6_Two encounters
The past three days had been equally the most dreadful and most glorious days of Amie’s life.
Never before had she seen her own potential flourish into real strength. Eroz was a brutal trainer and he had used up every ounce of strength her ancestors had given her, making sure to teach her every sword skill that Natalia had instilled into the army.
Of course, Amethyst failed all of them. However! She had focused her strength on only two of the countless sword skills and had practised them until her limbs felt like they would fall off. She already had the speed that being a vampire gave her and that, coupled with her newly acquired skills, would surely give her some form of victory.
As she recalled, that Barbarian had been pretty heavy-looking. She didn’t think he’d be able to run or move as rapidly as her, she would easily slip out of his bulky grip and make a run for it if things got bad.
Of course, she hadn’t come to this forest equipped with nothing but two sword skills, improved stamina plus her hopes and dreams.
Looking up at the giant trees around her, Amie held a long sword in her hand. She’d told Eroz she’d be going to a sword festival. She’d told him she didn’t have any weapons and, wanting her to at least be as good as her opponents, he’d given her a magically altered sword.
Yes, that’s right. She was using sorcery on her weapons. The world could judge her, but she would stand by it! It didn’t matter! Besides the fact that she was being deceitful and abandoning her morals and ethics to win one fight, Amie wasn’t doing anything wrong. Was she? She was facing a Barbarian, there was no way he would play fair with her. This would at least put her on the same level as him!
Her sword would do ten times more damage than a normal sword with each swipe she took at him. She clenched her teeth, shifting her weight from one booted foot to the other. Both boots were stolen. Her whole outfit was stolen, it explained why it was all about three sizes too big for her.
She was wearing Natalia’s clothes, seeing as Talia was the only one of her sisters who had any clothes appropriate for a sword fight.
She didn’t want to think of the heart-shattering anxiety she’d experienced when sneaking into the tower to steal these garments, she had more important things to think about.
Amie stared into the dark forest with a shaky exhale. She would go back home this evening with a smile on her face. Even if she ended up bruised, she would prove to the strongest person she’d ever seen that she wasn’t weak and that… would undo many years of self-consciousness. Years of low self-esteem.
Clutching her sword, she took a step into the dark forest and slowly made her way in. How did she know he was here?
The air was dripping with his scent. It was like he had the loudest, proudest aura known to man and it reached her from miles away.
She followed the scent, having the ability to completely distinguish between him and other scents since she knew the scent of his blood. Amie found him in record time and then got the shock of her life.
He wasn’t alone.
She stood on a tall rock overlooking the camp before her. Her stomach was bubbling with nerves, her eyes wide as she looked down at the people below her. No one had noticed her yet.
They were all men, most of them were big and rough in appearance. They were chanting loudly, rushing about the place as they swung their weapons around. Every ounce of bravery drained out of her heart. What was this? Why did he have an entire gang?! She’d thought he was some sort of lone wolf! She was planning to sneak up on him and smack the ever-loving hell out of him, but now…
A soft huff parted her lips. Stuff this. She was going home!
Amie turned around to flee.
“Who are you?”
She came to a sharp halt and her mouth fell open, head tilting back so she could gaze up at the monstrosity of man before her.
His arms were crossed over his beefy chest as he stared down at her with mean black eyes.
“Oh, I see,” growled Frank. “Gorden’s sent a spy, ‘as he? Steel’ll deal wiv you!”
He grabbed her wrist and, without stopping to hear a thing she had to say, dragged her away.
Amethyst remained in stiff silence the entire time, refusing to give anybody the satisfaction of hearing her scream. As far as she was concerned, her fear was a secret she’d take to the grave. This situation was far gone and so the only way to end the day was to go home victorious. Her brain was working fast.
If things got bad, her sisters would come and find her. She’d left a note in Eroz’s office in the case of an emergency. If she made it home alive, the note was to be burned without anyone hearing about her escapades.
The big man tugged her along into the camp and harshly shoved her forward. Wide-eyed, Amie halted, watching the Barbarian she knew march towards her.
He hadn’t seen her yet, his gaze inspecting the men around him. As their chants started going silent at the sight of her, his eyes also turned in her direction and she watched him slowly stop walking.
His grey eyes were narrowed with disbelief, his head tilting at the sight of her.
Silence filled the camp and all eyes were on her.
“What on earth?” one man said, marching forward. “What the hell is this?!”
“Found her lurkin’ around our camp, Ivar,” Frank announced. “Like an alley cat! She’s a spy sent by Gorden to steal back the silver!”
“Oooh!” Harald came racing forward, analysing Amethyst from head to toe. “Pretty spy!” He smirked. “Let’s make her walk the plank.”
The piercing sound of sharp metal cut through the air as Ivar pulled out his sword. He held it out to Amie with a dark frown. “Who are you, girl? Speak now or the soil drinks your blood.”
In tense silence, Amethyst studied the unbelievable sight before her, surrounded by Barbarians with their malice-filled gazes focused on her like silent threats.
She looked at the one who stood in the middle, the one she’d come to defeat.
She noticed how the others surrounded him but still gave him his personal space. Oh… God. He was their leader, wasn’t he?
She was dead.
Like he’d read her thoughts, she watched him tilt his head to the other side, a ghost of a smile touching his lips.
“Speak!!”
Amie jolted, clutching her weapon closer. “Your…. your leader knows who I am!!”
Silence followed her shaky words. The entire camp slowly turned to look at Thoran.
He had his arms calmly crossed over his chest, watching her with a dark look of both interest and annoyance.
“Steel?” Gunnar said, looking at him. “You know her? Is she a threat?”
Amie stared at him. Steel was his name? How very fitting, for the man was every bit as cold and hard as the mentioned metal.
Bjorn huffed in full mockery. “A threat to who? Certainly not us.”
Thoran stepped forward and everyone went silent. He locked eyes with her, exuding power as his dark gaze alone commanded all her attention. “We meet again…. poppet. Even after I warned you to stay out of my sight.”
Hearing his dark voice again had an effect Amethyst hadn’t predicted, a sudden trigger of uncertainty. Doubt poured into her mind at the sound of that voice, for surely a voice like his could only belong to an undefeatable person. A person of so much power, his imposing aura alone let people know who he was.
At his ambiguous words, the men exchanged looks.
Harald leaned into Frank’s ear. “She’s his sweetheart then, is she?”
“I promised,” Amethyst said, her knuckles white as she clutched her sword. “A Vamp Viking’s word is everything.”
A few sounds of surprise flittered through the camp, murmurs spreading about as they made assumptions.
“Vamp Viking?” said Gunnar.
Amethyst gulped when he stepped before her. Like the criminal she was after, this man was big and imposing, a cold look in his whiskey-brown eyes. “You’re a Vampire Viking?”
Ivar’s expression morphed into one of distaste. “The Vamp Vikings of the kingdom of Gadon?”
“Gadon?” the word drifted through the crowd.
Looking nervously around, Amie got the feeling that these people weren’t very fond of her kingdom.
“What’s a Gadon brat doing here?” questioned Bjorn, studying her. “Have we targeted them yet?”
“Not yet,” Thoran said, still staring at Amethyst. “But we will, soon.”
Her eyes widened as she realized what they meant. Her kingdom would be targeted by these Barbarians? But why?! Is that why he’d come by, stopping when he noticed their castle? He’d been taking a look at the next target kingdom for their criminal activities!
Not if she could help it.
Grabbing the sheath of her sword, she swiped it off and flung it to the ground, holding up her weapon.
The men watched her with noisy reactions of confusion, both puzzled and enraged by her actions. Thoran barely blinked an eyelid, watching her be just as theatrical as he remembered.
“I’ve come to challenge you to battle,” she stated boldly. “Just as I said I would. When I defeat you, you will leave and never return to Gadon!”
Several people burst out laughing around her, the others cussing irately at her preposterous words.
Deciding it wasn’t worth his time, Ivar turned to Thoran. “Is this a joke? It’s a long way till Turncrest, we must leave at once. We haven’t got time for this.”
“What if Gorden’s using her to distract us so they can steal the silver back?” asked Frank. Gasping, he rushed away to check on the steel carts.
Ignoring everyone else around her, Amie held the hilt of her sword with both hands, focused on the man directly before her.
“Have you no critical thinking skills at all?” Thoran finally said.
She frowned, grimacing at him. “What?”
He released a quiet exhale and raised one hand, circling a finger in the air. “Look around you. You’re surrounded by a group of wild, forest-bred Barbarians. Did you walk in… thinking you’d leave alive?”