- 75th of Fall, 518
Everybody in the Hunter's Guild that morning knew the girl sitting at the long bar did not belong there. Though her garb of dark pants and sturdy white blouse were fairly appropriate, and it was clear she at least knew her way around the unarmed crossbow in her lap, the seasoned hunters couldn't help but share looks with each other behind her back. Something about her neatly coiled hair and stiff, upright posture made her seem more suited to the kind of work that involved padded chairs in dimly lit libraries than the harsh wilds. Besides, who in their right mind would insist on wearing their large, gaudy rings on a hunt?
But it wasn't until they saw her from the front that the full scope of her foolishness really shined through. The girl's high trousers could do nothing to hide the rise between her skinny hips. Anybody could guess that she was pregnant.
Madeira could feel their stares and could guess at the looks being exchanged in the bustling Guild, but her focus was on the two men who shared the bar with her. The full power of her icy blue eyes were trained on the young hunters, who fidgeted with their whiskies while her lukewarm glass of water sat untouched.
"I understand your hesitation", she supplied reasonably, her voice smooth and persuasive. "But you must admit I'm not asking for miracles. I'm just a customer asking for a simple contract job, and my only condition is you take me with you."
One of the men, the taller, darker of the two, finally raised his head. "But wouldn't you be more comfortable at home? Or even waiting here? You know, given your... condition." He cleared his throat, blood rising in his cheeks, and suddenly found something very interesting in the bottom of his glass.
The smaller, paler one, with sandy blonde hair flopping in his eyes, came to the rescue of his friend. "It might be different if we were, you know, If we were bringing you out to find a rabbit or-"
"I'm not interested in rabbits, deer, or woodland critters", Madeira cut him off, struggling to keep the exasperation out of her voice. "Bring me something with claws."
"But why", the dark one choked back the last of his whisky. "Why do you need to come?"
She shifted her weight and crossed her legs the other way. Both men glanced at her lap with the movement, and with a tap and sparkle off her bejewelled finger she made sure she brought their attention to her weapon. "I'm a burden, I know, but I'm not helpless. If you keep the pace slow I'll do my best to keep up. And of course you'll be well compensated for the trouble." She smiled demurely. "How does a hundred kina sound?"
"But, miss..."
“Each”, she insisted.
Both men paused and looked at each other, their sense of reason suddenly gummed up by the promise of what was nearly a quarter of their seasonal earnings. The blonde man was the first to shake the stupor.
"Ok, but why a predator? There are plenty of animals in the forest that don't want to rip your face off."
This time it was Madeira's turn to pause, her lip between her teeth and eyes shrewd as she looked each hunter up and down. It went against every instinct to speak of magic, especially one as universally mistrusted as malediction. In Alvadas wielding any magic was a punishable offence. But Lhavit was different. It was not only open about magic, but the art in it's many forms was revered and even celebrated. If anybody would be accepting of it, this city would. Still, old habits died hard. She dodged the brunt of the question with a knowing wink over her answering smile. From deep inside her core she willed her dijed forward, she let it sit on her tongue and weave through her words like barbed wire. Aiming her hypnotism at more than one person was a sloppy process, and much of the effect dissipated around them, but she wasn't looking to overwhelm. She pushed out a simple emotional response out on the back of her words. With magic on
her tongue she encouraged curiosity into their minds.
"It's for a very old, very rare type of magic they don't teach in your schools. I'd be happy to tell you all about it when you take me."
She was tired of working with rabbits and mice. If she was ever going to grow as a maledictor she needed more powerful materials. And she knew from experience what could go horrifically wrong if the one practicing the magic wasn't there to collect the body themselves. She could not trust a corpse she didn't see. But more than that, she was working under a punishing time limit. Her pregnancy was not cumbersome yet, but it would be soon. Between that and the approaching winter her opportunities to traipse around in the woods were numbered. She must go now or not at all.
But it wasn't until they saw her from the front that the full scope of her foolishness really shined through. The girl's high trousers could do nothing to hide the rise between her skinny hips. Anybody could guess that she was pregnant.
Madeira could feel their stares and could guess at the looks being exchanged in the bustling Guild, but her focus was on the two men who shared the bar with her. The full power of her icy blue eyes were trained on the young hunters, who fidgeted with their whiskies while her lukewarm glass of water sat untouched.
"I understand your hesitation", she supplied reasonably, her voice smooth and persuasive. "But you must admit I'm not asking for miracles. I'm just a customer asking for a simple contract job, and my only condition is you take me with you."
One of the men, the taller, darker of the two, finally raised his head. "But wouldn't you be more comfortable at home? Or even waiting here? You know, given your... condition." He cleared his throat, blood rising in his cheeks, and suddenly found something very interesting in the bottom of his glass.
The smaller, paler one, with sandy blonde hair flopping in his eyes, came to the rescue of his friend. "It might be different if we were, you know, If we were bringing you out to find a rabbit or-"
"I'm not interested in rabbits, deer, or woodland critters", Madeira cut him off, struggling to keep the exasperation out of her voice. "Bring me something with claws."
"But why", the dark one choked back the last of his whisky. "Why do you need to come?"
She shifted her weight and crossed her legs the other way. Both men glanced at her lap with the movement, and with a tap and sparkle off her bejewelled finger she made sure she brought their attention to her weapon. "I'm a burden, I know, but I'm not helpless. If you keep the pace slow I'll do my best to keep up. And of course you'll be well compensated for the trouble." She smiled demurely. "How does a hundred kina sound?"
"But, miss..."
“Each”, she insisted.
Both men paused and looked at each other, their sense of reason suddenly gummed up by the promise of what was nearly a quarter of their seasonal earnings. The blonde man was the first to shake the stupor.
"Ok, but why a predator? There are plenty of animals in the forest that don't want to rip your face off."
This time it was Madeira's turn to pause, her lip between her teeth and eyes shrewd as she looked each hunter up and down. It went against every instinct to speak of magic, especially one as universally mistrusted as malediction. In Alvadas wielding any magic was a punishable offence. But Lhavit was different. It was not only open about magic, but the art in it's many forms was revered and even celebrated. If anybody would be accepting of it, this city would. Still, old habits died hard. She dodged the brunt of the question with a knowing wink over her answering smile. From deep inside her core she willed her dijed forward, she let it sit on her tongue and weave through her words like barbed wire. Aiming her hypnotism at more than one person was a sloppy process, and much of the effect dissipated around them, but she wasn't looking to overwhelm. She pushed out a simple emotional response out on the back of her words. With magic on
her tongue she encouraged curiosity into their minds.
"It's for a very old, very rare type of magic they don't teach in your schools. I'd be happy to tell you all about it when you take me."
She was tired of working with rabbits and mice. If she was ever going to grow as a maledictor she needed more powerful materials. And she knew from experience what could go horrifically wrong if the one practicing the magic wasn't there to collect the body themselves. She could not trust a corpse she didn't see. But more than that, she was working under a punishing time limit. Her pregnancy was not cumbersome yet, but it would be soon. Between that and the approaching winter her opportunities to traipse around in the woods were numbered. She must go now or not at all.
x