It was a classic judo throw. There was a soft sound of surprise and then the man flipped, landing agilely on his feet as he used her grip on him to jerk her forward into a throw of his own.
She landed hard on her back, blinking up at the man. Much of his face was in shadow, but she registered the dark hair and piercing eyes.
She didn't recognize him, and he definitely wasn't Graydon's man. Likely not Luatha either, given the dark hair.
It was all the analysis she had time for before he was on her again, reaching down and grabbing her shirt.
She jackknifed up, trapping his arm against her as she got one leg around it.
He growled as she started putting pressure on the joint. He picked her up and slammed her down. Then again, when her grip didn't loosen.
Pain ran up her spine as her grip broke. She kicked him in the face in retaliation.
There was a wordless shout from their right.
Kira didn't hesitate, kicking at his knee, savagely happy when her foot connected with a crunching sound.
It didn't stop him. He roared, tackling her as she made it to her feet.
She landed back on the ground with an oomph as he fought to pin her arms and legs. She headbutted him, pain blazing from her forehead.
He didn't rear back as she expected, though he did curse, the sound vicious.
She smiled.
Kira wiggled for better leverage, punching up with her hips, while simultaneously grabbing one of his wrists and throwing her weight against that arm. His grip broke as he crashed onto the ground next to her.
She rolled on top, punching down with everything she had.
He didn't make it easy for her, protecting his face and neck.
A force hit her from the side, carrying her off her attacker.
Kira exploded into a frenzied rage, losing herself as she fought for her life.
"Enough, I'm not your enemy," Graydon roared.
She threw one more punch, gratified when it landed just below his eye. He barely turned with the force of the blow, his eyes narrowing.
"You done?" he asked.
She shrugged. "For now."
He bared his teeth at her. She bared hers right back.
The sight made him chuckle as his hands slid from her shoulders and he stood. He didn't help her up, which was probably a good thing, since she might have savaged his arm given the way she was feeling.
The strange man said something in their language.
"She doesn't understand Tuann. Stick to human standard," Graydon said as he looked around them.
She noticed with a start Graydon wore a pair of pants and nothing else. His shoulders and chest were wide and developed, tapering into a narrow waist. Every muscle was rigidly defined, making it hard to take her eyes off him. He had the sort of body the barbarian romance holos liked to feature. Women everywhere would pay a fortune for any scrap containing a picture of his chest and waist.
"Where did you get the hellcat?" the stranger asked, nodding at Kira.
"It's a long story," Graydon said, sparing a glance at her. "It's good to see you again, Finn."
"Can't say the same," Finn said sourly.
Kira smirked when he reached up to touch the gash on his forehead. It matched hers and made the headache quickly forming behind her eyes almost worth it.
"What are you doing here?" Graydon asked.
"I heard the fight. Got here and found her," Finn said, jerking his chin at Kira.
Kira stared at the two men as they focused on her. "I was out for a stroll and thought I'd investigate."
Neither man looked like they believed her.
"She was their target. She sprinted straight at them after the first salvo. Didn't even hesitate," Finn said, not taking his eyes off Kira.
Graydon growled as he glared at Kira. "Usually one doesn't run at the people trying to kill them."
"Does it happen to you often?" Kira asked politely.
His face got even grumpier.
"Will you do it?" he asked, not looking anywhere besides Kira.
She frowned, not understanding.
Finn’s sigh was heavy and depressed. "Yeah. There's not much choice. She has too much of him in her."
Satisfaction flashed across Graydon's face and he slapped Finn on the shoulder. "Good, that'll make things easier."
"For you, maybe," Finn said as the sounds of others approaching reached them.
Roderick and several of his people slipped through the trees, taking in the sight of them with varying degrees of dismay and caution.
Roderick's gaze lingered on Finn before he focused on Graydon. "What is going on here?"
"I’d like to ask you the same thing," Graydon said in a painfully polite voice. "A child of your House was attacked. Where were your men during this?"
Roderick's attention shot from Graydon to Kira. "We cannot protect you if you leave the safety of the Citadel without notifying anyone."
Kira lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed with the way he'd tried to shift the blame for this to her shoulders.
She held her silence, waiting to see how far he would go.
"Kira was on the terrace when she was attacked. Your men should have been guarding her," Graydon said, a dangerous undercurrent to his voice.
"My men have more important things to worry about," Roderick snapped.
"Someone just penetrated your House defenses and attacked someone under your Overlord's protection. What is more important than that?" Graydon demanded silkily.
Roderick fell silent, glaring at Graydon for several seconds before switching his scowl to Kira. She gave him a polite expression. Graydon had raised excellent points. She was interested in hearing the answer.
"You've made it clear she's under your protection," Roderick shot back. "Until she is declared part of our House, her safety isn't my responsibility."
That response seemed to infuriate both Graydon and Finn. Both men straightened, seeming to grow larger for a brief moment. Graydon's eyes were bright and furious. For a moment, Kira thought he might grab the shorter man by the throat.
Roderick broke the standoff by spinning and stalking away. He barked an order over his shoulder.
"Incompetent fool," Graydon snarled quietly.
"I'd like to say I'm surprised, but I'm really not," Finn drawled. "Luatha has gotten fat and lazy."
That was one word for it.
Roderick hadn't even taken the time to investigate. He hadn't sent his men to sweep the perimeter or make sure there were no other points of insertion. For all he knew, the attack on Kira was a decoy used to gain access to the House for some other agenda.
Was his lack of concern because this was an attack on her? Or was this their normal operating procedure?
Either way, it pointed to a dangerous lack of foresight.
Had the safety of the Citadel and those inside been Kira's responsibility, she would have made sure to hunt the perpetrators no matter who their target. It said bad things about your leadership if someone under your protection could be hurt with impunity. It was only a matter of time before others attacked too.
The same thoughts seemed to have occurred to Graydon, his expression darkening further.
There was a small sound behind them as Amila ghosted out of the woods.
"They got away," she told Graydon.
Impressive. Kira knew exactly how quick Amila and the other oshota were.