Chapter 6
A Change of Mind, Then Shift in Thought
Upon waking the next morning, Annora felt well rested for the first time since she had run into Bree. Her mind felt clearer, but it still felt as if it was moving slower and with less focus than she was accustomed to.
At least I can tell that it isn’t working as well as it should. Annora was by no means stupid – dragon hunters did not live long if they were. Her carelessness was entirely uncharacteristic of her, and it all started after the incident in the alley. Of course, the initial choice to ignore the injury had been the first terrible decision, so it could not be blamed on the poison. Her desire to get revenge on the dragon had overshadowed good judgment. Knowing that it had as much to do with her personal history with dragons, Annora realized that she was too old to be taking such a personal approach to her job. Her ability to deal with them was usually very cut and dry. The fact that she had made it personal was her first mistake. It had seemed like the best way to pay back the people of Marked Tree, but it had also made it difficult to stay objective.
With a deep sigh, she sat up in the bed.
“Finally awake.”
Her head turned and she noticed Elian sitting in a chair at the other end of the room. Her response died in her throat.
Don’t react emotionally.
“Thank you very much, Elian. I cannot tell you how much your efforts mean to me. If not for you, I wouldn’t have made it past that first night when we met.”
Elian raised an eyebrow and it looked like there was something he wanted to say. Instead, he simply nodded.
Annora continued, “I never gave you any reason to be so protective, but it seems you have followed me, making sure that my own carelessness wasn’t fatal. I don’t understand why you did it, but I appreciate it.” She looked at him. “Despite your cold attitude, you have been rather caring.” The young woman stopped just short of telling him that he had actually come across as quite charming the night they met. Something told her that he was used to hearing that, and while she was thanking him, Annora had no desire to make unnecessary compliments when it was clear his ego was large enough. After all, what right did he have to keep her locked up in the room? Whatever he wanted from her must be big.
Elian’s expression changed in small degrees as she continued. “Whatever it is you want to ask of me, I will listen and consider it. I am sorry that I cannot promise more, but only a fool would make a promise without knowing the request.”
The shock in his eyes faded as a small grin turned the corners of his mouth. “It seems like something that would be in character for you.”
She gave a curt laugh. “After what you have witnessed since the alley, I can’t expect you to believe differently.” It was obvious that he expected some sort of explanation, but Annora was not about to go into details about her personal life. The man already knew far too much, and that made her incredibly uncomfortable. The thought of Elian and Bree meeting was something that made her feel chilled to the bone. If Bree had any idea what had happened after their last brief discussion…
Elian stood up and walked over to her. “I’m sure you had your own reasons. And I’ve no doubt that you aren’t about to tell them to a stranger, no matter what that stranger has done for you. As you are respecting my decision not to say why I have helped you, I shall respect your right to ignore whatever caused your dangerous behavior for the last week.”
Annora dropped her head in her hands. “It’s been a week?” Her voice dripped with agony and regret.
“Actually, a little more than a week. Do you need to know the current date?” His eyes sparkled as he asked.
“No, dates don’t really mean much in my line of work.”
Elian stood by the bed and Annora could not help but notice the way his muscles rippled as he leaned against the wall. Not back to fully functional yet, then. The thought was a good sign that she was well on the road to recovery.
“And what is your line of work?”
Annora pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked out the window. “Does it matter?” Her eyes went back to his, and there was definitely defiance in them as she stared him down.
A moment later, his head tilted and he replied, “I would guess an actress who is taking a role far too seriously, but I’ve never met an actress who would survive an orthrus attack, let alone take out so many bandits so quickly.”
The dragon slayer nodded. “You are correct, I’m not an actress. Well, not intentionally.” She remembered the one time Saskia had persuaded them to be in a play as part of a plan she had to get back at a boy that had hurt Bree. It had been brilliant, even if Annora had never felt comfortable. Her part had been pretty simple, she pretty much played herself, but with the weapons on the opposite sides than she was accustomed to using them. It had reinforced the idea that women had no idea how to handle weapons as the change in weight had thrown off her ability to draw them quickly. After the second time the sword clattered on the ground, Annora had opted for looking menacing instead of appearing incompetent. It was the only way to keep her reputation. In the end everything worked out, and Annora got to offer the finishing blow to the man’s ego, a satisfying feeling that more than made up for the humiliation of the play.
Annora shook her head, finally realizing that her mind had wandered again.
“Are you alright?” A barely hidden look of concern fought against the cold demeanor Elian was trying to maintain.
Giving him a faint smile, she replied, “Yes, sorry. I missed what you were saying. Just got a little,” she moved her hand in a twisting motion beside her head, “caught up in some memories.”
Elian was unable to hide his confusion.
She gave a little laugh as she realized he was failing to keep up whatever he was trying to do. It made the young woman feel more at ease to see that even this man could fail at something. She decided to explain a little. “I was in a play once. We were getting back at this guy for breaking my friend’s heart. And-”
“Bree?”
Annora nodded, “Yes. We were quite young then. Life was so much… simpler back then. Anyway, I was terrible, so if I ever had any desire to be an actress, it died with that play.
“And did you?”
Annora cocked her head to the side. “Did I what?”
The corner of his mouth tugged up as he said, “Ever want to be an actress?”
“Oh gods, no! Having that much attention on you, always having to smile and talk to people.” The dragon slayer couldn’t help but shiver at the thought. “I would much rather face a horde of giants than deal with people every day.”
A strange look crossed his face. “A horde of giants? Really? Either you have a serious fear of attention, or you are more reckless than I thought.”
She waved a hand. “I wouldn’t come out alive in either circumstance. Death by giant seems much more appealing. And they never pretend to be on your side. I prefer to know my enemy than have to figure out who is really my friend.”
“Hmmm,” he reflected on what she said. “I can see your point. Although I would prefer to always come out on top. Assuming you will win makes it so much easier to achieve.”
Annora couldn’t tell if he meant it or if he was pulling her leg. She gave a noncommittal shrug. “Anyway, it was a good memory.”
“You must have gotten him in the end, though.”
“Indeed. I had almost entirely forgotten about it. That makes me feel so old.”
Elian opened his mouth as if to say something, but he stopped. The dragon hunter was pretty sure she knew what the question was, and since it kept them away from the subject of her profession, she volunteered the answer. “27.”
His brow furrowed. “What?”
“I’m 27.”
He gave a short laugh. “That’s not even remotely old.”
Annora frowned and looked at him askance. “Well, it’s not old if you aren’t human. It puts me at about middle age. How many people do you know that have reached 60 years old?”
Elian shifted his weight, and the young woman realized he was not looking her in the eye. “I don’t think I’ve ever known a human to reach that age.”
“Exactly.” There was something he wasn’t saying. Since he had not asked her for her age, Annora felt it would be wrong to ask his, but suddenly she was curious.
He pushed away from the wall, his handsome face turned from her as he headed toward the door. As he opened it, Elian said, “I am very glad to see you are doing better. Keep improving and-”
Annora quickly threw her legs over the side of the bed and rose to her feet. “Oh, yes, thank you very much, but I cannot possibly keep abusing your charity. You have done too much already. Just let me know what you need me to do and I will consider it while I finish my current… work.” She silently cursed herself since she had brought the conversation back around to her occupation.
Elian closed the door. “Oh, it’s not a problem at all. It’s my pleasure.”
Annora realized that he was avoiding looking at her. Too late she realized that her clothes were nearly see through. Getting out of there was too important to get distracted now. “No, I mean it. I have been too much of a burden on you. There is no way I can continue to use you like this. I promise I will return and I’ll give you-”
Elian was waving his hands in front of his face as he stammered, his head turned away from her, “No, no! I insist- you stay and get better, and then we will talk about the rest.”
Annora noticed the pink flush on his cheeks. Ah, that made the whole situation that much more uncomfortable. She had never been good with flirting or making men think of her in terms beyond a killer. Her cheeks immediately started to feel hot just looking at his embarrassment. Still, she tried to press her case because the last thing she wanted to do was stay in that place one more day. It was true that the young woman had another way out, but if she could repay him, that seemed like the best path forward. The image of him watching the dragon flitted across her mind, and Annora was quite certain that he was still after it. That meant they were very likely to meet again.
“Unless I am your prisoner, it’s time for me to get moving. My head feels better, my back is pulling, but not painful, and my ankle feels almost as good as new.”
His eyes moved back toward her and the red in his cheeks intensified. “Your arm is still bleeding unpredictably.” Annora looked down and saw that he was right. Small blood stains showed through on her fresh bandage. “Your ankle is only working well because it is tightly bound. One wrong move or sudden side dodge and you are going to be right back where you started. It would be entirely irresponsible to let you go, even if you feel fine.”
“Aren’t I the best judge of my current abilities?”
Finally, he met her eyes and he slowly and deliberately shook his head.
“Are you saying that I’m your prisoner until you decide to release me?” Annora’s face became like stone.
“If that is how you want to look at it, yes. So, you may as well return to your bed and get some rest if you want to get out of here.”
“No.”
Ignoring the way her outfit highlighted her body, Elian focused on what mattered. “Maybe you don’t understand. You don’t have a choice.”
Annora folded her arms across her chest. “What happens if I scream?”
The man shrugged his muscular shoulders. “You get winded and annoy a lot of patrons in this establishment. Also, it’s not a great way to say thank you after everything I’ve done.”
“I’m pretty sure that we already covered my appreciation for what you did.”
“Then why don’t you show it, and go make sure you recover?”
“Because I am fine now.”
Tired of arguing, Elian leaned down and tried to pick her up at a speed that should not have been possible. As soon as she saw what he was about to do, Annora dropped and rolled away from him. He adjusted his movements, but his hand only brushed her body. His cheeks became bright red as he realized that he had run his hand over her lower back and lower.
Trying to keep his composure, he moved forward. Again she moved out of reach. His hands ran around her stomach before she could move again, and he pulled her to him. Annora felt his body against hers and she was again very aware of just how well-built and handsome the man was. As these thoughts floated past, her elbow automatically dug into the man’s stomach. The woman nearly regretted it as she was certain that the muscles were almost as hard as her elbow, and he had definitely been expecting the move. She brought her foot through his legs and pressed against the back of his knee, causing him to drop her as he tried to regain his balance. Seeing her chance to get out, Annora made a break for the door.
The arms were around her waist before she got it open.
“It’s obvious I’ve been underestimating you.” He lifted her up, this time carrying her like he had when she was sick. To his surprise, Annora shaped her body like a V and nearly slipped through his arms. His hands ended up wrapping around her left ankle and left wrist. She swung into him, causing Elian to lose his balance. They fell on the floor. Unfortunately for Annora, Elian maneuvered so that he fell on top of her. She was entirely pinned to the floor with no way out as long as he continued to press down.
Elian couldn’t even look at her as he spoke. “This is ridiculous. You can’t possibly win. Look at your arm.” He was trying to look at the ceiling while keeping an eye on her movements. The woman clearly knew how to fight, and it was not a style that he knew at all.
Annora looked at her arm and saw the blood stains growing. “It’s your fault. If you would just let me go, my arm would-”
“Still be severely injured. You do realize that it is poison keeping it from healing, don’t you?”
“Of course I know that! It isn’t any of your concern.” Her voice was low and threatening, causing him to look down into her eyes. His reflexes kicked in and he immediately let go of her and moved away from her and toward the door. He didn’t even try to stand yet.
“Look, clearly you aren’t in any shape to fight. I really don’t want to keep fighting a woman who is not appropriately dressed…” He looked away, his cheeks nearly as red as his eyes. “I don’t even know your name, so this seems really inappropriate.”
“I agree this is ridiculous. You can’t keep me here!” She was already on her feet.
Elian stood up quickly and moved to the door. “Until you see reason and take the necessary time to recover, this is the only place that is safe for you.”
“Wait, what?” she asked as the door closed behind him. “Arrrrrrggh!” Her scream was from her gut. Taking a few calming breaths, the dragon slayer knew that there was another way to accomplish what she wanted, it would just be much more challenging. A bit disappointed that she was going to have to leave without a proper goodbye, the young woman couldn’t help but feel regret as she went about listening to the soldier protecting her.
First she sat on the bed facing the window opening. Annora knew how to pout, and she knew that was how the soldiers would see her. It didn’t take an hour before the men beneath her window began talking about where their weapons where stored. Trying to figure out based on their descriptions where she was, Annora was able to draw a few conclusions. They weren’t in Defiance. From what she had heard, it sounded like they were in Kildeer. It was a bit closer to the Unforgiving Ridges, so her work would be a bit easier. Retrieving her weapons, however, was going to prove a bit more difficult. Apparently they were stored with the other military equipment, and that was pretty heavily guarded.
The only thing she needed now were decent clothes. That one was easy to fix. When the innkeeper brought in her evening meal, Annora asked for some more appropriate clothes. She emphasized how see-through it was, and the man couldn’t help but cough at what she pointed out.
“Of course. I will bring something that is a little less, uh, revealing.” With that he left the room with a quick glance at her.
For the first time since she had encountered Elian, Annora undid her braid. Using the water in the bathroom, she washed her hair and left it down to dry. When the innkeeper returned after an hour, he couldn’t even look at her as her hair had made the clothing wet and clingy. He simply dropped the clothing on her bed and moved out of the room.
Annora smiled as she walked over to the clothing. Men were so easy, it was pathetic. Even though he seemed like a nice guy, the dragon hunter did not feel guilty about his discomfort, especially since he was clearly helping to keep her there.
Her heart sank as she held up the clothing. While it wasn’t bed wear, it was the kind of stuff women wore. Skirts, petty coats, and shirts that were going to be impossible to move in. As she went through what John had brought her, Annora smiled – he had brought her a few options. Laying them out, she looked them over while she ate her meal, the smile never leaving her face.
There was still some noise as she pulled the second, frilly blouse over the one she had modified. Having done the best she could to convert a skirt into something resembling pants, Annora knew she was going to have to find pants before she made it too far away. A modified skirt would never look right.
It was just after 10 as she slipped through the loose board and into the room beside her.
“Excuse me,” she whispered to the surprised couple who turned to look at her as she slipped through the wall. They were each holding an article of clothing, and she couldn’t help but smile at the way they were frozen at her entrance. “I’m just looking for a working bathroom. Mine’s backed up from the last guy. Mind if I use yours?”
Without waiting for a response, she slipped into their bathroom. She was on the second floor, so Annora would have to determine if the distance was enough for a safe drop, if there was anything she could add to make it a comfortable drop, or if she would need to climb up. The bathroom faced a different direction than the one in her room, so the coast was clear as far as the soldiers went. But the distance was too far and there was nothing readily available for her to safely land on. Up it was.
There was a knock at the door as she slipped out the window. It wouldn’t not take long before the couple came to their senses and went to report the intruder. But they will have to finish dressing again first, a smirk crossed her face. Her luck appeared to be improving. With a little more difficulty than she expected, Annora made it up to the roof. Peering over the edges of each side, the dragon hunter found that the one between the inn and the establishment next to it was the best way down. Best of all, it was opposite the side with the soldiers. Being more careful not to reinjure herself, Annora took longer than she felt she would have if she had been in a better condition. Still, she did not hear any commotion inside. Raising her eyebrows, the young woman realized that the couple may not raise the alarm at all. Once they realized she was gone, there was no need for further investigation, and they clearly had higher priorities than trying to track her down.
Things were suddenly looking much better as she headed toward Killdeer’s tailor. He was one of the few people that she knew in the town, but he was the only person she needed. The thought of being back in more comfortable clothing caused her to move a little faster.