The thing about raids.

Talia of the claws stared bloody murder at the ugly noble brat. She couldn't glare since her face was just as paralysed as the rest of her body.

'How the hell does he have such strong servants? And expensive as all hell three-tailed fox slaves? What the hell is he going to do to me?'

These and many questions raced through her mind, and she was scared. Scared for herself, scared for her friends, and scared for the little kids he was forcing to do his dirty work.

'But why the hell are they sleeping with him then? Is he that scared of losing them? Or—?'

She just wasn't sure. She wasn't sure of anything when it came to him. He might look like the devil, but the truth was he wasn't uneasy on the eye; and he was still just a damn kid!

She didn't sleep that night, what, with her thoughts rushing faster than a river after a rain storm, sifting from one thought to the next like a bee from flower to flower.

When his eyes snapped open sometime during the late morning, they met her simmering stare. He only frowned at her, like he found her hatred unwarranted, or maybe unreasonable. Who the hell was he to judge?! He'd betrayed her, used her, and she'd allowed it, like some kind of bumbling teenager.

"Argh! Nino! Eno! Why are you guys still sleeping right now?"

One of the foxes yawned while the other one turned away with paws covering its ears.

"We haven't used our power in a long time. And for Eno it was just the first time he was using his."

"I see. By the way, if your power is manifesting as paralysis, I hope that means yesterday's comment was a joke?"

Talia thought she could hear a smile in the girl's reply.

"Who said it was?"

".. but.... you're supposed to have only one power? At least at your age."

The fox, its eyes still closed, merely shrugged.

"Maybe...but you should know that there's always exceptions to a rule."

He looked at the girl with worry, but then he was back to business mode.

"Right. You two sleep however long you want, but you have to train later. I'll see about having your food rations increased."

"Fine," the girl answered with a yawn.

"It's too bad she can't help me unfreeze you. You still have about three hours from the original twelve she put you under, so I should be done with my mission in a few hours. We'll talk then."

She stared as he left the carriage and shouted with all the entitlement of a typical noble brat for his attendants to bring him breakfast and water to wash.

'What does he mean he has a mission?'

************

Infiltrating the bandits camp would have been too hard. He could have done it. He had the skills after all. The truth was the issue with his laziness demanded he take the easiest path. And also he wanted to get rid of the bandit problem as soon as possible, so he could proceed to Uluth and take the next step on his mission to get stronger than Jason.

Hiding in the deep shadows of the thick trees was easy when he used his new darkness attribute spell. On a bonus note, he'd managed to obtain a prime location for his spying, which was an amazing thing in and of itself.

"..yes Mr Aric, we pushed the ambush spot as Mr Jonas instructed."

"Then why are you guys still camping here?"

The man shrugged. "We didn't want to move in case the projected route changed, so—"

"Incidentally, what is the new ambush point the commander chose?"

"Hmm? Oh, its just half a day after the next town."

"So it's just two days from now? That isn't nearly enough time."

"Any information you give now will be useful."

Aric shrugged. "I've been inside the carriage, you know. There are just two padded benches, soft enough to sleep on, but still thin and uncomfortable. There isn't gold or anything, and even his clothes look odd enough that I don't think they'd sell that much."

"Then we just capture the boy and use him for ransom."

This was a new voice. A big man, a little taller than Talon but a lot thicker too. His voice held excitement, and greed.

"...ah, yeah. The reason we've had to be cautious is that the boy seems a little too well informed about us. And I saw him practice his magic once. I think he can cast a fourth-tier spell. And more than one too."

"Wait, are you scared to have your reputations turnished? Is that it?"

"Well, a little. It would have been okay if we could kill him, but now we might not get anything unless we keep him alive... so this presents a conundrum."

"The master can send assassins to kill him later. Or we could give him a slow acting poison. One that is sure to kill him over days instead of instantaneously. Then we ransom a walking corpse to his stupid rich family. They have two more sons after all, and he's the most useless of all the children."

"I deeply apologize commander Toura. I'll inform the boss."

"Good man," the big man thumped him on the shoulder.

A few minutes of wandering through the forest, then James was flying next to the archer, headed back to their own camp which should be getting ready to move.

"You can do whatever you wish to me, but leave the boss alone. If there is any information you need, don't torture her, I'll give it to you."

"You're all so dedicated to her. You have no loyalty to the cause, only to your leader, huh?"

"She is worth all of it, and more."

James stared at the young man's face, haggard from living a less than ideal life, hardened from the brutality of his chosen career. It reminded him too much of himself. Sharpshooter. Assassin. Spy. There was a blurry line between the concepts.

"How long have you been in love with her?"

The archer whirled on him with a panicked expression.

"How do you—?"

"Its the way your eyes soften when you speak of her. And it may be true that you're all dedicated to her, but you are even more so than the others. Thats why it was you I approached."

"I see..."

"She will never be yours, you know?"

"Why?" the man growled. "Because you've set your sights on her now, noble brat? You going to turn her into some sort of play thing?"

James's eyes followed the motion of the man's tense fingers as they moved towards his arrows on his back.

"Will you be able to shoot me before I release you to plunge to your death on the ground?"

"Yes," the man said with conviction.

"Then we'd both be dead."

"At least she'd live."

James snorted. "No she wouldn't. And even if she did, do you think she'd forgive you for murdering me?"

"What? You think your little games last night somehow got you into her heart? She does that sort of thing all the time."

James smiled at him. "Well, that must be painful to watch. But back on topic. The reason she can't be yours has nothing to do with me. You've been too slow, she sees you as nothing but a brother now. Besides, there is nothing more important to her than her cause, her ambition."

They didn't talk again after that. The journey back passing in absolute quiet. He'd been gone longer than he'd planned to, but that was no issue. The party started moving once the two arrived back, Aric awkwardly deflecting any questions about where he'd been.

The way the five sullen mercenaries followed the carriage had James near tears. He didn't know if they were of mirth or sorrow.

"Hans, attend me in the carriage. We need to have a strategy meeting. If you guys try to overhear what we're talking about, I'll know."

He leveled each of them with a stare, though Aric alone was ignored.

"So you've regained use of your body I see, why haven't you tried to make a break for it? We both know those ropes can't hold you."

She just glared at him, and he grinned like a clueless idiot, rubbing the back of his head like he was lost for words.

"Hans, there are two days to the ambush, and I think they might have about fifty troupes."

He noticed Talia's eyebrows rising in surprise at his proclamation. He also noticed the instant realisation hit her.

"Aric, you idiot!"

"He was just worried for your safety."

"And he shouldn't have been! The cause is more important than any one person."

"Robbing me is that important to you, Talia? Well then name a price, you know my family is rich."

"This isn't about one stupid ass noble brat. This is about the world, and this corrupt order, and—"

"And a necessity if the world is to survive. It is true that some of us are corrupt, but what is a world without rulers."

"You like to pretend you know everything, so why don't you tell me?"

James looked at her face, studied her body language, and he knew his scheme might have hit a snag. Why had he even done it? He'd not intended to go quite so far. He'd only wished for both sides to bear their cards. He'd already known theirs anyway.

"Last night was a mistake, Talia. I know you might not believe me, but I really didn't intend to—"

"I'm going to kill you!"

She started to struggle with her restraints, and even as James watched the ropes begun to loosen. Hansworth was getting tense where he sat next to James. James on the other hand, was calm as ever. He lifted his hand, and gestured forward, and a plume of black collided with her chest.

"Well done, Nino."

His hand absentmindedly patted the now sitting fox on the head. She whinned in a soft voice.

"For what its worth," he adressed Talia, "I really don't want us to be enemies."

Even as the paralysis took her, hate fueled will fought to bite the words out.

"F...ck...you!"

He didn't try to talk with her again until they reached the next town.