Adonica pulled her braid up into a spiral, then slid her helmet on. The dark steel covered her whole face except for a gap for her mouth and for two narrow, downward-sloping eye slits, which gave the appearance of a scowl. Fully armored, she cast an intimidating figure. All the more so as she whipped the bronze short sword from her belt and gave it a practiced spin.
"Are you sure you know where she was?" Justin asked.
"I got this, angel, don't you worry," she said. "Just follow me."
Justin balked at being called "angel" again-a decidedly feminine label-but Adonica took off up the street before he could protest. He had to hurry to keep up as she took a sharp right and cut up an adjoining alleyway. It didn't take long before their destination became clear. Rising from the center of town w
