by Lisa Daniels
The sound of the man’s voice grated on her ears as he gave a cold, humorless laugh. “If you were a real fighter, you would know that the sword goes on the left side. Only a fool or a woman would wear it in the wrong place.” His smile was a sneer.
Annora simply blinked at him.
The man stepped forward and continued, “The boss didn’t like the way you turned him-”
The man’s voice wavered as the sound of metal hissed in the evening and the two weapons appeared leveled at his throat and stomach. A cold smile spread across her face. To make the point that she wasn’t incompetent, she quickly drew them back and twirled the sword and dirk, returning them to the same spot when she was done. It was obvious from looking at them that the sword pointed at his throat and the dirk at his stomach were well used and the edges really sharp.
The man’s eyes went wide and he swallowed hard before leering at her. “Sorry, sweetheart, but flashy tricks don’t mean anything.”
Annora realized too late that she had given the man in front too much attention. The second man threw a small dagger. Unable to dodge it, she changed its direction with her dirk. She felt the edge gash her right bicep. The street was dark enough that it was nearly impossible to see that wound, and she was not one to make a sound when wounded. Annora immediately moved forward, her weapons moving in unison. The man in front tried desperately to fend them off with his own sword only to find that the woman’s skill far outmatched his own.
The fight lasted only a few seconds. Annora’s sword plunged into his chest as her dirk slashed across his throat. It was certainly more than was necessary, but she was in a really bad mood. She used her foot to push the dying man away and immediately turned to fight the second. To her annoyance, he had already turned to run and was several hundred feet ahead of her. She dashed off after him, cursing as he reached the corner of a building and disappeared from sight.
Her weapons still out, she reached the corner and almost immediately froze. Her weapons were up and ready to fight the shadow lurking in the alley. Without a word, she dashed forward, her weapons looking for a second kill.
The sound of metal rang out in the night. Then a male voice spoke in the darkness. “You’ve missed him.”
Annora had been pushed back. Narrowing her eyes, she watched as a different figure emerged from the shadows. She had not seen much of the second man, but she knew he was not as tall as the figure before her, nor had he been as muscular.
“Why didn’t you stop him?” Her voice was cold and accusing.
The clouds that had covered the moon passed for a brief moment, and she was able to get a better look at the man’s face. His eyes were deep and dark, and in the moonlight they almost looked red. Not as if they were bloodshot, but because the whites of his eyes were a very bright white. His jaw line was very sharp, and his nose a little large, although it fit his very rugged features. Stubble lined his jaw and encircled his mouth, drawing her eyes to rosy red lips, the kind of lips she thought only belonged to men of leisure. His hair was almost as dark as the night. A gleam of metal also caught her eye, and Annora could tell from the location that the man carried a broadsword.
Shit, she thought, immediately recognizing him as the figure on the beach. It looked like her competition had also made it this far, too. Regretting that she had not pushed further that night, Annora tried to find an excuse to keep from talking to him. The less they talked, the better. She knew it was only a matter of time until he would inquire about her clothing, and there were too few reasons to give for it.
The man’s expression was one of surprise as he looked at her. It was not a look that she liked as it was one that Annora had come to associate with having to kill. Fully expecting the encounter to go wrong, the dragon slayer relaxed her stance. Though she looked at ease, her weapons were ready for what she felt was inevitable in the current situation.
The man smiled, and her brain told her that it was a pleasant sight. Her eyes narrowed in disapproval of such a girlish thought.
The man raised an eyebrow at her reaction to his smile. “I didn’t stop him because I had no business with him myself.”
Annora’s expression did not change. “Oh, how gallant of you to feel it is none of your business when two men attempt to assault a woman in a dark street.”
The man grinned, his teeth shining as the moon passed behind another cloud. For a moment, Annora thought his teeth looked a little too pointed. Had she not seen him about during the day, she would have suspected him of being one of the undead. There was clearly something off about him, though.
The man seemed relaxed as he looked up at the sky. “Oh, most nights I probably would have stepped in. It’s not like I enjoy lurking in alleys, but it didn’t appear my intervention was necessary this time. I hate to get in the way.” There was sincerity in his voice, but it still sounded more like an excuse to her.
“You let a criminal escape.”
“You could probably still catch him.” His expression was calm as he spoke, his voice low and gentle.
Annora shook her head, then she turned. As she returned to the corpse of the first attacker, she said, “And do what? By now he’s in a high traffic area or made his way into a building, which increases his advantages. I’ve no desire to-” Pain shot through her as she began to wipe her dirk on the corpse. She had forgotten about her injury. Refusing to let the man see that she was already injured, Annora continued to talk, although her voice was more aggressive as she kept it steady through the pain, “-to go hunting in a town that is nearly a city. He will likely meet his end some other night playing the thug for that merchant.” She tried to make it clear that she did not want to continue talking to him.
There was silence behind her, and the young fighter hoped that meant he had left. Annora turned, thinking that she may be talking to herself, hoping that was the case. Her disappointment was palpable as she realized he had followed her a ways and watched as she checked to make sure the man was dead, saying nothing as she cleaned her weapons and stood to face him. Once she was looking at him, the man reached out a hand. “I’m Elian.”
Annora’s stomach growled in response. As the man laughed, she glared at him. She did not offer her hand in return, but her eyes took in his features as the clouds moved on. The moon shone brightly on his face and his laughing, reddish eyes.
Elian did not seem offended as he smiled at her. “I dare say you are hungry. Would you mind if I accompanied-”
Suddenly a shadow passed over the moon, a shadow that was certainly not a cloud. Both the man and the woman immediately looked up and saw the outline of a dragon passing overhead.
Elian watched for a moment, his eyes following the trajectory that the dragon must have taken. He turned to look at the woman to make an excuse to leave, but found that she was already gone. Blinking and looking around him, Elian had no idea which way she had gone. Then his eyes went to the ground and a barely perceptible trail of blood.
“And just what is your interest in a dragon?” His words were spoken into the night, a sign that the woman had captured his attention and curiosity. The man took a few steps in the same direction that the woman had gone before he recovered himself. “Now’s not the time for distractions.” He cocked his head to the side and wondered for another brief moment, clearly ignoring his own advice.
With a faint smile, he turned and moved down a different alley.
Chapter 2
A Hasty Departure and the Consequences
Annora quickly made her way from the alley, hoping that Elian would think she was merely trying to escape him instead of realizing her real interest. A gut feeling said that it was not likely. Her stomach growled as she hurried back to The Palace Paradise. Knowing that she could not properly track without getting something to eat, she regretfully made a quick stop at a side stall that sold items that could only marginally be called food. The dragon slayer gagged as she hurried, and wondered if it was actually better to not eat when the food sat like a cannon bal
l in her stomach.
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 v
ery 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.