8.8

Adelyne was not having a good day.

She just found out her Grandfather died after she was captured. Of course no one bothered to tell her. She was in the Bathory Keep!

But still surely they could have done something to get word to her?

Yeah alright she knew better than that.

First the keep was locked down for Lady Jewel’s wedding and the celebrations after. And then she was a solid ten days travel all the way out in the middle of nowhere Rochford. Somewhere she was honestly still not entirely sure how to get too from Kaeketeh or escape back from! And yes no one that knew Adelyne could have afforded to send a letter by bird!

But Still!

Did she have to find out like this?! Trying to track him down in his usual haunts to find no one knew where he was, finally getting told by his friends that she was already almost a year too late to mourn him? While she was desperately and completely unable to afford to even shed a tear for the man that had tried to see right by her even when her parents were gone?

Did she have to hear he was found dead on the very stones she had just run past this morning?

Adelyne was not even entirely sure that she was his granddaughter and not some lucky child adopted by him!

And yet that did not stop the reason she was trying to track down her now deceased mentor and probably relative. There were still far too many absolute fools trying to take a piece out of their former tormentors now that they were diminished and cursed into the form of helpless waifs.

It still meant that she was dodging her duties to her lady and bond owner on what ostensibly was a service to that same lady. In all honesty though Adelyne knew this was more the act of a desperate terrified girl trying to protect her city and its overabundance of fools from the horror and might of a dragon scorned!

Even when she thought they barely deserved it.

“Oiy maiden! Out of the way, in case you didn't hear these things are the bloody countess’ men! They’re all cursed by the proper shining wyrm herself for their evil! We are just doing our duty as fine citizens and subjects of the reigning lady.”

Adelyne stared at the man. A rough sort of dock worker, the kind that probably never had much actual issue with the Countess’ men. But maybe there had been a sister, daughter or mother lost?

He had a hint of that spite to suggest maybe there was blood debt involved?

Either way he was not going to be cowed by Adelyne despite her glare. But some of his cronies might be moved and anything that could cut down the number of burly men in the fight would be a boon. She looked at the cowering, far too expressive faces of the ‘waifs’. It was so easy to forget what they were making faces like that. Worse than babies! Before she’d gotten the knack for thieving Adelyne would have paid the Knight’s Mark she never had for a face like that!

Would have made back her money in half a season begging on the street!

She turned back to the encircling crowd of angry men, some of which had recovered enough from her gentle jabs to their sensitives they likely were already out for blood. This was going to be a scrap no matter what, but maybe less of one if she could give them pause?

“I am Adelyne, bonded woman in service to her ladyship Jewel of Rochford, Countess and Shining Wyrm of Viznove! And I am here to tell you idiots that if the wyrm hears that you’ve taken liberties with her already punished and then released subjects you will draw her wrath and her curses down on all of us!”

That got a few of the ones in the back and a couple she’d missed with her elbows to lower their clubs. Those likely had mostly been caught up in the fervor and opportunity. But given a moment to pause and look at her might stay out of it. Adelyne was wearing servant's clothing yes, but they were very fine cloth! She was obviously at least employed by a person of high standing.

She obviously had some kind of master or mistress that would be displeased if she was bloodied or disappeared. And if the keep staff’s gossip could be believed Kaeketeh should mostly know that someone like Adelyne had been taken by Jewel.

Although from her own brief encounters today quite a few thought that she was dead and eaten after being taken by the dragon.

“Nah, I think you're just some sympathizer, boot licker to one of these once men? Maybe a sweetie whore? Looking for one last coin before they run dry? Well no worries you can have a first cut at their coin when we’re done.”

Adelyne glanced at the pouches that were held by some of the small figures. At the slowly clearing expressions of horror on those small faces.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She was turning back to try and muster a rebuttal when one of the high voices behind her spoke up.

“It is her! She’s the one taken by the wyrm! I know because I was there! I was one of t-th-”

There was a hitch in the throat and when Adelyne glanced down at her surprise supporter she saw a face twisted into such anguish and loss it pulled at her heart.

“I was one of the men who chased her down! And what she says is true! I was barely with the Countess’ guard for two years! Barely two years with the lot and the wyrm cursed me into this! I hadn't done anything! I wasn't even in the keep the night the Countess Died!”

As the words poured out the face it twisted, it went from pain to anger to the deepest and most roiling kind of rage Adelyne had ever seen. Brow curdled, lips pulled back, teeth were bared, nostrils flared and eyes seemed almost to blaze. What had a moment ago looked like the perfect image of a pleading needy almost fae like creature transformed in a blink into a feral vicious thing.

And despite the size of it a step forward from that tiny little figure pressed several of the men back a foot.

Adelyne adjusted her thoughts on the numbers. She had been feeling a bit queasy at her chances against so many work honed men. Even if she had managed to drive off half of them that would have been too many for her to handle in a brawl all on her own.

But the first of the waifs was joined by the other three. Their faces dropping their poleaxed fear for the rictus snarls of hate, they were once footmen, trained fighting men, soldiers..

They had once had if not respect then fear. But all of that was lost to them now. Adelyne saw that written plain on their every expression. Pain and hate and loss and now a sudden bloody minded fury. She’d seen a shadow of those expressions on the starving and mad who beat and bit and clawed for a crumb of bread or a half rotten rat.

That look alone on four of these child sized feral monsters taking up fighting stance was enough to actually drive several of the men to run and many more to shift nervously.

Even their leader was taken aback but like any man in his position Adelyne saw the pride come through.

“H-ho ho! Looks like we got some fight outta these liars and traitors! Can’t trust any word from them! She’s bluffing and japing! And the little beasts are accursed and weasley! Don’t pay it mind! There’s only five of them and their all of them smaller the-”

Adelyne had fought as little as she could manage, but when she knew a fight had to happen she also knew how she won a fight when the other kid was bigger, stronger and meaner than her.

She hit them before they were ready.

Adelyne was fast, she was spry, she had gotten better food then she ever had before in her life over the last few seasons. She probably could have taken a few of them, but not the dozen that were still looking ready to kick her ribs in.

But she’d recognized the look in those faces that were now with her. They were the vicious faces of someone with nothing to lose. And she knew as well that you didn't pick a fight with someone that looked like that if you wanted to get out of it unbitten. People with that look on their faces would gouge out your eyes after you stabbed them!

Adelyne had gone for the gut, the back just below the ribs and the so called family jewels. She hadn't stayed squared up with the bigger, stronger and probably better fighter but slid past him as soon as she could.

As she was turning around (making sure to put an elbow somewhere painful) she saw the four waifs leap into battle like starving dogs on a bone.

The club that her first target had dropped in his agony didn't even hit the cobbles.

It was in a pair of one of those slight hands as Adelyne turned.

It was swinging down hard and cracking a skull and face into the street by the time she had managed to shove another of their opponents.

It was already arcing back and around to take out one of the men’s knees before she had even realized what it meant that these waifs had once been the footment of the countess. They looked somewhat like a nearly child fairy before! But now those faces were each pulled back into squirming snarls of rage and terror.

As soon as one had a club the others were salvaging weapons of their own from the fallen.

As soon as three of them were armed they were already moving back to back with one another and toppling comparative giants.

When all four of them had wood to swing around or in one case a broken off sharp end to stab with, Adelyne had nothing else to do. The terrified and frozen little things which had faces only showing terror and defeat had transformed into furious beasts. The groaning or silent bodies of their opponents were piled around them.

Blood was splashed in their mixed up hair and infant’s smocks.

The street was empty save for the downed and the quite likely dying.

All but Adelyne and the trembling snarling things that almost looked like children, but now were unlike anything she could even describe.

They looked ready to turn on her, turn on anything, there was so much hurt and fear and panic. If they were dogs Adelyne would have backed away slowly. But they were not dogs, their eyes were sharp and roving and finally the gasping waifs settled on watching mostly her.

Until one of them looked past her and all the fury fell off that face for a heartbreaking display of fear and panicked hope.

“Lenka!?”

Adelyne shifted back a step as she turned to see whoever was being addressed (and get further away from these mad things!).

The woman who she guessed was Lenka fixed the blood spattered figure with baffled wonder in her eyes. Decently dressed, she wore what Adelyne would have once considered fine clothes indeed. She looked on the waif and was met by open adoration laced with a quickly rising panic.

Lenka’s voice was incredibly shrill.

“Havel?! Where under all the fortune cursed stars have you been?!”