Zara sucked in a breath, breaking eye contact with the beautiful woman in front of her to gaze into the forest again. Of course she didn't see the shadowy figure again.

"Y-yes?" She finally answered Yuli after a full minute of silence. She realized she started to hold her breath after the voice had spoken in her ear and her heart was racing wildly. She tried to take steadying breaths without being too obvious how much she was shaken.

Yuli watched her with a raised eyebrow. Zara turned back to meet her gaze, trying to keep the panic off her face. From Yuli's perplexed expression she knew she wasn't doing a very good job.

"Are you alright?" Yuli asked, concerned once again.

She probably thinks I'm crazy Zara thought to herself. Maybe I am...

"Yea, I'm fine. I'm still just a little wound up from everything that has happened to me this evening, that's all," Zara tried to explain in a shakier voice than she planned.

Yuli didn't look like she believed her but let the subject drop.

"If you need one of us to escort you back tonight, we can," Yuli said, motioning back the way Zara knew her village must be. "Do you have family who will be worrying about you?"

At the word family, Zara's face fell. She unconsciously reached up and clutched her chest at the stabbing pain that went through it. She sucked in a too deep of a breath and ground her teeth together to avoid another sudden sob that she knew was on the verge of bursting through. Tears filled her eyes for a second but she was able to quickly blink them away.

"No," she answered, still clutching her chest. "My family won't be looking for me. I'm... alone."

Yuli's eye turned sympathetic then. She reached out and placed her fingertips on the back of Zara's hand that was clutched over her heart.

"You are welcome to rest with us for the night then," Yuli said in a very soft voice. "I promise that you can get some sleep and I will protect you."

Zara stared at her, searching her face for any sign of deceit but found none.

"I will stay with you for the night if you don't mind," Zara said after thinking for only a moment. "There is one person who will probably come looking for me eventually. Though, I imagine it won't be until tomorrow sometime."

Yuli nodded and gestured toward the fire. "The green pack is mine and you are free to use the attached bedroll to sleep. I will stand guard while you get some rest. There are still hours left until the morning."

Zara agreed despite her earlier plans to stay awake due to her distrust. She wasn't sure why but she did trust Yuli, even though she just met her. There was something about her that put her mind at ease. Zara went to set up the bedroll but Ta'Ga beat her to it, unfastening it quickly as she reached out for it. She looked at him in question and he grinned at her widely.

"I'll set it up for you," he explained. "You're dead on your feet. I'm surprised you're still standing at all."

Zara had to admit it was true. She could feel herself swaying every so often as she had been speaking to Yuli.

Ta'Ga made quick work of the bedroll, placing it close to the fire. He offered Zara his hand as she sat down so she wouldn't fall over. Once he was satisfied she was settled he grinned at her again and went back to work tidying up. Had she thought of him as menacing before? Sure he was big but his smile was so friendly and carefree that it changed her whole perception of him. In the dark alleyway she had likened him and Grennt to thuugs or criminals. Now she realized that had been an unfair assessment and felt bad even though she knew they brought it on themselves by cornering her. Ta'Ga even seemed to be in a lighter mood than when he had spoken to Yuli went he brought back the deer. She wondered which was his usual, the serious or the cheery. Grennt didn't offer any smiles but watched her now and then, almost like he was checking on her.

Zara laid down, not able to fight the exhaustion anymore. It was like the grief had sucked all of her energy out and let a shell behind. Before she could close her eyes and succumb to sleep, Yuli plopped down on the ground next to her, back to the fire and Ta'Ga and Grennt.

"Zara," she said, not turning to look down at her face, "I know we haven't given you the best impression of us or our mission and I'm truly sorry for that. I would like to offer you the option of joining our organization... You don't have to give us an answer right away, of course. We will be here until tomorrow afternoon. You can go home and think about it. I really hope you consider it though... While Raio went about things the wrong way I do believe he recognized your strength correctly and that you would make a great addition to our efforts. You are, of course, free to leave at any time you like if you decide it isn't the life for you. No questions asked."

Zara blinked up at the back of Yuli's head, trying to make sense of all she had just told her. Join them? Her? She didn't feel particularly special. She knew that what she did in the bar was not impressive or even comparable to the abilities Yuli or even Ta'Ga and Grennt likely possessed. She didn't know the first thing about being a mercenary. Besides, this town was her home. It was the place she had shared with her mother all these years. It was familiar, people knew her face. She knew she'd be able to make some type of living here at the docks. She couldn't leave, could she? It hadn't even been an option to her before now. She had always planned to stay and make it work. After all, there was no where else she wanted to go.

As she thought about it though, she was surprised to find the idea did hold some appeal. She couldn't stand the thought of living in her and her mother's apartment alone. There were too many memories there to suffocate her. The good and the bad. Her mother's laughter would always be absent and she'd also see the sick bed where she had lay dying while Zara cared for her, helpless. She also realized that there was somewhere that held appeal to her... Though not a place exactly. Anywhere she could go that would give her clues about what happened to her sister. The problem was she had no clue where she could find answers like that. However, she was fairly certain she wouldn't find any by staying in town. If clues were there, her mother would have found them already. There weren't any.

Zara thought this through as her eyelids slid closed of their own accord. She was asleep in seconds. Yuli turned her head to look at the young girl laying behind her and frowned deeper.

"Sleep well, Zara," she muttered and then turned her attention back to the moon.

_______________

Zara woke up screaming. She was screaming before her eyes fully opened. When the scream finally died away she blinked in the harsh sunlight, trying to make sense of where she was. Something was holding her arms and she thrashing wildly, trying to free herself. She could hear someone talking but in her frantic flailing she didn’t hear them. The horrible images of her nightmare died away slowly, still blinding her mind. The shadows had no longer been shadows. They were horrible, grotesque monsters with horns and claws and bright glowing red eyes. To Zara’s horror, they didn’t just slip around and float past her like usual. They could touch her. She understood them. Not just broken words this time but full thoughts, full sentences. They still floated around her but now crystal clear. While normally disturbing, this was terrifying. She could still feel their clawed hands running along her skin as they floated around her. She was sure one of them had a hold her now, pulling her along with them.

Suddenly there were soft hands on the sides of her face as she tried to let out another scream in terror. Then her eyes found the bright golden ones in front of her and her scream caught in her throat. This were not the glowing eyes of a monster. She gasped for breath as her mind reeled, trying to take in the reality and force out the dream but it was hard. Harder this time than ever before. She kept gasping for breath as she stared into the concerned eyes staring into her own. They helped bring her back and then she could hear the woman’s words.

“Zara,” she was saying, concern lacing her tone as she continued to hold her face in her hands. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

Zara could hear her questions now but the terror still griped her. Her body shuddered as her breathing started to become more regular. Her eyes burned, tears threatening to fall. She was just barely able to hold them back. She struggled to find her voice.

“Where… Am I?” Zara asked, voice hoarse.

Yuli’s brow creased as she stared at the young girl in her hands in worry.

“You’re still in the forest with us,” she explained. “It’s just morning now. I came to shake you awake and noticed you were covered in sweat. I grabbed you arm to wake you and you started screaming…”

Yuli trailed off as she waited for her words to sink in. Zara grabbed her head, shaking off Yuli’s hands. Her head was pounding like she hadn’t gotten any sleep even though it was clear she had.

“Right,” Zara muttered, shaking her head. “The the forest. Of course.”

She smiled weakly up at Yuli. “I had a bad dream,” she explained. “Maybe because of what happened last night and my head injury? I’m fine now.”

Yuli stared at her, saying nothing.

Zara looked around for the others. She stretched her still shaky limbs, trying to act casual. She caught Ta’Ga’s perplexed expression as he watched her from the other side of the clearing. She didn’t see Grennt or Raio anywhere.

“Where are the others?” Zara asked Yuli, standing up and yawning. Yuli was still staring at her in concern but followed her to standing.

“They went ahead to town,” she said, gesturing in the general direction. “I sent them ahead to fill our water-skins again and wash up at the river. Grennt and Ta’Ga were still covered in blood from hunting and I don’t want to draw attention to ourselves. Ta’Ga already washed up last night. They’re already intimidating to humans, especially in towns where mostly only inane reside. Having them covered in blood would almost surely cause some kind of commotion.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Zara glanced over at Ta’Ga again as Yuli said this. He seemed far enough away where he wouldn’t be listening in. He sat on a fallen tree and seemed to be whittling a small piece of wood. She watched him with interest for a moment.

“They are half-orcs then?” Zara asked, not taking her eyes off the large man. At her words he looked up and grinned, a look of pride in his eyes.

“What else?” Yuli asked, head cocked to the side. “You wouldn’t really see a full orc meandering around on a mission, would you?”

Zara shrugged, observing how Ta’Ga had very clearly heard her soft words and offered him a small smile back. He returned to his work, pretending to ignore them again.

"Besides," Yuli said, looking at Ta'Ga as well. "they aren't nearly big enough to be full orcs."

As Zara watched, Ta'Ga's smile turned to a scowl and he cast a cold glare at Yuli. Yuli laughed a quiet laugh and to Zara's amazement, cracked a small teasing smile at Ta'Ga. He immediately got up and stomped into the forest, grumbling the whole way.

Yuli turned to Zara, a mischevious twinkle in her eye. "That's what he gets for eavesdropping. Come on we better catch up before he gets too far. We have to return you home."

"Can he help it?" Zara asked.

"No," Yuli said, "but he could still try a little harder not to hear people who are having a private conversation. Orcs, and half-orcs for that matter, have extremely good eyesight and hearing."

Yuli went over to where the fire had been and picked up her pack. Zara followed her, thoughts now on the impending journey home. Home to her empty, sad little apartment.

_______________

The journey to the edge of town was quick and they met with the rest of the men about halfway back. Zara insisted they didn’t need to escort her back to her home but Yuli insisted. She claimed she felt it was her duty after they basically kidnapped her to make sure she got home safe before they parted ways. They all followed her through the quiet streets, deserted in the early morning dawn. She knew that soon they would be full of people going about their day and heading towards the docks. The docks would already be busy with workers setting up their boats and setting out for the day. Some staying behind to man their tiny shops and if the weather allowed, outdoor stands.

Before she knew it they were standing in front of the tiny brick building she called home. Their apartment was upstairs so she headed toward the stairs and paused, turning toward the trailing team behind her.

“So… This is it,” Zara said. “Thank you for taking care of me last night.”

As she spoke she mainly met Yuli’s gaze, her words directed at her. She quickly glanced to the others and Ta’Ga and Grennt gave her a sheepish smile. Raio was watching her but keep his face expressionless.

“Well… Goodbye,” she said and waved before turning to climb up the stairs.

Before she got up two steps, she heard her name called in Yuli’s soft voice. She paused and turned to look at her, eyebrow raised in question.

“My offer still stands,” she said. “If you’d like to join us, we will be at the edge of town tonight just after dark. We will do a bit of scouting today and refill our supplies before moving on. If you want to come with us, meet us back where we came into town this morning. If not… Well it was nice to meet you and I’m sorry again about the misunderstanding.”

Zara paused, unsure of what to say. She nodded and turned to go up the stairs. “Thanks,” she muttered just loud enough for them to hear and then dashed inside. She closed the door behind her firmly and leaned against the back of the door with a sigh. Her head swam with everything that had happened to her.

She barely had time to process her mother’s death and funeral and then she was assaulted in a bar, kidnapped and been plagued with sudden, horrible nightmares. It made her mind feel weary as she tried to sort through all of her emotions. Plus now she was made an offer to leave with the people that kidnapped her and she was surprised to feel like maybe she was interested? Maybe she had lost her mind.

She didn’t think she was in any state to be making life-altering decisions. She knew that her want to leave was only running away from the pain that being here caused her. This was wrong, she knew, but the temptation was there. But ultimately she knew she wouldn’t go. She wasn’t on any level to be traveling with the likes of those she had just parted with. She had no special abilities or training. Even the way back to the town she had noticed they slowed their pace through the forest considerably just so she could keep up. They tried not to make it obvious but she could tell. They moved swiftly, barely making a sound as they wove through the tress and underbrush. She had crashed through, stumbling and deafening in comparison.

It was nice of Yuli to offer and Zara had to admit she liked Yuli. For some reason she trusted her and that made her decision even harder. Maybe they would cross paths again some day, Zara thought to herself even though she knew the odds weren’t good. It was unlikely Yuli would have reason to return to a small town like this.

Decision to stay more firmly set in her mind, she opened her eyes and took in her home. It was untidy from her lack of caring to clean while she took care of her mom and then having to make her funeral arrangements. She noticed for the first time a little plant they had in a pot was shriveled and brown, long dead from neglect.

She sighed as she went around, picking up various items and putting them back in their places. The floor and surfaces were dusty and when she had managed to put everything astray away she went to wipe everything down. As she cleaned she made a plan to go down to the docks to find works first thing in the morning tomorrow. She only had a small income as it was, helping out at the bar here and there so her landlord had been reasonable when she knew her mother was sick and that she had to take care of her. But now that she wasn’t busy caring for her sick mother she imagined she’d expect Zara to be able to pay her rent.

After the main area of the apartment was as tidy as she felt necessary for the time being, she moved on to her tiny bedroom. It took her no time to shove clothes back into drawers and make her bed. When she was done she hesitated a long time, standing in her hallway at the closed door to her mother’s room. Once her mother had died in there and the undertaker had come to collect her body she had shut the door tight and never reopened it. That had been about three.. No, four days ago she decided, trying to count back through the murky, grief-stained memories.

She took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open. The curtains were drawn tight so it looked as dark as night inside. She opened the door wide and stepped inside. She wrinkled her nose a little, the musty smell of old herbs and blood hung in the air. On the small bedside table still sat the various concoctions she had tried to treat her mother with to no avail. She had tried just about everything the old man at the small apothecary in town had suggested. When the traditional methods the doctor had suggested didn’t work she had begged the little old man to help her. She said to tell her anything that could help and she would get what she needed. He had hesitated but after seeing the desperation in her eyes he had given her the ingredients for some herbal remedies that were passed down in his family. It turns out his mother and grandmother had partaken in some witchcraft. Some of it the dark kind. When he had told Zara this he had shuddered involuntarily, telling her without words exactly how he felt about that.

She hadn’t questioned him on it. She just listened as he gave her detailed instructions of how crush this and mix that for a few remedies he knew. He assured her these were not dark magic or anything of the sort but they could be lethal and become poison if the wrong amount of ingredients were added or mixed in the wrong order. Zara had paid extremely close attention, knowing her mother’s life hung in the balance. She knew she had followed his instructions to the letter. She had tried it all, every single remedy he could give her. In the end it didn’t matter. Her mother’s condition never got any better or worse. Then, about a week after Zara had tried every last things she could she had died. She had come in one morning to check on her and change the cool compress she keep on her forehead and her mother was still. Lifeless. Haunting, dead eyes staring at the ceiling.

The eyes are what stuck with Zara, burned into her head. Her mother's usual deep brown eyes had turned bright, blood red in death. Not just the white parts but also the actual irises as well. She didn't think it was normal and it had disturbed her so much she had gone to the doctor and the undertaker to ask if they had ever seen such a thing. They had both agreed with her that it was odd but they said that sometimes strange things started happening to the body after death. Neither could confirm ever seeing such a thing but they had assured her it was probably due to whatever had finally taken her life. The doctor seemed to think it was probably a brain aneurysm from the high fever that caused her mother's death and that could have caused blood vessels to pop when it happened. Zara wasn't completely convinced that would make the irises turn red but she had no medical training so she didn't argue. It had reminded her of the glowing red eyes of her nightmares and thought maybe that was why she was dwelling on it. It sent chills down her spine to remember her mother that way.

It never made any sense to Zara. Her mother had been young, only thirty-seven. She was always strong and healthy. The illness hit her out of nowhere. She came home from work one day, complaining of a severe headache. She had laid down for a nap in the middle of the day. When she didn’t wake by supper, Zara went to check on her. She had found her covered in sweat and burning hot with a fever. The doctor had come within the hour of Zara going to knock on his door. He was baffled. He said it was likely a flu of some type but it was strange how fast she had gotten so bad. Her mother stayed in a coma-like state from her high fever for almost five weeks. She would occasionally wake, looking around with wild eyes. When she would see Zara she would reach out and clutch her arm and try to talk. She wouldn’t be able to ever find enough strength to get the words out and then would slump back into sleep. Zara stayed by her side as much as possible, most nights ending up sleeping sitting on the floor next to her bed, propped up against it with her head leaned back.

There were times she would have to leave. If she was free, her landlord, Elsie, would check in on her mother when Zara was gone. That made her feel a little better leaving her. She would run to town to get some food or medicine. Twice she had left for a short shift at Luis’s so she would have money for the essentials. They had some money saved but not much and she was quickly burning through it, especially with all the medicine she needed to get. Plus she had to pay the doctor. She used a good portion of the rest of it for partial rent and her mother’s funeral. Nothing was free.

She grabbed a bucket and started angrily throwing all of the bottles of various mixed concoctions into it. They were rancid now from sitting out - the mugwort, various mushrooms, root powders, flowers, berries, oils and the even-pungent-when-fresh blood of toad (just a drop! She could still hear the man - Edel, was his name, maybe - at the shop telling her) were all moldy and discolored with age and exposure to air. She held her breath as she put all the little glass bottles, mortar and pestle into the bucket and ran to set it outside the front door. She would fill it with water later and let everything soak for a few days and then wash out the containers. She'd return them to the apothecary shop since she didn't have any use for them and didn't have any space for unnecessary clutter.

Once back inside the room she threw the curtains open to expose the small window and shoved it open. It protested a little and she had to use a lot of force to get it all the way open but was immediately satisfied when a big gust of fresh air filtered in. She went back to remove the sheet from the bed, able to see much better now that sunlight streamed in. She yanked the sheet off the bed and something small and metal twinkled in the light as it was flung to the floor. It had been tangled up in the sheet and Zara hadn't seen it before. She immediately recognized it as the sunlight had hit it as it flew through the air, illuminating the ornate ruby ringed with gold. It was her mother's necklace, one she had always worn since Zara's earliest memories. She couldn't help the strangled cry that left her throat as she lunged for it on the floor.

Zara clutched it to her chest as she cried. She had assumed that it had been buried with her mother. She didn't remember it being missing when the undertaker had removed her body. Then again, she had been overwhelmed with grief and the image of finding her mother dead to notice much else. It must have fallen off sometime before she died, she thought as tears flowed freely down her face, soaking the front of her already filthy black dress. With shaking hands she secured it around her own neck, holding her hand over it as if it would disappear. If her mother had been wearing it when she died she wouldn't have removed it. She knew she would have thought it should stay with her, where it always was. Where she felt it belonged. Now that it was suddenly here in her possession, though, she couldn't bear to part with it. Her mother was already buried and she wasn't likely to dig her up. This was exactly where the necklace belonged now, she felt. She knew somehow her mother would've felt the same.