[Zez]

-- Present Day --

Zez shot out of bed, watching as the Silencer dashed forward toward the only unarmored target.

Qork.

The silver knife danced in the air as the assassin twirled the blade, stopping it in a stabbing-hold with the blade pointing up from her hand. She spun and slashed out at the young soldier of Squad Seven just as Captain Heral pushed her back with his spear. Xe stood just behind; ready to capture her in an arm-lock as she stumbled back.

Zez watched on in shock—just standing there with her safehand outstretched dumbly. There was nothing she could do. Unlike the soldiers, she was practically defenseless... useless... except for as bait.

Qork gasped and clutched at his stomach. Jal caught the boy as he fell back, laid him down gently, and began to unreel a wheel of bandages in a swift, practiced movement. "Temo," Jal called, pulling away Qork's shirt to get a look at the slash, "I need some of that knobweed sap, right now! Rotspren are already appearing! I've never seen them spawn so quickly!"

Zez was so lost in the moment of terror and adrenaline that she could only barely make out the tiny creatures that had begun to crawl around Qork's wound. They were brown and black and shaped like tiny monsters ready to take a bite into the young soldier's torso. Temo hollered and quickly uncorked the same cylindrical bottle as before—the sap that could disinfect quicker than most other medicines could. Where before they had been ever so careful with the valuable stuff, Jal was now more liberal with it then ever.

Jal poured out a tablespoons worth on the laceration and used an empty knife sheath to spread it out over the wound. The Rotspren cried and shrieked as the scent of the sap hit the air, causing them to pull back in fear of death.

"Captain Heral! He will be alright, I think, but I'll need to sow up this wound! It's too deep! There's no way that she could—" Jal let his eyes wander, and Zez followed the glare.

They landed on the knife used to cut the boy, which had been tossed aside in the scuffle to capture the assassin. It was of pure silver from hilt to tip...

And glowing green with Stormlight.

"A Shardblade!? There's no way! It didn't cut through, nor did it disappear when cast aside!" Temo yelped, backing up from both Qork and the weapon.

The assassin, still being held and locked by Xe, chuckled with hideous laughter. "You two—you click like chickens fighting over a seed!"

Xe firmed his grip and his muscles tensed, forcing the assassin to gasp for air. "Shut it." The quiet man grunted.

"You cannot silence the Silencer, fools! I am the Silencer of Gaval; and only One of Three. Or, perhaps if you're unlucky, Four!" She snarled dryly, this time almost whispering her words. "And the Blade there... you'll need something much stronger than knobweed!" Her laugh penetrated the night—if there were others sleeping in this inn, they were certainly awake now.

"S-stronger?!" Jal snapped, completely unzipping his backpack and pulling out a series of different bottles of different colors, shades, and viscosities. "I- I- I don't have anything stronger than this! T-Temo! Get that knife and any others she's got! I need to study them!"

Zez watched as Heral glanced back and forth from the captured Silencer to his unconscious companion. There was a look on his face that could not be described, at least not by her. It was fierce, yet dull; intense, yet keen; and strong, but otherworldly weak.

"Xe, the shackles and chain, we'll be taking her to the Gaval Sherrif, surely Highlord Amaram or Kholin has some touch in this town, even so far off from the heart of Kholinar." He ordered, glaring one last time into the assassins' eyes before returning to his allies. "Temo, start the fire and get hot water going immediately, we'll need to tend to him here, we can't move on the road with him like this. Jal—" He pauses, realizing he was the most medically trained, "keep doing what you're doing. I'll escort with Xe, in case."

Xe grunted in agreement, bringing a pair of chain shackles out from behind him and locking up the assassin. She seemed annoyed, yes, but not defeated. Not as defeated as she should have looked behind locked up by five officers of a squad far outside their jurisdiction. Zez read the Silencer's face like an open book—she was proud of what she had done. Her eyes were glued on Qork's body as they forced her out of the room, barely making headway around his body in the doorway.

"And me, sir? How can I help?" Zez asked just before Captain Heral turned the corner.

He looked back at her, then nodded. "Sorry, I did not wish to order you, Brightness, but if you wish. Go and see if there is a medic here, they might be able to help."

"I can only do so much!" Jal added, his hands covered with knobweed sap and blood, and tears were beginning to fall from the grown man's face. "I won't let one of my brothers die! Not now! Not ever!"

Zez put on a strong face—trying to mimic the one she had seen Heral make mere moments before. "Yes sir!" She said strongly, then was in motion, taking to the opposite exit than the one Xe and Heral were taking the Silencer out from.

"Medic medic medic..." She whispered, drilling the goal into her mind. She threw open the door at the basefloor of the inn and ran into the street. In the middle of the night. Not yet knowing that she, too, had begun crying. "...Qork..."