162: The gathering
The clearing was silent for a whole minute when Maria landed on top of the table. Every eye snapped toward her direction without even a delay and Maria could already tell that she had committed some kind of mistake by landing where she had.
"Our sacred rite had been disturbed. Guards, seize the intruder and take her to the queen. She must pay for what she has done to us" Maria heard those words and her body sprang into action. She picked up a nearby knife and barely managed to hold off the sword aimed at her leg.
She could tell that the attack had not been made to kill her, just injure her enough to be able to take her into interrogation and Maria was thankful for this distinction. But she would prefer it more if she was not attacked at all.
The nakedness of the woman in front of her was also a distraction. The breasts were bouncing and making Maria divert her attention from the attack on her person. She had to make a conscious effort to stop herself from looking.