 
                       Marcus's Power (16 of 16)
 
Marcus' Power
 
by Matrix
 
Chapter Sixteen
 
Marcus Williams was not a stupid boy. It took a little over two hours
before he would allow these new Knights into the house. The reason
being, he wanted his Knights, and himself, to do a complete mental scan
on them before he let them in. Needless to say, he found out they were
indeed telling the truth.
 
This girl Kamren, she sparked a great fascination in him. She was by
far, the deadliest Knight he had encountered as of yet. Marcus had
preformed the mental scan on her himself. What he found out was a
little surprising. It appeared the Knights of KALIB were having a civil
war of their own. So, Kamren was not there for charity. She was there
to help.... And to be helped. She wanted something in return.
 
And that 'something' was something that Marcus was ready to agree to,
that is, if she helped him defeat The Zone. Kamren had a brother. He
went by the name of Damen. And from what Marcus read from the scan he
did on Kamren, this Damen was bad news. He was the power hungry type.
He was sort of like the Knights in New Mexico. Damen believed that the
Knights should rule the world.
 
But that was not the part that worried Marcus. The part that worried
Marcus was the fact that Damen had taken just as many Knights to New
Mexico as his sister brought to him. Damen wanted an alliance with the
Knights in New Mexico. That worried Marcus.... That worried him a lot.
Because he knew that the war would be all that bigger. 

It took hours to get the Kamren's Knights settled down into base. The
tournament was delayed, of course. Delayed, but not canceled. Shain
thought it would be wise to show Marcus' Knights that he was more than
capable of leading them. Marcus saw merit in the idea.... But he was
leery of it since he knew that it would delay the conversation he
wanted with Kamren. And he very much wanted that.... 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a large court yard in the back of the immense mansion that
Shain owned. Marcus was one of the many Knights standing there, waiting
for the tournament to begin. His sword was held loosely in his hand,
still sheathed, as he watched potential opponents behind his mirror
plated shades.
 
Marcus would have told himself that this was senseless. But he knew
better. He knew that some of the Knights, that he was to lead, did have
their reservations about following an unknown. 'I guess I can't really
blame them . . . Not everyone believes there is truth in the prophecy .
. . ' he thought as he stood with apt attention.
 
It was then that he caught the sight of a familiar face out of the
corner of his eye. "So, you going to show these bums how to use a
sword?" Jesse said, her sword was jutting out over her shoulder and her
shades were lowered somewhat. Since it was night time, she didn't
really have a need for them, but like Marcus, she liked having them on
anyway.
 
"One can hope," Marcus replied, his voice low and his attention still
apt.
 
"You really need to relax, Marcus," she started with a chuckle. "I
talked to Shain and he is the best with a blade on this base. I think
his exact words were 'I hope they don't piss him off.' So, relax,
you'll be fine, my love," she said this with a small wink.
 
"I hope you're right, Jess . . . I really do," Marcus said as he
watched Shain step into the center of the crowd. "We'll soon find out,"
he added, listening to what Shain was saying.
 
Shain stepped into the middle of the crowd, his head up and his chest
out, and he looked like a picture of a born leader as he spoke. "As you
know, this competition is a little different than the others. The Son
of Dakrin himself has decided to grace us with his presence on this
one," Shain knew, without seeing Marcus' eyes, that the 'Son of Dakrin'
was rolling his eyes.
 
Shain proceeded in his small speech. "I know that a lot of you look at
this as a test, instead of a regular tournament. Think of it what you
will, but the point is, The Son of Dakrin IS competing. So, give him
your best if you are drawn to go up against him. That's about all I
have to say, form the ring and let's get on with this," he finished and
walked to a chair that was meant for the judges of the tournament.
There were three others besides him.
 
There was a follower that went by the name of Kristi that drew the
names from the large bowl. Before the tournament, they had all signed
their name and put it into the bowl. Who a competitor went up against
was purely by chance. The girl, who was quite beautiful, walked up to
the bowl with smooth grace.
 
Her voice rang out very clearly among the Knights, after she took two
slips of paper out of the bowl. "First up in the tournament . . . Kait
Mitchell and Darnel Hawkins!" She said, and just as quietly as she came
in, she took her seat beside the bowl.
 
"He hasn't got a chance, Kait's going to rip that boy a new one,"
Someone whispered in Marcus' ear. 

Marcus turned to see Mouse standing at his side, looking very
beautiful, and smiling as she watched Kait enter the fighting circle.
"You think so short-stuff? Yeah, me too," Marcus replied as he watched
Kait unsheathe her sword with the grace of a jungle cat. She made a
twirling motion with it and gave her opponent a predatory look. 

'Ok, big-boy, let's see what ya got' she thought as she raised her
kinetics. Her opponent was about three inches taller than she was, and
outweighed her plenty. He was a red-head. Kait knew who he was and
never really cared for him. He, on more than one occasion, had said
that females had no business being Blade Runners. Let alone Commanders.
'Well, let's see ya put your money where your mouth is!' She thought
with a wicked smile.
 
Shain's voice boomed. "LET IT BEGIN!" The object of the tournament was
to disarm your opponent and get the person into a position where there
was no doubt that they would die under normal circumstances. It was
supposed to be harmless, but all too often, someone got cut. Not
seriously of course, but injured just the same. 

When the words boomed in Kait's ears, she flew into attack, coming down
with a vertical slash that Darnel almost could not block . . . But he
did, barely. Kait was fairly certain he would block that easily, if he
hadn't, it would have been a death blow. 'Ok Kait, slow down before you
kill his dumb ass' she thought wryly.
 
"Ok you bitch, if that's how you want it, that's how you're gonna get
it!" Darnel said in a voice that was just loud enough for Kait to hear. 

Darnel then went on a complicated attack of his own. Or at least, HE
thought it was complicated. Kait blocked the over head strike and a
strike that was aimed at her mid-section. What Darnel did not know, was
the fact that Kait was just playing with him. She was making him think
that he was going fast enough that she could not get in her own attack. 

"Amateur," she said in a low voice. And that little comment sparked a
note of doubt in Darnel's face. 

But, apparently, doubt was not enough to stop Darnel's efforts. He
redoubled them and through his mightiest over-head strike, using all of
his strength. Kait merely side-stepped and let the blade take its
course. In fact, she helped it along with her own blade, pushing it to
the ground with speed that would make lightning jealous. 

Her blade was against his for no more than a second. Kait raised it
with equal speed and pressed the edge of the razor sharp instrument
against Darnel's throat. "I bet this is embarrassing, getting your ass
kicked by a girl and all," she said smugly. She pressed the edge harder
making Darnel go up on his tiptoes as she was waited for Shain's voice.
 
"Round to Kait Mitchell!" Shain said loudly and if one didn't know
better, there was a touch of pride in his voice. After all, he did
hand-pick her to be the Commander of the Blade Runner unit.
 
Kait lowered her shades and gave Darnel a small sarcastic wink before
heading in Marcus and Mouse's direction. It wasn't that long of a walk.
Mouse held a look of proudness about her that made Kait feel warmth
inside. Marcus was chuckling a little bit.
 
"What took you so long?" Marcus said playfully.
 
"I wanted to teach him not to get a big head . . . I never did like
him, my lord."
 
Mouse ran up and gave Kait a tight hug. "I think ya did a wonderful
job," she whispered. The fact that Mouse hugged her did not embarrass
Kait. It was the fact that she started blushing in front of her Lord
that embarrassed her.
 
Marcus wasn't jealous of the affection that Mouse was showing Kait. In
fact, he was quite amused. *<'I hope that works out.'>* He sent the
thought to Jesse. She only smiled. Then he spoke out loud. "Why Kait,
you look good in pink," Then laughed as he watched her blush an even
deeper color of pink.
 
"Leave the poor girl alone Marcus!" Jesse said and laughed with him.
 
Marcus quit laughing as he saw the girl that drew the names was about
to speak. "Marcus Williams and John Tyler!" She said clearly.
 
Jesse turned and looked at Marcus. "I know you can kick his ass, and
you know you can kick his ass. But that isn't the point. What this
crowd wants to see is how FAST you can do it," Jesse said in a low
voice.
 
"Fast and clean, huh?"
 
"Yeah, that's right," she said, leaning in and giving him a light kiss
on the lips.
 
That's when Kait spoke up. "I know your opponent, my Lord. He does not
believe in you. He wants to prove his case, so he'll come in fast and
hard," 

"Thanks for the heads-up Kait," he started, then turned back to Jesse.
"Well, hear I go. Wish me luck,"
 
"Just get your ass out there and show them what the Son of Dakrin can
do!" She replied and shoved him towards the circle, but it was
playfully.
 
Marcus unsheathed his sword before he entered the circle. He held the
blade in his hand, acutely aware of his weight and how natural it felt
there. He held at his side as he approached his opponent though. "Fast
and clean, fast and clean" he mumbled to himself. He felt his spirit
start to burn with the pleasure of battle when he stood, looking at his
opponent.
 
Marcus was aware of the fact that John was raising his Kinetics. But it
amused him when John spoke. "I'm going to expose you for the farce you
are," he said in a low voice.
 
Marcus just took on a coy look before he spoke. "Well, that's going to
hurt you a lot more than it will me," he replied with deadly calmness
and watched a moment of doubt pass in John's face. But it didn't last
long, his conviction still remained. Out of the corner of his eye saw
Kamren, Daughter of Kalib, standing on the balcony. Apparently she
wanted to watch as well.
 
"LET IT BEGIN!" Shain boomed again.
 
One thing was for sure . . . It was quick. John came in with a jabbing
strike, intending to run Marcus through. But he hit nothing but air.
Marcus did not even use his sword to block, he simply moved, moved
faster than John's eye could detect.
 
After Marcus was behind John, he kicked his legs out from under him.
John had a look of pure shock sketched across his face when he hit the
ground. The shock increased when Marcus drove his sword into the
ground, not but an inch from John's head. "If you've learned one thing
from this, learn the rule of NEVER underestimating an opponent," he
whispered to John. 'And how long did it take YOU to learn that Marcus?'
His thoughts added.
 
John was as pale as a ghost. He had never seen anyone move that fast.
Marcus kept his eyes on John and nothing else. The crowd was dead
silent. Marcus did not know that John was in the top ten of the best,
but he was in for a bigger surprise than that. John's shades had fallen
off when he hit the ground and Marcus read nothing but fear in them. 

"Round to Son of Dakrin!" Shain boomed.
 
That was when Marcus stood up from his kneeling position and looked at
the crowed in utter surprise. All of them, every single one of them
were.... Kneeling. Kneeling with their heads bowed and swords drove
into the ground. Shain was the only one standing, but even he kneeled
after saying who won.
 
*<'Well done, Son of Dakrin'>* a voice whispered in his mind. It was
the voice of Kamren. He looked at the balcony to see the Daughter of
Kalib nodding with approval. 

Marcus nodded back at her, and then heard another voice. It was Jesse.
*<'You should say something'>* the voice said.
 
'Yeah, I guess I should . . . But what?' Then it came to him. Even
though it felt a little odd leading all of the people around him, he
said what he said next. "You may rise," His voice was high, but firm,
like that of a leader. Marcus watched as they came to their feet.
Marcus felt the immense responsibility fall on his shoulders. It felt
like a ton.
 
"Some of you doubted me before . . . But by the look on your faces now,
I see that doubt has vanished. I AM The Son of Dakrin. I know this as
surely as I know the night sky above us is black. And I am hear to lead
you in a war. A war where blood could run like a river. It will be the
blood of the Dark Knights and some of it . . . Will be ours. I have
thought about this war day and night since I have arrived here.
 
I have reached the conclusion that this war is inevitable. I say 'this'
war . . . But there are two of them coming. What the Knights in New
Mexico are doing is wrong. They think they are better than the rest of
man-kind . . . They are partly right. We're faster, stronger and have a
lot of abilities they do not. But our soul is no brighter than the
Normals.
 
These Knights are holding an entire town captive. That is WRONG. I know
what you're thinking. What gives us the right to judge? I mean, we own
Followers just the same as they do. The difference, my fellow Knights,
is that we stay out of the public's eye . . . And we follow a code of
honor that is completely lost upon them. We will NOT tolerate such
behavior. Ignorance is curable . . . Stupidity can, and will be, FATAL!
That is all!" Marcus almost shouted. Then he brought his feet together
and slammed his fist over his heart, bowing his own head.
 
Every Knight on the field followed suit. Even Kamren, on the balcony,
followed suit. After seeing this, Marcus started back toward the
mansion. He could hear the whispering of his name on the way into the
mansion. Thoughts of what he had just said were running through his
head. And he knew in his heart, he meant every damn word.
 
He knew that Jesse was following him but he did not turn around. His
heart was racing. The knowledge, and the fact of the war, was taking
its toll on him. But this was not fear, no, this was something else.
This was exhilaration. 'Have we gotten to the point we can give
speeches and lead armies, Marcus? Little different than two weeks ago,
huh?' He thought wryly.
 
The house was dead quiet since everybody was outside. He relished the
quietness. Well, there was one noise, the sound of Jesse's foot steps
behind him. But that was ok, because he wanted to talk to her anyway.
He just wanted to wait until he got to his room to do so. 'Now, Marcus,
are you sure 'talking' is the only thing on your mind?' he thought with
a wicked smile.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three hours later, Jesse fell off the top of Marcus completely
exhausted from one of their more 'carnal' activities. "Jesus Marcus,
what the hell got into you??" She asked with a throaty chuckle.
 
"You'd laugh if I told you," 

"No, I won't. Promise."
 
Marcus looked at her for a moment. Taking in her beauty, stroking her
face lightly with his fingers. "I think this whole 'leading' thing is
growing on me. I mean, I would have never thought that I could say that
stuff out there. And I meant it. I really, really meant it. It was like
. . ."
 
"Like you were the Son of Dakrin," Jesse stated. It was not a question.
She knew him too much for that.
 
"Exactly," 

"Make no mistake, Love, the entire Shadow Knight nation will learn this
too," she whispered.
 
"Speaking of which," Marcus said and got out of bed. He began to put on
his clothes in a quick, but not too quick, manor. "I have to go talk to
Kamren. We have some things to discuss," he said as he slipped on the
last item, his shirt. He did not bother to button it.
 
"Like what?"
 
"Like, how we're going to alline our forces. We ARE going to war ASAP,"
he said with conviction. Marcus knew that he was going back on his word
with the Dark Knights, but he also knew that they might not be worth of
being honorable with. The look of shock on Jesse's face said the
statement blind-sided her.
 
"Are you sure, Marcus?"
 
"Yeah, I'm at the top of my game right now . . . And I want to fight
that way. If the Dark Knights bitch . . . Fuck'em if they can't take a
joke," Then he leaned down and gave Jesse a light kiss on the lips.
"I'll be back,"
 
"I'll be waiting," she said with a wink.
 
Marcus gave her a smile and walked out the door. He was a bit surprised
at what he saw when he walked into the hallway. There were two Knights,
standing stalk still with discipline. They were standing on either side
of the door. When they saw him, they both placed their fist over their
heart and bowed their heads.
 
"So, what are you boys doing here?" Marcus asked, but he was pretty
sure as to the answer.
 
"Commander Mitchell assigned us as your guards, my Lord," the one on
the left said with a voice that held great pride. Marcus guessed the
guy was actually proud to pull this duty.
 
"Is that so?" It was not really a question, but the guards nodded
anyway. 'Kait, you little minx, I'm going to have to have a talk with
you' he thought wryly. "I'll see you boys later . . . For now, why
don't you guard Jesse?" Marcus asked.
 
"That would be fine, my Lord," They both said in unison. It was all
Marcus could do not to laugh. But he pulled it off and gave them a nod,
starting his way down the hall.
 
Since Kamren was the Daughter of Kalib, Marcus and Shain both thought
that it would be all right for her to sleep in the main house. So her
room was not that far away from his. In fact, only about twenty yards
from his. Shain and him picked the room personally. It was one of the
more lavish rooms in the mansion.
 
It had a huge bed and a big window with a balcony that a person could
walk out onto. 'So, Marcus, just how do you broach the subject of war
to a beautiful blonde, hmmm?' he thought with a small chuckle. He
wasn't for certain that he should feel excited at the prospect of going
to war. But, Gods help him, he was.
 
When he arrived at the large oak door, it suddenly opened. Kamren stood
there in an oversized t-shirt. That was, no doubt, what she slept in.
Her pale blue eyes took in the sight of him as he stood in the doorway.
"I've been expecting you," she said with somewhat of a smug smile.
 
"You have, have you?" Marcus made his way across the room and to a
large desk that was in a corner. He took his seat with grace, his face
showing nothing but curiosity. "I want to know just what kind of role
you want to play in this,"
 
"For your little war here? I'll back you up fully. This small war does
not concern me . . . The one in New Mexico is quite different, though.
You will be fighting MY people, and I'm not bragging, but they are a
little better with a blade than those of yours . . . With the exception
of you, that is," Kamren said, her voice was like velvet.
 
Then before Marcus could reply, Kamren spoke again. "The only person
I've seen move that fast is . . . Damen, my brother. Him and myself,
that is," she added coyly. "Even with your skill with a blade, Son of
Dakrin, you haven't saw true war yet. But judging from your little
speech, which gave me tingles by the way, you've got a grasp on the
concept," she said, awaiting Marcus' reply.
 
"It's going to be bloody. With our forces combined, we have about 150
Knights, give or take. Before you got here, we were about even. Some of
them might die in the battle over New Orleans . . . But I don't expect
a high casualty rate with them. New Mexico does, though. Your brother
bothers me . . . How good are his forces?" Marcus asked with apt
curiosity. 

"My brother, my brother is the most dangerous son-of-a-bitch I've ever
met. Those that follow him are as good as my men . . . Most of them are
better than yours. Marcus, you must know that we are facing
three-to-one odds on this. That battle IS going to be a river of
blood," she replied in a low voice and with a grim face.
 
Marcus nodded. "Lets take care of New Orleans first . . . Then we'll
worry about New Mexico. Don't get me wrong, though. I consider New
Mexico the most important. That's part of the reason I'm here,"
 
"What do you mean?"
 
Marcus stood and started to pace a little. He always thought that he
thought better on his feet. "What I mean is, I want to get the problem
with New Orleans over with ASAP. That way, we can focus all of our
attention on New Mexico, on The Zone," he said, still pacing.
 
"How fast is ASAP?" Kamren asked, a coy smile playing on her lips.
 
"How fast can YOU be ready?" He asked, stopping dead in his tracks. His
face was very serious.
 
"Have you ever heard the saying 'Cut off the head and the body will
die'?" Kamren asked, her facial appearance just as serious as Marcus'.
 
"Yeah . . . What are you getting at?" Marcus asked, his curiosity was
being quirked. 

"Just how brave are you, Son of Dakrin?" She asked, moving herself only
a few feet away from him.
 
"You're boring me, get to the fuckin' point," Marcus said, he didn't
feel that his bravery should be an issue. 

"I say, me and you, go to The Zone in New Orleans and completely
annihilate High Council. There's only what? Ten of them? You and I
could do that easily. Cut off the head and the body dies," she said
softly.
 
Marcus was quiet for a long moment. He knew that the idea had merit. It
would allow them to avoid a war if it worked and . . . If it didn't,
that was just ten dead Dark Knights. That was worth something, right?
'It would have to be covert and no could know. I still would have to
include Kait though. She knows where there base is . . . Plus it would
be good to have her watch my back . . .' his thoughts told him. 

Kamren waited patiently, she knew Marcus was giving the idea serious
thought. And judging from the way he looked when he walked in, Marcus
was a bit restless. 'I think that he'll go for it' she thought.
 
"Fuck it, let's do it. I'm bored anyway. When do we go?" Marcus asked,
a coy smile was on his lips. He thought that he already knew the answer
to that particular question.
 
"No time like the present," she said with an equally coy smile. "Do you
know where the base is?"
 
"Nope, but I know someone who does. You get dressed, I'll go get her.
I'll meet you in front of your door," Marcus said as he started to make
his exit. But not before he saw a look on Kamren's face that matched
his own. Anticipation. 

After he made it back out into the hallway, he noticed that the guards
were still guarding Jesse, just as he instructed. 'If she finds out I
did that, she'll ring my neck,' he thought with a chuckle. 

It was a short walk to Kait's room. Her door was open a crack and the
lights were off. Marcus gently wrapped his knuckles against the wood of
the door. No answer. Marcus knocked again, a bit louder this time. It
had the same result. 'I wonder where the hell . . . Na, she wouldn't be
there, or would she? Well, it don't hurt to look,' he thought.
 
Marcus then started his way a bit further down the hall. His objective
. . . Mouse's room. Her door was cracked as well. But Marcus could hear
steady breathing on the inside. Breathing that Marcus recognized as
Mouse's. He cracked the door further and stuck his head in. That was
when he saw a very cute sight. Mouse being cradled by Kait. Mouse was
in her sleeping shirt but Kait was fully dressed. He smiled at the
sight. 

The look on Kait's face reminded Marcus of a kid being caught with her
hand in the cookie jar. He decided to talk with telepathy so as not to
wake Mouse. *<'Relax. I don't mind you looking out for her . . . You
make a cute couple'>* The thought said, and if Kait could see Marcus'
eyes, she would see them twinkling at that moment. *<'That's not why
I'm here though. Could you meet me outside? Try not to wake up
short-stuff'>* Marcus' thoughts said.
 
*<'Yes my Lord'>* Kait's thoughts sent and her head nodded.
 
Marcus removed his head from the room and he leaned against the hall
wall, while he waited patiently. Kait was coming out of the room in
under a minute, she shut the door quietly as she exited the room. "Did
you need something, my Lord?" She asked. 'Boy, am I'm glad he's ok with
me and Mouse' she thought with a sigh.
 
"Yeah, I need your skills, Blade Runner," Marcus said with charm.
 
Kait beamed at his tone of voice and the fact that he needed her for
something. "Can ya be a little more specific, my Lord?" She asked in a
low voice.
 
"You, me and Kamren are going to wipe out the Dark Knights' High
Council, and we're going to do it tonight, or should I say, this
morning," It was three 'O Clock in the morning. Marcus was not exactly
surprised that Kait's entire face lit up with anticipation. "But
remember, this is covert, no one can know. Not even Mouse. I'm not even
telling Jesse. If they found out, they would just want to come,"
 
"Understood, my Lord. I'm ready when you are . . . Wait, I have maps of
their base in my room. She shot down the hall way and into her room
with more speed than any normal could have. She came out with a
circular tube that had maps in it. "Ok, now I'm ready, my Lord," She
said.
 
Marcus watched as Kamren came out of her room, she had a sword on her
back and one in her hand. When she reached Marcus she said "I figured
you would want to leave your woman here . . . So, I'm gonna let you
borrow one of my swords so you don't have to go back to your room and
explain," she said with a wink. 

Marcus nodded in gratitude. "All right, let's get the show on the road.
We have ten targets to acquire, and I aim to kill every fuckin' one of
them," Marcus said in a dark voice. Marcus was still quite a bit mad
about what they did to Mouse.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

They took the black Mustang when they left. Kamren was riding in front
and Kait rode in the back, giving directions when needed. Marcus talked
to Kait most of the way there. He found out that all of the High
Council had their own mansion, and they all slept on the top floor.
There was for guards on the outside and three on the inside. Marcus did
not figure they were very bright with that kind of security. Kait knew
all of this from scouting missions and inside information, that is,
before the insider got killed.
 
Marcus and Kait came up with the plan that they would take out the
guards at the south entrance and go through the window behind the
balcony. That would put them inside a bed room, and from there they
would spread out. Search and destroy was the plan.
 
Marcus pulled to a stop about a mile from the mansion. "You girls
ready?" He asked, already opening the door.
 
"Yeah," they both said in unison as Kamren opened her door and got out.
"Nice night for a walk, my Lord," Kait said wryly as she stepped out of
the car.
 
"You're right about that Kait, you're right about that," He turned and
looked at the woods they would have to cut through to get to their
destination. "All right, let's get going,"
 
The hike through the woods might have made a normal person a bit
nervous. But since Knights had extraordinary night vision, it was no
problem at all. They all moved through the woods with supernatural
speed. Marcus and Kamren could not go their fastest though, for the
reason that they would leave Kait behind. So they went as fast as Kait
was able.
 
They made it to the boundaries of the mansion in under two minutes. The
trees slowed them down a lot. The south entrance, and the balcony they
wanted on, were in view about two hundred yards away. As Kait said,
there were two guards blocking that entrance. They were in heated
debate about a football game they had watched earlier.
 
*<'They have the discipline of a goat'>* Kamren's thought to Marcus,
watching him give a silent chuckle. *<'Do you want to take them or
should I?'>* 

*<'Why can't I take them, my Lord?'>* Kait asked.
 
*<'No offense Kait, but you're not fast enough. We need to take them
out before they can send a message to the other guards . . . I'll do
it.'>* Marcus said and Kait and Kamren both nodded in agreement. 

Marcus focused on his targets. 'Fast and clean, Marcus' he thought to
himself. He drew his sword with smooth, silent grace, never taking his
eyes off his enemy. 'Fast and clean, Marcus' he thought to himself
again. 

Marcus took off with the speed of a bullet, the sword in hand. His
targets never knew what hit them. He cleared the two hundred yards
faster than a normal eye could see. The first one had his back to
Marcus. Marcus rammed the sword through, piercing the heart and pulled
it out, doing a spin and bringing it across the second man's neck
before he could even think anything. It all happened in under two
seconds.
 
It happened so fast in fact, that both of them hit the ground at the
same time. Marcus did not particularly care for this method of killing,
but he knew it was the only option at the moment. It was no more than
the space of a single breath before Kait and Kamren were beside him. He
looked at Kamren and she nodded, looking at him appraisingly. Kait sort
of had a look of awe.
 
Marcus looked up at the balcony, that was about thirty feet up, then
back at Kait and Kamren. *<'Ready?'>* he asked both of them. They both
nodded and followed Marcus as he used his Kinetics to make himself
float up to the balcony. Well, actually it was faster than 'floating',
it was more like shooting. They all landed on the balcony safely. 

The window was open, all Marcus could think of was how their security
sucked. But then he realized that a lock would not keep a Knight out,
they're telekinetic. The all walked slowly into the bedroom, their
footsteps so light they could not be heard at all. It was there, about
five feet from them that Marcus noticed their first sleeping target. 

*<'Let me take him, my Lord. We can split up here'>* Kait said.
 
Kamren and Marcus merely nodded and made their way for the bedroom
door. Marcus heard the slice of a sword going through the air and
connecting with flesh, but did not turn back. Marcus walked out into
the dark hallway. He motioned for Kamren to go one way and he took off
the opposite way. She nodded and did as he asked.
 
Marcus made it to a door of another bedroom and opened it quietly.
There he saw another sleeping form. A middle-aged man. It made him sick
to do things this way, but this would save the lives of a lot of
Knights. It was the alternative to war. He flipped his sword so that he
was holding it with the hilt skyward.
 
He grabbed hold of the handle of the sword with both hands, raising it
above his head. He watched the even breathing of the Knight on the bed
for only a second, then brought his sword down with great power,
effectively driving it through the Knights right, killing him
instantly. The Knight hardly moved when the sword drove through. Marcus
watched the blood pour for only a second before he left to find another.
 
It took only minutes. The three of them met back in the center of the
hall. "I eliminated the rest of the guards," Kamren said flatly. Her
sword was dripping with blood. "How many did you guys get? I got three
High Council members," she added.
 
"I got three too," Kait piped in.
 
"I got three as well . . . Where's the fourth?" Marcus asked. 

Then, like out of a bad dream, he watched the fourth rise behind Kait.
Blade in hand . . .
 
