Writing exercise 1 - We're being watched (Wilde Queen?)

 Prompt: "we're being watched." "you always think that." "I'm always right"

Music: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkmJMAnSFPdI-T47Ah4enR-m_ailqsQCG

*******

"We're being watched." Raven hissed under her breath, taking a step closer to me and wresting a hand on my hip, an easy going smile plastered to her face but not touching her tense eyes. 

Rolling mine, I responded, "You always think that." I gave a little chuckle but began to covertly scan the crowd in the market when her hand tensed around my hip. She was seriously concerned. 

"I'm always right," She breathed into my ear as she nuzzled her face close to mine as if about to embrace me. She pulled me close into a hug, allowing me to face a group of men leisurely lounging in the shade of a tavern. "See them? They're trying too hard not to look at us. We've been marked. When I say so... move." My breath hitched with anticipation. The sun was bright as it beat down on us, I could taste the dust from the earth in the desert air, and my heartbeat slowed as a bead of sweat rolled down my face. She was right. One of them casually scanned the market in its entirety and purposefully shifted his gaze from us.  

"Rav-"

"Move."

We pivoted behind a farmer's cart before I could say anything. Ducking under the cover of the large harvest we dipped into a narrow alley formed between two tall buildings and ran. I forced myself to pace my breathing as we ran, hearing the shouts of men in the bustle of the market behind us. My feet moved quickly on the dusty stretch of road, with one hand I shifted my head covering to make sure it wouldn't fall, my other hand clasped tightly by the assassin before me, pulling me to her pace whether I could match her or not.

 I tried but failed to hold back the yelp as I heard something whiz past my head and thump deeply into a barrel at our sides. Arrows. They were shooting arrows at us. I was surprised when a male scream echoed my own and a body fell with a heavy thud, too close for comfort, as another man shouted orders. 

"Alive. We want her alive. Touch a hair on her head and your own will roll." His voice was deep and almost gravelly. It was one I recognized but did not know from where. They were gaining on us and in a moment of either bravery or insanity I pulled from Raven's grasp and turned to face our pursuers. I felt a swell of energy in my chest and forced it through my arms as I threw them up in the air. A gust of wind followed my movements as our enemies slammed into an invisible shield. I felt my eyes burn as I commanded the shadow of the buildings to climb the shield and wrap around the... one, two, three, four remaining men. There were cries of confusion and I snarled as more power rushed from my body. My teeth aches as I felt them elongate, my hands curling to form claws, my nails sharp and fingers stiff and curled as if ready to swipe should any of them break free. 

"My Lady!" Raven's voice sounded far away despite her close proximity to my pointed ears. My grimace of pain and power shifted to shock when I sensed the movements of another man suddenly behind us. 

"Behind," I breathed as I whipped my magic to shield her from a flying object shooting so fast I couldn't see it. The blade clanged and fell uselessly. "Another Mage?" I asked tensely, my shadow grip on the others tightening with my rising anxiety. I could hear cries of panic and pain. I felt my blood-rage rise at the sound, filling me with both dread and excitement. I had a the breath of a moment to decide how to handle them before I addressed the mage behind us. To kill  them or not... decide. decide now. I longed to hear the crunch of their bones. See their blood drip from the grips of my shadows. I screamed as I tightened the shadows, the cries were loud and were followed by dull thumps as they fell into the dust, unconscious. Not dead. Not dead. I reminded myself as bile churned my stomach. 

I turned to face out last enemy and jolted with shock. A tall man stood before us patiently, his long dark hair pulled into a ponytail and his face obscured by a mask; like his voice it seemed familiar but I knew not how or where.

"We meet again My Queen." his words sounded as if a hundred men spoke at once, his own magic gathering around him. To raven it simply felt like a warm wind was moving around us, but I saw it clearly. My eyes burned from the use of magic, I felt something  wet rolling down my cheeks as I forced my blurring vision to focus on the violently blue energy swarming and filling the alley. My own, now just a bubble of swirling golden energy seemed almost a bubble of light around us, in a sea of his power. I tried not to be moved by the deep and bold color of it. His mask had blue paint that attempted to match his energy, but it fell short in the way no one could truly paint and match the light of the sun. 

Something about this man moved me and I could not tell if it was fear, awe, or what emotion pulled at my chest. I tensed and angled my back to Raven's, her breathing slow and steady, ready for a fight. She could not see our hopeless situation, we were out gunned and surrounded by this man. How he had dodged my power before amazed and confused me. I gasped as his energy pressed mine, I refused to give in but felt the weight of it trying to crush us. 

"Do I know you?" I gasped, my false bravado ruined by the exhausted breathlessness of my voice. 

"My Lady..." Raven's concern was palpable as I realized the moisture running down my face was blood. My eyes and nose were bleeding from the sheer power leaving every pore of my body to protect us. The metallic taste was unpleasant on my lips. When I finally turned my face to him full on I was shocked to find he instantly dropped his bombardment of magic in an instant. One moment we are on the verge of drowning in sapphire magic and the next nothing. 

"Lower your shield My Lady." He barked the order, his voice once again nothing more than a deep melody that seemed to float to my ears and settle in my chest. "I need you alive. Do not drain yourself for nothing. I will not attack with magic." He gave an arrogant chuckle, "I do not need to." 

Reluctantly I dropped my magic and sagged against Raven, her slender arm supporting me as she shifted her body protectively Infront of me, knife drawn. "I wouldn't be so sure of that." Her threat was quiet. I anxiously held my breath, as I moved to the wall of abuilding and sank to the ground. She took a small step forward, a second knife appearing in her other hand. Many men had underestimated the famous Spider, but I doubt this one had. He oozed calm, silent, power. I did not doubt his talent in hand to hand combat would match the sheer strength of his magic. I did not know who this man was, but my ever instinct said that this was not a fight that we could win - yet. 

I forced myself to stand and placed one hand on the wall, with one outstretched and small of her back. "Raven...." I whispered, pulling the last reserves of magic I had left. I knew the exhaustion that would come, could already feeling it set into my bones. He knew what I was doing and leapt forward, arm outstretched, snarling in frustration. But he was too late, I gripped her as tight as I could and pulled us both through the portal. It closed mere seconds before he could get to us and our bodies fell into the void. I knew not where we were going, but I felt Raven wrap her arms around me as I fell into unconsciousness. There was a vague awareness as we crashed through greenery and landed, ungracefully, upon the earth. I could smell the dirt, it seemed it has just rained, and heard gasps as I descended into the inky blackness of sleep.