"I've got it!" Teresa shouted up the stairs to where I was teaching little Thomas to read.

Confused, I placed the book on the table, and walked to the door. I paused and held out my hand and Thomas jumped to his feet and ran to take my hand. His thumb made its way to his mouth and I smiled at him.

"What did you get?" I asked curiously, walking into her lab where she brewed old potions and created new.

She held up a rather disgusting piece of… well, I am still not quite sure what it was, but it looked oily and brown. I looked at it with a bit of apprehension. She grinned. "You asked me to try and create something to help restore energy faster after magic. While I cannot be entirely positive until we test it, I think this is it."

I stared distastefully at the lump of… whatever… and then nodded. "You couldn't have made it any less appetizing, could you have?"

She grinned. "Come on. It's not that bad. At least it smells like it. The texture though you might have a point on. A woman is coming in later today with a leg that was severely broken when she fell through some rotting boards covering an old well yesterday. It will be a good chance for you to test this out."

"I can't wait." I said sarcastically and then walked to the door. "Did you need me to pick up anything?"

She shook her head. "Go amuse yourself. I don't care."

I nodded and went outside, following the path to the market square and bought myself a piece of candy with some of the money I had earned. Then I observed the people, recognizing several of the regulars and some that I had seen once or twice before. My eye caught on the travelers and I saw one man who was standing by a large black stallion, a sword strapped to his waist. Slipping into an alley, I changed my appearance to give myself red curly hair tied back with a leather strap and blue eyes as well as the image of a bow on my back. I had considered making myself look and sound like a man, but something about the idea just seemed wrong.

Thoroughly disguised so as not to bring suspicion upon my hosts, I walked over to the man and smiled at him. He looked at me skeptically. "What do you want?"

I leaned against the brick wall and smiled. "I was wondering if you might have an idea of what is going on outside this city's walls."

"But why would you need to know, miss?"

"Because I am a warrior." I answered without hesitation. "Now, tell me. The Forsworn is what they are called, right?" I knew, but I did not wish to seem too well informed.

The man nodded in affirmation. "Aye. The Forsworn. There were thirteen, twelve now as one was killed outside this very city. It's strange. After their first attack, they never directly confront groups of riders and even then only when they outnumber them and have the element of surprise."

"The elves?" I questioned.

"There was a battle not long ago farther south. The elves took on the Forsworn."

"And?"

"The battleground has been renamed the burning plains. The elves were forced to retreat from the battle."

I nodded morosely and then looked more closely at the man. "How do you know all this?"

"I have only recently traveled here from Dras Leona. Word travels quickly." He cocked his head. "Warrior or not, this is no woman's business. Leave men's work to the men and don't get in the way."

I recognized my dismissal, but bitterness at being addressed in such a manner nagged at me. I glanced back over my shoulder and then whispered a word in the ancient language. I am not proud of my actions then, but it amused me that his saddle would give him blisters whenever he thought of women in any kind of degrading way.

Full of new knowledge, I walked over and bought myself a small piece of candy before walking over to the potter's shop. I slipped through the door and waited as I watched a middle-aged man haggled over the price of a case of ceramic mason's jars. Jorgan glanced up and smiled at me before taking a few minutes longer to settle the deal. Once he had been paid, he dismissed the customer and turned to me.

"I haven't seen you in a few days." He commented, putting the money in a safe.

I smiled. "Teresa has been teaching me the business of herbs. I never knew that there was so much to know about plants. You can make potions for everything." I then realized that he was grinning at me and crossed my arms across my chest.

"Are you laughing at me?"

He fought to hide his smile. "I can tell you are very enthusiastic. I wasn't laughing."

I rolled my eyes at my friend –for my friend he had become– and stopped my rambling over herbs. "Whatever. How have you been?"

He shook his head. "Same as always. Making pottery and reading." He waved me to the back room and showed me a bowl that was in progress. I looked with not a little wonder as I crouched to examine the intricate carvings of dragons on the sides.

"This is amazing." I said quietly as I spun the wheel it was on, examining the patterns.

"Thank you." He said modestly. "You just seemed so interested in that piece I did with a dragon a few weeks ago I thought that I would try and do something more."

I smiled at him and stood. Jorgan was watching me closely and seemed startled when he realized I had noticed. A blush crept onto his cheeks and he looked away, unable to think of something to say for a while. Then he looked at me again. "I was wondering if you wanted to eat dinner someplace with me tonight." There was a bit of hopefulness in his voice.

I looked at him in confusion and then nodded slightly. "Sure."

He smiled then, bolder from my agreement. "I'll meet you then in front of the apothecary at six then?"

"Okay." I returned to Teresa's shop humming. It was common for an elf to invite a new acquaintance to dinner when they wished to get to know them better. It was a gesture of kindness and thoughtfulness. I wasn't quite sure what it signified to the humans, but I did not think it would be very different.

–At that point in my life, I was still hopelessly naïve about the customs of man. Never once did it cross my mind that he was asking to court me. In hindsight, that day could not have been any more out of control than it did. And as Solembum just so candidly put it. I waited long enough to dictate this portion of my story for him to write and I could really continue if I know what is best for my health. I think he may be bluffing, but then, with werecats, you never can be too sure of anything. Safer for everyone if I just get on with the story. Um… yeah.–

I arrived at the doorstep of the shop at the same time a man carried a pale-faced woman up the steps and to the door. Politely, I held the door for them and followed them inside. The man went and set the woman down on a chair and then turned to look at me.

"Are you Teresa?"

I shook my head. "I'm Angela, the healer, but I will fetch Teresa first. It is her shop." I looked at the pain-drawn face of the woman and her bleary eyes. "Just a minute."

I ran upstairs and Teresa was attempting to get Thomas to drink a potion, but the little boy was coughing and turning his face away. "A man and the woman you spoke of are here." I said quietly and she looked up from her son.

"Thomas caught a cold, but he won't drink anything I give to him." She sighed. "It is nothing life threatening, though. Let's go." I followed her downstairs and she walked to the man. "Hello, Nathan I presume? "

"Yes, and this is my wife Emily. She had a bad fall yesterday as I presume our servant informed you."

"Yes. Yes. Angela, would you examine it?"

I nodded and went to kneel before the young woman. She must have been a few years younger than I was. I lifted her shirt to her knee and then grimaced as the bone was broken both below and above the knee, shattered into many pieces it seemed. My spell confirmed it a moment later.

"Teresa, could you fetch something to put her out for this?"

She nodded and returned with a small leaf which she slipped between the woman's lips. In a few minutes, the woman went limp. I mover her to a couch and the cast a few more diagnostic spells over her body.

"It is a wonder she is alive. If the bones had been pushed even a small bit further, it would have pierced the artery in her leg and killed her within minutes."

The man had gone pale. "Can you help her? I will do anything to keep her alive and well."

I paused a moment to look at his sincere face and obvious worry. "I should be able to help her." I looked at the shattered leg once more and frowned, forming the spell in my head before I began to whisper the words, laying the framework for the spell before I filled it with magic.

The bone pieces began to move within her body, traveling to where they were originally. The lower leg I set with a loud crack and her husband flinched. Ignoring them, I continued to work, feeling my energy slowly drain. I drew more energy from the amethyst pendant that hung beneath my clothes, a gift from my mother, and stopped the slow internal bleeding from the wounds. The muscles I stitched together with magic, but was unable to heal her completely as my strength flagged.

I withdrew and looked wearily at the two people watching me. "She will live and walk again, but she will have to go easy for a while. The rest will have to heal naturally and the muscles will have to strengthen."

I swayed slightly and Teresa stayed me with a hand on the shoulder. "Easy." She said as I tried to stand. "You do too much." She helped me to a chair and I bent over, my head between my knees as the familiar headache I got from overexerting my magic flared. Teresa left for a minute. Then she placed something sticky and warm in my hand.

I sat up slightly to see the brown mass she claimed might help restore energy. "You have got to be kidding me." I had forgotten about her creation.

"Just eat it."

Too exhausted to put up a fight and cowed by the fact she had managed to sound exactly like my mother, I put it in my mouth and chewed. To my surprise, the oily texture was not as bad as expected and the taste was not that abominable. I forced a swallow and then returned to my position.

I was once again surprised when in a few minutes, I had recovered enough from exhaustion to sit straight and my headache faded even before it had become too much to bear. I looked at the two conscious people in the room and then at the woman.

The man went and sat beside his wife, taking her hand. "I cannot thank you enough for saving her." He watched her sleeping face. "How long does this last?"

He looked to me, but I shrugged and looked to Teresa. She paused for a moment. "It lasts approximately an hour, and we should be right about at that point. Any minute now, I would guess she wakes up."

Teresa fetched us all tea and we sat in relative silence, waiting. Finally, the woman turned on the couch and opened her eyes. She looked startled by finding everyone watching her and looked to her husband.

He smiled. "How do you feel?"

She sat up and her hand went to her almost-healed leg. "I'm not sure. Better." She corrected as she moved her leg.

I yawned, still slightly tired from my work, but not exhausted as I had been before. "You should be completely healed within the week and walking on your own after a few days."

"Thank you." Her husband said again before he went and paid. After that, he helped his wife limp out of the store.

Teresa walked over to me. "How did it work?" she said, referencing her creation.

"Not a substitute for rest or sleep, but I am in a much better state that if hadn't eaten it."

"I will tweak the recipe a bit and see if I can't improve it."

"Aright." I said before yawning again. "I think I'll take a nap if you don't need me right now. I'm going out later."

"Oh?"

I shrugged. "The man from the potter invited me to dinner at six." I said. Teresa giggled slightly and hid her mouth behind a hand. "What?" I asked curiously.

Still smiling, she shook her head. "Go take your nap."

Confused, I went upstairs to my bed and fell immediately asleep. A hand touched my shoulder and I woke with a start, only to find Teresa looking down at me where I slept. "I came to tell you that it will be six soon and if you wanted to get ready…"

"Thanks." I got up and stretched before dressing and braiding my hair to the side to keep it out of the way. Pleased with my appearance, I walked downstairs.

At exactly six, there was a knock on the door and I opened it to find Jorgan standing there. He smiled at me and I returned it freely, waving goodbye to Teresa, who was grinning widely. The door shut and Jorgan turned to me. "Unless you have somewhere specific you would like to go, I have a place in mind."

"Wherever you think." I responded. "I don't really know the city that well yet."

He nodded and we walked down the streets, passing people who took no interest in us at all. We stopped outside a tavern and he glanced at me. "It can be a bit rough sometimes, but the food and drink is the best in the city. Still, if-"

"It's fine." I assured him, looking up at the sign hanging above the door. It read The Fighting Dragon and bore the image of a forest green dragon reared on its back legs as it spouted a burst of yellow-orange flames. I had walked past the tavern many times on my ventures through the city as I strived to memorize the roads and end my habit of becoming turned around and lost in the many streets.

I had never actually gone in, but I was tempted to see what a tavern was. The elves didn't have such things. A balding man with little neck and beefy arms paused outside the entrance to fill his pipe and light it before taking a long draw and then blowing out the smoke in rings with practiced ease. After he had done that, he pushed open the door and entered.

Sounds of talking and laughter mixed in with the underlying sound of music leaked through the air to where we were walking and I smiled slightly in anticipation. My curiosity would soon be put to rest over what was inside. The door shut and the sounds were muted to a dull buzz.

We reached the door and Jorgan held it open for me. I smiled in thanks and stepped through. Immediately my senses were inundated by the flood of noises, smells, and sights of the inside of the tavern. Jorgan led me to an empty table near the bar and we sat. I paused to listen to the men around me. Obviously embellished and fabricated tales were being shared over glasses of ale and mead as they laughed and joked without a care.

No one seemed to notice our entrance but a young serving maid walked over wearing a dress that was immodestly low cut and left her very… exposed.

"What would you like?" she asked.

Jorgan smiled. "We will have whatever is cooking tonight. To drink, I will have apple mead. Angela?"

"I'll have the same as him." I said, having no knowledge of human drinks. After Jorgan passed her a few coins, she nodded and made a mark on a tablet before walking away.

In a minute, she returned with two full mugs of a golden liquid and set them on the table before each of us. Jorgan thanked her and then took a drink from his mug as he waited for the food. I looked at the mead and then tried it. The taste surprised me, but the drink in itself was rather weak. I suppose I had built up a tolerance having only been exposed to the elves' faelnirv, the strongest of any drink I had tasted.

Jorgan and I spoke quietly over mundane matters for a while, both enjoying our time. A man walked over and leered down at me. Jorgan stiffened and made to stand, but I caught his eye and shook my head. While it was admirable that he wished to protect me, I was perfectly able to watch over myself.

I leveled a glare at the man, but he was too heavy with drink to understand the weight of the threat I was giving. The expression on his face was full of lust and I became uncomfortable.

–One thing about elves is that you never feel uncomfortable around them. They are far too proper and polite. You never feel as though you need to watch your back in fear of being attacked. No, among the elves you may make enemies, but at least you know they would never make an attempt on your life. Neither do they look at you in the same disgusting way that men sometimes do.–

The man grinned. "My lady, you are beautiful."

"I am not interested." I spoke coolly, giving him a final chance to back off. He still did not get the message and his hand reached out with surprising speed to grab my wrist.

Battle skills kicking in, I twisted my wrist to grab his instead, jerked him down to my level and then planted my elbow in his face.

The man grunted in pain and his hand went to hold his nose, the other still managing to keep a firm hold on the pint of drink.

I then realized everyone in the tavern had been watching us and grew nervous, hoping I had not gotten us in trouble. Even the magicians had paused in their playing. Then a woman began to laugh and then several more joined in before the noise refilled the room and everyone slowly forgot about what had just happened.

"I admit I did not expect that." Jorgan said with a look of awe on his face. "I don't think you could have handled that any more smoothly. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

I froze and then smiled as I remembered once again the wonders of lying. "My father thought it was a good idea for me to be able to defend myself." I shrugged. "He was a soldier and was in the position to teach me."

Jorgan seemed to be thinking for a minute before smiling. "I'd say he taught you well."

The same serving woman that had brought us drinks carried out two steaming bowls and a bit of anxiety hit me and my stomach turned. "What is it? I asked nervously.

"Vegetable soup and bread." She responded and I let out a breath, not believing my luck. I had not even considered that I might be served meat. I nodded and took my bowl, dipping a piece of bread in the broth and tasting it, finding it much to my liking,

For the next twenty minutes, we talked and laughed, having a good time.

It was then that a stray bit of a conversation hit my ears. "Got them from when those dragons were killed."

I froze. Jorgan was watching me. "Angela, you look really pale. Are you alright?"

I took a deep breath and then shook my head slightly. It had been a couple of months, but the pain had not faded in the least.

"See, look." He opened a pouch to show his friend whatever was in the bag.

Not wanting Jorgan to be suspicious of my actions, I rested my face in my hand, trying to get my breath back and then reached my mind to the man who had been talking. Random thoughts assaulted my mind. I learned his name was Markus and forced my way through his memories.

He rode down the path toward the city late that evening, wanting only a bed and something to drink, too exhausted to think of much else. A sudden flash of light drew his attention upwards and he glimpsed a flash of fire in the sky. Curiously, he watched and as a group of dragons collided with another, their roars and screams filling the skies as the massive aerial battle commenced.

The man hid on the edge of a copse of trees, too frightened to leave them for fear of the fighting riders seeing him and turning their wrath there. He watched as one group finished off the other and flew off into the sky to the south.

After waiting a while to make sure that all were indeed gone, Markus crept toward the battlefield and walked among the bodies. A thought crossed his mind and he smiled, drawing a dagger. The knucklebones of a dragon were said to have magical properties and to the right buyer, they could bring in a load of gold.

Kneeling along the right front leg of a deep purple dragon, the man butchered the dragon's cold foot, congealed blood sticking to his hand.

Even as he finished his project, guards drawn by the racket and fight were approaching from the city. Not wishing to become caught, he rode around, giving the battlefield a wide berth and hid out for several days before entering the city.

I pulled out from his mind to find Jorgan's hand on my arm. "Angela, what is it?"

I met his eyes and I knew he saw my sorrow and pain. "Will you promise me that whatever happens here, you will give me a chance to explain before you judge?"

"What do you-?"

"Please."

He nodded. "I promise I will give you a chance, but what-"

I stood, letting my appearance back to my original state and walked toward the counter, approaching the man who had violated the corpse of Vanilor. "Give them here. Now."

The man looked at me and then laughed. "And why would I do that?"

I growled and he flinched. "Because what you did was terrible and wrong. You were foolish to think that you would escape punishment for such a deed." Without pause, I reached my hand into the pocket I had seen him deposit the pouch into and stole the bag of Vanilor's knucklebones.

The man cried out in outrage and drew a sword, swiping at me with fury. "Give them back. They are mine."

"They were never yours." I said angrily, ducking his sword. Many people rushed toward the doors and fled from the fight, but many remained, drawing weapons and turning on me. Jorgan stood frozen by the wall, confused and afraid.

"I don't want to hurt any of you. Go now."

A man laughed. "The girl thinks she can best eight men carrying swords. She does not even carry a weapon."

I drew my double swords then. "Leave."

The only response was another laugh before the men converged on me, all attempting to kill. I allowed my mind to relax and feel the thoughts of everyone around me. I did not have the leisure to fight with my mind –and had not yet been trained well enough to do more than one person at a time – and so I simple studied their next moves, gliding through the fight in smooth strokes of my sword.

I pierced the chest of one man who was better than the rest, nearly reaching me, to protect my safety. At that, one of the men ran through the door, but none of the others would let me be. "Fight, girl." One mocked as I ducked a blade and blocked another, not striking at the men for fear of taking more lives. But then a dagger, thrown by the bartender before he hid away, pierced my shoulder as I spun at the last minute to prevent its striking my heart.

That was when I snapped. Ignoring the terrible pain of the wound, I sprung at the man who had taken the knucklebones and beheaded him before spinning to the next man and running him through his stomach.

The tip of a sword etched a shallow, but long cut across my stomach as I was too slow to dodge properly. I danced around their attacks and killed the rest of the men. The bartender stared at me in fear and I put him to sleep. He, at least, had done nothing more than defend his shop.

I swayed on my feet and looked to see Jorgan staring at me in indecision, a knife gripped in his hand. I dropped to my knees, the reality of what had just occurred sinking in and began to weep.

Making up his mind, Jorgan walked over and crouched beside me. "Angela, come on. Stand." He pulled me to my feet. "I'll bring you home. I don't know anything of healing, but Teresa will." I forced myself to my feet, nauseous, and looked at him, whispering a spell in the ancient language, hiding us from anyone's sight and wiping the bloody trail by footprints created.

The shock and adrenaline were finally wearing off and I leaned more and more on Jorgan as he helped me toward the shop. He glanced at me. "I will be expecting the explanation as soon as you are able. I have given you the benefit of the doubt, but I do not trust you right now."

I nodded weakly, having expected no better. We reached the door and it opened. I ended my spell and Teresa gasped at my bloodied appearance. I stared back at her blankly, unable to form my thoughts into coherent words.

"Angela." I barely heard her. "Angela." I didn't respond. "Meira?" She questioned and my head jerked up, the name my parents a blow to me after I had relived that night.

Despite Jorgan's support, I fell to one knee, unable to remain upright. She caught me before I could fall the rest of the way to the ground. My last memory was being lifted onto a bed and a foul tasting potion being forced down my throat as the two people in the room conversed in low voices. After that, all there was to remember was blackness.

Almost five thousand words. And there it is. Because of Inheritance, I had to rethink how it is possible for Angela to live to the age she does and to fit all the random info CP gave into my story. It is harder to make plausible than you could guess. But I think I have got it now. Please leave a review to tell me what you thought of the chapter.