AN: Thank you all so much for your support! Another baby chapter I'm afraid. Hope you're all having wonderful weekend, see you on Monday for a longer update!
PART I: The Witch
Ambush
They ambushed her out of nowhere. Came from the thicket of pine like shadows. They circled her, and for the second time that week she put her hands in the air.
"Peace," she said to the leader of the three. "I mean you no harm, I seek the Inquisition..."
"You come a strange path," the man sheathed his own longsword but did not give the order for his men to follow suit. Keen blue eyes took her in, and his nose wrinkled in distaste. "Why not take the main road, knife ear?"
Ah, so that's how this is. "I did not wish to be seen..."
"Suspicious, do you not agree?" he turned to his men and for an instant she thought to put her dagger through the jugular he exposed between helm and breastplate. For six years such instincts had kept her alive. She clenched and unclenched her fist.
"I would speak to whomever leads you," she cursed her faltering voice. "I have need of your Inquisition."
He squinted at her, muttered something underneath his moustache and gestured for his men to lower their blades."Standard procedure," he threaded his thumbs through his belt loops, face contorted like she was a particularly bad smell. "You relinquish all weapons to me and I'll take you up the mountain."
"All of them?" she sighed.
"Aye," he grunted. "You've a problem with that you can skip off from whence you came."
Ten years ago she couldn't move without being recognised. Hero is such a treacherous title.
It took several minutes for her to be sure she was completely unarmed. Her old habit of hoarding weapons had surfaced again on the road. Knives, daggers, two bastard swords, countless stilettos, broken hilts, an ancient arrowhead, all of these she piled into the uncertain recruit's arms.
"Maker's balls," she heard him mutter to his comrade as she stalked after their leader. "Who's she to have all these bloody weapons?"