How?

How?

How?

How did that arrow fly past her?

How did she not notice it?

How did Ah-Liu or any of the guards not notice it?

How on earth did the Emperor not notice it?

That man was on par with Siwang. Perhaps even better. Even if something did escape her notice for some reason, it should not have escaped his.

The questions and doubts haunted her mind as she ran, putting all her strength on the ball of her feet to shoot forward, her form speeding through the woods as she held her son to her chest. She thanked whatever force made her some sort of bastardized version of the Flash in this world. She almost certainly did not reach the speed of light, but she did reach enough speed to keep up with and even outrun most of these fuckers who can use their internal energy.

"Go!" The Emperor had said as he broke off most of the arrow, leaving only the arrowhead lodged inside of his flesh before pulling his sword out and throwing himself at the attackers.

She did not hesitate, nor did she look back as she grabbed Manu and ran.

After that arrow, it was like there was suddenly a bunch of fireworks going off. At least, that was what that had felt like to her senses. She'd felt qi emerge, qi that had not been there before. Over two dozen, at the very least. And that was a conservative estimate. She had not had the time to count. She knew neither the Emperor nor his guards needed her help. And even if they did, her priority was and would always be Manu. However, she had felt her heart clenching as she heard the Emperor grunt, the sound of swords clashing echoing behind her.

She could feel some of the attackers breaking off, following her. This time, she did count. Six. So, the Emperor was the primary target, and Manu secondary. Those fuckers were trying to kill the Emperor while holding back the guards. Definitely more than two dozen. She would not be surprised if it were fifty. Or some very powerful individuals among the two dozen. Otherwise, there was no way they could hold the guards and the shadow guards back.

Ah-Liu. Where was Ah-Liu? She needed him.

Two of her pursuers fell back, a third joining them. They were jumping around but mostly stationary. So, that was where Ah-Liu was.

It was good that he was fighting them, but that was not where she needed him.

The others were closing in on her.

She pulled out a talisman from her robe, the very same she had used the first day Han Qin had come for her. The one for "crisis". She put one side between her teeth and tore it off her with her free hand, not even faltering in her steps. In fact, she increased her speed, tightening her hold on Manu.

A nanosecond later, she felt Ah-Liu appear beside her.

"Cloak us," she ordered immediately and before he even followed her instructions, she reached inside her robe again and pulled out the qi cloaking bracelet. She always kept one on her and one on Manu. A shiver ran through her as she felt something like lightning-filled breeze pass through her, telling her that Ah-Liu had followed her order.

She quickly put it on Manu and then paused in her running now that the Ah-Liu had cloaked them by now, temporarily hiding them from sight. It would not - it could not last for long.

"Here, take Manu." She handed her boy over to Ah-Liu, despite Manu's struggles and protests. She cupped his cheeks and dropped a quick kiss on his forehead. "Mama will be back soon."

She quickly took off the boy's outer robes. Looking up at Ah-Liu, she patted the boy's cheek. "Stay safe, both of you."

"What about you?"

She jerked her head in the direction behind them, where the pursuers had paused and were now moving around, jumping from tree to tree, no doubt trying to find them.

"I will lead them away."

"But-"

"We do not have time for buts, Ah-Liu. They want my son. Keep him safe. I can deal with them. You should know by now. Go!"

Usually, Ah-Liu would have been stubborn and insisted on staying with her. But now, with Manu in danger, he did not dare dally. He disappeared from her sight. She could not feel them.

Samaya took a deep breath and turned to run in the direction she was previously running in. The moment she felt Ah-Liu's qi withdraw from her, she deliberately stepped on a small, fallen branch, alerting her pursuers, holding the now bundled up clothes to her chest, hoping and praying with all her heart that they would not try to sense Manu's qi or, worse, have some sort of sensor with them. Sensors were tough fuckers to hide from.

Thankfully, none of the six stopped in their pursuit. Meaning that they did not suspect anything. That was good. That also meant that they underestimated her. Which was even better. Though why they did not suspect her, when she was clearly running faster than them and clearly had some sort of ability, was beyond her.

She forced such thoughts out of her head and ran as fast as she could. Soon enough, she broke out of the woods and … was immediately faced with a cliff. She had to screech to a halt and turned around, finally facing her pursuers as they too broke out of the woods.

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Damn. They really had been right on her heels, hadn't they?

"Nowhere to run, little concubine."

The way he addressed her made disgust curl in her gut.

She stayed silent, her eyes moving between them. Could she take them all? Most probably. It might involve her getting some injuries, but it was doable. She would have preferred that she had been hidden. She worked better that way. She was an assassin, after all. She would have easily slit their throats. But now, out in the open… back home, with guns and tasers, it would have been easier. Here, she would need to put in a bit more effort. But she would have little problem doing it. She had slaughtered those who had attacked her before, after all. Granted, she had caught them off guard and they had managed to half kill her, but … eh. Details. If not for that young boy who'd suddenly blown her away, she would not have been injured that much.

"You are a fast one, aren't you?" Her eyes flicked to the side, to the man who spoke. "But you can't go anywhere now."

These people were … well, not as powerful as the Emperor or Siwang, that was for sure. But strong enough that it made Samaya wary of taking them head on. The Emperor must be dealing with more powerful ones. Powerful as they were, they were shit at hiding their expression. Their smugness and glee at having caught their prey. 'It made her want to cut those disgusting smiles into their faces.

The man in the middle stepped forward, holding out a hand.

"Hand the child over. And we will make this painless for you."

Samaya contemplated what to do. She could hold onto the bundle of clothes and pretend to resist. That might involve some begging. It would certainly keep them here longer, give Ah-Liu more time to put more distance between them. But … the thought of begging these men made her toes curl with disdain.

Well, these fuckers would never find her son anyway. They couldn't even tell that the bundle in her arms was not even a human.

She gave a small, indifferent shrug. "Alright."

She then threw the bundle at them with little effort. The man in the middle was clearly surprised but caught the bundle out of reflex. It took another moment for him to notice the weightlessness of the bundle. His eyes widened, and he quickly opened the robes, even as his comrades commented on how heartless of a mother she was.

Impatiently, he shook the clothes open, only to find nothing there. His eyes filled with rage as he looked up at her.

Throwing the bundle of clothes onto the ground, he growled, "You bitch!"

The others had also realized that they had pursued her for nothing. Agitation became visible on their faces.

"What?" Samaya scoffed. "Did you really think I would let you touch my child?"

The man quickly turned his head. "Fang, Xi, Xin, Kai, go find the brat and kill him." The man turned to her. "We will deal wi-"

Before he could finish the sentence, the man beside him dropped onto the ground from where he had turned halfway to follow his leader's order, a small knife lodged in his throat.

"You are not leaving here alive."

You will not touch my child.

The leader's eyes glinted with fury, his jaw tight as he barked, "Kill her first. We'll deal with the brat after."

The remaining four men surged toward Samaya with swift, practiced steps, weapons drawn. She shifted, lowering her center of gravity and kicking off the ground. Her movements were fluid, precise, clearly positioning herself so she could keep an eye or at least respond to all her attackers.

The first attacker came in fast with a spear. She slid low under the thrust, grabbing a fistful of dirt and flinging it into his eyes. He staggered with a grunt, blinded, and she sprang up, wrapping her legs around his neck in a scissor hold and twisting with all her might. The crack of his spine was masked by the shriek of another blade cutting through the air.

She used the dead man's falling body as a pivot, twisting off him just as another sword whistled past her ribs. It nicked her robe, but didn't cut skin. She twisted mid-air, landed lightly on her feet, then spun around and drove her elbow into the second attacker's throat. He gagged, stumbling backward, only for her to drive a dagger up into his ribcage with a guttural cry. Blood spattered across her hands, warm and slick. A familiar feeling. She could feel the familiar rush of thrill, of bloodlust coursing through her. Her breath came hard now, more from adrenaline than exertion. Two down.

But she was not fast enough for the third.

A sharp hiss shot through the air.

Before she could turn, something struck her neck.

She froze.

A dart?

Her hand immediately flew up, ripping the small needle-like dart from her flesh. Her fingers trembled. Her vision swam.

Poison. Some other poison than the one used against the Emperor. That one had not been so immediate. She could feel the thing spreading through her, making her numb and weak as it went.

She could taste metal in her mouth. Her knees buckled, and the world began tilting. The remaining men approached with cruel smiles, weapons raised.

Fuck.

Fuck.

The poison was going too fast. Her metabolism was trying to deal with it, she was sure. Everything about her was fast in this world. And that included her body's ability to process and burn through whatever was put into her. It could burn through the poison too. She could already feel the spread starting to slow. But she needed time. And time was what she did not have.

She stumbled forward, trying to steady herself, but one of them grabbed her arm and wrenched it behind her back. Another kicked her legs out from under her, and she crumpled, landing hard on her knees. They moved like a pack of wolves circling their prey now.

"You should have begged when you had the chance," the leader spat, stepping forward and raising his sword.

But before the blade could descend, a blur of movement burst from the trees.

The wind howled as the Emperor cut through it.

His eyes were wild, his robes bloodied from the earlier battle, and a fresh wound bled freely from his temple. Yet there was no hesitation in his charge. His sword flashed once, and the man holding the blade above Samaya's head dropped - split clean through the torso.

The second man barely had time to register what had happened before the Emperor's blade swung again, cutting him down at the knees. His scream was short-lived. Another quick stab silenced him for good.

Samaya, dazed and yet drawing on some of her strength, forced herself to move. One of the attackers still had a grip on her arm. She reached up, fingers sluggish but still deadly, and grabbed the man by the hair. With a burst of desperate strength, she put her other hand under his chin and twisted his neck in a clean, brutal snap. His body crumpled against her, and she shoved it away with a grunt.

She looked up - just in time to see more figures emerging from the woods.

At least seven. No, eight. All dressed in similar black garb. The ones who'd been chasing the Emperor.

What the fuck was the Emperor doing here anyway?

No, this was not the time to think about useless things.

The Emperor's stance wavered for a moment. Blood was pouring more heavily from his side now. His shoulder wound hadn't been bandaged. His breath was ragged.

"Your Majesty," she whispered, barely able to stand.

His eyes flicked to her, the sharpness in them dimming for only a moment. Then, without a word, he sheathed his sword and moved.

He grabbed her by the waist.

"Hold on," he growled.

And then he turned and ran - straight toward the cliff.

Samaya's vision was swimming, her limbs heavy, but she recognized the direction they were headed.

"No. No, no, no-"

But she had no strength to fight him.

With a final push, the Emperor launched himself off the cliff, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

They plunged into the open air, the wind screaming past them.

The last thing Samaya saw before they hit the river below was the rage and disbelief on the men's faces - growing smaller and smaller above them.

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