So I can climb right back.

The axe was beautiful. In Larkin’s hands, its beauty was intensified. Whereas the axe tended to be a clumsy and heavy weapon, with him wielding it, it became graceful, quick and deadly. The blade swung upside down in the air, then back up into both of Larkin’s hands. He gripped it firmly, yet still held it as if it weighed nothing.

His eyes roamed the room for a few seconds. Spotting Tic, they snapped right back onto Matthias, displeased and very impatient with this game.

As if receiving some unseen signal, the guards all took five steps back from the two.

“What are you doing in my castle?” Larkin asked, eyes trying to capture those of Matthias’s, but the man seemed to be looking everywhere but at him. Larkin couldn’t put a finger on anything slightly familiar about Matthias’s appearance. His clothes, his spectacles of sorts, were too different for him to relate to anything he knew of. Except for the arm, it was mechanical. Could Matthias have been sent to fetch Tic? Did the Sink care that much about the life of one boy to risk another for his return? Maybe Tic really was something special.

It was a question Larkin had asked before, still unanswered and it would remain so. Before Matthias could open his mouth to reply, Larkin continued, “Have you come for my guest?”

"Oh, you mean the one I'm sure you molest?” he paused and considered his answer, then added, “Haha, that rhymed.”

The witty answer seemed completely unheard by Larkin, who was looking toward the ceiling and stroking his throat, lips puckered as if he were thinking very hard. “If you’re so suicidal enough to dare attempt a rescue, and clever enough to get this far, I’m sure your execution and my carrying it out would be…” he paused, looking back down at Matthias, hand dropping back to his axe, “…interesting.”

The strike was fast, and maybe Larkin should have been a little faster. Matthias easily ducked the swinging axe, and returned the attack with a fist to Larkin’s stomach. The ruler stumbled back, the blow stunning him momentarily. He regained his air quickly, though. And too quickly, Matthias thought.

The axe was up again and swinging, forcing Matthias to stumble backwards, narrowly avoiding the blade. Larkin took one huge swing, and it was a wonder the cyborg’s head didn’t fly across the room. Matthias was even surprised with himself - but not so much as to miss an opportunity to strike Larkin in the gut again and do some internal damage while he was distracted by the heavy swing of his weapon; nothing like that to kill someone good and slow.

But Larkin had learned once that his stomach was his only current vulnerable point, and twirled aside as Matthias’s shining arm flew towards him. The momentum took Matthias forward and he staggered, Larkin’s foot speeding out to crunch him in the back. He fell to the floor, slowly turning over and staring up in wonder and a dumbfounding pain from the force of the kick.

Larkin stood over him, raising the axe high to slice Matthias in half.

“No!” came a shout, and Larkin looked up quickly, peering through the ring of guards to see Tic emerging from his corner, a look of shock on his face. Probably because of himself.

Pausing only for a second to see what the interruption had been, Larkin looked back and swung the axe. It struck the floor, imbedding itself into the wood. A sound came from Larkin; a groan of frustration that had exited his throat as a growl. He looked up and saw Matthias at the end of the hallway, turning the corner.

The guards, not waiting for Larkin’s orders, went scrambling out of the room and past the debris.

“Kill him!” Larkin shouted after them, ripping his axe from the floor.

For a moment he stood with his back to the room, but soon turned to stare at Tic, his face wrinkled with an angry expression.