Once More, Unto the Breach

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

    Chapter 4

People trying to kill me is something that seams to happen a
bit to often for my tastes. All right, so after my exile it
has mostly stopped, but that's because I'm not gallivanting
off through out the universe trying to be the Doctor.

Actually... I'm not sure why I've stopped doing that, it was
fun.

Except at times like this, when someone is actively trying
to kill me. Though being choked from behind by some kind of
wire is a new one on me. Though it wasn't as bad as it
seemed.

My attacker had the bad luck of snagged my collar under his
line, which gave me a bit of slack to breath, though not
very damn much.

I acted instantly, reaching back and grabbed my attackers
paws, trying to get more slack on the line. It didn't work
very well, as all it did was make him pull harder on the
line. I changed my tactic to something that would work a bit
better. Digging my fingers into his flesh I kicked backwards
with my foot, catching his knee.

I didn't hit him very hard, but he still changed his balance
to lessen the blow. Which was what I wanted him to do. As he
reacted, I let my own knees give way, starting me falling,
leaning forward as I did so, I pulled him with me.

My attacker was off balance and didn't seem to have a clue
as to what I was doing. He tried to pull back from me, then
to twist, neither one work. I pulled forward with my arms
and upper-body just as I landed, knees first, on the stone
floor, and rolled forward until my head was touching the
stones.

Looking up, I found that my plan had worked. My attacker was
now laying on the floor in front of me, looking rather
startled. He hadn't expect me to throw him the way I had, or
even throw him at all!

I scrambled to my feet before he could react, and just as he
started to stand up on his own, I jumped. It wasn't a jump
very far, and only about a foot high. It was where I came
down that counted.

The heel of my foot landed on his left knee cap.

There was sharp crack as his knee shattered under my weight.
The wolf went deathly pail through his fur and started to
yammer softly, then his rolled back as he passed out.

I took step back a few feet so I was next to Oria, the whole
attack had taken about thirty seconds, though it seamed like
longer. I looked back down at my attacker and shook my head.
"Pesky ninjas."

Oriana for her part had her Needler gun out and in her paw.
She gave me a pained look. "You where in the way, I couldn't
find anyplace exposed on his body to shoot."

I nodded. "I understand, though shooting the hostage is
acceptable at times."

She frowned, puzzling this over. "I suppose," she said with
a sigh, slipping the high tech gun back inside her trench
coat.

I draped my arm over her shoulder. "Are you OK?"

She gave me a strange looked, then laughed softly. "Me?
Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

I rubbed my neck. "Other then a small bruise, I'm fine."

Kalie stuck her head out the door to her room, she started
to say something then noticed the downed wolf. "Oh... that
answerers my question. Anything left for me?"

"Nope," I said, looking around the hallway. "I think it was
just the one."

She stepped into the hallway with us, pulling on her
clothing (what little there was of it) as she came out. "I
see, pity."

Ken joined the rest of us by poking his own head out of his
door. "I though I heard a fight out here." He said, before
noticed my still unconscious attacker. "I see." He
continued, walking over next to Kalie, pulling his foreclaw
out of his satchel.

I frowned. "Someone doesn't like that I'm here."

Kalie bent down to look at the wolf. "You did this Fox?"

"Yes." I said with a frown.

She stood up, whipping her paws of on her fur. "I don't
think this boy is ever going to walk again. Good job."

I shook my head a bit, then looked away. She didn't mean it
as an insult or sarcasm, she meant it as that I had done a
good job. It kind of hurt actually.

"I suppose we should warn Sora that people are trying to
kill us," Oriana said.

"I'm surprised she didn't hear the scuffle," I said, walking
over to the door I had seen her go through when I was shown
my room. "She isn't a heavy sleeper, so she would have to be
awake."

I gave a quick rap on her door with my hand. After waiting a
few seconds I did it again. The door didn't move, and I
didn't hear any sounds on the other side. Suddenly I was
worried.

Leaning against the thick wood of the door, I forced it
open. As it swung inwards, I got a whiff of the air from
flowing from inside. It was cold air, very cold, and damp.
It smelled strongly of dirt and mud, as well as a bit of
mold.

Wiggling my way inside, my worries became fears. There had
been a struggle in the room, her bedding was spread over the
room, and her sword was throw against the wall by the door.
The wall on the far side of the room was open, blowing the
cold air at us, along with the occasional cobweb.

I swore, then pushed past the others and back into my room
to grab my sword and jacket. I ran back only stopping to
grab a torch from the wall. "Oria, you find Draz or Thrysten
and tell them about what happened. Ken I want you to check
our rooms for any more hidden doors and shut them up. Kalie
you and I are going after her."

Kalie smiled, and unsheathed her sword, holding it in one
paw easily, bouncing a bit. I shook my head, and drew my own
sword. Then holding the torch in front of me I entered into
he passage way.

Nothing attacked us as we went in, which was a good thing,
and who ever had taken Sora had left some very clear foot
prints, which made it easy to follow in the maze of twisting
little passages, all alike.

We also traversed a few sets of stairs, all going downwards,
at times either Kalie or I would catch something that
sounded like foot steps, but neither one of us was ever
sure. After maybe ten minutes, we finally found the first
that went up. Following it, nearly running, we burst out
into the back of a stable.

Sticking the torch in a free wall mount, I ran outside,
Kalie next to me. We were accost the moat from the castle,
and I found that going from the semi-light to the black of
night made it almost impossible to see.

"Damn!" I swore under my breath. "Can you see anything
Kalie?"

"A few trees, that's it. I don't see anyone else though."

"Fuck!" I muttered, forcing my sword back into it's sheath.

* * *

"I didn't even know the castle had passages like those."
Draz said with a frown.

I sighed, looking back into Sora's room. "Sad way to find
out."

"I can't think of why they Krege would want your friend
Fox."

I frowned. "I can. He wanted you, and told his kidnapers
that you were the one with wings. They just found the wrong
one."

She nodded, then kicked the side of my attacker, who was
still laying in the hallway. "At least this bastard can
telling us something when he wakes up."

Ken walked over to us. "I found two other doors, both have
been closed. I suggest though you find out where they all go
so you don't have any more surprises like this."

Draz nodded. "I'll have guards on it as soon as this is
over. I also have a pair of guards on the entrance in the
stables."

"And hope that's the only entrance." Oriana said, taking my
left hand in her paw.

I sighed. "I'm not sure what Sora will say or do here. She
may tell them our plans, or she may not, I don't really know
her well enough to say. Though I think we need to change
them now."

"Right," Kalie said, "First is that you should have an armed
escort if you are going out there tomorrow."

"No," Draz said, his voice suddenly carrying much more
authority. "This is to be a Royal Envoy, and that is part
trust, there can be no guards."

Kalie stood up straighter. "Then I'll go instead of Oriana."

I felt Oria squeeze my hand tightly.

"No again." Draz continued. "If Sora knows anything about
you, or if Krege does, he will know that you are in ensconce
the same thing."

I sighed. "My only suggestion is not to have Thrysten above
us. If he knows about that it will lose any advantage we can
gain from it."

Both Thrysten and Draz smiled at this. "Your friend does not
know how I will do this," Thrysten said, "nor how to find
me. I will not be seen."

I frowned, but finally nodded. "So there is not much we can
change. Though Ken, I think you should check the late
wizard's lab now, in case something has been done to it."

He nodded. "Good idea."

Kalie suddenly twisted around. "Where's Oriana?"

I looked around, then back into Sora's room. "Maybe she's in
her own room."

"She would have had to gone past me." Kalie said, walking
into Sora's room, her short whiskers twitching a bit.

"Is this there tactic, kidnape us one by one?" Draz asked
from behind me.

"No," Kalie said, walking back over to us. "Oriana left a
note, though I don't understand what it means. You have any
idea Fox?" She asked shoving it into my hands.

I frowned, reading it out loud. "Dear Fox, I've gone to do
some work, I'll try to be back soon. Please say a prayer to
Thryn for me. Love Oriana." I then looked at it again, the
meaning sinking in.

I remembered that she had been clutching my left hand.
Looking down I gulped when I saw that my watch was open.
Oriana has stolen my Matrix chip.

And she was going to use it to help her try and assassinate
Krege.

-----

This story is (c) 1997 by Fox Cutter, hardcopy reprints
limited to one a person, all other rights reserved. This
story may not be distributed for a fee except by permission
of the author, and this copyright notice may not be removed.