The following day, Ersabet and I received our first contract for a monster hunt. Rumors were circulating about lost draugr in one of the rarely used northern passes through the mountains.

  Our mission was to investigate this rumor and, if true, dispatch the undead. If there were draugr, it meant there was a tomb nearby, and so we would search for and seal that tomb to prevent more draugr from wandering around where they didn’t belong.

  It was midday now, and we were about a mile away from the base of the mountains. We would travel north another ten miles today, make camp, and then search for the mountain pass the following day.

  I was joined on this hunt by Ersabet, Minna, and one of Minna’s friends, Harl. That wasn’t all, though. Djadja and the Kurskin who had fought Ersabet, his name was Surach, tagged along for the ride. They claimed they were going to support us on our first hunt, but I knew the real reason was something else entirely. I didn’t know when they would make their move, but it was clear as day that they would. Ersabet was their target, but I didn’t believe they cared about collateral damage for a second.

  I spent most of our hike speaking with Minna and Harl. I had already liked Minna, but Harl was just as likable. He was the practical sort and smarter than expected. Plus, he knew how to take a joke, a trait some of my other travel companions lacked.

  As we continued our hike to where we would set up camp, I thought it would be a good time to learn more about what we were up against.

  “What can you tell me about draugr?” I asked Minna.

  “They are the undead,” she said. “Draugr typically stay within their tomb to guard against any would-be grave robbers. They do not often leave their tombs, and I haven’t the faintest guess why they would.”

  “Maybe whoever reported the rumor to Master Roan got it wrong,” I said. “If they don’t leave their burial grounds, it seems unlikely we’re hunting for an actual draugr. Maybe it’s a different type of monster.”

  “I’ve thought the same. But, there’s only one way for us to find out.”

  “Just in case it is a real draugr, how does one kill it?”

  “You must decapitate it and then burn the body.” Minna jabbed a fist at my side. “I hope you can read because you have much studying to do if you’re this clueless. I have a bestiary back in Danver. You can borrow it when we get back.”

  I rubbed at my side. “Ouch. And thank you.”

  We continued walking and chatting for hours. Finally, when the sun fell low in the sky, I decided we had walked enough for one day. There was a shallow pond about fifty yards away and plenty of nearby tree cover. It was a good spot, and I confirmed with Val that we were within five miles of the mountain pass. We could get a good night’s rest and find it easily in the morning.

  “How about we camp here?” I said in a loud voice for all to hear.

  “Sounds good to me,” Minna said.

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  “Seconded,” Ersabet said.

  “Who put you in charge?” Surach said. Next to informing me he was coming along on this hunt for support, this was the first thing he had said to me all day.

  I removed the backpack I had been given for this trip and laid it on the ground. It felt good to have that weight off, and I stretched and rubbed at my shoulders. “This is a perfect place to camp. And as far as who’s in charge, I’d say we’re all equals here.”

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Minna and Harl flinch. Ersabet was as calm as ever.

  Djadja laughed out loud, but Surach hissed. “We are not equal,” he said. “I am a Kurskin. To you, I may as well be a god.”

  Talk about an overinflated ego. Now, it was my turn to laugh. “There ain’t nothing godly about your sour ass, Surach.”

  He stalked forward, furious at my insult. Ersabet stepped before me and stood casually with her hands on her hips.

  It annoyed me that she intervened. I was intentionally antagonizing him.

  “Get out of the way, Dalari,” Surach said in a low, raspy voice.

  “Are you going to attack my companion?” she said.

  “Just going to teach him to respect his betters.”

  “Ah,” Ersabet said. “Like the lesson I taught you in our fight yesterday.”

  Surach’s eyes flashed with rage.

  “Since that fight established that I am your better and you believe the strongest should be in charge,” she said. “I will humbly accept your request to lead this party.”

  “Careful, Dalari.”

  Ersabet cocked her head. “Be careful of what? It’s against the rules to kill a fellow Hunter. Surely, someone with your integrity would never break a rule.” She gave him a patronizing smile and turned around. “Everyone, let’s rest here for the night.”

  I saw it coming too late to alert her. Surach spun around, sending a powerful tail sweep into Ersabet’s legs. It connected just as I yelled out. Ersabet’s legs flew out from underneath her, and she fell sideways, hitting the ground hard at an awkward angle.

  Without thinking, I stepped toward Surach, activated Devastating Strike, and punched him in the side of the head as hard as possible.

  Pain erupted from my right hand as I connected with his scaled skin. He fell to the ground, stunned by the unexpectedly powerful blow.

  I looked to Ersabet. She was regaining her feet, but I could tell she was still disoriented from the attack.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw movement. It was Djadja charging forward at me. I turned to face him and realized the bastard had his sword out. He was going to kill me!

  I reached for my sword, but before I could pull it from my hip, Djadja made his attack. Everything seemed to slow, and it was as clear as day that his overhand attack would be coming from above his right shoulder. He would slice down at a forty-five-degree angle, and so right before he did, I rolled to my left and dodged it.

  When I stood, I pulled out my sword and prepared to engage. Before I could, the ground underneath Djadja trembled, and he collapsed into the earth as if swallowed by quicksand.

  Ersabet ended the spell, trapping him up to his belly in hard-packed earth.

  And then I was hit by a train.

  Well, it wasn’t actually a train, but it had felt like one when Surach shoulder-tackled me from the side and landed atop me.

  “You’re going to die for that,” he hissed at me.

  If I wanted to reply, I wouldn’t have been able to as the breath had been thoroughly knocked out of me.

  I tried and failed to gasp as his scaled fist filled my vision right before it connected with my face. My vision blurred, and my thoughts scattered from that single blow.

  I waited for the second blow, but it never came. Surach was moving atop me, and then suddenly, he rolled off me.

  Through my busted vision, I saw two figures on top of Surach. It was Minna and Harl, but their attack only bought me a little time as Surach easily threw them off.

  He stood back up and faced me. He stepped forward as a blue shadow appeared behind him. Surach fell to his knees. I thought Ersabet kicked the back of his legs, but my vision was still too blurry to fully make sense of what was happening.

  The next thing I knew, she had him in an unbreakable chokehold. It seemed like an eternity before he finally went limp, but eventually, his struggle ceased, and he fell unconscious.

  I took a queue from Surach and closed my eyes. A little nap was just what the doctor ordered.