Galen Vesa

“Zee?”

“You had shared your room with her, have you not? Did you forget her already?”

How could I? It is difficult to forget someone that tries to dump a bucket of night soil on your head. Repeatedly.

“No, I did not. She has a rather, memorable personality. She will want to leave because I returned?”

“Sah… After you left, she had taken most of the load. With her being how she will…”

Altina sat with her ears sagging lower than ever before. She did care. Even for Zee.

“But that is my responsibility, not yours. Tell me, what of your core, is it truly whole again? How is that possible?”

“Short answer would be, I don’t know. Real answer is more complicated. “

Well, someone or something put me through all this ordeal with little say in any of that. Whatever the reason or benefit it would yield.

“I had help. Not from people that promised help, no. Those tried to kill me. I had to run and destroy a whole lot of dark toys someone whished to get off that island. An awful lot of people died just because of my presence. The result? I probably upset some powers I should not... Also, It turns out I had lied to us both regarding certain matters…”

Her eyes narrowed into thin slits.

“When we first met, you called me an assassin. Many people continue to do so as well. I never saw myself as one befitting such title, able to harm people. It never went through my mind. It was, illogical. Yet, it seems I did kill people. Made them perish in some horrible, horrible ways. Mending my core lead me to recover part of what I was. “

“An assassin with amnesia, you claim to be. I had only read of such happenings in books. Most entertaining stories…”

I would not believe my own voice had my own screams not woken me up so many times. I remembered how I did it. This body held all the skills while the spirits blessings made child’s play of all but the strongest opponents. Is this how a superhero would feel? Walking under constant pressure, minding each and every move as not to splatter some unlucky bystander with an accidental sneeze. But I am no hero, nor I wish to be one.

Minding my manners, I put the precious porcelain teacup down and let my mana flow. Time slowed to a crawl then stopped for all but me. At the speed those blessing gave me, even my own heart felt frozen and unmoving. Gentle blue glow appeared around my frame, now something I did not even thought about. A thin layer of condensed mana, and the only reason why I had not set myself on fire with friction while I moved through the air at those inhuman speeds. The second skill Rooth made me practice mercilessly, just after brewing his favorite tea.

Fire slowly turned her head towards me, her eyes trying to catch focus. The wolf will not notice for a long while what happened, so I felt no rush. A second could last a whole eternity for as long as I had mana to burn. Gently, as not to cause shock waves, I lift myself out of my chair and walked around her desk. A sparrow stuck midflight just behind the glass of the windows that let sun’s warm light fall on Altina’s back.

Careful as not to touch her, I lowered myself and put my arms around her then reined in my mana to return time to its rightful flow and I whispered.

“I do not know what I am anymore. I do not know what I may become. Perhaps you may wish to withdraw from our deal. It might be safer for you, for the guild. Cut our ties before I involve you with something… ”

The shiver that went through her spine, rattled the chair but I sensed no fear from her. Instead, she rubbed her cheek against my arm and put her hand atop mine.

“Child, I had taken you in knowing full well what you might be, whether you remembered it or not. I will not run from my responsibility. That was my choice, those are the consequences I bear.”

She sighed, her body trembling.

“However, if you will not unhand me right this moment, I may no longer be able to stop myself from committing all those blasphemous deeds your charms put in my mind.”

Oh.

“You speak of something interesting my honey bun, may I join you?”

The wolf’s ear twitched and I’m quite sure I saw her fangs flash at Fire. With biggest difficulty, she freed herself from my arms and pushed me away.

“Mercifull Shamuu… ”

Her heart rattled with unwelcomed emotions. Now that I think of it, how did Rooth cope with those charms? I made sure my mana would not flow into those runes engraved in my bones.

“A. I have letters for you.”

She rummaged through her desk.

“Letters?”

Letters as in plural? Who would want to write to me? More so, who would know where to look for me?

“A. Here.”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

A bundle of considerable thickness suddenly appeared on her desk soon to be joined by yet another one and another.

“These come from the most reputable houses. And those,”

She waved her hand over the stack then put three more letters atop, those were wrapped in leather.

“You might want to start with those. All three are official, bearing the emperor’s seal. The rest we put in the guest room.”

“There’s even more?”

“A. There is more. Much more. You can burn them for all I care, but these you must read.”

She pushed the leather-bound ones toward me. Somewhat reluctant, I took those and breaking the wax seal I read the first one. Eh? What on earth?

“Well? What is it? Stop staring it and speak, what does the empire wants of you now?”

Well, perhaps I should have expected that.

“Taxes.”

“What?!”

“I’ve been granted citizenship by the emperor himself so ever since the wedding my income is taxed and since I never paid any, I am in arrears with imperial taxes.”

I gave her the very polite yet stern notice from imperial tax inspector Fassuren and moved on to the next one.

You will find what you seek west of Risu village by the Daar river.

I turned the page but found nothing more beyond his signature, Garbannel von Melleroy. Oy, was this… Risu village. That bridge. That place. We were so close… Erta?

Nothing. She slept, in a sleep so deep my thought could not reach her. Not from the surface at least. Committing the message to my memory I folded the page and shoved it between my pillows for safe keeping.

“Is everything fine?”

The Wolf asked since I sat unable to focus on last package. I broke the seal releasing its magic and tossed it to her.

“Yes, he kept his word.”

I really need to wake up that darn lizard.

“Is there a room I can use? I need some time for myself.”

“At the end of the hall, no one will bother you.”

***

“Perhaps we should refrain from using this method.”

Logic spoke among the myriad voices screaming, `don’t do it`. Although, some were screaming `do it! `

Well, I think I earned the privilege to execute my little payback so, willing a steel baseball bat into existence, I took a stance behind the Erta's rear, A place where her dragon back ended, and her tail began, and… I’m gonna need a bigger bat. Up this close, I might be standing beside a rock and no one would know better. That is if that rock would snore as this dragon did.

Not that I would imply she was fat, well, maybe. A mountain of meat is, just that, a mountain of meat.

Enlarging my imaginary bat to a size more befitting the task, I aimed, and I swung, putting in all the strength I could muster in this place.

And gloink went the bat against her scales and out of my bleeding hands. That kind of hurt. Me at least. If the lizard did notice something, she made no attempt to show it nor did her snores changed in any perceivable way.

“That’s kind of anticlimactic…”

Joy sighed from the ground. Sitting cross legged, she’s been stuffing her face with popcorn and offering not exactly helpful comments. Nope, I’m not gonna be trying with a golf club next.

“What’s wrong with her anyway?”

Curiosity climbed atop that mountain of flesh, constantly fixing her glasses as she scoured every inch of the dragon's back. I looked at Logic.

“We had no part in it.”

“But you did bring her here.”

“We did.”

“Why? You never cared for outsiders.”

She gave me a look signifying I should feel awkward or at least one that put in doubt my intelligence.

“We are many.”

Her voice came to me quite calm, aimed at a child with no understanding.

“She is not.”

Logic's eyes narrowed as if I said something outlandish. As if I insisted the sun went around the Earth, the moon was made of cheese or we were sailing through space on a pancake held by gargantuan elephants.

“We are many.”

She left it at that and walked away into the mist. Now that did not happen before. Saving the lizard and all… Something broke even more while I was gone from this merry company? I’m not sure if I want to know.

“Cora? Can you hear me? Will you come down here for a moment? “

Her body slide out from the bark of the nearest life tree.

“You have called my useless master?”

“Charming. What’s going on in here? Why can’t I wake her?”

“Her mind is sealed.”

“What?”

She lifted her arm and pointed at Erta’s head. There, between her horns and under the burning fire, something else was there that shouldn’t. A glowing shape. A rune my mind told me.

Sleep, it read.

“You knew about that?”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“You did not ask.”

Well, technically…

“Did you do that?”

“As much as it saddens me, that level of magic is beyond me and no, I am not able to remove that. “

That wasn’t a lie either. So, something stronger than my tree hugger put it there. I just had to poke my bracelet, but it remained unmoving, pretending not to be involved in any of that. Without any other choice I called upon my queens.

“You have called my love?”

Water responded for all three.

“If I’m not mistaken,”

I pointed at the rune glowing on Erta’s forehead.

“That must be some kind of a seal, can you remove that?”

At once, water and Earth looked at Fire.

“Wha-What do you want? I am not touching that.”

Did I miss some memo?

“Why?”

I never thought I would see something like that, but Fire’s face became flushed, she vanished without any explanation, Earth soon following in her footsteps.

“My love,”

Water brushed my cheek with her palm.

“You have our names and our lives. Your wish is our desire however, this much I am allowed to state, the owner of that mark outranks you.”

“So say the law?”

“No my love. So say the mark’s power.”

“Am I supposed to just let it be? No, I cannot. Not now, not when we are this close…”

Cora rushed towards me all but a moment too late, Water’s palms were already closed round my neck, her thumbs dug deep into my skin. Lifted off the ground, my legs flailed in the air while she squeezed, oblivious to the dryad’s best efforts at reclaiming my freedom.

“My love, I beg of thee, speak no more of this or you shall end us both.”

She cried, her glittering tears streaming from her eyes, yet her grip closed tighter round my neck. Gasping for air my physical body trashed where I left it, clawing at its neck, unable to remove the grip that held me in this world.

A warning, I get it, I submit.

She dropped me the instant I thought of that.

“Forgive me my love, I…”

And puff, she was gone.

“Master, may I suggest you stop trying to kill us?”

You don’t say…

I let myself resurface and found my body panting on the carpet while sparkles flickered before my eyes. So much for waking the lizard. So much for keeping my head low. So much for not getting involved.

“Very well. Let’s do it your way.”

I spoke to no one in particular and hauled my ass off the floor and back into the wolfs office. I knocked and entered without waiting an answer. Altina still sat flipping one of my letters in her palms.

“Karin? What…”

I scribbled a note using her glass pen and paper. The ink smudged a bit but remained redable.

“I’m sorry but can you have it delivered to the temple? I think it’s best if I don’t go there in person.”

Sceptic, the wolf studied my note.

“What does it say?”

My hand used Elven alphabet for whatever reason.

“Come to the guild or I’ll bash your face in. Again. Love, Karin.”

“Sah… so it’s true? You did that? You hit her?”

“Yes.”

She sat silent for a while then folded my note and dripping some wax onto it, sealed it with her guild seal.

“If I ever manage to pay you off what the guild owns you, remind me to give you a rise.”