The Mercenary's Bounty

by Kristen Banet

  “There’s three entrances.” Alchan pointed them out. Two large ones on opposite ends of the warehouse, then a smaller door on the west side. “The big doors must be for carts to come in, load up, then move out. The small entrance is for workers and anyone gearing up to go hunting. The help, really. It’s single story. I want Varon on a cart. He can snipe anyone at any entrance. We can block off the small door with stuff we’re leaving behind. Knock over boxes and get that handled. Then, two men at the other large doors. We can escape through this closer one with the carts and they’ll be screwed.”

  “We need to get the doors open and that gives us away.” He could see his brother’s plan, but he didn’t like leaving the escape route open where they could be seen before they wanted.

  “We’re not opening them until we’re caught,” Alchan replied. “I’ll block the smaller door. You stay on them to keep loading up everything they can.”

  “Can do.”

  It was fast work, throwing bags of grain and other items onto the already full carts. Generally, carts were never filled to their capacity to keep from straining the horses or pack animals. The Company never had the same problem. They were going to put as much in as they could. Once they were out of here, they could take things slow to help the animals.

  Zayden and Nevyn had the three draft horses hitched to three of the carts. Varon put two more of their mounts on another cart. Four carts out of six. They didn’t have any more horses. Their best bet would be to steal some from the Elvasi before leaving. Alchan would hate if his horse was needed to pull. It made Luykas smile, considering having someone run for his brother’s gelding, forcing his brother to have to direct a cart.

  Varon started whistling as he worked. He couldn’t resist a chuckle at the sound. This was the Ivory Shadows. Dirty thieves, waiting for the fight to come to them, no worries in the world. It felt good to be back in Olost.

  It was even better when he considered what was going to happen on Mave’s end. He could feel her moving through the estate towards her destination, the meeting point. No pain, and she wasn’t even feeling any physical exertion.

  Thinking of her and her goal, it reminded him. “Have we found any evidence of the Mave problem?” he asked, looking around at the males.

  “Not yet, but we haven’t touched the armory corner yet.” Nevyn wiped his hands on his pants. “I’ll do it now.”

  “No, I’ve got it,” he said, walking over to it. Leather and steel armor, even some expensive and well-made chainmail. Weapons of all types, from battle axes to pikes to daggers - even circular throwing blades. He only knew one Andinna who used those, and they took centuries to master because they could easily injure the user or allies. They also required a little magic to direct, making them very rare.

  Then he found it. A crate that wasn’t open. He pried it open with his sword - not the best idea but he didn’t want to waste time grabbing anything else.

  Stacks of paper were revealed to him. It didn’t take more than a glance for him to know what he was looking at. Mave. They had made hundreds of copies of her bounty, maybe even thousands. If this was what they were keeping in the warehouse, he couldn’t imagine how many were now circulating around Olost.

  He snapped his fingers, imagining a small flame, then thought better of it. He shouldn’t drain himself using magic before any real fighting started.

  “I found it,” he called out, trying to keep his voice down at the same time. A loud whisper, really. “They have an entire crate of her bounty. They must be pushing it pretty hard.”

  “Which means the trouble likely won’t be over after tonight,” Alchan said, walking over, his task to block the door over. “That’s not good. I want her in the Company, but there’s a chance we’ll be harassed everywhere we go, thanks to these.”

  “Hopefully, tonight will be enough of a warning that no one thinks to try us again. Eventually someone is going to find all those dead Elvasi.”

  “There were some survivors on their side that night. There’s a chance they’ll learn about Rain and decide going against a wyvern isn’t worth it.” Alchan reached down and snatched one of the bounties. “Her having her tatua is a good thing. The image is wrong now, and many get too distracted by the tatua to really look at our faces.”

  “The scar. Her tatua made it black. It stands out.” Luykas shook his head. “We’re in for a rough time.”

  “We knew that when we found the bounty.” Alchan crushed the paper in his hand and dropped it. “Burn these before we leave. And how the hell did they make so many copies? Isn’t that a particularly hard type of sorcery?”

  “It is, but with the resources of the Empress behind it…” He shrugged. Nothing seemed impossible when she was their ultimate enemy and the root of their problems. “She probably had every sorcerer in her employment working on it.”

  “Fuck.” His brother walked away, growling and mumbling to himself.

  Luykas was starting to worry just a little about them not being caught yet. He focused on his bond with Mave, and there was nothing distressing.

  They kept working, until someone tried to open the blocked door.

  “Damn it. Something must have fallen over. Hey, assholes, open this! It’s time for guard shift!” Luykas understood the Elvasi they used, but didn’t translate for the few members of the Company that didn’t. It didn’t matter, because the sign was clear. They had company.

  “Fucking idiots probably fell asleep on the job,” another guard mumbled. “Let’s use the big door.”

  Luykas gestured wildly, running for the large door they didn’t plan on using to escape. He could hear the footsteps of the guards on the other side of the wall, following them as he unsheathed his morok. His brother appeared at his side as the door creaked and began to roll to one side.

  “Hey, you-“ The Elvasi wasn’t ready for the strong swing his brother delivered, beheading him.

  The other Elvasi screamed. Luykas tried for him, killing him quickly, but the scream had been enough. Footsteps could be heard by the silent Andinna. Shouts from further away.

  They were about to have a lot of company.

  “Well, we’re the diversion we thought we would be.” Alchan flicked his wrist, blood flying off his morok. “Let’s hope those three know we’re about to bring a bunch of shit down on our heads and they need to make their move.”

  “Bryn will know,” he replied. “Pull back. We’ll choke them in the door and hold them. Nevyn, here. Varon, Kian, Zayden, stay on the carts. We’ll hold out then open the doors as the fight starts to slow down. We can get ready to leave and escape once the others are back.”

  “Are you two sure we can do this?” Zayden asked loudly. “Sounds like there’s a lot of them.”

  It was Nevyn who gave a laughing response. “We knew coming into this there were a lot of them. Don’t get worried on us now, you fucking overprotective grouch!”

  Luykas and his brother angled towards the door, their backs to each other. In unison, they pulled their swords up, ready for the fight. Running could be heard, the clang of heavy armor. Luykas watched as Elvasi came around the building.

  “We got some trying to pry the door open on this side!” Kian called out.

  “Keep them closed!” Alchan roared. An arrow went flying over his shoulder and landed into the closest Elvasi coming their way.

  With a grin, Luykas let the feeling of the fight take him. He clashed swords with the first who came near him, then kicked the guard back to break the block and deliver a cutting blow to the man’s abdomen. Without pause, he and Alchan shifted, switching places to handle new attackers. They had trained together since the day they met. Brothers born in the same year, they were awkward initially thanks to the story of his birth. What kind of man wanted to meet the bastard his father had in a different nation with a different race? He never blamed Alchan for initially not knowing how to handle him.

  General Lorren had seen it and knew the way to correct it. He gave them both wooden train
ing swords and told them to get to work. And every day since, they trained. Seventeen hundred years of working together, learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

  The only pair that fought better than them was Nevyn and Varon.

  Luykas found himself against three Elvasi, all hoping to get through him and to his men. He met the first with his morok, squaring off. He knocked the second away with a slam with his wing while his tail grabbed the third and pulled, yanking the man from his feet. It was a cheap move, to be sure, but it was a smart one, and he never met an Andinna above it. They had the tail and they were going to use it.

  “Fuck!” Zayden’s expletive could be heard through all the fighting. “Door’s coming open!”

  “Hold!” Alchan screamed in return.

  Arrows flew by them from both sides. Varon’s lightning shot speed versus the now several archers trying to pick them off. One went through his wing, leaving a hole. It would heal in a day, and didn’t slow Luykas down as he killed one of the three Elvasi still trying to push through him. Nevyn jumped between them, decapitating one of the foes. Together, they sank their swords into the third.

  Without missing a beat, Nevyn spun and killed another coming for them to replace their front line. He roared in satisfaction, making Luykas grin as the advanced warrior began to cut through Elvasi like they were children. Nevyn was one of the greatest soldiers to ever come from their people, without a doubt.

  “There’s someone running to the stables with more soldiers!” Kian called out. “Going to have Varon take a shot!”

  “Do it!” he called back, not really caring. If someone was trying to run from them, they weren’t going to make it very far. Not with Varon’s watchful eye on them, anyway.

  He never stopped fighting as Kian called out that it was a hit. Suddenly, another arrow whizzed past his head, too close to his ear. He glanced back to see Varon grinning, even daring to give a small shrug as he nocked another arrow.

  The fight was endless, only broken up for him by the bond pushing pain into him in specific areas like his thigh. She was taking hits, but none that really worried him. By the end of this, he was certain everyone would have some cuts and bruises, and the Elvasi would never kill her, not when she was their biggest score.

  There was never really a point where Luykas felt desperate. They had the better positioning, able to funnel guards into the warehouse without being completely surrounded. He and Alchan just continued to cut them down as they came, meeting some challenges along the way, dueling and dodging, with some close calls.

  But he knew the mission would be successful.

  It was finally slowing down as smoke began to touch the air. Somewhere, something was burning.

  “Where’s the fire?” he asked loudly, hoping anyone would have an answer.

  “The mansion!” Zayden screamed back.

  He cursed, knowing they had three people in there. Mave, Matesh, and Bryn, whatever they were doing, were now dealing with a fire.

  “Keep an eye out for our people!” He knew someone would, probably Varon. He just hoped they all walked out of the building before any fire got out of control and took the building down.

  And so it continued. He kicked back a guard, getting annoyed with just how many there were. How many Elvasi were hiding here? Between the guards, the hunters who weren’t going hunting, and the servants they had decided to let live long before the mission start, this felt more like a compound than just a rich man’s estate. This was a base of operations, all right, which proved his suspicions correct. If they decimated this place, they wouldn’t need to deal with hunters for a long time. It would be a peaceful era for their people and the Company would be riding out with glory.

  Everything was going fine, in his mind. They even got eyes on the other Company members.

  “I see them running for the stables!” Kian yelled out. “Chasing a few Elvasi down. They’re handling runners!”

  Luykas was still grinning, until Kian told them the barn was lighting up on fire now as well.

  That took his good mood down. He kicked back the hunter he was facing off against, pointing Nevyn to deal with it.

  “There’s fire in the barn? They just got in there!” Luykas went running towards the other group, who were dealing with their own, smaller group of Elvasi trying to make their way inside. Luykas killed one immediately, then the one Kian was fighting to get the male’s attention.

  “Look!”

  He did, peering out into the red night and seeing the smoke and fire growing at the barn, where there were so many flammable substances, he was sure it was going to be a blazing mess in only moments.

  Then a crippling pain slammed into him, just as they all heard Matesh’s scream.

  He went to his knees. His back exploded into pain. He gasped for breath, dropping his sword. Kian stood over him, protecting him as he tried to push back against the bond.

  It’s not real. Mave is hurt. I need to get to her and remember this pain is not mine.

  He tried so hard. Every second of it was awful. A warmth, burning on the chest just for a moment. He’d nearly missed it. Explosion? No. He would have seen it.

  As he pushed the pain down, the fear took hold, along with something else. She was hurt. He was pretty certain that Mat thought she was dead, there was no doubt of that. A scream like that was the scream of a male losing his female.

  Luykas stood up slowly, grabbing his morok. “Make me a hole!” he demanded.

  Zayden and Kian did just that. The moment he could, he went running.

  There was a damned sorcerer in that barn. He fucking knew it.

  And that damned sorcerer tried to kill his fucking bonded female.

  40

  Mave

  It hurt. She tried to push up from the ground and it hurt. Mat and Bryn were still trying to fight.

  I need to get up.

  A hand touched her shoulder. “Don’t move yet. Let’s make sure nothing is broken. Once I’m sure, I’ll let you up.”

  Luykas’ voice was taut with rage, and yet, there was a sympathy and softness to it. He was trying to hold it all back until he knew she was okay.

  Then she remembered he could feel everything she did. He had known every injury the moment it had happened. He was probably feeling exactly what she did in that moment.

  He’s on his feet. I should be too.

  She needed to get up.

  “Stay down, Mave,” he snarled low, leaning over further so she could see his molten gold eyes. Once, she had been told that Luykas was just as dominant as Alchan. She had never really believed it, but in that moment, she knew it. He didn’t have the need for the struggles like she and his brother, but he was just as strong, just as forceful as either of them could be.

  In the state she was in, she knew better than to fight. For once, she dropped her eyes and did as he asked.

  Hands moved over her back. “Keep holding them off, and don’t let that fucking sorcerer go anywhere!” he ordered above her. He touched her wings, her back, her tail, every inch of her he could probably see. Finally, his hands left her. “Nothing feels broken, but you’re going to be bruised to hell for a week, I bet. We’ll talk more about it when this is over.”

  “Can I get up?” she asked softly, still not sure she could. A hand grabbed her elbow and gave her the support she needed. He helped her balance as she swayed, her back lighting up in pain as if she had been hit by lightning. Fast and immediate, it flared up and receded, then came back.

  “We’re going to kill that sorcerer, Mave,” he whispered harshly in her ear. “Me and you. I need someone acting as my blade while I do magic. Understand?”

  “Let’s do this,” she promised. She just hoped she was a good enough blade. She took a step, limping hard on her right. Growling, she kept walking forward. When the sorcerer threw another fireball, it met an invisible wall, spooking the Elvasi. Luykas was whispering under his breath.

  She found a shortsword, not caring if it was hers or not
. It was a blade.

  “Stay close,” her commander ordered. “Hook tails with me.”

  The moment her tail touched his, her senses were flooded by too much. She gasped and tried to pull away, freaked out by the sensory overload and the emotions that came through as well.

  He held her, keeping her tail wrapped by his at their tips. “Get through it. I can stop his attacks, but we need to be on the same page if we want to fight back.”

  She could feel his stress behind every word. He truly believed they could do this, even with her feeling the pain she was. She could tell he was uninjured from his own fighting. He was proud she was on her feet and slightly hurt that she had tried to pull away. She was confused at how the entire thing was working.

  Without a word, she could feel the answer. The bond was doing this, which she figured, but then a completely different image filled her mind. Nevyn and Varon.

  This is how. This is what they have from their bond and how they fight.

  With that, she realized the bond wasn’t terrible for everything. If she and Luykas practiced, they could be like the lovers. Tonight was practice, quite literally by fire.

  “Can you fight through the pain?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She had fought through worse. Now that she was on her feet, she wasn’t going to leave them unless she was dead.

  Together, they advanced on the lone sorcerer, his last two guards still trying to hold the line of defense against Mat and Bryn.

  Each sorcerer was saying something and she wondered what the language was as she pushed forward, going for a swing only to meet an invisible force, rebounding her back. It didn’t knock her down, though. She staggered, but somewhere, there was a well of strength waiting for her.

  Luykas was calling on water, putting out the fires as she kept the sorcerer’s focus on her. The flames were dying now, as the commander wet everything he could, from straw to the wood structure itself. The building would still go down in the end, but now, they had some time.