THIEVES BOUNTY

By

Laine Morgan

© copyright September 2005, Laine Morgan

Cover art by Eliza Black, © copyright September 2005

ISBN 1-58608-639-1

New Concepts Publishing

Lake Park, GA 31636

www.newconceptspublishing.com

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

Chapter One

“Thena, get out here!”

Harlan banged on the arched wooden door, his meaty knuckles escalating the knocks into sharp, staccato booms. He hated doing this. He felt sorry for the young woman, with the last surviving member of her family--her brother- in prison. He clucked his tongue. Poor lass.

The door opened a crack, and Harlan caught a flash of a pale blue eye.

“What’s up, Harlan?”

Her voice was like purple velvet, husky and sensual. If Harlan was a younger man... He frowned as he realized a beauty like her would probably never have gone for his type--short, a little on the beefy side, and a willing servant to the Dagrathan government she so obviously despised.

“I’ve got an assignment for you,” he said, his voice as grizzled as the gray hair on his head.

The door opened a tad more, and he glimpsed a tease of platinum blonde hair--the white locks that were common among her people. Was it true? Was she descended from an ancient and powerful race of Elves? He couldn’t be sure, but after seeing Thena once bring down an ogre twice her size, he thought it was probably true.

“What kind of assignment?” Her voice was, as always, suspicious.

“Oh, an easy one this time,” Harlan assured, nodding his head. “There’s a robber down south...”

“How far south?”

“Well,” he said, dreading to go on. “Pretty far south, actually. In Antonia.”

She sighed. Harlan knew how she hated seaside towns. “Who am I supposed to get?”

“An enemy of the Dag, a thief of the lords. A human. He steals their money. An easy mark, at least for you, Thena. And this is it. Your last assignment--this one will cover your brother’s ransom.” If the lad wasn’t already dead. The boy had been in the dungeon for over three months, charged with treason, a capital offense. The Magistrate had only spared his life because of Thena’s worth as a mercenary. Without leverage against her, she would have deserted the moment her brother had been arrested. But he wouldn’t tell her that most prisoners rarely lasted a few weeks in the underground dungeon, she’d rip apart his throat in a heartbeat. He took a step back as he imagined her vengeful wrath.

“Why can’t the lawmen in the south bring him in? What’s he done to merit our involvement?” Her pale blue eyes narrowed, and Harlan swallowed nervously.

“He’s ruthless, a dangerous outlaw. The people say he’s like a ghost--impossible to catch. No one has seen his face. No one knows who he is.” Harlan swallowed again as she opened her door wider and leaned forward. “He’s dangerous--dangerous and vicious.”

“And this will be my last bounty?” She grabbed the front of his tunic. “On your word?”

He held up his hands and forced a smile. “Aye, your brother will be freed with this bounty.”

Without hesitation, she answered. “I’ll take it.”

“Good, good, now...” The door slammed in his face. Harlan shrugged. Ah well, she knows what she’s doing.

* * * *

Thena yanked on her calf-length doeskin boots which matched her trousers, a soft taupe. She pulled on her tunic, again the same color. Looking into the mirror, she ignored her sour scowl as she plaited her long white-blonde hair into a single braid.

She dreaded going as far south as Antonia, where the water actually moved, unlike the frozen sea of her native Northland. She often had nightmares about drowning in that strange blue water and she was loathe to go anywhere near it. Besides, the air was hot down there, and although her body was used to strenuous activity, it was not used to profuse sweating.

However, if it meant the release of her innocent brother, she would go. She would go to the end of the earth and capture the devil if she had to. At least this time, the bounty was a simple thief. Not a murderer or rapist. And he was human. Her last bounty had been an insane, drunkard of a Dwarf. The stout creature had been like a boulder, hard as stone and almost impossible to drag in. She’d managed, but at the cost of some hair and a few bruises.

This should be easy, she thought, grabbing her coat, weapons and a small leather sack of provisions. She walked out the door of her tiny, cramped living quarters and squinted as the cold northern wind slapped her in the face. The door slammed behind her.

Her senses came alive and she savored the clean, cold air. Drawing in long breaths and releasing them in slow, measured exhalations, she interlaced her fingers and flexed her arms over her head. An eternal blue sky mocked the frigid bite of the North Wind. The ancient green spruces surrounding the guard’s quarters reached their pointed tips to greet the morning sun. It would be a good day.

As she walked toward the stables, she quickened her stride, glad to be outdoors. It had been a month since she’d had to travel far enough to take her gray thoroughbred. Treader desperately needed the exercise and fresh open air. The most activity he’d had in recent days was nibbling the sparse yellow grass in the compound’s pasture.

The stables smelled ripe with hay and oats, a smell she’d loved as a child. A memory of her youth came to her. She was twelve, her foster-father calling her outside in the blackest time of the night to witness Treader’s birth. It was a magic event, and now, eight years later, Treader was closer to her than anyone, except for her brother.

Since that special night, her life had been turned upside down, but things were looking brighter. She’d have her brother with her again, soon.

She could hear Treader’s expectant whinny as he sensed her arrival. When she turned the corner into the dimly-lit stable, she saw his big gray head hanging over the stall door, staring at her with his liquid brown eyes.

Thena smiled. “Hallo, Treader. Want to go south?”

The big gray nodded his head and whickered, nuzzling Thena’s open palm. She loved the tickle of his whiskers on her skin and she laughed.

“Well, I don’t. But this is our last assignment, and when we catch this bounty, we’ll have earned Fabian’s release.”

Opening the stall door, she stood aside as Treader trotted out. He waited for her outside, his nostrils flaring in the cold, expelling white clouds of steam. Thena fitted him with his bit and saddle, dividing her provisions between two large saddlebags. She swung up into the saddle and touched her heels to his sides. The horse leapt forward, his hooves kicking up dirt as he galloped away.

As she raced past the keep, the imposing stone façade dominated her peripheral vision. A picture of the dark, frozen dungeons underground thrust into her mind. “I’ll be back soon, Fabian. Hold on,” she whispered before spurring Treader into an all out run.

She didn’t look back. If she did, she would lose her composure. Freedom was imminent. Fabian would soon be released, and they would flee to the extreme North, where it was rumored some of her distant relatives still lived. The Dagrathan had no power in there. Nervous excitement tingled in her blood as the Dagrathan Headquarters was left behind.

The first two days of her journey were uneventful as she traveled the well worn path, surrounded by cold blue sky, tall pines and fragrant spruces. Riding as fast as she could without overtiring Treader, she wanted nothing more than to quickly procure Fabian’s release.

She passed the time by remembering her childhood, the good times she’d spent with Fabian. Fishing for silvery shiners through the ice, sparring with javelins and wooden swords, climbing trees, and spooking each other with scary stories by the fire.

She spent her nights at roadside inns, falling into an exhausted sleep the moment she settled onto the pallet.

On the third day into her journey, a man appeared on the path, lumbering towards her. When he saw Thena, he stopped and took a wide stance, blocking the way. She wasn’t surprised. Confrontations with lustful men were a constant thorn in her side. This would be no different from those in the past.

Lined with trees, the path offered no way to dodge the man. Galloping around him was impossible. And she wouldn’t just trample him--it might hurt Treader. She sighed, hating what she would inevitably be forced to do.

“Hallo, lassie.” The stocky warrior stood like a big rotten stump on the path, one fat fist resting on his hip. His other massive hand rested on the hilt of a broadsword. “Where might ye be goin’?” His voice was confident, almost jovial. He clearly didn’t detect a threat in Thena’s slim, feminine figure. She smirked and mentally prepared herself to show him just how deceiving appearances could be.

“I’m on an errand for the Dagrathan.” She sighed and waited for him to move. She’d give him every opportunity to avoid harm.

“You? A Dag guard? You’re too pretty,” he said, his voice full of arrogance. A black patch covered his right eye and he adjusted it in a way to give her a glimpse of the ruined eye socket underneath. Did he think that would scare her? She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

“Aye, I am on an errand for the ‘Dag,’ and it would be very nice if you stepped aside, sir.” Her pale eyes pinned him in her gaze and his one good eye narrowed. Clearly, he didn’t like to be ordered around. Well, she didn’t like being eyed as a piece of meat, either.

“Well, now. I don’t think so, lass. I think you’re too pretty a dish to pass up.” His good eye gleamed with sinful intent, his cocked smile full of wicked delight.

She sighed again. She hated when this happened. Swinging down from Treader’s back, she faced the stranger.

The man gave an exaggerated blink. “Oh, yer a tall one. The Old Blood runs strong in ye,” he crowed. He lurched toward her in an awkward, bow-legged gait and snagged her wrist.

Big mistake.

Before he could even finishing closing his fist, Thena twirled around and broke his grip while grasping his wrist at the same time. She wrenched it behind his back, forcing him on his tiptoes. With a sharp yank, she dislocated his elbow and he sank to the ground, howling in agony. His now useless arm dangled at his side.

Without a word, Thena swung up on Treader’s back and galloped away. In her dust, the man wailed, “My sword arm, my sword arm!”

Although she didn’t like depriving anyone of his livelihood, she thought the punishment fit the crime. That scum had probably taken advantage of dozens of women, just as he had planned to take advantage of her. Now maybe he would think twice about forcing his way upon a woman.

* * * *

The sun grew warmer as she neared the midpoint of her journey. She entered a small village and purchased a room at the inn for the night. Weary from the day’s travel but filled with a sense that she was running out of time, she fell into a restless sleep.

In a dream, she saw a gang of fierce men, waiting for her alongside the main road. Steel-edged knives glinted in the sunlight, blinding her. Treader pawed the ground, snorted, and sidestepped. Instinctively, as is the case in dreams, she knew these men would brutally rape and kill her. She spun Treader around and fled for her life.

When they set out the next morning, she heeded the warning in her dream and guided Treader off the main road. She trusted her dreams. Opting for an overgrown path, she hoped the dense brush growing amidst it was a sign it had not been used in a long time.

Taking such a remote and obscure path would increase the risk of running into criminals and other disreputable figures. Ogres and dwarves preferred the less-traveled paths, as well as the shades and spirits. Yet, the dream stayed with her, an urgent portent in her mind. She could handle a solitary ogre or dwarf, no matter how mean they were. She couldn’t handle what she knew waited for her on the main road.

Sunlight filtered down in dusty strands as she followed the dandelion-strewn path. Treader’s ears twitched and spun with each sound, but the stallion didn’t seem afraid, or even concerned. Hell, the seasoned warhorse didn’t even seem alert.

The tall, whispering pines conveyed a strange sense of peace. Thena’s eyelids fluttered and drooped. She jerked upright, but the rhythmic sway of Treader’s easy gait lulled her again. She yawned and rubbed her eye with the back of her hand, looking along the side of the path for a spot to rest. The forest floor was overgrown with weeds, brambles and gnarled roots, inhospitable for napping. The canopy thickened, dimming the sunlight, and the remnants of energy seeped from her.

Just before the unnatural exhaustion claimed her in her saddle, the thick trees gave way to a rolling meadow clothed with blood-red tulips. A host of multicolored butterflies hovered from flower to flower.

Once Treader emerged from the forest, the desperate weariness vanished, and Thena was awake and alert. Treader’s ears pricked and he snorted.

She looked over her shoulder as they left behind the forest.

Enchanted. She shuddered when she thought of what might have happened had she succumbed to her weariness. There were tales of enchanted forests like this, where the vegetation lining the path devoured slumbering travelers. She’d thought they were stories told by overprotective mothers to keep their children out of the forest.

They weren’t just stories, after all. She shuddered again before turning back to the meadow, in awe of the grand beauty sprawled out before her.

A small lake nestled in the center, glistening as though inlaid with diamonds. The water was the richest blue she’d ever seen. She halted Treader and stared, mesmerized.

Treader also seemed hypnotized by the tranquil beauty. When Thena clucked and urged him forward, he took faltering steps, as if he weren’t paying any attention to the ground ahead of him and concentrating only on the rippling clear water. Thena slid off Treader’s back and sat by the water’s edge. An urgent thought whispered in the back of her mind, reminding her of her fear of water. She smiled and pushed the thought away.

A trilling, singsong voice snapped her out of her reverie. She looked over her shoulder, expecting to find someone behind her. There was no one there. The voice giggled and Thena whipped her head back around, confused. A young girl swayed in the water, waist deep, staring at her with flashing bright green eyes. Impossibly large, slanted eyes. Thena blinked. What was this creature?

“Hallo, Elf,” the girl sang, her long cinnamon-colored hair trailing in the water. The girl’s creamy breasts were round and well formed, just beginning to bud into a woman’s fullness. By her innocent features, Thena had thought she was a young child. Those breasts told another story.

“I…I’m not an elf,” Thena stammered, bewitched by the girl’s unearthly beauty.

The girl smiled, revealing straight white teeth. Two sharp canines meant for ripping fish gleamed on each side, but strangely, they only added to the girl’s ethereal beauty. There was nothing menacing about the girl, even with her pointed teeth. “You are most certainly an elf, why do you tease me?” Her voice was the tinkle of bells.

Thena tilted her head. “But I’m not an elf, I’m from the North.”

The girl laughed and turned her back to Thena. “It’s okay, she’s just an elf!” she called, her voice carrying like wind chimes over the water.

Thena gasped as several creatures emerged from the crystal blue water and swam quickly and gracefully toward her. As they swam, she thought she caught glimpses of iridescent scales on the lower end of their bodies. Could these be…? She shook her head, trying to clear the fog that must have clouded her judgment. Everyone knew mermaids were mythical.

Not real. This lake holds some kind of enchantment, and I have to break it and get the hell out of here. A part of her mind clamored for attention, the rational part that said this couldn’t be real. This could be very dangerous.

“Silly elf,” the girl said. “This lake holds no enchantment. Except for us, I suppose.” She giggled and the others joined in, a chorus of harmonizing tinkles and jingles.

Thena gasped. “You read my mind,” she breathed, “How?” She scooted back, aware that these strange, fanged creatures were very close.

“We hear all things,” the girl replied in a mysterious tone. The others nodded. The mermaid’s gaze turned serious and burned Thena’s soul with a piercing brand. Thena clasped her chest, alarmed at the creature’s unseen, yet formidable, power. “One thing I have heard, Elf, is that you were wise to take this path.”

Images of Thena’s dream ripped through her mind.

The mermaid nodded, a somber tilt of the head. “Your dream spoke true, yet not all your dreams are omens of the future.” Again, her companions bobbed their heads in unison. Then the mermaid blinked her liquid green eyes, the grave countenance erased by a smile of pure sunshine and glitter.

Something amazing had just happened and Thena struggled to grasp the meaning behind the mermaid’s words. As the words slipped away like the hazy remnants of a dream, the mermaid called to her.

“Play with us today, Elf,” she chirped, diving under the water and coming up against the muscular hairy chest of what could only be called a merman. He folded tight forearms around the girl and pulled her into a protective, fierce embrace. Thena gasped as the girl whirled around and kissed the merman, her tongue poking out from her sensuous pink lips to flit across the merman’s fangs. The girl’s hand raked through the merman’s long, silky, greenish-blonde hair as she deepened her kiss.

Thena stared, appalled and aroused at the same time.

She tore her eyes away from the pair, but found all the merfolk were kissing and caressing each other. An eerie yet compelling song rose from the melding of their bodies, scale against scale, creating an enchantment almost palpable on the warm breeze.

Their raw sensuality awed and aroused her. She should be embarrassed, but nothing about their actions seemed out of the ordinary. Why, it would be easy to join them. She could just step in the water….no! She had a sudden vision of the grasping water rising to snatch her and drag her down. She shook her head, shaking away the sexual desire starting to overcome her, grateful that her fear of water was stronger.

The mermaid giggled and turned in the merman’s arms, facing Thena. Simultaneously, like a school of fish, all the others turned to regard her as well. “You haven’t been with a man in a long time.” Not a question, but a statement of fact.

Thena nodded. The heat of her blush spread down her neck, straight to her belly. Still, the sense of peace and calm covered her like a gauzy, quilted veil.

“Then come play with us, Elf,” the girl sang. She held her arms wide, beckoning her to join them.

The impulse to step forward nearly consumed Thena. She struggled through the peace and conjured images of her nightmares where she fought, drowning, against a wall of water, always seeing the sunlight above her but never able to break the surface.

“N..no, I can’t swim.” This whole scene was getting just a little too eerie, as if a spell of serenity was slowly wearing off. Treader snorted and pawed in the background as if he, too, emerged from a dream.

“Silly elf,” the girl replied, but the smile was no longer in her eyes. She turned to her companions. “She won’t play.”

With that, they flipped their tails and sped away, arching like luminescent dolphins through the water. With one last breath, they disappeared as one beneath the shimmering depths.