Page 93 of Soul Forge

Elda gave up trying when two of the villagers got angry at each other and started swinging punches. A shifter with bright orange eyes was facing off against a scaled reptilian creature, similar to the one she’d seen back in Edward’s inn, but with scales of the palest yellow.

“What species is that?” Elda asked, watching the shifter take a right hook to the chin hard enough to lift him onto his toes.

“An ishma. She’s a tough one too.”

“How do you know that’s a woman?”

“Pale scales,” Reiner replied, tapping the handle of her mace. Beneath the table, her leg bounced repeatedly. “The males are shorter and have darker scales.”

Elda turned back to watch the ishma throw another punch, this time at the shifter’s gut. He doubled over, and claws extended from his fingertips. The ishma narrowly avoided their deadly swipe. Around them, patrons jeered and hollered, sloshing ale and wine over the edges of their cups.

“Why haven’t I seen any of them in Eden?”

Reiner’s laugh was humourless. “You think your father would let anyone that looks like that into his city? Only the desirables are allowed. I was almost denied a role in the army because of my skin.”

Elda turned sharply, distracted from the fight by the revelation. “People were denied entry to Eden based on their looks?”

“Do you really think people would choose to settle in the outlands if they’d been granted passage to the main city?” the ex-captain asked. “I was only appointed because Atlas sought meout when I visited the palace to try signing up. The guards at the gate were about to laugh me out of the city. I lived in a small village just west of Eden before that.”

The princess gripped the edge of the table, her world view shifting. Eden was always painted as a haven for those that needed it, a refuge for people wanting peace and safety. How could she have reached adulthood not knowing just how many people wereforcedto live beyond the walls?

“I’m sorry, I had no idea.” Words failed her – there was nothing that could be said to make it better. “I wish I could take it back.”

Reiner smiled and cocked her head. “What’s done is done for me. But for future generations, it can be undone.” She leaned forwards, resting her elbow on the sticky tabletop. “Be a better ruler than your father.”

Elda nodded, her chest tightening with emotion. “I will be.”

“And make me captain again.”

This time, the princess grinned. “I will.”

The volume in the tavern increased, interrupting their conversation when several angry men and women started yelling at each other. Judging by the slash marks on the chest of a nearby fae male, the shifter had missed his opponent and caught a bystander who got too close. The fae was yelling at the ishma, and a human woman was yelling at the fae, her arm thrown out to shield her scaled companion. Elda watched the human dump her drink over the fae, wincing when he tipped a wood elf out of his chair and hefted the whole thing like a club.

“This could escalate,” Reiner commented.

Right on cue, the owner of the inn lifted a sturdy wooden chair above her head and hurled it, intending to hit the brawlers but using too much force. Reiner shoved Elda off her chair and onto the ground, the tossed furniture smashing against the wall where her head had been a second before.

Elda’s shoulder hit the ground with a thud, and she rolled, trying to get to her feet in the small space around their table. There were too many legs, too much furniture. She kicked a chair away, and it caught the legs of another patron, who assumed it was the person beside them and shoved them, sending them flying over the table. Elda curled up, tankards clattering and splashing ale everywhere when the table tipped. By the sound of the grunt that came from Reiner, the person had landed on her. Elda twisted just in time to see them grab the ex-captain by the collar, only for her to fire off a punch that rocked their head back.

Reiner kicked them away and stood, intending to reach Elda, when a dark shape slammed into her side and sent more tables toppling. Elda caught a glimpse of grey fur right before someone’s boot came down on her arm. She yelped and chopped at the back of the knee, sending the person tumbling. More people fell, more shouts echoed, and more people joined the growing fight.

The inn erupted into chaos, punches flying and feet stamping everywhere. Elda heard Reiner call her name, but she couldn’t see her. The press of bodies swelled, hemming her in again when she tried and failed to get to her feet. She was in danger of being trampled to death on the sticky floor, heavy boots stepping close enough to her head to make her flinch.

A hand closed around her arm, and she was swallowed by darkness, stepping out of it into cool night air a moment later. She was no longer on the dirty floor, and the sound of brawling was dull. She was still in the village, but she wasn’t sure where. She turned to thank Reiner for saving her and was met with piercing, pale blue eyes. She’d seen eyes like that on Julian when the thirst started to get to him. Shadows collapsed around the stranger in whisps, and when he smiled, his incisors were lengthened.

“You’re not Reiner,” she blurted. The vampire cocked his head, long mousey waves cascading over his shoulder.

“My name is Malphas.” He bowed, his mane of hair briefly hiding the sharp features of his face. “You’re welcome for the nick of time rescue.”

“I should be getting back to my group,” she mumbled, acutely aware of the danger she was in. She turned away, only to find him in front of her again. He smiled like a snake about to strike. She reached back to tap the gem on her vestige where it hung from her shoulder, discreetly releasing the dagger.

“But I was enjoying your company,” Malphas pouted, his eyes on the pulse at her throat. “And it’s only fair of you to give me a little something in return for your life. Donors are hard to come by, and I’ve done you a favour tonight.”

“You’re not biting me.”

“Have you ever been bitten by a vampire?”

“No, and I’d rather not start now.”

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