The Mercenary's Bounty

by Kristen Banet

  “Yeah. Somewhere up there.” Bryn shrugged. “That’s really all I know. He could be in his bedroom, also on the second floor.”

  “I was hoping you had a better idea than that, Bryn,” Mat grumbled. “A week of planning-”

  “I deal with this sort of thing all the time. Ya want to do my job, ya do it my way.” Bryn threw his hands up, like he was daring Mat to question him.

  “Leave it,” she ordered softly. Bryn had a point. She and Mat weren’t the types of warriors who normally did this sort of thing. Open battle, swords in hand - that was more their thing. She watched Bryn carefully; he seemed completely in his element. Hiding out where he couldn’t be caught anymore, the hidden bodies he’d left behind. It was being a warrior in a different way, and she could see now how he was just as fine a warrior as her, but in a very different way. For an Andinna, what he did was probably harder.

  It was finally quiet again and no one had stumbled on them. Mave gestured to the door. “Are we ready to move out?”

  “Aye.” Bryn moved first and left the room, letting her and Mat keep up. He didn’t stop to check corners or anything. It was like he had a sixth sense for it, knowing what would be safe and what wasn’t. They went up the main staircase by the massive front door and ran into no Elvasi.

  “Did they really all clear out for the rest of the Company?” Keeping her voice low, she stressed her disbelief at their current situation. There must have been some left to defend their funder.

  “He might not be here. We’ll find out.” Bryn kept moving, putting a finger over his lips as they came to a door. He listened at the door then shook his head, moving on, letting them follow.

  It took three doors before he nodded, pointing to the door then holding up three fingers. A countdown. He went to two. Mave held her blade tightly, ready for whatever they were about to find.

  On one, his hand went to the door knob. He shoved it open, but then barely dodged a fireball flying out. Mave and Mat were separated by it as it flew down the hall.

  “You’re going to kill our visitors before we even see who they are!” a male voice said with some humor, a cruel humor. “Come inside! I want to see the Andinna that think they’ll kill me.”

  Mave swallowed and followed Bryn in to see an Elvasi sitting behind a desk, smiling arrogantly. Next to him was another Elvasi, much younger, with a fireball above his open hand, floating only inches from his palm.

  “So, you know why we’re here,” she said looking between them. “You have one sorcerer. There’s three of us.” She used her blade to point between them. Now that they knew who they were fighting, she was certain they could handle this. One sorcerer? She felt like she had faced worse odds than that.

  The door swung shut behind them as the sorcerer smiled.

  “Just me? You think we didn’t have something like this planned for? Everyone needed to get into position.”

  Mave’s eyebrows went up as a bookcase opened behind the desk. Bryn, moving faster than she could see, threw a dagger across the room. Another fireball came their way at the same time as soldiers ran into the room from the back entrance.

  The dagger glanced off the merchant’s shoulder as she ripped Bryn out of the fireball’s way.

  “Damn it!” she cursed, seeing their quarry get away down the back passage. Between them and the merchant: nearly a dozen Elvasi who had been lying in wait and the sorcerer, already growing another ball of fire for them. The one that hit the wall was growing, taking down a painting.

  “We’re now in a death trap,” Matesh said, pulling his long sword. “Fantastic.”

  “Kill the males. I want her.” The sorcerer pointed at her. “Foolish of you to come here. You think I don’t know who you are? I’ll retire when I drop you back at the feet of the Empress.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” She pulled her second short sword. “Bryn, Mat, watch the flames.”

  “Aye.” Bryn pulled a longer dagger, and met one of the Elvasi in a clash. Mat roared as one rushed him.

  Mave kept her eyes on the sorcerer, even as an Elvasi stepped up to her. She didn’t tear them away until the last possible moment. Her blades clashed with the guard’s, sending sparks off them. For every strike he tried, she blocked, stepping carefully around each other. For every strike she tried, he blocked, using his shield to his benefit. With her tail, she grabbed the ankle of another, yanking as she continued her duel. The tertiary Elvasi fell to the ground and she took a risk, diverting to shove her sword down in his chest.

  It didn’t go her way. The one she was dueling swung at the best time for him, and the worst for her, slicing her wing. She snarled, swinging wide, pulling her wings in. She had grown comfortable letting them relax further from her body than normal. Now she would make sure to keep them tucked to her body where they couldn’t be aimed at.

  Matesh came up beside her, reaching over her shoulder to take her opponent by surprise. His long sword slid into the Elvasi’s chest.

  “Get down!” Bryn called. She listened, ducking as another fireball flew over them.

  “For someone who wants me alive, you seem to be trying to kill me!” she roared over to the sorcerer.

  Another fireball flew at her for that and she jumped out of the way, taking Mat down with her, to make sure he wasn’t hit either.

  She jumped off him fast, blocking a downward swing from one of the Elvasi, kicking him back. Right after she pushed that one back, another joined the fray, coming over the merchant’s desk and nearly landing on her. Mat grabbed him and tossed, roaring as the Elvasi hit another of the bookshelves in the large office.

  Bryn was suddenly by her side, driving a dagger into the gut of one of the guards closest to her. Then he was gone in a dark blur, engaging a different one. She was astounded by the speed of his actions.

  They were halfway through the guards when the sorcerer could be heard barking more orders. The room was burning, the smoke filling up the top half of the room. The entire wall with the door was engulfed in flames now. She was starting to feel it, a burn in her lungs as the room grew warmer, and the smoke made her eyes water. Every so often, she had a small spell of lightheadedness.

  Then the sorcerer disappeared, taking two guards with him. She didn’t blame him, even though his act was cowardly. They were all going to die in the room if they didn’t get out of it.

  “They’re running!” she called out, pulling her sword out of the gut of her most recent victim. “Follow them!”

  “Hold!” one of the guards screamed. They all fell back to the door. “You’re staying here with us.”

  She did a quick head count. Five left. She glanced at Mat and Bryn, both angling to begin attacks of their own.

  The guards’ objective was to let them suffocate and pass out thanks to the flames. She knew if she went down, they would just take her and leave with her. That wasn’t allowed to happen. She was there to kill them and she was going to succeed.

  “Push!” she roared, forcing Bryn and Mat into action. Together, they pressed against the five guards blocking their paths. The flames began to eat the beams on the ceiling. Mave coughed as she fought against two of the guards, moving fast to block and dodge their attacks.

  She finally got a hit on one, slashing him open from shoulder to waist. At that moment, the other took the opportunity to aim for her thigh, slicing it like butter. It wasn’t deep, but it made her snarl in pain and she knew it would give her a limp until it healed.

  The guard dropped after that, though, revealing Bryn, his normally light eyes dark with rage and the kill.

  “Thanks,” she said, reaching to thump his shoulder.

  “Always,” he replied.

  “Let’s go, you two, before we’re burned alive in here!” Mat was already in the doorway, his hand out. She sheathed a blade and took the hand offered, squeezing it.

  They moved down the spiral back staircase quickly.

  “Did you know about this one, Bryn?”

  “Nope. Had no idea he
had hidden passages. Would have used them if I did.” He was at the back of the group now, but when they reached bottom, he pointed over her shoulder. “Stables. Go.”

  She and Mat began to run. She winced on the first step, then quickly shoved the pain down. They were on the hunt and her injuries would come later. She wasn’t stopping unless she was crippled or dead, and being crippled would probably only slow her down.

  They made it into the stables to catch the sorcerer on his mount, his guards all still grabbing their horses, all of them unruly thanks to the action around them. The fighting in the warehouse was clear, the smell of blood and smoke filling her nose. A familiar smell. One she had encountered on the sands before.

  The sorcerer had another one of those balls of flame and began to throw. Bryn threw another of his hidden blades, hitting the sorcerer in the shoulder and sending him off his horse. The fireball exploded on the earth right in the middle of them, making them all jump out of the way. Mave found herself in a stall with a guard, his blade drawn. She was on the ground and he was over her, ready to deliver a final, painful blow. She rolled from her stomach to her back, screaming in pain as the sword went through her wing cleanly and into the dirt. She kicked up, sending him back. She reached for his fallen sword, yanking it back through her wing, blood going everywhere, and had it up in time to drive it into his gut. He dropped dead next to her.

  It took her a few moments to stand up, and then she charged back out of the stable. Mat was fighting two guards, looking like he was doing well. Bryn was fighting against one guard, trying to get out of the stall he’d jumped into to dodge the fire.

  She went to Mat, pushing off one of his attackers and going after him herself, feeling like a predator out for the kill.

  This one met her swing for swing, obviously one of the most skilled Elvasi she had ever fought. It was a deadly dance as the barn continued to go up in flames. She kept her focus on him, fighting to her best ability, using both blades to try and break his guard while he deftly parried and dodged her every attempt. She tried to grab him with her tail and nearly didn’t pull it back in time as he tried to take it off her. She ended up with a deep cut on it for the effort.

  He slipped beneath her guard as she tried to refocus from the pain. His sword went into her wing, making her howl and pull them back into her again. The damned wings. She wasn’t used to having them move freely like they were. She held them tightly, to the point of cramping, as she continued to fight, her back beginning to ache as she dueled the Elvasi.

  While she had been fixing one thing, she was beginning to realize she needed to fix others. She was going to have to learn how to fight with her wings unbound and flexible. There was an aggravation to her fighting now. Annoyance and disappointment in herself, certainly.

  A slice across the back of her left hand forced her to drop her offhand sword. She hissed and kicked the Elvasi’s shield hard enough to crack the wood and send him back into a post. He dropped the damned thing, and now they were both using a single sword. Her gladius versus his simple short sword. He flipped it in his hand, his keen eyes following her every movement.

  She wasn’t used to finding someone who fought her so well. He was treating her like any other opponent, where most Elvasi were headstrong against her and used numbers to back them up. This one knew exactly what sort of threat she was and treated her with care. Which meant she needed to continue to do the same in return. There was no cutting this one down quickly.

  They clashed again, and she knew it had to be the last. To add power to each swing, he held the hilt of his sword with both hands, proving he had more brute strength than her.

  She let him push through her block, sliding out of the way of his swing, dropping her blade at the same time. He tried for a high hit on her chest, while she went for his legs.

  It was a test of speed, and she knew she wouldn’t lose. The idea of losing meant taking a death blow to the chest. She couldn’t lose.

  She hit before he did, making him stumble and miss. Before he could regain his composure, she twisted and brought her sword down, sending his head rolling.

  Take that, you pointed-ear scum.

  Feeling victorious, she knew her next target, seeing Matesh fighting another guard. They were even-numbered versus the Elvasi now, or near it. Three Andinna versus five Elvasi. That wasn’t including the sorcerer, though, who was being protected by two of the guards, whispering spells. She didn’t know what they were or what he intended, but that’s what he was doing.

  He met her eyes and grinned.

  She felt it first. A shackle clamping down on her wrist and yanking her down. When she looked, there was nothing there. Then another on her neck, pulling down harder, forcing her face into the earth.

  “Net her, throw her on a damned horse, and let’s get out of here!” the sorcerer fired the orders to his two men.

  She struggled, snarling and biting as one tried to grab her. Her tail lashed out and her wings flew out, forcing them away.

  This time she wasn’t scared. She knew Mat and Bryn were going to come for her. She believed it.

  “Mat!” she called, happy there was none of the paralyzing fear in her voice this time. Damn. These Elvasi wanted her so bad. For as much money that was on her head, she really couldn’t blame them.

  “Bryn, break the sorcerer’s concentration!” Mat called out.

  She didn’t see what happened, but the pull left and she was on her feet in seconds, so fast that the two guards coming for her didn’t have a chance to react. She killed the first before he could even see she was up.

  “DAMN YOU!” the sorcerer screamed.

  She faced off with the second, who barely had time to block her first swing. The duel with this one was quick, because she never gave him the chance to recover. She pressed him to the point that he had no options, killing him quickly.

  Then her eyes fell on the sorcerer, another fireball growing in his hand. She ran for him, realizing he wasn’t looking at her. He was enraged at something, yanking a dagger out of his thigh as the ball grew bigger.

  He began to throw the ball, and she knew its trajectory. As she turned to see how it would end, she saw Mat try to run to block it. He didn’t have enough time, and the guard he was fighting was still alive, trying to block his progress.

  Bryn’s back was open.

  “Bryn! DOWN!” she screamed, jumping for him. She had enough time. She was certain of it.

  The lean rogue turned and his eyes widened, seeing he didn’t have enough time to jump. It was nearly on him. She shoved.

  The fireball slammed into her side and sent her flying.

  “MAVE!” Mat roared as she went into a beam, her back feeling like it broke from the impact. The air was knocked from her, and when she hit the dirt, she didn’t feel like she was going to be standing up any time soon. The landing at least put the fire on her chest out.

  Too bad everything hurt so much she wanted to drop into the healing sleep right there.

  39

  Luykas

  Luykas walked quietly into the warehouse next to his brother. They had killed four guards together on their way through the field and at the door. Now they were going to raise hell, but they needed to be in position first, somewhere defensible.

  He took stock of the warehouse, finding it to be very cluttered. Bags and bags of spices and foods, all ready to ship. Rich fabrics and other materials were lying around. In one corner of the room, weapons, armors, and nets, obviously the gear for any hunters wanting to go out and capture any Andinna they could find.

  What he really wanted was the half a dozen carts on the far end. They looked ready to leave for port any day. He investigated further, his suspicions proving correct. Even more food, fabrics, and the like. Things his people couldn’t trade for anymore, or create, since they didn’t have enough resources or manpower.

  Everything in the warehouse would be a boon for their people. He knew if they came home with even a fraction, it would be a successful m
ission.

  “Nevyn, Varon, and Zayden, they have carts ready to ship. Bring the horses here.” Luykas waved them over.

  “We should have brought our own carts,” Zayden said, looking over what Luykas had mentioned. “We’re going to have too many carts in the village that we don’t need. Stablemaster is going to get pissy.”

  “We can donate them to other villages.” Luykas didn’t really care. With this, they would have more than enough for the winter. “There’s three carts here, fully loaded. Then we can look at what each of us carries on our own. Bryn is going to want to load more up on these, I bet, with things like the armor and weapons.” He kept doing the mental inventory. “We could all use new clothing…” He ran his fingers over the expensive silk.

  The merchant must have kept his favorite items here for trade, stockpiling until he had plenty to send back to the Empire. They had never found silk before. They had to purchase it, and it was often too expensive for any of them. On top of that, only Kian had someone to give silk to. None of the Company wore it. It was a favorite among the females, though.

  “The spices will please a lot of people tired of the same old shit,” Zayden pointed out.

  “How long do you think we have?” Alchan asked loudly. “Before someone notices their guards are dead and we’re in here?”

  Luykas sighed. “If you keep being that loud, not very long.” He glared over his shoulder at his brother. “Everyone, start grabbing anything you can. Priority is food, then valuables. In the spring, we can go on a merchant visit in Namur and unload anything our people don’t need before we get back to work.”

  “Yes, sir,” many of the males answered back, beginning to move. He shoved his hands into his pockets, walking to his brother. “We probably have a short bit of time. It’s late, many of them might be asleep. The guards were lighter than they normally are during the day. What do you recommend for when they know we’re here?” Luykas was great at logistics. Alchan knew battle. Together, they could handle an army if they needed to.