Crimson Petals ambw ( 18+)

10•

Deep into the afternoon—Sena led the way, her eyes scanning their surroundings as they meandered through the forest, occasionally stooping to pluck mushrooms or herbs to maintain their guise.

Kang and Hyeonu followed suit, doing their best to appear engrossed in their task.

After some time, Sena stiffened, her hand drifting towards the quiver of arrows slung across her back. She held up a hand, signaling for the men to freeze.

"We're being followed," she murmured, so low only they could hear.

Exchanging a wary glance, Kang and Hyeonu continued their charade.

True to Sena's word, the faint sound of crunching leaves and muffled footsteps soon reached their ears. Someone - or someones - were closing in on their location with obvious stealth.

Sena's eyes narrowed as she tracked the movement, carefully nocking an arrow as they pressed onwards. Her gaze flickered momentarily towards the trees where the sounds seemed to originate.

Then, through a break in the foliage, she caught sight of a cluster of rough-looking men gathering in a small clearing up ahead. They appeared to be speaking in hushed tones, their body language tense and furtive as one of them tended to an injured animal at their feet.

Sena stilled, motioning urgently for Kang and Hyeonu to take cover behind the broad trunk of a massive oak. They crouched low, straining to make out the murmured conversation drifting towards them.

"...sent from the palace," one of the men was saying gruffly.

Another spat on the ground, ignoring the whimpering beast beside him. "You have too much trust in that family."

A third, larger figure straightened, his eyes glittering with dark determination. "Agreed. However as long as we make for the palace gates before nightfall again, and get paid I could careless the morality of that man's ills."

Kang exchanged a look with Hyeonu, whose hand had drifted towards the hilt of his concealed blade.

Before either of them could make a move, however, a twig snapped loudly behind them, shattering the tense silence. Evidently, whatever had been following them had finally caught up.

In a blur of motion, Sena whirled around, an arrow already nocked and ready to fly towards the source of the disturbance. 

A cry of alarm sounded as a lone figure burst from the undergrowth, raising his hands defensively as he took in the aimed arrow and Sena's battle-ready stance.

It was one of the Queen's attending guards, his eyes wide with shock and fear. The man must have been sent by the palace to track their movements, Kang realized belatedly.

"Wait!" the guard stammered, his voice cracking with panic. "I was just-"

His words were cut off with a pained grunt as Sena's arrow found its mark, burying itself in the meaty part of his thigh. The man collapsed with a strangled cry, effectively silenced.

Within seconds, the commotion had alerted the group in the clearing. Shouts of alarm went up as several of the men surged to their feet, hands going for concealed blades as they registered the threat.

"There's no time!" Sena hissed urgently.

Needing no further prompting, Kang and Hyeonu sprang forward, drawing their own weapons as they rushed to aid Sena in engaging the startled assassins.

The skirmish was over in a matter of tense, frenzied moments. Though outnumbered. Within moments, two of the three men lay subdued and bound on the forest floor.