Page 22 of A Tale of Mirth & Magic

B ARRA

S omething was bothering Elikki. I must have done something to upset her without realizing it. Did I pull too much while I was combing? Or maybe it was the spunk disaster from last night? I wouldn’t blame her for being annoyed about that today.

Whatever it was, I had to fix it. For a moment back at the inn, it had almost seemed like she didn’t want to continue traveling with me. What I did must have been bad.

We’d been walking along the road for twenty minutes now—Elikki had opted to walk rather than ride Pebble, which somehow seemed like another sign—and neither of us has said a word. For me, that wasn’t unusual. For her, that was definitely cause for alarm. She was always such a chatterbox.

I snuck a few quick glances down at her face as we walked. She looked lost in thought, a slight frown tugging at her mouth.

Say something, you idiot, say something! I took a few long, slow breaths, trying to calm down without her noticing.

“El—I mean, Elikki,” I said. “Is everything all right?”

“Of course!” she said brightly. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Okay, this was really, really bad. I knew that tone all too well from my sisters.

“You can tell me. If anything’s bothering you, you know?” I said, starting to sweat through my linen shirt.

“Mm-hmm,” she said, not looking at me.

I reached for the waterskin hooked onto Pebble’s back. “Do you need any water? Food? Or maybe you’re too hot? It’s quite sunny today.”

“I’m not a plant you need to tend to, Barra,” she said with a slight bite to her words. “I can take care of myself, and I’m fine . Just let me be, please.”

I felt as if she’d slapped me.

I couldn’t believe this was happening again.

Not that I thought we’d ride into the sunset together—though I may have imagined it once or twice—but I’d let my guard down with her.

Against my better judgment. After two years of keeping up my defenses.

We’d laughed together, eaten meals, gone on the run.

I’d tasted her. A flurry of moments from last night flashed through my mind.

We’d said that we would keep this casual. That was what she wanted, at least, and I was trying my best. I hadn’t made any of my usual mistakes, going too fast too soon. Had I? I’d just been focusing on her and our time together. Having fun, like she’d said.

But I’d still managed to mess up somehow.

Elikki was pulling away. She didn’t even want to talk to me now.

I was so stupid for thinking it could be different with her.

I mean, for goddess’s sake—she spent her life on the road!

Constantly traveling, never putting down roots or being with one person for too long. She’d told me so herself.

And I still, somewhere in the back of my mind, thought I could be the exception. Despite all my past failed relationships. Despite all evidence to the contrary.

Stupid.

I slipped behind Pebble and walked on her other side.

It helped to have the horse’s broad body between us, blocking my view of Elikki.

I could only see her dusty walking boots through Pebble’s legs, and the swish of her gray skirt around her ankles.

I took a long drink from the waterskin, forcing my eyes away from her feet and focusing on how the cold water moved down my throat.

Time went by, and we walked in silence. I counted my breaths and tried to relax my mind. We walked through a large prairie field, the road cutting straight through the middle. The sun beat down, and I resisted the urge to ask Elikki again if she wanted any water.

After a while, we entered another green forest of the Willowisp Woods.

Trees grew larger around us, some trunks triple the size of my torso.

The road was smaller here, and it meandered in curves around the trees, up and down hilly inclines.

Tiny birds chittered above our heads. They flew from branch to branch, dancing around each other and singing noisily.

I spotted a few rabbits hopping around in the undergrowth.

Encountering a small green turtle, I carefully picked it up before Pebble’s hooves trampled it, moving it off the road and back onto the forest floor.

Elikki caught me doing this. She had a strange look on her face, her mouth scrunched up tight. When her gray eyes met mine, I saw the woman I’d kissed just this morning. Then she shifted, darting her eyes away to look anywhere but at me.

“I—I’ll catch up with you in a minute,” she said. “Have to pee.” She moved off the trail, slipping between large ferns and tree trunks until I couldn’t see her anymore.

I should keep moving. This was probably creepy, waiting for her to pee over there, right?

Or—what if she was so uncomfortable with me now that she was actually leaving? For good. My heart seized up at the thought, but I took a breath. If that’s what she wanted, it was up to her. I wouldn’t make things worse and run after her.

Wait—her pack was still here, on Pebble. She’d never leave without that. It had all her earthly possessions. Where is your brain today, Barra?

Reluctantly, I tugged Pebble’s reins a bit and started walking again. If the way she ran from the constables was any indication, Elikki could easily catch up with us when she was finished.

And when she was back, we were going to have an honest conversation about this weirdness between us. I would apologize for whatever I’d done, and we’d figure out a plan. If she wanted to journey separately, I could give her Saho’s packed lunch and hold back to give her a head start to Old Orchard.

… And then return home instead. Where I belonged. That might be for the best. My family might be getting worried, and if Elikki didn’t even want me here—what the fuck was I doing?

Lost in my thoughts, I ambled along the road. A sudden scream pierced the forest.

Elikki!

My mind froze for a split second in terror.

Then I dropped Pebble’s reins and tore back up the road and into the woods, guessing at where she’d entered. The scream came again, more muffled this time, along with some loud, angry cursing.

“Elikki! ELIKKI!”

Panicked, I ran, swinging around for a glimpse of her. There!—a flash of lilac through the trees. I dashed toward her as quickly as I could, stomping plants and twigs beneath my feet.

“Gerroff! Agh!!”

A stout cloaked figure was wrestling with Elikki and trying to carry her off. They had one arm clenched around her neck, the other gripping her wrists tightly.

“GET. THE. FUCK. OFF. ME,” she managed to grind out from the chokehold her attacker had on her. She thrashed back and forth, trying to throw them.

“Let her go!” I yelled desperately, still fighting through the undergrowth toward them. I reached for the sword at my waist and— fuck , I’d left my sword hitched to Pebble’s saddlebags.

Elikki lifted one foot and kicked back, hard, ramming her boot heel into their knee. The attacker’s leg buckled, and they loosened their grip on her. She wasted no time. Yanking one arm free, she called her power to her with a few abrupt movements.

Faster than a blink, a dagger flew into her hand, and she stabbed the arm that was clamped around her throat. The attacker yelped, releasing her. Elikki spun, slashing out again with the knife. They backed away, clutching their shoulder.

Their hood had fallen back, revealing a dwarf woman with light sandy-colored skin and an irritated face.

No—she must be a half-dwarf because she was nearly as tall as Elikki.

Full cheeks and a strong jaw led down to her sharply pointed chin, with the equally sharp slashes of her brows set above fierce and very vexed eyes.

She radiated desperation. This was not someone I’d want to encounter in a dark alley, never mind that she was at least two feet shorter than me.

“All right, damn! Calm down,” she shouted. “I wasn’t going to hurt you!”

“ Calm. Down. Really? CALM DOWN?!” Elikki advanced on the woman. Her face was beet red from being choked. Hair in disarray, fierce anger pouring out of every inch of her.

“I’m a bounty hunter! I’m supposed to bring you to Povon on the lord’s orders.”

Elikki shook out one wrist, thick silver bangles jangling, wincing at the pain from how tightly they’d grabbed her. “Good luck with that,” she said ferociously, taking another stride toward her prey.

The bounty hunter stepped back. She’d pulled two long knives from somewhere and settled into an attack stance, seemingly resolved to settling this with weapons instead.

With a wicked smile, Elikki flung her arm toward the half-dwarf. The bangles flew off her wrist, zipping to her attacker. She curved her hand outward, whispering something. The metal expanded, widening.

Two clamped onto the bounty hunter’s own wrists, jerking her back roughly against a tree. They pulled around the trunk and hooked together, forcing a pained shout from their prisoner. Two more held her ankles. The final bangle had stretched wide around the woman’s head and settled on her neck.

“Drop your weapons,” Elikki hissed.

“Let me go!” The bounty hunter writhed, but she was held fast against the tree. I watched, gaping. I think they both had forgotten I was there—if they’d ever noticed to begin with. They seemed quite absorbed in their fight.

Elikki’s smile widened at the words. I did not like that smile. She looked like a cat who’d caught a mouse. And was going to eat it for dinner.

She lifted one hand and slowly made a fist. The metal circle around the half-dwarf’s neck tightened as she moved. Tighter, tighter—until it was pressing against her windpipe.

“Wait!” the other woman tried to say, panic setting in when she realized what was happening. Her weapons fell to the forest floor.

Elikki’s eyes gleamed.

“Wait? But why?” she asked softly, clenching her fist tighter. “This is what you were willing to do to me, just a moment ago. Remember? Wrapping your arm around my throat?”

The sharp metal cut into skin. The half-dwarf struggled to breathe.