8. Regent
REGENT
How the fuck did I get roped into this? Of all the oddities I’ve acquired over my years, taking a useless greer as a prisoner was not on my list. I meant it when I said the sooner I’m done with her, the better.
“So, you’re a bandit?” she calls from behind me.
I keep at least ten feet between us, uncomfortable in her presence.
Her magic is erratic, and although depleted by Lake Mahoori, now that we’ve walked past the threshold, it’s obvious in the way creatures and beasts alike are both drawn and repulsed by her that she’s Felia blessed.
This is the closest my mare would get to her, walking alongside me, though she often glares over her shoulder at the greer.
Esther’s foot catches on an exposed root before she quickly catches herself, and I huff a frustrated breath, irked by her slow pace. She staggers and sways behind me.
She might be conscious with a fire in her belly full of attitude, but it comes in waves. Lake Mahoori takes much out of those it saves, in exchange for something great.
On our right, I can sense a dark beast lurking in the shadows.
It’s been following us for some time, but it’s curiously getting closer.
Others don’t follow me through the jungle often, knowing better than to try, but I’m certain it’s not me drawing the dark beast’s attention.
I stop and turn to face the little greer.
She’s tired, her face sunken, but her glare throws daggers. It’s been a long time since I’ve engaged with her kind. My gaze dips to her bare feet, which are now bloodied and dirty, my jaw ticking once again. She’s so weak and breakable.
She mocks me, pretending to reply to her own question. “Yes, Esther, I’m an asshole and a bandit.”
“You’re too slow,” I bite, ushering my mare to steady as she tries to step back. I place my hand on her nose and stroke, easing her. Her brown eyes close, calming, her trust being reinstated in me as the little greer gets nearer.
“I’m sorry that my chained, shackled feet don’t meet your expectations,” she bites back.
“Perhaps if you weren’t so quick to try and run away or kill me, I wouldn’t have to keep them there.”
She offers me a benevolent, half-crazed smile. “What if I promise to be nice when I kill you?”
Charming.
I don’t need chains to restrain her. The shackles went on only after I brought her out of Lake Mahoori as she became more of a danger to herself than me.
The two days of madness she experienced, yet seemingly doesn’t recall, waged a cruel battle on her body.
The shackles remain now because of her smart mouth.
I look back into the trees, sensing the beast that saunters closer. I internally curse, raising my magic like hackles in warning as I send the threat in its direction, reminding it of its place.
Her foot catches on the rocky terrain again. “Was it only this year you learned to use your fawn-like legs?”
“Again, come and take these shackles off, and we’ll see how useless my legs really are,” she seethes, and I can’t help but bite the inside of my cheek, bemused.
Plenty of venom in this one.
I turn my back on her and continue walking with my mare.
We’re not far from the outskirts of the jungle, which is where we have to get to first. It’s true what this jungle does to the mind, and even with such a foul mouth, I believe she would not last long living among it.
Either way, it might also be the safest place for us to stay a night after the full moon.
Esther. I don’t even know why I asked for her name. It’s irrelevant to me because soon she won’t be my problem.
The burning sun continues to bear down on us.
I’m accustomed to it, but the likes of—She falls again, and I turn to reprimand her pace until I realize she’s not moving.
I walk toward her, but my mare whinnies in complaint.
It’d be so much easier if my mare would let Esther on her back, but any creature of light and Neina blessed knows better than to mingle with this girl.
I come to a stop in front of her, crouching and placing my fingers under her nose to see if she’s breathing. Faintly.
I sigh, looking up to the burning sun. I could leave her here, though she wouldn’t last through the night. Her little beast materializes, and I roll my eyes as he starts speaking in that foreign tongue of his, and I’m certain he’s reprimanding me.
A small growl escapes me, and he shrinks back, my warning loud and clear. I don’t care what language it speaks. I’m not in the habit of being lectured.
I scoop her into my arms, craning my neck back as much as possible so I don’t inhale her soft scent. The little beast scampers from one tree to the next, as if pacing and monitoring the situation while leading us in the direction of the village.
A vibrant blue butterfly flutters around me, and I catch the wisps of magic from its messenger. I let one of my vines reach out, touching the edges of the makeshift magic that goes up in smoke and hovers as a note.
The item you seek will be at the Volmere auctions, hidden away in the vault.
It erupts into flames as I stomp past it, my jaw grinding.
Fickle are the Fates and the dangling bait they provide.
It’s fallen to a starry night, and I irritably wait for her to wake.
Her eyelashes flutter open, and the first thing she does is swing, on instinct alone, attacking me. I catch her wrist, already growing tired of this song and dance. I grab her by the nape of the neck before she tries to break my nose again.
Her gaze searches our surroundings, and I release her.
“Where are we?” she whispers, her eyebrows furrowing. I throw her another canteen of fresh water. I wait until she takes a few mouthfuls before speaking again.
“We’re on the outskirts of a village. You need time outside of the jungle. You fainted, most likely from the aftermath of Lake Mahoori. It can sting like a bitch for weeks, months, sometimes even years after you strike a deal.”
“A deal? I don’t recall any…”
“Most people don’t recall what deal was struck and with what god, if any. Now, when we go into this little village, you’re going to promise that you won’t so much as scream, cry, or even whimper for help. Understand? Let me assure you that your kind is not welcome here.”
“My kind?”
Going off the uniforms of the men that chased her, she most likely comes from the South, potentially Caldom Kingdom, since it’s the closest seaside city to reach the edges of the Boey Jungle that surrounds Hemmont.
“Those from the South are not welcome here, and unlike how greers are revered in your kingdom, they are not here. If you cry for help and tell them about a pretty kidnapping story, you’ll end up tied to a stake, but hey, you won’t be my problem anymore, will you?”
“You have kidnapped me,” she grits. “Why do they hate those from the South?”
I eye her carefully. “How coddled have you been, little greer? Your people tried to overtake this land over a decade ago, and they almost succeeded, but in the end, they crawled back to your kingdom with their tails tucked between their legs. Now come.” I grab her by the elbow.
“Wait, don’t you think you should remove these chains?”
“For what reason? No one will so much as give you a second glance.” I throw the hood over her head. “Besides, we won’t be getting close enough for anyone to see us.”
The magic over my face contorts my facial features, and I throw my own leather hood on. This village has little defense, though very few come close to it because of its location on the edge of the jungle. “Keep that beast of yours in check as well.”
Her hand reaches for her throat, and I surmise that, although glamoured, that’s most likely where the marking to their contract is. The little thing is a nuisance, but loyal to a fault.
My mare continues to trot alongside us yet still keeping a distance. I’m certain that ever since collecting this little greer from the jungle, my mare isn’t all too happy with me. But bit by bit, she’s been reluctantly getting closer.
A dog barks, but the village, for the most part, is quiet. I crouch low, nearing the first cluster of huts as I keep a keen eye out to spot what I’m looking for. She keeps up with my steps, now that there aren’t so many vines and exposed roots to snag her footing.
She whispers behind me, “I can assume since we’re sneaking around that we’re not staying for the night?”
“And whose coin do you think you’re using for that?”
“Great, so not only are you a bandit but also a tight ass.”
I turn on her. I have far more to offer than coin, seeing as I saved her sorry ass only nights ago. “I don’t think you’re in the right to be demanding, considering the circumstances you find yourself in. Besides, I don’t like congregations of many people.”
“You don’t say.” She rolls her eyes, and I have the urge to pinch her cheeks, just to rattle that smart mouth of hers.
“Fuck off!” a man yells, and I pull her in by the shoulder, pressing her against the hut and covering her with my body as I peek over the side.
Four soldiers stand at what’s supposed to be the entrance gates, but since the last fire only one year ago, not much of it remains.
A villager yells at the foreign soldier again.
“Your kind aren’t welcome here. Find somewhere else to rest your weary bones.
I heard the jungle is a nice place to stay. ” He spits at the foot of the soldier.
His uniform is black leather with red markings, a red robe, and a crescent too far to decipher. It’s the same uniform as the soldiers who chased my little prisoner.
“Do you mind?” Esther grumbles, but I bring my hand to her mouth to silence her as I listen.
Suddenly, she bites down on my hand, and I silently curse, snarling internally as I give her an effective look. Her teeth are sharp, and she only bites harder as I sneer and curl my fingers down around her chin.
“Perhaps I should muzzle you next,” I warn, and yank my hand free of her teeth. She shoves me partially out of the way so she can twist and watch as well. I find it ironic that her beast has no teeth whatsoever, and instead it’s the master to be more wary of.
Her body freezes with recognition. She sucks in a breath and turns, her gaze quickly diverting from mine.
“We’re looking for a woman with red hair, five-ten in height, twenty years in age. Who has seen her?” the soldier announces, pulling sleeping villagers from their homes and out into the dry night.
“I still have a week until I’m twenty, dipshits,” she whispers.
“Fuck off!” another man screams.
“On the orders of Dahlia Seranto, you will answer me now!” the soldier yells. A dull red glow at his hip, and every hackle on my back rises. Randor blade. Not uncommon here, but distasteful.
Esther peeks back over her shoulder, her body pressing against mine. My jaw grinds, fighting the urge to shove her away.
“We don’t answer to you! Go back to your lands!” a woman screams.
“Noncompliance is presumed to be hiding the woman. We will flush her out by force.”
The man chants, and one of the huts goes up in flames. I’m quick to grab Esther as she tries to step out into the open. “Are you crazy? What, you’ll just hand yourself over?”
Her eyes narrow on mine. “I will not let innocent people die because of me.”
Her gaze is fierce as she tries to wriggle out of my grip. I pin her against the hut, my knee between her thighs as I get in her face. “You forget you’re my prisoner now.”
Besides, whatever she is to them, it seems too high a price to pay so quickly after all the hardships I went through just to keep her alive.
A woman screams, and an outbreak erupts.
“This village has rebuilt itself time and time again. This will not be the first nor the last time it shall fall,” I say, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her into the shadow of the next hut.
I have no interest in playing into politics or engaging in warfare.
I look over my shoulder and spot exactly what I came here for.
Trousers and a shirt that might be slightly too big for her, but will manage much better than the weight of my hooded coat, which exposes her legs.
Sitting at the edge of the hut is a pair of boots that will most likely fit her. If not, we’ll make adjustments to them.
She whispers something over my shoulder, and when I look at her, she’s watching the soldiers with a fierce level of hatred, the reflection of the flames burning in her eyes. Suddenly, there’s an explosion of flames that erupts into the sky. The soldiers’ horses squeal as they reel back.
“We’re under attack!” one of the soldier’s shout.
I scan our surroundings but can’t sense another greer close by. With all the might on her expression, I’d assume she was attacking them, but every greer must chant, and she is bound to the element of earth, much like I am.
We have to get out of here. I yank on her hand and make a run for the clothes, pulling them off the clothesline and ushering the ground beneath to bring the boots to me like tiny ants.
I scoop them with ease as I pull her toward the next hut and look back to my mare, who lingers on the outskirts of the village.
Screams erupt as all hell breaks loose. I go to run for the mare, but Esther digs her heels in, pulling me back.
“We have to help them,” she says desperately.
“No.”
“So what, you’re a bandit, thief, and a total dick? Surely you have the slightest bit of a heart. These people did nothing wrong.”
“But you did, right? Tell me, little greer, what did you do to call upon the wrath of an army that would follow you overseas to serve justice?”
Her jaw grinds, the muscles in her shoulders bunching. In that moment, I wonder if it’s something she’s been cursed not to speak about, maybe a secret she can’t share, not because she doesn’t want to, but because she can’t.
Either way, it’s of no interest to me.
I yank on her hand, pulling her back toward the jungle.