《Show Me Who You Really Are [dark fantasy adventure]》


 A New Power Rises

    Windust wasn¡¯t the type of place you would choose to be born in.


    It was a rugged, windswept land. A dusty place of overgrown wheat fields, rolling plains, and a sunbaked coastline that ran along the western sea. Scattered homesteads dotted the landscape, interrupted by the occasional rotting windmill.


    The sense of decay was pervasive and absolute.


    Thankfully, Petyr hadn¡¯t been born here.


    No, instead, I was brought to this shithole by force.


    At present, Petyr stood on the grassy headland overlooking the beach, gazing out at the sea as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Lithe and brown-haired, with a red silken sash tied loosely around the waist, he knew he cut a dashing figure, not so much heartbreaker as heartcrusher.


    Accompanying him was his would-be romantic conquest of the month, a lanky, long-faced farmer¡¯s daughter wearing a modest grey dress ¡ª Jayne.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I think Dad is getting sicker every day¡­¡± said Jayne, dragging her boots across the dried grass at her feet, eyes out of focus. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t stop using hushslag, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen. What will we do if he dies? Mom can¡¯t work. She¡¯s way too sick. And my little brother? I have no idea how I¡¯ll keep him safe from falling in with the bandits¡­¡±


    Petyr tried to hide disdain and annoyance. Is she seriously bringing up family troubles at such a time? Give me a break.


    This wasn¡¯t why he¡¯d brought her out here.


    They¡¯d trekked over two hours to get to a point where the frontier wilderness of the southern border began. Surely it wouldn¡¯t all be for nothing¡­


    Granted, Petyr¡¯s main reason was to avoid the spots in town he frequented with other girlfriends which still remained far too attached to him to be reasoned with. Nevertheless, there was a hope that the long journey combined with the idyllic spot would make Jayne yield to his advances.


    ¡°We¡¯ll help your father,¡± he said, forcing a caring smile. He placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping its warmth would be enough to reel her in. ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll protect you and your family no matter what happens, Jayne. You¡¯re very important to me. I¡¯d never let anything bad happen to you or your family.¡±


    Jayne raised her cool grey eyes uncertainly. ¡°Do you mean that, Petyr?¡±


    ¡°Of course, my dear. I¡¯d do anything for you. You know that.¡±


    Jayne blushed, her eyelashes fluttering. She lowered her gaze again, but this time out of embarrassment. ¡°I had no idea you felt this way about me¡­ I mean, I¡¯m not one of those pretty girls¡­¡±


    Ah, thank the heavens, it¡¯s working. He could¡¯ve breathed a sigh of relief.


    Petyr took a step closer, his hand slipping over the curve of her butt ¡ª at least, whatever bit of curve she could offer. ¡°Let¡¯s just make today special, what do you say?¡±


    She bit her lip and bobbed her head nervously.


    There it was.


    Victory.


    Hard-earned? Maybe not. But victory nonetheless.


    A familiar euphoric rush hit Petyr. Is there anything I can¡¯t get them to do for me?


    He raised Jayne¡¯s chin to look into her glistening eyes, savoring the moment like a wolf about to strike.


    Then, he puckered his lips, leaning in, rea¡ª


    Blackness.


    Weightlessness.


    Something struck the side of his face, sending Petyr reeling towards the edge for a few moments. ¡°Petyr!¡± Jayne yelped, grabbing him by the arm just in time. One more lumbering misstep and he¡¯d have gone down the steep side of the headland and rolled down until he hit the sands of the beach below.


    The pain surged right after, hitting him like sledgehammer.


    An electrifying jolt pinched the nerves in his teeth and spine. Explosive agony took over for a moment, tearing through his sanity, leaving him whimpering and trembling. Petyr tasted blood on his tongue and swallowed what was in his mouth in panic.


    What?¡­


    Everything throbbed. His feet were frozen to the earth as if they¡¯d already been sucked below the ground. His arms felt suddenly heavy and poorly attached to his torso. One eyelid pounded violently along with the heart about to rupture in his chest.


    Just as it felt like his body was about to give in and come apart like a doll¡¯s, the agonizing surge peaked and began to subside¡­


    What hit me?¡­


    As his pain fell a little more, that question was followed by another, far more relevant one.


    Who hit me?


    Enraged, Petyr whirled and snapped his attention to the grassy field stretching behind him.


    There she was.


    Standing beside a bush, the bush she¡¯d likely struck from¡­


    Mora.


    The red-skinned brat had her hands raised to her mouth in horror. She¡¯d probably meant to aim at his torso and not his head. And she¡¯d probably misjudged the damage she could do.


    ¡°You crazy hornhead!¡± shrieked Jayne. ¡°What the hell did you do that for?¡±


    Petyr knew why. The little oni wretch was in love with him; but she was eleven. What was he supposed to do with that?


    The only way she could show her interest was by annoying, stalking, and torturing him.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Petyr didn¡¯t want to think of what he¡¯d do to her if she were within reach given the pain. Fortunately for her, he found it difficult to even move his tongue.


    No beating is going to be enough for what she deserves.


    Back when he lived in the capital, Petyr remembered wondering why people hated oni so much. The way they were treated like slaves or untouchables filled his child heart with empathy. It was wrong.


    So he thought anyway. Now he was beginning to understand it¡­


    At his side, Jayne gently comforted him. ¡°Petyr, are you all right?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± he snapped. His teeth throbbed still. Were they chipped? He ran his tongue over them to check.


    Jayne stiffened. ¡°Don¡¯t take it out on me, I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Why was she choosing to be so difficult, now of all times? Did she have any idea how much that hurt? How much it hurt still? What, was he supposed to cry to make it clear?


    Mora stood there, still watching him. How long had she been following? Since he met up with Jayne? Since he left the house early in the morning? That little freak.


    ¡°When I catch you, you¡¯ll wish you¡¯d never been born,¡± he snarled.


    Mora crossed her arms. ¡°As if. You¡¯ve never been able to catch me.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not trying to catch you, hornhead! I want you to get away! To leave me be! But if you want it so desperately, I¡¯ll tie a rope around your neck and hang you from a tree like you deserve.¡±


    ¡°Petyr¡­¡± Jayne sighed deeply, her eyes disapprovingly widened. ¡°She¡¯s just a child.¡±


    Petyr considered whether to lash out or hold his tongue. He¡¯d spent so much of the day¡¯s energy wooing this peasant. And yet, there was that indignant gleam in her eyes, as if she had any right to address him or reprimand him. Who was the victim here, again?


    ¡°And you¡¯re just a waste of my time,¡± said Petyr.


    The flicker of hurt on her face was delicious. That¡¯s what you get, he thought. How dare she try to judge him at such a time? In most civilized realms, an oni would be skinnd alive just for looking at a human the wrong way¡ªPetyr was being super generous, all things considered.


    Lips trembling, Jayne struggled to think of a good comeback.


    Petyr preempted it and said, ¡°What kind of a girl are you? Instead of being there from me when I¡¯m hurt, you put me down.¡± It occurred to him only as he said it how weak and hurt he himself sounded. Damn it.


    ¡°Just because we get hurt doesn¡¯t give us a right to give up our moral compass.¡±


    ¡°Strange thing, for a farmer¡¯s daughter that smells like cow dung to bring up compasses. You¡¯re never going to leave this place. It¡¯s where your kind belongs.¡±


    He hoped and expected the biting remark to send her reeling. Instead, Jayne appeared to grow before him along with her indignant fury. ¡°You know what I find funny, Petyr? That you pretend you belong anywhere else yourself. How old were you when you said you left the capital? Four? Five? You¡¯re seventeen now. Do you even remember being that young? You¡¯re basically a grown man that¡¯s spent his entire life here. You¡¯ve lived here for longer than my little brother¡¯s been alive. But you think you¡¯re not of this place? Ha! You¡¯re a part of Windust through and through, boyo. Down to how much of an bastard you are, just like every other scumbag around here.¡±


    Him? A peasant? Was she out of her mind? Yes, he lived in Windust, of course, because here was where his father conducted business; but for her to imply that in any way made them equal, or similar¡­


    Just where did she get off?


    Before he could say any of this, she whirled and stormed off. ¡°When I see you again, it better be with flowers and an apology.¡±


    Panicking as he saw her heading off, Petyr had to improvise. ¡°Apology? Here¡¯s an apology. I¡¯m sorry I ever wasted my time trying to entertain someone as ugly as you! Inside and out! I¡¯ve been attacked today, almost killed, and you¡­ You¡¯re giving me lectures? You¡¯ve got no soul!¡±


    It was supposed to sound empowering, but in his current state, his weak and trembling voice could hardly carry the day in the way he hoped it would.


    Jayne simply went further and further away, never turning, never adding anything.


    Bitch, thought Petyr bitterly.


    He reached up and gingerly touched the spot where the rock had smashed into his head. There was no bump, but he could feel a lump under his hair.


    Mora saw him and frowned thoughtfully. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aiming for your head.¡±


    ¡°And yet, it did find my head. Great aim.¡±


    Her eyebrows shot up. She hesitated for a moment, pursing her lips, then said, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°What was that? I didn¡¯t catch it.¡±


    Mora stomped her foot down. ¡°Nothing!¡±


    The brattiness caused him to smile by himself. What an idiot.


    As he watched her, he got the idea that it would be nice to be able to pin her down and make her apologize in earnest.


    ¡°Come here,¡± he said, holding out his fingers. ¡°I want to show you something.¡±


    Mora scoffed. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid? You want to punish me.¡±


    Petyr shrugged. ¡°Your loss.¡±


    The trick would¡¯ve worked on most kids her age, but the little she-devil had a bit more sense than that.


    As he pretended to ignore her and not care, hoping she¡¯d come around, he suddenly heard her say, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Behind you.¡±


    Petyr made a face. ¡°Ha! Now who do you think is stupid?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡± Suddenly, she ran up and joined him, looking out towards the sea. ¡°Look, that¡¯s a ship!¡±


    To his surprise, it was.


    The sun was halfway down, its redness bleeding into the distant waters. But there, far far away, he could see what looked like a cumbersome wooden ship making its way towards them.


    ¡°A pirate galleon?¡± Petyr said aloud. ¡°But there''s no ports here. The whole area is dead.¡±


    ¡°Pirates have their own places to lie low in.¡±


    It was a keen observation, especially for an eleven-year-old kid¡­ For all her faults, the brat wasn¡¯t stupid in the least.


    Before could figure out why a pirate galleon was here in a barren wasteland like Windust, a second shape formed over the horizon.


    But not on the sea¡­


    In the air.


    ¡°It¡¯s a skysail!¡± Mora screamed with frenzied excitement. ¡°Petyr, it¡¯s a skysail! Do you see it?¡±


    He could see it, all right. Even back in the capital, skysails were far from a common sight. Sleek, elegant, often painted white and embellished with gold. Almost all of them were operated by the Soverne Republic, and a ticket to ride on one was vastly more expensive than going by water. Petyr had begged his father many times to take him on one, but they¡¯d never had a reason to.


    It ended up becoming an experience left over to be enjoyed in the future. Still, Petyr could imagine it. To see the world stretching below you, getting insignificantly smaller¡­


    It must¡¯ve been a rush.


    And yet¡­


    ¡°Weird that a skysail would be all the way out here,¡± said Petyr with a frown. ¡°We¡¯re nowhere near the capital. And there¡¯s nowhere they¡¯d need to go that would take them through Windust. At least, I¡¯ve never seen any pass by here before¡­¡±


    One thing he had not considered, though both galleon and skysail were in view, was that they could be in any way connected. In his mind the two were wholly separate: one constrained to the water, the other exclusively bound to the air.


    From the bottom of the skysail, what looked like a large gleaming metal cannon slid out, probably twenty times the size of any of the multiple cannons held on the galleon below.


    They¡¯re¡­ attacking?


    Petyr barely had time to process the idea. Why exactly would a skysail be attacking a pirate galleon? He hadn¡¯t even heard of a Soverni skysail being equipped for combat. Besides, how could water-bound pirates ever be a threat to them? It made no sense.


    For a moment, nothing appeared to happen¡ªjust the skysail¡¯s silent, unhurried pursuit.


    Then the galleon below exploded, shattering like ice crushed underfoot.


    Nothing had shot out of the cannon that Petyr could see, nor had there been any sound¡­


    How? How it did do that?


    It wasn¡¯t like the galleon had been blasted by a cannon at all¡­ more like a massive invisible weight had slammed into it with a single blow.


    One second, there was a ship. Then you blinked. Only splintered galleon bits spread out and drifted across the surface of the sea like a splattered insect.


    Petyr stared, transfixed. He had never seen such devastating power, and for a fleeting moment, he felt small¡ªa rare and unsettling sensation. Something can do that?


    For the first time in probably half a decade, he was actually awestruck. The blood drained from his face.


    He stared at the destroyed galleon, gulping dryly, wondering what the hell it was he¡¯d just witnessed.


    Two things Petyr knew with near certainty.


    One, there was no way that galleon had been unmanned.


    Two, there was no way anything or anyone could¡¯ve survived that.


    The skysail¡¯s cannon slipped back into its hull. It sailed elegantly along the wreck for a few more moments, as if admiring its work, then it turned around and flew back over the horizon.


    Then it was gone, leaving behind the obliterated carcass of the galleon that spread out over the bloody evening sea.


    Mora, as thoroughly dismayed as Petyr, tugged on his sleeve innocently. ¡°Hey, Petyr¡­ What was that?¡±


    Petyr had never known her to sound afraid, not even when threatened, but she clearly was now.


    What was that? I have no idea.

 A Starlit Walk

    Darkness fell over Windust¡¯s plains as they made their way back.


    Mora wouldn¡¯t stop raving about the skysail, her childlike excitement detached from the enormity of what they¡¯d witnessed. ¡°It was just awesome! No one is going to believe I saw that. You have to tell them, Petyr! You have to tell them you saw it too!¡±


    Petyr wasn¡¯t even really listening. His eyes were out of focus, his thoughts turned inwards. He considered himself a rather detached person, but still¡­ he may have just watched dozens of men die.


    It was a strange feeling because there were no corpses to point to. Part of him wanted to believe that maybe it was just some strange thing they¡¯d come upon without the right context to understand it. Maybe the ship had been empty.


    Maybe¡­


    Or, if not that, maybe he¡¯d just been hit too hard in the head. Maybe he imagined the whole thing¡ªnot that it explained why Mora would¡¯ve seen it all as well.


    ¡°Petyr, are you okay?¡± she said, tugging lightly at his sleeve again. Somewhere in the distance, a cotoye howled.


    Petyr ran a hand through his lustrous hair and shook her hand off. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten what you did.¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry, didn¡¯t I?¡± Mora shot back.


    ¡°You could¡¯ve killed me.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way! And besides, you know what this means, right? Because you had the bad luck to take that rock in the head, that means a lot of good luck will come your way soon.¡±


    Petyr snorted derisively. If only it were that easy.


    I shouldn¡¯t have let Jayne go like that. Was she his dream girl? No. But she was a girl, one he had yet to fool around with¡ªa quickly-depleting resource in this dusty wasteland.


    Although that whole conversation with her and the way she¡¯d brought up how long he¡¯d been here left him with a bad taste in his mouth. It really had been a long time, hadn¡¯t it? Petyr still vaguely remembered how his father had promised they¡¯d only move away for a few months. But then they¡¯d settled in, gotten comfortable, then Alis came to live with them and now¡­


    Thirteen years of Windust. Had it really been that long? Weirdly enough, he rarely thought to count the years. It always seemed like he had only just left the capital to come here.


    Another thirteen years and he¡¯d be exactly thirty. Ancient.


    But no, that was¡­ that wasn¡¯t possible. I won¡¯t be here for much longer. Even if I have to leave by myself, I will.


    Completely ignorant of the tumult in his mind, Mora searched for his eyes and said, ¡°Do you think there¡¯s going to be a war?¡±


    ¡°A war? What¡¯re you talking about?¡±


    ¡°With those Soverni guys.¡±


    ¡°The Soverne Republic doesn¡¯t do wars,¡± said Petyr, incredulous at her stupidity. ¡°What they do is trade. And their island is far, far away to the south. Why the hell would they want Weston? Why would they want Windust? What you think they want all¡±¡ªhe spread out his arms to encompass the endless dry grass and distant wheat fields¡ª¡±this nothing?¡±


    Mora frowned. Her tongue flickered across her small bottom teeth. ¡°But they destroyed that ship.¡±


    ¡°A pirate ship.¡±


    ¡°But they could¡¯ve been from here!¡±


    Petyr rolled his eyes. ¡°Like that matters. A pirate is a pirate. They¡¯re scum. It doesn¡¯t matter who kills them or why. Anyone has a right to.¡±


    By the look on her face, Mora didn¡¯t seem entirely convinced by this take. Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t entirely convinced himself. They were just pirates though, Petyr told himself. They had it coming.


    He wondered if perhaps instead of going home he should¡¯ve gone and told someone what happened. But who would he even tell? Windust had no governor. A few decades back, the farmers in the area had risen up against the officials and sent them packing, igniting a kind of rebellion. To their surprise, the disciplining forces from the capital never arrived.


    To Weston¡¯s ruling elites, Windust was already a hopeless region, an impoverished wasteland constantly afflicted by droughts, floods, and bandits. Given the desperation in the area, the place not only made for a safe haven for banditry, but created most of the criminals that ended up plaguing other regions and the streets of the capital.


    Abandoning Windust to its fate was an expedience demanded by the opportunity the rebellion presented.


    Nominally, Windust remained a part of Weston, at least according to the maps. In practice, however, the river that ran along Windust¡¯s eastern edge divided it from the kingdom proper, and rotting bridges that ran over the river had all been torn down to be replaced by a new single stone bridge that functioned as a gatehouse, not allowing anyone in or out. The bandits still found their way, of course. But a Windust farmer would have greater luck building his own boat and sailing away than getting back into Weston proper without enough silver to buy a permit.


    In all the years he¡¯d been here, Petyr couldn¡¯t think of one person that had ever moved away. That just didn¡¯t happen.


    I can think of many that died or got killed, though¡­


    The lingering splinter of something unwanted pressed against his consciousness. Petyr remembered the last time death caught him by surprise.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    A few months ago, he was on his usual morning stroll towards town when he noticed a strange shape in the distance. The path to town climbed up a hill from where you could see the entirety of town, and on the top of that hill perched a small orchard where a lone tree overlooked the road.


    Dangling from one of its branches was what appeared to be a man. Naturally, Petyr assume it to be some sort of scarecrow. If not, then another prank by the kids: some of the little shits that ran around the place could be worse than the bandits.


    As he drew closer, Petyr realized his first visceral assumption had been the right one. It was a man. Or had been. Not just that, but a man he recognized, Blind Bill. They called him that because he was in the habit of getting so drunk when he visited town that he¡¯d stumble around, groping for anything to latch onto, just like a blind man¡ªsometimes people¡¯s faces, sometimes ending up in their homes. Not exactly the most beloved figure in the area¡­


    Petyr knew him better as Dayna¡¯s father, one of the girls he¡¯d crushed on hardest during his stay here in Windust, a tiny and feisty little blonde that he¡¯d never gotten away with doing everything he wanted to. He remembered Blind Bill chasing him away from his daughter more than once, acting as if she were some princess to be guarded rather than the surprisingly decent spawn of such a crooked-nosed drunk. Petyr had been quite indignant about it at the time, even bringing up the injustice of his treatment to his father. But then the matter had been forgotten.


    It was strange to think that the corpse, swaying gently from the tree with a soft creak of the branches, was the same person he saw so clearly in his mind.


    What surprised him, too, was the light fury that took hold of him at the sight of it. Yes, Blind Bill was a worthless son of a bitch. But surely he hadn''t done anything to deserve such treatment. What crime supposedly justified this?


    As much as Petyr heard of bad things happening to strangers, this was a person he''d known, even if barely. It made it personal.


    Later, he heard that Blind Bill had assaulted one of the working girls at the bar, or maybe threatened one of the bandits there. The exact reason seemed elusive, if not entirely inexistent...


    Though city boy of means, Petyr had enough street smarts to know not to ask much else about it. Asking the wrong questions wouldn''t bring anyone back from the dead, but it could definitely help you join them.


    Next thing he knew, Dayna became a part of working girls at the tavern, her body now for sale.


    Strangely, Petyr had never spoken to her since. If they accidentally made eye contact when he stopped by the tavern, they pretended not to know each other. And what was there to say, really? Their fling petered out. Her father was dead. Now she was a whore. What more was there to it?


    That''s life for you.


    A coyote howled somewhere in the dark, snapping Petyr back to the present.


    He blinked and glanced sideways at Mora. ¡°¡­never stop anywhere, just fly wherever I want¡­¡± Her face was blissfully unaware of where his mind had gone.


    As he kicked up light dust with his steps, path lighted by the starlit sky, Petyr thought about the way Blind Bill hung from that tree branch, and he thought about the men that were probably under that wreckage.


    The thought that his life might end as bleakly sent a surge of dread through him.


    No. He cut the thought away, like a great weight dangling from a fraying rope.


    That couldn¡¯t happen to him. He just wasn¡¯t that kind of person. Whether he was the delight of the gods or just too special for such an ending, Petyr knew it could never happen.


    On a deep and fundamental level, he always trusted that he¡¯d been born to do great things, and life had never given him any impression that went against that.


    These sorts of forgettable characters no one cared about could go out that way. But not Petyr.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t insensitive. It was regrettable that others died in such senseless ways. It wasn¡¯t even for anyone¡¯s entertainment¡ªone second they were there, annoying and fully alive, the next their cold corpse was twisting from a tree branch.


    But what exactly could Petyr do to change that?


    Nothing. I couldn¡¯t have done anything. Why am I even thinking about this? It¡¯s all so pointless.


    None of it personally concerned him.


    If there was anything he¡¯d learned from wooing girls in the last few years, it was that feelings could be detrimental. If not for today¡¯s mess, he could¡¯ve fucked Jayne and added her to the list of conquered targets. He could have gone home feeling triumphant. Instead, he¡¯d been hit in the head, nearly killed, then was made to bear witness to a skysail obliterating a galleon on a whim.


    Why the hell am I getting emotional over other people? No one¡¯s getting emotional for me. And my day was thoroughly ruined. I could have been killed!


    He glanced at Mora, this time with an indignant feeling passing through him. How could she just walk so nonchalantly at his side? Didn¡¯t she realize the gravity of what she¡¯d done earlier?


    Petyr knew they were only a short walk from the river that skirted town, the one they¡¯d have to cross to get home.


    He would wait to reach it.


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯d let an oni ride on a skysail?¡± Mora said, her dark eyes glancing up towards the stars.


    ¡°I assume so. After all, many men of means like to have their oni servants at their back and call wherever they go. Why would a skysail be any different?¡±


    The remark was meant to wound, and he could see from her reaction that it did. The stupid brat didn¡¯t even realize he had done it on purpose. Hah! ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mean as a servant¡­¡± Mora grumbled. She cast her eyes to the dirt road and hugged her arms against her chest.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re out of luck. The Soverni are a very respectable people. I don¡¯t think they¡¯d let a free oni ride on their skysail as a lone passenger, no matter the price.¡±


    ¡°Respectable? You just saw them wipe out those pirates!¡±


    ¡°And? Weren¡¯t you just saying how cool it was not that long ago?¡±


    Mora breathed in sharply. ¡°I guess¡­ But I was trying not to think about anyone who might¡¯ve died¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, they did all die, and good riddance. There¡¯s undesirable elements in this world we¡¯re just better off without.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean that¡­¡± she said, giving him a long look. ¡°You¡¯re making me feel less bad about hitting you in the head.¡±


    Is that right? Petyr eagerly awaited reaching the bridge.


    As it happened, he did not have to wait too long.


    As they made their way down a sloping portion of the road, they finally came upon the rotting wooden bridge. The whole thing groaned in the light breeze and was so old that one day it probably would kill someone when it went down.


    Below it ran the Little Snake, a slow-moving piss stream of a river of little interest during most times, though in the spring it tended to flood become quite the big snake indeed.


    Petyr waited until they were halfway along the bridge, when he suddenly scooped Mora up. It was funny, because she offered no resistance at first, not fully understanding what was going on. What do you think I¡¯m doing, hmm?


    Only when he stepped towards the railing did she wince and gasp. ¡°Petyr, don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Now you can really feel less bad about hitting me in the head, huh?¡±


    He tossed her out and gleefully listened for her terrified shriek. She fell in with a loud splash, disappearing for a few seconds before she emerged breathlessly. ¡°I hate you!¡± she sputtered, kicking wildly in the water. ¡°I hate you!¡±


    Petyr stepped back from the railing, teasingly pointing to her as he shouted, ¡°You wish you did!¡±


    A smirk spread along his face. He ran a hand through his magnificent hair and sighed wistfully. The bump left behind by Mora¡¯s rock would shrink. Those pirates weren¡¯t his problem, just like Bill hadn¡¯t been. Terrible things happened all the time. If the gods didn¡¯t care, why should he?


    I just gotta look out for number one, he told himself, sliding his hands into his pockets.


    Today just hadn¡¯t been his day.


    Tomorrow would be.


    And the day after that¡­


    Life is beautiful. You just have to want to see the beauty in it.

 End of the Day

    As much as Petyr complained about Windust, even he had to admit that the house he¡¯d lived in for over a decade now wasn¡¯t half bad.


    It was a two-story place located at the edge of town, nestled right in the crook of the forest''s protective arm, high enough that no flooding, no matter how bad, ever reached them.


    The house had been built by one of the local governors that had been chased away by the farmers during their rebellion. Testament to that fact was that there was no wheat field within walking distance, no pigsty and no chicken coop¡ªjust a tiny little garden that his father had now taken over for the growing of basic alchemical ingredients.


    Petyr saw the warm glow of the two lamps planted by the porch and got filled by a sense of warm welcome. Many might¡¯ve thought keeping those on all through the night might¡¯ve been an invitation to wrongdoers with bad intent. But the truth was, no one in their right might would¡¯ve touched their family. His father had built up a good reputation over the years with the bandits that controlled the town, and they¡¯d make short work of anyone who gave the family trouble.


    Just as Petyr emerged out of the shadows onto the light of the porch, Alis stepped out of the house. As always, the sight of her in her natural element, wearing little more than a shirt and a skirt, gave rise to a lump in his throat.


    Alis was exactly ten years older than he was, but twenty years younger than his father. She was tall, chocolate-skinned, with warm amber eyes, full lips, a slender nose, and chin-length short hair.


    ¡°Petyr!¡± Alis said upon noticing him, clicking her tongue with narrowed eyes. ¡°I was worried sick about you. Where the hell were you?¡±


    More noteworthy still was the fact that she had one of the most voluptous bodies he¡¯d ever seen on a woman.


    Every time he entered a room and caught her bent over it he''d spiral into fantasy for the rest of the evening...


    Petyr tried not to let his eyes linger as he climbed up the porch steps. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. I almost died.¡±


    ¡°Died?¡± Alis winced. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    He lowered his head and held his hair up. ¡°Here. Do you feel that?¡±


    She raised her fingers and gently probed until she found the bump where he¡¯d been hit. ¡°By the gods, Petyr! What happened?¡±


    For a moment, he considered telling her that it had been Mora. But then, knowing Alis, she might¡¯ve tried to punish the brat herself, and as far as Petyr was concerned, the matter was settled. ¡°I have no idea. Just came flying out of nowhere. Must¡¯ve been one of these fucking kids.¡±


    Alis clicked her tongue disapproving. ¡°Watch your mouth, Petyr.¡±


    Technically, Alis was his stepmother, though she and his father had never married.


    In fact, it was difficult to tell if there was even anything romantic between them or if this was simply a beneficial long-term partnership.


    ¡°Come on,¡± said Alis, dropping her hand from his head. ¡°Let¡¯s get you inside. I have something you can put on there.¡±


    Petyr entered after her and closed the door, then came face to his face with his father who was emerging from his downstairs laboratory¡ªthe first place the old man set up when they moved in, even before Petyr''s damned bed.


    ¡°Back already?¡± he said, winking at him for no conceivable reason. Another little act to drive Petyr insane.


    Gregory was fifty-one, slender, with a bald head and neatly trimmed goatee that remained flecked by golden hairs. In another world where he hadn¡¯t gone bald, his slim waist and neatness might¡¯ve counted him among the silver foxes. But that shiny bald dome ensured that¡¯d never happen. That he might someday inherit it was Petyr¡¯s greatest fear in life by far.


    ¡°Some children attacked him. They nearly killed him,¡± Alis went on as they all made their way towards the kitchen.


    Petyr slid into the seat the table while his father hovered around him, inspecting him with clinical detachment. ¡°Are you feeling woozy?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Nauseous?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Gregory shrugged with what seemed like acceptance. ¡°I think he¡¯s fine.¡±


    Alis returned with a small wooden box. The moment she opened it, a smell so rancid hit Petyr that he never barfed his guts out right then and there.


    She stuck her finger into the gooey black substance, and before there was a chance for him to react, started to rub against his new bump and into his beautiful hair.


    I shouldn¡¯t have said anything, thought Petyr with a grimace.


    Gregory grabbed himself a hot cup tea and sat down opposite him at the other side of the small table. ¡°So, how¡¯s your love life?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say those words ever again,¡± Petyr snapped viciously. It took all the self-control he had not to whine and moan from the pain of having that sensitive spot rubbed down.


    ¡°There we go,¡± said Alis, mercifully shutting the box back up. ¡°All done.¡±


    Petyr dreaded the fact that that smell would now be attached to himself. He touched the spot and then smelled his finger, wincing anew. Ugh. He would have to wash first thing tomorrow morning.


    ¡°You know,¡± his father began, ¡°I could¡¯ve used your help today.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be your work slave.¡±


    ¡°You have to embrace this part of your life, Petyr. You¡¯re a grown man. What are you going to do? I don¡¯t see you laboring in the mines. Alchemy is your heritage. It¡¯s my gift to you as a father.¡±


    Petyr sighed bitterly, nearly collapsing from the soulsucking energy. ¡°That¡¯s why I hate it¡­¡±


    ¡°This year, whether you like it or not, I expect you to help me out. You already know the basics. You¡¯ll see, Petyr, once you get into the nitty gritty of it, once you understand the substances, once you control them, you¡¯ll never want to stop. It''s... it''s the most beautiful act ever conceived. An act of pure creation. This goes way beyond paltry poetry and the like, you know. With this, you can actually change the world.¡±


    The pride in that tone made Petyr feel sick. Gregory watched him with a sly little smile that said very little. For a man that was an open book, the inner thought processes of his father could be strangely impenetrable.


    It occurred to Petyr that he had a thing to bring up himself. ¡°I¡¯ll start taking it more seriously once we go back," he said slyly. "Once we settle into a new place.¡±


    ¡°Go back?¡± Gregory seemed puzzled. ¡°Go back where?¡±


    ¡°Home,¡± said Petyr. ¡°To Astra. You know, the capital? The one we left? Where I was born?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Petyr,¡± said Gregory as he rose to get more tea. ¡°That¡¯s not your home. You haven¡¯t been there in forever. This is our home. Life has been better for us here than it¡¯s ever been back there.¡±


    Wait, was he serious? Petyr hadn¡¯t brought up this topic in ages; but he always assumed they were all on the same page. That his father was probably just putting money aside until they could go back and buy out one of the nicest buildings in the high quarter or... whatever. Just anything!


    ¡°You¡¯re not serious,¡± said Petyr.


    ¡°You may not remember this, son, but we struggled there. I¡¯m not a part of the Alchemist Guild. I can¡¯t work there openly as I do here. Those corrupt crooks don''t even allow me to sell my goods legally! Life in Astra is a day to day grind of survival. That¡¯s no way to live.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Petyr''s breath hitched in his throat. He stared at his father, mouth dry, chest ight, at a loss for words. The worst part was his face. There was such an innocent expression on his father¡¯s face¡ªas if this were normal! As if this weren¡¯t a total betrayal¡­


    ¡°You said¡­¡± Petyr started weakly, trying to find his way, feeling a gush of emotion come over him. ¡°You said we would go back. That¡¯s what you said when we left!¡±


    Gregory¡¯s face softened, but a bit of frustration bubbled up to the surface. ¡°Petyr, that was thirteen years ago, buddy! You were a damned baby still. And yes, I did say that. I only came here because I needed somewhere to lie low until things cooled down. I had no idea Windust would end up working out so well¡ªthat we would have such a chance at the good life here.¡±


    It occurred to Petyr now that this was a conversation he probably should¡¯ve had with him years ago. Not now, when he was seventeen, but when he was ten. He should¡¯ve known about this the entire time and acted accordingly.


    Instead, it felt like his world was collapsing now, all for no reason at all. Even though nothing had changed, even though nothing could be changed in the past, there was a sense now that the future was entirely up to him, and that if he wanted to leave he¡¯d be on his own, which wasn¡¯t at all a part of the plan.


    His heart thudded in his chest. Blood rushed throughout his body, yet it felt icy cold.


    Alis was in the room with them, occasionally glancing over; but she sensed the charged energy and kept out of the discussion. She hadn''t been a part of their life then. She must not have thought this concerned her one way or the other.


    Gregory must¡¯ve sensed Petyr''s overwhelming despair, because he shuffled over and squeezed his shoulders. ¡°Come on, Petyr. Why would you even want to go back there? We don¡¯t have anyone there. You¡¯ve got a life here. You¡¯re beloved. There¡¯s enough cheap land that if we work together, you can build not one house, but ten houses. Get yourself ten wives too¡ªI know you love the ladies.¡±


    Petyr could sense the desire in his father to cheer him up, and a part of him almost smiled at the comment about the ten wives, but he suppressed it. He wouldn¡¯t let this slide so easily. This was a deep and complete betrayal of what he thought was an unspoken agreement between them that he¡¯d kept his part of the bargain of for all these years.


    Maybe it sounded silly to say aloud, which is why he didn¡¯t say it, maybe it didn¡¯t really make sense¡­ but it hurt. He felt like crying out of frustration.


    ¡°You lied to me,¡± he whispered, rising from the chair.


    ¡°Petyr¡­¡±


    He blinked rapidly before the tears came to his eyes and stormed up to his room.


    Perfect. Simply a perfect way to end the day. As if this day hadn¡¯t been shitty enough.


    In fact, this was a truly accursed day. Nothing had gone as planned, and his psyche now felt completely shattered.


    What was he going to do? Just leave? He had nowhere to go. Besides, he hadn¡¯t planned to leave immediately¡­


    But then what if he just ended up staying forever? He had already let all these years slip by without so much as asking the question of his father. Was he going to waste another decade waiting for the right opportunity to get away?


    He sat down on his bed and glanced at the open window. The stars shone beautifully in the sky. He remembered again how Mora shrieked as he threw her and let himself enjoy a dark giggle in the dark. That was delicious, yes.


    Petyr could feel that open window beckoning to him.


    All he had to do was fold some clothing, toss it all into a bag, take some supplies, and head out.


    Or just bother with none of it.


    He could just slip out through the window right now and run off into the wide world.


    Gregory would no doubt be at a loss, and the thought of making his father worry and panic for real did fill him with a dark satisfaction.


    Before the impulse took root for good, the door opened.


    Alis popped her head in and raised her eyebrows warmly. ¡°Got a second for me, Petyr?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I guess¡­¡±


    She closed the door behind her and came to sit next to him on the bed. ¡°You know, you shouldn¡¯t let this bring you down or make you feel badly towards your father.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t defend him!¡± he snarled. ¡°You don¡¯t know what he promised me, Alis. He said¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shhh,¡± she said, placing an arm around his shoulders. Her breasts pressed into his side, the enveloping hot flesh sending electrifying tingles all throughout his body that ended in a very precise, very humiliating spot. It was doubtful that Alis could ever mean to arouse him on purpose.


    And yet¡­


    His gaze flickered to her lips before he could stop himself. Soft. Full. Moist.


    And just a few centimeters away.


    Why is she doing this? Come on...


    The only thing separating the two of them were two insignificantly thin layers of clothing. This was almost cuddling. The heat of her pillowy chest pooled at his side in a way that made him instinctively want to put his lips against her mouth and and suck her hot breath into his lungs.


    ¡°You have to think about it differently,¡± Alis went on. ¡°Consider it another way¡ªyou¡¯re almost an adult. Do you want to spend every waking moment wiyh your dad? I couldn¡¯t wait to get away from my parents. Do you see your dream life as going gray working alongside him?¡±


    Her warm brown fingers wrapped around his hand, her thumb gently stroking his open palm. The tingles intensified, and the dread that possessed him before gave way to a soothing energy that instantly replenished his spirit. Petyr gulped dryly. ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would you ever want him to come back with you, sweetie? On the contrary, it¡¯s good that he wants to stay here. It¡¯s not a negative, it¡¯s a positive!¡±


    ¡°And what do I do?¡­¡± he said, feeling uncertain. ¡°Just go back alone?¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course. Take these few years and let him teach you his trade as he wants to. Learn everything there is. Then, Petyr, then¡ªlisten! You can go back home to Astra and start your own business. You don¡¯t hate alchemy¡ªyou just don¡¯t want to be around your father all day. But that¡¯s what you¡¯d be getting if you want him to go with you to the capital. Isn¡¯t it better that he just stays here, at least a days ride away?¡±


    The way she phrased him got him to chuckle. ¡°Yes, I guess so¡­¡±


    Alis squeezed him lovingly and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°You see? Things are actually great. So don¡¯t be sad. Okay?¡±


    She was wise beyond years¡ªtotally right. Why would he want his father there? Petyr could barely stand to be around the guy for more than a few minutes at the time here at home.


    His whole dream was to go back to Astra and spend his twenties having memorable experiences.


    Fucking the hottest noble girls the capital had to offer.


    Indulging in food and drinks he wouldn¡¯t find anywhere else.


    Meeting memorable people who could open up new avenues.


    There was no place for bald, alchemy-crazed, fifty-year-old Gregory in any of that.


    ¡°You¡¯re so right,¡± he said, taking a shuddering breath. A wave of relief washed over him. Maybe things weren''t that bad. ¡°What was I thinking?¡±


    At least I have Alis...


    She winked and stood up. ¡°Then my work here is done.¡±


    Petyr winced as her warm embrace slipped away, and he very much wished she could¡¯ve stayed a little longer.


    I don''t want to be alone right now...


    The floor creaked from her light footsteps as she padded over to the door. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that nasty bump heals soon. Good night, Petyr.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    Then, as she was about to reach the door, he added, ¡°You know I saw an attack today. Out at sea.¡±


    Alis stopped short and turned. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I saw this ship. A pirate galleon. It was being followed by a skysail. Then the skysail just obliterated it with this huge cannon. It didn¡¯t make a sound. Just poof. It went from ship to splinters in the blink of an eye.¡±


    Alis listened, bobbing her head, her eyes twinkling with hint of doubt, as if she were entertaining the ravings of of an imaginative child. ¡°Maybe you just got hit a little too hard.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± he said, thinking it better not to bring up Mora¡¯s presence, which confirmed it all as all too real. ¡°But Soverni ships aren¡¯t typically armed, are they?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°I imagine they have some sort of defense.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anyone having a cannon that could do that¡­ I think it could level a castle in the blink of an eye, Alis,¡± Petyr insisted. It didn¡¯t sound like she fully understood what he was describing.


    Rather than impress her, the insistence only frustrated and bored her. ¡°Either way, Petyr, these things don¡¯t concern us. We¡¯ve got no business with any of it. That¡¯s why we live out here, by ourselves¡ªpeace and quiet.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Her warm eyes stayed with him for another moment, sensing his restlessness. She pursed her lips, as if hesitating to open a long-buried chest, then said, ¡°The Soverni are a good people. They don¡¯t like war and causing trouble. I had a friend from there once, the sweetest girl I¡¯ve ever known. Very religious. There was nothing she wouldn¡¯t do to help any stranger in need. So if they have this thing you¡¯re describing¡ªthen good. Because they tend to be the good guys.¡±


    As if to beg him for release, she padded over and kissed him on the head one last time, whispered, ¡°Good night, kiddo,¡± then left the room without looking back.


    The good guys, huh? I suppose so. That was a pirate ship, after all.


    Still, the whole thing still lingered in his mind. Pirate ship or not, why the hell were they all the way out here?


    A few minutes later, Petyr slipped out of his clothes and dropped into bed feeling exhausted, but his mind raced in spite of it.


    Alis¡¯s words sounded comforting before, but now that he was analyzing them by himself, the whole thing began to seem incredibly dreadful.


    So, she and his father weren¡¯t planning on going back.


    Which really meant that he was entirely on his own.


    And he was supposed to make it¡­ by doing alchemy?


    By doing the very thing he hated and had always avoided doing?


    Not only that, but she was suggesting that he spend the next few years of his life learning... but all he wanted was to get out of here as quickly as possible before he became trapped.


    How many years would it take, exactly? Two? Three? Five? Was he going to leave the place at twenty-five? At thirty?


    Who the hell was going to become his friend in Astra when he was thirty? At that point, he truly would be a Windustian and nothing else.


    The more he thought about it, the more it became apparent he needed to leave as quickly as possible and stop deluding himself. Deep down, he knew that they were betting on his comfort keeping him from going anywhere.


    I¡¯ve spent thirteen years here already. What¡¯s another thirty? Another fifty? Then I can just be dead. Life over.


    But to leave now? What would he do? He had no coin. No skills. No idea of where to go and who to seek out. He had nothing.


    The more he thought it over, the more hopeless it all seemed.


    Damned if he did, damned if he didn¡¯t.


    And why the fuck did that skysail just destroy that pirate ship, huh? Those are supposed to be the good guys, just obliterating dozens of lives without even caring who¡¯s on board?


    What if some innocent girl was on board as a captive? Or an old man? Or a baby? Pirates took captives all the time.


    More important still: What if I was on board?


    Good guys¡ªmy ass.


    At least one thing was obvious. Tomorrow was going to be a whole new day.


    The day that I start looking for a way out.

 The Creepiest of Interventions

    Mora woke up with blades of grass tickling her face.


    Last night, she¡¯d crawled out of the river and onto the bank, cursing Petyr and vowing to get back at him.


    But the ground had been soft and welcoming¡­ After a tiring and eventful day, she closed her eyes only to rest and ended up falling asleep.


    Now, groggy and half-asleep, realized that the sun was way up. Her clothes were dry. She could hear the cicadas buzzed.


    Her stomach grumbled.


    Frowning in confusion, she scratched her head, then raised her tunic to move a palm across the smooth skinny red stomach underneath.


    It had been days now since she had a proper meal, but she didn¡¯t feel like going back to the tavern¡ªthe one place she kinda called home. Ever since Nik had given her away to Tulip, life there had become incredibly annoying.


    Nik had made her do chores from time to time as well, but largely left her to her own devices, and even provided her with food.


    Tulip, on the other hand¡­ she was never satisfied. She genuinely thought Mora was her slave to command. Like hell I am.


    I¡¯ll just have to find something to eat.


    The last few days she¡¯d managed to scrounge well enough. It probably would¡¯ve been a lot easier to survive if she were okay with killing and hunting animals¡ªplenty of locals fried up cicadas if need be¡ªbut killing another thing just to eat it was a line Mora couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t cross.


    She couldn¡¯t even say why that was. It wasn¡¯t like anyone had ever cared about her enough to instill any life lessons or values. It just didn¡¯t feel right.


    Stealing from humans, though¡­ that was a different matter altogether. They have it coming. If they didn¡¯t even see her above an animal because she was an oni, if they even saw her as worse, why should she behave any differently?


    Mora got up and went to the river. She splashed her face with fresh water, slurped some down from her palms, then licked her lips and got ready to be on her way.


    She had barely gone a few steps along the embankment when she heard a familiar laughter coming a nearby wheat field.


    ¡°¡­ licked it up his fingers!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Dewey loves to eat shit. Don¡¯t you, Dewey?¡±


    ¡°Do not! There was no shit on that pear!¡±


    ¡°Oh, there definitely was! You were probably so focused on how much you loved it you couldn¡¯t even see it! You little shit-eater!¡±


    Cruel laughter rang out.


    There were many of these awful little gangs of local kids, but the one she overheard now was one of the worst. Mora knew them all by name: Dewey, Daven, Lunis, and Kay.


    She stopped in her tracks, trying to figure out where exactly the sound was coming from, but there was nowhere to hide. There were a couple of bushes, none of which would¡¯ve provided sufficient cover, and the wheat field¡ªbut that was several hops away.


    By the time she got anywhere, the boys came trudging out of field, laughing and pushing one another.


    They saw Mora and stopped, dazzled by the opportunity that presented itself.


    ¡°Look there, it¡¯s the hornhead!¡± said Lunis. He was twelve, blonde, with a head full of golden curls. The sad thing was, he was terribly pretty. Prettier maybe even than Petyr, especially at his young age. But though he may have passed as an angel, he was one of the worst humans she¡¯d ever come across.


    ¡°Shithead more like,¡± said Kay, who stood right next to him. His skin was a light brown and his curls were dark, but apart from that he looked indistinguishable from Lunis, as if they were twins. In fact, they were half-brothers, and both had the same mother, who was as beautiful and as scummy as they were.


    The other two boys, Dewey and Daven, were a lot younger, younger even than Mora, about nine or ten. They probably wouldn¡¯t have said a thing if they were alone¡ªshe could handle both by herself. But in the presence of the two older half-brothers, they all eyed her with mavolent intent.


    ¡°Where you going, hornhead?¡± said Lunis. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you in a while. Thought you died.¡±


    Mora considered her next move. They were still several hops away from her, and there was a chance that she could run. Talking, she knew, was not going to be very effective.


    She feigned a gasp and pointed behind them. ¡°Look, a witch!¡±


    Stupid as they were, all four turned around to look, while she kicked off. ¡°Get her ass!¡± yelled Kay with a roaring laugh.


    Mora¡¯s heart pounded in her chest. She sprinted as far as her legs could take her.


    No, please, no!


    She didn¡¯t want to think of what would happen if they got their hands on her. Last time, they¡¯d smeared her face with dung and kicked her so hard once they got her to the ground that she thought they¡¯d broken ribs.


    Mora had considered getting back at them for that. And she knew she could¡¯ve. It wouldn¡¯t have been too difficult to wait for one of them to split off to get him from behind.


    The problem was, that probably would¡¯ve gotten her killed.


    It was a strange thing, being an oni among humans.


    On one hand, she could steal as much as she wanted and no one ever raised too many eyebrows.


    From the human point of view, oni were all scum, and being lazy thieves was just expected of them. When an item disappeared, their reasoning was that an oni probably took it.


    It had been more than once that she found herself slapped or spit on at random by a human who thought she¡¯d stolen something.


    But for an oni to hit a human back? To go on the attack? That was something that even she, at eleven, knew wouldn¡¯t fly.


    Harm a human and they¡¯re going to kill you to set an example.


    Though she ran as fast as she could, she was outmatched by the older half-brothers.


    Their loud footfalls got closer and closer, sending an icy chill down her spine. No!


    Mora tried not to look back, not to waste any time worrying¡­


    Suddenly, she felt a hand grab the back of her head and yank her backwards. No, no, no!


    Brute force slammed her against the ground.


    It knocked the wind out of her. Her arm was in the way as she fell and now the whole thing hurt with a dull pain radiating up to her shoulder.


    ¡°Thought you could run?¡± said Kay, kicking her in the stomach for good measure.


    Lunis crouched down and grinned. ¡°We weren¡¯t even going to do anything to you. But now we have to. Gotta teach you a lesson for running away. Isn¡¯t that right, boys?¡±


    A feeling of sickening horror filled her up as she heard the others laugh and murmur in agreement. Come on, why today? I just want to go find some food¡­You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Their eyes gleamed as they considered what to do with her. Kay reached out and humiliatingly prodded at the two small red horns rising up the top of her forehead through her short black locks. ¡°We should cut these off. Maybe she¡¯d look better.¡±


    Lunis eyed his half-brother proudly and smirked. ¡°Now that¡¯s a nice idea.¡±


    Before the four could make concrete plans for how they¡¯d go about tearing her horns off, her stomach grumbled again.


    It was a loud, distinct noise, and all four pairs of eyes flickered down to it. The younger boys, Dewey and Daven, started laughing. Lunis slammed his fist into her stomach, the blow sinking deep into the emptiness. ¡°Hungry, are we?¡±


    A nauseating ache rippled as the air rushed from her lungs with a sharp gasp. Tears welled in her eyes. Stop¡­ Please stop¡­


    ¡°I think we should feed her, boys.¡±


    ¡°Hold her down!¡± Kay ordered, himself pinning down her legs.


    The young boys yanked her arms outward and dropped their weight onto them. ¡°Get off!¡± she snapped, wriggling helplessly. ¡°Get off of me!¡±


    Lunis went off and returned a moment later, holding a cockroach. Its black body gleamed in the sun as he pinched it between pale fingers, little legs twitching frantically. ¡°Got you some food.¡±


    A hopeful feeling surged through her as she realized that this was the full extent of his plan. Oh, yes! Okay! This isn¡¯t so bad.


    Mora never understood why, but humans were terribly disgusted by insects. Clearly, Lunis considered making her eat a cockroach on the same level as smearing her face in dung and beating her stupid.


    It makes no sense. They¡¯re no more disgusting than anything else¡­


    In fact, compared to the dogs and cats she always found worshipingly licking their own asses, insects probably weren¡¯t even half as bad, yet humans loved the former and hated the latter. Weirdos.


    Of course, Mora knew she needed to play it up now. ¡°Nooo!¡± she screamed, so poorly acted that any adult would¡¯ve likely been able to see through it. ¡°Don¡¯t! This is my worst nightmare! Lunis please!!¡±


    The desperation clearly excited Lunis. Golden curls dangling over his contorted face, he brought the cockroach closer and ran it along her nose. ¡°You like this, hornhead?¡±


    ¡°Nooo, pleaseee! Stop! I can¡¯t take it! Please, I want the dung again! Please, anything but this¡­¡±


    Kay whooped with glee. ¡°Hah! You should be grateful, you filthy damned redskin. Even a cockroach is too good to be eaten by your kind. Put it in her mouth, big bro! Shove it down her throat! She¡¯s hungry.¡±


    Boys really are idiots. At this point, Mora suppressed the gleeful laugh building up inside. This was good fortune coming her way. I can do this, easy!


    As the cockroach neared her lips, she sealed them shut, forcing an agonized refusal.


    Lunis predictably punched her again.


    The second her mouth opened to gasp, he shoved the cockroach in and clamped a hand over her mouth. ¡°Eat it!¡± he ordered roughly. ¡°Chew it down!¡±


    Mora could feel the little thing flailing in her mouth and thought of how terrified he must¡¯ve been. These guys were horrible to put the cockroach through this. Don¡¯t worry, little guy. I won¡¯t let anything bad happen to you, Mr. Cockroach.


    To give them the satisfaction they craved, she offered her muffled shrieks at first, twisting and turning violently, almost throwing off the younger boys at one point.


    Lunis drew closer, and growled, ¡°Eat it, or we¡¯ll put it in your up your other end. Chew!¡±


    Mora gently maneuvered her tongue to get the cockroach underneath it, then began chewing in horror, play acting like never before.


    Kay and Lunis exchanged feverish glances, the their cheeks flushed with exhiliration. ¡°Yeah. Now swallow it!¡± Kay yelled. ¡°Swallow it!¡±


    Mora groaned again as she pretended to gag on the insect bits.


    When it seemed like it should¡¯ve gone down, Lunis ordered her to open her mouth. ¡°Show me.¡±


    Mora did. You dolt.


    For a moment, she worried that he might order her to move her tongue to the side, but he was far too stupid for that.


    ¡°Ewww!¡± said Lunis, moving away from her in mockery.


    The others copied him and let go of her, taking a few steps back, acting all disgusted. ¡°You¡¯re so nasty! You ate a cockroach and you loved it!¡± said Kay.


    Dewey and Daven chanted, ¡°Bug-eager! Bug-easter! Bug-eater!¡±


    Mora knew these kids and the families they came from. Especially the younger boys. There was no way their own parents hadn¡¯t fed them cicadas from time to time, and yet, they genuinely thought this was some deep insult¡­


    She rolled to the side, pretended to cough, then raised a hand to her mouth and gently spit the cockroach back out. Little guy was probably scarred for life, but he was alive.


    Mora prenteded to put her fist into the ground for balance, but released her fingers to drop him and gently shoved him into a tall patch of grass. Go home, Mr. Cockroach. Sorry about all this.


    The moment she withdrew her hand, knowing the cockroach was saved, pride and joy surged through her, causing her heart to swell. Hah. Outsmarted you!


    And an innocent little life had been spared as well.


    ¡°We should feed her another,¡± said Kay, clapping his hands eagerly as he faced his older brother.


    ¡°No, she needs to taste other things,¡± Lunis answered dismissively. ¡°Daven! Dewey! Go to the river and find some wo¡ª¡±


    The voice faltered.


    Mora glanced over at them, wondering what had happened.


    The whole gang was staring open-mouthed at a figure that had materialized out of nowhere at their side, like a shadow.


    Yet in spite of the sinister appearance, the guy looked like a bum.


    He was naked except for a tattered sack draped around his waist, his upper chest and arms crisscrossed by gruesome scars. His hair was long, his nose large, and his light beard tapered down to a sharp dagger-like point.


    Mora noticed that though his hair was a dark brown, the tip of his beard was white and bled upwards in a thinning stripe that almost reached his mouth.


    The bum¡¯s eyes moved over the four boys and then over to her. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to be locals of this lovely dust-blown paradise, would you?¡±


    ¡°What the hell else would we be?¡± Kay snapped, eyes narrowing suspiciously.


    That he would speak that way to a creepy guy like this spoke both of his stupidity and his malice.


    An unfamiliar chirp sounded somewhere nearby, causing Mora¡¯s ears to perk up. What?


    A quickly-moving shape darted out of the nearby bushes and ran up to the bum, climbing effortlessly up his back until it perched on his shoulder.


    A monkey?


    Mora had only seen such an animal twice. Once when a troupe of performers passed through Windust when she was only five. Then in a painting on the second floor of the tavern where the whores took their clients when she¡¯d been sent by Nik to clean up some vomit.


    A monkey! Even the boys gasped in awe at the sight before them.


    The monkey held what looked like a small green lizard in its grip. What is it going to¡ª


    The monkey tore off the lizard¡¯s head with its small teeth. Blood spurted upwards and the boys stepped back. It chewed the head as comfortably as it might a cookie.


    Mora winced and hissed in imagined pain as she considered the fate of that poor lizard. Little guy was probably just enjoy his morning when he got snatched and turned into breakfast.


    The monkey finished chewing and swallowed. It chirped happily.


    In an act that was strangely heartwarming, its small paw shot out to offer the remainder to the bum.


    ¡°No, no, darling,¡± he drawled lovingly, ¡°you savor it yourself. I¡¯m quite all right for the time being.¡±


    Lunis was the first to approach the monkey. ¡°Can I pet it?¡±


    ¡°Her,¡± the bum corrected it. ¡°Her name is Lady Elizabeth. And you may, assuming your own risk in so doing.¡±


    ¡°Lady Elizabeth? You can¡¯t call it that.¡± Lunis hand hovered above the monkey¡¯s head uncertainly for a moment. Then he lowered it and scratched between its ears.


    The bum sucked on his teeth idly. Mora noticed that, at the end of it, he clicked his tongue lightly, just a little above what might be inaudible.


    The monkey went feral, leaping onto Lunis''s face. Claws scrabbled at his skin as its teeth sank savagely into his ear.


    The boy fell to the ground, shrieking, twisting and kicking. ¡°Aaaa!! Get it off! Get it off of me!¡±


    The bum grinned. ¡°Why, Elizabeth, that¡¯s no way for you to behave.¡±


    He snapped his fingers. The monkey took one final tearing rip out of the ear, before scurrying back onto his shoulder, furiously chewing whatever it had torn off.


    Lunis sat up, clutching the bloodied stump at the side of his head. Tears came down his cheeks. ¡°My ear!¡±


    ¡°Told you,¡± said the bum. ¡°You assumed your own risk. Now, which of you would be so nice as to tell me which way towards town?¡±


    At a loss, the rest of the gang pulled Lunis up to his feet. He retained his rage through the ordeal even as they dragged him away. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill that fucking monkey! Do you hear me?!¡±


    It amazed Mora that he would blame the monkey alone. Was it not clear the bum gave it clear instructions? The tongue click. The finger snap.


    He¡¯s trained that thing¡­


    As much as she loved animals and viewed them as kin, this monkey¡¯s stomach held both an innocent lizard and Lunis¡¯s ear.


    Not that Lunis was a good guy. But the savage way it tore off his ear¡­


    It would¡¯ve done a lot more if it hadn¡¯t been stopped¡­


    With the boys, the only ones that remained were her and the bum. His eyes swiveled towards her.


    The bum waved warmly. ¡°Fancy seeing an oni here, of all places.¡±


    He paused for a moment, then tilted his head. ¡°Where are we, by the way?¡±


    ¡°W-Windust¡­¡± she stammered.


    He nodded as if the answer made perfect sense. ¡°Which is where?¡±


    ¡°In Weston¡­ In the Kingdom of Weston¡­¡±


    ¡°Now that I know!¡± he said with a happy grin, gesticulating in a way that was way too cheerful given his appearance. ¡°Very good, very good. And you are?¡±


    ¡°Mora?¡± she offered weakly, wondering if she was doomed at this point. Was it time to run? Or would that get him to click his tongue again? Please don¡¯t.


    ¡°How wonderful to meet you, Mora.¡±


    The bum padded over, holding out his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Captain Vares Reed.¡±


    Captain? A sharp, icy prickle ran down her spine. No, it couldn¡¯t be¡­


    The image of those bits of galleon drifting off flashed in her mind. No one could¡¯ve survived that!


    He crouched down to gaze at her at eye level. ¡°Tell me, Mora, which way is town?¡±


    There was a strange, ominous feeling attached to that question. As if giving him the answer may have lead to things she could already sense would be terrible, and much worse than whatever his monkey had done.


    As their eyes locked, she suddenly noticed the color of his: red.


    At first she thought they were brown, but now she could see that they were a deep, dark red¡­


    Like blood.


    ¡°Y-Your eyes are red¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just your own reflection you¡¯re seeing because you¡¯re red.¡± He booped her nose playfully. The monkey chirped on his shoulder and ripped another chunk of the half-eaten lizard it had retrieved off the ground.


    How stupid does he think I am? Still... she wasn''t about to disagree with this guy.


    Vares stood up. His hand shot out, appreciatively stroking one of her horns with his thumb. ¡°So, little one¡ªwhich way to town?¡±

 The Watcher

    The next day came way too soon.


    Last night, Petyr had decided that it would be the first day of the rest of his life.


    As he sat up in bed, his whole temple throbbed. He reached up to feel the side of his head and noticed the bump was mostly gone, though the spot hurt even more somehow.


    He slid over towards the edge of the bed and dropped his feet on the floor. How exactly was this supposed to be the start of his life? What was he supposed to do differently?


    All I want right now is to sleep¡­


    He put on his shirt and trousers, then headed downstairs. Splashing on some cold water would help clear his head, or so he hoped.


    When he reached the ground floor, he noticed his father.


    Gregory stood in the shadowy corner of the hallway, gazing furtively out the window. His father hadn¡¯t even noticed him coming down at all.


    Has he lost his mind? ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Petyr¡¯s voice cut through the silence like a slap, and Gregory flinched so sharply that he bumped his head against the wall. ¡°Gods¡¯ asses!¡± he sputtered. ¡°W-What are you doing there? You scared me halfway to death!¡±


    ¡°I woke up. It¡¯s morning.¡±


    As he gazed at his father, Petyr noticed his bloodshot eyes and heavy eyebags. ¡°Have you even slept?¡±


    Gregory glanced at the window with the tail of his eye. ¡°I tried¡­ but in the end I just couldn¡¯t so I went back to work.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, what do you keep looking at that window for?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡± Gregory breathed in deeply calm to himself and then firmly added, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    It was strange to see the old man act this way. Petyr could¡¯ve gone through entire lists of complaints when it came to his father, but being a coward wasn¡¯t among them. Seeing him rattled for any reason was exceedingly rare.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re trying to hide is just freaking me out more. So tell me. Or I¡¯ll ask Alis.¡±


    ¡°What¡ªno, don¡¯t!¡± Gregory ran a hand down his face with exhaustion and sighed again. ¡°Look¡­ I think I saw someone out there. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Like a person?¡±


    Gregory clicked his tongue. ¡°Well, what the hell else is it going to be? It wasn¡¯t a ghost.¡±


    Petyr padded over to the window and gazed out. He could see the small garden patch that extended over to the treeline where the forest started, some fifty meters away, but nothing else. The day was warm and sunny, quite nice really.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re losing it,¡± he said. ¡°Get some sleep.¡±


    Part of him did mean that advice; but the other part knew that nothing annoyed his father so much as being doubted, and that Gregory would quickly open up if doubted in such a way. The man prided himself on his rationality, so being called a liar or delusional always made him bristle.


    ¡°I know what I saw.¡± Gregory tapped his finger against the window, pointing to the corner of the garden, which stood right in the shadow of the forest. ¡°There. That¡¯s where I saw her.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Her? In an instant, Petyr had gone from believing none of what he heard to having his interest piqued. ¡°It was a woman?¡±


    ¡°Blonde and wearing some stange silver-white outfit. At first I thought it was one of your girls. You remember how that girlfriend you had used to stalk the house.¡±


    How could Petyr forget? Ah, Larisa. At first he¡¯d been impressed by how quickly he charmed her, which was why he was so surprised by how well she took it when he he informed her that they were over.


    It had only lasted four days, but Klara had finally warmed up to his flirtations, and she was hotter.


    Even without that, though a quiet girl and average girl like Larisa could never hold Petyr¡¯s interest for very long. It surprised him when he was informed by Alis that she¡¯d started camping in the forest outside the house, trying to catch glimpses of him from a distance.


    In the end, it had taken parental intervention to get her to go away.


    Petyr snapped out of the dreadful memory and shook his head, at a loss. ¡°Why would some strange woman be watching our house, then?¡±


    At that, Gregory gave him a strangely intense look that only lasted a second. He broke it off and straightened a moment. ¡°Who knows. Just be careful.¡±


    The avoidant way he treated the topic was alarming. ¡°Dad,¡± said Petyr, not even remember the last time he invoked that word so solemnly.


    Gregory clicked his tongue again, annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Petyr. It¡¯s nothing!¡±


    ¡°Do you know this person?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± he shouted. And a little too loudly: his glanced up at the ceiling right after, hoping he hadn¡¯t woken Alis in the process. ¡°Look, Petyr, I have no idea who this person is. For all I know, she could be a thief¡ªmy lab equipment and everything I¡¯ve got down there is valuable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go into town soon. I could tell Nik to send someone.¡±


    Nik was among the leaders of the bandits, and the one that directly oversaw the business in the tavern, and that could reliably be called upon to settle any issue. He had always been protective of Petyr as well, and by this point was considered a friend of the family.


    ¡°No, no, no, not yet. I don¡¯t want to overreact if it¡¯s nothing. Just keep your eyes peeled.¡±


    Petyr traced a line down his father¡¯s back as he moved back towards the basement door. For the first time, he noticed the sluggish movements and the slouch in his posture.


    He¡¯s getting old. He¡¯d always thought of him as his old man, but it was scary to think he was just a few years away from being a grandpa.


    Gregory stopped by the door and glacend at Petyr over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll go get to work.¡±


    ¡°You should take it easy,¡± warned Petyr, his voice surprisingly soft.


    ¡°Just a little more for the day and I¡¯ll be done.¡±


    His father entered and shut the door. He stayed there for a few moments, feeling oddly out of place in his own home.


    Though he had never looked back fondly on those days when he was a kid and completely under his father¡¯s care, the knowledge that they were never coming back and that neither of them were getting any younger filled him with a strange sense of dread.


    He¡¯s just going to get older. And then he¡¯ll die.


    The idea should¡¯ve been liberating; but combined with the revelation of the previous night it just served to fill him with a sense of total despair about the future.


    Petyr didn¡¯t want to live to see the old man die. It was unimaginable that such a thing could happen.


    The staircase groaned as Alis came down. She stopped when she noticed him, smiling sheepishly. ¡°You¡¯re up early. Is your father still down there?¡±


    Petyr chuckled darkly. ¡°You bet.¡±


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll make us some breakfast.¡±


    As they moved together towards the kitchen, she reached out and ruffled his hair. ¡°Everything okay?¡±


    A surge of worry passed through him as the thoughts from before flooded in at once: the mortality of everyone he knew, the inevitable passage of time, and the hopelessness of his situation.


    ¡°I think so,¡± he said calmly, sitting at the table. No reason to worry poor Alis further.


    As she bent over to get something out of the pantry, Petyr realized glumly that he didn¡¯t even have the drive to look over and get a good look at her ass. Usually, that would¡¯ve been a great way to start the morning.


    Instead, he considered what his father had said. A woman watching the house.


    The mention of a strange woman typically would¡¯ve ignited some nascent feelings of lust¡ªeven if they were based in pure fantasy.


    This time, though, Petyr thought of how tired his father looked, he thought of Alis and how good she¡¯d always been to him, and how he was at a point in his life where he was probably going to have to protect them rather than the other way around.


    If anyone tries anything, I¡¯ll kill them.


    The image of the destroyed galleon flashed in his mind, and he imagined a similar fate for his own potential enemies.


    If that woman¡¯s real, she better stay away.

 Kings Rest

    He¡¯s out of his mind, Mora thought.


    She may not have particularly old, but she¡¯d never met anyone like this Vares Reed.


    ¡°Not a very big town, is it?¡± he said, seeming unimpressed by the surroundings.


    Admittedly, they were very bleak.


    King¡¯s Rest was the one town in Windust, if one could even call the scattering of buildings that made it up a town. It was called that because the king himself (one of them, Mora couldn¡¯t remember which), had fled to Windust after a great battle, and, apparently, was so replenished by his night of rest that he rode all the way back to battle the next day (it was still ongoing?) and smashed his enemy to bits.


    It sounded like a lie, and it probably was, but the locals believed it.


    The town itself was really just made up of a few buildings¡­


    The biggest of them all was the tavern, though it didn¡¯t look much like one from the inside. Back in the day it was the administrative seat of provincial command¡ªthat is, the govenor¡¯s vastly oversized work office.


    But given that it was by far the biggest and most impressive building in town, and given the preferences of the Windustian locals, the bandits quickly transformed it into an all-purpose tavern that offered everything from eating, drinking, gambling, whoring, and sleeping for the night.


    And that was just what was out in the open.


    Apart from that, there was the store, the temple¡­


    ¡­ and that was about it.


    There were other buildings along the main street, but most of them were rotting away and hadn¡¯t been used in decades. For Mora, who had only seen the town in its present state, it was almost unthinkable to consider that it may have once been the happy hub to a verdant, prosperous Windust.


    ¡°Tell me, child,¡± said Vares, his eyes darting from building to building. ¡°Who is the influential man in this place?¡±


    Mora glanced at him and realized how insane they must¡¯ve looked coming in. Just a skinny red-skinned oni kid accompanying a bum that wore a tattered sack as a skirt, with a monkey perched on his shoulder.


    ¡°Depends,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re all bandits. Nik¡¯s the one who runs the tavern. Most people here go to him if they need anything. But I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s guys he¡¯s afraid of too.¡±


    His chilling red eyes suddenly swiveled down to her. He smiled in such a pleased way that it gave her second thoughts about what she said. ¡°That¡¯s a very observant remark for one so young. But you¡¯re right¡ªfear forms effective hierarchies.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I said anything like that¡­¡± Mora muttered under her breath.


    As soon as they passed the store, she could see several people staring at them. Though the image of Vares must¡¯ve alerted them, none of them dared say a word.


    ¡°How long have you lived here?¡±


    ¡°All my life.¡±


    He shot her another look. ¡°Why?¡±


    Mora shot him one back, annoyed now. ¡°What do you mean why? I don¡¯t even remember anything other than being here. And I¡¯m eleven.¡±


    As they made their way up the bald hill that led to the tavern, a drunk tottered down unsteadily, his eyes so glazed and out of focus that he never even noticed them.


    Vares watched him pass them.¡°It seems an unrepentantly foul place to be.¡±


    The words reminded him of what Petyr would say. Mora pursed her lips, even more annoyed. As much as she hated Windust and wanted to leave it, it still was her home. These guys needed to be beat up.


    ¡°I left home when I was five.¡±


    Mora glared at him and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Yeah right.¡±


    She realized she was pushing her luck by talking back to him, and that he might command that damned monkey to eat her face off at any moment. But he¡¯s so full of it!


    Vares made a face and grinned. ¡°I never said it was willingly, little one. I came from a place much like this. A small island. One day pirates came. My mother and I were both taken. The poor woman was sold early on in our journey. As for myself, my life became one of servitude.¡±


    Her tongue burned to ask, Is that how you became a pirate?


    Parents aside, Mora found the story relatable¡ªif it was even true.


    She had never met her parents. If they were still alive somewhere, then, well, she hoped they were well.


    The story of how she ended up in Windust, at least as far as it had come down to her, was that Nik was in the capital doing some busines when he entered a curio shop.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    His intention had been to buy a gift for his girlfriend, who he was madly in love with at the time, which he did.


    But then he noticed that among the exotic trinkets and animals on sale, there was also an oni child. Since his girlfriend often said she couldn¡¯t wait for the two of them to have babies, he bought Mora as a joke gift for her.


    Naturally, the girlfriend thought it was unfunny and handed Mora back.


    Nik kept her as a pet.


    Who her parents may have been and where they could be now were questions Mora learned were better left unasked.


    As much as her life sucked here in Windust, everything she¡¯d heard about how oni were treated in other places made her think she still lucked out in the grand scheme of things.


    It could¡¯ve been a lot worse¡­


    Much, much worse.


    They reached the entrance to the tavern, where two of the bandits Mora knew were smoking and drinking on the porch.


    The bandit on the left, a short guy just a head taller than Mora, called Jori, slicked back his thinning hair and licked his parched upper lip. ¡°Who the hell are you supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Captain Vares Reed. This little oni is my companion, Mora.¡±


    Companion?! Mora wanted to slap him. Since when were they companions?


    Jori laughed bitterly. ¡°Man, I know who she is. I¡¯m asking who the fuck you are.¡±


    The other bandit noted, ¡°Look at that. His eyes are red.¡±


    Jori either didn¡¯t hear or ignored him.


    The smile on Vares¡¯s face remained the same. ¡°But I told you. I¡¯m Captain Vares Reed.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? Well, then, Captain¡±¡ªJori cleared his throat and spat¡ª¡±where¡¯s your fucking ship? There are no ports here as far as I know. And you can¡¯t be a captain without a ship, now can you?¡±


    ¡°News must reach this place very slowly. There¡¯s been a new development made in the last ten thousand years or so, but it¡¯s quite possible to anchor a ship in absence of a port.¡±


    Jori flashed an unamused smile to his bandit friend. ¡°You hear that? He thinks he¡¯s real funny. I wonder, if I cut your balls off and feed them to you, would you think that¡¯s funny too, huh?¡±


    ¡°A man your size may have trouble with my balls. They¡¯re a little heavy.¡±


    Mora laughed.


    She knew she shouldn¡¯t have and immediately regretted it. As did the guy at Jori¡¯s side.


    Jori, who was already picked on by the others for his size, swaggered over to Vares with his eyes bulging, looking up at him with fury despite barely reaching Vares¡¯s chest. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you,¡± he drawled.


    He pulled out the knife at his waist and raised the tip against Vares¡¯s neck. His hand shook with rage. ¡°Get on your knees and tell me you¡¯re fucking sorry. Do it!¡± he yelled, his spittle flying, hitting the top of Vares¡¯s scarred chest.


    Mora was suddenly on edge. Her eyes instantly went to Lady Elizabeth, who appeared calm in the moment, watching the bandit without any hint of violence, but who would surely pounce and rip his face off the moment Vares commanded.


    As for Vares himself, the way he smirked, looking down at Jori, made her hairs stand on end. Not only was he enjoying this, but she could see no fear in those red eyes of his.


    These guys like Jori were stupid, incredibly stupid, but she still would¡¯ve felt guilty if he got his face torn up or the like. It was bad enough what happened to Lunis.


    ¡°Jori, don¡¯t,¡± she said, pushing him away. ¡°This is my friend.¡±


    As she expected, it worked.


    Jori kicked her in the chest and flung her to the ground, then came over to pin her down with his foot. ¡°You little red rat. You touch me again, and I¡¯ll take this belt off and whip you until sorry is the only word you¡¯ll know to say for the rest of your life.¡±


    A smooth and commanding voice suddenly cut the air. ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡±


    Nik!


    Jori turned around slowly. ¡°N-Nothing, Nik¡­ Just some trouble with this newcomer¡­¡±


    Mora took the opportunity and jumped up to her feet.


    Nik came down from the porch slowly, quietly. Mora always thought the soundless, elegant way he moved put him somewhere inbetween a big cat and a ghost.


    He was tall and lean, dark-skinned, with perfectly curly black locks that made all the whores jealous and eyes that were almost completely black. He was always immaculately dressed, and today was no different: his short-sleeved white shirt was threaded with gold, and the green vest he wore over it also had golden buttons, each one shaped like a different animal.


    Any one of those buttons would¡¯ve been worth killing to someone around here, and the wardrobe he kept up in his private bedroom was a small fortune in and of itself. That no one dared to touch anything said a lot about the power he commanded and the fear he inspired.


    Mora could only think of one person who¡¯d ever tried to steal from him, a whore from years past who liked her drink a little too much. When Nik found out, he shaved her head, broke each one of her fingers, and sent her away.


    Mora sometimes wondered if she lived. The shriek still rang in her head sometimes.


    As soon as Nik got near him, Jori lowered his head down and shrank away into nothingness.


    Nik stared at him just long enough to make his point. His gaze then flickered over Mora questioningly, who shrugged in return.


    Finally, he locked eyes with Vares himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m Captain Vares Reed.¡±


    Nick sucked lightly on his cheeks and inspected the scarred red-eyed body before him. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°The cute little oni brought me here. I¡¯m looking for a place to relax until my crew comes to get me.¡± He waited for a moment, then smiled. ¡°And there¡¯s something else I need I¡¯m hoping you have.¡±


    Nik smiled back. ¡°Maybe.¡± He reached up and pet the monkey, and act which almost gave Mora a heart attack. Lady Elizabeth, however, chirped happily and nuzzled her head against his palm.


    ¡°Though I will say,¡± Nik went on, ¡°while I¡¯m not insistent on a dress code, wearing a sack may be below standard¡ªeven the low standards of an establishment such as this.¡±


    ¡°I could fashion something new out of the midget, if you prefer.¡±


    It took Nik a moment to realize he was speaking of Jori, at which point he began to laugh. It was a charming and delightful laugh, one that always made Mora momentarily think he was handsome despite her not caring for him all that much otherwise.


    Jori gulped, still seething. ¡°Nik.¡±


    ¡°Go to Vizi and tell her to go fetch this man some clothes.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Nik snapped his fingers and pointed to the doorway at his back. ¡°Go. Now.¡±


    Crushed and humiliated, Jori shuffled off, his bandit friend quickly joining in to commiserate. ¡°I seriously thought you were gonna kill him for a second there¡­¡± the friend began to say, his voice petering out as they made their way inside.


    Unfortunately for Mora, Nik¡¯s eyes finally returned back to her. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re alive. Forgotten home?¡±


    Unsure of how to defend her absence, she scrambled and said, ¡°Petyr threw me into the river!¡±


    ¡°And it must¡¯ve dragged you along in its current for days until you bravely walked back, is that it?¡±


    Mora lowered her eyes, tracing circles abashedly with big red toe in the dust. When it came to Nik, she was ashamed more than she was afraid. ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°The child is keenly intelligent,¡± said Vares out of the blue.


    Nik chuckled darkly. ¡°Shrewd, more like. But yes, she is.¡±


    In spite of everything, Mora found herself smiling. Both these men were, as far as she could tell, among the strongest people around, and they approved of her.


    More surprising still, Nik seemed to like Vares. Or at least recognized something familiar in him.


    Maybe this is going to turn out okay, actually.

 More Surprises?

    Where is she?


    As he left the house and made his way towards town, Petyr expected Mora to pelt him with a slingshot or come out hitting him with a stick at any moment.


    She hadn¡¯t always been glued to him, but for the last three years or so, she was a constant mainstay in his life and always there in the mornings at the very least.


    Now, as Petyr glanced up at the clear sky, he could only see a vulture circling ominously.


    For a moment, he began to worry that maybe he¡¯d pissed her off too much the other day. Or worse, that he somehow hurt her in the process of throwing her into the river.


    But she didn¡¯t look hurt¡­


    And besides, what do I care? It¡¯s her own damn fault for following me all the time.


    He should¡¯ve been glad that the oni menace was out of his life. It was a good sign, after all. Turning a new leaf and all that¡­


    At the same time, Petyr did not have that many friends here in Windust.


    The boys were far more difficult to deal with than the girls. While typically girls were by themselves, hapless prey waiting to be approached with the right smile and a pretty word, almost always close to home, the boys here were always in gangs.


    Given the living conditions it wasn¡¯t that surprising that they ended up ruthless little animals. And most of them probably stopped thinking of themselves as kids the moment they turned thirteen-fourten¡­


    As soon as the bandits could make use of them, they¡¯d join up.


    Of course, Petyr wasn¡¯t as heartless as his parents might¡¯ve thought. He didn¡¯t think these little shits deserved to be hunted down and killed, though many of them behaved exactly like goblins and sometimes even looked like them.


    No, he understood the situation well enough. It was difficult to grow up dirt poor.


    But that doesn¡¯t mean I have to like them.


    And boy, he didn¡¯t.


    After all this time spent in Windust, the only real friend he¡¯d made was Nik, and he was well aware that was more to do with who his father was than anything else.


    Still, Nik had always looked after him, and in the beginning there even gave him advice for how to go after the local girls, what to do if he got lost, the basics of how to hunt and fish and such¡­


    Petyr had always been flattered by the attention. Nik was an important and respected man after all¡ªbandit or otherwise.


    Maybe I could join up with him, he began to think as he went up the hill, the same one where Blind Bill had been left to rot.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    It wasn¡¯t the craziest idea. Surely, Petyr would never be asked to do the undignified tasks the other young bandits were made to do and might even be started in a place of prominence.


    Granted, he didn¡¯t know much about how the bandits scraped by¡­


    However, given the intelligence of most, it couldn¡¯t be too difficult for a person like him.


    The more he thought about it, the more Petyr perked up. I¡¯d be right under Nik. I¡¯m sure with my smarts and good looks I¡¯d soon be trusted to overtake most of his operations. I could literally be running the tavern in a year or two!


    He imagined himself enjoying the day go by just like Nik, ordering the bandits and whores around, a pretty whore in his lap, drinks and food on hand, with all of it turning a nifty little profit.


    Yes, yes, yes! How have I not considered this before? This is perfect!


    His blood raced from the excitement. His cheeks flushed.


    As he came over the top of the hill, Petyr noticed the vulture from before was eyeing a field mouse.


    The mouse darted across the dusty trail, oblivious to its exposure.


    Shoo, you idiot! You¡¯re going to be breakfast if you don¡¯t!


    The whole thing brought back flashes of the skysail and the galleon.


    Much like the skysail appeared unassailable, so did the eagle. It made no sound as it circle high above in the sky, it¡¯s eyes keeping track of the field mouse despite its small size and the great distance between them.


    Then the eagle dove.


    Horrified, Petyr watched it pick up in speed soundlessly as its beak and talons came in ready for the kill.


    It¡¯s so stupid! The grass next to path was ankle height at the lowest. And just a few meters further the forest started. How could be so oblivious?


    Petyr almost closed his eyes, unwilling to bear witness to another disaster.


    But just as the galleon being obliterated left him puzzled and speechless, so too did what happened next.


    As the eagle swooped down, maybe just thirty meters away the mouse at most, something changed¡­


    It began to plummet, its graceful dive suddenly broken, its wings folding in on themselves like a crumpled kite.


    It slammed into the ground just a few meters away from the mouse, which suddenly ran into the grass, spooked by the impact.


    What in the goddamn?


    Petyr ran over to see what took place and moved the grass aside to find the eagle¡¯s twisted body.


    Is it dead? He gently prodded it at first with the tip of his boot, well aware of the power it had. Little kids had been killed by eagles in Windust before.


    When he was certain it was dead, he reached out with a grimace and picked it up. Gross, gross, gross¡­


    Sticking out from the eagle¡¯s chest was the end of a crossbow bolt.


    For a moment, Petyr simply froze, a puzzled and emotionless expression imprinted on his face.


    What?


    He glanced around but he could see no shooter. Nor could he remember seeing many using crossbows around here.


    Local kids were slingshot enthusiasts, and some carried on using them to kill small game even into their adult years.


    Apart from that, there were a few hunters that used bows¡ªvery few.


    And then there were the bandits who had firearms¡ªagain, very few.


    Petyr grimaced and pulled back the bolt.


    It was smaller than he thought it would be, slender, and made of some type of strange, silvery metal rather than wood.


    He ran it across the dried grass to get rid of the blood, then put the eagle back in its place and inspected it, hoping it might be a clue.


    Truth was, he¡¯d never seen anything like it in his life.


    Instantly, his fathers words about a strange woman being in the woods came back to him.


    His eyes shifted over slowly, heart pounding, afraid the next bolt might enter his head.


    The treeline showed no signs of anybody.


    Of course, he could¡¯ve ventured into the forest, but¡­


    I think I¡¯d rather not.


    Gulping, he moved away from the dead eagle.


    Petyr pocketed the bolt.


    He moved away as fast as he could¡ªas fast as dignity would allow without outright fleeing the spot in cowardice and shame.


    First that skysail.


    Now this.


    What is happening?

 Things Can Always Get Worse

    By the time he had reached town, Petyr¡¯s mind raced uncontrollably.


    None of these things made sense. He tried to connect what he already knew namely that Soverni skysail and the appearance of this mysterious woman his father mentioned along with the crossbow bolt that shot out of nowhere.


    There was only one logical conclusion to draw: We¡¯re at war.


    Or maybe it wasn¡¯t that logical because it made no sense to Petyr at all. The Soverne Republic was simply too distant for Weston to matter to it in any way. Besides, they weren¡¯t warlike¡ªthis he felt quite certain of.


    Nor could he see why, if they were at war, there would be a single woman out there stalking their house and killing eagles. Sure, his family was respected in Windust, but it¡¯s not like they were key players. And Windust itself remained a completely irrelevant backwater.


    No better answer came to him by the time he reached town, but he hoped he could find answers, though he remained hesitant about saying what he¡¯d seen. Growing up in Windust taught him a valuable lesson in that regard: unless something needed saying, it was better to keep it to yourself.


    Petyr went down the main street, nodding to a few of the locals that greeted him out of respect (they knew whose son he was), then made his way up towards the tavern.


    Travelers might¡¯ve kept their children away from the tavern given its reputation, but that was because their image of it was different.


    They imagined opening a door and stepping inside of a wild interior where there were half-dressed women sitting at a bar and bandits kicking back with their feet on the table playing cards.


    In reality, the main entrance to the building opened up to the hallway. In front of it was an opulent staircase.


    The first flight of stairs was often taken by locals who treated it as a good place to sit by and pass the time to talk, almost like a park bench.


    But at the landing the staircase bifurcated. On the right, there were the sleeping quarters of some bandits (those of importance, like Nik, others slept where they could) and the rooms that were to be rented out.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The flight of stairs on the left led up to the rooms the whores used with their clients, and you could always see them hanging out there, gossiping, cracking sunflower seeds and even drinking.


    The first floor was no different. To the right of the entrance was the tavern proper, and that¡¯s where most went to eat for cheap, and maybe have a light drink¡ªa decent place, in other words. This was the real tavern people referred to.


    The left was where the degenerates that were a few drinks in went to gamble away what little they had, under the supervision of Nik and his boys who were always hanging around. The whores came down here too to entice them.


    This second place was just referred to as the Room, something that may have confused a foreigner, but which any local would¡¯ve known the meaning of.


    Technically, Petyr wasn¡¯t allowed in the Room due to his age, but as with most things Nik made an exception for his sake.


    Right, I should just go talk to him. Tell him about my situation. Maybe even about the things I saw¡­


    If there was anyone he trusted as both worldly and grounded, it was Nik.


    But before he could go in, he saw a familiar figure darting down the staircase, jumping over the heads of two men who were playing backgammon.


    ¡°You get back here, you little bitch!¡± a woman shouted, rushing after her, cheeks flushed, wearing a nearly see-through chemise and a multi-colored corset. A mass of shiny red hair was piled on top of her delicate head.


    Petyr knew her of course. Tulip. She was much older than the other girls, but in spite of her age she¡¯d retained her looks over the years¡ªless so her charm. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to do as I say!¡±


    Mora landed just a few steps away from him and growled, ¡°You spit on me!¡±


    ¡°Because you talk back! You disobey me! You¡¯re a kid and a hornhead and my property! You¡¯ll do as you¡¯re told. But don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ll tell Nik about this. He¡¯ll set you straight.¡±


    The voice was so smooth and sweet that it was impossible to come across as threatening no matter what. It was obvious she grew up her whole life just to be a pleasant and loving doll.


    Even Alis, as wholesome and homey as she was, could turn surprisingly terrifying if angered.


    Realizing there was no battle to be won here today, Tulip smiled warmly at the men whose attention she¡¯d drawn and made her way back up.


    Petyr arched his brows pointedly at Mora. ¡°And here I was thinking you had drowned.¡±


    Whirling, she pushed him back and snarled, ¡°I¡¯ll get you back for that!¡±


    He just sighed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m already over it. Besides, there¡¯s more important stuff going on. Is Nik up yet? Have you seen him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s with¡ª¡± Mora stopped and stared at him. The anger drained from her face. She gulped.


    Petyr chuckled darkly, almost as if daring fate. No way does this day can get worse, can it? ¡°He¡¯s with whom?¡±

 A Little Chat

    In the upper floor of the tavern, Vares sat down opposite the dark-skinned man¡ªNik, was it?¡ªwhich was supposed to run the place.


    He had been given clothes, which he politely put on. The pants were too tight, and the top too loose. He wondered what poor sod this pimp¡¯s whores had picked them up from, but he wasn¡¯t too bothered either by their origin or their size¡ªVares had little interest in such vanities, which is why the man before him held little interest.


    ¡°Not many men wash ashore here,¡± said Nik, sliding a glass across the room.


    Vares had met many like him before. This Nik no doubt must¡¯ve thought himself quite the important mover. These were paintings on the walls and the furniture still gleamed with a fresh polish¡ªlike all small men, Nik thought himself the big piece on the board.


    And what a board it was, this dusty no man¡¯s land. Vares had trouble deciding what was worse: losing his ship, or ending up here, of all places.


    Not that any of it mattered very much now. On the contrary, only one thing mattered¡­


    Does he have it? Vares wondered, eyeing the dark eyes of the man opposite him. Highly unlikely. How could he, all the way out here? And yet, it was the only thing he could focus on now.


    ¡°It was a stormy night. I was fortunate to have been knocked off the ship with a barrel to cling to. No doubt my crew are searching for me as we speak.¡±


    The lie wasn¡¯t convincing, but it wasn¡¯t supposed to be. On the contrary, Vares wanted to see what kind of person he was dealing with.


    A paranoid man might call him out on his blatant inventions. A conniving one might choose to ignore them. But a smart one would be wary of why anyone would be willing to lie with such indifference and without worry.


    Nik eyed him for a long time. His eyes swiveled over to Lady Elizabeth. ¡°How fortunate that your monkey fell into the turbulent sea with you.¡±


    Vares reached back and pet her head. She chirped and rubbed against him affectionately. ¡°The little beauty is with me at all times. Though I have no doubt she would¡¯ve jumped after me even if given the choice. She¡¯s a loyal woman, my Elizabeth.¡±


    Vares took a moment and a playful smile played over his lips. He grabbed the drink and took a sip, still watching Nik. ¡°Are yours?¡±


    Surprisingly, Nik proved to have a backbone. ¡°I¡¯m not sure where you get your confidence, but I¡¯ll remind you that you are a guest in my establishment.¡±


    Vares raised his arms in theatric surrender. ¡°Of course, my apologies.¡±


    Nik leaned into his chair thoughtfully and drummed his fingers over the table. ¡°So how did you really end up here?¡±


    Vares kept quiet, still smiling.


    ¡°It¡¯s a reasonable question to have given what you expect me to give you in return. Alternatively, you could try and swim the other way.¡±


    More than just a backbone. Perhaps a beating heart? Even some balls dangling down there? ¡°Is that so?¡±


    This time Nik kept quiet, patiently waiting.


    Have I underestimated this fellow? Vares doubted it. Nevertheless, this wasn¡¯t a pleasant situation to be in.


    ¡°I was captain of the Seareaver.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Nik shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know much of pirates and their ships.¡±


    Vares grinned. ¡°My notoriety preceeds before me in some places¡ªthough I suppose this is not such a place. Besides, this ship was a recent¡­ acquisition, all things considered. In any case, my crew and I had bravely undertaken the transport of some rare goods up north.¡±


    ¡°Drugs?¡±


    Vares laughed so hard he tossed his head back, causing Lady Elizabeth to cry out wildly. ¡°Drugs? No. Alvanese furniture, as a matter of fact. Now, you may not know this, but Alvanese wood is quite pri¡ª¡±


    ¡°This table is Alvanese wood,¡± said Nik brusquely, clearly proud of the fact, and insulted that it had not yet been noticed.


    Vares realized he probably looked very foolish for not seeing it as such. Good. Let him think I am a fool.


    ¡°I am humbled by your taste and knowledge,¡± said Vares. ¡°As I was saying, the Soverni recently set themselves up in Alvan. The monarchy has been abolished in favor of a republic. In exchange for their assistance in setting up this fledging government, the Soverni were granted exclusive rights to harvest their fine wood for twenty years so long as they guaranteed to use Alvanese craftsmen for the manufacture. Now, the only way they allow Alvenese furniture to be shipped out is through their skysails, making it that much more expensive, and essentially putting them in control of the entire production and distribution. A total monopoly.¡±


    ¡°And they attacked you over this?¡±


    ¡°You find that so unbelievable?¡±


    Nik pursed his lips with indifference. ¡°I¡¯m aware that the Soverni are a coin-first sorts of people. I¡¯ve flown on a skysail once, and having three drinks almost cost more than the ticket itself.¡±


    Something about the way the man spoke of the Soverni immediately caught Vares¡¯s attention. The few times he brought up the Soverni with distant places, his explanatory talks were met with accusatory skepticism.


    And yet, this petty pimp that thought himself an aristocrat living in the middle of nowhere seemed to accept it all quite casually. Why was that?


    The whole thing caused his skin to tingle. Did this fellow know more than he let on?


    ¡°In any case,¡± said Nik, ¡°I know what you want.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡±


    ¡°Few people here are wealthy enough to know what those red eyes of yours mean, but I do. It¡¯s the reason why I decided to invite you into my office rather than letting my men have their way with you.¡±


    Vares could¡¯ve laughed. This poor bastard did think of himself as a man apart. A gentleman forced to live among savages. And, like all would-be gentlemen, the only thing he cared about was money.


    In some places, Vares was used to people staring at his red eyes and seeing a flaw. A sin. Addiction.


    This pimp was a bandit through and through. He looked at his cravings and saw one thing: coin to be made.


    ¡°Say I give what you want,¡± said Nik, tracing his fingers over the polished Alvanese wood with an almost erotic appreciation. ¡°Haven¡¯t you lost your ship? How will you pay me back?¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯d abandon my ship in such a foolhardy fashion? I have gold. Not on me. But somewhere.¡±


    Nik rose from his seat and padded¡ªalmost gliding soundlessly¡ªover to the window. He pulled aside the curtains and gazed down into the distance, towards the unimpressive center of town. ¡°They call it scarlet here. The rezzam.¡±


    The word alone sent tingles through Vares. The last time he¡¯d tasted the dust was long before the sun had fully fallen the day before. So sweet.


    Only imaginary traces of it remained on his tastebuds, sending the occasional electrifying wave through his nerves. Oh, but how he wanted to taste it again¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had it myself,¡± said Nik. ¡°It¡¯s a bit too expensive for my blood. But I hear those who take it for a long enough time develop certain¡­ powers.¡±


    Surprise after surprise. He knew about that? Maybe he had underestimated this pimp. At least his knowledge and ambition.


    Vares kept quiet and smiled. ¡°Some.¡±


    ¡°Only some develop them? Or only some powers?¡± Nik understood he was being toyed with and chuckled darkly. ¡°I suspect you¡¯ve lied to me from the moment you got here. I also suspect you have nothing tangible to offer me. You¡¯ll string me along until you get enough of the stuff to disappear. And you¡¯ll kill me and whoever else is necessary to get it.¡±


    Thoroughly on point, Your Majesty.


    As he came back to his seat, Nik¡¯s face remained expressionless. ¡°The man who leads us all, his name is Anders. Few ever see him. I do on rare occasion. And I¡¯m one of the few who knows that Anders has been addicted to rezzam for the last few years.¡±


    ¡°And I suspect you do not have warm feelings towards This Anders.¡±


    ¡°I did once,¡± said Nik. A sense of nostalgia drew him in for a moment... ¡°But he¡¯s turned into a raving madman now. He is dangerous.¡±


    Dangerous and bad for business. And you¡¯ve reached the highest point you can climb without him gone.


    ¡°In a show of goodwill, I¡¯ll get some rezzam for you now,¡± said Nik. ¡°As for the rest¡­¡±


    ¡°I can loot it once the job is done. Is that it?¡±


    For the first time since he entered, Vares saw something resembling a smile playing on Nik¡¯s dark lips. ¡°You are a pirate. Aren¡¯t you?¡±

 Potential Terrors

    Petyr listened intently to everything Mora told him, his heart first beating wildly then going completely still.


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t have survived that blast,¡± he said. ¡°You saw it.¡±


    They both stood outside in the shadow of the tavern, away from where anyone could overhear them.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell him that we saw it, did you?¡± He lowered his voice and glared pointedly at Mora.


    She shook her head, confused. ¡°No. But why not? We did see it.¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡± Petyr thought of explaining it, but what was the point. He was dealing with a literal child. ¡°This is grown-up stuff. You wouldn¡¯t get it. Most of the time, it¡¯s better to not see anything at all. Trust me.¡±


    Mora said nothing back. She just leaned against the wall, thoughtfully playing with the half-broken button of her worn-out vest. Good, thought Petyr. Better if no one knows about this.


    ¡°He could¡¯ve jumped, you know,¡± she said suddenly.


    Petyr¡¯s breath hitched. ¡°What?¡±


    Mora¡¯s eyes came up searchingly. ¡°From the ship. Before the skysail hit it.¡±


    He let out a a slow breath. ¡°Then they all could¡¯ve jumped!¡±


    ¡°How do you know they didn¡¯t?¡±


    Now this was one idea he didn¡¯t want to consider. ¡°Because I didn¡¯t see them!¡±


    ¡°If they knew that was going to happen they could¡¯ve jumped way before!¡± Mora insisted.


    Why was this eleven-year-old so problematic? I suppose she has a point. But the way she introduced this new character to him by describing his face-eating monkey and his red eyes already put him on high alert.


    Combined with what he¡¯d heard from his father and that strange incident earlier in the morning, this just served to heighten his panic all the more.


    As his paranoia spiraled into a new level of dread, imagining everyone here taken captive by pirates, raped or killed, his former plans of starting a new life began to feel ever more distant and irrelevant.


    ¡°Nothing will happen,¡± he said, slowly, quietly. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ nothing. He¡¯ll go away.¡±


    Mora shrugged weightlessly. ¡°Probably.¡±


    She seemed to believe it, but he wasn¡¯t sure he believed it himself. So many strange things here. In this hellhole. Why? And why now? I was just about to leave! Gods. Just let me leave first¡­


    He was about to reinforce the idea to Mora (and himself) with another argument when Nik, of all people, circled around the corner and came up on them.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    As soon as he saw Petyr, he smiled and rushed over to shake his hand. ¡°Pete! Good to see you, my boy. I didn¡¯t know you were here. Came to have a little drink? Or maybe a little time with the ladies?¡±


    Nik always teased him about the whores, knowing he was a addicted to the female form. But Petyr very much doubted Nik ever touched any of them. If Petyr ever took him up on the offer, he¡¯d probably look down on him for it.


    Not that he hadn¡¯t been tempted a few times¡­


    Petyr smiled back, trying to hide his nervousness. Why am I even nervous? Nothing¡¯s happened! Get it together.


    Suddenly, Nik¡¯s attention switched to Mora. ¡°And you. What were you thinking, bringing that guy here? Didn¡¯t you realize he could be dangerous?¡±


    Mora mora crossed her arms proudly. ¡°I knew he was dangerous, so that¡¯s why. I thought you¡¯d handle him.¡±


    Nik booped her playfully on the head. ¡°You¡¯re too sly for your own good, my little hornhead. Now, here¡±¡ªhe slipped her a piece of paper¡ª¡±take this to Lerat out by the orchard.¡±


    Mora pocketed it and gave him a look. ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯ll do something awful to me if I try to read it.¡±


    ¡°You can try all you want. I don¡¯t mind. And by the way, you better apologize to Tulip for how you¡¯ve behaved.¡±


    Mora sighed and stomped her feet, kicking up pitiful amount of dust. ¡°No, I won¡¯t! I don¡¯t like her and I won¡¯t.¡±


    Before Nik could disagree with her, she sprinted away as fast as her legs could take her.


    Nik sighed deeply. ¡°What am I going to do with that little beast?¡±


    In the silence that settled as they both watched her sprint down the hill, Petyr considered bringing up all sorts of things: what he¡¯d seen the night before, the arrival of this supposed pirate, his father¡¯s worries about a person checking out the house, and then the eagle incident.


    Instinctively, he clutched at the bolt tucked in his pocket.


    Nik hummed to himself happily and winked at him. ¡°How¡¯s your father?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s good¡­¡± Petyr said, and gulped.


    ¡°Probably worried about how many bastards you¡¯re making him a day, eh?¡±


    He tried to smile back. ¡°Something like that¡­¡±


    Nik ruffled his hair and then playfully slapped him. ¡°I¡¯ve got some business to tend to. Watch yourself, Petyr.¡±


    Why? Is there any reason I should?


    By the time he found the willpower to ask that question, Nik had gone back inside, leaving him alone by the shadowy side of the tavern. Somewhere up front, Petyr heard loud footsteps and then someone spitting and cursing under their breath.


    Dismayed, a little worried about what might be going on, and feeling neither hungry nor thirsty, he began to make his way back towards home.


    At first he walked slowly. But as he began to consider the level of danger everyone might be at, he picked up the pace.


    By the time he went up the hill outside of town with the overhanging tree, the most lurid images pained him. He imagined his father beaten bloody, teeth knocked out of his mouth, begging for his life. Alis was in the kitchen, bawling, some brute taking her by force and having his way with her.


    Mora was right. Too right, in fact. If one pirate made it, why wouldn¡¯t the whole lot of them?


    There might be dozens of them. All of them armed. Gods¡­


    When he was just a few minutes away from reaching home, his anxiety level became so heightened that he began to sprint.


    In his rush, he never bothered to look down.


    When he tripped, he slammed facedown into the grimy road, almost breaking his nose.


    ¡°What the fuck!¡± he hissed; but his body ached too much to even kick back in anger.


    A stone? A twig? What had it been this time? Fuck¡¯s sake.


    This was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that he¡¯d severely been hurt. And that¡¯s just physically.


    As he braced himself to get up, he suddenly felt a cold metal slither across the base of his neck. ¡°Stay very still,¡± said a distinctly female voice, it¡¯s accent unlike any he¡¯d ever heard before.


    Petyr did. Not that he could''ve helped it.


    ¡°Any move at all and my friend in the trees will show off his skills. He¡¯ll put a bolt in each of your eyes before you hit the ground. Trust.¡±

 No Time for Lust

    As Petyr knelt in the dust, a hand went into his pocket took away the bolt he had stashed.


    ¡°You¡¯re a thief,¡± said that same strangely accented female voice. ¡°Where I come from, thieves are punished by death.¡±


    Does that mean you¡¯re going to kill me? He couldn¡¯t find the courage to ask.


    Was there even a point to the question? It was obvious that this person was trouble, that this encounter would lead him nowhere good. Why did I pick up that damned bolt! What was I hoping to achieve?


    ¡°I know you,¡± she said, pointing the cold tip of the bolt against the nape of his neck. Petyr shuddered and closed his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re the son of that alchemist.¡±


    So it was true. There was a woman stalking their home. Presumably this one or one of her friends¡­


    She can¡¯t kill me, he told himself, eyes stuck on a tuft of dry grass in front of him. A ladybug was slowly crawling up the side of a blade. I¡¯ve done nothing wrong. Nothing...


    The woman went quiet. The sun above blazed like an inferno now, making it difficult to breathe. Petyr knew most of the heat was coming from inside, from his pounding heart and racing blood, but he could do nothing to stop it.


    ¡°Do nothing that will make me act hastily,¡± she said.


    The tip of the bolt withdrew from the back of his head.


    His body felt heavy as his knees pressed into the dirt. A tickling rivulet of sweat coursed down the side of his face.


    The woman came around to look him in the eyes and stood before him.


    Well, more of a girl, really. One with an unpleasant face and a short brown bob.


    Despite the firm way she spoke, she couldn¡¯t have been older than her early twenties, and she wasn¡¯t even taller than he was. If she¡¯s alone, I can take her.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Admittedly, he would¡¯ve taken her in more ways than one. As his eyes trailed down her body, it was difficult not to notice her wide hips and¡­ highly generous backside. Petyr instantly knew he¡¯d never seen her before, because that was an ass he would¡¯ve remembered forever.


    The strangest thing about her outfit. As his father hinted initially, it seemed to be made from some silvery fabric, almost like a smooth metal fashioned into a one-piece garment that hugged her body.


    And yet, it made no sound as she moved, nor did it shiny like any metal he¡¯d ever seen; she moved effortlessly, as if she wore nothing at all.


    One thing was for certain¡ªthis was no pirate. No red eyes on her either.


    ¡°Keep looking at me the way you are now, and I¡¯ll take both your eyes.¡±


    Despite her size, Petyr could not resist the fear that came over him at the sound of that imposing voice and let his gaze drift downwards. ¡°I¡­ I wasn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Close your eyes and leave them closed. Hold your hands out.¡±


    Petyr gulped and obeyed. Please don¡¯t let me die now. Please. He wasn¡¯t even sure what god he was asking, but any was fine.


    Something cold and metallic wrapped around each one of his wrists. Petyr opened his eyes and noticed the metal cuffs that chaining his hands together.


    Unlike whatever she was wearing, these cuffs were old and rusty, not at all in line with everything else he¡¯d seen from her.


    Even Petyr was bright enough to know that this only meant one thing: she had come here with no intention of taking prisoners and was improvising.


    Which could¡¯ve been very good¡­ or very bad.


    His eyes went up searching for hers.


    The woman smacked him hard across the side of the head. ¡°At what point did I tell you to open your eyes? Can you remind me? Keep them closed.¡±


    Petyr closed them again but muttered unintelligible as he tasted blood in his mouth. What is with people and violence?


    Her hand wrapped mercilessly by his hair and yanked him up, pulling up a few strands in the process. ¡°You¡¯ll do as I say. Now you may open your eyes. Walk forwards.¡±


    Forwards wasn¡¯t down the road towards his home, but into the forest¡­


    As he made his first step towards the trees, Petyr glanced left and right, weighing his odds of escaping. He had never been much of a fighter, but he¡¯d always been slender and fast on his feet.


    Am I faster than that bolt, though?¡­


    Remembering the speed with which it moved to strike the eagle, practically invisible to his sight, made him imagine how quickly it would go through the back of his head. His eyes would pop and blood would pour of his mouth, and then he¡¯d be dead.


    His knees buckled at the thought. Probably not a good idea.


    Like all worried souls under extreme duress, he could only think to ask one thing as stepped into the forest. ¡°Are you g-going to kill m-me?¡± he stammered, afraid of how nervous he sounded.


    ¡°Did I order you to say anything? We move forward.¡±


    So much for that, then.


    What could he do but listen for the time being?


    I''ll escape. There''s gotta be a way...

 Pretty Bit of Flesh

    Petyr was certain they must¡¯ve walked for well over an hour through the forest.


    The only thing peppering the absolute silence were her instructions whenever she wanted him to switch directions.


    He worried that she might slay him at any moment and leave his corpse to rot there.


    Or worse, that she might give a final instruction before she dipped away and vanished, with Petyr forever left to wander the forest until he died anyway.


    At length, they came to a small clearing where he could see a firepit and a tent. A tree stump had been improvised to serve as a table.


    ¡°Move everything from the stump and sit down.¡±


    Nothing could be gleaned from the items: several leather-bound tomes, a few tiny unlabeled bottles, and an impressive silverwork glass.


    Petyr let his eyes wander over the gold-embossed title of the first book in the stack. Zarvokti''ik Telentil.


    His hairs stood on end.


    That language. How could he not recognize it?


    Petyr had to resist every impulse not to glance at her again with his newly-acquired info...


    Soverni! Of course, she''s from the Soverne Republic...


    Which brought far more questions than answers. Was she from that skysail? Unlikely, since he had watched it depart.


    Why, then, was a random Soverni here, beating and threatening him?


    Gulping, he placed everything down with care and kept his realization to himself. The less she thinks I know, the better my odds of being spared. That''s how this always works. There''s no reason to kill idiots¡ªexcept maybe for fun...


    Thankfully, he could see no actual weapons stored anywhere. If this was some kind of upcoming invasion, then they hadn''t come well-prepared. Nor in great numbers, considering he still hadn''t laid eyes on another soul apart from her.


    Sure, the strange woman mentioned there being a second person with her ready to strike him down if he tried anything. But if so, where were they?


    It wasn¡¯t impossible that this other person just shadowed them the whole way, but considering his cuffs there was no real need for it. What threat could Petyr possibly be?


    Or... maybe he was an actual threat? Maybe he had overreacted by being so passive and cooperative?


    She¡¯s completely alone, he thought, gaining a sudden hope. He had to imagine that as even as an untrained guy he stood a chance to take her down. Men were far stronger than women, weren''t they?


    It''s basically impossible for a girl to win in a fair fight...


    Not that it was very fair with him cuffed and her poised to kill him with that bolt of hers.


    He sat as ordered, a surge of optimism passing through him. I won''t die here. I won''t.


    She watched him for a moment, her wrist still pointed at him. The gleaming tip of the bolt was angled right at his noggin.


    Petyr noticed that the silvery bolt wasn¡¯t attached to a crossbow, but slipped right up under the skintight sleeve. Whatever it was, the device was unlike anything he''d ever seen before. Just like the attack on the galleon from that skysail''s cannon¡ªweird new Soverni tech?...


    The woman took some time to observe him, as if judging whether he was a threat or not, then lowered her arm. She stepped over to another side of the small camp and took a sip from a bottle.


    The blood-red liquid must''ve been wine.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± The edge in her voice was just as pronounced. Petyr wondered if the strange accent was truly Soverni, or if she was faking a different one to throw people off.


    Then again... Maybe those books are what''s meant to throw me off. Gods. Why is it all so complicated?


    ¡°Petyr," he said, mouth dry. "My name is Petyr... And yours?¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Her eyes shot daggers his way.


    Afraid, Petyr gulped and smiled shyly. "Can''t I ask?"


    ¡°You should only answer and do as you''re told. Are you in need of water?¡±


    ¡°N-No..." he said, and instantly regretted it. In truth he would¡¯ve liked some; his lips were parched since before she took him captive.


    Maybe noticing his worsening mood, she stood up straight with a rather elegant move and said, ¡°My name is Avesta.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ve taken me, why?¡­¡±


    Her eyebrows narrowed threateningly as she perceived a provocation with his second pertinent question. ¡°I¡¯ve come to root out an infection.¡±


    ¡°What kind of infection?¡±


    There was no response.


    "Not that I''m disrespecting you or anything, but it isn''t much of an answer..."


    She scoffed darkly. ¡°It¡¯s not? It is. Closer than anything else. And besides, I will be the one asking questions. Your father¡¯s name is Gregory, is it not?¡±


    The sudden mention of his father left Petyr gobsmacked. ¡°Yes.¡± What could she possibly want with him?


    ¡°Is he the same one that¡¯s known as Squeezer? Weigh your answer carefully. For every deceitful answer, I¡¯ll cut a piece of your flesh.¡±


    As he sat there on the tree stump in the middle of the forest staring at her, Petyr let out a grim chuckle of disbelief. ¡°Squeezer? I¡¯ve never heard of that in my life. No, definitely not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard Squeezer is the one that produces the drugs for the bandits here. I believe the locals call it hushslag.¡±


    Hushslag. Yes, of course, Petyr knew of it. It wasn¡¯t sold at the tavern. Even stepping inside in under its effects would get you an ass-kicking from the bandits. Nik absolutely loathed it. Only true addicts and the destitute who couldn''t afford booze got into hushslag.


    In general, those in Windust had a very low tolerance for slaggers, as they were known. Most either used it on the hush-hush or knew better than to come into town when they were high.


    The only person Petyr knew personally who used it was Jayne¡¯s father. And that was only because she complained about it all the time and how it worried her.


    Actually, she¡¯d mentioned it last time they spoke, hadn¡¯t she? He was standing next to her looking out at sun going down, wondering how he''d fuck her later, when she started spilling her guts about family troubles again.


    It was only yesterday, yet it feels like a lifetime ago...


    As he snapped back to reality, he found the same cold predatory eyes watching him, evaluating whether he was worth keeping alive or not.


    ¡°Listen, m-my father could actually help you,¡± said Petyr. ¡°Or maybe my friend Nik¡ªhe runs the tavern, and he¡¯s good with the bandits. Well, he¡¯s one of them, I guess. But the point is, if anyone knows this Squeezer, he does. Maybe my father knows about it too¡ªhe can name you every major alchemist in Weston.¡±


    Avesta tilted her head and took a step forward. ¡°You truly don¡¯t know, do you?¡±


    ¡°No! Of course not. Look¡±¡ªhis eyes traced up and down her hot body, unsure of what to call her¡ª¡±miss, I don¡¯t care about slagers or drunks. I like girls. That¡¯s it. And even then, I¡¯ve never been to a whore.¡±


    A contemptous smirk played upon her lips. ¡°You''re a good boy, is that it?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± he insisted. ¡°I know it sounds stupid, but I really am¡­ And despite that thing with the bolt, I¡¯m not a thief. I¡¯ve never stolen in my life. I had no intention of stealing. I didn¡¯t know it was yours. Or that you wanted it back¡­¡±


    Avesta came closer still¡ªso close that the back of his fingers almost grazed the warm curve of her inner thighs. Her eyes glared down at him. ¡°I will ask you one more time. And I will no longer be cutting parts of you if you lie to me. Deceive me, even once, and I¡¯ll slice your throat open.¡±


    Petyr shuddered and gasped, an overwhelming sense of panic taking over. What did she want from him? Where was the lie? He hadn¡¯t deceived her at all!


    Fucking bitch!


    ¡°So you¡¯d kill me for telling you the truth?¡± Bitch, bitch, bitch!


    The crazy determined gleam in her eyes only intensified.


    ¡°Gregory is Squeezer!¡± Avesta spat, her voice thundering like that of an angry goddess. ¡°Your father is the one who produces the hushslag for the bandits!¡±


    Petyr instinctively burst into laughter, amazed at such a declaration. ¡°W-What? That¡¯s insane!¡±


    She stormed away towards the other side of the camp.


    The moment Petyr saw the flash of the blade, his bladder almost failed him.


    His feet moved before he did, carrying him away from the treestump in a desperate run for salvation.


    She¡¯s insane! Dad¡ªhushslag? This stupid crazy bitch!


    Where was she getting this stuff? Just crazy!


    Unwilling to be the victim of a lunatic, no matter how perfect her ass may have been, Petyr ran as fast as his legs could carry him.


    But his binds combined with the unfamiliar territory and overall exhaustion did not take him very far.


    Avesta grabbed him from behind and slammed his head hard into the trunk of a tree.


    It was the same place where he had the bump from the rock that hit him yesterday and Petyr howled in agony.


    Next thing he knew, she dropped on top of him, hand crushing his lips together, blade pressed at his throat. ¡°You¡¯ve lied to me," Avesta hissed, the shiny strands of her brown bob dangling over his face. "But you¡¯re also a coward. So why should I give you the satisfaction of a clean death?¡±


    When the knife moved away from his throat he shuddered with relief. Yes. Gods. Thank you. Thank you!


    The sting that followed was so quick that he barely thrashed underneath her. A powerful burn came from his ear.


    Avesta¡¯s brown eyes shone as she brought the blade back. On it, he could see tip of of his earlobe, a tiny bloody nub of flesh. ¡°You will tell me the truth now,¡± she said, her small perfectly white teeth forming an unhappy smile. ¡°Or I¡¯ll keep cutting.¡±


    My ear¡­ She¡­ She cut away¡­ She cut off my ear!!


    Tears came to his eyes as he considered what she¡¯d done. Ruined his looks, maybe forever. Turned him into a monstrosity.


    A pitiful sob wracked his body as he remained trapped underneath this psycho, and utterly at her mercy.


    Avesta wiped the blade against his shoulder and left the nub of his earlobe there. She raised the knife again, this time sliding the edge against his nostrils. ¡°Do you wish for your nose to go next?¡±


    Please, he thought, hot tears now streaming uncontrollably. How could a woman this young and beautiful act like this? Not even bandits acted like this!


    Avested smirked darly. ¡°I thought so. Now, tell me everything about Squeezer. About your father.¡±

 Going Crazy

    The late afternoon rays of the sun barely passed through the thick forest canopy.


    Petyr was still alive. He sat on the ground, leaning against a tree, looking more dirty and beatdown than at every other low point in his life combined.


    Still drawing breath should¡¯ve filled him with relief; but truth be told, he wasn¡¯t sure if this psycho was planning to kill him or not.


    At present, Avesta had taken a break, too frustrated with him to continue her assault.


    Part of him was ashamed that he¡¯d cried like a little bitch when she cut him. Petyr could take a lot, after all. But why did she have to ruin my face? Out of all things! My fucking face?


    The one thing he knew with certainty was that he would much rather be dead than alive as an ugly freak. All he wanted now was a mirror to assess just how severe the damage was.


    If his face was ruined, then his life was ruined, and it would be a mercy for her to end it here¡ªtonight.


    That she did this to him only because he had no answers to the idiotic barrage of questions made it feel even more unfair. The whole thing was just rigged against him. The gods are such pricks.


    Since the whole thing went back to his father, part of him was tempted to put the whole blame on Gregory. But the idea that he had some secret identity as some ¡°Squeezer¡± was absurd.


    His father left home maybe once a year, if that.


    While Petyr considered the matter and suffered in silence, Avesta went about the camp, completely indifferent to his agony and anxiety.


    ¡°People are going to start looking for me,¡± he dared to voice, hoping the underlying message would work. It¡¯s safer for you to let me go.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t exactly true. It might¡¯ve been before she made it personal by cutting off his fucking ear, but at this point, he was more than a little eager to bash her brains in with his bare hands for revenge.


    Still, it was important for her to just feel like this was a waste of time. That it would be safer for her, too, if she just called it quits now and let him be on his way.


    ¡°They start to worry when I¡¯m gone all day without sending word.¡±


    Petyr was tempted to add that his father had mentioned seeing a woman stalking the house, but that probably wasn¡¯t a good idea. Then she¡¯ll think my father truly is involved in something nefarious. No, better I keep my mouth shut about that.


    Avesta ignored him and crouched down by a leather pouch. Her hand rummaged through it as if he weren¡¯t there. Am I invisible? This goddamned foreign bitch¡­


    No, she deserved way worse than having her skull cracked open. Whatever fate she ultimately suffered needed to be slow and filled with the same psychological torture as what she was putting him through now.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Could pathetic desperation win the day? Petyr told himself he would fake that, too, but it came all rather naturally given the trauma he¡¯d suffered.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± he begged, sounding exhausted. ¡°Just let me go. I don¡¯t know anything. I won¡¯t tell anyone. Just let me go¡­ Please¡­¡±


    Avesta stood up and sashayed over thoughtfully¡ªGods, those hips of hers, he thought¡ªlooking as if she were almost considering his words. ¡°So I am to believe in good faith that you know nothing at all about your father¡¯s doings?¡±


    ¡°His doings? I told you you¡¯re right that he¡¯s an alchemist. But none of the drug stuff!¡±


    ¡°What does he make?¡±


    What sort of questions were these?! As if Petyr spend the day cataloging what Gregory bottled up and sent out for sale.


    ¡°I d-d-don¡¯t know¡­¡± he sputtered, disgusted by the suggestion that he might care enough about such meaningless matters.


    Avesta let out a grim chuckle. ¡°You share a home. You are his only son. His future heir. And yet, you know nothing?¡±


    Despite his battered state, Petyr could only roll his eyes. ¡°Look, it¡¯s all sorts of crap, okay? Nothing interesting. Ointments, salves, balms¡­¡±


    Seeing her eyes narrowing, maybe finally believing him, he searched his mind for more to add to his argument. ¡°Tonics¡­ Antidotes¡­ Dyes¡­ Scents, like, perfumes¡­ Explosives¡­¡±


    Her eyebrows arched with interest. ¡°Explosives?¡±


    ¡°I mean he¡¯s not making anything like¡ª¡±


    For a moment, he almost slipped and mentioned the destruction the skysail¡¯s cannon left in its wake. The way that galleon went from mighty ship to wooden bits in the blink of an eye. No, it¡¯s your people who do that, assuming you¡¯re a true Soverni¡­


    Avesta crouched before him and tilted her head mockingly. ¡°Like what?¡± Clearly, she still thought it was bullshit.


    ¡°Like whatever would kill people! Gods. The guy is boring. He makes fireworks! Or crap to clear up goblin tunnels and shit like that.¡±


    Exasperated by her lack of reaction, Petyr sighed and bashed the back of his head against the rough trunk of the tree he leaned against. ¡°Look, he¡¯s not the person you think he is. Seriously.¡±


    ¡°You live in a nice house,¡± said Avesta calmly.


    The non-sequitur caused his brain to melt. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Your home. It¡¯s by far the most impressive in these parts. Most are rundown farms that would scatter in the wind if a real storm ever hit. Very interesting that your father could afford such a place.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Sure, it was a great home, but was that so weird? Farmers had homes near farms¡­¡°It¡¯s not like we live in a castle or a mansion. What, do we look like great lords to you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you did.¡± Avesta¡¯s face lost all emotion as she peered at him closely. ¡°But most alchemists tend to eek out an existence. Unless one is in a guild and working in an advisory role to produce at mass scale, it¡¯s highly unlikely any alchemist would be described as well off.¡±


    What?¡­


    ¡°Who else would buy it?¡± he shot back. ¡°They¡¯re all destitute farmers around here.¡±


    ¡°And yet, these destitute farmers can apparently afford to buy as many tonics¡±¡ªAvesta recited the word with pure hatred¡ª¡±as your hardworking father makes? That¡¯s truly remarkable.¡±


    What was she even trying to say? He was the only alchemist in the entirety of Windust. And many of the things he made the bandits probably sold in the capital and beyond.


    Her attitude made Petyr feel at a loss. He¡¯d never encountered a woman this goddamn dense. ¡°You¡¯re just¡ª¡±


    Avesta raised her arm and pointed the deadly bolt between his eyes again. ¡°I am what?¡±


    He suppressed the desire to curse at her. ¡°Wrong. You¡¯re wrong.¡±


    He scoffed gently and shook her head. Her expression was almost kind. ¡°No. It is you who is wrong.¡±


    Petyr¡¯s eyes could follow the progress of the sun through tree branches. Soon, it would dip below the horizon. At which point they¡¯d be in the dark.


    There was no way he could run then. In fact, there was a higher chance he¡¯d get lost trying to get back home.


    Not that he had a way to escape anyway.


    No, he just needed to make her understand. She¡¯s wrong. She¡¯s so wrong.


    But how could he convince her?


    Or, alternatively¡­ how could he take her down?

 The Light of Reason

    ¡°Stupidity and obliviousness is no excuse for complicity,¡± said Avesta.


    Petyr was so focused on considering how to deal with her that the sentence breaking the silence just caused him bafflement. ¡°What?¡±


    She crossed her arms as she glared down at him. ¡°I believe there is a chance that you may be telling the truth. That you might not actually know what it is your father does, who he really is. But I see no reason why that should excluse you from any responsibility. You¡¯ve benefited from what he¡¯s done.¡±


    This was actual torture. Petyr couldn¡¯t listen to it anymore. How many times had he said the same thing to her over and over? And yet she kept going¡­


    ¡°And what proof do you have of any of this?¡± he said, barely able to hide his annoyance. ¡°Just words?¡±


    Avesta went over to sit on the tree tunk, looking strangely sad. ¡°It seems the light of reason does not reach all corners of the world.¡±


    ¡°So you have no evidence."


    What a surprise. After all, if she had anything at all to go on, why wouldn¡¯t she have produced it to begin with?


    ¡°You could reason your way to the truth if you wanted to. Alas, you do not.¡±


    ¡°Okay, tell me. Make me see your way. Because I swear, if you¡¯re telling the truth, I¡¯ll help you in any way I can.¡±


    The words were thrown out there thoughtlessly in the heat of the moment. Help her? All he wanted to do was strip her of that strange bodysuit she wore, tie her up, and then grab the biggest stick he could find to exact justice.


    You cut off a piece of me, he thought, his rage still burning deep in his heart despite his beaten-down attitude. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll forget that. Ever.


    But Avesta, who must not have expected she might find an ally here, least of all in him, perked up at the offer. ¡°Do you mean that?¡± she said, her eyes widening. ¡°That you will help me?¡±


    Petyr forced himself to smile amicably. ¡°In any way can.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Very well¡­ Petyr.¡±


    It was the first time she had used his name, and Petyr was surprised that she knew it. Then again, if she had stalked his home, which must¡¯ve included his movements as well, at least in part. Who knows what she might¡¯ve seen or overheard?


    ¡°Think about it this way,¡± she said. ¡°Windust is truly destitute. There is nothing to do here, and barely anything to steal. The farmers here waste away, laboring in inhuman conditions just to make it by another year, another day.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°And yet, Windust is full of bandits. Have you never asked yourself, what do these bandits do? You may be naive to understand this, but lowlife thugs can only be found in places that offer ample opportunity.


    ¡°Windust is such a place. Though it is isolated and impoverished, it is also ungoverned. There are no restrictions here on what one might do, which gives these bandits a lot of leeway in how to approach their dealings. They can opera in broad daylight, at a large scale, without fear of reprissal. Are you beginning to understand?"


    Petyr shrugged as he lay cuffed against the tree. ¡°I guess. But there¡¯s one thing you don¡¯t understand¡ªtheories aren¡¯t evidence. If you¡¯ve known any liars, you¡¯ll know they can be pretty damn convincing.¡±


    ¡°Your father does not sell tonics and perfumes, because there is no one here who would buy enough of them. And what do you think all these bandits do? By my counting, there must be a minimum of three dozen of them. Do you imagine that these men are all surviving on the paltry profit made by selling a small alchemist¡¯s wares?¡±


    Petyr wanted to dismiss what he was hearing. Strangely enough, though, the words did strike at a lingering suspicion deeply buried inside of him. At long last, what she was saying resonated, at least somewhat...


    It was true, there were a lot of bandits around Windust, and he himself had wondered at times what they all did and why they were here. As she said, most farmers were desperate people who all had stories of making food out of dirt¡ªliteral dirt¡ªback when the awful droughts hit that led to the rebellion. Many others just starved.


    So, yes, it an interesting thing to ponder. What were all these bandits doing here? Sure, they might¡¯ve been able to beat up the farmers and intimidate them, but what did they really get out of that, in the end? Not like hitting a farmer caused gold coins to drop.


    Petyr always assumed that the tavern and the other places they had control over generated a hefty profit. Then again, if he was to be completely honest with himself, most of the people that came to the tavern and took advatange of its services were mostly other bandits.


    Their supposed leader, Anders, was a man so elusive that Petyr himself hadn''t laid eyes on him in all his time living in Windust. In fact, he assumed Anders just made up by Nik, a way of getting effortless authority from on high, just like cultists did with made-up deities.


    ¡°Imagine, however,¡± Avesta went on, ¡°if there were something you could safely produce here and nowhere else.¡±


    Petyr''s eyes lit up. ¡°Hushslag!¡±


    Avesta laughed earnestly. It was a cute laugh... ¡°You truly are a naive boy, aren¡¯t you? Hushslag is of no importance. It does not take an actual alchemist to create such a cheap, dirty brew. Poison, really.¡±


    That¡­ also made sense. Only the poorest he knew used hushslag. At this point, Petyr was hooked on her words. ¡°Then what?¡±


    Avesta noticed his interest and arched a brow, hinting at hidden knowledge. ¡°Drugs that require a certain amount of expertise. Drugs that can be sold for much more than a few coins. Drugs that the creation of which is strictly forbidden in most places.¡±


    Petyr¡¯s blinked thoughtfully. ¡°Except here.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Which is why a place like Windust is a curse upon those who want to be honest and toil the land, but a goldmine for those who wish to carry out nefarious deeds in secret.¡±


    It did make sense. But did that make it true? If it was, how did he fail to notice for all these years?


    Am I actually dumb? Petyr wondered.


    ¡°And my father¡­¡±


    ¡°Is key to their operation,¡± said Avesta.

 The Key to It All

    There were many memories Petyr had with his father, Gregory.


    The ones that dated back to the early days were the best, though he also wondered how real they were. After all, the father he knew now didn¡¯t seem like the type of person that¡¯d be taking his kid to the park and walking hand in hand with anyone.


    Then there were the dark times right after his mother passed away. Petyr barely remembered much of them, and was glad for it. The one thing that stuck with him was how, one night¡ªhe must¡¯ve been four¡ªhe had slipped out of bed because he heard a strange noise coming from the kitchen. When he got there, he found Gregory sitting by the table there, drink in hand, crying in silence, with the occasional sob escaping him, moonlight reflecting off his tears.


    Gregory never noticed him and so Petyr never mentioned the incident. But he¡¯d never forgotten it.


    After that, life had more or less been what it was now. They made the move to Windust, Gregory set up his lab, Petyr got accustomed to the lack of civilization, and then one day Alis showed up and became his¡­ well, something inbetween a stepmother and a good friend.


    And yet Avesta wanted him to believe that in all this time, for at least a decade, Gregory had spent much of his day in his basement lab elaborately processing drugs for the bandits.


    It was natural to be averse to this thought. It wasn¡¯t that Petyr found it morally reprehensible¡ªonly unbelievable¡­


    Strange to consider that for all this time, while he thought his father was a boring old man obsessed with paltry potions, he had secretly been at the center of it all.


    It couldn¡¯t be true.


    Definitely not.


    It can''t be. He''s not that kind of guy.


    But the more he thought about it, the more he had to wonder¡­


    How come Nik was always so good to us? So nice to me? Petyr had never seen him hanging out with any other kid. So far, he had wanted to believe that he was just that special. But maybe he wasn¡¯t special at all.


    Maybe he was just the son of a man who was special.


    Then there was the extreme secrecy with which his father worked down in the basement of the house. Though he technically invited Petyr to join and work alongside him, this was always something that needed to be planned in advance. Scheduled.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Normally, if Petyr wanted to go down into the lab, he¡¯d find the door locked. Gregory always said, ¡°I need my concentration.¡± But was that truly the reason?


    Avesta is right, isn¡¯t she? Petyr began to think, a strange satisfaction coming over him. All this time, all these years, he¡¯s been doing this work in secret!


    It was a truly amazing thought. No wonder Gregory made such a point of insisting that Petyr follow in his footsteps. Of course. It was never about the alchemy per se. He¡¯s just grooming me to take over the family business.


    To anyone else, all of this might¡¯ve been the kind of revelation that caused them to rethink the light in which they viewed their parent.


    But to Petyr? This was cause for celebration. He was going to be fine. And he had purpose! Why hadn¡¯t his father mentioned all of this before? To think that they could¡¯ve been working together all this time.


    We could¡¯ve been making double the amount of drugs and gotten double the coin. Gods! Dad, you should¡¯ve told me!


    Does Alis even know? There were so many questions now. Questions he would have answered¡­


    ¡­assuming he ever got away from Avesta alive.


    The ear-cutter was staring at him. ¡°Are you beginning to understand?¡±


    Petyr suppressed his inner grin. Ah, life is looking up again! ¡°Yes, I do. It¡¯s¡­ unacceptable. I had no idea my father was doing this. Had I known¡­¡± I¡¯d have joined in a lot sooner. Oh, yes! Money, money, money, thy place is in my pocket. Just imagine the coffers to be filled. By the time I get back to Astra, I¡¯ll be one of the wealthiest men there.


    Visions of important men trying to get his attention and hot women clinging to his arm burst ouf of his imagination and filled him with a sense of wonder.


    Soon. Very soon...


    The only problem was, again, Astra. How do I get her to let me go?


    ¡°You should kill me!¡± Petyr said theatrically, lowering his head. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to continue knowing this. I can¡¯t. To know that my father is¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such a thing!¡± Avesta shot back. ¡°I of any person you¡¯ll meet understands what it means to lose a father to greed and evil. But we have a responsibility to the world and to others to make things right. Our privileged positions invests us with a duty we cannot run away from. Whatever the cost, we must redeem our family¡¯s names.¡±


    Okay, so that¡¯s not the right approach.


    Petyr began to nod instead. ¡°Yes, yes, of course, you¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯ll wash his the earth with his blood.¡±


    Avesta clicked her tongue and crouched before him. ¡°That¡¯s no solution, Petyr.¡±


    But then, it happened.


    The miracle.


    Without any prompting from him at all, she pulled a key¡ªseemingly out of thin air, going by how quickly and smoothly she moved¡ªand unlocked his cuffs.


    Then her eyes swiveled up and locked on his. ¡°I am sorry to have behaved towards you the way I did. But you must understand that, from my perspective, I thought you must have surely been in on it. What sort of father wouldn''t tell his only son? And you must admit that you should have known. Whether you like it or not, you are complicit. I do not say this by means of insult, for I am as well. But we will work together to undo what we can.¡±


    Petyr didn¡¯t give the slightest shit about anything she said right now. No, she was not forgiven, and she¡¯d never be forgiven. Nor did he consider himself complicit. And why exactly did she say she was complicit?


    Just who was this Avesta in the end, exactly? Why was she doing any of this?


    If this had nothing to do with a Soverni invasion or with the pirates...


    Why is she here?

 Un-Avesta-ed

    Now that she had uncuffed him, Petyr could see a change come over Avesta.


    Much of that icy hostility must¡¯ve been for show, because she now switched to gloomy and wistful.


    Why, though, did she suggest some complicity in his father¡¯s and the bandit¡¯s drug trade? She wasn¡¯t even from here. What could some foreign woman from a different country have to do with it?


    Hell, even calling her a ¡°woman¡± was generous. She¡¯s barely older than me. And there¡¯s no way I¡¯m a ¡°man.¡± I don¡¯t want to be.


    Petyr rubbed his chafed wrist. ¡°Do you have some water?¡±


    She gave him a look. ¡°I have better.¡±


    He watched her move, his gaze tracing the subtle sway of her hips as she turned. The fabric of that strange grey budysuit clung to every inch of her, accentuating the flex of each muscle with every step.


    As she bent over to get something, the material stretched, hugging her exquisite butt in a way that was impossibly tight.


    For a moment, Petyr''s world stopped.


    Avesta¡¯s front and upper body may have been dignified, even intimidating; but the curves of her lower body were deliciously lewd and plump. All he could see was that perfect, heart-shaped invite carved in flesh.


    She¡¯s the enemy and carved off a piece of your ear! a tiny voice inside him cried.


    It went unheard.


    In spite of all the drama, in spite of the revelations about his father and whatever mystery was at the heart of Avesta¡¯s presence here in Windust, the only thing he could think of now was how exactly he was going to conquer her heart and mind to get access to that insane body.


    Do they make them all like this in in the Soverni Republic? Maybe we should just let them conquer us. Just get on our knees and invite them over¡­


    Avesta straightened and sashayed over with the half-empty bottle of wine he¡¯d seen her drink from before. ¡°This is Jenaisai wine, one of the greatest things to enjoy in this life. Have some. Consider it an apology for my rough handling earlier.¡±


    The gesture was sweet. Petyr might even learn to forgive her, assuming their relationship¡­


    ¡­ evolved.


    ¡°Water under the bridge,¡± he said, offering a warm smile.


    Why had he been so afraid of this hot amazing girl? Sure, she was a few years older. But so what? He¡¯d dealt with hundreds of girls and gotten under their skin. What was one more?


    I''m the heartcrusher. Come on now. I need to get it under control.


    ¡°You said before that you¡¯re involved in this¡­¡± Petyr began slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t see how that could be.¡±


    ¡°I will not be discussing that.¡± The icy edge returned to her voice.


    Touchy-touchy, thought Petyr. He undid the wine¡¯s cork and took a sip. It was bitter.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Too bitter¡­


    It hit his brain and left it tingly and fuzzy.


    ¡°This is¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, he blacked out.


    Petyr woke up the next morning lying on a makeshift bed made out of dried grass in Avesta¡¯s camp.


    What the¡­


    She sat against the tree stump, crosslegged, quietly flipping the page on one of the heavy tomes resting in her lap. How the hell did she even get all this stuff all the way out here? There''s no way a girl her size could''ve just carried it...


    Her short brown bob was as perfectly styled as the day before, glistening in the dim morning. The stern expression on her beautiful face made her appear perfectly undisturbed, like an underground lake that hadn''t had a ripple on its surface in milennia.


    There weren¡¯t any signs of tiredness on her either. No red-rimmed eyes, no eyebags. Nothing.


    When she noticed his lingering gaze, she slammed the book shut and rose. ¡°You woke up late. It¡¯s already an hour past daybreak.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Something roiled in his stomach and wanted to come up his throat. ¡°That wine¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be wise for you not to take that too personally. There were things I needed to tend to elsewhere, and I had to be sure you would not leave until were done talking.¡±


    Petyr grimaced and put a hand over his mouth as nausea overtook him. ¡°Things you needed to care of¡­ What, you¡¯ve got another camp with a guy tied up?¡±


    For the first time since they met, she giggled with delight, eyes shining. ¡°Perhaps. That is for me to know and for you to worry about.¡±


    Petyr braced himself, took a deep breath, then got up.


    With no food or water in his system after one of the most stressful days of his life...¡±


    Barely a step was taken before a dizzy spell nearly knocked him off his feet.


    He lumbered over to the nearest tree and hugged it for support. ¡°Why did you have to drug me!¡± he shot venomously.


    Avesta put her hands on her hips daringly. ¡°The alternative was to immobilize and gag you. Would you have found that preferable?¡±


    No, he thought; but he refused to give her the satisfaction.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remind you that you spoke yesterday of aiding me in my efforts to dismantle the bandit ring here.¡±


    Because I was desperate, you bitch! ¡°Yes,¡± he forced himself to say, and closed his eyes. Slowly, his vision was becoming steady.


    ¡°I will take you back to your home. You will find the appropriate excuse to justify why you¡¯ve missed the other night. Then, you must find a way to draw your father out. Lead him to the treeline where the forest starts at the back of your house. I will take it from there.¡±


    Take it from there? Surely she was joking. ¡°Meaning?¡­¡±


    ¡°I will have to extract everything he knows. Since you know him, you can ensure that it goes smoothly. Squeezer knows the details of how things truly run in Windust. I¡¯ve done my best to glean information by spying, but I can do very little from the shadows.¡±


    Avesta. Soverni, hot, insane Avesta¡­


    She was well and truly out of her mind. How could she ever think Petyr would willingly play alongw with this? It went beyond naivete. Even if he and Gregory weren¡¯t the closest, only a truly vile son would betray his own father¡ªno matter what.


    ¡°You have until tonight,¡± Avesta added.


    The surge of panic that shot through him left him breathless. ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°To lure your father out.¡±


    ¡°And how am I supposed to do that?! You can¡¯t just give me a day! I need time! I need to¡ª¡±


    Avesta placed her arms behind her back and shook her head unflinchingly, in an almost military fashion. ¡°You must. Or else I must assume that your desire to aid me was insincere. In which case, I will do what I must.¡±


    He stared at her, feeling his hatred bubble up even more. She was threatening his father. His family. Threatening him. ¡°What does that entail?¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter? You are with me, are you not?¡±


    Petyr looked away, wondering what she was capable of.


    In the end, her power didn¡¯t matter. It could turn out she was a deadly monster in human form, and he still wouldn¡¯t betray his father.


    There weren¡¯t many things he wouldn¡¯t betray in this world for pussy or personal gain, but family was definitely chief among them.


    We¡¯ll have to devise a trap. Capture her. Dad can do it. He¡¯s smart¡­


    Avesta took a step closer. ¡°Petyr.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± he said, finally. A tired sigh escaped his lips. He had to play into it. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    She gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. ¡°You made the right choice.¡±


    You didn¡¯t, he thought. You¡¯ll see. We¡¯re not as stupid and helpless as you think.


    Soon, you¡¯ll be the one tied up and at my mercy. I promise.

 Shocking Discovery

    A day earlier, before Petyr was taken captive by Avesta, Mora had been given a piece of paper by Nik and instructed to deliver it to one of his men.


    Mora go do this, Mora go do that.


    Did they not realize at this point how annoying they were?


    Mora rolled her eyes as she scrambled up the hill, angry that she went ahead with doing anything at all. I shouldn¡¯t have to take orders.


    Nik was lucky. Mora was in a good mood because she was feeling relieved: she had expected that so-called pirate Lares Reed to kill her on the way back to town.


    When she finally entered the wheatfield that led the way to the orchard, Mora slid a hand into her pocket and took out the note Nik had given her.


    He told me I can read it if I want to.


    And it was no surprise as to why, since the thing was completely blank.


    As she stood there in the middle of the wheatfield, a dash of red in a golden-brown world, she raised the piece of paper up to the sun hoping that direct light might reveal cleverly hidden ink.


    To her disappointment and annoyance, it remained blank. Come on!


    Mora knew she should¡¯ve delivered it quickly as told. But another part of her very much wanted to see what it said.


    Sure, knowing what was written on it wouldn¡¯t do her any good. In fact, it might actually lead to a good deal of trouble.


    But then, wasn¡¯t finding trouble exactly what she was an expert in?Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    As she scrutinized the paper, holding it between her small red fingers, a sudden gust of wind blew it out of her hand.


    ¡°Hey!¡± she cried out over her shoulder, yelling at the workings of the cosmos as another kid might at an annoying adult.


    Her dark eyes darted across the ground, looking for where it might¡¯ve gone. Where is it?!


    When Mora lifted her gaze she finally spotted it, moving on the wind and away from her, almost like a flying carpet. ¡°Get back here!¡±


    She sprinted after the paper, her small red body needling effortlessly through the tall stalks of wheat. ¡°I said get back here!¡±


    Mora stopped short when she came across a series of stalks eeriely flattened against the ground.


    Below her, at her feet, she could see a female shape.


    At first glance, she could tell that the woman was naked, likely sunbathing, so Mora instinctively turned her gaze away. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±


    But who sunbathed in the middle of a wheatfield?


    Hearing no sound, Mora¡¯s eyes slowly came back. Strands of her ear-length dark locks were in her face again, getting in her eyes, but this time she didn¡¯t feel like moving them away.


    Something told her she did not fully want to witness whatever was there.


    She began with the feet, which she noticed weren¡¯t moving. ¡°Can you hear me?¡­¡± she said, quietly, knowing no one likely would.


    Her eyes then moved upwards up the corpse¡ªshe could feel now that was what it was¡ªup the bare waist, the naked chest, up to the face which was both familiar and unfamiliar.


    Jayne?¡­


    The sight was surreal.


    Jayne lay there, resting on her back, her eyes open, not looking dead in the slightest¡ªbut completely still.


    It hadn¡¯t been that long since Mora saw her last. Just the evening before.


    Jayne had been there when Mora hit Petyr with that stone, ruining their date, and watched her storm off.


    How could she be dead?


    For a moment, her childlike innocence combined with her natural intelligence to tell her that, maybe, just maybe, she wasn¡¯t dead.


    Maybe this was some strange custom she hadn¡¯t heard about. Or some sex thing¡­


    Looking away, Mora reached out with her foot and gently nudged the leg. Though she knew Jayne by name, it made her oddly scared to say it now. ¡°Are you awake?¡±


    There was no response.


    Not that Mora would¡¯ve needed it.


    In that instant her warm red toes connected with that dead white flesh, she knew.


    Dead.


    There was no doubt about it.


    The paper forgotten, Nik¡¯s orders forgotten, Mora began to back away¡­


    Dead¡­


    She turned and ran back as fast as she could.

 Back In, Back out

    The moment he took off on his own, it was as though the cosmos itself were breathing life into his limbs.


    I¡¯m alive, he thought. I made it! Hah! I¡¯m alive!


    Yes, Avesta had lopped off a bit of his earlobe. And yes, there had been some potentially life-changing revelations made about his father. But he was very much alive and mostly in one piece.


    That''s what matters.


    Avesta had guided him through the pillared gloom of the forest until they reached the edge, and there she crossed her arms and gave him one last look. ¡°You would do well to remember what we agreed upon, Petyr.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he told her quietly, like a knight taking a solemn vow.


    But in his heart, there was a party. I¡¯m alive, I¡¯m alive, I¡¯m alive. The triumphant grin was difficult to wipe off his face.


    Petyr half-expected her to go against what they¡¯d agreed upon and strike him dead with that bolt of hers as he went up the stairs of the porch towards the house.


    No bolt came.


    Alive.


    As he pushed the door open, he wondered how exactly he¡¯d approach the subject of what happened with his father. Hi, Dad, so, I heard you¡¯re Squeezer and you make drugs for the bandits. Not the best way to start the conversation.


    At first, Petyr was surprised that no one was waiting for him in the hallway. He figured Alis and his father would be worried half-to-death and standing by the door praying for his return.


    Maybe they¡¯re out? Maybe they¡¯re looking for me?


    Just as the thought crossed his mind, the basement door opened and his father emerged, tired, breathing hard, sweat dripping down his bald head. Hard at work cooking up some drugs, no doubt.


    In the middle of the day too. What a champ.


    Gregory wiped his hands on his apron and was about to head towards the kitchen when he noticed his son standing in the hallway.


    ¡°P-P-Petyr!¡± he said, spooked by his appearance.


    All this time, he figured his father would just be relieved to see him.


    The tone, though, was almost accusatory. Hadn¡¯t he been worried about me being gone?


    Gregory rushed over and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him into the house proper and away from the door. ¡°Petyr, where have you been?¡± he snapped.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    This was not the voice of a concerned and worried father, but an angry and frustrated one.


    Petyr wasn¡¯t even sure what to say. Why was he acting so strangely? Why wasn¡¯t he on his knees crying with relief that his son was back? Was this just what an over-worried dad acted like?


    ¡°Petyr¡­¡± Gregory sighed deeply and held his eyes. ¡°Tell me you had nothing to do with this.¡±


    The hand remained on his arm, squeezing tightly.


    ¡°To do with what?¡± Petyr snapped back.


    ¡°Petyr.¡± His father inhaled sharply, releasing his arm.


    Gregory lowered his head, then his gaze shot back up. Why did he look so damn worried? ¡°Petyr, Jayne was found dead.¡±


    The words barely registered for a moment. Petyr stood next to his father in the gloomy end of the hallway, staring at his shiny bald head. ¡°What do you mean dead?¡±


    The look on Gregory¡¯s face made him wish he hadn¡¯t asked that. ¡°What do you think I mean, Petyr? That Oni of yours found her in the middle of a field.¡±


    ¡°That Oni, he corrected, ¡°isn¡¯t mine. And what are you trying to say?" It was almost unbelievable that he was implying... "You think I had something to do with this?¡±


    Though the news was shocking, the fact that his father thought he could in any way be involved was even worse. How could he think that? Petyr? A killer?


    Just how?


    ¡°If you tell me you had nothing to do with it, son, I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡±


    ¡°To hell with that!¡± Petyr unleashed, taking a step back. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d think I¡¯d kill someone! A girl! You think I¡¯d kill Jayne? Have you lost it, man?¡±


    Gregory sighed again, and rubbed his creased forehead with a pained expression. ¡°Petyr, listen¡­ You came home the other night with that bump on your forehead. And then yesterday, right after she¡¯s discovered, you disappeared! What am I supposed to think?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re right,¡± said Petyr, his sarcasm dripping with venom. ¡°Clearly proof that I¡¯m a murderer. Then again, you would think that. Being in your line of work.¡±


    For a moment, his father showed no reaction, freezing in place just as he had done before.


    Then, after a few seconds, Gregory calmly asked, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Petyr considered telling him what he knew. It was just one word after all. Squeezer.


    Every muscle in his body was tense and ready for release. But he knew he was standing at a threshold.


    The moment he said that word their relationship would be transformed forever.


    ¡°Petyr,¡± Gregory repeated, the panic from before replaced by an icy tone. ¡°I asked you what you meant by that.¡±


    The way he reacted all but confirmed it. It¡¯s true, then. He does work with the bandits.


    Though Petyr ended up agreeing with Avesta before and buying into her theory, a tiny part of him still allowed the possibility of being wrong. The best theories could prove wrong, after all.


    But now¡­


    ¡°Only that alchemists are all crazy,¡± Petyr said with a wry smirk.


    Before, it seemed logical to tell his father everything about Avesta. This confrontation shifted that a bit. After all, if his father could think he was a murderer, what else might he think?


    What else might he do?


    Gregory bobbed his head, deflating once more. ¡°Son, I¡¯m¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to make you think I was doubting you before. It¡¯s just¡ªI needed to be sure. Accidents happen.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes people do bad things because they¡¯re bad people. Other times¡­ other times life just comes at you too fast for you to know what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    Were they still talking about what had happened to Jayne? Somehow he doubted it.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go to town. See what¡¯s going on,¡± he said.


    By the time Gregory saw fit to respond, he was already opening the door. ¡°Petyr!¡±


    He sighed, turning, expecting to hear his father warn him about staying home.


    Instead, he asked, ¡°Where were you last night?¡±


    Petyr paused, then smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it when I¡¯m back.¡±

 Heart of Scarlet

    Though he was only on his second day in Windust, Captain Lares Reed was already going mad.


    The place was atrocious to say the least, full of scum of the lowest order: pestilential prostitutes, knuckle-dragging bandits, and the loathsome weaklings of such dismaying condition that they could not even inspire pity in.


    He stood at the window of the room he¡¯d been given, peering at two drunks shuffling down towards town, arms thrown around each other¡¯s necks in abandonment and camaraderie.


    The sight annoyed Lares deeply.


    Everything about it.


    It was difficult for Lares to explain exactly why, but he would¡¯ve enjoyed ripping out their windpipes and standing over their twitching, dying bodies.


    Thankfully, he had enough sense left at that moment to realize that he needed to keep his rage under control.


    It will come soon, just a little longer¡­ he told himself. The dark one¡¯s given his word.


    And if not¡­


    ¡°Are you all right, mister?¡± a small voice asked.


    Lares turned to look at the company he¡¯d kept for the last few hours. A beautiful face with smudged makeup and blonde curls in utter disarray peeked from tangle of sweated sheets on the bed.


    His red eyes traced her skinny white limbs as she clutched the sheets against her trembling form.


    And she was so fragile. All limbs tied behind him and he could¡¯ve still torn her apart with his teeth.


    How delicious that would be, he thought, but immediately shook the notion from his mind.


    After all his recent misfortunes, the last thing he needed was to misstep and commit some dark deed. No, that¡¯s not us, not anymore.


    It was true that that damned rezzam had turned him into an addict.


    But it had done so much more¡­


    It had embued him with strength. It honed his instincts.


    It sharpened his dull mind and made him think better and faster¡ªgone were the days where a word escaped him.


    It showed him things he could never see on his own, both in what he saw in his eyes, and what he saw inside his own head.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    More importantly, it had brought a clarity and stillness that, naturally, he simply lacked.


    For much of his life, Lares had combated the storm that raged inside him unsuccessfully. Everything from the desire to smash heads and spread legs had guided his every act, sabotaging him at every opportunity.


    But these last few years on the rezzam¡­


    They were, ironically, the years where he had felt like himself the most.


    Or maybe that¡¯s the rezzam talking, he thought, a dark grin spreading over his features. I suppose we¡¯ll never know.


    ¡°Mister?¡± said the blonde, again, her voice wavering. What was her name? Layna? Keyna? Dayna? A forgettable one, to be sure.


    Lares understood the grotesque figure he must¡¯ve struck as he stood before her. Stark naked, his body covered in scars, his long hair dangling by the side of his face, while his still hardened manhood pulsated between his legs.


    All while his red eyes followed her with predatory hunger and murderous intent.


    The poor thing, he thought. She has no fault in this.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of the Arara Zerala?¡± he intoned.


    The blonde shook her head, half-scared of disapointing him. ¡°N-No¡­¡±


    Lares sat at the edge of the bed, holding her gaze. ¡°They were jewels, supposedly of such beauty that the queen who possessed them tossed them into the sea to protect the world from their power. I often wondered what they might look like, but I think your eyes have offered an intimation.¡±


    The rezzam did much, but it hadn¡¯t made him terribly creative. The line was not only one he used many times over, but one he¡¯d stolen.


    But it had its intended effect, as the blonde blushed and hid her face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you said that¡­¡±


    ¡°And why not?¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t look like the kinda man that would say that¡­¡±


    Lares grinned. ¡°What kind of man do I look like?¡±


    At the words, Lady Elizabeth, who had deserted him by leaping through the window a few hours past to go on one of her adventures, suddenly jumped back in with a gleeful chirp. She landed in front of him and held out what looked to be a broken pipe.


    Her eyes gleamed expectantly as she offered it to him.


    They were, after all, soulmates.


    Lares smiled appreciatively and took it tenderly, then rubbed her head. ¡°I thank you, my dear, however questionable the value and utility of your gifts, I know they¡¯re always made with the purest intent.¡±


    Showing her agreement, Elizabeth chirped again and clambered up on his shoulder.


    ¡°The monkey¡¯s an odd touch too,¡± added the blonde.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± he said. ¡°What kind of man would you say I look like?¡±


    For a moment, she weighed whether she should speak her mind, or do what she likely usually did, which was say what customers wanted to hear.


    She opted for the former: ¡°The kind of man I wouldn¡¯t want to meet.¡±


    Lares laughed with satisfaction. ¡°Keen eyes on you.¡±


    There was a knock on the door.


    Lares stood up and went to get it without bothering to put anything on.


    After all, he had nothing to hide.


    On the other side of the door it turned out to be the bastard he wanted to see. ¡°What I promised you is on its way,¡± said Nik. ¡°Though not quite as I intended.¡±


    ¡°That is good news.¡±


    Nik glanced behind him down the hallway, then leaned in and whispered unhappily, ¡°Anders will be coming in personally to make a visit.¡±


    ¡°And you wish for me to¡­ speak with him?¡±


    A twitch of anger passed over Nik. ¡°I am surely not suggesting you murder him in my establishment, if that is your question. You will approach him with the respect his position demands. The utmost respect.¡±


    It was obvious that his dark-skinned friend was rather irritated by this new development. He fears this Anders more than he lets on.


    As Nik turned to go, Lares said, ¡°You strike me as the type of man who doesn¡¯t like it when things don¡¯t go to plan.¡±


    Nik stopped and turned his head back just slightly, looking deeply annoyed. ¡°Oh? What gave it away?¡±

 No More Threats

    Jayne dead.


    As he strode away from the house, hands in his pockets and his head lowered, Petyr tried to imagine what she looked like when he¡¯d last seen her.


    Only two days ago, but the memory was already fading...


    Like many of the girls in Windust, Jayne was nothing more to him than another fling to pass the time, another easy way for him to prove himself a true conquering heartbreaker.


    A strange pang of guilt passed through him at the thought of her dead body, cold and lifeless.


    It wasn¡¯t the fact that he had tried to seduce her for sex. That didn¡¯t seem too important to him.


    No, what bothered him was that he couldn¡¯t even remember the last thing he had said to her.


    Petyr could vaguely bring up the image of her long face as she gazed out wistfully at the sea, with Windust behind her, just a little while before they¡¯d argued.


    Just before that stupid skysail appeared that seemed to bring all these troubles along with it¡­


    What did she say? Petyr wondered, unable to recall. The exchange escaped him.


    In the memory, her mouth moved; but no words could be heard.


    Maybe her last words, and no one will remember them.


    What was there to do? Petyr couldn¡¯t blame himself for acting cruelly at times.


    He couldn¡¯t pretend Jayne was important to him; she wasn¡¯t. Even as far as Windust¡¯s slim pickings went, there was no way in which she stood out.


    It was the world that was cruel, and the gods that allowed anyone to be born only to live such an insignificant life. If I were a god, this wouldn¡¯t be happening.


    In the time that he thought the matter over, Petyr hadn¡¯t gotten very far from the house.


    He was only a few meters up the road when he heard a whistle from the forest the treeline that ran parallel to it.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Of course. How could he have forgotten? That damnable woman.


    Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Petyr shuffled into the forest, at which point she popped up from behind a tree.


    ¡°Where might you be headed to?¡± she said, peering at him suspiciously.


    ¡°To town,¡± he said sharply. This no longer felt like an occasion for politeness.


    ¡°You remember we¡ª¡±


    ¡°My girlfriend was found dead.¡±


    Avesta gave no particular reaction. ¡°To my knowledge, you have many girlfriends; but only one job to do right now.¡±


    To have known that, she either needed to have been around long enough to spot him with different people, or she had eavesdropped in on far more conversations than he previously could¡¯ve imagined. Just how much does she know about me? About others in Windust?


    Petyr¡¯s gaze stayed with her stony face. ¡°It wasn¡¯t you that killed her, I hope.¡±


    When his father had accused him of the same, that caused an outburst of indignant emotion to break out from the depths of his usually dull heart. Avesta, on the other hand, didn¡¯t appear too bothered by the suggestion.


    ¡°There would have been no reason for me to do so,¡± she said, her tone perfectly smooth. ¡°As far as I can tell, she is of no importance.¡±


    You cold bitch, he thought, hating her for saying that, though he was thinking the same not a minute ago.


    How awful it was for a death not to cause mass grieving, but confusion because of how little you mattered.


    The utter indifference in Avesta angered him and caused him to feel ashamed at his own.


    Still, for someone who seemed so upset at the idea of his father making drugs for bandits, she seemed oddly unconcerned about the death of an innocent girl.


    ¡°You will have to keep to what we¡¯ve agreed,¡± Avesta said. It wasn¡¯t a threat¡ªnot yet. The tone did hint at it, though.


    ¡°After I come back from town.¡±


    ¡°I would remind you that you are already going against what we agreed upon. Do not make me regret allowing you this freedom.¡±


    Petyr took a step closer and tried to find his backbone. ¡°I just told you my girlfriend is dead! Probably murdered. So I don¡¯t give a shit what we agreed upon. Your stupid little plan can wait.¡±


    Avesta pursed her lips, biting back whatever instinct there was to lash out. ¡°This is not how agreements work where I hail from.¡±


    ¡°Too bad. Maybe go back there. What are you going to do? Kill me? Cut off my other ear? Go ahead.¡±


    He turned and rushed back towards the road, expecting her to strike him from behind. Try me.


    To his surprise, she neither struck nor followed him out.


    He was by himself again, sun burning up in the sky, accompanied only by the choir of cicadas in the grasses. Good, he thought. I¡¯m not your slave to push around.


    With that resolved, he turned towards his destination once more¡ªtowards town¡ªdetermined to find out what exactly happened to poor Jayne.


    Out of all people, why her?


    She was harmless. Innocent. Plain.


    Maybe even good.


    The thought of getting back at the bastard that did it and prying back some control over recent events filled him with a surge of energy.


    Yes, he thought. I¡¯ll find him. And I¡¯ll rip his goddamn head off.

 The Boss

    When Petyr arrived at the tavern in town, he found Mora on her knees scraping the porch clean. ¡°That seems like a good place for you,¡± he joked.


    She raised her head, looking annoyed at first, shielding her face from the sun behind him. The moment she realized it was him, she jumped up to her feet and hugged him. ¡°Petyr!¡±


    A short moment later, she crossed her arms and lowered her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Jayne¡­¡±


    Past her, Petyr glanced inside the tavern and could see a group of bandits playing dice, while two of the whores hovered around them, leaning into them suggestively, no doubt waiting to see who the winner of the light gambling session would be to milk him dry.


    His eyes flickered back to hers. ¡°Who killed her?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea¡­¡± Mora said, surprised by the intensity of the question. ¡°How would I know?¡±


    No, there was no way she would¡¯ve known, but he figured it was a good thing to check. Mora was a lot of things¡ªmainly annoying¡ªbut she wasn¡¯t a liar. ¡°You don¡¯t think your new pirate friend killed her?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. He¡¯s just been in his room with¡ª¡±


    The way she stopped rang no alarm bells in his head. ¡°With what?¡±


    Mora gulped and put on a nervous smile. ¡°With the monkey.¡±


    Petyr took a moment to catch his breath and quietly said, ¡°My father thought I killed her. Can you believe that? Mora, did you tell anyone we were the ones who saw her last?¡±


    ¡°Kind of¡­ But I just said that we both watched her go! It¡¯s not like anyone thinks you could kill her, Petyr. What the hell. No one thinks you did it.¡±


    And yet Dad did? That was¡­ odd. Only a man that was himself guilty of misdeeds could be so quick to see them in everybody else, including his own son. More and more, what Avesta had told him rang true. They would have to settle that soon.


    But first, the matter with Jayne.


    As they stood there on the porch, Petyr saw the door to the Room open and then spotted Nik as he emerged with a worried face. ¡°Nik!¡±


    Nik stopped and glanced at the doorway, annoyed at first. Upon seeing who it was that called him, he smiled warmly and walked over. ¡°Petyr, my boy. How have you been holding up? Alis came here looking for you. Said you were missing.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Something about the way he said the words put Petyr a little on edge. Was he testing him? Trying to fish some clues as to whether he was telling the truth or not?


    ¡°No, no, I wasn¡¯t...¡± he said, trying not to sound too uncomfortable. ¡°I was just with someone else. I had no idea¡­¡±


    Nik gave him a long look, but kept on smiling in a friendly way. His strong hands suddenly dropped down on Petyr¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have suspected you. Jayne¡¯s father came here, that filthy slagger, saying that the last he saw her she had gone off with you. But don¡¯t you worry, I put him in his proper place. And once we find the person who did it, he¡¯s going to apologize.¡±


    Why would Nik have done that? Gods. Petyr had no love for Jayne¡¯s father¡ªand barely knew him, really¡ªbut the idea that the man might¡¯ve been disciplined somehow for suspecting him¡­


    That just makes me feel awful¡­


    ¡°Mora and I did see her last, but¡­¡± Petyr tried to think back to that moment at sunset as she walked off. The thought that Jayne was just dead now, gone forever, seemed a little surreal. ¡°I should¡¯ve probably taken her back home. I was the one who brought her all the way out there. I shouldn¡¯t have let her go back alone¡­¡±


    Nik¡¯s dark eyes locked on his for a while and stayed there, as if he were peering into his very soul. ¡°No, probably not, my boy.¡± His hands slipped away from Petyr¡¯s shoulders and he sighed. ¡°But you couldn¡¯t have known what would happen. And I trust you.¡±


    ¡°It was probably that damn pirate,¡± Petyr suggested.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± said Mora quietly.


    ¡°Of course it was!¡± he snapped. ¡°Who else would have done it? Everyone in this town knows Jayne is harmless. She¡¯s just¡­ just some peasant girl! Why would someone kill her like that? For what? For what!?¡±


    Though he had initially taken the news of her passing with ease, he himself was surprised by how worked up he had gotten now. At first it seemed a bit too much, almost surreal, like a thing that couldn¡¯t have happened, that couldn¡¯t be real. But now that he knew that it was, now he felt he shared a part of the guilt¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill whoever killed her,¡± he growled.


    Nik slapped him. Petyr flinched and gasped, surprised by the hit. Nik had never laid a hand on him in his life.


    ¡°You¡¯ll do no such thing,¡± Nik said firmly. ¡°You¡¯re just a kid, and you¡¯ve got nothing to do with any of this.¡±


    ¡°But that pirate, Nik, you have to¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not the one,¡± he said. ¡°Do you understand? I¡¯ve looked into the man¡¯s eyes. He may be many things¡ªand a killer, no doubt¡ªbut he¡¯s not the kind to kill like that. Even bad men have their limits.¡± For a moment, it seemed like he was speaking of himself.


    ¡°Maybe¡ª¡±


    The conversation got cut short by Mora¡¯s loud gasp. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    Petyr turned around and saw a man walking up the path, flanked by two companions. To his left there was a tall sun-kissed blonde with short hair, prominent cheekbones, and a sharp jawline. To his right, there was a hulking figure of pure muscle with gleaming black skin and a face which had been deeply scarred by burns or worse.


    The man in front was the shortest of the three, pale and dark-haired, with bowl cut and an anchor beard. He was weirdly barefoot, and wore a bright green jacket that was tight around the arms but puffy around his shoulders, almost resembling a jester¡¯s, yet with nothing else underneath.


    Petyr glanced at Mora and Nik, both of whom seemed to understand what was going on. ¡°Could that be¡­¡±


    ¡°Anders.¡±

 Who Really Knows?

    As far as Windust went, it was difficult to place Anders'' reputation.


    There were many stories circulating about Nik and how brutal he had been at this time or other, beating whores who tried to steal from him, branding or maiming men who tried to cheat, and generally keeping all misbehavers in line.


    Anders, though, was a figure that existed for Petyr in the same way that the gods did. He¡¯d heard of him once or twice; he suspected that Anders was likely real at most points, while having doubts at others, but generally saw no reason to dwell on the topic.


    The little he¡¯d gleaned about the mythical figure over the years was that he was in charge of the bandits, that he did not care much for being out and about, and that he was terrifying and crazy.


    As Anders and his two bodyguards approached, Nik whispered, ¡°Keep quiet and then get out of here. Both of you. Understand?¡±


    It was so rare to ever hear Nik on edge. Petyr wasn''t sure he''d heard it before.


    But he could hear it now. And that''s what I hear after he''s suppressed most of what he feels...


    ¡°Anders,¡± Nik said calmly as the man in green got closer. ¡°It is good to see you.¡±


    Anders stopped at the porch, his cold, downturned eyes scrutinizing all three of them. Petyr noticed that they were a bright scarlet. The eyes of the female bodyguard were a brown that were also heading into reddish, while the male bodyguard¡¯s were a dullish red.


    Out of nowhere, Anders smiled broadly, but without showing any teeth. ¡°I came to meet your guest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you to come,¡± said Nik, putting on a grin so wide and so unnatural that Petyr knew it couldn¡¯t be genuine.


    ¡°Hopefully I won¡¯t disappoint you,¡± said Anders.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    The bodyguards said nothing; they followed after the two men as they proceeded into the tavern and then as they made their way up the staircase to the second floor, proceeding towards Nik''s office.


    ¡°His eyes¡­¡± said Mora. ¡°Did you see that?¡±


    ¡°They were red. All of them had red eyes.¡±


    She startled, frowning. ¡°Really? All of them? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Pretty goddamn sure.¡±


    ¡°Just like him." She hesitated to specify. "Like Captain Vares Reed.¡±


    ¡°Your pirate friend,¡± he said, tossing an accusatory glance.


    Mora sensed it the disgust and sighed. ¡°He didn¡¯t kill Jayne. If he did the monkey probably would¡¯ve chewed her face off¡­¡±


    Petyr couldn¡¯t make sense of what the hell she was saying. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Nothing! Never mind¡­¡±


    He suddenly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the entrance.


    Mora was a bit taken aback by the forceful way he pinned her against the side of the building, seemingly ready to strike. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    How could she play this dumb? ¡°You¡¯ve been here forever! You must¡¯ve heard things while being around Nik all the time. I want you to tell me the truth: have you ever heard of a man called Squeezer?¡±


    Mora flailed uncomfortaly under his grip. ¡°Why?!¡±


    ¡°Just answer the question. Have you, or haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It sounds familiar, I guess?¡­ But I have no idea who that is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t even seen Anders before today, genius.¡±


    ¡°What does Nik really do? What do the bandits do?¡±


    Mora opened her mouth to answer but remained frozen and puzzled. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here all day! You have to know. If anyone knows, you know!¡±


    Mora kicked him in the balls and slipped away.


    It all happened so fast that she was already behind him by the time he fell to his knees, clutching at his groin, the wave of pain shooting up through him until it emerged as two full tears in the corner of his eyes.


    Why... This little bitch!


    ¡°You¡¯re such a bastard!¡± she screamed. ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t know anything!¡±


    Without saying another word, she ran off as she was used to doing, speeding effortlessly down the hill.


    By the time Petyr found the energy to say a single word and get back up to his feet, she was long gone. I just want to know what''s going on...


    Admittedly, he may have pushed her too hard.


    After all, maybe it wasn¡¯t that impossible to live somewhere your entire life and not know what was going on. His father had apparently been closely working with the bandits for years and that escaped him completely.


    It could also be that I''m just dumb.


    The real question was, why had Anders appeared here, exactly today of all days?

 Meeting of Minds

    It was a strange thing, killing.


    Vares had lost count of how many souls he¡¯d claimed over the course of his life, but this he¡¯d done it all more with a supreme sense of indifference than any real joy at the prospect.


    Even in the circumstances where one deserved to be despised and put down¡ªlike, say, the cross-eyed¡ªVares preferred to think of more creative alternatives: cutting his name into their skin, lopping off a few digits, or putting a baby in their wife¡¯s belly.


    Killing was, truly, only meant for men who were untamable forces of nature. Such as myself, thought Vares.


    Which is why when this sly bugger Nik had said he wanted Vares to kill his boss, a certain Anders, he¡¯d naturelly imagined a formidable monster that required swift and brutal handling.


    Instead, Vares now gazed at a green-jacket wearing fool that struck him as a circus performer gone mad.


    The one thing that stood out to him immediately was the color of Anders¡¯ eyes. So intensely red that it showed he not only took rezzam as a drug, but dined on it liberally as every course.


    Even on his best days, Vares could not imagine taking so much as to achieve such results, nor could he begin to imagine what its effects might be. Where would he even find that much of it to begin with? Just a pinch of the stuff was worth a man¡¯s life.


    The intense glow of Anders¡¯ eyes showed that he not only had it on hand¡ªthe man was drowning in it.


    And what sense did that make? Windust, as far as Vares could tell, was the asshole of this region of the world. Dice games and pimping girls were one thing¡ªyou could probably find those activities at the ends of the eart; but what could green jacket over here be doing to amass such striking amounts?


    These observations took place in the small time since Nik entered Vares¡¯ room, accompanied by Anders and two far-more impressive bodyguards¡­


    The black one reminded Vares of other black-skinned fellows he¡¯d met from the deep south from Neyyem and Tirasa. Big, strong, capable, headstrong, loyal, hearty, and fun-loving¡ªthe opposite of this ratty Nik he¡¯d been dealing with since his arrival.


    The woman¡¯s appearance caused his beastly instincts to surge. The sight of her, so tall, so boyish, so self-assured and imposing, immediately caused him to wonder what it take to have her bent over and crying like a little girl.


    Nik glanced at the bed where the whore still remained, frozen stiff at the sight of the new arrivals. ¡°Get out of here Dayna. Get down to the Room.¡±


    She ran quickly, time during which Vares and Anders eyed one another. Once the door closed, Nik turned to Anders and said, ¡°This man is the one who claims to be a captain. Captain Vares Reed, to be precise. He arrived here with only a monkey to his name.¡±


    Anders¡¯ eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Then he grinned widely. ¡°We have met before Vares Reed.¡±


    Now that, he had not expected to hear. ¡°We have?¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Anders glanced impatiently at his two bodyguards and dismissed them with a careless hand gesture. ¡°Leave us.¡± As the two began to move, his swiveled to Nik. The slightest tilt of his head indicated that it was time for Nik to go as well. Intimidated, almost with pathetic slavishness, Nik bobbed his head and bowed slightly, rushing past his boss.


    Then they were alone.


    Anders walked over to the half-empty glass on the window sill and raised it to his nose. He sniffed it, grimaced, then placed it back. ¡°I¡¯ve always found drinking a contemptible trait. Though at times it¡¯s¡­ understandable. It dulls the senses. The place I come from is a very cold one. Just about every man knows another who got too drunk during winter to find his way back home, only to freeze to death in the streets. My father died like that. So did my uncle and great-grandfather.¡±


    Anders gave Vares a look, giggled darkly, then downed the alcohol with a loud gulp. ¡°Piss, what Nik serves here. Just empty fucking piss.¡±


    At that, Vares finally grinned. ¡°Now there we can agree.¡±


    ¡°So, what did he offer you? In exchange for killing me, that is.¡±


    The question caused Vares¡¯ heart to jump. He trusted Nik from a first impression to be a smooth enough snake not to let his intentions known.


    ¡°Kill you?¡±


    Anders laughed without a worry in the world. ¡°He hasn¡¯t asked you yet? Then he surely will.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t know then. Gods, why do you test me so? ¡°And how do you know?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve seen you in my dreams, Vares Reed. Your face. Your eyes. Your hand driving a dagger through my chest. And Nik has always been ambitious¡­ No doubt when coming across a man like you he¡¯d smell opportunity. But be careful with him, I keep him around for a reason: as sly and devious as you think he might be, he¡¯s far better.¡± Anders laughed again, joyfully, like a child beset with endless gifts. ¡°That¡¯s why I like him.¡±


    Suddenly, he rushed over to Vares across the room, almost pouncing on him, his gaze locked. ¡°Your eyes are dull. You haven¡¯t had rezzam in days, I¡¯d reckon. How many?¡±


    The more Anders spoke, the more Vares got the feeling he was dealing with a strange madman. But a madman that¡¯s got access to what I need, and a lot of it. The fact that he might have a near-endless supply only made it more likely he¡¯d share a bit. If Nik truly wanted him dead, then he needed to have a better offer than just letting Vares loot a little.


    At the same time, every other part of Vares untainted by the addiction that was still kicking, the parts stuffed deep inside that hadn¡¯t been sweetened by the rezzam, screamed with disgust at the sight of this Anders, identifying him as a great danger. Not like a tiger, though¡ªmore like a lethally poisonous frog.


    ¡°How does a man all the way out of here have and know so much about rezzam?¡± Vares said.


    Anders padded over to look out the window. Quite restless, isn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Big things are happening here, Vares Reed.¡±


    ¡°Captain Vares Reed.¡±


    The correction caused Anders to scoff mockingly, as if such terms held no value. ¡°I watched them wipe out your ship, you know.¡±


    The words made his breath hitch. What was this crazed jester saying? ¡°You did?¡±


    ¡°I did, because the Soverni ship had left here¡ªfriends of mine. It just so happened to see you as you and your crew were passing by. Had I known that you would be approaching, I¡¯d have warned them against it. But I never saw that in my dreams, nor your ship¡ªonly you. To think that you¡¯re a pirate! Now that is a twist. I did see the way their weapons dealt with you, though. Impressive things, aren¡¯t they? How did you survive that?¡± he asked, eyes once again narrowing with genuine interest.


    For the first time in his life, Vares felt naked. He could not remember ever feeling this way before. It was one thing to be bested in a duel, or to lose a woman to another man, even to flee from a losing battle like a dog.


    But he had never, ever, in his forty-eight years of life, felt so humiliangly naked, like a child caught taking a shit in the middle of a room.


    Anders waited for an answer, half-smiling, arms behind his back. When it didn¡¯t come, he laughed energetically again, savoring the moment. ¡°You can speak to me as a brother, Vares Reed. Look into my eyes, are we not brothers? The gods sent you here for a reason, after all. This is destined.¡±


    Vares smirked back darkly in turn, refusing to be walked over so easily. ¡°And what reason is that?¡±


    Anders drew the curtains closed, his red eyes almost burning in the gloom that descended. ¡°Why, to be enlightened.¡±

 The Great Awakening

    ¡°Enlightenment?¡± said Vares.


    Anders bobbed his head manically as he tugged at his own beard. ¡°Indeed. You see, I¡¯ve had the good fortune of falling in with some powerful individuals early on. Ones who are, shall we say, well-positioned to see and rule the world of tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Soverni?¡±


    At that, the glowing eyes narrowed again with amusement. ¡°In a way yes, in a way no. Suffice to say, I¡¯ve been leading this little operation for them for quite some time now.¡±


    ¡°And why would these well-positioned men of tomorrow be interested in a man such as myself? I doubt they¡¯re sailors.¡±


    ¡°I suppose they¡¯re not aware of you¡ªnot yet. But I¡¯m not too concerned with what they want, Vares Reed.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow questioningly. ¡°No?¡±


    Anders rolled his shoulders, adjusting the little green jacket as he circled the gloom of the room, his finger scooping up dust from surfaces in passing. ¡°Not at all. Long ago, I may have dreamed of rising high among them. I once believed in becoming a ¡®man of station,¡¯ as my old folks would call it. I dreamed of owning a vast of state, of my name holding such glory that it would ring out for generations after my passing.¡±


    ¡°And now?¡±


    ¡°Now? Now I¡¯ve been enlightened. The things I¡¯ve seen in these last few years¡­¡± Anders became introspective and fell inward, as if he were truly seeing what he spoke of. ¡°The worlds I¡¯ve been to¡­ Wonders without number¡­¡±


    In any other context the speech might¡¯ve had a different effect on Vares. Maybe he would¡¯ve let him tug him along in the current, pulling him towards some spiritual fancy, feeding his imagination with the type of notions that imaginative believers so loved to dream up and vividly bring to life in word and paint.


    But what Vares realized now that he was listening to a man who had not only gone off the deep end, but fallen from it down into a bottomless abyss. These were the sorts of ravings one would hear often enough¡ªfrom vagrants who had long since lost their minds.


    The only question was, leaving aside the madness, what exactly any of this had to do with the Soverni. That part did intrigue Vares. For one, because they¡¯d destroyed his ship and killed his crew, bringing his life¡¯s work¡ªor at least that of the last few years¡ªto a sudden end. But more importantly, because curiosity demanded that he know how exactly some trading empire was connected to whatever went on in Windust.


    There was no way he¡¯d let them get away with taking his ship and crew, no matter who they were. And I might as well start with this wannabe prophet.


    Vares forced an animal grin of his own. ¡°I¡¯m interested.¡±


    Snapping out of his spiritual reverie, Anders nodded, a surprisingly gentle smile curling his lips. ¡°What do you think rezzam is, Captain?¡±


    ¡°If how it¡¯s made is how you¡¯re asking me, I wouldn¡¯t know. I only take the stuff. But I have heard that it¡¯s made up of some strange plants from the bottom of the sea. Or from the dried guts of some werewolves.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Vares paused theatrically for a moment and added with smirk, ¡°I¡¯ve even heard the gods make it and sprinkle it down.¡±


    Anders leapt over and whispered hotly, ¡°I know what it is, Vares Reed. My visions have given me the key to unlocking all of its secrets.¡±


    It sounded insane. For all the time he¡¯d traveled, Vares had never come across anyone who truly knew where rezzam came from. Everyone had a guess. Those who searched for the source, tracking it down from one man to another, always ended up disappearing.


    Could a madman in Windust truly hold the answers to an age-old secret?


    Two daring, throaty words left his lips: ¡°Prove it.¡±


    Anders clicked his tongue with satisfaction and turned, pleased that he¡¯d reeled him in. ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be hasty.¡±


    ¡°Hasty? You just said you have an unlimited supply.¡±


    It was the perfect comeback. Either Anders would reveal that he did not have an unlimited supply, in which case one could conclude that he was either lying altogether, or that the stuff was made from reagents that were difficult to acquire, making any knowledge of how it was made essentially useless.


    Crazy as he was, Anders¡¯ instincts were cutingly sharp. Sensing a trap, he ignored the comment and stretched, yawning like a cat, then leaned against the wall as if he were about to pass out into a nap right then and there. His thumb went down and hooked the belt of his pants. ¡°I need you to do something for me, Vares Reed.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s sucking you off, I¡¯ve gotta warn you, I¡¯m not very good.¡±


    A predatory grin spread across Anders¡¯ features. ¡°You see? Had any other man said that to me, I¡¯d peel the skin from his face with my own hands. But when you say it¡­ it¡¯s funny.¡±


    Vares could sense no amusement, and was pleased to know he could get under his skin. ¡°And what do you want?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a woman out there.¡± Anders pointed carelessly to the world behind him, beyond the confines of the tavern.


    ¡°You want me to kill her?¡±


    A chuckle escaped Anders. ¡°No, no, no, no¡­ I need you to get her for me¡ªunharmed.¡±


    Vares watched him expectantly. ¡°And in return?¡±


    Anders reached inside the right side pocket of his pants. He plucked out a small ivory box and tossed it.


    Even while it flew in midair, a surge of energy passed through Vares. He¡¯d been trying to keep his need for the blasted rezzam under control, but now that it was so close, the intense hunger crashed against him like a wave.


    Shuddering, he grabbed the box, then opened it with trembling fingers.


    Inside, there was enough red dust to last him a week at least. Enough to escape this filthy place and go off on his own anywhere he pleased.


    Vares dipped his finger in, the grains clinging to his skin like fire.


    For a moment, he stared at it, almost mesmerized.


    Then he licked it off.


    The effect was immediate¡ªlightning through his veins, a thunderous roar in his ears.


    Power returned to his body as his enormous heart pumped blood through every engorged vein.


    His body felt weightless. His limbs hummd with vitality. The world sharpened once again, no longer flat, colors blooming in shades too beatiful to put into words.


    The sounds of the tavern flooded him. A whore getting pounded in the room next to him, crying for mercy. In another, further, a man getting getting choked and about to pass out. Somewhere in his own room, Vares could hear the gentlest, tiniest taps and clicks as a spider wove its web.


    Rather than form a cacophony that deafened him, the sounds blended into a thrilling song that rallied his lifeforce and callen upon him to act.


    Only one word could describe the totality of it all: sublime.


    Anders watched him, clearly pleased by his sudden transformation. ¡°The girl. She¡¯s a Soverni. And somewhere here. Get your hands on her. When you do¡­ I¡¯ll find you,¡± he said cryptically.


    As he made his way towards the doorway, Vares said, ¡°The girl. Anything else for me to go on?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Anders frowned thoughtfully. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her. But she appeared in my cards. She is either here, or will be here soon. All you need to know is, I want her.¡±


    Vares waited to get another one of his creepy laughs, to hear it was a joke. Cards? This bastard was sending him out to search for a girl whose presence he¡¯d read cards? ¡°That¡¯s not much for me to go on¡­¡±


    Anders smiled and shook his head. ¡°Nonsense, I trust you. Bring me the girl. Once that¡¯s done¡­ we¡¯ll dream together.¡±

 Told Off

    Petyr lingered around the tavern lobby trying to see what was what, and to get a chance to speak with Nik again.


    He stood at the bottom of the staircase, throwing his glance around as he waited, occasionally crossing eyes with one of the whores sending him sultry glances. If only you knew how pointless that is right now, he thought, feeling none of his usual rise.


    As he kept his eyes peeled to the second floor, it wasn¡¯t Nik that he saw coming down, but Dayna.


    It had been so long since she spotted her in the wild like this, that a part of him chose to forget that she offered her services at all. It was strange to think that the mature-looking blonde coming down the stairs was the same age as he was, and that they had ever been together.


    Out of all the girls he¡¯d ever laid eyes on in Windust, Dayna was the one that had the most grace and elegance, the one with a face that could¡¯ve passed for a noble¡¯s who didn¡¯t look like her mother had been knocked up by a human potato.


    And she still became a whore, he thought glumly. So there¡¯s that.


    He avoided looking her way as she got closer, and Petyr knew from experience she¡¯d do the same. He couldn¡¯t even remember the last time they¡¯d say anything to one another. They¡¯d just gone from being together to being¡­ total strangers.


    Maybe what she ended up doing with herself wouldn¡¯t have rubbed him the wrong way if he had gotten to experience everything he wanted with her. But his heart did break a bit to know that they¡¯d split up over the fact that she was so unyieldying when it came to getting physical, only for her to go ahead and join up with the whores here just days later.


    Who even does that?


    Petyr lowered his gaze as she passed him by and pretended to be interested in his shoe. The sharp sweetness of her perfume washed over him as she passed him by, nudging his whole being to attention.


    Just as he raised her gaze thinking she¡¯d passed, hoping to maybe catch a glance of her butt or open back, he found that she had stopped, her head half-turned over her shoulder in his direction.


    It was very much his intention to look away and avoid any awkwardness, but it was too late. Dayna whiled to face him, her intensely blue eyes holding his. ¡°They¡¯re saying one of your girlfriend¡¯s been killed.¡±


    ¡°Not by me.¡±


    Her eyebrow shot up. ¡°Did I say it was you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s been said.¡±


    ¡°Well, people don¡¯t like you, Petyr. So naturally they¡¯d assume that.¡±


    The words came out of nowhere and hit him like a sledgehammer, knocking the wind out of his chest. A dry chuckle escaped his lips. ¡°People don¡¯t like me? What are you talking about? Who?¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Just in general.¡±


    His eyes narrowed with scorn. ¡°So, you? Anyway, if you stopped just to piss me off, you¡¯d just as well go back to spreading your legs for coin, or whatever it is you do.¡±


    Dayna bit her lip and shook her head, incredulous. ¡°You¡¯re such a selfish bastard. You¡¯ll never change.¡±


    ¡°Selfish? Me?¡± Petyr scoffed and crossed his arms, leaning back against the guardrail of the stairs nonchalantly. ¡°I could say a few things, but I won¡¯t. You know what? It doesn¡¯t even matter anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s why you¡¯re too afraid to come here. Why you won¡¯t look me in the eyes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t appeal to the services of whores,¡± he said with a self-satisfied smirk.


    Admittedly, he was feeling a bit off after what she¡¯d said. Who exactly didn¡¯t like him? And why should Petyr give a rats ass if they did or didn¡¯t? For fuck¡¯s sakes, he was practically royalty in this no man¡¯s land. Was he supposed to care about the ill-formed opinions of some cheap whore or some two-bit bandit? They were just lowlives.


    ¡°One day, Petyr, when everybody who¡¯s forced to like you or tolerate you dies off, you¡¯re gonna find yourself with no one left.¡±


    ¡°Why are you still talking? Like you ever cared. I¡¯m fine with being alone. It¡¯s worked out just fine so far.¡±


    Dayna took a step forward, her normally beautiful face looking dark and twisted. ¡°Alone?¡± she repeated, tone full of venom. ¡°You think you¡¯re alone? You? When you no mother or father, when you have no home, when you have no one to go to for help, when no one gives a shit what happens to you one way or another, Petyr, that¡¯s when you¡¯ll be alone.¡±


    The way she eyed him with open hostility while making a cute face was strangely disarming. ¡°And you know what? I pray that day comes for you soon, Petyr. I hope life chews you up and spits you back out. I hope you learn some humility. I¡¯m praying hard for you, darling.¡±


    Petyr could think of nothing to respond, so he pretended not to listen and signed a mouth yammering endlessly.


    When he dared to move his eyes back in her general direction, she was gone.


    Fucking bitch, he thought. Gods, how could he have wasted so many months trying to treat her like a princess? Trying to flatter her and make her feel good? All those days spent helping her around the farm, going out to her in the evenings for picnics¡­


    How could the bewitching princess smiling so lovingly in his memory and holding his hand promising to be his forever be the same as this dirty, big-mouthed whore?


    Worse, how could he have even entertained the idea that they might be together forever? That she was the one, just a diamond in the rough, here in this hellhole?¡­ There¡¯s no diamonds here, thought Petyr, feeling his blood run hot.


    Now that she took off and left him by himself in the lobby, he regretted that he hadn¡¯t hit back at her. Maybe she walked away thinking she¡¯d won this confrontation.


    Alone? She had no idea what it was like to be alone. There was no one in this ass of a province who could understand being alone as he did. There wasn¡¯t one person here who measured up to him.


    I¡¯ve wasted the best years of my life mingling among human garbage, Petyr concluded spitefully.


    Getting so angry over a short conversation when he¡¯d come here to settle a real problem was unfortunate, maybe even immature, but he couldn¡¯t help it. How dare some cunt who sucks cock for a living talk to me that way? How dare she?


    Though there was no way he could hurt her directly, there was at least someone who could in his stead. I¡¯ll just tell Nik about it. I¡¯ll tell him I was minding my own business when she¡ª


    ¡°Petyr!¡±


    Petyr turned suddenly and saw Nik¡¯s dark face staring at him, brows furrowed in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯ve been calling out to you, my boy. Are you deaf? Come. Let¡¯s talk about what happened to Jayne.¡±


    Gulping, suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment, Petyr deflated and followed after him.


    Whatever. Who cares what she thinks.

 The Snake

    As he followed Nik up the stairs to his office, a flare-up of insecurity shook Petyr. Does he not like me either?


    All this time, he¡¯d always assumed Nik was his friend despite the obvious differences between them in age and occupation, but after what Avesta had told him, maybe there was no real friendship there at all. Maybe he just does it for my dad.


    Petyr¡¯s breath caught in his throat as he crossed the threshold. Nik¡¯s office, usually so warm and perfumy, felt strangely chilly now, the dim light passing through the drawn curtains making it feel like a deep shadow dominated the interior.


    Nik himself moved in a way that lacked energy too, as if whatever stress he had been enduring was piling on. Was this guilt? Or something else entirely? ¡°Close the door,¡± he said.


    Petyr sat down in front of him, hands on his thighs, smiling awkwardly. What was he supposed to say?


    Nik sighed with exhaustion, grabbed a bottle, and poured himself a drink, then took a sip. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t lose any sleep over the thing with Jayne, Petyr. I¡¯ll settle that.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ we don¡¯t know who did it.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± he said firmly. ¡°But I¡¯ll find whoever is responsible. Don¡¯t put yourself in any danger, you understand? You just leave the matter to me. You weren¡¯t that close to her, were you?¡±


    The knots in Petyr¡¯s stomach only got worse. Just the way Nik posed the question rubbed him the wrong way. As if, somehow, if she were simply insignificant enough, the whole issue could be brushed under the rug. He tried to tell himself that Nik didn¡¯t mean it that way, that this was just his manner of speaking¡­


    But he knew better than that.


    And, in a way, it was true, wasn¡¯t it? People dropped, rotted, and became dust on the wind. That was how things typically went in Windust.


    How Petyr himself reacted to the death of Dayna¡¯s father was a prime example of just that: finding Blind Bill hanging from a tree had been an unsettling shock; but it didn¡¯t exactly motivate him to stick his neck out and risk his life to get to the bottom of why he had to die.


    Like everyone else, he¡¯d accepted it and moved on.


    It was probably what he should¡¯ve done now with Jayne.


    But¡­ Even if Mora believed in the pirate¡¯s innocence, Petyr couldn¡¯t shake the nagging doubts crawling through his mind. People lied all the time in Windust; Nik definitely did. What if he saw some business opportunity with this bastard? What if Vares Reed was the killer and Nik thought it expedient not to care?


    Just the thought that he was being talked down to and manipulated like a child made his heart pound in his chest. All these last two days had shown him was that he was always the last one to be in on whatever was going on. Not anymore.


    Nik¡¯s dark eyes stayed on him and seemed to read his thoughts. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Vares Reed. I promise you, he¡¯s not the one who did this.¡±


    In that moment, all he wanted to do was grab Nik by the throat and punch him until his black face turned bloody red. ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Because little Mora was the one who brought him here, and they arrived from the opposite direction. Jayne¡¯s body was found in one of the fields not far from her place.¡±


    ¡°Still, I¡ª¡±


    The door groaned before he could finish his sentence.


    Petyr glanced behind him, wondering who it could be.


    A pair of red eyes appeared as the door cracked open.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interrupting, am I?¡± Anders said with a sly smile, taking a perverse joy in the idea that he might be. He slithered into the room, each movement deliberate, soundlessly closing the door behind him.


    Nik got up and offered him his seat, at which point Petyr realized he should do the same and stood up. ¡°No, no, you two finish your conversation,¡± Anders said facetiously. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to get in the way.¡±


    The way he smiled, with his lips pulling back to reveal two rows of perfectly white and even teeth, as if he were brandishing them, reveling in his predatory superiority, made Petyr¡¯s skin crawl. Just the eerie way he moved, perfectly controlled, yet smooth and serpentine, lacking all grace, left him wary. He was like another lifeform wearing a human¡¯s skin.


    Nik acted unbothered and placed a hand on Petyr¡¯s back, nudging him towards the door. ¡°We were done anyway.¡±


    Anders¡¯ eyes narrowed. ¡°This Squeezer¡¯s kid?¡±


    Squeezer. The word, said so casually, so thoughtless, sent chills through Petyr. It was the worst time ever to receive a confirmation that Avesta was right about everything she¡¯d said.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    My dad¡­ he works¡­ for this guy? It was difficult to take in.


    Nik kept pushing Petyr away from his boss, as if terrified to leave him there a moment longer. ¡°That¡¯s right. Good kid. Real good kid.¡±


    Anders tilted his head with amusement at Petyr. Out of nowhere, he placed a hand over his heart and bowed theatrically. ¡°Tell your magnificent father I send him my warmest greetings.¡±


    He felt the weight of Anders¡¯ gaze long after the words left his mouth. It wasn¡¯t just a casual statement¡ªthere was something loaded in it, something that pricked his spine and threatened to dissolve it.


    ¡°I¡­ w-w-will¡­¡± Petyr croaked, and scared and confused, gulping, barely able to vocalize a real response.


    Nik dragged him past the threshold and was about to close the door. Afraid he might not get another chance to ask about Jayne, Petyr slammed his arm against it to stop it from closing. ¡°Where is¡­¡±


    Nik gave him an angry look as Anders stood behind him, clearly wanting to close the door and end the matter as quickly as possible.


    Petyr remembered why he¡¯d come all this way, however. For Jayne. Sure, the two of them hadn¡¯t been that close. He hadn¡¯t even gotten a chance to sleep with her, unfortunately. And sure, he probably wouldn¡¯t have cared how her life went in the future if she hadn¡¯t been killed like this.


    But the idea that her death could be treated with such indignity, just¡­


    I can¡¯t let that happen, he thought, himself unsure of where this internal determination came from. Something deep inside insisted that he do something about it. Anything.


    ¡°Where is Jayne? Where¡¯s her b-body?¡­¡± he said, his voice breaking near the end.


    Nik clicked his tongue quietly. Anders narrowed his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s this about a body?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± said Nik quickly, tone wholly disinterest. ¡°Just a girl that was killed. Not one of ours. Petyr, her father has the body. He¡¯s probably burned it already. Just leave it alone, all right?¡±


    Before Petyr got a chance to answer, Anders slid past Nik and opened the door wide so all three of them could see each other properly. ¡°Tell me about this girl.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no one of importance,¡± said Nik, giving Petyr a final warning look.


    No one of importance? How¡­ How could he even say that? She was important to someone. And maybe she wasn¡¯t important to me before, but she is now.


    Indignantly, Petyr said, ¡°She was my friend. Jayne. Tall. Long-haired. Kind of plain, I guess. But she was a very nice person. And some animal just killed her for no reason!¡±


    Anders listened to Petyr as if the depths of his heart had been touched by Jayne¡¯s own ghostly hand. He raised a few fingers to his lips contemplatively, sliding back into a memory. ¡°Jayne,¡± he said, tasting her word. His already glowing red eyes lit up with joy. ¡°That was her name¡­¡±


    The half-amused, half-contemplative toned made Petyr not want to answer. Nik sighed quietly¡ªdespairingly.


    But when Anders next spoke, even Nik¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°I think I killed her." The words tumbled out weightlessly, the tone only half-certain, as if he were still replaying events in his mind to come to a final decision.


    Total silence descended over the trio. Somewhere down in the tavern, a woman shrieked, a man laughed, and several others hooted and cheered. There was singing.


    ¡°You what?¡± said Nik, unable hold back his sudden burst of indignant rage. ¡°She was just a fucking kid.¡±


    Anders tapped his lip and giggled perversely. ¡°Yes, I remember now¡­ I had gone out to watch the stars and wandered into the field. Something about her spoke to me. The way her empty eyes just called out for something, someone, anyone¡­ The way she just stood there as I approached. Neither one of us should¡¯ve been there in at that hour. Just a few steps in either direction and we would¡¯ve missed each other in those long golden stalks and that sublime moonlight.¡±


    A beatific smile possessed Anders as he continued: ¡°But we didn¡¯t. It was almost romantic. Like a fated meeting. I took her by the hand and delivered her to another world¡­¡±


    Something like a groan of pleasure built up in Anders and escaped his lips as he licked them. ¡°A lovely little treat for us both.¡±


    Petyr stared at the man before him unsure of what to say or do. Until this point, he¡¯d been certain the guilty one was Reed. Or, at the very least, a stupid bandit that could be punished, maybe whipped, maybe hanged. But if this Anders really had done it¡­ who was going to punish him?


    Me? He considered the consequences of that. Not only was he certain to fail, but it was more than likely all those two bodyguards of his would skin him alive right after. Whatever business his father had with Anders that kept the family going until this point would be ruined, too.


    A state of panic and terror overtook him as the crisis of the moment set in. Petyr became breathless at the horror of it all.


    I can¡¯t¡­


    ¡°Why?¡± Nik asked again, his temper still there, but with a cool edge now. ¡°I simply don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Anders smacked his cheek playfully, as might be done with one of the whores. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t, Nik. You¡¯re a lowbrow snake. A venal and bestial vermin whose only hunger is for coin. Beauty and spirituality elude you. So avoid that tone when you speak with your betters. Don¡¯t mistake my cheery attitude for indifference towards your perfidious lack of respect. I could take that redheaded pet you keep so close and beat her head in for nothing but my temporary amusement if I wished to. The only rules I live by, Nik¡ªthe same rules you live by¡ªare mine.¡±


    The darkness of the threat lingered with electrifying power, and Anders¡¯ red eyes held Nik with utter contempt, a full on provocation. It was a reckless, almost disgusting display of power, one that should¡¯ve been met with swift karmic justice.


    With such words spoken, Petyr expected Nik to push back. Who else if not him? Nik had always been the one to outsmart others, the one who managed to keep the worst scum in line. He was a bastard himself, but a civilized one, who knew exactly when to display enough savagery to make others fear him, but who would¡¯ve preferred not to have to do it at all.


    Petyr watched the handsome dark face of his older friend, hoping it would break into a grin before he headbutted Anders and beat him to a bloody pulp, smashing that arrogant face until it became a filthy stew to be mopped up.


    That was what Petyr wanted to see. The mere thought of it sent an electrifying tingle down his spine that ignited every part of him, like the gods¡¯ own purest form of arousal. He needs to die! I want to see it!


    Instead, Nik lowered his head slavishly. ¡°Yes, most certainly, Boss. I never intended to disrespect you in any way. I apologize if I did.¡±


    Anders grabbed his face as if they were the closest of comrades and laughed heartily. ¡°Come now, Nik, don¡¯t be so serious. We all misspeak at times. I¡¯m only joking. Let¡¯s have a drink.¡±


    They moved away from the threshold. The door slammed closed in Petyr¡¯s haunted and pained face.


    From down below in the tavern, the ear-rending cacophony of a poorly sung birthday tune drifted up the stairs.


    He shuddered. What now?


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>

 Who She Really Is

    The way back home didn¡¯t revitalize Petyr in any meaningful way.


    In fact, he was beginning to think if that maybe he had crossed some bizarre tipping point in life past which nothing good could happen ever again.


    I¡¯ve always been blessed, he thought. Handsome. Smart. Lucky. I suppose it can¡¯t last forever.


    He shuffled down the road with a slouch, hands slipped into the pockets of his trousers, eyes stuck to the ground, undoubtedly looking more disheveled, uncaring, and depressed, than he had at any other point in his life.


    It all started with that damn skysail. If only that hadn¡¯t been there, if only it hadn¡¯t blown up that pirate galleon, then maybe none of this would¡¯ve happened.


    Of course, that was an irrational thought, but it was the only one he could entertain. After all, everything was well up to that point¡­ Since then, he¡¯d found out that his father never intended to leave Windust as planned¡ªthat he was, in fact, some sort of drug manufacturer who worked for that red-eyed fiend who so casually confessed to murder.


    And of course, there was Avesta.


    She knows more than she¡¯s letting on. She has to. Why else would she be here? How the hell would some Soverni girl from gods know where even know about what Dad does over here anyway?


    Suddenly, though he was only about five minutes away from home, Petyr straightened, tilted his head back to gaze at the blinding sun, and became determined to get some answers.


    Without thinking too much¡ªsince gods only knew, he knew nothing about surviving in the wilderness, or even finding his way through it¡ªhe charged head on into the forest hoping he would find Avesta so to interrogate her.


    He must¡¯ve walked for half an hour aimlessly, his rage cooling off by the time he realized he¡¯d somehow circled back to where he started. Through the trees, the road eagerly awaited to take him home and put this whole thing behind.


    ¡°Without any knowledge of navigation, those lost in the forest are likely to circle the same spot round and round until they drop from exhaustion.¡±


    Petyr whirled around and saw Avesta casually leaning against one of the trees. The same icy gaze as before peered at him from under her glistening brown bob, and the same elegant silver bodysuit stretched along her limbs.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    He pointed an accusatory finger at her and said, ¡°You need to tell me why you¡¯re here!¡±


    It should¡¯ve come out and strong and forceful, but what left his trembling lips was weak and pathetic. Come on, he thought. Get it together!


    Avesta¡¯s eyes narrowed suspiciously. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You were right.¡± Petyr took a deep breath and shuddered. It was unbelievable to admit this after the disbelief he¡¯d shown before. ¡°About my father.¡±


    ¡°A pity about your ear. You could¡¯ve kept all of it had you listened to reason in the beginning.¡±


    Instinctively, he reached up and traced the tip of his finger gingerly along the little that remained of his mangled earlobe. Somehow, in the intensity of everything that happened today already, he¡¯d forgotten all about that.


    Avesta strode over and pushed his hair aside tenderly. ¡°Your ear will heal. And you¡¯ll look more manly this way.¡±


    Petyr blushed, still disarmed by her warm touch in spite of being the one who¡¯d done this to him. ¡°How did you know about my father? You¡¯re not even from here. You¡¯re Soverni. I need to know. I saw a Soverni skysail that day before we met, and since then, everything¡¯s fallen apart! My life is crumbling!¡±


    There was so much pent-up emotion that tears formed in his eyes as he said the words. It was pathetic to show such a display before her, this beautiful girl he rather hoped he might get more intimate with later, but he couldn¡¯t control himself. Not after the day¡¯s events¡­


    What¡¯s even the point? Nothing matters. For all he knew, he might end up dead tomorrow, without anyone caring, just like Jayne. What had Dayna said to him? No one likes you.


    Avesta slapped him.


    It was a sudden gesture, and for a moment it made him think of how Anders had slapped Nik; but there was none of the disdain or contempt. This was more akin to military discipline. ¡°Snap out of it. Your self-pity will help no one. As for the other matter, you should know that we as humans have a tendency to correlate events that are entirely unconnected. Your life is not coming apart because of any skysail you saw, but because of every choice you¡¯ve made up to this point.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know about¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop, you¡¯re already on the path to making more excuses. There are no excuses. We must know about the people in our lives who we spend our every day with. And if we do not, we are the ones to blame.¡±


    Those eyes of her had such a cold intensity that they made his knees buckle. Why was this all so hard? Why did this have to happen to him of all people? I¡¯m not built for this¡­


    Unable to stand her gaze, he braced an arm against a tree and buried his eyes in it. His whole body felt so heavy. Why couldn¡¯t she just understand? ¡°You don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°I understand it far better than you can imagine, believe me.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± He gave her a desperate over the shoulder glance. ¡°How could you understand?¡±


    Avesta seemed to hesitate for a moment. ¡°Because my father is worse than yours,¡± she stated matter-of-factly. ¡°Because none of this would be happening if not for him. Which makes me responsible.¡±


    She sighed and turned, as if she¡¯d said too much. Her shoulders slumped. ¡°Because¡­¡±


    Petyr now hung on that word. He took a step closer to her and waited, his heart beating.


    Because what? he wanted to yell. Because what!


    ¡°Because my father is Prince Hyat XII, the ruler of the Soverni Republic.¡±

 The Golden One

    Petyr stared at Avesta, hardly able to make sense of what he¡¯d heard.


    Even the forest around them seemed to have quieted down after her mad declaration.


    ¡°You¡¯re not serious,¡± he said.


    Avesta glared at him from under her eyebrows. ¡°This is your response? You wanted the truth, you¡¯ve received it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying your father is the ruler of the Soverni Republic? As in, the top dog? The one giving out all the orders?¡±


    She laughed and crossed her arms. ¡°Is that what you think ruling is about? Giving out orders?¡±


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡±


    Avesta thought it over and shrugged. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s what it¡¯s supposed to be. But it¡¯s not always what it is¡­¡±


    Petyr noticed that she fell quiet, her head lowered in dejection. She raised a hand up to rub her temple as if a great migraine had set in at the same time as she opened the mental drawers that held some unhappy memories.


    Suddenly, she grabbed her hair and¡­


    ¡­ pulled it off.


    The brown bob in her grip hung limp and lifeless. A tumble of golden waves crashed all along her as she shook her head violently.


    ¡°Blonde hair,¡± Petyr said with a chuckle. Of course. Wasn¡¯t that exactly what his father had said when he mentioned seeing a woman stalking the house? That he¡¯d specifically seen a blonde woman?Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    I completely forgot about that.


    ¡°You know enough now where there¡¯s no point for me to wear that when you¡¯re around,¡± Avesta said. ¡°But know this, you also know so much that if you betray my trust, I¡¯m going to end your life.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve made that clear before¡­¡±


    Somehow, as surprising as these two revelations had been, it did make him feel better. At least he was getting somewhere. ¡°So what were you saying about your father?¡±


    ¡°My father is¡­ not himself as of late. He has not been himself for a very long time, in fact. I suspect much of it has to do with certain people that have been influencing him.¡±


    ¡°Certain people?¡±


    Avesta ran a hand through her unleashed blonde locks and sighed bitterly. ¡°A circle of sycophants with ulterior motives. I suppose you can call them a cult. Or an interest group, if you look at it through a financial lens. It really doesn¡¯t matter what you refer to them as. The only thing of relevance here is that they¡¯ve seized my father¡¯s mind and, with it, the Soverni Republic.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re mind-controlling him?¡±


    Avesta laughed and placed a hand over her stomach. ¡°Mind-control? You¡¯re such a child. No, it¡¯s nothing of the sort. Just the typical preying on weakness.¡±


    ¡°Your father is a weak man?¡±


    Avesta¡¯s eyebrow arched up pointedly. ¡°Everyone has a weakness of some kind. A soft spot. There are no exceptions. For some, it¡¯s a relationship. For others, it¡¯s a sense of safety. A few value their ego and pride above all else. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a long inexhaustible list. So to answer your question, no, my father is not a weak man; but he is a man.¡±


    Petyr sensed he himself had hit a soft spot with that line of questioning, but he thought better than to point it out. ¡°And this group¡­ this cult¡­ they¡¯re connected to what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Avesta smiled unhappily. ¡°In every way possible. But we¡¯ll talk about that later. For now, you need to hold up your end of the bargain, Petyr.¡±


    He braced himself as she stepped closer, his heart pounding as he readied himself for the inevitable words to follow. ¡°We need to speak to your father," said Avesta. "To Squeezer."

 The Quiet Heart

    It was a strange thing, preparing to betray one¡¯s father.


    But what if that father was the baddie? What if he¡¯d lied the whole time?


    Petyr padded up to the house, hands in his pockets, a careless look on his pretty face, trying to look and natural, well aware that Avesta was observing his every move from a distance.


    It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve put Dad in this situation, he told himself, a growing sense of apprehension causing his mouth to dry as he opened the front door. Who¡¯s lied to whom, exactly? Who got this whole thing started? It¡¯s not like I did this¡­


    Not to mention, Avesta said she only wanted to speak with Gregory. Petyr couldn¡¯t very well be against that, could he? If his father¡ªSqueezer¡ªtruly worked for that psycho Anders, then he had a lot of explaining to do.


    Of course, underneath all this ran a current of doubt.


    Why bother doing this at all? This wasn¡¯t going to bring Jayne back. No matter whose daughter Avesta was, she was still just a stuck-up girl only slightly older than Petyr himself. And crazy, too.


    As soon as his feet hit the threshold, it was as if they turned to lead. Every drive to continue this poured out of him. Only one thought blared in his mind: Maybe this is a mistake.


    Maybe Avesta meant well, but this wasn¡¯t her civilized and classy Soverni Republic; this was Windust¡ªa heartless hellhole where no good deed went unpunished. What was going to happen if Petyr helped her go up against Anders?


    Even Nik¡ªbrutal as the gods when he needed to be¡ªwouldn¡¯t dare challenge that glowy-eyed freak. How could Avesta? What did she have? Sharp words and a great ass?


    She¡¯s delusional, he thought. She doesn¡¯t understand how things work here at all. No one¡¯s going to come rescue her, if that¡¯s what she thinks.


    Upon entering the house, Petyr face to face with his father. Gregory stood before him, a film of sweat on his bald head, a look of worry on his lined face. ¡°Finally, I thought you were never going to be back,¡± he whined. ¡°Have you seen Alis?¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t back yet?¡±


    ¡°No, probably still out there looking for you.¡±


    Petyr frowned. ¡°Weird. I didn¡¯t see her in town.¡±


    Gregory sighed deeply, an impatient, condescending look on his face. ¡°Well? What great discovery have you made? Did you crack the case, detective?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    As his father turned the other way to walk towards the kitchen, Petyr said, ¡°I did actually. Anders killed her.¡±


    Gregory stopped in his tracks. He didn¡¯t turn. Nor did he say anything. He just stood there for a time, frozen in the motes of dust dancing in the sunlit hallway.


    At length, he said, ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± There was genuine doubt in the voice.


    Petyr slipped out of his shoes and played dumb. ¡°What¡¯s not possible?¡±


    Gregory turned slowly, his eyes squinting hard under his thick-rimmed glasses. ¡°Why would Anders kill Jayne, of all people? It makes no sense, Petyr¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you know? Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°Do I know him?¡­¡± Gregory opened his mouth, but strained himself to answer, sputtering nervously. ¡°I mean¡­ I¡­ I¡¯ve heard of him, of course. Who hasn¡¯t? And he doesn¡¯t sound like the type of man who would do a thing like that.¡±


    Petyr could not remember ever seeing his father act this hesitant about anything before. At the same time, his level of confusion did seem genuine, which meant that he probably wasn¡¯t all that familiar with Anders, not in the nitty-gritty of it anyway. You couldn¡¯t doubt that monster¡¯s ruthlessness if you saw him with your own eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you knew him at all,¡± said Petyr, giving him a long look. ¡°He seems to know you really well, though.¡±


    Gregory scoffed. ¡°What? What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°He said that I must be Squeezer¡¯s son. I said I don¡¯t know who that is. Then he told me it¡¯s you.¡±


    The best lies always came mixed in with some truth, and there was no better evidence than the forced chuckle he vomited out like a grunt. ¡°Right... Haven¡¯t heard that in a long time.¡±


    ¡°Why do they call you Squeezer?¡±


    Gregory wiped the rivulet of sweat trickling down his forehead and shrugged awkwardly. Petyr noticed his father¡¯s eyes were refusing to meet his own. ¡°Who knows. I don¡¯t know what these bandits do, Petyr. Best you don¡¯t talk to him at all. Or any of them, really.¡±


    So I shouldn¡¯t talk to him, but you can work for him? ¡°I never knew you were so important,¡± Petyr went on, feigning a smile, as if he were proud. In a way, he was; but the circumstances were messed up.


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Gregory insisted, then took a deep breath. ¡°Listen, let¡¯s forget about all this. Anders, Squeezer, Jayne¡ªlet¡¯s forget it. I¡¯m sorry about Jayne, but she¡¯s gone, and that¡¯s that. There¡¯s nothing you or I can do about it now.¡±


    It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.


    ¡°So let¡¯s just clear our heads, get started on dinner, and cook something delicious for when Alis gets home. What do you say, son? Can we do that? You don¡¯t have a new date lined up already, do you?¡±


    The joke was in such poor taste that his father instantly regretted it, cringing and looking away after it left his lips. ¡°It¡¯s been a tough day for you. I know that. But the world out there¡±¡ªhe waved his hand to the town beyond the confines of their comfortable home¡ª¡±is out there. Let¡¯s focus on what¡¯s in here, okay? On our family. Alright? Come on. You can help me peel some potatoes.¡±


    He walked off in a hurry, before Petyr could respond one way or another.


    No, this conversation is not over, Petyr thought, though he himself wasn¡¯t too thrilled about continuing it. He felt compelled to; but he sure as hell didn¡¯t want to.


    As he padded down the hallway after his his father, he glanced out the window. There, at the far back of their garden, where the forest swallowed the light, a sliver of grey fabric peeked from the shadows.


    Avesta.


    Dad, Dad, Dad¡­ Petyr''s earlobe burned as if the ghost of Avesta¡¯s blade were slicing it back open. What the hell did you drag us into?

 Cant Catch a Break

    Mora sat by herself at the edge of the river, cracking open sunflower seeds between her teeth, her small red feet dipped into the water.


    It was one of the ways she could relax when she just got too angry and frustrated at everyone.


    I should just leave this place. She cracked open another and spat the shell angrily into the water.


    After all, what did she have to stay in Windust for? Nik? He passed her on to another like it was nothing. Petyr? It wasn¡¯t like he ever gave a damn about her despite all that she¡¯d done for him.


    It wouldn¡¯t be that hard to leave, thought Mora, her eyes surveying the other shore as if she could see past it to the long road that led to the border¡ªto the river that separated Windust from the rest of the kingdom.


    There was always lot of talk at the tavern about how brutal the gatehouse there could be, and how the guards were unyieldying even if bribed. But these were farmers and badits who wanted to get across with wagons crammed full of stuff, to get up to the big markets in the capital.


    What did she care about a gatehouse or guards? I¡¯ll just swim across. Or make a raft. I can do it.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d considered running away, and it wouldn¡¯t be the last. Even at her tender age of eleven, Mora was mature enough to realize she¡¯d probably be spending the rest of her days in Windust, still dreaming of taking off even when she¡¯d get mad fifty years later.


    But the hard truth was, she had nowhere to go. For better or worse, she was the only oni here. That meant there was no one she could truly connect to and call family; but it also meant that she could control her reputation to an extent, and that she wouldn¡¯t wake up dead one day because of something another oni had done.


    Mora hadn¡¯t learned much about the crimes committed by her race; but the hatred they inspired couldn¡¯t just be for no reason. Mora herself would be scared to bump into another oni at night.


    Besides, if they weren¡¯t all that bad, then why would her own family and people have abandoned her? There was no way her parents weren¡¯t out there, and there was no way they didn¡¯t know she was missing.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    No one decent could¡¯ve surrendered their daughter to the fates. No good parents would¡¯ve ever stopped looking.


    No, there was nowhere for her to go because there was no one to get to. The people in Windust were generally awful; but at least they tolerated her. They might¡¯ve given her bad looks, accused her of things she was innocent of, or spit in her general direction¡­


    But was anyone here actually going to kill her? Probably not.


    There was no such guarantee beyond the border.


    Who could believably state what Weston proper and the world beyond it were like?¡ªhow an oni would be treated there? From what Mora knew, all oni outside of Windust were slaves, which told her everything she needed to know. I¡¯ll never be a slave. Windust¡ªeven death¡ªwas better.


    As she sat there eating sunflower seeds and pondering where life would take her by the end, she suddenly heard a loud cry of, ¡±There! There she is!¡±


    Mora glanced behind her at the grassy slope that led up towards the main road.


    There, she could make out several figures¡ªall bad.


    The first one she noticed was Kay, as he was the one who cried out. His brown arm pointed right at her. Next to him were Dewey and Daven, looking half-frightened, shielding their eyes from the sun.


    Towering over all three was a massive woman, tan and fat, blonde, with a broad nose and wild eyebrows. ¡°You!¡± she bellowed as she trudged down the slope like a monster, the mounds of fat jiggling all across her body. ¡°Don¡¯t you move, hornhead!!¡± she threatened, deep voice rumbling with the weight of the world. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare fucking move!¡±


    What the hell! Mora took one long look at them and began to run.


    She¡¯d forgotten about Lunis and the fact that Vares¡¯ monkey had either bitten off or severely mangled his ear the day before.


    But why exactly were they chasing after her? She hadn¡¯t done anything. It wasn¡¯t her monkey. She didn¡¯t even know that stupid pirate at the time! This isn¡¯t my fault!


    The fat woman chased her after a while, but soon fell back, panting breathlessly. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere!¡±


    The boys came on after her, attempting to catch up.


    Mora could hope to outrun the younger two, since Dewey and Daven very both too little to really compete with her. Kay, though, was older and faster, and his strong legs were bringing him closer and closer with each step.


    ¡°Stop running!¡± he snarled. ¡°My mom wants to talk to you! I said stop running, hornie! I¡¯ll break your legs for this! We¡¯re going to kick your ass for what you¡¯ve done! Teach you how to act human!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! Why are you coming after me? It¡¯s that guy you want!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to your friend after, don¡¯t you worry!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not my friend!¡±


    A few more breaths and Kay would be within range of grabbing her.


    At this point, there was only one choice to make: fight back and risk real damage, or surrender and take the lesser beating.


    Mora gritted her teeth as she weighed the options. To hell with them all. They started this!


    She glanced back again¡ªhe was nearly on her.


    Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it!


    What could she do?

 Saved by the Reed

    By this point in her eleven-year-old life, Mora had received enough kicks and punches from the kids around Windust that she should¡¯ve learned to accept it with ease.


    Yet, as Kay closed in, a strange surge of resistance made her whole body throb. Not again!


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get you, you little red shit!¡± he snarled with a predatory grin. ¡°We¡¯re going to beat the red off of you, hornhead!¡±


    Then she saw it.


    A rock, probably about the size of her fist and flat like a sauce lay by the riverside.


    Just as Kay pushed his hand out and clenched her arm, Mora dove and grabbed the rock.


    ¡°Can¡¯t run!¡± Kay yelled with satisfaction. ¡°I got her!¡±


    She whirled in place as he held her, slamming the flat stone surface against the side of his head.


    Kay stared at her in shock for a moment.


    Then he let go.


    He took a step back, fingers reaching up to feel the side of his head.


    He stumbled back suddenly, as if whatever force held him upright went away, tottering back into the river.


    He must¡¯ve snagged a rock or some branch under the water, because he fell toppled and crashed into the water, the slow drift of the river carrying him the way they¡¯d come.


    When Dewey and Daven caught up and saw him they cried out in shock. ¡°She killed him! She killed him!¡±


    Dead? No, he can¡¯t be dead¡­ thought Mora, a chill shiver wracking through her small red body.


    The two younger boys went in to fish him out and pulled him onto the shore.


    In that moment, the only thing Mora could think of was to flee and never look back. Killing a human? There was no way back from that. They wouldn¡¯t just hurt her back or execute her, they would make an example out of her.


    By now, she¡¯d seen Nik make enough examples of people to know that wasn¡¯t a fate she could accept.


    As her foot took the first step back, Kay suddenly rolled to his side and coughed up water. ¡°Kay!¡± cried Dewey, shaking him. ¡°Kay, are you alright?¡±


    Daven stood straight and pointed at Mora. ¡°Are you crazy?! You could¡¯ve killed him!¡±


    Mora gulped, relieved that he was alive, but aware that she was by no means out of the fire. ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry¡­¡± she stammered, but too quietly for her words to make it that far.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    A massive figure loomed in the distance: his mother.


    Kay¡¯s mother waddled over to where her son curled up on the ground and seethed with ourage. ¡°What happened? Kay!¡± She turned his head and gasped when she saw the blood pouring from his ear. ¡°Kay!¡±


    Before her son could answer, she rose up to her feet, eyes locked on Mora. ¡°You filthy little hornhead!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡±


    This time, as the immense woman hurled herself towards her, Mora¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t move at all.


    One moment, she was staring at the mountain of fat coming toward her.


    In the next, she was on her back, pinned down on the ground, two fat hands choking the life out of her. ¡°You hurt my sons!¡± the fat woman croaked in rage, eyes bulging, her face red almost as red as an oni¡¯s. Though she was the one hurting Mora, tears brimmed in her eyes. ¡°A filthy hornhead hurt my sons!¡±


    Mora writhed helplessly and kicked at her, but this was a force beyond which she could reckon with. The woman must¡¯ve weighed at least five times what she did, and the protective shell of fat around her made it impossible to hit any weak spot.


    Even her eyes were out of reach because Mora¡¯s arms were just too short to reach her face.


    ¡°My sons¡­ How dare you¡­ How dare you touch my sons!¡­¡±


    As the air ran out, Mora¡¯s lungs began to burn, and her eyes rolled back in her sockets. Please, she thought. Stop it. You¡¯re killing me. Stop it!


    The fat woman looked so maddened that Mora wasn¡¯t even sure she understood what she was doing.


    ¡°Take your hands off of the child,¡± said a voice. A familiar voice.


    Again? thought Mora, her heart beating wildly.


    The moment the fat blonde gazed up, a fist hit her right in the face and flattened her against the ground.


    Mora gasped for air and quickly crawled away from her, thrilled and terrified by how close she¡¯d come to dying.


    She glanced up and she could Vares Reed standing there calmly, now wearing a clean white shirt, a pair of trousers, and boots. No monkey. ¡°You all right?¡±


    Mora climbed up to her feet and noticed the woman was bleeding profusely from her now, still baffled by what had happened.


    ¡°Y-You!¡­¡± cried the blonde fatso, eyes wide as she craned her neck to glare at Vares. ¡°You hit me! You hit a woman.¡±


    Vares grinned and cracked his fingers. ¡°I¡¯ve done much worse to women than that.¡±


    The boys, including Kay, who now appeared to be okay again, caught up and helped her stand up. ¡°A man doesn¡¯t hit a woman!¡± she went on saying, completely thrown off by what he¡¯d done. ¡°You¡¯re not a man! You can¡¯t call yourself a man when you do that.¡±


    ¡°Call me whatever you like,¡± he said carelessly. ¡°But the little one here is mine. Touch her, and I¡¯ll make your sons watch as I cut your heart out.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the one!¡± Daven blurted out, pointing in spite of his fear. ¡°The one who set the monkey on Lunis!¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the fat woman demanded with a snarl. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Captain Vares Reed.¡±


    Mora could see Dewey grabbing Daven by the arm and whispering, ¡°Look at his eyes! They¡¯re glowing.¡±


    And they were. Mora just noticed herself. His eyes had been red from when they met the day before, but the way they shone now was unsettling. They were almost as bright as the sun, yet Mora was certain that if he were in the dark, they wouldn¡¯t cast any light at all.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Kay said, pointing to the same thing. ¡°Look at him¡­¡±


    The fat woman gulped. ¡°You better make right what you did. Hitting me. Hurting my son. Your slave there hit my boy!¡± she yelled, turning Kay¡¯s head to show him the blood that trickled from his ear.


    Vares narrowed his eyes and smiled. ¡°Have you considered the possibility that you deserved all of it?¡±


    Mora could sense that fat woman, though intimidated, could barely hold from lashing out.


    Just go, she thought. Just go!


    But then the woman took a step forward and opened her mouth.

 Heroics

    The fat woman screamed and pointed her finger at Vares.


    ¡°You¡­ you mongrel!¡± she sneered with indignant rage. ¡°Do you know who I am? I¡¯m Nichelle Thamis! Who my husband was? Who my father was? My family has lived here for longer than you¡¯ve been alive!¡±


    Mora was amazed by how unfazed the pirate remained despite the aggressive tone, but she was also impressed by how stupid this woman was acting. Lady, this isn¡¯t a man you want to mess with¡­


    ¡°So your people have been in this shithole for generations? That does explain much, I¡¯ll admit.¡±


    Dewey picked up some pebbles and threw them impotently at Vares¡¯ chest. ¡°You don¡¯t like it here? Then go away! No one wants you here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, child, I¡¯ll be gone soon enough.¡±


    Nichelle shook her head. ¡°I will speak to Nik. He¡¯ll get you. He¡¯ll punish you. You have no idea what¡¯s in store for you, you bastard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be impressed if you walked all the way there. Or will the boys roll you?¡±


    Mora let out a chuckle but quickly covered her face. Why was Vares saying these things? Why was he purposefully antagonizing her? ¡°Just stop¡­¡± she whispered under her breath. ¡°Let her be.¡±


    At that, Nichelle let out a cry of rage and stomped forward, fat hand raised to deliver a blow.


    When she got within reach of Vares, he smacked her across the face so hard that the thunderous impact made Mora wince and nearly lose her balance.


    Not yet done with her, Vares grabbed Nichelle by the hair, dragged her over to the river, and shoved her face down into the water.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The boys all cried out. Kay, being her son, rushed over and pulled at Vares¡¯ arm. ¡°Let her go!¡± he demanded. ¡°Let her go!¡±


    The other two boys joined in, and soon all three were pulling on him and hitting him as best they could. Vares, however, remained as still as a statue, a hateful grin plastered on his face, his powerful arms drowning Nichelle, one helpless move of her fat body at a time.


    Mora could only watch, herself helpless. Her little eleven-year-old heart pounded as she watched the grim scene, her panicked eyes taking in every movement of Nichelle¡¯s half-submerged body. He won¡¯t kill her, she told herself. He wouldn¡¯t do that. There¡¯s no reason to.


    Kay became hysterical as he glanced at his mom, realizing Vares wouldn¡¯t let her surface for air. ¡°Let her go!¡± he squealed, barely intelligible, ripping the shirt off of Vares as he clawed at him. ¡°Let her go!!¡±


    Something about the look in Vares¡¯ eyes at that moment made Mora realize he wasn¡¯t going to pull her back up. Whether it was sheer carelessness or a deep hatred that sprang suddenly, the man appeared totally unconcerned by the death he might cause.


    Mora gulped, now afraid of his action as well, and joined the boys. ¡°Let her go,¡± she said. ¡°Did you hear me? Let her go!¡±


    Vares ignored that too.


    Mora placed her thumbs under his eyes and pressed her nails toward them. The red glow in them terrified her, but she hoped he would relent. ¡°Stop it. You¡¯re killing her!¡±


    ¡°If your idea of saving her involves doing great harm to me, I¡¯d advise you to reconsider it.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ Please just stop! I never asked for your help. Just stop it!¡±


    Mora wasn¡¯t sure what she said, because the way she¡¯d intoned that last cry was absolutely helpless.


    But then, to her surprise, Vares dragged Nichelle up and let go of her with disgust. He stood up. ¡°As you wish.¡±


    Whether or not the fat woman¡¯s survival could be counted as a win was debatable, but Mora did feel a wave of relief wash over her.


    Once he ensured his mother was fine, Kay immediately whirled on Vares. ¡°You could¡¯ve killed her!¡±


    ¡°I could still kill you, if you prefer.¡±


    That made him quiet down quickly.


    As Vares began to move away, Mora debated whether she was safer going with him or staying with the others.


    In the end, she followed after him, though from a distance.


    When they were out of earshot, he gave her an over the shoulder glance and asked, ¡°You¡¯re too concerned with the welfare of others.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just kill anyone you don¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°Of course you can, my little oni. It¡¯s just a matter of how long you get to do it for.¡±

 A Little Follower

    With the conflict having come to an end with no one dead, Mora thought of getting as far away from Captain Vares Reed as possible. Instead, drawn to danger as she always tended to be, she found herself following after him at short distance, wondering where he was going.


    Probably to kill someone, she thought.


    The dirt path underfoot was dry and cracked from the tormenting sunlight, tiny stones crunching under their boots. Overhead, a hawk circled lazily, riding the warm air currents. Mora wiped the sweat from her brow but didn¡¯t complain. Vares, for all his talk of being a pirate on the high seas, did not appear that uncomfortable in the heat.


    At length, he took note of her and turned, shielding his eyes from the strong sun. ¡°If it¡¯s my shadow you seek, you might as well get closer.¡±


    Mora stopped and gazed at him. The man was a monster. She knew that. And yet, when he wasn¡¯t actively harming anyone, he seemed no worse than the average bandit. ¡°Your monkey is gone.¡±


    ¡°Lady Elizabeth, yes¡­ My beloved is feeling under the weather so I¡¯ve left her behind at the tavern while I go on business.¡±


    She frowned, picking a seed stuck between her teeth from before. ¡°She¡¯s sick?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saving face, little oni. The lady is well, but she¡¯s not always fond of my company. Especially not when I¡¯m going off on business, as I¡¯ve said.¡±


    He began to walk again. Mora stood there in the sun, wondering whether to follow or not, and ended up rushing after him. ¡°You didn¡¯t say what your business is.¡±


    ¡°Nor should I,¡± said Vares with a sly smile. ¡°A child like you shouldn¡¯t be concerned with it.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Maybe I can help,¡± she said. He turned to look at her with a raised brow. ¡°For a price, that is.¡±


    Vares shook his head, amazed at her daring nature. ¡°How generous of you. Though, I do think I just saved your life.¡±


    Mora clicked her tongue. Just how full of it was this guy? ¡°You didn¡¯t save my life. Maybe from a beating.¡±


    ¡°Smart men deliver beatings, little oni. Idiots start with the desire of giving someone a beating and end up murdering them. Never put your life at risk when you¡¯re dealing with such stupidity.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who tried to kill that woman, though¡­¡±


    Vares went on quietly, and so did she. Mora tried to figure out based on his direction where he could¡¯ve been going¡ªthe Thatcher farms?¡ªbut she couldn¡¯t imagine he had that good of an idea where he even was considering he¡¯d washed up ashore just the previous day.


    ¡°Where are you trying to go?¡±


    As they came to the top of the hill, he stopped again and surveyed the land. ¡°I¡¯m not yet sure.¡±


    Mora crossed her arms, shifting her weight. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know where you¡¯re going if you¡¯re out like this?¡±


    Vares put his hand on her head. Mora drew back instinctively, not too used to affectionate touch, but he just patted her on the head. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen a strange girl around here lately, have you little oni?¡±


    ¡°Strange girl? I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Vares took a deep breath and gazed wistfully. To the north there wasn¡¯t much, only Petyr¡¯s home and a few more distant farms. To the west was the shore. To the south was town. And to the east was the forest, and then, further beyond that, the great river and the border. ¡°If you were a stranger here, little oni, where would you hide?¡±


    ¡°The tavern, I guess.¡± He turned and gave her a long look. ¡°It worked for you,¡± Mora said defensively.


    ¡°You know what I mean. If you did not wish to be found.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. I mean, I haven¡¯t seen Anders until today and I¡¯ve got no clue where he spends most of his time. I¡¯d just go into the forest, I guess.¡±


    Vares turned his head right, towards the east. The shadowy treeline of the forest was maybe half a kilometer away. ¡°Do you know your way inside?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to know? You just gotta make sure you don¡¯t go in circles. There¡¯s not monsters or anything like that. I don¡¯t believe that.¡± Not anymore, at least.


    That seemed to make him happy. ¡°Then I believe we can start there.¡±

 Scolded

    Does he know I know? Petyr wondered.


    In a way, his father had to. Ever since he¡¯d come and brought up knowing that he was called Squeezer by Anders, the old man showed signs of cracking.


    Once they¡¯d gone into the kitchen and started cooking, Petyr considered bringing it up more directly; but it was at that same moment that Alis wandered in breathlessly after being gone all day, expressing her joy at finding Petyr unharmed and her frustration over being made to worry for so long.


    "Where were you exactly?" she asked, pulling up a seat to join him in peeling potatoes.


    The question made his father wake up to that fact as well. ¡°That¡¯s right, Petyr,¡± said Gregory, a thoughtful expression coming over his face. He adjusted his glasses. ¡°You never said where you were last night.¡±


    Not the best moment to bring up being kidnapped by Avesta, is it? In a way, it might''ve been best to be upfront about the whole thing. In a good world, he could just give Gregory all the details and invite Avesta to join them for a good long talk. Everyone could--


    ¡°Petyr!¡± Alis, who had been looking at him, gasped.


    She pushed his hair aside and checked out his ear, where the bottom part of the earlobe had been sliced off. ¡°Petyr!¡± she repeated, inflection rising, this time the concern replaced with anger as she saw the exact damage, as she realized he was a little less now than last she saw him, literally. ¡°What happened to you?! You¡­ Petyr! What happened?¡±


    Before he could answer, she was up on her feet and racing upstairs to get something for it. Gregory wandered closer to get a look, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. ¡°Who bit you?¡±


    Who? Sneaky old bastard, thought Petyr. He could hardly suppress the smirk coming on. ¡°Just an accident.¡±


    Alis ran back into the kitchen and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him after her. ¡°Come, come. Come with me at once!¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    They headed out on the porch, where she proceeded to wash the spot, rub it with disinfectant, and then applied some more of that nasty black stuff she''d put on the bump on his head. A bump. Ah, how much simpler that was...


    ¡°How does this keep happening to you?¡± Alis demanded with a sigh, and smacked his chest playfully.


    Beyond the indignity of being handled like a baby, Petyr realized Avesta herself might be secretly watching the display from afar and blushed from the humiliation of it. ¡°I''m not as well liked as I thought.¡±


    "What happens next time? Do you come home without an arm?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ two unhappy accidents. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Was this that damned oni again? Tell me, Petyr. I¡¯m going to smack the color off of her.¡±


    No, he almost said; but then, what other way could he explain it? ¡°No, of course not,¡± he said, in a hesitant way that made it sound like a yes.


    Mora could take the blame. Why not? Better than to explain it was some crazed wannabe hot Soverni assassin who was some sort of princess.


    ¡°I knew it! Those damned oni are savages. I told you that back home my great-uncle used to have one as a slave. Some lazy, good for nothing. Kept trying to run away with the silverware. Probably spent more time looking for it than they ever got work out of it. One day my great-uncle got so mad that when he found the slave, instead of bringing it home, he just beat its face in.¡±


    It? Petyr wondered, a bit taken aback by the level of indifference given the warm soul it was coming from. It sounded grim. As bad as Mora could be, he couldn¡¯t imagine beating her dead or taking her as a slave.


    Then, out of nowhere, Alis grabbed him by the arms and made him look into her sweet brown face and deep, loving eyes. ¡°Petyr. Is something wrong? You know you can tell me anything.¡±


    ¡°Wrong?" He laughed it off. "Of course not. Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°Ever since you came night the back before last, you¡¯ve been acting so strange¡­ And then I heard about Jayne¡¯s death¡­ You two kids weren¡¯t involved in anything, were you?¡±


    He clicked his tongue and shook her off. ¡°I barely knew her, Alis. You know that.¡±


    ¡°Because I need to know. I may not be your mother, but also¡­ I kind of am. So, you know.¡±


    If his real mother would¡¯ve been anywhere as detached as his father, then Alis was already more of a parent than both combined. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Really. And don¡¯t say that. You know you mean everything to me.¡±


    He almost cringed saying those words, but her genuine smile made it worth it every time. ¡°I know. You¡¯re an arrogant little brat, but you¡¯re still mine. Come on. Let¡¯s see about this dinner. I don¡¯t trust your father with cooking anything.¡±

 Forging Ahead

    At first, Mora thought he was crazy to go want to go look for people in the forest, though she saw no reason not to entertain his idea. As far as she could tell, keeping Vares away from others was best for everyone.


    For a time, maybe two hours or more, they wandered directionlessly through the forest. ¡°We should go back,¡± Mora said to him every so often. Vares, however, kept going, and as they got deeper in he began to move and act in a way closer to an animal.


    Now, as the gloom of the forest descended around them, he crouched and took a deep whiff of the air. ¡°Do you smell that, little oni?¡±


    ¡°It smells awful. Rotten.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the scent of the putrid corpse of the hedgehog we came upon before. It¡¯s carried on the wind. But beyond that. Do you smell anything else?¡±


    Mora sniffed the air as she stood next to him, her slender eleven-year-old body so tiny that she was still shorter than him even as he crouched. ¡°Not really. What is it?¡±


    Vares ignored her and took another deep whiff, savoring it, much like a wolf might.


    Not that Mora had encountered many wolves; but the stories she¡¯d heard made her imagine that this is how a wolf would act.


    The pirate went quiet and closed his glowing red eyes. What¡¯s wrong with him? she wondered. With his lean muscular body and lean physique, no doubt many human women found him very attractive. Why did he bother doing any of this when he could¡¯ve just lazed around and done nothing?The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Everything about him, from where he came from, to how he arrived, to that damned monkey he referred to as his beloved, was extremely strange.


    An unfamiliar bird screeched in the distance. Mora glanced up at the thick canopy above and noticed that the trickle of light was becoming fainter as the day advanced. ¡°We should go,¡± she said again. ¡°It¡¯ll be dark soon. I doubt we¡¯ll find our way out then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s perfume.¡± Vares stood up.


    Mora¡¯s head tilted to the side, dark eyes widening. ¡°Huh?¡±


    He smirked knowingly. ¡°The smell, little oni. It¡¯s the scent of perfume.¡±


    Mora smelled the air again, but there wasn¡¯t a trace of it. ¡°I can¡¯t smell it. Maybe only humans can smell it.¡±


    ¡°Has nothing to do with that. It¡¯s just that right now, my senses are¡­ fully awakened. Come.¡± He took a step forward and then stopped. ¡°Or better yet, go back. It may not be safe for you to accompany me from this point forward.¡±


    Mora clicked her tongue. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! I¡¯ve come this far, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, you¡¯ve managed to walk through the forest for an hour without dying, though I wouldn¡¯t say that is a particularly impressive feat. It certainly doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯d be able to face up against an enemy. Who knows what I¡¯m hunting.¡±


    A deep frown showed on her face. ¡°You do. Don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Vaguely. You should go back.¡±


    The moment he began to forge ahead without her, Mora sped right after him. ¡°I¡¯m not going back alone. It might be dark by then. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m getting lost here all by myself.¡±


    In part, that was an excuse to keep from going back, since she was invested now. Why was this big idiot pirate all the way out here if he didn¡¯t know who or what he was looking for?


    I¡¯m not going anywhere, thought Mora, throwing an over-the-shoulder glance at the stretch of forest they were leaving behind as they wandered deeper than she¡¯d ever gone before.


    Before her, lumbering ahead like a big cat that imagined no threats, was Vares. He¡¯ll keep me safe. Probably. He has to, doesn¡¯t he? He¡¯s saved my butt two times¡­


    What he would have to keep her safe from, though, remained to be seen.

 Warning Signs

    There was plenty of reason to doubt that Vares knew what he was doing.


    After all, the only thing Mora had seen him do so far was bring misery to people. Granted, that may have been justified; but still¡­


    The guy said that he was a pirate and a captain, but there was no evidence of either. Now he was suddenly tracking someone through the wilderness, a person he seemingly knew nothing about.


    Maybe he¡¯s just crazy, she thought. Sure, he¡¯s big and strong. But you can be big and strong and still be crazy, can¡¯t you?


    The only thing that confused her were his eyes. Given her age, Mora¡¯s experience with intoxicants was non-existent, while her maturity was high enough for her to hope that things would stay that way.


    Over the years, the tavern provided plenty of examples of drunks going nuts; but she had never seen a single person get better from consuming anything. Was that even possible?


    The red glow of Vares¡¯ eyes was unmistakable, though. And she had seen the same with Anders.


    I should ask Nik. The thought left her as soon as it came. Why would he ever tell her anything? Mora had learned a lot from him¡ªlessons almost always taken in the moments when he forgot she was even there.


    In a way, the whole thing made her rather upset. In the starting years of her life, at least as far back as she could remember, she had gotten the idea that she was almost like Nik¡¯s daughter. That one day, when she was old enough, she¡¯d stop being the disrespected little kid taking orders to become a player in her own right.


    Instead, ever since she¡¯d reached nine or ten, Nik began to exclude her. Even the usual tasks she would¡¯ve done begrudgingly¡ªcleaning his office, bringing his food and drinks when he was alone, and carrying his messages¡ªhe began to give out to others.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    That he gave her away to get rid of her was just rubbing salt in the wound. Mora hadn¡¯t dreamed of him being some perfect father figure to her; but on some level, even if it hadn¡¯t been an entirely conscious one, she¡¯d always hoped Nik would see her more as a daughter than a servant as the years went by.


    Instead, he doesn¡¯t want to see me at all, she thought. It contrasted greatly to the way he treated Petyr, for example. Petyr never got any grief from Nik. On the contrary, Nik seemed to treat him like they were relatives or something, only adding to her resentment. If not for the fact that she had a light crush on Petyr, stupid though he was, Mora might¡¯ve found an even bigger rock to throw at him¡­


    ¡°This is it,¡± said Vares, stopping.


    Mora had fallen so deeply into her own thoughts that she hadn¡¯t even noticed they entered a small clearing. There was clear sky above, a blue dark enough that allowed her to see the stars while the only thing that stood before them was a firepit and a tree stump.


    Cracking his knuckles, Vares went over to the fire and probed it with his finger. ¡°Interesting. It hasn¡¯t been out for long. Can you think of anyone who might be out here?¡±


    Mora scoured her brain for Windustian lore but there weren¡¯t even legends to do with the forest. Though it was right there, people preferred not to think of it at all. It was said that previous famines had led the locals to hunt everything inside of it, so that there was nothing left now¡ªnot even a squirrel. There were no hunters in Windust to speak of.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± she said.


    Vares ran a hand through his long hair and stood up. His nostrils flared. ¡°No, this is a woman¡¯s perfume. And it¡¯s not a scent I can imagine coming from this place. He was right. This is a foreigner.¡±


    Mora¡¯s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. ¡°Who was right?¡±


    He ignored her as he paced around the encampment, his eyes darting from place to place. ¡°Notice that there are no traps, little oni. You know what that means?¡±


    Mora crossed her arms incredulously. ¡°It could mean a number of things.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Vares made a face and smirked expectantly. ¡°Such as?¡±


    She sighed impatiently, almost contemptuous at the line of questioning. How stupid did he think she was? Just because she was a kid, didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t think. ¡°Maybe they were too dumb.¡±


    Vares chuckled darkly. ¡°Let¡¯s leave that aside. Next reason.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­ they didn¡¯t imagine anyone would come looking for them?¡±


    He gave her a long look at first, then began to nod. ¡°That¡¯s precisely the case. And from that, too, we can surmise that this stranger is either excruciatingly stupid¡­ or highly competent.¡±


    Vares paused for a moment, then grinned in a way that made him look like the sort of danger that kept people in their homes at night. ¡°I believe this is the latter."