Saigo weaved between patrols. Their eyes slid over his uniform one of theirs which was why they didn't think to stop him.
What did they care about a messenger? He was running, and a slight smirk touched his lips. The letter had revealed much, but the main thing was the delivery address. The most valuable headquarters.
Of course, you couldn't set foot there too dangerous, and a crowd might trip you up. "I'll run nearby, for show..." The merchant quarter, then northeast. From memory, the wall was lower there, due to the hill. If he was late after dawn, the gray masonry would fall into shadow, which might buy him half an hour.
They let him onto the market square without a word.
A sleepy guard nodded; Saigo nodded back.
Walking past the stalls, he caught fleeting glances. So what? Just another courier on business. Who wanted extra trouble?
"Alarm!" From behind, from a rooftop a desperate, wailing cry.
"Damn, spotted." Saigo turned more for show. It would have been strange not to turn around, being the only one on the street.
People were crowding together... Four dead bodies were being lowered from the opposite building. While everyone was distracted his chance had come. He took a step back, turned, and dissolved into the crowd.
If pressed, he'd blame the report. The plan was good, but it failed to account for something, or rather, someone.
A moment and he was covered by a force wild, powerful, pressing him to the ground in a second.
Barely staying on his feet, he looked up. On the roofтa figure in a cloak, standing, slightly swaying. Nothing remarkable, except for clearly female contours that even the baggy fabric couldn't hide.
"Secret police?" flashed through his mind. "Do they really have individuals like that in their ranks? Got to go." Saigo pretended not to notice anything and bolted straight ahead...
…
Katarina patrolled the sky above the city, looking for a worthy husband. "Tirelessly" by her standards, about thirty minutes.
But even in that negligible time, the sharp turns and the wine made her head spin quickly, treacherously floating off into the astral.
A couple of times she had to land on the tiles to catch her breath, sternly instructing her foolish dome: "You are not a sprat in a barrel, and vomiting is beneath imperial dignity!"
The guards below reacted predictably: first surprised looks, then fear, and when they guessed who was soaring above their heads real panic.
But Katarina dissolved into the air before the soldiers could recover from the shock and shout.
"Ugh, not a single lead!" After flying over all the places of his last appearances, hope for a quick capture was melting like snow in the sun.
"Time to head back to the castle." And suddenly a sharp cry from below. "Hm? Curious..." She dove onto the nearest roof, landing lighter than a shadow.
"What do we have here?" A crowd swirled at the edge of the market square, lowing like a herd of bison.
"Over there, on the balcony opposite they're lowering bodies, four of them."
"Ours?"
"No, the thieves' guild."
"Those you see them every day. A medal to whoever offed them and a mug of beer from me."
Realizing this wasn't her quarry, Katarina was already pushing off... But her foot treacherously slipped, landing in a gap of damp tiles. They crunched, unable to bear the weight, and dragged her down.
Everything merged into an instant void. She didn't even have time to scream, only instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the impact on the cobblestones... which her body would surely have shattered.
An impact that never came. Opening her eyes, she saw not the cobblestones, but a guardsman's face. An ordinary, unremarkable one. Except for the eyes bright green, like young grass under the sun.
And his hands strong, sinewy held her firmly aloft. She froze, unable to move or utter a word. Through the remnants of panic, familiar audacity broke through, forming into a wide, self-confident grin.
"Well, hello," she hissed, looking into those unexpectedly beautiful eyes. "What's your name?"
Saigo felt his jaw drop open. Training and ancient instincts clenched his teeth at the last moment which was extremely rash.
He was holding her in his hands the Phoenix Empress. Even restrained, the power from her clung to his skin like icy fire.
He was on a razor's edge from realizing this simple fact; his hands treacherously trembled. Fear acrid, sticky crawled under his skin, into his bones, and Saigo couldn't shake it off. Not even the dragon had brought him to this.
But she had. Just by appearing with a one-in-a-billion chance. The trembling intensified, fueled by dark thoughts. "A mistake, a loss, I won't return to Mari..."
"M-m-m... Can you let me go?" Her whisper, like a feather against the aventail of his helmet, snapped the guy out of his stupor. Her palm slid over the metal gorget.
"M-m... Yes," his voice sounded alien. He set her on her feet as if she were a red-hot statue.
"You didn't introduce yourself." Her tone was playful, but the air smelled of wine.
Saigo shrank into himself, snapped to attention: "Courier from Central HQ. From the south, Meril from Chernolesye."
"Hmm, and he's so cute!" Katarina was bursting with the desire to squeal and stomp her foot in delight. Before her was not some general bloated with fat, not a miserly merchant.
A simple guy. "And that shy blush under the helmet! I wonder if he's a cutie under all that iron? Definitely a cutie!" Her hand reached for the helmet clasp... But she sharply turned away.
"No. My betrothed is waiting, or rather, I'm looking for him. Ah, to hell with it! If this Meril turns out to be handsome, I won't be able to control myself!"
"Pleased to meet you," she said, extending her hand with a basilisk's smile.
Saigo, without a thought, just to please, pressed his lips to her fingers. Drenched in sweat. His legs were shaking as if his calves lived a separate, convulsive life.
The Empress was already turning away, but couldn't resist a parting shot:
"If my chosen one gets boring... Will you keep me company?"
Anger. Hot, clear. It burned away the fear, flooding everything inside. Saigo recoiled as if struck: "Forgive me. I'm married." And without waiting for an answer, he bolted to the side, knocking over passersby as if running from the plague.
Katarina just smirked, watching his panicked flight.
"Heh-heh... I love the unavailable ones. So willful. How exciting!" She stretched lazily. "But not now. Later. Let him run for a bit."
Her wings flared with scarlet flame, and she dissolved into the sky, leaving only the smell of sulfur and a slight feeling of dissatisfaction.