one of the Vandals out front shook himself, and got to his knees. Glancing around quickly, to see if anyone noticed him among the bodies mounting near the entrance, he crawled inside the front door.

The others seemed to have gone to the defense of the back door when the man stood, wavering slightly on his feet (he was still a bit woozy from being knocked out of the way with a club). His eyes looked around the room, looking for a target, and landed on Kaia.

Kaia hardly saw him until, by chance, she turned about from his bladestroke-- it left only a shallow cut across her arm and chest. She cried in pain and moved in with her dagger to wound her attacker but he deflected the attack.

He was smiling at her!! Grinning like a lunatic while he prepared his next blow-- at least until Kaia's sword, held by her injured arm, went through his leg. Screaming at her, he swung at her head. The blade sailed above her ducking head but the handle and the hand grasping it connected and Kaia went down on the floor in a heap...