Chapter Fourteen - The Right Place at the Right Time

''No, wait! Wait!'' Ailith yelped, holding her hands up as a sign of surrender. ''This is just a misunderstanding. I got lost and...''

''You expect me to believe a lie like that?'' The woman countered.

The first thing Ailith noticed was the way the woman trembled as she gripped her bow. When her words reached Ailith's ears, she picked up on the shakiness hidden beneath the words.

The archer's expression weakened and every so often, it would falter to reveal a startled mien. ''Have you come to kill me?''

''What? No! I mean you no harm, I swear!''

''Then why are you here? And how did you get in here?''

Ailith hesitated. The latter question was one she had been asking ever since she'd gotten lost. ''I was looking for a Knight or some kind of guard, but I couldn't find anyone. Look, I was taking part in the tournament.'' She twisted her hand and revealed the fading imprint.

The archer glanced at it and although her face softened, she continued to eye Ailith suspiciously. ''Then why aren't you competing in the tournament right now?''

Ailith shifted. ''I was knocked out. That's why I came here. I wanted to talk with someone. I thought I knew the way, but I got myself lost and couldn't find anyone. Please, you have to believe me.''

She could see that her pleas weren't falling on deaf ears. The archer nervously kept her eyes locked on Ailith. Eventually, they drifted downwards as she pulled the bowstring tighter. ''Remove your weapon.''

Slowly, Ailith used one hand to remove her sword from her belt and tossed it to the side. It skidded across the floor and bounced against the bottom of a nearby bookshelf, out of harm's way. Ailith kept her arms raised, staring into the woman's apprehensive eyes. The woman licked her dry lips and adjusted her stance. Even though she was on the right side of the bow, she appeared almost as afraid as Ailith was.

''I promise I won't hurt you,'' Ailith said.

The archer was shocked by the gentleness in Ailith's voice. The conflict in her eyes left Ailith wondering what she would do next. ''How can I trust you?'' she inquired.

Ailith opened her mouth when something gleaming in the distance caught her attention. Looking over the archer's shoulder, she could see something emerging from the shadows. It was slow and patient. Then, it sprang to life. Jagged jaws of silver widened and launched at the archer's back.

''Behind you!'' Ailith shouted and leapt into action.

Even if the archer wanted to release her arrow, Ailith was too quick. She hurled herself between the stunned archer and the armament rocketing towards them. Her head snapped around to see Ailith's hands shift into diamonds and grab both the upper and lower jaw, stopping it in its tracks. A jolt of pain rushed through her arms as she pushed the metallic jaw away. Memories of her fight with Turrock seized her body and drained it of its strength.

When the weapon recoiled, Ailith's eyes widened in shock. The weapon wasn't something she could forget, and she'd seen it before, quite recently, in fact. She watched it retract until the spring coils wrap around the arm of its owner, who stepped out of her hiding spot.

''Jozi?'' Ailith gasped.

Without hesitation, Jozi thrust her arm and sent the jaw soaring towards Ailith once more.

Ailith almost rolled out of the way but remembered there was someone behind her to defend. Standing her ground, Ailith covered her whole arm in diamond. At the last second, Ailith swatted the jaw away. The metal dented, nuts and bolts scattered in all directions and Jozi's body jerked forward. The impact of the strike almost knocked her off her feet. However, she wasn't done yet. Pulling her arm back, the jaw retreated and settled over her hand.

Heaving with sharp exhales of air, Ailith's body felt as heavy as the ambusher's weapon. ''Why are you doing this?''

''You have no place here!'' Jozi snarled. ''Step aside and let me do what needs to be done.''

Ailith glanced over her shoulder, staring at the petrified archer. Any attempt to hide their fear was now forgotten. With a shake of her head, Ailith returned her glare back towards Jozi. ''I'm not moving.''

Jozi remained silent, noticing how heavy Ailith was breathing.

Once again, she thrust her arm, launching the jaw. The shrilling sound it made caused the windows to shake. Suddenly, an arrow whistled by Ailith's cheek from behind. It crashed into the weapon's mouth. The lower jaw became unhinged and dropped to the ground, skidding harmlessly next to Ailith's feet.

Ailith twisted her body to find the archer with an empty bow, staring at her with frightened eyes. Using her time effectively, Ailith clapped her diamond-covered hands together and slammed them on the jaw.

''Curse you!'' Jozi wailed, watching her invention break in two, rendered completely useless. She rushed to unstrap the device off her arm.

Seeing this, Ailith grabbed her end of the coil and pulled, sending Jozi flying in her direction. Ailith lifted her leg and kicked out at the woman. The strike was powerful enough to propel her back before she crashed into the wall. Jozi's eyes closed and her body tipped over about to fall face first onto the ground.

Ailith was expecting the drop. What she wasn't expecting was the archer to retrieve her arrow from the wreckage and notch it into her bow. The arrow soared and hooked underneath Jozi's arm and through her clothing, pinning the unconscious woman to the wall. When things were calm, Ailith stared in awe at the precision of the archer's aim, as a sheepish grin tugged at her lips.

Any positive feeling she had was soon evaporated as she looked upon Jozi. Why would she attack someone like this? What was she after?

Ailith groaned and an aching twinge rolled up her arms as the diamonds on her skin disappeared. If it weren't for the archer, she might not have handled Jozi by herself. She turned and stared at the archer, who was staring back, but with her bow lowered and away from Ailith. Uncertainty was still written across her face.

Stepping forward, Ailith offered a kind smile. ''Are you hur-,''

A hand grasped Ailith's throat, choking her. Even the archer jumped back in fright. Ailith was lifted off her feet and thumped into one of the bookshelves. The mahogany snapped as she was restrained. Despite being overcome with exhaustion and throbbing with pain, Ailith was still determined to fight back. She raised her fist to counter before stopping when she noticed who was holding her back.

A Knight. His face was hidden under a helmet. 

More Knights burst into the library, circling the archer and safely escorting her to the exit. Where were they when Ailith was stumbling around lost in the castle?

The Knight holding Ailith turned to his comrades. ''Get the princess to safety!''

''Princess?'' Ailith stuttered.

While being dragged away, the princess kept Ailith in her sights. Her face apologetic and any attempt to reason with the Knights with her timid voice went unheard.

The Knight's grip tightened until Ailith couldn't breathe. As much as she respected the Knights, she was a thought away from fighting back to defend herself. After the princess had been shepherded out of the library, the Knight's eyes fell onto Jozi, watching her limp body sway against the wall. Her arm was still connected to the coils of her destroyed weapon.

The aggressive Knight didn't need too long to make the connection. ''Take that one in for questioning. Find out if she has more weapons stored elsewhere.''

''Yes, Marshal.'' A fellow Knight obeyed, clenching his fist over his heart, and hurried to pry Jozi off the wall.

Coldly, the Marshal threw Ailith to the ground. ''Lock this one in the dungeon.''

''Wait, I...'' Ailith didn't get far with her protest as she felt the sharp ends of swords and spears prod into her back.

''If she speaks again,'' the Marshal continued. ''Cut out her tongue.''

Ailith wanted to scream. But, she kept quiet, even when the Knights seized her arms and hauled her away to a terrifyingly unknown future.