Ariana didn't answer—her blade hissed as she parried a surprise thrust from behind. The figure melded into the forest as if born from its darkness, reappearing behind her.
Too slow.
Ariana spun and brought her blade down, sparks igniting as metal shrieked against metal. The impact crushed a layer of bark from the tree behind them. She pressed forward, forcing the cloaked figure to step back—then kicked out, catching him in the ribs and sending him sprawling into the undergrowth.
Another emerged. Then two more.
Kael ducked under a sweeping slash, the assailant flipping over a low-hanging branch to land behind him. Kael didn't turn. He kicked backward, catching the man's knee. The assailant staggered, and Kael turned in that breathless second, delivering a vicious elbow to the man's chin.
Crash.
A thick branch snapped as the attacker flew through it, groaning but still alive.
One came from the left.
Another from the trees.
