As the man arced the dagger toward his neck, Kage's eyes widened in terror. He staggered backward, his frantic movement saving him by a hair's breadth—the Head Firekeeper's blade missing by millimeters yet still drawing crimson line from Kage's throat.
The Head Firekeeper stared at his dagger's tip with disgust.
"What? Have I grown so rusty I can't kill a child in one swing?"
He advanced again, twirling the blade and raising it high. But suddenly the windows exploded inward as two figures crashed through in a vicious roll, forcing him into a defensive stance.
Kage's eyes sharpened as the figure landed before him. From beneath his robes, he swiftly drew a familiar kitchen knife and plunged it into the young man's lower back.
The newcomer was about to move to strike the Head Firekeeper when something tore into him from behind, disrupting his momentum. He whipped his head around to see the young lord he was supposed to protect watching him with ice-cold eyes.
