The Mercenary's Bounty

by Kristen Banet

  “Go for it,” Nevyn encouraged. “We’ll back you up if things get messy. Put that pointed-ear piece of shit back in his place.” He chuckled. “In the fucking dirt.”

  She grabbed the rail and lifted her leg to rest on it. She pushed off, throwing her wings open at the top of her jump.

  For the first time, she felt the power of them, catching the air, feeling the different small currents run over the sensitive leathery skin of them. She didn’t dare to do more, letting them create enough drag that she landed without hurting herself in the ring.

  It had been an exhilarating maneuver. One day, she knew she would jump off a cliffside and she wouldn’t just have a controlled fall. She would fly.

  But not tonight.

  Tonight I’m going to beat the shit out of some Elvasi.

  She straightened up, revealing she was just a bit taller than the male in front of her. She showed off the cut figure she worked so hard for, knowing everyone in the room was now watching her.

  Thanks to her opponent, it all scratched at her memories, reminding her of when she was back in the Colosseum. Or in a bedroom she would be beaten in. She tried to ignore the feeling, even as it edged away her good buzz.

  “Why do you look familiar up close?” he asked, frowning at her.

  “Have you ever been to the Colosseum in Elliar?” she asked, spreading her hands in a small shrug.

  He narrowed his eyes now. “You can’t be. The Champion of the Colosseum? There’s no way you escaped. That shit’s a rumor-”

  “Oh, it’s not a rumor!” Nevyn called out, laughing. “You’re about to fight the newest member of the Ivory Shadows Mercenary Company, you pointed-ear freak!”

  The Elvasi glared at her companion for the insult then eyed her closer, sizing her up. “Still just a fucking Andinna slut slave.”

  “Oh? Did you have to force one of us underneath you in bed? Have fun forcing a slave to do what you wanted when you knew she couldn’t fight back?” She bared her teeth. “You challenged me. Let’s fight.”

  Someone called go and she charged, wrapping her tail around his ankle as she slammed a fist in his gut. When he doubled over, surprised and in pain from her assault, she yanked with her tail, sending him to his back. Then she backed off, hoping he would get back up so she could continue.

  She fully intended to play with this male.

  He was stupid enough to stand back up, charging her. She met him in the grapple, proving she carried just as much muscle mass as him. She slid a foot behind one of his and pulled it back to her, yanking the foot out from underneath him and sending him back to the floor of the ring.

  “You wanted him in the dirt, Nevyn!” she called up, grinning. Now she felt good again. Years of listening to taunts like this Elvasi’s and years of being able to do nothing about them. This male was a fool to think she would tolerate it.

  “I did!” Nevyn’s laugh could be heard over the cheers of the onlookers. “Tell me, Mave, if he were on the sands with you, what would you do?”

  “Gut him or cut his fucking head off,” she answered. “I would probably paint his blood on my face and revel in it, too, for the comments he made.” She snarled in pleasure. The alcohol was probably ramping up her mood. The idea of painting more tatua on her face and body with her opponent’s blood seemed like a very good idea. “How does that sound, Elvasi?”

  The Elvasi stood back up slower this time, not jumping for her. He was furious and she was glad. She was winning. Then again, she had only recently met a male who could beat her and he was cheering for her from the balcony.

  “Barbarian,” the Elvasi muttered, spitting at her feet. “Women should know their place.”

  “You have Empress Shadra. Don’t ever tell me that females are beneath you. We’re obviously better.” She scoffed at his insult, because it fell flat thanks to the years she spent with the cunning bitch that ran their damned Empire. Elvasi were more male-oriented, sure, but they still had the bitch running the place.

  He kicked at her and she grabbed his foot, kicking out herself, aiming for his supporting leg. She let go of him as he began to fall back to the ring.

  This time, she spat right in front of his face onto the floor of the ring. “Get better,” she snapped.

  Two thumps and a solid gust of wind told her Nevyn and Varon had landed.

  “Serves you right, picking a fight with a female and then insulting her,” Nevyn commented. “Do you want to stay?”

  “No,” she answered. “This was fun, but I think we should find somewhere else to drink. Somewhere a bit calmer.”

  “Good idea. Can’t have three Andinna deep in the rai. People might start dying, starting with this one.” Nevyn grinned. “Not like anyone would miss him.”

  She was laughing as she jumped out of the ring, both males following her. The crowd cleared a path so they could leave. Once outside, she took a deep breath of the fresh sea air.

  “That was fun,” she declared.

  “Good. I was worried that Elvasi would ruin your mood.” Nevyn had an arm thrown over Varon’s shoulder, holding the other male as close to him as he could.

  “No…” She smiled their way. “If anything, I think getting to beat on him improved it. Let’s go keep drinking.”

  “Let’s!” Nevyn threw a fist into the air and pointed down the cobble street. “I know a place. Maybe the rest of the Company is there or close by.”

  She let him and Varon take the lead and followed them back through the streets. They came across a large tavern and she followed them in.

  “MAVE!” someone called out. She knew the voice and turned to a back corner of the room. Mat was jumping up from a table with a small stumble. It made several people laugh, including her. She didn’t resist as he pulled her in for a kiss. “I missed you. Have fun with them?”

  “I did! I got into a fight with some Elvasi scum and everything!” She continued to laugh as he pulled her to the table she saw most of the Company sitting around. “Can I get another drink? The fight killed my buzz.”

  “Fights do that.” Mat nodded and grabbed a pint, holding it out for her. “That’s my fresh one. You can have it. I should probably slow down anyway.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured, kissing his cheek. One of his arms wrapped possessively around her, and she could feel the pleased male growl make his chest vibrate. There was a musician playing something, and he began to rock them to the beat. She sipped on her new drink as Nevyn and Varon began to regale Luykas, Bryn, and Zayden with their time at the docks. She nearly jumped when someone leaned on her other side and looked to find Rain leaning next to her. His face was redder than everyone else’s, conflicting with his deep blue tatua.

  “Hey, little brother,” she said happily, smiling at him.

  “Hey, big sister,” he replied, continuing to lean on her. “I’m drunk.”

  “Are you? Should someone walk you back to the inn?” She chuckled, pulling away from Matesh to put her arm over Rain’s shoulder. “I’m a little buzzed, or I was. Trying to get back there.”

  “No, I don’t want to go back yet.” Rain had a lopsided smile. “This is nice. Makes it easy to pretend the pits…”

  “I understand.” She was feeling the same way. Here, with all of them, watching the Andinna laugh and tell stories, she felt like the pits were far away.

  “It’s like I was never there. It feels really good.”

  She couldn’t relate to that. She was in the pits for so long that her current situation seemed surreal. She was drinking and partying with other Andinna, something she had never done before. She was on a different continent, one full of free people. One where most wouldn’t assume she was a slave or treat her like one.

  But she was glad that he could pretend the pits never happened for a night. Even though he was obviously drunk, she was glad it was giving him something he sorely needed.

  “Go hang out with them,” she ordered, nodding to Varon and Nevyn, who continued to tell the story of what happened down at
the docks. He was finally at the Elvasi she fought, which had all of the males looking up at her, except Rain, who began to laugh.

  “Yeah, illo amyr! You kicked some ass!” Rain pulled away, thumping her shoulder with a fist.

  “He deserved it,” she said, smiling. “Sit down before you fall down.” Rain was wobbling precariously, like he was about to tip over.

  Matesh reached out and grabbed him before it happened, helping her hold him up. “Sit down,” her lover ordered.

  Rain groaned but fell onto a stool like she wanted. She ruffled his hair and leaned to kiss the top of his head. When she straightened up, she caught several of the Company watching her intently.

  She turned back to Mat and finished her drink off, brushing off the looks. “Another?” she asked.

  “Of course,” he murmured. “Then we should all get out of here and find another tavern.”

  “Good idea,” Luykas agreed loudly.

  She took the new drink in hand when Mat brought it to her. They paid for everything and she made sure the pint was included. She was stealing their glass. She was drinking as they walked out the door.

  They walked as a massive, dark group, making humans jump out of the way, something she was beginning to really enjoy. She didn’t end up tripping over someone, and in the Empire, that would have led to her getting spit on or beaten.

  “There they are!” someone shouted. “That bitch is the one!”

  “Looks like we have trouble!” Nevyn shouted, a laugh in his voice. “Come on, little Elvasi. You want to play?”

  “Nevyn, we’re trying not to get arrested tonight!” Luykas snapped.

  Mave turned to see who it was and grinned when her gaze landed on the Elvasi she had fought before. She bared her teeth, ready for a fight.

  “We can take ‘em.” Bryn sounded bloodthirsty. She glanced over at him, seeing he had a dagger drawn now and was testing its edge. There was a look in his eyes that made her a little scared for whoever was going to be on the other end of that sharp edge. It also made her appreciate the rogue, in a perverse way. “They really think they can cause us trouble in Olost?”

  “He picked the fight with me,” she added. “He doesn’t get to cry foul now.”

  “Shut up, slut. You should be collared and beaten,” one of the Elvasi, obviously drunk, taunted her.

  She lifted her chin, hoping the red moon cast enough light to show off the white scar around her neck. “Been there, done that, survived. Find a better threat.” She snarled viciously, which was echoed by several males around her. She wanted blood, if it came to it. She wasn’t going to allow Elvasi scum to talk down to her again. She was a free female and she was damned well going to stay that way.

  “Let us go,” Luykas warned. “If you piss her off, we’re all going to kill you at the snap of her fingers.”

  “Like you fucking can!” another Elvasi yelled. “You lost the War!”

  That made Luykas snarl, his wings expanding out to make him look more threatening. She realized somewhere along the way, she had done the same, puffing her wings out. Her tail flicked around with agitation. They had scratched her Andinna temper and she was too buzzed and warm to control her reaction.

  The two groups stood there posturing for a long time, humans and mutts stopping to see what was wrong. Guards began to show up, stepping between the two factions.

  “Don’t make this a scene. Namur doesn’t care about the damned War - move along!” the guard ordered, pointing the Elvasi to turn away. Another guard appeared in front of the Andinna, pointing them to move along as well.

  “Luykas, get your warriors and keep walking.” The guard sounded somewhat desperate for them to start moving.

  “You heard him. No arrests tonight,” Luykas snapped. He looked directly at her. “Bring it down. Please pull it back, Mave. I need you to, if I want any of the guys to listen to me.”

  She bared her teeth and looked at the others. Matesh was glaring and snarling towards the Elvasi, along with Rain and Zayden behind him. Varon and Nevyn had their tails hooked, like the time they were sparring with the brothers. Bryn just waited, shifting further into the shadows of the buildings around them, as if he was ready to sneak around and begin the slaughter.

  She took a deep breath, seeing that the Elvasi were beginning to move away. She reached out and touched Matesh first, forcing him to turn and look at her. She locked away the anger as best she could, pulling her wings back into her tight, most comfortable position. She forced her tail to stop whipping around, waiting to grab someone.

  “Let’s get back to the inn. I’m tired.” She wasn’t, but she knew it was probably safer than wandering the streets.

  He looked over her face. “Okay,” he agreed softly.

  “All right!” Luykas hollered over the growing crowd. “Company, move out!”

  They stepped off in unison. For the first time in her life, she realized she had been in charge of something. They had reacted to her anger, her fury. Luykas had needed her to calm down before he could get the males moving on.

  She didn’t ask Matesh about it. No, she figured the best person to ask would be the one who didn’t react like the others: Luykas.

  Not tonight. We’ll have a few more drinks at Hornbuckle’s, than I’ll hit the bed.

  That sounded like such a good idea that it was exactly what she did, making sure to drag Matesh upstairs with her later in the evening. The Elvasi were forgotten before her head hit a pillow.

  18

  Mave

  Mave nearly forgot where she was when she woke up. It took her several moments to realize she wasn’t on the ship, nor was she in the pits.

  “Olost,” she whispered to herself, smiling. Free land. She considered the possibilities for a moment, looking down at Mat’s sleeping form. She could go do anything. No one would stop her. She would need to be careful, of course, since she could get lost or something.

  The only thing stopping her from going out was her. She could see outside that the sun was up and Mat’s snore told her he would still be out for a little while.

  I can stay close by.

  She slid out of the bed quietly, pulling on her breeches and fought to get her shirt on without him. Once she managed to get dressed, she slipped out of the room and downstairs, enjoying the quiet of the tavern now. There was no one downstairs she could see, and the one dwarf behind the bar didn’t speak to her, only went about his business as if she wasn’t there.

  She was nearly at the door when someone coughed. “Mave.”

  She stopped, sighing heavily. Right outside was sunshine and a quiet street lit by the dawn. Behind her, she knew, was Luykas. She hadn’t realized he was awake and the bond was just saying he was nearby. She figured he was in a room, not downstairs with her.

  “Sneaking out?” he asked causally. She heard him step closer.

  “I was hoping to go outside and just look around. I’ll stay close.” She looked over her shoulder at him.

  “I need to take you out today. Would you like to go now?” He stepped up next to her. “There’s some things we need to pick up for you before going to the village. This is the best time to do it. The shops will just be opening and you’ll be able to explore the city with some backup.”

  She considered him warily. “Can anyone else take me?”

  “If you want to wake up Matesh after you got him very drunk last night. Even then, this is Company coin so I would go with you anyway.” Luykas showed her a pouch in his palm.

  “And what could I possibly need?” she demanded, crossing her arms. “Why can’t I just go out there and wander around?”

  “You need fabrics for clothing that some of the free Andinna will be able to sew for you. You’ll need stones for jewelry. You’ll learn more about those when we get to the village, but let’s say that if you make no attempt at getting them, some may have a serious issue with you.” Luykas shrugged. “You need things, including new armor. You can’t wear hand-me down leather armor or the beat-up sh
it you wore in the pits forever.”

  She nodded slowly. He was right about the clothing, at least. She had nothing that was quality. She never had anything fancy before. Everything nice she had ever worn was forced on her by the Empress and she didn’t get, or want, to keep any of those things.

  Why is there so damned much I need? It seems excessive for a race everyone calls barbarians. Jewels and pretty stones? Why do we need jewelry?

  “Lead the way,” she said, defeated. She wasn’t going to reject this. These were important things she was going to need and if he was willing to pay for them, that was just better for her. She had no coin, except one she wasn’t willing to spend.

  “Don’t make this sound so awful,” he muttered, shaking his head as if her reluctance to spend time with him was somehow insulting.

  She bared her teeth. “We’re bonded, but that doesn’t mean I need to like you or be your friend. Remember? I was only asked to follow orders.”

  He bared his teeth back this time, showing off that he also had Andinna canines. Funny, she figured he picked up nothing from his Elvasi side, but his hair covered his ears and she never paid enough attention to him to find out.

  “Is there anything Elvasi about you except your attitude?” she asked.

  He must have known what she was asking, because he pushed back the hair that covered the tops of his ears. Sure enough, there was a less pronounced Elvasi point. It wasn’t very noticeable and she knew at a distance, she wouldn’t be able to tell. “There’s a few things about me that are Elvasi,” he answered. “My coloring, for one. Andinna don’t normally get as dark as my skin nor get gold eyes like mine. Alchan and I got rare eye colors between the two races.”

  “I noticed that,” she replied. “His amber, your gold.”

  “Yup.” Luykas fixed his hair, covering his ears up again. “So yeah, there’s some Elvasi in me, but I really did take a lot from my father. Other mutts tend to be more evenly split. Some things will always carry over - the ears, the horns, the wings, and the tails. But the coloring? It can get a bit crazy.”