by Lisa Daniels
As soon as she reached her room, the young woman quickly wiped the blood from her arm, collected all of her things, and turned to leave. She had reached the door when she realized that she could not simply leave that way. Pulling a piece of parchment from her bag, Annora did something she hadn’t done in years – she jotted a couple of sentences of thanks and apologies to Bree. Her handwriting was pretty atrocious because she had never had much interest in scholarly work, but Bree had always insisted that it was the best way to set an example for Naya and Saskia. Bree taught all three of them to write, but Annora learned separately so that the two young girls did not know that she had learned much later. It had never seemed like a useful skill for a dragon hunter, but Annora had learned to be grateful for it during times like these. She felt a little better leaving something for her friend because the dragon slayer knew that Bree would be very upset with not getting to say goodbye. A note would be taken as a sincere sign that Annora was sorry to leave without a proper parting – Bree would know that. As she placed the note on the bed, the image of Bree reading it and shaking it with a slight smile ran through the dragon slayer’s mind.
Sorry, Bree, but the dragon is nearby and I cannot sit and watch it burn another place to the ground. Thank you for helping and take care of yourself.
That pretty much covered everything she felt was necessary. There was no need to mention the other hunter or bring up the fact that she hadn’t even gotten any rest. Those were things she could discuss when next they met. Even knowing that Bree would reprimand her, Annora always seemed to tell the younger woman everything.
With a clear conscience, she left The Palace Paradise and headed for the closest gate.
The dragon had appeared high in the sky, which was usually a sign that it was not going to attack. However, it was best not to leave these things up to chance. Not with Bree somewhere in that overcrowded town.
Annora’s thoughts were entirely focused on the dragon as she quickly made her way out of the town. As she looked up to see if there was any sign of the dragon, the young woman failed to see a couple walking toward the town, their heads bowed close together. It was only the sound of a girlish giggle that caught her attention just before she bumped into the man. Her mind quickly began to process the situation and the people.
She grabbed her injured shoulder, feeling the blood begin to seep out of the fresh would. Regretting that she had not bound it, Annora began to apologize.
“I am so sorry.” Her eyes continued to look up as she tried to be wary in case the dragon had a change of heart and decided to attack the town.
Though her apology seemed rushed, the couple did not seem to mind. “Not at all,” the man said. “It was my fault as well, I didn’t…” his voice trailed off as he looked at her.
She should have expected it. People automatically saw the swords and clothes and assumed she was a man, until they looked closer. Annora prepared to move on before they could start asking the usual questions, but the question the man had was not what she expected.
“Would you allow me to dress that for you?”
Annora turned to look at him, her face only barely reflecting her surprise. She looked at the couple a little closer. The woman was cute, probably about the same age as Naya and Saskia, just barely in her 20s. Her hair was a shocking blond color that Annora had associated with nymphs and pixies, but it was obvious the woman was neither. Perhaps a mixture, several generations down the line? Her mind could not help but trace humanoid features and characteristics. The woman’s eyes were like a fawn’s, large and brown. Her other features were dainty, making her look more like a doll than a woman.
The man was roughly the same height as Annora, which was still several inches taller than the petite woman. His physique was very slim, but having bumped into him, Annora knew that his muscles were solid. Her eyes quickly took in his sinewy form, and she noticed that he did not carry any weapons, although his build and outfit suggested that combat was not unfamiliar to him. Who would be foolish enough to travel the roads this late without weapons? Annora thought, but she said nothing as it was none of her business. His hair was an unimpressive brown color, but the way it shone and moved with the breeze made her want to touch it. Quickly shaking off that thought, Annora brought her mind back to what was important.
“That is quite alright. I have business that I need to-”
“At this time of night? Outside of the town?” The young woman’s voice was skeptical, but it was the melodic way she spoke that caught Annora’s attention. Stunned that they would express concern over a stranger, the dragon slayer briefly wondered if she should point out that they were in no better condition since they were unarmed. Her mouth began working before she could express the thought.
“Yes, well, I-”
The couple shared a glance as the man said, “You don’t need to explain. My companion is just a tad too curious. She has a big heart and hates to see people get hurt, and that frequently leads to her interrogating people.” He smiled down at his companion in a way that was so sickeningly sweet it made Annora feel like the food irritating her stomach was going to make a return. As she was about to excuse herself, the man turned to look at her again, a clear expression of concern on his face. “But she does have a point. We can’t just let you run off into the night with blood actually running down your arm.”
“It’s hardly the first time.”
His brows knit together. “But your right arm is injured. That will affect the way-”
She cut him off, saying, “Thank you for your concern, but it really is not something that should trouble you.”
The young woman began rummaging through her bag as the man’s brow furrowed. “A young fighter,” Annora bristled at his description of her because he looked like he wasn’t much older than his companion, “rushing off alone into the woods should be a concern to anyone with a heart.”
Annora noticed that he did not say “person”. Her eyes began to analyze him. A gentle laugh beside him caught her attention before she could start determining what he was.
The young woman spoke. “If I’m too curious, he’s overly cautious of any woman. Although he does have a soft spot for beautiful woman who act tough. They always need the most help since they will never ask for any.”
Annora tried to detect a hint of jealousy, but the young woman clearly did not feel it. She noticed that there was a blush on his cheeks at the female’s words. He mumbled, “Well, that is kind of true, but I take care of both males and females who choose to be reckless. Gender has nothing to do with it.”
There was another melodic laugh before the female said, “I’m Taja, and this is Phelan.” She stretched out her hand and Annora saw bandages.
“Thank you, my dear.” Phelan quickly gave her a peck on the cheek as he took the bandages from her hand. Before the dragon hunter could say or do anything, he had taken her arm and was wrapping it. “It looks like you got into a fight in town. I hope you aren’t running from the law.” There was a meaning behind his words that Annora could not quite understand.
She was about to push him away, but he was faster. Letting go of her arm, Phelan continued, “It’s only a temporary fix. You really need to take care of it, but at least the blood will attract less attention.”
Annora couldn’t quite keep up with the ambling discussions of the couple. “Thank you. And, again, I apologize for running into you. Now if you will please excuse me, I don’t want to lose the trail.”
The man’s eyebrow went up as Taja giggled again. “Oh, she must be a bounty hunter. After the rogue who injured you, huh? You had best let her go if you don’t want to end up on her list.”
Annora had already turned to leave when the words were spoken. The dragon slayer quickly swiveled around to look the odd pair over again. There was definitely something off about them. While she hardly ever took an interest in other humans, there was something about the couple that was hard to ignore.
She gave them a very quick smile.
“You needn’t worry. I’m not going to track any creature that has aided me.” She paused. “Not without a very good reason, anyway.” Annora was about to turn and leave when an idea struck her. Turning one more time, she called out to them. The couple looked at her, seeming as if they had nearly forgotten about her. “There is a room at The Palace Paradise. Room 204. Just slip the note on the bed under the door to Room 500 and you can have the room. I won’t be back tonight. And be prepared for a bright, bubbly woman to visit you in the morning. She mostly means well, but she will have questions. The room is comfortable, so that will more than make up for any interrogations. Just tell her Annora is very sorry about not getting to give a proper goodbye and promises to explain the next time we meet. And if you would please not mention…” Her hand went up to the fresh bandage.
The couple shared another look, then nodded at her. Taja spoke up, “You are giving up a night at The Palace Paradise to go running off into the woods with a fresh wound? You are truly a unique woman. Well, we can hardly say no to the offer. We will let her know that you are well, minus the injury.” Annora couldn’t help but think they were a very handsome if somewhat foolish couple as they smiled and waved at her.
With that she turned and left.
“Thank you very much, Miss Bounty Hunter!” Taja sang out as the dragon hunter moved into the woods.
By the time Annora was surrounded by the dark of the forest, her mind had entirely forgotten everything from the day – everything except Elian. Something about him was very off, and not just his looks. Something about his presence was inhuman. She had already ruled out undead, which really didn’t leave much else to consider.
The young woman shook her head. No point in dwelling on it. If she got to the dragon first, there would be no need to think about that man again, not without a contract on him.
Red eyes. She couldn’t stop the thought.
Annoyed at her own inability to stop thinking about him, Annora tried to force her mind on the task at hand. Yes, keep thinking about it. He’ll find the dragon, kill it, and you will have given the dragon a swift end that it does not deserve. It came as a shock as she realized that she had automatically assumed Elian would win. The odds were certainly against either of them being successful, yet something told her that he would not fail.
The dragon hunter had been on the move for about 20 minutes when she heard a noise ahead of her, and she immediately dropped her hands to her weapons. As quickly as she wanted to get to the dragon, the forest was no place to be unaware, particularly this close to a town. All kinds of creatures would be roaming for people who strayed too far from the town, waiting for the easy prey who would already be panicked because they could not find their way back. There was a reason why people rarely stayed out after dark and why cities tended to lock the gates at night.
Annora’s attention was focused forward as she drew her blades. A sharp pain ran through her right arm, and the dirk dropped to the ground. The dragon slayer looked down at the dirk dug into the ground. She quickly stretched her hand out to grab it, more aware of the injury. Out of the corner of her eye, the young woman could see that the blood was easy to spot against the bandages. She hadn’t realized how badly she had been hurt, mostly because her adrenaline had been pumping ever since the incident in the alley.
Too late to do anything about it now, Annora thought as the sound grew closer. Her hand wrapped around the hilt and she stood up straight. Deciding it was best to try to go around whatever it was, the dragon hunter headed toward a clearing not too far from the town. As she stepped into the field, the moon was again momentarily darkened. Her eyes immediately went up and she was rewarded with the sight of the dragon moving in the direction of the Unforgiving Ridges, a mountain range that served as the boundary between Senses and Scythia. Scythia was a cold and dark country that most people avoided because it did not look kindly on foreigners. They had not joined any of the wars in the last 150 years, and no nation had tried to invade them during that time. Annora shuddered as she remembered the last time she had been there.
Of course that is where the dragon’s going. What better place for such a merciless creature than a cruel land.
While she wasn’t pleased that she would have to spend time on the border (particularly since it meant she was likely to have to spend time in the inhospitable Scythia), at least it meant that the beast was a long way from the town. That gave her an advantage if she pushed herself a little harder over the next few days.
A wicked grin crossed her face as she headed toward the other end of the clearing until her eyes latched onto the shadow emerging from it. Immediately she knew that she would not be making much progress that evening.
The glowing eyes of an orthrus told her that she was not going to be getting out of the night without a fight. The two-headed dog was more than twice her height. She could see the drool dripping from both of its mouths and knew that it had followed the smell of her blood. Casting a look behind her, Annora thought about running for it. Orthruses were difficult to fight on a good day, and right now she knew that her defense was going to be weakened by her injury. Her head quickly turned to look at the creature as she heard the sound of its padded feet heading toward her. Well, no choice left but to fight. Standing her ground, the young woman prepared for the initial strike.
The first head came in from the side while the other appeared to be taking her head-on. It was a move she had seen before (orthruses were very clever hunters, using both heads to full advantage), so instead of dodging to the side that appeared to be open, Annora stood still until she could feel its hot breath on her face. Just as the jaws were reaching for her, the woman dove under the head. It was a risky move, and she almost pulled it off without incident. Realizing what she was doing, the lead head tried to follow her. The teeth missed her, but the jaws slammed into her back, driving the young woman into the ground. Having tucked her body into a rolling position, the damage was minimal, but she managed to land on her injured arm. Blood began to flow at the bottom of the bandage as she stood. Her arm throbbed as she tried to level the dirk at the dog.
With the smell of blood so close, the orthrus became carelessly aggressive as it turned to face her again. Sensing the pain, the dog lunged at her again, its heads slamming together in the sheer excitement of the kill. Without a coordinated attack, Annora was able to lunge to the right and drag her sword down the creature’s belly, cutting open a long gash. The responding howl shook the ground. The creature stood and looked at her with pure hatred in its eyes, but it was not willing to attack her again. She could see the blood pouring from the wound. She may not have gutted it, but the creature would be easy prey for other beasts. It knew as well as she that it needed to find somewhere to hide until the wounds healed. Knowing it must have a pack somewhere in the forest, Annora did not doubt that the howls in the distance were in response to its cries.
The entire encounter did not take two minutes.
As the orthrus moved to the edge of the woods where she had entered the clearing, Annora moved toward where it had emerged. More animals would be drawn to the smell of blood from the large creature, but that did not mean she was safe. Annora’s head hammered as she tried to see in the darkness. She had just barely passed the edge of the clearing when she stumbled over a root. Trying to stand, she realized that she was far worse off than she had initially believed. Not only had it opened her wound, her head had struck the ground when the second head had tried to follow her. The sound her ankle made as she tried to catch herself was sickening. Still, it was not the focal point of her mind. Ignoring the pain in her left leg, Annora tried to assess her bigger concern.
Pushing herself to her knees, the woman put a hand to her head and felt the warm, sticky sensation of blood. With a groan, she shakily stood up. Using a tree to balance herself, Annora tried to assess just how bad the abrasion on her head was. The cut was about the length of her index finger. Closing her eyes, the dragon slayer tried to figure out the best way to proceed.
There was no way she would make it back to the town in her current condition; she was barely keeping from passing out as it was. The best option was to climb the tree and hope that she didn’t fall out. Steadying herself against the tree, she began to reach up to the first branch.
The world spun.
Annora felt her hands scratch against the tree as her body sank to the ground. She moaned as she tried to push her body off the ground. Her arms shook furiously as the young woman strained to stay awake.
A sound to her right caused her to lose focus. Annora collapsed to the ground, her hands just barely buffering her face as her head hit the ground.
Her hands instinctively went to her weapons as she tried to roll over. Whatever had come to eat her was going to pay in blood first. Her vision began to lose focus as she tried to concentrate on where the sounds were. The last thing she saw as she blacked out was the worst thing she could see in her current circumstance.
Anything but a man. Please send anything else…. were her last thoughts as darkness enveloped her.
Chapter 3
Steady Progression of Bad Luck
Annora heard the crackle of the fire before she had fully gained consciousness. With a quiet moan, she began to roll over onto her injured arm. The pain that shot through her reminded her of the evening before, but it was not nearly as bad as she realized it should have been. Without opening her eyes, the dragon hunter felt the bandage with her left hand. It had been dressed and tended. Her right hand instinctively moved toward her head to feel how bad the damage was. The wound had been cleaned and a bandage placed over it. Feeling around, she realized that whomever had tended it had made sure not to catch her hair so it would be easy to remove later.
