Bounty hunting became my purpose as I moved from village to village across the human realm. I never stayed in one place for more than a few years to avoid suspicion. It didn't matter how small or how poor the villages were, someone was always willing to pay.
My senses became sharper with every hunt, and my soul blacker with each kill. There were a few times I came across creatures that escaped from my side of the wall, but my song had the same effect on them as it did humans. One by one they fell victim to my blade.
Today was this village's market day. I had only lived in this village for five years, and I would move on within the year. I sat down at the fountain sitting in the middle of the square and sharpened my dagger, waiting for someone to ask for the use of my skills.
Out of my peripheral vision I watched a young woman with golden-brown hair approach, but it was the scent of what she carried that made me glare up at her. She paused as she took me in, I had filled out my shoulders and forearms. Her eyes skimmed over the deep scar on my cheek. "I only accept coin for my services." glancing at the pelts in her arms I could smell that one of them wasn't a normal pelt.
"Then you are out of luck in this village."
"Speak your business or get lost."
"I have these pelts and I thought you would be interested in them?"
I looked over her dirty and worn clothing before meeting her eyes again "You steal them?"
"No." she held my gaze, not blinking at the deep violet color in my eyes, "I hunted them in the forest. The wolf brought down the doe I was originally hunting, and then I killed the wolf. The only thing about this wolf that stood out to me was its size. It was bigger than any I have ever seen. I thought it could have come from the other side of the wall."
I gestured for her to show them to me and lay them out. I pay no attention to the doe hide, focusing on the wolf's. "You were not lying about its size." I take a deep breath and smell the scent of fae on it.
"But I don't believe it was a faerie," I lied. I named my price for the pelt, and she gaped stating that I was overpaying for it. Glancing over her shoulder I could see two other women with similar features and hair color to the woman before me. "I am going to assume that the two behind you are your sisters? Look, the merchants here today are going to pay you nothing for these pelts. Just take the money before I change my mind."
"I don't need your pity, so why do this?"
Her question made me think of Nava and it made me wonder how her and her son were doing. "Someone showed me kindness when I had nothing, thinking it was time to repay what was due." I wave off her offer of giving me some wood carvings her father had made. "I travel light and these" I grab the pelts, "Save the trouble of killing them myself."
She finally relents, and I pay her the coin before she leaves. I return to the cottage I found on the edge of the village and lay the pelts on the table. 'I know naga have slipped through the Wall but this fae smells like he came from spring.'
It was the middle of the night, and my body was exhausted from a job I had completed later that day. Suddenly a massive surge of power woke me from my slumber. It was a power I did not recognize, but it was definitely High Fae. I grabbed my sword and glamoured my wings, allowing my long hair to keep my ears hidden as I ran into the dark forest. I tracked the overwhelming power into the night.
I stayed low as I spotted the rundown cottage and recognized the scent of the girl from the market. A large golden-furred beast roared in the clearing before barging into the cottage.
The voices carried over to me in the wind as I watched in silence. The beast claimed that one of them had killed the wolf, and the woman from the market stated that she had killed it. When she was asked if it was in self-defense, she denied it. The beast's roar shook the house, and I could feel the power in my bones. The beast spoke of the Treaty having been violated, and that a life would pay for a life. I stayed in my spot and watched as the woman was led from her home, with the beast trailing behind her.
He was going to take her to Prythian, and more than likely kill her.