Page 3 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

And another roof to climb onto.

After quickly scanning the hall to make sure I wasn’t followed, I slip inside the room we’d rented for the night. First things first, I grab my bow from beside the door and sling it over my shoulder. It feels good to feel the weight of it on my back again, I hate leaving it behind. Next, I remove the belt full of daggers from inside the drawer I’d stashed it in for safe keeping, in case anyone was to enter. Rayne would be quite displeased if anything were to happen to them. The thief would also, most definitely, wish they hadn’t stolen them by the time she was finished…

Lastly, I retrieve the small bag of belongings we keep with us on our journeys. Mostly full of dried rations, a few camping supplies, and a decent bit of rope. Necessities for any traveling mercenary. Or anyone who enjoys a good stroll through the woods. Which, we are both.

One last glance around the room, and I’m ready to begin the fun bit of our night. Finding out whoever this Kelv might be and discovering which of the taverns around belong to him. Shouldn’t be too hard, this town is clearly full of chatty drunken folk looking to give away information.

Let’s just hope we don’t have to spill any blood in the process of getting the bit we need...

Chapter Two

Mariane

“Oy, Scar! Hurry up will ya? We need another round over here!”

It takes every bit of self-restraint I have not to snarl at the obnoxious man. Gritting my teeth together so hard that they creak, I turn to him with a forced smile. “Of course sir, I’ll have ‘em right over.”

The rest of the drunken buffoons seated around him erupt into a cacophony of excited whoops and whistles at the statement. I'm not getting paid nearly enough to put up with this sort of…clientele. If only I’d known what I was agreeing to beforehand I wouldn’t have been so…

Ah, who am I trying to fool, it’s not like I had much choice in the matter. My coin had run out long before reaching this pathetic excuse for a city.

As I approach the bar he's currently manning, my employer, Kelv, pins his ever-leering eyes on me and drawls, “Now, them boys ain’t giving ya too much trouble, are they?”

Forcing yet another smile, I shake my head. “No sir, I’m more than capable of dealing with a few drunkards. Don’t you worry.”

He nods, eyes lingering a bit too long on my chest. “Glad ta hear it. Would hate if they ran ya out of here. Been a while since I’ve had a decent barmaid.”

Imagine that. I wonder why.

Instead of voicing the thought, I say, “Perhaps it was simply fate then. It’s been a while since I’ve had an employer as generous and thoughtful as you.” Eck. Swallowing down the bile that rose in my throat with my flirtatious lie, I tip my head toward the table of pigs. “Ah, and those fine gentlemen requested another round.”

Kelv barks a laugh. “‘Course they did. Bet I’ll be having ta throw ‘em out on their asses ‘fore the night’s over.”

Nodding along, I let my eyes wander over the rest of the patrons seated around this shithole. My gaze lingers on a cloaked stranger tucked into the far corner of the room for a few moments before Kelv regains my attention by slamming six tankards on the bar between us. Suppressing a sigh, I grab three handles in each hand and begin my return journey to the table of swine.

The same man as before calls out, “Ey, ‘bout time! We’re dying of thirst over here.”

Placing the tankards on the table, I paste on another smile. “Sorry, sirs. Anything else I can get you fine folks while I’m here?”

Another man at the table, whose eyes are currently glued to my chest, drunkenly slurs, “Ye actually, how ‘bout a little piece of this…” He then proceeds to grab my ass.

A low growl rises up my throat. “If you’d be so kind, please remove your hand. Before I do it for you.”

The slimy bastard’s lips curl into an equally slimy smirk. “Oh yeah? Alright then.” He begins to trail his hand from my ass around to the front of my skirt.

Recoiling in disgust, I’m about to make good on my threat, but before I can even blink a soft thud draws my attention to the floorboards. The sound is immediately followed up by ear-piercing shrieks, courtesy of the lovely gentleman now short a hand.

Frowning, I dart my gaze around the room to see who’s responsible for ruining my fun. I’d planned on removing the appendage myself, I didn’t need anyone’s assistance.

I’m far from a damsel in distress.

My frown deepens into an outright scowl upon seeing the cloaked stranger making a hasty escape out the door. Who was that? And why did they…

“Ey, don’t just stand there! Sil’s bleeding to death over here! Get me a damn rag or something you no good–”

I cut the insult off with a loud snarl, then do as the asshole says and rush over to the bar to retrieve the medical kit from Kelv’s outstretched hand. My employer gives me a less than sincere, overly-concerned look, which I ignore. Returning to the table, I put my training to good use and begin bandaging what’s left of the man’s wrist.

If he were deserving of it, I’d attempt to heal him with the small fragment of magic I still have at my disposal, but he is far from worth wasting it on. Men like him deserve to suffer the repercussions of their actions. I make sure to be as “gentle” with his injury as possible.