Hunt for Justice (14 page)

"A deal struck."

With that, Shayua nodded and stepped back.

"Wait... that's it?"

"You expected more?"

"Well... yes! I expected some big speech or proclamation to your goddess."

"OUR goddess.'

"Yes, of course that's what I meant, but I just thought--"

"Our goddess does not require big, elaborate rituals like other deities. Avien'zia is more about action over words."

"Oh, well, let's get started then. I want to learn everything."

"In time. At this moment we should fix your hand. I won't be able to teach you to use a bow if your palm gets infected."

"True. I should wash the wound and get it wrapped."

"That won't be necessary."

Shayua pulled a small vial from her pouch and popped off the cork.

"Let me see your hand."

Shayua gripped her wrist again, and sprinkled a ground-up powder over the wound. She then used her free hand to rub it in. It hurt at first, but then the sharp pain turned into a light throbbing. A few moments later it was gone completely.

"What was that?"

"Rottwealth."

"Rottwealth? Just that small amount costs a fortune!"

"Not as much as it used to cost. The supply in Lurthalan has increased this past year."

"Still, for you to use it on me..."

"As my student, you are my responsibility now. To let something bad happen, even something as small as an infected hand, would reflect poorly on me. I've taken on a great responsibility becoming your mentor."

"Shayua, I had no idea."

"Well, let this be your first lesson. Everything you do from this point on is a reflection of how I instruct you. You can thank me for mentoring you by trying your best not to embarrass me."

"Thank you."

"Good. I'm hoping to at least make it a few days before I have to administer your first beating."

"First?"

Oh, Ezzy. What have you gotten yourself into?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Awakening

"Wake up," Shayua's grating voice tore Ezzy out of a pleasant dream that included a bathhouse, a handsome masseur, and his magical fingers along her spine. "We have a lot to do before we head out."

Ezzy's body ached and her eyes fought her as she tried to open them. They had stayed up late, Shayua wanting to teach her how to shoot a bow by fire and moonlight. The woman hadn't let Ezzy sleep until she had fired three shots with acceptable form. All she had to eat were a few pieces of jerky, thankfully spice-free. The three moons had all been floating in the sky by the time Ezzy was allowed to lie down. It had taken even longer for her to fall asleep as she tossed and turned on the various rocks and roots that made up the forest floor.

And now she was being woken up in the last remaining moments of night when the moons were gone and dawn was just starting to peek over the Unyielding Wall.

"Just a few more moments," she replied.

That earned her a kick in the side that almost knocked the air from her lungs.

"The sun will not wait a few more moments for you to rise. We go by its schedule, not yours, Esmerelda."

"Understood," Ezzy wheezed. Climbing out of her blankets, she let her eyes adjust to the dark. Nolan was still sleeping, one hand resting on his staff. The man was snoring, which bothered her for some reason.

"Come. This way."

Shayua was a blur of movement in the darkness. Ezzy followed in silence, wondering what morning activity the bounty hunter had planned. More practice with a bow in low light? Maybe some hunting and trapping practice? What else could they do this early in the morning?

I hope this isn't an everyday thing. Wait, where did Shayua go?

Lost in thought, Ezzy had lost track of the woman. The woods were so dark. The only thing her senses could pick up was the snap of branches and twigs beneath her feet as she stumbled forward. She might as well have been wandering blind. Part of her wanted to call out for her mentor, but her pride kept her quiet. She would just stumble on until the woman called for her or the sun came up enough for her to see.

"This way, little rabbit."

Shayua's voice came from behind her, possibly on her right side. How had the woman gotten behind her?

"Which way?"

"Over here."

Orienting herself in the direction of the voice, Ezzy set off in the new direction. The bounty hunter's reasons for getting her up this early had better be more than to have her traipse about lost in the woods. If the only lesson she was supposed to learn was how inept she was in the dark...well, there wasn't much she could do. Maybe toss out Shayua's spices so the woman couldn't continue to poison--

A snapping sound came from her right, followed by the sound of something falling through the trees. Before she could react, something gripped her ankle and pulled her legs out from under her. Her back and head hit the ground hard and then she was lifted into the air feet first. Her vision swam from the impact on the ground and her arms hung limply just above the ground as she swung upside-down. A hand gripped her shirt and Shayua was kneeling right in her face, their noses almost touching.

"Seems like you're caught in a snare, little rabbit."

"I don't see how swinging from my ankles helps me get closer to Avien'zia."

"Oh, but it does." The slow scrape of a knife leaving its sheath sent a chill down Ezzy's spine. The cold look in Shayua's eyes made Ezzy tense up even more. "The capture of prey, offered up to Avien'zia, is a great compliment to our goddess."

This close, Shayua's lower incisors looked like little daggers sticking up over her lip. And where was the knife she had heard come free?

"Shayua, I'm not prey. You said yourself you had abandoned the bounty."

"This is true, but it does not mean I cannot still hunt you for sport. And now that I've caught you, I can offer our goddess a tribute of blood."

"Shayua, this isn't funny anymore. You're starting to sca--"

Ezzy's voice cut off with a squeak as the blade of a knife touched her neck.

"A morning offering of blood was how I first introduced myself properly to the goddess, Esmerelda. I believe your blood will be an acceptable greeting to her again."

"Shayua, please..." Fear gripped her. She tried to summon Paz to her but all her focus was on the sharp edge pressed against her skin.

"Please? You want to just get right to it? I like that."

The blade began to move.

"No!"

Ezzy closed her eyes as a sharp pain rippled through her.

And then it was gone.

Her own hands went right to her throat, feeling along the skin for where the knife had done its damage. Confusion sank in as she failed to find even a scratch. As her mind struggled to understand what was happening, a dull ache started on the left side of her head. Her hand moved to the source of the pain, her ear, and she felt something wet. Daring to open her eyes, she looked at the small amount of blood smeared on her hand. Then she saw Shayua sitting a few paces away barely in sight.

The woman was smiling!

Not the smile of a psychopath. Not a condescending smirk. The bounty hunter wore a wide grin, her eyes filled with nothing but warmth.

"Shayua! By the Abyss, I thought you were going to slit my throat. You could have said all you were going to do was nick my ear."

"Where would be the fun in that?"

"So that's what you consider fun? Making someone nearly wet themselves?"

"Were you close? That would have made the joke even better."

"Shayua..."

"I told you yesterday that to allow anything horrible to happen to you would reflect poorly on me. That especially includes killing you."

"The words seem less true when you have a knife to my throat."

"That's only because you understand nothing about our goddess. But you will learn."

"Can I learn while standing on my own two feet? All the blood is rushing to my head, and I'm starting to get a little woozy."

Shayua gripped something at her side and pulled. The tension of the rope holding her up disappeared and Ezzy dropped to the ground. She barely tucked in time to avoid landing on her head, her back taking the brunt of the fall instead. An exposed root dug into her ribs, making her grunt as she tried to sit up. Keeping her discomfort to herself, she instead focused on removing the rope from around her ankles. When she finished, Shayua motioned for her to move closer. Ezzy crawled over and took a seat directly in front of her. To her credit, when Shayua then held out a knife, Ezzy did not shy away.

"This is my Korin. Hold it."

Ezzy did as she was told, taking the blade in her hand. The handle felt awkward, brown leather wrapped around whatever material made up the grip, and it was clearly meant for someone with a larger hand than her own. It had no hand guard or fancy decorations. The most interesting part about it was the blade. The dark gray color of it threw her off for a moment, but she guessed it was made of bone. Her own blood still adorned the tip. Overall it was an unimpressive weapon and certainly not something she would have thought had special meaning.

"I don't understand. Is there something I'm missing? It seems like a something put together with scraps."

"You are not far off. I made it solely from what I harvested from my very first hunt and kill."

Ezzy quickly handed it back.

"You mean, it's made from the parts of a person?" To think the bone came from a human was gross enough, but to think of how she had made the leather of the handle...

"No, no, no. My first kill was a boar in these very woods."

"Oh well, that's a relief."

"Do not think that it has not been done before. My mentor's first kill in Avien'zia's name was a man. The target was a murderer of women and children, and my mentor took great joy in ridding him from the world. Having been born a weapon-smith's son, my mentor's blade was expertly made from the pieces of the man. If your first kill is a human, I will expect you to do the same."

"Really? That's horrendous!"

"So you would not do it?" The tone of Shayua's voice made her words more of an accusation than a question.

"I...will just make sure my first kill is an animal. Then it won't be an issue."

"We will see. Sometimes the decision to kill is made for you." Rising, Shayua sheathed her Korin. "Congratulations, my apprentice. You have taken your first steps in truly knowing your goddess."

"Really? Just a little bloodletting? Should I feel different?"

"Yo
u
ar
e
different. You are just too blind to see it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, all you have to do is open your eyes."

"Stop talking in riddles. My eyes are open."

"Then look around."

"What do you think I'm doing? All I see are trees and plants, a few birds perched in the trees around us. That smug look on your face."

"And how are you seeing all this without any light?"

"What? I...oh my..."

Shayua was right. The sun had yet to climb over the Wall. Even the dull glow of dawn hadn't appeared. And yet she could see everything around her. Could make out details where she should only be able to see subtle blurs. Thinking back, Ezzy realized that she had been able to tell Shayua's expressions and see all of the details of her Korin with little light penetrating the canopy of the forest. She had been too foolish to realize it.

Her mind reeled at the implications. It was all true! Ezzy twirled around, trying to see as much as she could in the darkness. The realization that her new vision only penetrated a few paces away diminished her excitement, but only by a small amount. The fact that she could see clearly any distance at all was amazing. And all of this had come within the first day!

"Is this what you meant? Can you see in the dark as well?"

"Yes."

"This is amazing. It's such a gift."

"It is not a gift, Esmerelda. It is a borrowed skill. You are Avien'zia's now. She can provide you with such skills as long as you follow her ways. With time and devotion, they can improve. If you displease her, she will cast you aside and you will lose it all. Do you understand?"

"Yes, you've made it perfectly clear."

"Good. Then let's head back. I want Nolan awake and ready to move as soon as the sun finally gets around to rising."

"Sounds good to me. Oh, and Shayua, one last thing?"

"Yes?"

"You can just call me Ezzy."