Page 37 of Rogue Elves of Ardani

He hadn’t noticed. Everything in Ardani looked the same, especially when it snowed. He would have been hopelessly lost without Crow.

She edged closer to the dog, which growled, baring teeth.

“What are you doing?” Vaara asked again, keeping his distance.

“I can’t leave it here.”

His brow tightened. She was going to kill it. Because it belonged to their enemies. “Crow, leave it be. It’s an animal. It knows no right or wrong.”

She ignored him and slowly approached the snarling dog. Bending low to the ground, she removed one of her gloves. The dog’s jaws snapped viciously at her, and she pulled back.

In a surprisingly quick lunge, she reached her hand out and grabbed the dog’s tail. It snapped at her once, then froze in place.

Vaara stared. The dog stopped growling. The tension left its body. It panted, then lay down on the ground, licking its injured leg.

Crow released its tail and then pried open the trap, freeing its leg. The dog’s tail wagged as it licked her hand. Crow smiled.

“Do people keep dogs in Kuda Varai?” she asked.

Vaara warily stepped closer, watching her scratch between the dog’s ears. “No.” The canines in Kuda Varai were bigger and considerably less friendly.

She pulled something from her pocket. A small bottle. She uncorked it, then dripped a line of liquid over the dog’s wound.

“I thought you said you didn’t have any more panacea,” Vaara said.

She paused, as if trying to remember if she’d really said that to him. “So you don’t have the faculties to realize which direction we’ve been traveling in, but when it comes to catching me in a lie, you’re suddenly a detective with a perfect memory.”

“You lie often.”

“I can’t recall ever lying to you.”

“I’ve just pointed out that you did.”

“I said I didn’t have another panacea,” she said. “This is wound sealer. It clots blood. It doesn’t heal. There’s a difference.”

He glanced at the bottle, then at the dog. She appeared to be correct, now that he looked closer. “I know the difference. I don’t need a human explaining magic to me.”

“Of course not. That would be ridiculous.” She corked the bottle, smiling down at the dog. “I think she likes me now. Maybe she’ll tell the other ones we’re friends.” She got up to return to the road, and the dog limped after her.

“It’s following you,” Vaara said.

Crow turned to look down at the dog, dismayed.

“How long does the empathy’s effect last?” Vaara said. The dog wagged its tail. It almost looked like it was smiling. The longer he watched the creature, the harder it was to hold a grudge against it.

“Not long after I break contact with the subject,” Crow said. “But in this case, I’ll bet that by the time my magic wears off, she’ll have forgotten she was ever angry at me.”

Hesitating again, like she was still reluctant to let it go, she bent down and rested her hand on the dog’s head. It stilled, like it was listening.

Then Crow straightened, and the dog obediently loped off through the trees and down the road.

Chapter 10

The sun was just nearing the horizon and Crow had started talking about stopping at a town a few miles ahead when an arrow shot out of the trees and hit the ground in front of them.

Crow stopped short as a man brandishing a sword ran out of the trees ahead of them. There was a crashing of brush as another ran out from the opposite side of the road, and then another behind them. Highwaymen.

“Stay where you are and you won’t get hurt,” called the man in front of them, slowly advancing.

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