A week before, the previous assassination attempts had been avoided thanks to Xian's vigilance and instincts, and a lot of luck as well, but afterward Soon-Yi told him not to interfere anymore, that he had another mission to prepare. He just needed to focus on his new task, reach the dragon kingdom as soon as possible and leave his day-to-day duties as a protector to other people. Wasn't that saying that anyone could replace him ? What was the use of being hard-working and dutiful if even his foster mother was looking down on him ? Xian felt really depressed at that time and decided that going far away from Soon-Yi and Lady Wei would be a beneficial breather for all of them.

He understood, somehow, that Lady Wei's pregnancy was taking a heavy toll on her health and mood, especially her morning sickness, and she was often upset and tired of Xian's nagging regarding her safety. Obviously, she couldn't vent her anger and fool mood on the First Prince Zhou Xi, the Great Mage Soon-Yi or the other royals and concubines and she was not in the habit of unfairly manhandling her entourage. Her gentleness was well-known and appreciated in the whole Orchid Palace. Nevertheless, as her personal protector, Xian felt wronged and to pacify the relationship, Soon-Yi decided to separate them. That was her explanation before relieving Xian of his duties.

His luck did not disappoint when he chose to set out coincidentally on the same day as the party Lady Wei planned to attend. Well, it may not be only luck : he wanted to follow her, to protect her – maybe – or at least to see her from afar before leaving her even if she called him a stalker or whatever. He had to admit that he needed to settle his feelings. Spending 24 hours a day, every day, with someone could further wrench an already twisted personality. Soon-Yi was probably right in her attempt to sever this unhealthy, codependent relationship, he knew it deep down. He accepted and even embraced this decision. It was for the best but it was still difficult for Xian. He couldn't help worrying for days on end when Lady Wei was out of his sight. It was really unnerving.

Now, Xian was on edge, again. His instincts told him once more that an impending danger was lurking not far from them but he hadn't prepared anything because he really resented Lady Wei's ungrateful words the last time he saw her. Even if he was currently not 'on duty', he could clearly see a lot of mistakes and holes in the security. Even the route and the secondary routes were not carefully thought out. In this situation, whether it was planned by an enemy or not, something dangerous or deadly was bound to happen.

All of a sudden, a dozen arrows, some of them lit with flames, struck the driver, the horses and the carriage. Xian reacted instinctively, he was in the correct mindset since he expected some trap : he slid from the roof to the floor, using the gutter and arrived directly in the deserted gap between the carriage side and the building.

Even with his enhanced eyesight, he couldn't find the enemy archers in the nearby buildings. Hopefully, they couldn't see him either.

A few meters away, the guards were fighting with a group of warriors and farther away, the prince, his men and the rest of the escort, distracted by the other ladies, had yet to react and join in the defense. Even if the reinforcement caught up, the guards were probably outnumbered. Luckily, the narrow street and lack of space hindered the assailants more than the defenders.

However, as they were caught unprepared by this surprise attack, the defense was disorganized. In this dark and unfamiliar alley, they were clearly at a disadvantage, continuously pushed back and blindly fighting against invisible foes. The pavement was already slick with blood, mainly horse blood but the number of injuries was rapidly increasing. The enemy and particularly the invisible archers were absolutely ruthless.

In the blink of an eye, the quiet street turned into a battle field echoing with shouts, curses, scraping noises and clashes of swords. Chaos was everywhere, spreading like wildfire, however on the nearby roads, nobody noticed anything amiss. Maybe these kinds of attacks were a daily occurrence and people preferred to ignore them. They attended to their own business, blasé and not even curious or interested in the show. Xian never noticed before how heartless people were. They would let a stranger die without lifting a single finger or batting an eyelid and here it was a whole group related to their First Prince and the prince himself. Could it be nobody cared about an assassination ? It really came as a strong shock for Xian, much like a slap in the face, he was stunned. He wanted to call for help but it seemed useless. For the very first time, he realized how detestable this city and its inhabitants were. His anger flared up, his mind filled with bloodl.u.s.t.

Obviously, the main target seemed to be Lady Wei's vehicle and the few men near it were now facing a rain of arrows. They were not engaged in any sword fight but were courageously containing the assault with their shields alone, hoping their colleagues would finish their own foe and come to the rescue. As long as they did not yield, as long as they could maintain the defense, the ladies would be somewhat safe. However, they had no time to spare to check on and help the victims. While fighting, their minds would be constantly and frantically searching for a way out of this desperate situation. It seemed hopeless but someone had to provide assistance to the ladies, in order to bring them out of danger. The injured and defenseless guards were also a cause of concern. This casual outing to attend a party was currently turning into a huge mess.

Except if they were exceptional archers, the distance had to be short. While throwing his remaining knifes and cursing his own lack of bow and arrows, he frantically scanned the surroundings in search of the enemy, especially the buildings on the other side of the street. If he could just reduce their number, the situation could be reversed and the ladies would be safe. Currently, it was dangerous to rescue them if it meant that they had to go out in front of the carriage, where the density of arrows was the highest.

In the middle of such crisis, Xian was the only one to notice that a young girl, probably a maid, got out of the carriage and miraculously slipped past the attacks to disappear into the night. Was she a coward, fleeing for her life ? Was she looking for help on behalf of her mistress : she could be sent on a mission to fetch soldiers from the city patrols ? What about the other people still inside ? This was really suspicious, she could also be a traitor colluding with the enemy, whoever it was. Xian had no way to be sure of the girl's intentions and cursed under his breath. Anyway, she fled on the other side of the carriage and he couldn't catch her. He was running out of weapons, he needed a way to rescue the ladies. Moreover, if this maid was looking for help, delaying her or putting her in danger of being shot by the enemy arrows would be highly detrimental ! No choice but to overlook the fleeing girl in order to focus on more important and pressing matters.

The flames were rapidly spreading, the clothes of the dead driver were already ablaze, the heat was increasing as well. The situation would very soon become unbearable. Xian no longer wondered why his foster mother, the Great Mage Soon-Yi, did not put out the fire. The lack of reaction from inside the carriage was highly suspicious and worrying. Could it be the maid killed Soon-Yi and Lady Wei before escaping ? Xian shook his head in denial. The only way to be sure was to have a look inside.

It was time for action and brute force, he could ponder later or ask Soon-Yi directly, provided he managed to save everyone. In Xian's opinion, Soon-Yi was a truly powerful mage, highly skilled in water and ice magic but Xian stubbornly refused to have her teach him any of it. From early childhood, perhaps as far back as the start of his awe and longing for dragons, he hated, even loathed, magic. His own powers were no exception. It was also one of the reasons why he couldn't truly love his foster mother, even though she saved his life and raised him as her own son. Their relationship was indeed a complicated one, even more so because both of them were proud and obstinate and neither of them could be honest about their feelings.

Nevertheless, he sometimes regretted his aversion for magic and wished he could be a powerful mage. According to Soon-Yi, it was a shame for Xian to be so useless and clumsy with magic when he had the power to use any element – water or ice, fire, wind, earth – as an innate talent. He really was a disgrace for his dead ancestors, whose magic strength was famous for generations, but Xian didn't mind as his home no longer existed. Only Lady Wei remained as a distant relative, since she was already married to the First Prince of the Selnan Empire when their homeland, Aliker, fell into chaos. But Lady Wei herself did not have any magic and had to cope with their foe as well as power struggle, jealousy and rivalry in the Selnan Imperial Palace. This was also why her safety and well-being mattered so much to Xian.

His brow creased in concentration as he cast a weak spell which resulted in a small splash, barely enough for his punch to land, with a huge crack sound. This small spell was as much water magic as he could perform, except for healing magic, and the incantation took a whole minute, including the gathering of water elemental particles from the atmosphere ! It was certainly not enough to put out the raging fire consuming the carriage.

Xian's best water magic was nothing to be proud of, but even that was better than nothing. The carriage's side caved in before exploding under the powerful punch, the burning fragments flying in every directions.

Regardless of his slender build and graceful demeanor, much more suited for a young maiden, Xian was actually very strong and it was an innate power from his own bloodline, according to Soon-Yi, since even though he had a strict training, he had never ever been able to build any kind of visible, burly and manly muscles – to his dismay. Sometimes, he wondered just what kind of freaks his own ancestors were and why he was burdened by their inheritance while Lady Wei had been spared of such hassle.

Nevertheless, he felt relieved when he managed to enter in the carriage. The heat inside was almost unbearable and a few maids fainted. Whether it was due to fright, heat or the suffocating fumes, Xian did not know or care. The urgency could be plainly seen, so he unbound and helped all the women out of the furnace. He really wished his talent in water magic would allow him to put out the fire and drown his enemy in the blink of an eye. Sadly, it was not the case as he did not have Soon-Yi's powers.

Just as everyone was out of the carriage, it collapsed. Lady Wei was the last to go out since she wanted to ensure that all the injured or fainted women were safely out. The dead maids, however, couldn't be tended to, their bodies still in the carriage were burning but nothing could be done anymore. Some of the remaining maids were loudly crying and Xian thought, with a bit of cruelty, that it would have been better if they just fainted on the spot. Couldn't they keep it in and endure instead of alerting the enemy and endangering the living ones ? How weak could they be ? At least, Lady Wei was tending to Soon-Yi, trying to keep her awake in spite of her wounds. Blood was everywhere on both ladies, on their dresses, hair, faces and hands. It was disgusting and frightening but she remained as calm as ever. Her eyes, however, were moist when she raised her head and looked at Xian. Her gaze was unreadable.

He flinched. He didn't know why he felt a pang of guilt. Maybe he was too cold-hearted : friends, coworkers, many lives were lost during this attack. Even if the situation was still dire, at least Lady Wei and Soon-Yi were alive. Xian hurriedly knelt next to Lady Wei and started his healing spell. This spell was his own, he created it secretly from the conventional spell to make it more adapted to his powers, thus more efficient and fast. Moreover, it did not require too much water magic, as it was a basic spell he often used to heal scr.a.p.es and bruises. Soon-Yi didn't know he created this spell, she would probably scold him severely if she knew. Nevertheless, Xian cast his spell, fully focused on healing his foster mother as her wounds were definitely worse than simple scr.a.p.es.