35 Unwelcome visitors

My dreams suddenly changed, sounds around were different, I was aware of a sampan approaching. 

I woke instantly, grabbed my sword and was out from underneath the skins within seconds. 

I stood between them, whoever they were, and her, and I wasn't going to let anything happen. 

I turned my head towards her. Her eyes were open and watching. 

I jestured for her to stay still out of sight. She nodded.

 Silently, I moved towards the water's edge and crouched down. I was hidden by the overhang of the branches. It was a good position; I could see as the sampan as it turned the corner. 

It drifted into sight. There were two men and they looked heavily armed. I guessed they were after me. 

Silently, they let the boat drift into shore and as they stepped onto dry land I looked closely at their weaponry. It was Mu House.

I continued watching as they slowly approached the skins.

Stepping out behind them, I held the sword point firmly to the back of one of them. "Move any further and you're dead," I said.

 The second man whipped round and with a single move, I sliced his forearm. His sword fell to the floor. Holding his arm trying to stem the blood, he watched me closely.

"Turn!" It wasn't a request, it was a command. "One mistake and you're dead. I said turn!"

 The second man turned round slowly with his hands out and is sword hanging loose beside him. He smirked, "thought it was you, not many would ambush us so successfully. No matter, others are coming, we've still got you and your father will pay a hefty ransom." 

Funnily enough, that was the last sound, either of them made in this world. Within a split second, I watched as both of their throats were cut by an invisible force that moved with such speed and ferocity. They dropped to the ground before they realised they were dead.

Behind them she was standing there, knife in hand. She looked at me with a respect I'd not seen before, nodded and walked into the water to clean herself of their blood. 

"We need to move now."

She nodded and gathered together all our the belongings. She looked at me  and without speaking, I pointed at the sampan. Again she nodded and placed everything into the boat.

She held up her hand so as to say, "wait".

She turned the men over,  and ripped off their clothing leaving it in a pile to be found by anyone landing here. 

Next she jestured to me to copy. She dragged one of them further into the undergrowth and I followed. Both men, barely dress and bleeding profusely were decorously dumped deep in the shadows.

She looked at me. In my head I heard her say, "copy". 

She slit the man from rib cage to groin, opened it out by cutting at right angles at waist level. She looked over at me, pointing with her knife, 'do the same' I heard. Once I'd copied, she then reached inside the man and pulled out his entrails. 

I placed my hand inside mine and felt the remnants of heat from a once live being. 

Her lack of emotion both frightened and amazed me.

I'd never seen anything quite so horrific but did exactly as she said. 

When it was done she nodded approval and raising her head to the sky, called the wolves. She was gifting them a feast. I heard a distant reply and she resent her message. It wouldn't be long. The call and the smell of blood would bring them.

Yes, this woman was of the forest and my respect heightened further.

Returning to the camp site, she spread the coals and removed all evidence of our bedding.

Then she jestured for me to get in the boat and wait.

Picking up a branch which had been bedding only a short while ago, she swept the area clean. It looked fresh, all tracks covered. 

We pushed off and keeping low, began to drift down the river.

"If they find the men they'll be freaked out by their appearance. They won't return." She looked straight in my eyes to gauge my reaction. 

Then I remembered her. She was the one who had leapt out and took down the men at that ambush.

She enthralled me. I wanted to learn more.