It really shouldn’t have gone this smooth.

Ella and Elias was eating breakfast, politely trying to form some kind of bond. Sasha really didn’t care, she was on her way, the cottage just a small dot in the end of the trail. He wasn’t coming after her, and two more steps into the wood and she would completely disappear. It reminded her of last time she had taken off. Like then she had to decide to where she would go. This time she would not go to Greg. She had burned that bridge. She wouldn’t go for Ivy and Isaak either, it was enough she put Elias on that road. He would protect Isaak much better than she could. After all, he owed him.

No, Sasha had a list in mind, and she remember every name on it, a lot of them familiar to her since long.

She would have to thank Ella for keeping Elias occupied, not that her mother had known. No, she just had to bond with her long forgotten son. The guilt obvious in her eyes. Elias would not forgive her. Sasha hadn’t, if she was the one stuck with the queen and the king. If the roles were opposite, she wouldn’t have been as patient as Elias, she would have burned with hatred.

Every step along the road to the city Sasha waited for Elias to catch up with her, but no one came. She stood in front of Esmeralda’s, hesitating and not sure if she would dare to enter. Maybe it was all a trap. Had he known she would go here? Finally she took a deep breath and entered the pub. It was silent inside.

Sasha stared at the empty tables in front of her. This must be her lucky day. Someone had spilled the news of the hunt, Esmeralda’s place was almost empty, all her regular customers laying low. No one knowing what happened. Everyone was looking behind their shoulders and obviously no one dared to visit Esmeralda’s in person.

“I guess businesses ain’t as usual”, Sasha put her elbows at the bar, sitting down. “Give me your daily, and an extra egg.”

“You don’t happen to know who is behind this do you?” Esmeralda asked, putting a tankard in front of Sasha and looking out at the empty tables. “Someone has spoked the criminals real badly.”

“No”, Sasha said with a big smile on her face. “But I will do my very best to get business back to normal as soon as possible.”

“Well, you sure started out good. Gave me my very first customer of the day.” Esmeralda sighed. “This killing is bad for businesses. Not that I mind, really.”

“It is some long needed changes”, Sasha said.

Esmeralda disappeared behind the door, clattering in the kitchen. Sasha felt an itching inside, recognising it as the dark magic still not fitting inside her body. The monster was still not satisfied. Her mother truly knew how to package her gifts. Luckily Sasha had a list of preys. She wouldn’t be dependent on the beloved prince.

“So, what have you been up to?” Esmeralda asked. “Ive heard rumours of the royals asking questions.”

“Did you gave them some answers?”

“Well, a woman have to earn money some how, hasn’t she?” Esmeralda said.

Sasha laughed, eating some of the perfectly prepared food, the egg almost to good to be true.

“They wanted to know what was the deal between you and Isaak.” Esmeralda looked for some reaction in Sasha but she just brushed it away.

“And what did you say?”

“That it was just an arrangement protecting Ivy.”

Sasha lifted a brow. She hadn’t expected that. It was the truth, but Esmeralda was not the one to spill secrets. She talked, oh sure, she talked, but she did chose carefully what she said, and when.

“I talked with Isaak. I am not suicidal.” Esmeralda chuckled.

“Oh, you did? That is interesting indeed. You don’t happen to know where he is?”

“No, but he’s still a regular. If you stay around I guess you will meet him sooner or later. I need all customers I can get.”

“Then you might have a room, somewhere private? Very private.”

“The rumours suggest I might want to stay out of this.”

“Yeah. They do”, Sasha smiled brightly. “So, the keys are at the usual place?”

“You have not heard it from me”, Esmeralda said.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Sasha left a hefty bag of coins on the table.

“You are a splendid cook. I might stay around for a while.”

With a full stomach and a smile on the face Sasha left the pub. She would take a look at her room, but first she had an errand. It was time to check off her list. Sasha casually strolled down the street, aiming for the grocery store. Her aim in life was simple, master this unknown magic to perfection, find the kings Achilles, and end his ruling for good.

The store was full of bright flowers, it looked extremely picturesque. The storefront didn’t gave anything away. Inside was Tom. The shop looked nothing like the outside, although it was filled with jars and cans, and one or two black roses together with a cake dish, it was really a drug store, and you could see and smell the smoke.

“Haven’t seen you in a while”, Tom said, his hands automatically turning towards a dark brown can with a bear on the front.

“Business going well?” Sasha said, brushing her charm, letting it grow to an arm length sword. It pulsated in red. Not that she had needed confirmation.

“Not many coming in here nowadays”, Tom said.

Sasha laughed shortly. Tom lied. He always did.

“From what I heard, they come, they leave, and then they ain’t waking up any more.”

“You have a very vivid fantasy dear. One or two bad apples could hardly be my fault.”

“Oh Tom, you really should have stopped years ago.”

“And what should I have done then?” Tom snorted, picking up a handful from the can with the bear face.

This was a perfect time to test her magic, Sasha wanted to swipe it all away, his smile, his drugs and his life. And the gold necklace around his neck. She would burn it until it melted, forming a cross marking his gravestone.

She couldn’t make the ground magic to work with giving life, but she was damn good at the other way around. And she wanted to test it again. This time she didn’t have to hold back.

Sasha closed her eyes, she felt the magic inside, it concentrated in the pit of her stomach. It felt as acid, a liquid coming out of her body in waves of sweat and tears. Out from her sword flew a wind of dust and rubbery mud. Where it landed a big hole appeared. It was dark in the hole. The cans were drawn to it, disappearing into the underground. It would look nice with a golden cross above it.

“You crazy witch!” Tom screamed, throwing the substance from the brown can at her.

The leafs in the can transformed to birds, made out of magic, with stealthy wings and eyes of pure blue. They flew towards Sasha, and went right through her sword as if it didn’t even exist. Sasha was taken by surprise, and before she had come up with a counterattack they had pierced through her skin, picked at her arms and scratched her face. The drug dealer had more to him than caught the eye. This magic was high level.

“Fire of mine, burning hatred, fuel of life”, Sasha lashed out, trying to burn the birds. They were to quick for her, and she only managed to destroy Toms walls.

Tom on the other hand had moved, and he had his hand in yet another can. Sasha immediately threw some fires his way. She didn’t do the same mistakes twice.

“You should have put more fire into it when you had the chance”, Tom said.

He moved towards her, as fast as the birds, surprisingly so for such an old man. Sasha swore, his whole body was glowing in blue. She took a firm grip around her sword, stepping forward.

The birds attacked her from behind, stealing away the direction in the last minute. Tom pushed hard at her. Sasha fell backwards. She felt the pull of the hole she had dug. The underground was calling, and it asked for sacrifices. How was it Elias had done to call back the magic?

“You stupid witch”, Tom said.

He smiled as he called his birds forward. Sasha knew she had misjudged him. Trying to find the calmness to rewind the ground was hard. The acid in her stomach was swirling fast, and as much as Sasha tried to calm it down, she couldn’t concentrate, the stupid birds were attacking in waves.

“Close the circle, life and death. Kill the birds and heal the floor.”

It didn’t work. The hole was getting a bit smaller, but it still drew her backwards. Sasha tried to lift her hand, letting the sword hit the feet’s of Tom.

Tom just lifted his hands and laughed, calling the birds down at her. Sasha immediately reacted, pouring fire at the birds. It felt right, the power answered her. The birds disappeared but Toms blue shining body stood still, unaffected by her magic. Sasha struggled to rise from the floor, her body halfway down the hole.

He might try to intimidate her, but she would bring him down. If not by earth magic, then she would drown him. Maybe she was her fathers daughter after all.

Tom suddenly staggered. The blue body was falling forward.

“Missed me?” Isaak said, dragging his sword out from Toms body.

“Yes”, Sasha said smiling. “Help me up.”

“I have been waiting to see you”, Isaak said. “What took you so long?”

“Elias”, Sasha said.

She turned around, looking at the hole still not under control. She rolled the limp dead body of Tom into it, murmuring some as she tried to find the thread of magic inside. The earth, the calmness, the eternity, and the fast death. One moment and still everything.

The gap slowly closed. Sasha bent down, taking the golden necklace from Tom.

“Will you kick his ass for me?” Sasha asked Isaak.

Isaak finished the job, kicking the body down in the gaping hole as Sasha slowly closed the underground.

“Feeding time of dragons” Sasha grimly smiled. “Thanks for watching out for me.”

“Ivy said I might enjoy grocery shopping today. Must say she has a sense for rotten fruits.”

Isaak stepped forward, studying the floor. Toms body and the hole where no longer there.

Sasha bent down, she whispered and let her hands form and object. In the ground before her a golden cross lit up.

“What happened?” Isaak asked.

“I am not immortal. Looks like I forgot that”, Sasha said. “Got myself a reminder to be more careful next time.”

“Again”, Isaak took a hold of Sasha's shoulders, looking her square in the eyes. “I would like to strangle you... but honestly Sasha”, he sighed. “Ivy has seconds thoughts. She wants us to put them in front of a court.”

“So we are finishing the list off before she knows?”

“Exactly”, Isaak said. “We have three left. I will put all the blame on you.”

“I know”, Sasha said and smiled fondly at him. “You always do. But think of it this way, if she had wanted them to court, had she really asked you to go grocery shopping?”

Isaak looked at her with disbelief. Then he broke up in a full hearted laughter.