Faye was never in any danger whatsoever. Even as Carlyle watched from above, his presence hidden by a specially crafted window in their bedroom wall, he knew that the intruders should truly be fearful for their lives. His darling was no delicate flower, that would wilt and die at the slightest hostility. No, the glassblowing goddess had thorns aplenty hidden beneath her beautiful petals.
Under different circumstances, Carlyle would have enjoyed watching them discover the extent of those thorns at length. Alas, even as Faye shed the first blood he knew that he could not sit idly by and allow these ruffians to damage their home for his own amusement. The first victim of her crossbow toppled back out of the window in a dead heap, and the second reeled back, colliding with a full-length mirror beside the door and shattering it, sending red-stained shards of reflective glass down with him as he slumped, clutching at his impaled shoulder.
Above the home, Cathán's flame served a dual purpose. Not only did they ignite the vigilante group's means of escape, but the inferno would also alert those around them;
Dragons did not fire upon
humans within the city often, and concerned neighbors would begin to report the events to the city guard.
Terrast grimaced at the gruesome blow against the man who'd played with fire and dared to taunt Faye, but reached out and gripped the bleeding brute by his collar as he moved to charge her.
"Enough, Barris. We're here for Arevalo, not her. I'd have done much the same."
Barris spun on his heel towards Terrast, still clutching at his blood-font of a nose, his voice muffled through his hands. "The bitch broke my face! Fuck you and your brother, I'm splitting this whore!" They were the final words that the brute Barris spoke, as Terrast drew his dagger as quick as lightning and swiped its edge across the savage's throat. He clutched at the wound, a sickening gurgle escaping his mouth before he fell to the floor in a messy pile.
"Damned fool." Terrast spat down at the corpse, wiping his dagger on the side of his leather breeches. The other two men who'd made it into the house before Cathán's fury had blocked entry looked somewhat taken aback, but didn't move to flee from Terrast.
"I said we don't hurt the girl. You disobey and you're as bad as Arevalo."
He looked back to Faye now, sheathing his
weapon and raising a hand as if to talk her down, taking a few gentle steps closer.
"Nobody else has to be hurt, Faye. This has gone far enough, don't you think?"
"Oh, I quite agree."
Terrast's face snaped up towards the stairwell, his expression instantly twisting into one of raw hatred as he sae
Carlyle Arevalo descending the stairs to join them.
"Tell me, Terrast. For what purpose have you so rudely barged into my home, the property of my lovely Faye? You've broken my windows, my mirror, there's the corpse of a rapist on my floor... and I do believe my darling's life was just threatened." There was rage in Carlyle's voice, but it was quiet, the dangerous eye of a vengeful storm as Arevalo slowly drew his rapier from his hip.
"It doesn't matter. You've blatantly trespassed and attacked my wife, and the law is clear. Draw your blade and face me, so I may pay you back for this insolence."
Terrast, so blinded by his sorrow and rage, was none the wiser he'd fallen into a trap. With the actions of he and his men, none would bat an eye at his death by Carlyle's hands. He would be branded a tragedy, and Arevalo would be absolved; A man simply defending his home and his lover from intruders.
Faye Valimir 
