Katarina nodded. “My grandfather is on the Council. He was… a bit mad about my mother and father, but we’ve always gotten along well. I don’t think he cares that I’m illegitimate.”
“Councillor Jenson… I’ve heard about him. He was a soldier, a damn good one too. If I remember right, his mother was a commoner, illegitimate too. It was a big scandal although I’m not surprised you don’t know about it.” Avraniel chuckled. “You’re only a kid, and elves live way longer than humans. It might have been a scandal at the time, but for humans, it was generations ago. For elves, it might as well have been yesterday.” She reached over and patted Katarina on the head. “I’m definitely helping you now. Having a Councillor owe me a favour is like money in the bank. If I ever get tossed into prison, helping you out today might be enough to get me out tomorrow.” She pointed to where she’d set up a makeshift bedroll. She didn’t need one since she was used to sleeping rough, but Katarina might. “You should get some rest. We’ve got plenty of travelling ahead of us.”
“Should we split the watch?”
Avraniel grinned. “Good. You’re starting to use that head of yours. But we don’t need to.” She eyed the remains of the rabbits. She hadn’t been very hungry due to their slow pace, so there was still almost an entire rabbit left over. “Do you know how to speak the language of the wild?”
“You mean the one that lets elves talk to animals? No.”
“You should definitely learn it. It might sound stupid, but talking to animals can come in handy.” Avraniel smirked. “You’d be amazed by how much birds see, and rats and squirrels always seem to know where people hide things. All most of them want is food or shelter. You’re a half elf, so I don’t know how well you’ll be able to speak it, but you should be able to pick up some of it. Listen and learn.”
Long ago, long before Everton had been founded or the Eternal Empire had risen, elves had taught animals speech to use amongst themselves. Any elf that took the time to learn this ancient language could communicate with animals. Avraniel wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about being an elf. Any bunch of people who hated fire magic as much as they did had to be jerks. But there were benefits, like living a stupidly long time and being able to talk to animals. Elves also had a tendency to think that simply being an elf made them awesome. What a load of crap. Avraniel was awesome, and it had nothing to do with being an elf and everything to do with mastering her magic and being able to pummel anyone she wanted. Saying someone was awesome because they were an elf made about as much sense as congratulating a rat for being a rat. She called out into the darkness, and it wasn’t long before a wolf emerged from the shadows.
“Relax,” Avraniel said to Katarina. The girl had gone pale and scrambled over to her. “He’s here because I asked if anyone was willing to give us a hand.” She continued talking to the wolf, doing her best to ignore the iron grip Katarina had on her arm. It was almost insulting. The kid better not think they were in danger because Avraniel could kill a wolf with her bare hands.
This wolf was an older fellow. He’d lost his pack some time ago, and he’d been on his own ever since, eking out a living. She could sympathise, so she decided to make him an offer. If he came with them and kept watch whenever she slept or rested, she’d see to it that he was kept well fed and safe from anything that could harm him while they were travelling. She wouldn’t normally have bothered. She and those crazy squirrels had an understanding, but they weren’t near the squirrels anymore. The kid wasn’t worth a damn in a fight, and she didn’t seem to know much about surviving in the forest. The wolf, though, he was a survivor, and he could be counted on to keep watch. The wolf nodded his agreement, and Avraniel tossed him the rabbit. He ate it with obvious relish and settled down near the fire.
“He’ll take first watch, and I’ll take the next one. Get some rest and don’t worry. He’s not going to eat you.” The wolf, a lean grey with a scar across his face and another across one of his flanks, gave them both a toothy smile. “See? Would someone with a smile like his eat you?”
“Yes!”
“Heh. You need to loosen up a little, kid.”
“Kid? I told you my name. It’s Katarina.”
“I know, but I like ‘kid’ better. It suits you.”
* * *
“Can you use a bow?” Avraniel asked.
“No.”
“And based on what you’ve said and your pathetic attempts to cut up a rabbit, I think it’s safe to say that you can’t use a dagger. How about a sword? Nobles, human or elf, usually learn how to use a sword, right?”
“My grandfather wanted to teach me, but my mother said I should wait until I was a bit older.”
“Damn, kid, are you trying to get killed? It’s a big, scary world out there filled with big, scary people. You either learn how to fight or you end up dead.” She patted the wolf that was padding alongside them. “This guy here? He’s got the right idea. He’s a survivor. A wolf doesn’t survive this long on its own without knowing a thing or two. You? You’d end up inside some bear’s belly inside of a day or two.”
“My mother thought it would be best to raise me as a proper lady.”
Avraniel snorted. “I’ve seen proper ladies who could kill half a dozen men inside a minute with a hair pin. Trust me, you can be a proper lady and somebody who can massacre people at the same time.” She trailed off. “Hmm… do you see that?”
Katarina blinked and looked around. “See what? All I see is… trees, lots and lots of trees.”
“Over there. Look through the gap in the trees, down by the river. I don’t know how good your sight is, but you’re still half elf. You should be able to see it. It’s behind a boulder.”
Katarina squinted. “Is that… the entrance to a cave?”
Avraniel rubbed her hands together. “Let’s take a look.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I mean… what if there’s a bear in it or something?”
“Fine. I’m going to have a look, and you can stay here with the wolf –”
“I’ll come with you!”
Avraniel laughed. The kid was so predictable. She studied the terrain between them and the cave. It wasn’t that far away, but the quickest route had a small problem: they would have to leap off a cliff. Her lips curled. Cliffs weren’t a problem, not for her. She grabbed the wolf in one arm and Katarina in the other and broke into a sprint toward the cliff. The girl gave a terrified wail as Avraniel gathered herself and leapt. As she tumbled toward the ground, her magic roared to life. She fired a blast of flame downward to slow her descent and landed in a crouch. Katarina immediately stumbled away and found a nice place to vomit in delayed terror. The wolf simply nudged her with his head and asked if they could do that again. She grinned. She liked him already.
“I wouldn’t mind going again, but I’m not sure the kid would live through it.” Avraniel took a quick look around as Katarina staggered to the river to wash her mouth out. If there was treasure in the cave, she didn’t want to be ambushed on her way out.
Katarina tried to kill her with her eyes before realising the utter futility of glaring at someone who actually could set things on fire just by looking at them. “That was awful. Please, never do that again without at least warning me first.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Avraniel led them toward the entrance to the cave. “How’s your night vision?”
“It’s much better than a human’s. I’ve never had trouble seeing at night.”
“Good. I can use my magic to make light, but I’d rather not. These caves always have something hiding in them, and waving a light around is a great way to draw the wrong kind of attention.” Avraniel stepped into the cave with Katarina behind her and the wolf at the back. “If we’re lucky, there will be some nice, easily sold treasure waiting for us in here.” She glanced back at Katarina. “Word of advice, kid. Treasure isn’t worth a damn thing unless you can move it. Coins and gems are great, but if you find something really exotic, finding a buyer who wo
n’t stab you in the back can be tricky. Sure, I can always set them on fire, but it’s still a pain in the ass. Besides, most people treacherous enough to stab you in the back aren’t going to be carrying their valuables with them, so you’re not exactly making a profit.”
“Uh… right.” Katarina grimaced. “I’ll be sure to remember that… if… I ever have to sell any treasure.”
It didn’t take them long to find the treasure. It was only a short stroll from the entrance to the cave. There was only one problem. There was something guarding the treasure.
“Huh.” Avraniel frowned faintly as the creature in front of her caught fire but did not fall to the ground in screaming, hideous agony. She could simply increase the heat of her flames or the force behind them, but she didn’t want to bring the cave down. It wasn’t like she was afraid of being buried under the rubble. Her magic could easily blast or melt the rock away, but bringing the cave down would bury the treasure, which meant they’d have to dig it out. “What is that thing?”
The creature was a glowing, faintly green apparition in the vague shape of a hydra. It was mostly intangible – its legs seemed to disappear down through the floor of the cave – but the acid it spat was definitely tangible. Avraniel leaned to one side, and a spray of acid splashed onto the wall of the cave. The rock bubbled and began to melt.
“Wait.” Her amber eyes narrowed. “It looks kind of like a ghost hydra or something. Katarina, can you use your magic on it?”
“I – I think so!”
“Then use it.”
Katarina, who had spent most of the short fight huddled behind Avraniel, hurriedly called upon her magic. Tendrils of radiant white light burst out of the ground and ensnared the creature. The girl’s magic made a low humming sound and the ghostly hydra was suddenly far more solid and corporeal. Avraniel cackled.
“Not bad, kid. Now, stand back. I bet this bastard will burn now.”
One thorough, thorough roasting later, and Avraniel carried a large chest out of the cave. She dumped it onto the ground, and both the wolf and the girl watched closely as she forced it open. Katarina might not have wanted to go after the treasure, but she definitely wanted to know what was in the chest.
The chest swung open, and Avraniel scowled. “What? That’s it?”
There was some kind of artefact inside the box. It appeared to have been disassembled, and all she could make out were gears and various other bits and pieces. The urge to melt the whole mess down into scrap was overwhelming. She’d been hoping for something simple, like bars of gold or maybe silver coins. Even if this thing were valuable, finding a buyer for it would be a hassle.
“Wait!” Katarina cried as Avraniel’s magic surged. “Do you know what this is?”
“No.” Avraniel paused. “But I’m guessing you do if you don’t want me to blow it up.”
“It’s a clock,” Katarina explained. “My mother has one just like it. I watched when the smith came to repair it one day. I don’t know if that chest has all the parts, but clocks like this are very valuable. They’re popular with the nobility too.”
“I see.” Avraniel shoved the chest into the sack she’d stolen from the mercenaries. It was definitely handy to have something that was bigger on the inside than the outside. It must do something about the weight too because the sack was definitely lighter than the chest had been. “I’ll keep it then. I might even offer it to your father when we get to that bastard’s place.” She glanced up at the sky. The whole thing hadn’t even taken an hour. “We should get going. We’ve got lots more ground to cover.”
“It didn’t help that you took us on this detour.”
“It wasn’t a detour, kid. We were getting treasure.”
“It’s still a detour even if there’s treasure.”
“It doesn’t count as a detour if there’s treasure.”
* * *
Nine days – and several more detours for treasure – later, Avraniel breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally reached the large estate that Lord Galterion called home. The estate covered a large chunk of the forest, and it was dotted with several settlements. At the heart of it was a splendid manor, and Avraniel strolled right up to the gate before she made her presence known. Heh. That uptight jerk needed better guards if she was able to get this close before being spotted. Once they noticed her, the guards at the gate paled. She bit back a cackle. Good. They knew who she was, and they were terrified.
“Halt!” one of the elves at the gate cried. “Halt, villain!” His words were impressive, his trembling sword arm less so.
Villain? Avraniel snorted and calmly used her magic to disintegrate the arrow one of the guards was stupid enough to shoot at her. If the kid hadn’t been there, she would have turned him into a bonfire for his mistake. “You know, you might want to be more careful. You’re not going to hurt me with an arrow, but you might hit the kid.”
“The kid?”
Katarina stepped out from behind Avraniel and held up an elaborate broach. It was probably some keepsake from her mother. It looked expensive, but the girl’s lunar opal would be worth far more money. “I am Katarina Valerie Jensen, daughter of Lord Galterion.”
The guards stared.
The one from before spluttered incoherently for several seconds before finding his voice again. “You fiend! To think that you would resort to kidnapping children for ransom!”
“Idiot.” Avraniel was sorely tempted to set all of them on fire, but she was here to hand the kid over to her father not start a fight although perhaps a light singeing would be good. “I didn’t kidnap her, you dumb bastard. I saved her from mercenaries, and she hired me to bring her here. Now, run off and tell your jerk of a master that I’m here with his daughter, and I expect to be compensated for my trouble.” None of them moved. Her eye twitched, and the temperature began to rise with alarming speed. “Move!” The wolf beside them chortled, not used to seeing elves so terrified.
As the guards ran off, Katarina reached into her pocket and handed Avraniel the lunar opal. “Thank you,” the girl said. “For helping me.”
Avraniel waved one hand dismissively and took her reward. “I don’t like seeing people go after kids, and, hey, it’s not like I’m walking away empty handed.” She lowered her voice. “Don’t tell your father you just paid me. I’m sure he can afford to add a little extra on top of that lunar opal.”
Katarina giggled. “I won’t say a word.”
Lord Galterion appeared with a much larger retinue of guards. He took one look at Katarina and hurried out of the gate.
“You!” he growled at Avraniel.
He was tall, even for an elf, and he was broad-shouldered too. The sword he carried on his back was almost as big as she was, and he wasn’t carrying it for show. She could honestly say that he was one of the best swordsmen she’d faced. Of course, gigantic amounts of fire trumped swordsmanship every day of the week.
“On any other day,” Lord Galterion hissed. “I would kill you where you stand.” Avraniel rolled her eyes. If he had the strength to kill her, he’d have done it years ago. “But you have done me a great service. I feared my daughter slain or kidnapped when my scouts found the bodies of mercenaries alongside the bodies of her escort. For saving my daughter and bringing her to me safely, you have my thanks, miscreant.” He tossed her a large pouch. “Take it and leave. You have until sundown to depart my lands. Linger, and I shall have you arrested and put to death.”
Avraniel peeked into the pouch. Not bad. “Don’t worry, you bastard. I’ll be gone soon enough.”
Katarina looked between them in confusion. “Father… what… why are you talking about putting her to death?”
Avraniel grinned at the girl. She still hadn’t figured it out. “You know that monster your escort warned you about, the one I kept saying we didn’t have to worry about?” Her grin turned toothy. “I’m the monster. Think about it. Amber eyes. Fire magic. Well, I don’t have pointy teeth, but you get the idea.” She ruffled Katarina’
s hair. “But even monsters have standards. I don’t go after kids.” She pocketed the pouch. “I’ll be heading off, kid. Your father and I don’t get along, and I’ve got plans for the reward I got.” She gave Lord Galterion a pointed look. “Next time, get your kid a better escort. Those mercenaries sucked, so the escort she had must have been even worse.”
Avraniel gave Katarina one last jaunty wave and then walked away. She could feel Lord Galterion seething behind her, and it was glorious, almost as good as the reward she’d gotten. “Come on,” she said to the wolf. “I’ll take you back to where I found you. You’ve held up your end of the bargain.” She smiled faintly. “Hell, you’re welcome to hang around for a while if you want. You’re better company than those damn squirrels.”
The wolf grinned and padded after her. Avraniel set a more sedate pace. She had a pouch full of precious gems that would last her for decades and a lunar opal that was worth almost as much as the gems. She wanted to savour this. The only thing missing was a nice, hot meal, but she wasn’t stupid enough to linger. Lord Galterion meant what he’d said, and she wouldn’t put it past the loser to stab her in the back if he thought Katarina wouldn’t notice. Elf lords were all bastards. It was simply a matter of when he’d try to screw her over, not if he would.
One day, she’d have enough money to get all of her enemies off her back and leave the forest behind. She’d find a nice island somewhere and have a big house. She’d sleep on the beach and maybe get a dragon, something big and scary that loved fire as much as she did. She might even get a dog too. Regular dogs were okay, but there had to be a dog out there that could impress her. Yeah, something different, something big and tough that wouldn’t mind being around her or her dragon.
* * *
Avraniel and the wolf maintained their slow pace even after they were a safe distance from Lord Galterion’s manor. It was the same pace they’d set with Katarina, and it gave Avraniel time to consider her next move. She needed a safe place for the reward she’d been given, which meant she’d have to leave the forest for a while to visit the bank that had agreed to do business with her. They were a stuffy bunch, but they were good at what they did, and they had yet to cheat her. It could have been professional ethics, or maybe they were smart enough to realise that dead men had no use for money and she would absolutely make them dead men if they cheated her. It puzzled her. She was a wanted criminal, but they still did business with her. Either they had a bizarre sense of humour, or they didn’t like the elves any more than she did.
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