Author's notes:

Expected chapters.

Chapter 6 rewrite. (Un/Alek)

20: Tsai Ting (Un/Alek)

21: Consequences (Neesha)

22: The Wounds that Don't Heal or Damn Them all to Hell (Neesha)

23: King's Port (Neesha)

24: Moon Eater (Alek)

25: Burning all the Bridges (Alek)

26 / epilogue: Death and Forest Spirits (Tsai Ting)

Alek had been spending a lot of time helping Saito with the construction of the tenement building. I wasn't going to complain as I'd be getting one of the smaller tenements, but it didn't escape my notice that he was using every excuse to stay far away from his new bride to be. I didn't get it, but he hadn't yet elaborated on the whole situation. Anyway it was morning and I was crossing the courtyard of dew covered grass as I headed out to check my traps as I did every morning. This one was particularly interesting though. As I passed the still unfinished shrine to some Anorian Forest spirit, I saw another woman. Not Alek's new fiancé. She wore fine leather boots, loose fitting pale pants that looked like they may have been made of silk, and a sleeveless white and green flower print shirt that vaguely resembled something an Anorian might wear, short enough to make a prostitute blush if not for the pants. Her hair was long and black and her ears were more pointed than mine. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was an Elf. All that didn't really register as too unusual, though as I approached in a wide arch, she turned her head my way and the solid blue-green of her eyes proved that, yes, she was indeed an Elf. She was practicing archery. Again that's not what really caught my attention. It was how she was practicing that held my eyes.

The woman knocked an arrow, pulled back on the bowstring, and stopped moving. If you've ever pulled back a bow, you'd know that you can't hold perfectly still at a full draw. Not without amazingly strong arms, or an amazingly weak bow. The bow looked to be of good quality. Her arms looked strong, but nowhere near as large might be required. She wasn't twitching at all. She looked for all the world like a statue crafted by a master artist. If I hadn't just seen her move, I'd go poke her to see what material she was made of. I wanted to poke her anyway.

Without warning, the string released and the arrow leapt forward, burying itself into the red center of the target next to four others. She knocked another arrow and drew. I watched very carefully, ignoring the still not twitching arm and focusing on the rest of the woman. She wasn't breathing, or at least I don't think she was, but the bow was moving. Tiny little adjustment in the direction the arrow was pointed. She released, and seemed rather upset when the arrow nicked the fetching of another in the center of the target.

"Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Fire a bow?" The words came out of her mouth oddly, like she was talking down to me. That was normal, but it was somehow different.

"No, to hold a draw like that."

"Ah. No. You are physiologically incapable of the action."

"So? I can't learn it?"

"You can not."

"Oh."

She knocked another arrow and drew. Once again freezing, almost perfectly still. She loosed and winced as her arrow once again caused another to move slightly.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I missed." She said with disdain.

I stared at the target. I'd never be able to hit the thing let alone the center where all the arrows were clustered. Weird woman.

"I'm Neesha."

"Tanalia."

"So what brings you here?"

She knocked yet another arrow. "You are odd for a Tel’ani."

I didn't respond. Just waited for her to reply or fire. She fired first. "I am to marry Lord Harbinger."

"I thought the blonde girl was supposed to marry him."

"She is. I'm to be his second."

"I didn't know humans did that."

"It was more common a long time ago." She drew back another arrow.

"Well, I'm going to check my traps. You can come with me if you want?"

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She looked at me, well, better to say she looked toward me. I could make out the faint delineation between her iris and the rest of her eye, but the full on blue-green coloring was really weird close up.

"I would need to change." She said after a long pause.

"I can wait."

***

Tanalia was weird. She talked like a girl who wouldn't be caught dead in the woods, but moved through the forest faster and quieter than I did. She was twitchy too. A lot of sharp movements and long pauses. I didn't know enough about elves to know whether it was just her or something common to her race. She wasn't squeamish and she wasn't terribly forthcoming with information either, but she talked when prompted and was generally good company. We did this everyday. Check the traps together, go fishing, and spar. Because she was good at that too and seemed to have a lot of nothing to do. It very quickly became clear that Alek was avoiding Tanalia as well as his human fiancé. Which was weird. I was under the impression that Alek liked women. Suddenly he was Saito's best friend or taking every chance he could get to be in town. Saito seemed happy to have an extra pair of hands.

"Can I look at you?"

The question caught me completely off guard. She was looking at me, or more accurately, looking toward me. I'm not sure if she actually looks at people.

"What do you mean?"

"I want to see you, but people find it unnerving, so I'm asking permission."

"Ah, well, sure." I seriously had no idea what the hells she was talking about.

She looked into my eyes and I fell apart. Her gaze pierced me. Pulled my soul apart like the layers of an onion until I was nothing more than a disassembled jigsaw puzzle of which she examined the pieces. She looked at the scattered bits of me. Her eyes twitching at my pain or her lips quirking at my triumph. She smiled, looked away, and the jigsaw puzzle of myself reassembled into the me that it was. "Whoa."

"Thank you. Neesha. I know it's uncomfortable."

"Can you do that again?" I practically shouted.

Well, now I know what a shocked Elf looks like.

***

I was holding my own against Alek exceptionally well. Honestly I felt like he was off his game. Completely distracted. Only after he threw me to the ground the second time did I find out why. Tanalia was watching. I waved her closer. Alek didn't seem to like that, but hells if I was going to waste the advantage. I struck toward Alek, going high, fainting low, and trying to come around the side. He must have been agitated. I'm not exactly sure how I ended up on the ground the third time.

"I wish to duel." Tanalia said with seriousness of a death sentence.

"Fuck off." Was Alek's reply.

"Hey." I interrupted. "That's rude."

"If you win, I will avoid you for a month."

"Yeah?" Alek asked, some interest creeping into his tone. "And if I lose?"

"I wish to see you."

"Fuck off."

Shit he really didn't like her. Not good considering they were supposed to be married in a few months. I couldn't remember my moms hating each other. I suppose that was a bit different though.

"Two months."

Alek frowned.

"My money's on Tanalia." I said, mostly just to get a rise out of him. I can be a little shit sometimes too. He gave me a betrayed look.

"Fine. Two months."

I handed my sword and axe off to Tanalia, gave her an encouraging smile, and settled back to watch the show. This was either going to be awesome, or terribly anticlimactic.

The two set themselves and then nothing happened. "Ah, go?" I said.

Tanalia shifted, very slightly. Alek did as well. Maybe this was going to be a very boring show. Tanalia rushed forward, fainting with the sword, but stopped short. Alek moved his footing slightly, his yellow eyes focused on the woman. Then the axe moved, Alek blocked it with his shield and countered Tanalia's sword with his own. One moment he was stepping back, the next he was thrusting forward. Tanalia's axe latched onto and pulled at the shield while her sword worked to hit the man behind. Alek countered and shook off the axe. He opened up his defenses and Tanalia took the opportunity, thrusting forward, but quickly backpedaling when she saw the trap for what it was. Their boots crunched on the gravel below as they slowly repositioned themselves.

Alek moved this time. Taking a quick few steps forward, he lashed out with his blade. Tanalia countered, moving closer and bringing the axe to bear against the shield. A sudden eruption blows back and forth had me scrambling out of their way. Alek charged forward, Tanalia worked her sword and axe. Alek attempted to shield bash her legs, but she jumped back and came in faster. Alek rolled away breaking contact and the two stood near motionless apart from each other. Alek crouched behind his shield and panting heavily. Tanalia standing tall and still as a statue. My money was still on Tanalia.

The Elf moved in quickly. Alek countered the first thrust and opened his defense. She came in with the axe. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but the shield and axe went skidding across the ground leaving their wielders facing off with only short arming swords. Alek moved for his shield, Tanalia interposed herself, possibly thinking she had an advantage now that Alek didn't have his shield. If so, she was wrong.

Alek lunged forward, Tanalia parried and took a punch to the gut from his free hand. The Elf stumbled back surprised. She thrust out at him with quick jabs. He ignored some, parried others, and when he had the opening he countered her by locking her blade and planting a kick to her midsection that took Tanalia off her feet. The Elf rolled backward. Apparently right where Alek wanted her. Backed against a large tree, Tanalia's ability to maneuver her sword was limited, giving Alek another advantage. It was short lived. Tanalia switched the sword to her left hand and pressed forward. Now Alek was backpedaling as he adapted to a left handed wielder. Alek separated from the tree, drawing Tanalia out into the open as she pressed the attack. He stepped into her guard. And then it was over. I didn't even see the movement that caused it, not exactly. Alek's sword had fallen, Tanalia had let out a surprised yelp. She was on her knees, Alek's knee in the back. He had her by the hair with her own sword pressed against her throat.

"I win." He rasped.

"Yeah." Tanalia aquesed. "I'm usually good at duels."

"I don't duel."

"Ah, I see."

Well I fucking didn't see. How was a fight between two people not a duel?

Alek released her. She picked herself up. Bowed to him as an Anorian might, and left without a word.

"How'd you do that?" I asked. I had to ask. I completely missed it.

"Come here."

Alek picked up his sword and handed mine back to me. I let him position me into an awkward, over extended stance with my feet too close together. He stepped in front of me. "Watch." Alek slid his sword against mine, forcing it away, far enough that my hand began to lose its grip. He stepped into my guard and I flinched.

"What did you want to do?"

"Knee you in the groin." I replied.

"Good. You'll notice the damn Elf didn't fight beyond using her weapon."

Oh, maybe that was the difference between dueling and not. Alek pushed my hand back so far that I dropped the blade. With his other hand, he grabbed my hair and his boot hit me in the back of the knees. I fell to the ground considerably slower than Tanalia had. Alek rotated around me, putting his knee into my back. His sword pressed to my throat. I'm still not sure how he ended up with hers.

"Now that you've seen it. Let's do it again and see if you can counter or break it."