Page 6 of The Oracle's Journey

He met my eyes and shook his head. “Weren’t you the one that wanted to just get on with it?” he asked, throwing my words back at me. I unfastened the rest of the buttons and handed it over, taking the opportunity to scan the crowd of villains again. They hadn’t attempted to get into the carriage, but they had moved the tree.

“What happened to your escort of valiant knights?” the elf asked as he sat and got the carriage rolling.

My worry doubled when I realized we were being taken to a second location. But what could I have done to stop them? My goal from that point onward would be to remain between the elves and my charge.

“We had expected a lot more than just … you.” His eyes flicked over me and frowned, as though he wasn’t at all impressed.

“Wyverns,” I said and left it at that.

His eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “They don’t usually come down this side of the mountains.” I just shrugged. The same could be said of his people. “No wonder you’re not scared of us.”

“Heh,” I huffed a laugh. It was just a facade, though. I’d been terrified beyond reason while facing the dragons. The fear of these elves was a different type. Handling them would likely require conniving and finesse … but I was a brawler. I was not equipped for that kind of fight. If this had been a proper bridal journey, there would have been at least one savvy courtier around. I silently cursed Herment. Again.

“I’m taking you ladies somewhere we can take our time searching the carriage. Our plans do not involve harming any of you,” he explained.

I cocked an eyebrow at him and frowned in disbelief.

He sighed heavily. “We just want the dowry and whatever other valuables we can find,” he said. “There are an unusual number of wild predators in the forest here, as you may have noticed with your wyverns. We will keep you safe from them until morning when we release you. I’m telling you this, one professional to another. Anyone that can survive a dragon attack unscathed is either incredibly lucky or extremely dangerous. I’d rather not find out which if I can avoid it.”

That earlier sinking sensation settled in to make itself at home in my stomach. They’d probably try to ransom Emmelina back to her father. Or maybe her fiancé?

“There’s no dowry,” I murmured.

His face dropped abruptly. “What do you mean, there’s no dowry?”

“That there’s no dowry,” I repeated, my voice sharp. “There is no simpler way to say it.”

“That’s unfortunate,” he sighed again, his brow furrowed. “I still need to pay my associates.”

“Ransom?”

“Likely,” he answered. He summoned one of the other elves to his side of the carriage, and they spoke in their own language. Then he turned to me and said, in an ominous tone, “I’m going to have to search you when we get where we’re going,”

“I understand,” I said. And I did. But this was not the cut and dry transaction I’d hoped for. The longer we were around these bandits, the odds of our coming out unharmed decreased. Whatever I did next, I needed to make sure it didn’t affect Emmelina’s safety. Or the maids’ safety, if I wanted to be able to live with myself.

If I lived.

CHAPTER 4

Lhoris

Icould tell the dark eyed half-elf beside me was already plotting my doom. It was written all over her pretty, pissed-off face. Her eyes constantly scanned over the crew and our surroundings. Old scars on her upper lip and knuckles were testament to her willingness to fight. And I could feel the burning fierceness in her when my elven aura brushed against hers. She may be giving the appearance of compliance, but I had the sense she was simply lying in wait.

The next few days would be hard if there truly was no dowry to be found. The idiots my brother and I worked with were not the patient type. They’d sooner torture and kill the captives than deal with ransom or slave trade. Which is why Dulanzo, our oldest brother, put us in charge of them. I knew he hoped the crew would rid him of his two younger brothers, but we’d managed to avoid it for a few years. As long as I kept the money coming in, and allowed them space to enjoy it, the crew tolerated my leadership.

“Look, I understand you have an obligation to your patron, and that you’re going to make this as difficult for us as possible,” I said, “but these assholes will be looking for any excuse to hurt you. Please reconsider.”

“I’m sure they’ll try.” She nodded to herself, tapping a finger on her knee. “But I’ll do what I need to.”

A smile pulled at the corner of my lips. She’d said it so seriously. Surely, she knew there was no point. “So, you’re just going to throw down your gauntlet like that?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m not offering a challenge. You already know what I’m obligated to do.”

Ah yes, this one will be the death of us if I don’t manage the situation properly. I would simply have to limit her options.

I called for my brother again in our dialect. “Lobikno, I need rope. The enchanted length, please.”

“What’s wrong, Lhoris? That halfie’s gonna be trouble?” Lobikno asked, handing a coiled length of rope up to me. The metal pieces of his armor clanked a little as he did.

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