Rhychard reached over his shoulder and pulled one of his short swords out of the harness. The man's eyes went wide. "I get the gun comment quite a bit, but in the end, it doesn't matter. These aren't your normal swords; in case you hadn't noticed. But please, run, and let's see how far you get."The burly man stared with dark eyes at both swords. Rhychard just shrugged and smiled. The man turned to his friend and gestured to the boxes, grumbling to Justin that he would suffer for their embarrassing labor. Justin paled even more, a feat Rhychard didn't think possible.Every time Justin went to move, Kree growled him back into place. The man was beyond frustrated, but still too scared of the massive hound in front of him to do anything about it. "What do you want? You can't just take my things!""First, they are not your things. Second, we aren't taking them. Are we, Trace?" Rhychard glanced at his friend who had his arm around Mrs. Ivy in a protective gesture."No, we're not." Trace's v

Rhychard sat astride his Suzuki and stared up at Renny Saunders townhouse. The chilly, quiet night entirely swallowed the Friday sun. The sky was clear, the stars pin-pricking the night canopy. It was the first night of the Dark Moon. Tomorrow that moon would hold power, power Vargas would harness and use to open a Gateway to the Nether.Rhychard still wasn't sure how he would stop the Unseelie demon or if he even could, but he knew he would tell Renny the truth. He didn't think it would change anything between them, but she would know he hadn't cheated on her. That was all he wanted at this point, to clear his name in her eyes. He hated that she thought badly of him, especially since he hadn't really done anything wrong.Except not trust her. He should have told her everything from the start and not hid it from her no matter what Kendalais had commanded. Four years the two of them had been together, and he had listened to some pompous elf he had only known for a short time instead of

Rhychard walked over and scratched Kree behind the ears. The elven hound pushed his head into Rhychard's fingers. "He really is harmless, unless you're a pepperoni pizza, that is." :Thank you, my friend.: Rhychard turned to Renny but stayed where he was. "These are my friends. They've saved my life, as well as the lives of others. Tryna is the one you heard me talking to that night, and it was about me saving the police captain, John Relco. Renny, I have never lied to you or cheated on you. I just couldn't explain everything that happened to me. To be honest, I still can't. They are going against rules passed down over thousands of years to help me convince you of what is really happening. You have to believe me, Renny. Your life does depend on it."Renny sat there for a moment, staring. Rhychard just waited, giving her time to process what she was seeing; what she was hearing. He knew the shock it generated. Her living room had become a living fantasy novel. Yet, thanks to his friends

Rhychard reached over his shoulder and gripped the Guardian Sword. He felt the warmth of its power filling him as he drew it from its sheath and brought it forward, the voices screaming for action. He wasn't sure his idea would work, but a fight where he chose the ground had to be better than where they were leading him. The minute they hurt him, Tryna would know and send Kree. Rhychard didn't want to get hurt, though.As he neared the next intersection, he swung out to the left, then made a hard right turn. He aimed his front tire at the gargoyle on the left. The creature jumped upward, into the sky, its wings pounding the air. The other beast lunged at the Warrior only to catch the sword across his left shoulder. The blade sliced in and lodged into the creature's body, eliciting an agonizing screech. Rhychard held tight, expecting to be yanked off the Suzuki. Just as he felt himself being jerked backward, the beast exploded into a storm of ash. The motorcycle swerved and jerked, and

"He's dead?" Buttercup just stared at him with her mouth open and her eyes revealing her disbelief. Rhychard wasn't sure if it was shock at the news or her still being half asleep that made her seem like she had trouble comprehending. Kree had felt the strain in Rhychard's mind before he pulled into Whispering Oaks about half-past four that morning and everyone inside the condo had known what happened by the time he passed through the front door."He's dead," Rhychard repeated. "So is his partner, two dark elves, and a score of gargoyles. They definitely didn't want me to go to church tonight." He tossed his jacket and the harness of swords on the small dining room table and dropped into his recliner. He was exhausted, and the main battle hadn't even happened yet. It was going to be a long day.Buttercup just stared into the air. Surely, a girl of the streets had seen death before, but how up close and personal, Rhychard wasn't sure. "Does this mean I'm safe?"Rhychard shook his head.