Fire of Magic (Soul of Magic Book 4)

TWELVE

The Cobra stood and watched as the Knight and the two others with him stared at him, a satisfied smile sprawled on his face as he saw them react in the same way that he'd grown used to people reacting whenever they learnt who he was; with terror.

Truth be told, the Cobra had actually become almost bored of watching it in times past. In fact, that was the very reason why he had stopped introducing himself to those he was sent to kill, preferring to go in like the angel of death itself; swift and unexpected. 

But he had to admit that there was a certain kind of satisfying feeling within him at having the Knight, the renowned mysterious swordsman of the Barren lands himself, learn of whom he was. That feeling filled him with so much euphoria that it felt like a flagon of ale in his head and he could almost roar like a great beast for all the realm to hear.But he didn’t. 

Thing is, the Knight's face was still hidden behind his helmet and visor and that cut short the Cobra's assessment of him. To be honest, that hiding was one attribute of the mysterious swordsman that the assassin hated. To him, power should always come with a face; one that people could either admire or fear depending on how you wanted it. But the Knight had hidden his own power behind a mask and the Cobra considered that an insult against the very nature of powerful men such as himself; and that was the main reason why he was more than happy to answer the warlord's call when he heard it had something to do with killing the mysterious swordsman.

"So tell me," said the Cobra to the Knight and his entourage as he unsheathed his daggers and spun them lazily in both his hands, "how do you want to die?"

"How about you don't involve them?" the Knight returned, indicating both Freya and Morgan. "I know that it was Warlord Landon that sent you after me. So, why don't you just stick to me and not hurt anyone else?"

"Are you insane?" Freya looked at the mysterious swordsman like he really was. "This is the Cobra, one of the most dangerous assassins there is in the Barren lands. You'll need our help if you're going to defeat him.” And then, all of a sudden, she shrugged away her previous argument like it didn’t really mean much to her. “Besides, we don't need you or anyone to protect us," she told him what meant.

"No, you don't, Freya," the Knight concurred. "But this fight is mine and mine alone, and there’s nothing we can do to change that."

"Freya, he's right," Morgan cut in before his sister could state her counter like he knew was coming, "this fight is his. We just have to stand down."

Seeing that she was clearly outnumbered, Freya stormed away in anger, muttering something about arrogant men and their useless codes of honour as she went.

"Well, Knight," the Cobra said as he saw him take a stance to begin, "I hope you've said your goodbyes, 'cause you won't be having that chance again."

Inside the helmet, a frown crossed Kyra's face as she and her opponent circled each other. It wasn't out of fear though; she had met and fought her fair share of skilled killers in her time as the Knight after all. But she had to admit that the Cobra was different than most of her previous opponents.

Like the people around her, the reputation of the Cobra wasn’t lost on Kyra. Many called him the predator of predators; and he really was. His eyes, his smile, even the way he carried his body; they all pointed to one fact: killing was as natural to the Cobra as life was to the realm. But she would have to defy nature if she was ever going to come out of that fight alive.

Bringing herself out of her thoughts, Kyra prepared to go on the attack. But just as she took a step, the Cobra suddenly threw one of his daggers at her. She easily dodged it, sidestepping the weapon just as it flew by; but that split second movement was all the assassin needed to force her onto the defensive. His attacks came at her so fast and hard that after a while she had to rely mostly on reflex just to keep him at bay.

Sensing that the Knight was unbalanced, the Cobra went for his legs; giving him a leg sweep that sent him landing heavily on his back. He had barely hit the ground when he came at him again with his dagger, his intention to finish him there and then.

Kyra wasn't as out of the fight as the Cobra had thought. Just as he brought his dagger down for the kill, she saw him and raised her sword; effectively deflecting the strike away before rolling out of reach.

"Do you need a minute to recover, Knight?” the Cobra mocked as he watched him struggle to get back on his feet. “You seem a little out of tune."

Kyra's breaths were coming out more heavily now than before, an indication which told her what she had been afraid of for a very long time; she was losing control. It had happened that in that moment when the Cobra raised his dagger to stab her, her mind had gone back to when she dreamed that Fara had stabbed her in almost the same fashion, paralysing her with a fear she had only ever previously felt in her nightmares. Luckily for her though, she was able to snap out of it on time. But that didn't mean that the attack was over; at least not mentally.

Knowing fully well that the only way to refortify herself and prove to that fearful Soul of magic part of her that she was the Knight now would be to stop the Cobra, Kyra prepared to do just that. "Alright, Cobra," she said to him, "I think it's about time we ended this." With a battle cry so great that the forest seemed to echo it back, she rushed at him, putting all of her ferocity into the attack.

Just as Kyra reached the Cobra, she went in for a lunge at his chest. But he was ready and rolled out of her way just as she rushed past. She turned to try again but he caught her faster with a kick to the stomach, causing all of the winds to escape from her lungs as she went down on one knee. He quickly followed it up with a punch to the face and her eyes saw stars as she fell to the ground; her sword bouncing off her hand and her helmet off her head to reveal who she truly was underneath it all.

"By the Creator!" Kyra heard Morgan shout from behind her, the shock very evident in his voice. "You're a woman."

"Oh, but this isn’t just any woman, boy," said the Cobra as he picked up Kyra’s sword and leveled it against her neck. "This is the greatest witch to have ever walked this realm. In fact-” he had a huge smile on his face at this point “-the Soul of magic itself."