Man, Priscilla hated how active her imagination could be sometimes. She dreamed about six different ways that they could die traveling to Meadowyar (three were via toads, two with the hyenas, and the last was being crushed by a tree) and it left her feeling shaken when she awoke.

  Priscilla let out a silent sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. Neither of the boys had escaped the clutches of sleep yet, so Priscilla had a moment of quiet to herself. She had to take Asha off last night and place it near her bed so the boys wouldn’t ask questions about why she wore gloves to sleep. As she slid her artifact back on and the now familiar pressure of a glove settled against her skin, Priscilla felt her heart rate slowing.

  “Hey, Asha,” Priscilla whispered as she brought the artifact near her lips, just barely audible.

  “Yes, master?” Asha whispered back, ever eager and attentive.

  “I’m going to be relying on you today,” Priscilla continued. “Your senses are better than mine – you warned me of the toad before I even knew it was there. I’ll be trusting you to do the same until we finally leave the Emerald Forest.”

  The three of them probably could deal with the monsters but it’d be an uneven playing field if they were ambushed that could quickly devolve into a worst case scenario. Priscilla’s eyes drifted towards the other half of the room where the boys slept and for a moment her nightmare overlaid their sleeping forms – poison eating through their skin to expose bone as they writhed in pain. Priscilla closed her eyes and took a shaky breath in.

  “You can count on me,” Asha said solemnly, the promise reverberating through their bond with sincerity. “I won’t let you or your friends get hurt. If I can, I’ll let you know how many enemies you’re facing, with four quick squeezes if it’s more than ten, and I… may I practice something? It may feel strange, but if you don’t resist, master, I think it will work.”

  Curiosity had Priscilla opening her eyes as she whispered, “Go ahead Asha.”

  It was an odd sensation to have Asha shift forms while Priscilla was wearing it. The edge of the fingerless gloves extended past her first knuckle and the cuff crept down to cover more of her wrist. Then, Asha gently manipulated Priscilla's fingers and wrist until Priscilla was now pointing to the right.

  “If you give me permission,” Asha said as it returned to its normal form, “I can try to direct you towards the closest enemies.”

  “You are the greatest artifact in the world,” Priscilla whispered, “and you always know what to say to cheer me up.” Asha’s pride and pleasure filled their bond but before it could reply, the sound of movement had them both stilling.

  Sulaiman was shifting in his bed before sitting up, squinting in Priscilla’s direction as the blanket fell into his lap and the first of the sun’s morning rays lit up his figure.

  “Were you talking to someone?” Sulaiman asked, his voice gravely from sleep.

  “Just myself,” Priscilla replied, putting her hand down. “But now that you’re awake, I can annoy you instead.”

  Sulaiman let out a groan as he rubbed his eyes. “Just kill me instead.”

  “Aww, Sulaiman, you always say the sweetest things,” Priscilla laughed and he sent a tired glare in her direction. Priscilla hadn’t spoken softly so now Kavil was stirring, sleepily blinking at them.

  “Issit time to wakeup?” Kavil mumbled, his words slurring together. “Gimme five more minutes.”

  “No can do, sleeping beauty,” Priscilla said, standing up. “Sulaiman has to give you a crash course before we leave and the earlier that’s done, the earlier we get to brave the forest full of nasty monsters waiting to eat us.”

  “Yay,” Kavil murmured half-heartedly. “I love nasty monsters.”

  Despite Priscilla’s words, it took Sulaiman ripping the blanket off Kavil’s bed to finally get him moving. Priscilla and Sulaiman donned their armor as they got ready, and while Kavil didn’t have any of his own, he did have a leather jacket that would be better than nothing. Priscilla had her dagger rest on her left hip and the pesky short sword on her right. She didn’t plan on using the sword, but it could potentially be useful for a last ditch effort.

  Breakfast was a simple affair and Priscilla was able to buy a few extra large water skins to bring with on the trip. She attached them to Kavil’s pack so that if he did need to use water as a shield, it’d be within easy reach. One day Kavil would get to the point where he could pull moisture from the air, but until then Priscilla would make sure he had plenty of the element nearby.

  Kavil wasn’t very excited about getting a crash course on how to use a crossbow from Sulaiman but he didn’t complain (at least aloud) and dutifully listened as Sulaiman explained how the automatic reloading mechanism worked and to never point the weapon at something he didn’t instead to shoot. They had found a patch of sparse trees on the edge of town that weren’t near any houses so Kavil had something to aim at.

  Priscilla wasn’t involved with the training (as Sulaiman had explained the basics to her while Kavil was dragging his feet this morning), so she lingered nearby with the horses but far enough away to not be a distraction and just enjoyed the view. Sulaiman had to keep adjusting Kavil’s posture and arm position as Kavil kept nearly dropping the crossbow from the kickback. Sulaiman tutted and bent his head down to whisper advice to Kavil who nodded jerkily and readjusted his grip, raising the crossbow up. He pulled the trigger and the bolt went whistling through the air, sinking into the ground in front of the tree as Kavil’s strength faltered at the last second and the crossbow tipped downwards.

  Priscilla was content to watch them but the sound of boots against grass behind her drew her attention. She didn’t immediately turn around, though she was now keenly aware of the person who was now approaching.

  “Interesting crossbow he got there,” the intruder said, coming to a stop beside Priscilla. It was a tall woman with a buzzcut, a scar twisting across her lips that revealed her teeth and gave her a perpetual gnarled expression. She was well muscled, riddled with more scars down her neck, arms, and hands, and wore thick leather armor over gray clothing. She shifted her weight as she came to a stop in a way that drew Priscilla’s attention to the mace strapped to her side.

  She had a passingly familiar face and Priscilla realized she had seen this woman before, in the mercenary camp they had passed by when entering Barrowton.

  If Priscilla hadn’t known of the Mercenary’s King ties to Captain Azurin, she may not have suspected this mercenary’s interest in his crossbow as something insidious. But Priscilla did know, so alarm bells went off in her head, and Asha became instantly alert. An impulsive part of her wanted to punch the mercenary and take their chances in the forest, but that was the stupider part of Priscilla.

  Instead, Priscilla used the second she had as she looked towards the intruder to decide how she wanted to play this.

  “Isn’t it?” Priscilla agreed, giving the female mercenary a crooked smile. “We’ve been keeping an eye out for a weapon for Conrad, but when this stumbled into our lap, I figured the gods were looking after us.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  The mercenary may have smiled but with her scar it came out as a snarl that showed off a sharp, golden canine.

  “Oh?” the mercenary said mildly. “Where’d you find it?”

  “Believe it or not, in a bargain bin over in a weapon’s shop in Grazda’s markets,” Priscilla said, getting into the rhythm of spinning a tale that’d be too hard to verify but just on the edge of plausibility.

  The mercenary blinked, raising her eyebrows, though her gaze remained on Kavil, who was lining up another shot. “I admit, I haven’t heard of a magical item going into a bargain bin before.”

  But she could tell that the crossbow was magical just by looking at it and that made Priscilla’s hackles rise even higher though her smile stayed friendly.

  “Me neither,” Priscilla said, “but the shopkeeper didn’t know what it did and seemed to want to wash his hands of it. It was pricey, but once we figure out what the enchantment does, I’m sure we’ll put it to good use.”

  “I’ll have to visit this shop myself when I visit Grazda next,” the mercenary said, looking away from Kavil for the first time to meet Priscilla’s gaze. The woman’s eyes were the color of flint, a washed out gray that matched the rest of her muted clothing. “What’s the name of it?”

  Priscilla opened her mouth and then made a show of embarrassment, scratching the back of her neck as a sheepish grin worked its way across her face.

  “That’s a very good question,” Priscilla said, “and I wish I could answer it, but I admit I didn’t really pay attention to the name of every place we stopped by during our search. But I can give you a description – it was in the lowest district on the east side, a blue tent manned by a guy that’ll remind you of a rat in appearance and countenance, though he’ll surprise you with how deep his voice is.”

  The mercenary was hard to read, simply nodding when Priscilla was done.

  “I’ll keep my eye out for it,” the mercenary replied, her gaze returning to Kavil, whose shot buried itself into the roots. Kavil was pouting but Sulaiman said something that made Kavil nod with determination.

  “Forgive me for my presumption,” the mercenary continued when Priscilla didn’t choose to fill the silence, “but are you and your party planning on traveling through the forest despite the risks?”

  Priscilla couldn’t wiggle her way out of answering the question with some sort of truth as neatly as she could the last, but she didn’t like the way the mercenary watched the boys. It was the gaze of contemplation and assessment, and Priscilla didn’t want the mercenary to pay any more attention to them than she already had.

  “Yup,” Priscilla said, taking care to pop the p. “The monster attacks are scary as fuck, but when you’re threatened with being a No-Name if you don’t get to the capital in time, what’s a girl to do except try her best?”

  The mercenary stilled and looked back towards Priscilla. The woman was frowning, though with her scars it made the expression frightful.

  “Your family would rather you risk death than have you wait for safer passage?” The mercenary’s tone was dripping with disdain and her face pulled into a grimace. “With a family like that, you may be better off leaving their name in your past and forging your own destiny.”

  Despite herself, Priscilla thought she may like this mercenary under other circumstances. But even if the mercenary’s words may have resonated with Priscilla’s beliefs, she knew that the cult leader shared a similar outlook.

  It was why he believed he could kill the gods after all.

  “I have thought about that,” Priscilla said, letting a rueful tone to coat her words, “but they haven’t done anything truly unforgivable yet, just threatened to.”

  The mercenary gave Priscilla a long, searching look.

  “My name is Finnley,” the mercenary said, “and if you ever want to change your path in life, find the Timeless Commanders and mention me. I’m sure we’d find a use for you.”

  Finnley held out a hand and Priscilla hesitated for only a moment before shaking it. The mercenary’s hand was rough with scar tissue and her grip tight but not crushing.

  “I’m Penny, well Penelope,” Priscilla lied, “and if things go to shit when I get home, I’ll take you up on that promise.”

  Finnley stared at Priscilla for another long moment before reaching into one of the many pockets of her pants, pulling out a small, green drawstring pouch that was only just larger than a quarter.

  “Take this with you, Penny,” Finnley said, tossing the bag at Priscilla, who just barely managed to catch it after fumbling it a few times. Finnley smiled at Priscilla’s lack of dexterity, and it was kind of a terrifying expression. “The herbs in it should ward off bugs while you travel through the forest. Can’t do much about the monsters, but it’ll keep the pests away.”

  “Thanks,” Priscilla said, wishing there was a way she could give the pouch back without seeming suspicious at worst and an ungrateful bastard at best. “The mosquitoes are annoying little shits so I’ll be glad to be rid of them.”

  Finnley gave a final gruesome smile before she turned and walked back towards her camp without sending another look in Kavil’s direction. Priscilla didn’t stare at Finnley the entire time, but just long enough to ensure the rugged woman didn’t suddenly change her path or look over her shoulder.

  Priscilla opened up her unwanted gift to peer inside it. It was full of herbs like Finnley said it was, but Priscilla wasn’t inclined to trust this random mercenary, no matter how well-intentioned she may seem on the surface. Priscilla debated just dropping the pouch on the ground, though she reluctantly decided against that plan because Finnley may wander in this direction again and see it and that’d spark up a whole new round of questions.

  A solid thunk of metal impacting wood drew Priscilla’s attention away from the suspicious pouch. Kavil had finally managed to hit the tree and had a wide grin on his face. Sulaiman seemed satisfied too, though his smile was subdued as he stared at the bolt. It seemed the crash course was nearly over so Priscilla tied off the pouch and began meandering over.

  “And remember,” Sulaiman was saying as Priscilla got into earshot, “don’t point–”

  “At anything I don’t intend to shoot,” Kavil said in tandem, too polite to roll his eyes even as he shared a grin with Priscilla.

  “Who were you talking to?” Sulaiman asked, pivoting his attention to Priscilla, black eyes glancing past her towards the mercenary camps. Though Priscilla had hoped to ignore the conversation, Sulaiman was unfortunately observant even when he was supposed to be focused.

  “A merc named Finnley from the Timeless Commanders,” Priscilla said, seeing no reason to lie. “She was rather interested in Kavil’s crossbow and gave me this nifty pouch of herbs that’s supposed to keep the bugs away.” Priscilla twirled the pouch around her fingers.

  Sulaiman’s eyes narrowed as he snatched it off her hand, and Kavil perked up and leaned into Sulaiman’s space to look inside. Priscilla saw the way Sulaiman stiffened when Kavil brushed against his chest and Kavil wrapped his hands around Sulaiman’s own to open the pouch wider and bit back her smirk. Truly, Kavil was an unstoppable force of casual affection that not even Sulaiman could resist. Priscilla had to do a little of her own resisting to not mirror Kavil, telling herself that she’d probably just overload poor Sulaiman’s sensibilities.

  “I don’t recognize all of the herbs in here,” Kavil said, tilting his head, “but what I do recognize can ward off bugs. Did she say anything about having to burn the herbs?”

  Priscilla shook her head. “Just had to keep it on me supposedly.”

  Kavil hummed and fully took the pouch from Sulaiman to look at it closer. Sulaiman was frowning at the pouch before meeting Priscilla’s eyes over Kavil’s head.

  “Connected to?” Sulaiman mouthed and purposefully glanced at Kavil who had started muttering to himself.

  Priscilla teetered her head back and forth as she mouthed, “Maybe?”

  Sulaiman’s frown deepened and he glared at the mercenary camp. “Suspicious,” he mouthed.

  “Very,” Priscilla agreed.

  But they didn’t have time to mouth anything else as Kavil looked up, asking, “Can I keep this? I think I can figure out what the other herbs are if I cross reference with the book you gave me, Priscilla.”

  Priscilla wanted to say no, but Kavil looked so earnest, nearly bouncing with excitement at the prospect of using something that she had gotten him that Priscilla’s resolve melted like butter in the sun.

  “Sure,” Priscilla said, ignoring the sharp look Sulaiman gave her, “though you probably won’t have any down time to do so until we reach the forest outpost this evening.”

  At the mention of the forest, Kavil’s enthusiasm dimmed and was replaced with a more serious demeanor. Kavil just nodded sharply and pulled the bag closed, totally missing the way Sulaiman frowned behind him. But Sulaiman just sighed inaudibly instead of trying to take the pouch away.

  “Does everyone remember the plans in case we encounter the toads or hyenas?” Sulaimand asked.

  “Aye aye, captain,” Priscilla said and Kavil echoed her a moment later, which made Priscilla smile since she was sure that wasn’t a phrase commonly used in this world. Sulaiman rolled his eyes with a sigh.

  “Then let’s get a move on,” Sulaiman said and they made their way back to the horses. It’d be about an hour’s travel to the edge of the forest and it was uneventful as they went over the battle plans at Sulaiman’s insistence, but even that faded away as the forest loomed in front of them.

  Just before they entered the Emerald Forest, Priscilla took one last look at the sky, wanting to savor the view before they would be trapped beneath the canopy for the next few days. But it wasn’t a very beautiful sight, as the sky had grown steadily grayer since they awoke like someone was slowly letting ink bleed into water. Priscilla wished it wasn’t so but she could nearly smell the rain on the horizon making the air heavier with moisture.

  Holding back a sigh, Priscilla could only hope that the rain would be light as they made their way into the forest.