Few ever noticed Elise. Even when she did little to hide her presehers seemed to look past her. If one were being generous, they’d say she had a natural talent for cealing herself. Others would likely just call her unremarkable. Either way, Elise beed.

  Stalking the shadows just outside the open air markets of Duwan, Elise’s trained eyes searched for her mark. Mentally she calcuted the value she could extract out of every bauble on dispy. For Elise, the asking price of any item meant nothing. She couldn’t sell stolen goods to just anyone, and she didn’t like taking things she couldn’t profit from immediately.

  As Elise surveyed the market an ornate sword caught her eye. The number of merts hawking ons had begun to increase withi year. Given how dangerous life could be outside the walls, they were easy to sell. Something elegant on the eyes with a reliable bde would be easy to offload.

  Stepping into an alley, Elise straightened her clothes. Undoing her ponytail, she tied a fancy handkerchief over her hair. pleting her look with a silver locket, Elise transformed from unremarkable thief, to mert’s daughter. Preferably, she’d have an aplice ag as a servant or bodyguard to truly ma her disguise. Unfortunately, Elise was all alone.

  The gang Elise had once sidered family, abandoned her. Ohe first signs of her womanhood began to bloom, Elise went from valuable tool to would-be aplice. Unwilling to split their ill-begotten spoils with ahe gang cast her out. Unwilling to bee yet another orphan starving oreets, Elise used her training to carve out a fortable life for herself.

  Slipping into the crowd, Elise flowed naturally with those around her. Widening her eyes a bit, she nguidly gazed from stall to stall as if it were her first time seeing Duwan’s market. If aook notice of her, they’d see nothing more than a young woman, ready to waste money on things she had little need for. For an eagle-eyed mert looking to liheir pockets with , she was the perfect prey.

  Casually approag the on vendor, Elise examined everything but the item she wanted. Most of what the mert had dispyed was of poor quality. After wastiime stealing swords she could hardly sell, Elise had learhe basics of what a trained merary would look for. Few of the bdes before her would pass their evaluation. They were likely all meant for young men with illusions of grandeur.

  “Hello there ss,” The Vendor—a middle-aged man whose hair resided almost exclusively on his face—finally noticed Elise. “See something you like?”

  “I don’t truly know what I’m looking at Sir,” Elise furrowed her brow and gazed at the Vendor with a strained smile. “I’d like to buy a gift for my father, but I have little idea what to get him.”

  “I see, how thoughtful of you. If you don’t mind my asking, what does your father do for work?”

  “He—“, Elise paused for a moment. The crowd behind her had begun to slow and bunch up. She could hear the voice of a man, loud and harsh, over the market’s usual racket. No other voices rose to challenge him, however. Deg the man must be a performer of some kind, Elise returo her versation. “—is a merary w for the Melvou pany.”

  “You don’t say?” The Vendor could hardly keep the ers of his mouth from curling upward in delight. The Melvou pany were a major mertile group operating out of the east. It would be rare for their members to be in a western town like Duwan, but not unheard of. Their meraries were exceptional, and though they mostly existed to guard Melvou’s own caravans, they sold their services to any noble willing to pay a premium.

  “After he so graciously agreed t me along, I want to surprise him.” Elise looked to the grouing a troubled expression. “But all of these swords look identical. Would any of them do? Or is there something I’m failing to see?”

  “Well ss, while any of the swords I sell would make great gifts, for a man as esteemed as your father, there is one in particur I’d reend.” The Vendor lifted the ornate sword Elise had her eyes on. “This sword was fed by the renowned bcksmith Virgil Bellis. I assure you it is just as sharp as it is easy on the eyes. Si is going to an honorable man like your father, I’m willing to sell it at a dist. Let’s say, five-hundred ucs.”

  “Five-hundred,” Elise breathlessly repeated the price, tightening her lips into a thin li was an exorbitant amount of money, not something many would ever carry around. All Elise o do was fake a bit of sideration, and ask if the Vendor would lower it to four-hundred ay. He’d likely pretend as if he were doing her a favor and agree. Ohey struck a deal, Elise would promise to return with the mohen, she’d be able to extract the informatioruly desired, the location of the Vendor’s lodging for the night.

  A pained yelp followed by the sound of something—or someone—falling on the cobblestone, captured Elise’s attention. Turning toward the sound, Elise slipped through the crowd as the fused Vendor called after her. As she forced her way through the idle observers, Elise gasped.

  Curled up on the ground, blood dripping from her nose and shaking in terror, was a young wolf-eared girl. Not far from the girl, fttened uhe boot of her oppressor were the remains of a single loaf of bread. That was all Elise o see to uand what’d happened. It still sied her that the crowd of adults were willingly standing by while a grown man brutalized a child. To them, she was a thief, and thieves of any age were scum. It didn’t help that the girl wasn’t human.

  Right as the man lifted his foot to stomp on the defenseless little girl, Elise bolted forward. With a leap she sailed over the girl and struck the man’s chest with her full bodyweight. They tumbled to the ground together. Striking her shoulder against the stone, Elise gritted her teeth. She didn’t o win the fight. She just o extract the girl.

  Elise pushed herself to her feet and kicked the man hard in his delicates. fident he’d be down for a bit, she scooped the little wolf-eared girl into her arms and took off in a mad dash. Elise didn’t know why Duwan’s guards had yet to arrive, but it beed her. Even if the man had taken his aggression too far, he’d be the victim in their eyes. The guard would give him a sp on the wrist, while the little girl would be forced into a cell. She was already gaunt and sickly. If no oook care of her, the girl would soon perish.

  Once Elise was fident she’d made it far enough from the market, she slowed down. It wouldn’t be hard for her to slip out of the town undiscovered, but for the girl in her arms escape would be impossible. Even if Elise made it to the gate, the girl was severely ihe guards on duty would question her about the girl’s injuries, buying time for information on the events in the market to reach them.

  The outside Duwan’s gates which Elise called home was off limits. Thankfully, she had somewhere else she could go. Careful to avoid dete, Elise made her way to Duwan’s workers district. There she made her way to a ramshackle building. It would’ve beeroyed years ago if anyone had wahe nd. Turning the rusty handle, Elise forced the door open and stepped inside.

  Carefully ying the wolf-eared girl on the pacted-dirt floor, Elise smiled down at her. The girl’s eyes were wide as she looked up at Elise. Her breathing was bored, but steady. “Hello,” Elise carefully took the girl’s hand in her own. “My name is Elise. Might I know your name?”

  With her free hand, the girl began to make signs in the air. At first Elise believed she might have gone delirious from pain and starvation. However, after asking again for the girl’s name, Elise realized she’d been wrong. The girl wasn’t just idly fidgeting in respoo Elise’s question, she eaking sign nguage. The signs were different than the one’s Elise knew, yet simir enough for her to decipher them.

  “No name?” Elise trahe girl’s signs out loud, looking to her for firmation. When the girl nodded in ation Elise felt her chest tighten. “You really have no name?”

  Again, the girl nodded.

  Though Elise couldn’t accurately guess the girl’s age given how malnourished and haggard she was, she still appeared far too old to be unnamed. “If you don’t have a name what do people call you?”

  The girl’s brow furrowed for a moment before she began to sign again. ?Child of Tolm.?

  “Child of Tolm? Is Tolm the name of your father?”

  ?Yes.?

  "Where is your father now?" Even if the girl’s wounds should’ve taken prece, Elise had to know. If Tolm was looking for his daughter, Elise wao reuhem as quickly as possible.

  ?Home.?

  “He’s home? Where is home?”

  ?Far away. I failed.? The girl’s eyes began to mist over.

  Failed?! Elise could hardly uand. Part of her began to sed-guess whether the girl’s signs were at all simir to her own. What could a girl as young as the one in front of her do so poorly at that her own father would cast her out? Still, the girl’s tormented expressio weight to what Elise believed had been said. Her eyes were those of a needy child without a single adult to g to.

  “I’m going to take a look at you now, okay?” Elise forced herself to smile. Her own memories of being cast out left her feeling a deep empathy for the girl. But, now wasn’t the time for her to cry in solidarity. If the girl had no one she could g to, Elise would fill that role. “Once I’ve addressed your wounds, I’ll get you something to eat.”

  Despite suffering injuries that would likely leave her bed-ridden for weeks, Elise determihe girl would survive. If things worsened she’d risk finding a priest to cast healing magic, for now it wasn’t necessary. Leaving the girl alone in the ramshackle house, Elise found a neighbor willing to trade some soup and stale bread for . She could’ve afforded better, but feared leaving the girl behind for too long.

  “Eat slowly okay,” Elise instructed as she helped the girl sit up. With a nod of uanding, the girl began to eat.

  “I know it’s probably not my pce,” Elise noted as she wiped a bit of spilt soup from the girl’s blouse. “But, if you don’t mind, I’d like to give you a name.”

  The girl’s ears jolted rigidly upright as she held Elise’s gaze. Her little lips parted in surprise aail began to sway bad forth.

  “Would you like that?”

  ?Please!?

  “Alright.” Elise thought for a moment before reag out and pg her hand atop the girl’s head, musing her hair. “From now on, your name is ne.”

  The little girl’s eyes lit up. Despite her injuries she smiled as if she was the happiest girl in the wole world. Looking at her hands for a moment the girl quickly worked out the signs o say her own name. ?ne. I’m ne.?

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you ne,” Elise felt as if her heart was melting in the warmth of ne’s happiness. “I ’t say I’m the best role model you could have, but if you’d like to stick with me I’d love to keep you around. Together we’ll be the family each other is missing. What do you say?”

  ?Yes!?

  eri