either side. Bronze and white feathers replaced the scale and a pair of wings sprouted. The head of an eagle replaced the large beady eyes. A loud squawk echoed up in the air and through the branches.
Deelah flapped her wings with a thrust. She directed her path towards the nearest archer. She leaned back, letting her claws break out. It clung onto the shooter's case of arrows. Her wings thrusted backwards, tugging it off his back.
Caught off guard, the archer lost his balance. The eagle released the case as he fell to the ground. The others finally noticed her presence. Deelah didn't waste time and headed for the second archer. She squawked at his face. Then, she clawed his eyes.
The shooter screamed, blood dripping from his eyebrows. He dropped his bow and shielded his face—except the eagle had other ideas. Deelah flew back. She gathered distance and momentum.
In one hard flap, she glided towards the archer.
The top of her head hit his face. The force of the impact pushed him off the branch. He met the same fate as his previous companion. The eagle left the now empty branch and flew towards the last shooter. He happened to be the one who used three arrows per shot.
This time, the archer turned away from the tower and focused on Deelah. He already knew that the eagle wasn't ordinary. He continued to use three arrows and shot them towards her. Deelah twisted to her side, the tips narrowly missing her feathers. As he reached for more, she flapped faster and hoped to reach him first.
She aimed her head at his face but the shooter knew this tactic. He turned on his heel and hopped to another branch and forced the eagle to make a hard turn. If a bird had zero to little experience at being hunted, this would have slowed down its speed.
Deelah considered it a clever tactic but she didn't belong in that category of birds. Instead, she picked up her speed.
When she flew closer, she tilted her body to the side. One wing pointed up while the other pointed down, she curved around the trunk of the tree and slammed against the archer. Whatever plan he had descended along with his fall. The eagle landed on the spot he last stood on. Her eyes gawked at the three bodies on the ground.
Deelah could hear the sound of combat behind her. She guessed that Raz and Tylen must have joined Maia and Cleon. The fight didn't last long enough for her to interfere. She swooped down, flying through the branches, and landed on human feet.
She walked over to the nearest archer. His chest had already gone still. Picking up an arrow, she analyzed the material. Weapons like this didn't come by easily. She crouched and pulled off the shooter's hood.
With it out of the way, she could see the side of the masks. Silver threads embroidered the symbol of a nighthawk near the ear. Its color matched the arrows. The Pirate Queen stood up. Her hand clenched into a first.
"The Nocti." She whispered.
Grass rustled from behind her. She turned around slowly. The group halted in their steps. Her menacing expression shocked them. Their gazes went to the arrow on her hand. Only Raz sighed in dejection.
Deelah flashed her glare at the sergeant. She pointed the arrow towards her. Her voice came out low and sinister, "You knew about this."
The rest of the party also glanced at Raz. Cleon and Tylen moved away. They didn't want to be entangled with this conversation. Maia had a sympathetic look on her face. She already knew what was to come.
"About The Nocti?" The sergeant replied, unbothered. Her eyes turned hard as obsidian. She kept a cool tone in her speech, "Yes, I know about them. We've encountered them twice now."
"Twice?!" The Pirate Queen spat in outrage. She threw the arrow onto the ground, marching in Raz's direction, "You know very well what this means! The Nocti aren't to be messed with about this!"
"So what?" Cleon interrupted. He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, "We've dealt with them before. We're not archenemies for no reason."
Deelah scoffed impatiently. She pinched the bridge of her nose. Indescribable anger threatened to explode out of her. The words of an ignorant only triggered her more. She shoved her hand to the side.
Fists on her hips, fire burned inside her eyes, "Let me say this in a way you can understand. You're on a mission to find Aurae's lost princess. You're travelling around with the Crown Prince who is supposed to be at the Sol Palace right now. On top of that, the Nocti are on to you. And what's the problem with that you ask?"
The Pirate Queen took a deep breath. Yet, none of her muscles relaxed, "Let me enlighten you."
Raz bowed her head. Maia walked up to her side, holding her arm. The sergeant used her free hand to squeeze the redhead's. She had been a fool at her gamble. Captain Croc and Scrooge wouldn't let her off easy for this.
Ignoring them, Deelah proceeded to explain the situation, "That organization is not only our biggest rivals but they are also the underground dogs of Celios's Royal Family! That means Princess Alkas knows about this. She is onto your plans. She knows your knight is an imposter. She also probably ordered this ambush."
The blood drained on the Prince's face. His mind instantly went to Hayden. He should have arrived at the capital by now like the Pirate Queen said. Pins and needles pierced his head. If anything happened to his best friend, Tylen might not be able to forgive himself.
"You are basically one hair away from execution!"