Faction came at him like a whirlwind, twirling his staff in a complex array rapid movements. The enchanted weapon became a glowing blur... it was impossible to tell where it was at any given instant. Had December actually been paying attention to the staff, he may have been confused or even stunned by the dizzying display... but he knew better. December kept his attention wide and unfocused until the last instant, refusing to let the assassin's dance lead his eyes astray. When Faction drew near, December lunged to one side and swung his own weapon in a short arc toward the man's head. The attack was simple and direct. Faction blocked it easily, but in doing so he had to halt the his weapon's blurred motions... revealing his staff's exact location and orientation. December spun as if to bring his staff around again, but in mid-spin he thrust his weapon backwards and up at an angle in a pinpoint jab intended to crack Faction's skull. Faction lurched to one side and swept his staff in a low arc. December hopped over the tripping sweep as he finished his spin. Both men counterattacked. The two staves met in the air with a-

CLANG!

-and then met several more times in a rapid succession of blocks, lunges, and sweeps. December ducked, spun, then lunged to one side, allowing Faction's downward swing to pass harmlessly through the air beside him. But December's hands were not idle. Another rearward thrust almost caught Faction by surprise... almost.

Faction spun away from December, then suddenly reversed direction and surged forward-

CLANG!
CLANG!
WHOOSH!

December made a low sweep at Faction's boots. Not only did Faction leap over December's titanium staff, he leapt over December entirely... flipping into the air and over the crimelord's head. December was already on the move, as if he'd anticipated Faction's wasteful display of dexterity. He dropped into a crouching position and let Faction's airborne attack pass over his lowered head. He leapt to his feet, twisting and blocking as he rose-

CLANG!-

A powerful block to counter an equally powerful attack by Faction. Now it was December's turn. Two rapid arcs forced Faction to dodge to the left and then to the right. December followed with an upward sweep toward Faction's crotch. Faction back-flipped away from the blunt staff just in time. The second Faction's feet touched the ground, he charged again. The sound of their combat rang out in the dark, empty streets as they exchanged blocks, attacks, parries, and counterattacks. Suddenly, Faction spun to one side... his black cloak flared out around him, hiding his movements-

December paused, then threw himself down and to the right... he dropped to a low crouch as Faction's throwing stars sliced the air above and to the left of him. The assassin was right behind his missile, bearing down on December. Holding his staff horizontally December thrust it overhead with both hands, blocking Faction's downward swing. Then he twisted and quickly blocked Faction's boot as it sought to kick him in the chest. He threw himself to one side, and rolled to his feet in while throwing another horizontal block-

CLANG!

Faction followed the attack with seven more... a startling assault that would have easily overwhelmed all but a true fighter. December blocked five, dodged two, then counterattacked with a powerful straight lunge. Faction jumped to the side... right into the path of December's second attack.

WHOOSH!

The assassin's reflexes saved him from December's staff. He ducked and attacked-

CLANG!

Blocked. Faction feigned another attack but then quickly spun out of December's reach... or so he thought. December followed him with a series of attacks, determined not to allow the assassin room to unleash another volley of missiles. He had to keep the combat close... but not TOO close. He had to stay out of arm's reach. With the staff he had a chance, but the second he allowed Faction to lay hands on him, the fight would probably reach a rapid and painful conclusion.

But Faction would not be kept on the defensive for long. His surprise at December's offensive charge lasted only a few seconds, then he matched it stroke for stroke with an assault of his own. He faked a lunge, then twirled suddenly and sent his staff swinging toward December's back. December twisted and blocked-

CLANG!

Then spun away just as Faction's almost-unexpected kick was about to dislocate his jaw.

December and Faction faced each other at short range, well within striking distance. Each man held a radically different, yet equally perfected fighting stance. December's was firm and solid... ready to strike or block from a position of strength and power. Faction's was loose... flexible... They circled, eyes searching for an opening in the other's defense.

Not far away, Theesa emerged from the burning Golden Eagle Inn and quickly found a place to hide.

"You surprise me, December," said Faction. "You fight with skill... a pity it will not be enough."

"You speak as if the outcome were certain," December replied.

"It is. You cannot defeat me... you know this. Your skill is naught compared to mine."

"Skill? You refer to your supposed mastery of the twirling branch technique... taught in the southern islands Indochyn?"

"How-"

"You do battle with a man who traveled this world before your father was ever concieved."

Faction laughed.

"You seek to best me with experience? Years mean nothing... you are slow and weak... a lion too long out of the hunt. And now it is time to relieve you of your miserable excuse for a life!"

Faction pointed his staff at December and bright orange flames erupted from the tip. The blast of searing heat died as soon as it reached December, but the flash of the eruption cloaked Faction's next attack. Blinded for an instant, December ducked low and swung his staff to the right. It hit nothing. He instantly twisted to one side as Faction's glowing weapon jabbed toward the center of his spine. Instead of shattering his backbone, the attack caught December in the side... a deep, solid pain exploded through the left side of his body. December ignored it, he spun while rotating his staff... then struck. Faction dodged to one side, but December's staff changed directions in mid-strike-

WHOOSH!

-and barely missed Faction's head as the assassin leapt out of range. He lunged, retreated, then lunged again. December stepped back and blocked. Faction's staff danced in front of him... twirling and spinning, seeming to move in several directions at once. Suddenly it arced downward toward December's forehead. December sidestepped the blow, spun to the right and counterattacked. Faction was no longer there. The assassin had leapt into the air once more. December ducked-

WHOOSH!

The instant Faction's feet touched the ground, December's staff struck... a powerful blow to the solar plexus. Faction leapt back, but was too slow to avoid the surprise attack completely.

"UNRGH!" Faction grunted. Again, his staff spat flame into December's face. December turned away to avoid being blinded. Faction rushed - December turned and struck, sweeping the assassin's feet from under him. Faction turned his fall into a back flip... December's follow-up strike sailed over him an instant before he landed and counterattacked. A straight lunge became a feint... which transformed into a spinning assault. December held his ground and weathered the attacks with powerful blocks. Sparks leapt from the staves as they met with increasing speed and ferocity. Without warning, Faction doubled the intensity of his assault, seeking to overwhelm December's defense. Lightning-quick attacks became even faster. December held his ground... pushing his concentration to the limit. The air grew ice-cold as he struggled to defend himself... suddenly he gave ground, allowing Faction's assault to drive him back. Faction came at him with a series of feints intended to draw his attention. It was impossible to tell which was the real attack and which was merely a decoy. Faction spun, jabbed, spun again, lunged, then swung his blazing weapon in a powerful downward slash intended to shatter December's skull-

December leapt backward... the very tip of Faction's staff passed less than an inch away from his nose. Faction lunged forward. December ducked under the attack and thrust his staff low... at the bare wooden platform beneath Faction's feet... at the very spot where December himself had been standing a mere instant before-

CRACK!

The wood had been made brittle by December's supernatural cold; a four foot diameter section of it cracked and vanished beneath Faction's boots. The assassin had enough time to look down... and suddenly he wasn't there any more-

SPLASH!

The flooded river was just below the platform. Faction plunged into it. December dropped to his knees and thrust his fingers into the water. He released his power-

CriiiiiiAAAACK!

The water turned to ice... flash-frozen in place by December's curse. December pulled his hand back just as the ice rose and expanded to cover the hole, blocking Faction's only route to the surface. More of the wooden platform cracked from the pressure, but the ice sealed the fractures... welling up over the area like a scab forming over a wound.

December stood and looked down at his handiwork.

"A young and foolish upstart... just like his employer," he said. He turned to Theesa. "Come, we must leave this place at once."

"Are you all right?" she said as she ran toward him. December was limping slightly... Faction's single blow to his side had done more damage than he'd anticipated.

"I shall recover," he replied. He took Theesa's arm and began pulling her away from the scene of the fight.

"I meant to tell you... Zade's staff has a-"

FWWWOOOOMMMMM!!!!!

A roiling column of flame and steam erupted from the platform a few yards in front of them. Splinters of burnt wood flew high into the air... and the still-smouldering pieces fell back into the pool of boiling water that lay beneath the shattered platform. Faction burst out of the center of the watery inferno, pulling himself up with such force that he flipped into the air and landed at the edge of the platform's new hole. Tendrils of steam rose from his glowing, red-hot staff. He didn't even pause... as soon as he saw December, he attacked-

---

Zade knew that Thorne was laughing at her inside his armor, but she figured that the laughing would stop soon enough. Thorne stood his ground, waiting for her to rebound off of his impenetrable armor. Zade didn't oblige. She veered to one side, then when Thorne turned toward her, she lunged in the opposite direction and dashed past him on his left. Her blade skittered across his armor, jabbing and slicing at whatever joints it might encounter. It encountered none. Zade noticed that her previous assessment was correct... Thorne carried no weapons whatsoever.

Moving faster than Zade thought possible for an armored brute, Thorne whirled around and swung his huge fist at her head. Zade dropped down to a crouching position while darting across to Thorne's other side. Thorne reached for her. She twisted out of his way and thrust her knife at the shoulder joint in his armor. The seam was barely visible, but it was there... a thin line of darkness where the arm met the torso. The point of her blade dug into it-

FLASSSH!

There was a loud crackle followed by a burst of bluish-white light. The blast knocked Zade backward several steps. The titanium dagger flew out of her hand... her suddenly numb fingers couldn't hold it. A painful tingling assaulted the right side of her body, and all the hair on her arms and legs stood upright. Zade regained her balance just in time; Thorne lunged toward her, bringing both fists downward in a powerful arc. Zade leapt to one side while kicking at Thorne's exposed abdomen. It was like kicking a brick wall. Thorne's fists struck the ground-

THOOOM!!!

The entire garden shook. The 'firm' ground beneath Zade's feet rose up, dropped away, and then slammed into her as Zade lost her balance and fell. The miniature earthquake toppled huge rocks and boulders throughout the garden... their thundering impacts with the ground continued for several seconds.

Zade scrambled for her knife, and Thorne struck again, pounding the rocky ground behind her. She grabbed her weapon and dashed to the left as Thorne charged. The armored behemoth changed course and leapt for her. Zade backpeddaled, veering to one side at the last second before he reached her.

"HOLD STILL!" Thorne grumbled.

"Why?" said Zade.

"SO I CAN POUND YOU!"

"'Hold still so I can pound you?' Is that the best line you can come up with? If so, this is gonna be one boring fight."

Zade circled Thorne slowly, eyeing his armor with wary suspicion. So far she hadn't found a way past it. Whatever joints it had were either hidden or protected by some kind of magic. If the crossbow couldn't punch through the plate then she doubted that anything ELSE she had would do the trick either... but there had to be a weakness somewhere...

Thorne walked toward her. Not a charge or a rush, but a slow, determined pace.

"You can't keep away from me forever," he said. "Either you're gonna have to run.. or I'm gonna tear you apart."

"Or I can kick your ass and walk out of here with that fancy suit of armor."

"Try it."

"I think I will-"

Zade darted to the left, toward one of the large outcroppings of rock that surrounded them. She didn't slow down when she reached it... instead she climbed to the top as fast as she could. She crouched out of Thorne's reach as he came after her... a running charge that ended when he slammed both fists into the stone-

THOOM!

The boulder shook, deep fissures radiated outward from the point of Thorne's impact.

"COME DOWN HERE!" he bellowed.

"If you insist!"

Zade leapt from her perch and twisted in the air... and landed on Thorne's enormous shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his helmet and twisted as hard as she could. The helmet... and the head underneath it... wouldn't budge.

"GET OFF OF ME!"

She quickly pushed off, her powerful legs propelling her away from him even as he reached up to grab her. He almost caught her. Zade back flipped and landed a few feet behind him-

WHOOSH!

Thorne's surprise attack nearly caught her... a huge metal-clad fist swung past her so fast that the resulting gust of wind nearly knocked Zade off balance. It was a quick but clumsy motion that left Thorne's midsection vulnerable to any number of attacks.

But Thorne was invulnerable, so Zade didn't bother.

She snatched her whip from her belt and ducked low as she darted between his legs.

"RAAAGH!" Thorne tried to grab her as she vanished... and then reappeared behind him... and then dashed around to his left side, darted between his legs again and shot around to the right- "STAND STILL!"

"...funny you should mention standing..." Zade said as she backed away. Thorne took a step toward her and Zade yanked hard on her whip-

-which was tied neatly around Thorne's ankles. The snare snapped tight-

"WWWAAAA-" Thorne hollered. He fell back against the boulder where Zade had been crouching earlier. His helmet struck the rock, knocking a large chunk of stone away from the boulder. Thorne continued his fall, finally hitting the ground with a sound like a shot from a cannon.

Zade had already dashed across the garden to her discarded crossbow.

Thorne growled angrily as he grabbed the whip and began untangling his feet...

Zade threw herself into a forward roll and came up in a crouching position with the crossbow in her hand. She loaded a bolt and fired-

CHOOM!
Hisss-

The missile struck the huge rock behind Thorne. The boulder, having finally had enough mistreatment, finally gave in to gravity and collapsed... right on top of Thorne. Thorne's armored head looked up-

"-eh?"

THOOOM!

And suddenly he was buried under fragments of rock, each several times larger than himself. The rock pinned his shoulders, back, and right arm to the ground, leaving only his head, legs and left arm exposed.

"RAAAAAAGGGGH!"

"Round One goes to Zade," Zade said with a smile. She stowed her crossbow in her new bracer and watched to see what was going to happen.

Thorne planted his left arm on the ground and tried to push himself up... something he shouldn't have been able to do. His leverage was insufficient to the task, but brute strength made what little leverage he had more than enough. He pushed himself up at an awkward angle, and some of the shattered rocks started sliding off. Zade was on top of him in an instant... grabbing at his helmet and twisting it, this time in the other direction.

"Come ON! MOVE, DAMMIT!" She hissed. She put all her strength into trying to remove the armor.

Thorne broke into a string of obscenities that Zade ignored. She grabbed his free arm and tried to search for hidden latches or hooks... or WHATEVER it was that kept the armored segments attached. She thought she'd found something when Thorne gave a tremendous push that launched several boulders... and Zade... into the air. Zade hit the ground and rolled to safety.

Thorne got to his feet. His golden armor didn't have a scratch on it, despite having been hit with several tons of rock.

"Are you ready to start fighting now?" He growled.

---

"BACK!" December threw his arm to the side and forced Theesa out of the way. The move proved unfortunate, for he was not ready when Faction reached him-

CRACK!

The glowing staff struck December across the lower jaw. There was a flash of pain from everywhere at once, and then a throbbing agony shot up and down his neck... into his head and down into his upper back. The blow pulped December's unusually hard flesh and nearly shattered his jaw. The staff came around again, December ducked and backed away from Faction's unyielding assault.

"DECEMBER!" Theesa cried. "The Staff-"

"AWAY, WOMAN!" December bellowed.

CLANG!-CLANG!-CLANG!

The staves showered sparks down upon them as they met three times in rapid succession. Faction's attacks grew faster and deadlier... December's blocks grew stronger. Both men spun away from each other, then reversed directions-

KA-CLANG!

Shockwaves from the impact traveled up and down the arms of both combatants. Before the sound had died, December swiveled his weapon and struck again-

WHOOSH!

Faction jerked out of the way... he made a sweeping motion with his arms that caused his cloak to billow around him. December made a wide, powerful sweep with his staff. Faction back flipped over the moving weapon and lashed out in mid air. December saw the attack and tried to parry-

"UNGH!" December grunted as Faction's staff struck him in the throat. The blow was meant to crush December's trachea and cause him suffocate on his own swollen, bleeding cartilage. A last-second twist by December caused the attack to miss its mark, but just barely. The flaming staff struck the bone just below December's throat... and cracked it right down the middle. Fragments of bone jabbed into his delicate tissues and pain erupted in his chest and neck.

December forced the pain from his mind and ducked under the follow-up strike. He backed away quickly, holding his throat and coughing up blue blood that turned red when it hit the ground. The air around him sank further below the freezing-mark.

"NO!" Theesa shouted. The woman still had not fled. The sound of her voice caused December to wince as he stumbled away.

"...get... away..." December coughed. Faction was right on top of him, swooping down like a-

WHOOSH!-CRACK!

-like a damned fool. December spun and swung his titanium staff like a bat. The unyielding metal struck Faction squarely in the mouth and forced his head back with almost enough force to snap his neck... almost. Had December been uninjured and able to use his full strength, the fight would have been over. Blood and shattered teeth sprayed out of Faction's mouth. The assassin immediately threw himself backward, using the momentum of December's blow to go into a back-flip-

CRACK!

A second blow from December swatted him out of the air-

THUD!

Faction hit the ground and rolled to his feet. A jerk of the arm snapped his dislocated shoulder back into place while his other hand was in motion-

zzzzZZ-thwok!

December twisted to one side... two of Faction's throwing stars sank into the wooden platform behind him. The third missile struck December in the chest, slicing through hardened skin and muscle less than an inch away from his heart

"ARRGH!"

Blue liquid spread across his shirt in a bright stain that quickly turned red.

Faction spat out another shattered tooth and charged, running full-speed toward December, then leaping into the air and flipping over him. December struck as soon as the assassin landed, but blinding flames roared down upon him from above as the assassin passed overhead. December knew where the assassin would land, knew the attack most likely to follow, and knew how to counter that attack... unfortunately his injured body responded too slowly.

Something struck him across the left temple and everything went dark for an instant. In that instant, December was struck once more. He blocked Faction's third attack more by instinct than conscious intent-

CLANG!

Instead of retreating, Faction thrust suddenly forward and brought the heel of his hand to December's chest... right were the edge of the throwing star still protruded from his flesh. Faction jabbed the weapon in further and followed with a back-fist strike to the face.

December barely felt it. He'd pushed so much pain out of his mind that his new assault didn't even register. Faction moved back, feigned a lunge-strike, then swept his staff low at December's feet. December leapt over the weapon while swinging with his own-

CLANG!

Faction's follow-up attack was too fast for December to block

CRACK!

The glowing staff struck him across the face, just above the bridge of his nose. December spun away, spinning his staff in a textbook defensive array of sweeps and blocks that Faction easily avoided. The assassin zig-zagged through December's defenses, pretended to attack with his staff... but then leapt upward and threw a pair of flying front-snap kicks that knocked December off of his feet-

THUD!

The platform shook as December's heavy body fell. A second later, his staff landed just out of arm's reach. December rolled to one side, and Faction's staff seared a hole in the platform where his head had been. He rolled to the other side, and Faction's kick encountered nothing but air. December got to his hands and knees and scrambled for his staff, but Faction beat him to it.

He kicked the weapon away... the titanium staff vanished into the darkness.

Faction's weapon struck December across the shoulders and knocked him back down. When the staff came down a second time... this time at December's exposed neck... December twisted onto his side and grabbed the glowing weapon. The staff's glow flickered and began to die-

CRACK!

Faction's kick threw December back as the assassin yanked his staff out of December's grasp. Now with one eye swelling shut and sending throbbing bolts of pain into his head, December rolled out of Faction's reach and got to his feet. Flames roared toward him and ignited the platform all around him. December backed away... not out of fear of the flames, but because of what he knew was using the fire as cover. Even December's heat-sensitive vision was a liability now... all he saw was the heat of the fire.

He looked around-

"DECEMBER BEHIND YOU!"

Acting on Theesa's warning, December spun and grabbed Faction, who'd been sneaking up behind him. He lifted the surprised assassin into the air and body-slammed him down into flames from the burning platform.

WHAM!

Faction jerked out of December's grasp and disappeared for an instant... then he shot out of the flames like a wraith, foot extended in a flying side-kick with his staff poised overhead for a downward swing.

Faction's foot impacted December's already cracked chest just below the throat. The cracked bone shattered. December flew back, hit the ground on his back, and slid across the platform. When he came to rest, Faction's staff was sweeping down toward him. December twisted-

CRACK!

A chunk of the platform fell away under the force of Faction's blow and the enchantment of the fiery staff. Again-

CRACK!

An even larger hole on the other side of December's head. Faction struck again... December kicked at Faction's legs, then rolled-

CRrrrAAAK!- SPLASH!

A three-yard long section of platform vanished, leaving the upper half of December's body dangling out over the water. Faction reached down and grabbed December by the throat. December looked around... searching for signs of Theesa. He couldn't see her. Good... that meant she'd gotten away.

"Heh, heh, heh," Faction chuckled. "Your intention was never to defeat me... as if you ever could. You fought to buy time for the woman... a weak, foolish, and ultimately futile gesture. Had you abandoned her to me, you may have been able to slip away while I slaughtered her. But then again, perhaps not."

December looked up at what little he could see of Faction's face. Blood still poured out of the corners of Faction's mouth, and Faction paused in his taunts to spit out another bloody tooth.

"You wish me to tell you that you fought well?" said Faction. "You did not. Now you will die-"

"NOOOO!!!" came Theesa's shrill cry. She was still there. She was still in danger.

"...your woman is as foolish as you," said Faction. "No doubt, the last thought in her mind as I kill her will be the memory of me killing you. She will shed tears as I crush her skull, not tears for herself... but tears for you."

December felt something... an emotion that he hadn't experienced in many decades: Desperation. He lowered his arms into the river-water beneath him-

"Will you cry for her now?" said Faction. "Or will-"

The movement sent needles of pain digging into December's chest... but he growled and shoved the agony away. His fists rose from the water, now encased in blocks of hard ice that had frozen around his hands. In one powerful motion, he brought them together above him, slamming them into opposite sides of Faction's grinning, bleeding face

CRUNCH!

Faction staggered backward, December rose and swung again- a vicious right-cross that caught the stunned assassin unprepared-

CRACK!

The impact spun Faction completely around, flinging more blood from his already battered face. December followed with an upper-cut that shattered the block of ice on his left hand, but also shattered even more teeth and sent the assassin reeling. Faction's flaming staff flew from his hand... the second it left his grasp it ceased to glow and shrank down to a small rod that was quickly lost in the night.

"You speak too much," said December. A straight-jab backed Faction up several steps. "Better to have killed me when you had the chance." December threw another punch, but by now the element of surprise was lost.

Faction blocked the blow with a ridge-hand strike that shattered the remaining block of ice.

"The fight is not yet over," said Faction... his words mauled by swollen lips and fractured teeth. He launched into a rapid array of punches to December's face. December remembered being hit once... then he was on the ground, utterly unaware that he'd actually been struck six times in less than two seconds.

There was no immediate follow-up attack; December tried to stand, but a front-snap kick broke his nose and sent him rolling along the platform like a limp, lifeless doll. Faction propelled him even further with multiple kicks to the side, stomach, and back. He tried to stand once more, but Faction's fists struck with lightning speed and deadly precision... two punches to the lower and upper back sent December into spasms. Half of his body went numb, then exploded into pain as cracked vertebrae ground against delicate nerves. December blacked out several times in the next few seconds... when he finally forced his eyes to remain open, he thought at first that he'd somehow found the strength to rise... then he realized that Faction had him by the hair and was yanking him to his feet.

December staggered weakly, blood pouring from his broken nose. One eye was swollen shut, and the other was only half-open. His limbs trembled uncontrollable from the pain in his back.

"I stand corrected," said Faction. He drew back and prepared to strike the killing blow... a punch to the throat. "The fight IS over!"

---

VOOOM!

"Whoa!" Zade ran to the left as the airborne stone hurtled toward her, then twisted to the right as another one zoomed past. Thorne picked up another rock and threw it... The collapse of the stone outcropping had given Thorne a large supply of deadly stone missiles to hurl at her; and Thorne's incredible strength turned the ordinary rocks into cannonballs. Zade saw the rocks coming, but that didn't make them any easier to doge. Zade dodged left and right, but the rocks just got closer. Thorne was fast, he didn't get tired, and every time he missed he only seemed to get angrier and stronger.

"Throwing ROCKS!?" Zade taunted. "You fight like a schoolyard bully!"

A two-foot diameter stone missed Zade's head by inches.

"Okay, I've had enough of this," she murmured. "Time to take this guy out." She checked the two small pouches that hung from her belt. Her surprise was still there, but she had to get close. Zade charged, zigzagging back and forth through the hail of flying rocks. Thorne saw her coming toward him. Behind his golden faceplate, he smiled. He reached down and grabbed two smaller rocks he'd been saving, taking one in each hand. He threw the left one, then hurled the right one a fraction of a second later-

Zade dodged to the left... a small stone sailed past her. Then she-

WHAM!

Something struck her dead-center in the chest with enough force to knock Zade off of her feet and throw her backward several yards. She hit the rocky ground, flipped end-over-end, and slid almost ten more feet before finally coming to a halt. She lay on her stomach, with a pool of blood forming underneath her. She had more fractured ribs than she had whole one, and the broken bones ground painfully against each other.

"...grrrr...." Zade growled deeply. The very effort made Zade's chest hurt even more. But she already felt the bones moving back into place... slowly and painfully.

not this time... not this time... not this time... she chanted in her mind. She tried to hold the change back. She already felt her skin thickening as canine fur began to sprout. She fought it back, refusing to give up control of her own body. Not now. Not this time. Unfortunately, her effort slowed the healing even further. She felt the ground vibrate from Thorne's thundering footsteps. If she just let go, she'd be completely healed by the time he reached her. But she'd also be a wolf, and this was a battle that a wolf simply could not win.

"You think I'm stupid!" Thorne's voice boomed from somewhere above her. "But YOU are the one that's stupid... fighting someone that you know you can't hurt! NOW look at you!"

Thorne lifted his foot and brought it down-

THOOOM!

Zade twisted to safety at the last instant. She rolled to her feet-

WHOOOSH!

-and ducked under Thorne's punch, hissing at the pain that the motion caused. She backed away... limping and wincing and still fighting back the animal that clawed at her mind. Thorne reached for her- Zade didn't know that he'd grabbed her arm until she felt it snap in his grasp like a dry chicken bone.

Zade didn't scream. She growled and lunged at him with such ferocity that her shocked opponent actually released her arm. She leapt onto his chest and bit down on his neck... sharp canine teeth ground uselessly against the impenetrable metal encasing his throat. Had Thorne not been wearing it, Zade would have torn his throat out. Unfortunately-

"HEEEY! What the hell are you doing!"

Thorne grabbed her and threw her away from him. Zade landed on her side, rolled, twisted around, and came up on all fours.

"You tried to BITE Me!" Thorne snapped.

Zade realized that she had no idea what had just happened. The past four or five seconds were a blur of animalistic impulses... but her arm was healed and her chest didn't hurt nearly as much. She'd almost lost it... almost let the animal win. She had to fight it back... IT was the enemy now, not Thorne. If she lost it now, Thorne would rip her wolf form in half...

...not that her human form was faring much better.

Thorne saw that Zade was distracted. She was staring straight at him, but her mind was somewhere else.

Thorne charged her, and Zade didn't even react. Not at first. By the time Thorne's approach registered on her conflicted mind(s), he was already upon her. His huge metal fist came at her. She twisted away from it, but it struck a glancing blow that hurt so much that Zade didn't even feel it-

-suddenly she was somewhere else. Some other place... some other time... A plantation. There were men shouting... and the cracking of whips. Children screaming for their mother. One of the children was her-

-and just as suddenly, Zade was back. She'd blacked out for a second, and in that time, Thorne had grabbed Zade by the neck and the belt and lifted her up over his head. She looked down at the upturned face of his helmet. Her blood dripped down onto his armor as he held her in the air. He turned to face a large rock... Zade assumed he was going to smash her against it. Zade grabbed one of his hands and tried to force his fingers loose... but each of those fingers had more strength than all the muscles in her entire body.

"Faction wanted to be the one to kill you," Thorne said. "But then... what does HE matter, eh?"

---

"Farewell, fool," Faction sneered. December squinted at the fist that was about to strike him... then he one open eye widened at the sudden flash of light. Faction saw it too. The assassin turned-

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Theesa yelled. Faction's enchanted staff glowed wickedly in her small, trembling hands. She pointed the weapon at the two combatants. "Get away from him NOW!"

Faction opened his mouth, but just then, a thick cone of billowing orange flame burst from the staff and enveloped them both. December had no idea how Theesa had managed to find the weapon, let alone activate it... but she had. The flames licked at them... surrounding them both, but unable to touch either of them. December's curse nullified the fire before it reached his pale skin, and Faction's gem made Theesa's fiery assault equally useless against him.

But there was an effect.

Faction growled in anger. He shoved December away and stormed toward Theesa, plowing through the flames as if they were a mere illusion.

"You DARE touch an Ysuin weapon!" he hissed. "You have earned yourself a particularly long and painful death!"

Theea backed away and circled around the assassin... trying to keep him away from her. The staff's flames were having no effect, and if he got close enough to touch her-

"HELLLPP!!!!" she cried. "SOMEBODY HELP US, PLEASE!"

The stream of flames from the staff finally died. Theesa ran her fingers desperately along its length, trying to reactivate it. She didn't know how she'd done it the first time; it had just happened on its own.

"HELLP!!"

"....no...." December moaned. He was on the ground, barely able to move. He heard Theesa screaming, but was too weak to even turn his head to look. He closed his eyes... eye... and took as deep a breath as his injured chest would allow. The temperature around him dropped. Cracks formed in the wooden platform as droplets of moisture inside the wood suddenly became solid ice. The temperature dropped further still... the air became thick and heavy. December raised his hand to his chest and felt along the skin for the tip of the throwing star that was still lodged in his flesh. He found it and ripped it out. "...arrrghhh..." he snarled from the pain and the effort... the temperature dropped a full fifteen degrees in an instant... then the wound began to close...

Faction was almost upon her. Walking slowly and steadily, he was just a few feet away.

"STAY AWAY!" Theesa howled. More orange flame spat forth from the staff, but it was to no avail. Faction walked right up to her, then reached out-

-suddenly he turned and lunged in the other direction as a bolt from a crossbow zipped past, missing both Faction and Theesa by inches.

"Zade?" Theesa gasped as she quickly backpeddaled. She looked to see who had come to her rescue. It wasn't Zade.

Four men stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the end of the street. Three of them had swords drawn, and a fourth was rapidly reloading a crossbow.

"I am Sheriff Wylan Chastain," said one of the swordsmen. He pointed his sword at Faction. "And YOU, sir, are under arrest!"

Faction looked at them in silence for a moment... then burst out laughing.

"Looks like a tough one," said another swordsman.

"Uh-huh," Wylan replied. He nodded at the archer beside him. "Better send him to hell with the rest of the tough guys."

"Right."

The archer took aim and fired. Faction threw himself to one side, and the arrow sailed over his shoulder.

"DAMN, he's fast!" said the archer.

"SCATTER!" Wylan ordered. The other men scattered... running in three different directions, and then suddenly charging toward Faction. Wylan ran toward December, but Theesa was ahead of him.

"...Stay Back..." December said with much pain and effort. "...too cold... for human flesh." It was true. At a distance of three yards, the air was too cold to allow Wylan or Theesa to get any closer. Their skin was already going numb from the sub-freezing temperature.

"I did what you said," said Wylan. "The only men I could trust... ready to move against Brinks. Good thing we came-"

"Get them... away from here," said December. He was getting to his feet now. It took several attempts, but he finally stood. "They are in terrible danger. Take Theesa and go! I will hold the assassin-"

"No, I'm not leaving you!" said Theesa.

"Are you INSANE, man!" said Wylan. "You just got your clock cleaned! Get to safety and let us professionals handle his lout!"

CRACK!

Wylan spun to see what the noise was. One swordsman had rushed the seemingly unarmed Faction, only to have his shoulder dislocated and his arm fractured in five places before his brain even registered Faction's first movement. His sword hit the ground. Blood poured from the places in his arm where jagged bone fragments had broken through the skin. The second swordsman charged from behind while the archer took careful aim at the assassin's head. Faction twisted the first man's arm again-

"ARAAAA!!"

While throwing a lightning-fast back kick that connected with the second man's throat.

CRUNCH!

The second man backed away, coughing up blood and fragments of his windpipe. He fell and convulsed painfully as he choked to death on his own blood. The first swordsman continued screaming with one hand caught in Faction's iron-hard grasp. His other hand reached for his belt... he thrust his knife at Faction's gut. Faction grabbed that hand as well, and made a series of quick motions-

crick-crack-CRACK!
THUD!

The man hit the ground and cried out in pain... there was not a single unbroken bone in either arm. Faction's boot came down and crushed the man's throat, extinguishing his screams.

The archer fired. Faction dodged, then charged. The man tossed his crossbow to one side and drew his sword.

"Damn him!" Said Wylan. He drew his own weapon and joined the fray.

"No! You'll be killed!" said Theesa.

"He has decided his fate," said December. "We must go now, or his sacrifice will be for naught."

He started to limp toward the street. Theesa looked back to see Wylan and the archer standing on either side of Faction. The archer held a short-sword, and Wylan was armed with a longsword. They circled Faction warily. The archer lunged forward; Faction turned toward him and Wylan charged. Faction went into a spin, his black cloak billowing outward. Both men backed away. Faction reached up his sleeve and threw something at the ground-

crack-POOOOF!

A cloud of grey smoke rose up around him. Wylan and the archer moved further back so as not to be caught in the cloud. Faction was nowhere to be seen... suddenly he appeared, leaping out of the cloud in a flying kick. Wylan spun out of the way and slashed with his sword. Faction landed and rolled under the crude weapon's attack. He got to his feet, already kicking at Wylan's sword hand. Wylan twisted away from the kick as the archer charged Faction from behind. Faction heard him... he turned. Now Wylan charged as well. Faction stepped to one side and grabbed the archer's arm with both hands. He yanked the man forward with sword still extended-

"URCK!"

And impaled Wylan on the archer's sword. Then he snapped the archer's neck and let his body fall on top of Wylan's.

Finally he turned back toward December and Theesa.

"One of you is in possession of my weapon," he said as he approached them. Theesa still had Faction's staff. It had shrank back down to rod-size; she held it tightly in her hand. "Now that that minor distraction has been eliminated, I will return to the business of killing you both."

Theesa pointed the rod at Faction and tried to get it to activate. It wouldn't.

December stepped in front of her... at a safe distance... and stood between her and Faction.

"Go ahead," said Faction. "Tell her to run while you delay my pursuit. That always amuses me..."

"Theesa... please..."

December didn't finish. With tears streaming down her face... Theesa turned and ran.

---

Zade abandoned her attempt to free herself and reached for one of the pouches on her belt. Faction drew back and prepared to dash her to pieces against the rock... but then a wrapped small bundle appeared in front of his face.

"Eh? What's this?" said Thorne.

"You know what it is," Zade replied. "You KNOW... what it is..."

There was a long pause... and then Zade was on the ground. Thorne didn't lower her, or set her down... he simply dropped her as if he suddenly lacked the strength to continue holding her up. Zade landed on her rear end. She scooted away from Thorne, then stood. All she could manage was a crouching position... but as her injuries healed she slowly rose to her full height. Once again, she was in full control of her body and mind. For now.

The same didn't apply to Thorne.

The armored man stood like a statue, facing Zade... not moving or saying anything.

"Strength of the heart," said Zade. "Also known as willpower. Show you a little Dust... and all of a sudden your willpower ain't that strong any more, is it?"

"Give... give me that..." Thorne stretched out his hand as if he expected Zade to walk up to him and give him the pouch. "Give me that..."

"Say please," said Zade.

"GIVE IT TO ME!!!" Thorne roared. He thundered toward Zade.

"Okay... all you had to do was ask-"

Zade tossed the pouch to him. Thorne caught it and stopped in his tracks. He looked down at the bundle.

"But NOW what are you gonna do with it?" said Zade. "You're gonna have to take off that helmet to put that stuff to use... and you KNOW what's gonna happen when you do that." Zade held up her knife and smiled.

Even though Zade couldn't see Thorne's face, she could tell he was conflicted. She could tell by the weak stance and the drooping shoulders.

"I-" he stammered. "I- I'm just... going to have to kill you!"

"Think you can manage that?" said Zade. "Look at you... you can barely stand up. You've got the one thing you want in the world right there in your hand. Think you can spare the willpower to deal with little ole' me?"

Thorne swayed back and forth, as if he were about to collapse under his own weight.

"If... if you leave now, I'll let you live," said Thorne.

"No deal. You wanted the stuff... you got the stuff. I ain't going anywhere."

Thorne gazed down at the bundle of Dust as if hypnotized by it. In a way, he was.

Zade approached him, and he didn't even notice. She stood well within his reach. He didn't move.

"Well?" said Zade.

"...leave me alone..." Thorne replied weakly.

"What's the magic word?"

"...please... go away..."

"So what's it like to be a Dust addict?" said Zade as she walked in a slow lazy circle around him. "Two personalities trapped in that one big body. Or have you been an addict for so long that your original personality doesn't even come back any more?"

"I... don't know."

"Hmmm... maybe I should try it for myself then..." Zade held up the second pouch of Dust.

"GIMME THAT!" said Thorne. He reached out for it... but stumbled and barely caught his balance before hitting the ground. Zade backed out of his reach.

"Nuh-uh. It's mine."

"I want it!"

"You've got your own. Right there in your hand, see?"

Thorne looked at his own pouch of dust. Zade wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she heard a whimper.

"I've got more, too... You know how easy this stuff is to get on the street?"

"He... won't let me out. The mages watch me when I leave-"

"I can bring you all the Dust you want. And I'll leave you alone so you can use it, too."

"You... will?"

"All you have to do is bring me the Heart of Verraque. The gem that Brinks stole. Bring it to me and its all the Dust you can snort."

"That's all you want? The gem?"

"Yep."

Zade was positive this time... she definitely heard a whimper.

"I... they... he... leave me alone!"

"Nope!"

"Then I'LL leave! You can't follow me!"

Thorne started to walk away. Zade got a running start and threw a flying tackle, landing on Thorne's back and knocking him off balance. The armored giant toppled-

THOOM!

-and ended up face-down on the ground, with Zade sitting on his back.

"Get off!"

Zade unwrapped her bundle of dust and poured the fine white powder into a little pile right in front of Thorne's face.

"Theeere ya go, big guy," said Zade. "Dig in. Don't mind me. Ooops, forgot about the helmet. Here, lemme help you with that-"

Zade grabbed Thorne's helmet and twisted it. There was a metallic 'click' followed by a 'snap' and then a loud-

HISSSsssss.....

-that slowly faded away into silence.

Thorne didn't move. He couldn't. His own armor was too heavy... he was trapped inside of it. But not for long.

With one hand grasping her knife, Zade yanked the helmet off and brought the blade down-

"YAAAA!!- Huh?"

There was no head.

At first Zade thought that the armor was just an empty shell, then she saw a vague round shape shrinking down into the armor's torso like a deflating balloon.

"What the-"

"...help me..." came a tiny voice from deep inside- "I can't get out..."

The voice... so small and faint...

"Dear gods..." Zade gasped. She grabbed the left arm and twisted-

click-snap-

-and pulled it away. She removed the other pieces as quickly as she could... finally revealing the figure inside the armor.

Zade recoiled in horror. She backed away, not wanting to look at what she'd uncovered.

There among the pieces of golden armor lay a little boy, not more than seven or eight years old.

Thorne was a child.

The boy was so skinny and weak that even without the armor he could barely move. His arms and legs were like tiny knotted twigs. Unhealthy splotches dotted his deathly pale skin. His blonde hair was thin and sparse... what little he had was plastered to his head by the cold sweat that coated his naked body. As Zade watched, the boy curled up into a fetal position and began shivering. But the worse part was the face. Even twisted by the fear and hunger that gripped the boy, his facial features were easily recognizable.

"...You're his son," said Zade. "You're Gabrial Brinks' son!"

"don't hurt me," the boy pleaded. His shivering intensified. Zade couldn't tell if it was from fear or withdrawal.

Zade picked the boy up. He reached for the pile of Dust on the ground, but Zade snatched him away before he could grab any of it.

"You don't need any more of that," she said.

"...Please don't hurt me. I didn't mean it..."

"Didn't mean what? Didn't mean to kill anybody?"

"I c-can't help it. s-sometimes I ch-change... i do bad things and I can't help it!"

"Sometimes? Or MOST of the time? How long has he been feeding you this stuff? How long have you been this way?"

The boy didn't answer. He wrapped his arms around Zade and held onto her. She could feel him trembling. Then Zade knew.

"You were born addicted, weren't you? And then he told everyone you were dead... turned you into a murderer. A killer that he could control with his drugs. That bastard."

Zade lowered the boy to the ground... she stood him up, but he was too weak to stand. He fell over, and Zade helped him sit up.

"You... aren't going to hurt me?" he said.

"I don't do children," said Zade. "If December wants you dead, he'll have to do it himself. This is where I draw the line." Zade looked at the boy's face. So young... if Zade's life had gone differently, the boy could have been her son. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I... If I'd have known you were a kid I-"

"You didn't hurt me," said the boy. "You can't hurt me when I'm wearing it."

"This?"

Zade grabbed the golden helmet. It was heavy... much heavier than steel or iron. It was almost as if it were made out of solid gold.

"It makes me big. But it won't work for you," said the boy. "Daddy tried it... even Faction tried it... the men in the robes said that it will only for me."

"Innocent," said Zade. "Even corrupted by Dust, there's still enough innocence left inside you-"

Suddenly disgusted, Zade dropped the helmet and spat on the ground. She turned to leave.

"Take me with you!" the boy cried. He reached out for Zade. "Please?"

"I can't," said Zade. "The people I work for..." Zade shook her head. She didn't know what would happen if she took this boy to December. She couldn't take the chance. Not with a child.

"But-"

"Just get out of here," said Zade. "Leave that damned armor and get on the first boat out of here. Crawl on your hands and knees if you have to."

"But I can't!"

"Try," said Zade as she left the garden. "Just try..."

"PLEASE!" the boy cried. "TAKE ME WITH YOU!"

Zade looked down as she walked away... she just couldn't hold her head up. Her heart hurt... and it hurt a little more every time she heard the boy calling after her. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. She wasn't doing the wrong thing... but she wasn't doing the RIGHT thing, either. All she could do was leave... leave, and ignore the heaviness in her heart, and the stinging sensation in the corners of her eyes...

---

"No more games," Faction sneered. "No more tricks, no more distractions."

December stood his ground and said nothing. He gathered what little strength he had remaining... which wasn't much. A steady influx of heat absorbed from the surroundings had accelerated the healing of his injuries, but he was still in no condition to fight... or even stand up straight. December had to stoop awkwardly to one side to assuage the fire in his chest and upper back. The only reason he was on his feet at all was from the sheer force of will that it took to force back the pain. His chest... his back... his head... he'd taken a beating severe enough to permanently maim a normal man. And he knew that he was about to take another.

But Faction wasn't in perfect condition, either. Blood still dripped from underneath his hood, and his words were barely recognizable when filtered through his own injuries. He approached December with a slight limp... slowly... but still obviously confident that this was going to be a very short fight.

December watched Faction... carefully reviewing the various attacks that the assassin had used so far. Faction was fast... he always attacked with explosive speed and force. December knew just how close Faction would get before striking. The instant Faction stepped into range, December threw himself to the side. Faction's spinning hook kick shot harmlessly past his right ear. December backed away... not in a straight line, but stepping randomly to one side or the other. He knew better than to attack. At least not now.

Faction came for him, rapidly closing the distance between them with several leaping kicks that December narrowly avoided.
December knew he had to keep his distance at all costs.

"You fight like a coward," Faction hissed.

"This from a killer of old men and beggers," December replied.

Faction charged. December feinted to the left, but then dodged... left. Faction spun past him, then suddenly reversed his direction and threw a spinning axe-kick. December ducked, then tried to block Faction's next kick with his arm. That kick was a decoy. Faction leapt into a front-snap kick that caught December on the chin. December stumbled backward. Faction dove after him, fists already blurred by the speed of his punches. December threw his arm across his throat to protect it; Faction pummelled his chest and abdomen with rock-breaking strikes. December's mind was already swimming in pain, but now the water-level rose higher. December twisted to one side... a mistake.

A roundhouse kick to the center of his back sent December stumbling wildly. His legs gave out, and all December felt below his waist was pain. He fell... missing Faction's second kick by pure accident. December rolled to the side. Faction's fist punched straight through the wooden platform beside him. December released even more of his power... the water beneath the platform froze instantly... with Faction's hand still wrist-deep within it.

"What-" Faction gasped. Thanks to his gem, his hand was unharmed by December's cold. But it was stuck in the ice.

Being a firm believer that there was no such thing as a fair fight, December wasted no time getting to his feet and kicking Faction squarely in the face as hard as he could. Faction grunted and pulled back, trying to yank his hand free. The ice beneath the platform began to crack. December kicked him again.

Faction's hand pulled free the instant December's kick broke his elbow and bent his arm backwards with an audible 'crack'!

"ARRRGH!" Faction fell backward, cradling his shattered arm. He recovered quick enough to force December back with a series of kicks. December backed away, but not fast enough-

CRACK!

A roundhouse kick caught him across the jaw. Another slug of pain slammed into his already besieged mind. Three more kicks followed. December avoided the first two, but the third send him reeling and staggering out of control. Faction rushed him, preparing to strike with his uninjured right hand. December twisted to one side while reaching into his pocket. The heel of Faction's hand shot toward a lethal pressure point just above the bridge of December's nose. December turned his head while stepping into the attack. Faction's blow struck on the side of December's head, just behind December's eye socket, where it cracked the delicate orbital bone and sent the force of the blow directly into December's frontal lobe. There were several alternating flashes of pure white light and abysmal darkness... December fought back the rising unconsciousness just long enough to sweep his hand upward across Faction's chest and throat- Cloth ripped, and blood splattered over December's hand... which held the throwing star that he'd torn out of his own flesh mere minutes ago. December slashed with the razor sharp missile once more, opening up more of Faction's cloak and slicing him across the neck. December couldn't tell if he'd hit anything vital or not... his vision had gone blurry... everything hurt... and then, it stopped....

... December awoke on the ground, sprawled out on the hard wood. The fact that he was alive meant that either he'd only been imaginings for a few fractions of a second,... or something had happened to Faction.

"...huk..."

Faction stood not far away... one hand clasped to his throat. Blood spilled out between his gloved fingers. December's attack has missed the vital jugular veins, but it had nonetheless done grievous damage do Faction's throat... possibly severing his windpipe. The wound was not immediately fatal... but it could be with a little help. Wylan Chastain's body lay not far away, still clutching his sword. December took the weapon and approached slowly. Faction saw him and hissed. Trailing blood, the assassin charged. December stepped back, and before he knew what happened, Faction had kicked the blade out of his hand and hit him with a hard back-fist punch that left the bloody imprints of Faction's knuckles on December's face. December reached for Faction's throat even as Faction reached for his.

Faction's fingers sank into the tissues of December's neck. They squeezed hard... harder... December felt the cartilage cracking in his throat as he dropped to his knees. He tried to return the favor and choke his attacker into submission, but he was too weak... too close to unconsciousness. December had no idea where the throwing star he'd used earlier was... he'd lost it when he passed out. And now he was on his way out again.

"...die..." Faction hissed. His voice was a ragged whispering gurgle. Blood spurted out onto December's hand through a long slash in Faction's throat. "...die, damn you..."

"...you... first..." December squeaked. Faction squeezed harder, and December felt his own fingers going limp. He loosened his double-fisted grasp and moved one hand to the assassin's injured arm. He grabbed the shattered elbow and twisted it in a final, desperate gambit. Faction hissed and gurgled and bled... but did not release him. December squeezed harder... then went limp as all the strength drained out of him. He looked up at Faction's hooded face. He saw the man's evil eyes glaring down at him... saw the bruised swollen lips part:

"...she... will die screaming..." Faction whispered. "...screaming..."

SHIK!

"ARRRrrRRAA!..." Faction howled as the six-inch blade thrust deep into his back. The blade ripped free... and then sank in again, puncturing a lung. Faction released December spun and gazed at his attacker with rage and surprise.

"I told you to leave us alone," Theesa said through clenched teeth. She held Zade's titanium staff in her hands, but now the staff had a razor-sharp blade protruding from each end. One blade was red with Faction's blood. "And I meant it!"

"You!" he hissed as he staggered toward her. The punctured lung had already filled with blood, and now blood was pouring from his nose and mouth as well as the two holes in his back. He still came for her, however. Slowly... steadily... Theesa's eyes widened with fear. She looked down at the blood on the blade of her staff, and then up at Faction. Could this man not die!? He took another staggering step toward her... he reached for her...

Or at least he tried.

His arm could not move.

He looked over at his arm as if it were some sentient thing that had betrayed him. But even it had betrayed him, the appendage had had no choice in the matter. It was dead... stiff and pale and cold. Even as Faction watched, December yanked the frozen limb off of the assassin's shoulder and threw it to the ground, where it shattered like fine crystal.

In December's other hand, Faction's enchanted gem hung from its chain, wrapped around December's fingers. December had removed it. And now the assassin was unprotected, with one arm broken, and the other simply... gone. The assassin's eyes widened not with rage or surprise... but with pure, unadulterated fear.

"...no..."

Faction tried to escape, but only made one step before December snatched the bladed staff from Theesa and slashed at his legs, severing both sets of the tendons with one sweep. Faction fell to the ground... he tried to halt his fall with his one remaining arm, but the broken appendage folded and collapsed like a cheap straw. December grabbed Faction's cloak and slid him across the platform to one of the many holes that their combat had created. Without word or ceremony, December slid Faction into the water and held him by the shoulder, so that only his head was above the surface. He reached down and touched the water with one finger-

CRACKLE!

-encasing Faction in a block of ice that reached from his neck down to below his feet.

"...no, don't..."

"I believe you mentioned that someone would die screaming," said December. "A pity you will not have that option for your own demise."

"no!"

December shoved the ice-block into the water with Zade's staff... turning it upside down so that Faction's head was submerged, and then pushing it underneath the platform so that it could not rise again.

A few bubbles snaked their way to the surface. And then... nothing.

"December?" said Theesa. December waved her back... then turned and tossed Faction's gem to her. She caught it.

"Put it on," he instructed. Theesa placed the chain around her neck. At first she seemed confused by the sudden lack of cold... then she understood. She ran to December and embraced him.

December moaned in pain and dropped to his knees, nearly taking Theesa with him.

"Careful," he said weakly. "My injuries are severe."

"Will you be all right?"

"Like the assassins of the Ysuin Order... I am notoriously difficult to kill."

"Thank the gods for that... can you get up?"

"In a moment," December sighed. He took a few deep breaths, and the temperature fell another dozen degrees. Theesa didn't even notice it. "You did not leave. Why?"

Theesa looked into his eyes, and December knew the answer to his own question. She didn't leave for the same reason that he'd asked her to go... for the same reason that he fought Faction. He knew it. And he felt it.

"If you ever ask me to leave you again," Theesa said with tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I'll hurt you worse than he did. I've already lost one man that I loved... I'm not going to loose another! You're not going to die and leave me behind!"

"I... had no intention... of dying."

"You'd better not have!"

"No," December grunted as he got to his feet. "N'Doki would be furious. I would never hear the end of it."

"Ha, ha," said Theesa. She gave December Zade's staff to lean on... after she retracted the blades.

"Interesting weapon," said December.

"I TRIED to tell you-"

December suddenly looked up at the sky. There was a sound like the distant rumble of thunder, and then a low roar that steadily increased in volume. It was getting closer. Louder. It was the roar of a mighty wall of water... millions of gallons... racing down the Hames river toward New Venyce. The river was already rising visibly... pouring over its banks and gushing out through the holes in the platform.

"Oh, no," Theesa gasped. "oh gods, no..."

[To Be Continued]