Danica’s head ached and her throat felt as dry as sand. That was the first sensation she could feel upon waking from an unexpected slumber. Soon however a hand grabbed ahold of her leg and it startled her enough to finally force her eyes open to the waking world. Everything around her was distorted, and her vision still swam. It took a few moments before she could make sense of it all.

  She was in a room, laying upon a soft bed in her undergarments. A young woman was busying herself with wrapping a bandage around her thigh. She had a gentle touch though and knew where to press down to avoid causing unnecessary pain on her patients. She finally noticed that Danica had awoken when the dark elf tried to sit up.

  “Don’t bother trying to move much. You’re chained to the bed,” the girl said warily. “Drink this.”

  Danica took the glass and slowly sipped the water, thankful for the relief it brought to her parched throat. The grogginess she’d felt also seemed to be subsiding enough for her to try and piece together exactly what was happening.

  “Rather impressive for a prison cell,” Danica said weakly.

  The young woman shrugged slightly and finished the bandaging. “You’re getting special treatment.”

  This time it was Danica who was wary of the situation. “Why?”

  The woman simply shrugged. “You’ll have to ask my father. I’ll go let him know you’re finally awake.”

  She covered Danica with a nearby blanket and left the room, leaving the dark elf alone to ponder the situation she now found herself in. Around her ankles were heavy iron shackles with padding underneath to prevent chafing. These in turn were attached to chains secured against the bed. They’d afforded her some amount of freedom, but not enough to try and escape. She was a prisoner, but one who was being treated with much care, and that fact seemed so strange to her.

  A moment later, the guardsman she’d seen that night entered the room. He was on the older side of middle age, with more gray in his hair than brown now, yet he still carried himself with a manner of capability. She wasn’t sure of his intentions yet, but something about him helped ease the tension she should have felt.

  He nodded to her. “We use sleeping poison tipped arrows to subdue people. Brent used more than he should have for your size, but we had no time to judge before acting. You’ve been out for nearly a full day now, and for that I apologize.”

  That would explain a few things, Danica thought. “What now?” she asked, somewhat eager to know her fate. “Am I to be hung from the gallows for my supposed crimes?”

  He shook his head, giving her some small measure of hope. “I’ve heard about a dozen stories, all of them different. A couple are quite out there, honestly. Only one of them says you defended yourself justifiably. That one story is the only one that matches the evidence. Man who saw what happened also said you mentioned Norport as well.”

  She looked at him somewhat confused as he pulled a key from his pocket and pulled the cover from her feet, undoing the locks on the shackles with a few quick motions. It was nice to feel freedom again, even if she was still too tired and sore to move. It was obvious he was trying to show her that he trusted her, but she couldn’t really fathom why he would.

  “I did,” she said after a moment of trepidation. “It was my home. I left after the Riots.”

  He nodded. “So I heard.”

  She looked at him for a moment unsure of what else to say. How did he know her?

  Seeing the look she gave, he decided to explain with a slight smile. “My sister lives there with her family. She was always terrified the dark elf witch would come for her children. She wrote to me to tell me that they were finally free of your evils.”

  Danica frowned. “I’ve heard that most of my life.”

  “I can only imagine,” he said, looking her over. “Stupid people are always looking to blame others for their own failures. They’ll demonize anyone they see as different at every opportunity in an effort to make themselves feel better.”

  They let a silence sit in the air for a moment, letting those words linger. He walked over to the fire, adding a small log and stirring it gently. “Where you plan on heading?”

  Danica shook her head. “I don’t know. I’d like to find somewhere I belong.

  He nodded his head, understanding what she meant by that. “That man I mentioned earlier who took your side is sitting in the other room. He wants to talk with you.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Danica wasn’t really in the mood to have any more visitors with the sorry state she was in, but something tugged on her mind about it. Only one single person had told the truth of the event that night, and that was something to be thankful for. He may have actually been the deciding factor in her freedom. She could at least thank him for his honesty in the matter if nothing else.

  “Alright. I’ll speak with him, but then I’d like to get dressed.”

  The man nodded and stepped out for a moment. When he returned, a younger man, barely older than she was, followed behind him. He had a look about him that was rather hard to describe, but there was just something about this man that set her on edge. She couldn't exactly describe the feeling she had when he walked in, but it was comparable to an unexpected cold breeze when you least wanted it.

  “This is Zane,” the older man said, pointing to the younger. “A traveler from Algerton to the south.”

  The young man stepped forward with a smile and started to wave, then stopped. Danica could tell he was trying too hard not to be awkward and would fail miserably at it.

  “Thank you for your honesty earlier,” she said, hoping to set him at ease. “I was told you wished to speak with me.”

  He paced the room for a moment, trying to find the right words. “I need,” he stopped and ran a hand through his hair. “A companion.”

  Danica sighed and shook her head. “I’m flattered, but I’m not looking to settle down.”

  He looked mortified. “Oh gods, no. I meant a travelling companion. Back to Algerton. I saw you fight, and you could have taken everyone in that room if you’d wanted.”

  The older man interjected himself into the conversation. “As Zane was telling me the other day, his friend ran off unexpectedly a few days ago. Seems to me like you two have goals that might align and you could help each other out along the way.”

  Danica looked over at Zane and got a suspicious feeling suddenly. “There’s something you’re not telling me. A detail you’re leaving out.”

  The young man sighed. “We were sent here to escort two young people to the College of Mages. They’ll be accompanying us as well.”

  Danica started to bolt upright but the pain in her lower back prevented it. She hissed from the agony and uttered through clenched teeth, “I’ve had about enough of magic and those who use it.”

  “Many people around here feel that way,” Zane said, looking away at the fire as he said so.

  Danica saw his reaction and felt a small amount of guilt at what she’d just said. She lay back in bed, letting the pain subside slightly. “Look at my face, Zane. I didn’t put this on to look pretty. A witch put a magical curse on me after sucking out part of my soul.”

  Zane stared at her in amazement while the older man shook his head. “I’ll level with the both of you. Truth is, neither of you can stay here. The people of Ashvale are for the most part decent folk but they’re also superstitious and prone to paranoia. The rumors of the blacksmiths' twins being mages are running rampant in town already. That was bad enough, but then,” he waved a hand towards Danica, “she shows up. After the other night, I’ve got Raymond trying to incite a mob against her.” He sighed wearily. “I’m doing the best I can to keep the peace around here, but if these folks take a mind to come after you and those kids, I don’t think I’d be able to stop them.”

  Danica looked to Zane for a moment and then back to the older man, the anger most likely easy to see on her face. “Doesn’t sound like I have much choice in the matter, but I’m hardly capable of doing much at the moment.”

  “Neither of us have a choice,” Zane said with a nod. “Your injuries aren’t a problem though. I’m a dedicated healer.”

  Danica turned away and closed her eyes. She knew the touch of magic, and none of it had ever been pleasant. Given that her only other choice at the moment was that or lay in a bed until someone beat down the door for her public execution. She knew what she had to do. Either take his offer or die.

  She opened her eyes and looked back at Zane. “So be it. I swear, if you try anything I consider suspicious, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

  “Sounds like you two are off to a good start then,” The man muttered. “I’ll leave you to it. My daughter and I will get things ready. You’ll leave after sundown.”

  They both left the room, but Zane returned a moment later carrying a large book with a disheveled green cover. Danica knew it for what it was, and it made her feel uncomfortable just looking at the thing. She clenched and unclenched her fist in preparation for what was to come.

  He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her, looking possibly more nervous than she felt. Perhaps he was intimidated by her. Was it because he was simply a person who didn’t handle social situations well, or was it because of something else? Perhaps it was because she threatened him a moment ago. She didn’t want him making a mistake while he performed, so perhaps if she said something to calm him down, it might smooth things over.

  “Will this hurt?” she asked, trying to sound concerned.

  “Yes, but only for a moment,” he said, finally finding the correct spell.

  She looked at him shocked, not expecting that answer.

  A brief moment later he began to chant a strange language and she closed her eyes, bracing for what was to come. Soon a hand rested upon her stomach and the tingle of mystical energy began to work its way through her body. The wound on her leg stung uncomfortably, but didn’t seem bad. An audible popping noise signalled the return of a spinal disk into the proper position and she gasped from the pain before it faded away.

  When she opened her eyes, the last traces of green and yellow light were fading away. She felt refreshed and all the pain had disappeared from her body. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this well. Zane looked somewhat tired though and she understood that he had expended much of his energy casting the spell.

  “Thank you,” she said with some amount of sincerity. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind stepping out, I’d like to get dressed now.”

  One he’d left, she threw aside the covers and undid the bandage on her leg. A scab fell away from the pale lavender flesh, and other than that, there was no sign of there ever being a wound there. The other scars remained, but this one would never be.

  “How fascinating…” she said, letting the words hang in the air. She didn’t trust magic still, but perhaps it wasn’t all bad after all.