Present day…

Five days after speaking to the tavern keeper about the bards, Corec was doing the same thing again at an inn in another small village farther west.

“They was just here last night,” the fellow said, with a trace of a hillfolk accent. “Put on a right good show, they did.”

“Did they follow the road west when they left?” Corec asked.

“I suppose they must have. Someone from the city really sent you this far out just to track down two singers?”

Corec laughed, trying to portray an air of harmless indifference. “Well, they didn’t know know it would be this far when they sent me. It doesn’t bother me any—they’re paying me by the day.”

The innkeeper grinned in acknowledgment. “Then I almost hate to disappoint you by mentioning that they just left two hours ago. I reckon you’ll catch up to them shortly.”

“I suppose I should get going, then,” Corec said, passing a copper coin to the man. “Thank you for the information.”

Back on Dot, he headed west again, leading the pack mule. It was only midmorning, and he suspected his horse was faster than theirs. If he was lucky, he might be able to start the journey back to Tyrsall that afternoon. Barring any problems, he could make it to the city in time to catch the caravan back to Four Roads.

That, however, brought up a thought that had been gnawing at him. He wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to capture two people that didn’t wish to be captured. He’d brought several lengths of thin but strong rope to keep them under control once he had them, but the actual act of catching them was still hazy in his mind. He knew how to fight—he was good at it, even—but the bounty was for bringing them in alive. Not that he wanted to hurt them in the first place; they hadn’t stolen anything from him. In fact, the man had deliberately avoided Corec and the other armed guards who’d been seated with him. Corec was sure he could handle either of the musicians alone, but two at once would be a problem.

Other than his long knife and a belt knife, Corec's only weapon was his greatsword, which was hardly the sort of tool that would be useful for capturing someone alive and unharmed. What did real bounty hunters use? Some type of net? Of course, the more rewarding bounties typically didn't require bringing the target in alive, which probably made the question moot.

He finally admitted to himself that he’d come on this venture almost completely unprepared, simply because he’d wanted to see the girl again. He was still fascinated by her eyes. And her hair. And the bit of cleavage she’d shown. Not that she was likely to be happy with him for catching her and dragging her back to Tyrsall to stand before a judge. The prison sentence for a first-time thief was short, but that didn’t mean anyone would choose it voluntarily.

Rounding a curve, Corec saw two horses tied at the side of the road, near a copse of trees. Dismounting, he loosely tied Dot and the mule to a nearby branch, wanting to be on foot in case these were the two he was looking for.

He took his helmet off and walked over slowly. It wasn't possible to be stealthy while wearing his armor, but he didn’t want to appear threatening. As he approached, he heard the faint sound of voices and stopped to listen.

“Why are we stopping so early?” a woman asked.

A man’s voice replied. “The stable boy said the next village is a day and a half ride, so we’re not going to reach it today. We’ve got firewood and water here, so it’s as good a place to camp as any.”

“I don’t understand why you’re in a rush to get to Dalewood. Isn’t it small?”

“It’s a lot bigger than these villages we’ve been passing through. We can stay there for a few days, like we did in Tyrsall.”

“We should have stayed in Tyrsall. It’s huge.”

“We’re too visible to stay in one place if you want to keep doing this the way we’re doing it. We need to keep moving. Barz getting nicked again should have taught you that. This was your idea, Katrin. We were doing just fine in Circle Bay.”

“It would have taken us years to make enough money to get him released just playing music,” the woman replied.

“Then don’t complain unless you’ve got a better idea.”

Corec had heard enough to know he’d found the people he was looking for. To avoid startling them, he began making noise as he walked forward.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” he asked as he walked into the trees, finally able to see the two thieves in a small clearing.

They looked at him suspiciously, eyeing the sword hilt poking over his shoulder.

“Who are you?” the old man asked.

Corec decided to try the story he’d been using on the trail. “I saw you two play outside Tyrsall. This would have been, oh, nine or ten days ago, I think? I was with a caravan and some of the men mentioned you to a company representative. He sent me to see if you’d come back to the city. They’re holding a gala next week and they’d like to hire you.”

The girl looked hopeful but the old man was more suspicious. “A gala?” he asked. “In the summer? Which company?”

“It was Overland that sent me after you.” Corec didn’t want to risk his job with Senshall by using their name, in case it somehow got back to them.

“Why us?”

“Two bards that aren’t already beholden to one of the other houses?” Corec pointed out with a shrug.

“How much does it pay?” the girl—Katrin—asked.

“One gold each for the gala, as long as you don’t work for any of the other houses for the two days before and after. Two silver a day for the travel since you’d have to double back. And Overland might have some smaller events you could work afterward.”

“We can’t do it,” the man said flatly. “We’re headed in the other direction.”

“Are you certain? It’s good pay, and it never hurts to have your names known to the companies.”

“I’m certain.”

“Wait,” Katrin said. “Felix, could we talk?” She took the man’s arm and led him away so they could speak privately.

Corec couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was obvious the girl wanted to return to the city and the man didn’t. The two finished their conversation, then came back.

“We’ll do it,” the girl said.

“Great,” Corec said. If his quarry would return to the city with him willingly, that would make things a lot easier. “We can make it back to that last village before dark.”

“We’re not going anywhere for today,” Felix said. “The horses need a rest. But I’m still counting this as one of the days of travel you’ll be paying us for.”

“All right, but we go at my pace the rest of the trip. If we’re not back in time for the gala, then the whole deal’s off, including the travel pay.”

The man nodded.

Although they’d agreed to return, Corec felt uneasy. Katrin looked happy enough, but Felix was seething underneath his words, and Corec knew he hadn’t allayed the man’s suspicions. There was nothing to do about it, though, other than act as if everything was all right. He walked down the road to retrieve Dot and the mule, bringing them back so he could picket them near the bards’ two old nags. He removed the saddles and tack, switched Dot’s bridle for a halter, and brushed them both.

He set his saddlebags and packs down near a tree, and left his helmet and gauntlets next to them. “Is there water nearby for the animals?”

“I’ll show you,” Katrin said. “I’ve already watered our horses.”

They untied the lead ropes from the picket line. Corec led Dot, the two of them following behind Katrin and the mule.

“Are you from Tyrsall?” she asked.

“No. I grew up in the Black Crow Mountains. That’s in Larso. What about you?”

She was ahead of him, so he couldn’t see her face, but he sensed hesitation. “Circle Bay,” she finally said.

It sounded like she didn’t want to talk about that anymore, so he cast his mind around looking for other topics. The stream was farther away than he’d thought, and he got worried when he could no longer see Felix or the clearing through the trees.

“Where were you heading?” he asked.

“No place in particular. Uncle Felix was a traveling minstrel when he was younger, and he thought it would be good practice for me.”

“He’s your uncle?” Corec found himself relieved, glad she wasn’t sleeping with the old man.

“Great uncle; my mother’s uncle.”

They reached the stream. The mule headed for the water immediately while Dot was more reluctant, but soon she started drinking too.

Katrin glanced at Corec’s armor. “What’s that symbol?” she asked, pointing to his chest.

“It’s a family crest, from the family that raised me after my mother died.” Thinking about his armor reminded Corec of the itch on his arm, which was stronger than ever. It was getting harder to ignore, but his chain shirt extended under the vambrace, so there was no easy way to scratch it.

“You’re a noble?”

He laughed. “Not hardly. They just took me in for a few years.” His mother had been a baron’s concubine, but the rank of a concubine’s child was murky, and usually depended on whether the father had any legitimate children. He didn’t want to discuss that with a stranger, though.

“Oh,” she said. “My name is Katrin.”

While he’d overheard her name earlier, they hadn’t actually introduced themselves. “I’m Corec.” He left off his family name, as he always did. His family preferred not to be associated with him these days.

The animals finished drinking and they led them back to the clearing, this time silently. Corec had never had a problem talking to tavern whores, but he was having trouble thinking of things to say to this girl. Was it because she wasn’t a tavern whore? Or was it because he was planning to arrest her? He was having second thoughts now. Could he really drag her all the way back to Tyrsall to stand trial for her thefts? Perhaps he wasn’t cut out for the bounty hunting business.

As they approached the clearing, he got worried. They were close enough that they should be able to see Felix, but the man was nowhere around. Coming through the last few trees, Corec saw his bags open and the contents strewn around. Tacked to a tree was the wanted poster. He’d requested a copy right before he left Tyrsall, thinking it might come in handy if anyone gave him a hard time about capturing the two.

Katrin had stopped as well, wide-eyed. “Felix!” she called, then saw the poster.

“You bastard!” she shouted at Corec, then took off running.

Corec ran after her. She was hampered by her dress, but he was slowed down more by his armor, so she widened the gap between them. He considered going back for Dot, but worried the girl might end up hurt if he rode her down.

Instead, he tapped into the magic that he never talked about. He didn’t know much—just a few tricks he’d learned over the years. He could make magical lights to see in the dark, and could shield himself from harm for a brief period. And then there was the new trick he’d figured out recently—he put on a burst of speed. It only helped a little, not even letting him run as fast as he could have without the armor, but it was enough to catch up with Katrin and grab her by the arm.

“No!” she shouted, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. “Let me go!”

“I’m not going to hurt you!” He grabbed her other arm, worried she’d break something if she kept twisting around.

They were facing each other now, each of his hands holding one of her wrists. She glared at him angrily, still trying to pull away, though not as wildly as before. He kept a firm grip so she couldn’t get loose.

“You lied to us!” she said. “You were lying the whole time!”

“So were you, so I guess we’re even.”

“I’m not going back!”

“The Tyrsall prison isn’t that bad. I’ve been in there before. Wouldn’t it be better to get your name cleared so nobody else will come after you?”

“You were in prison?” she asked, pausing her attempts to pull out of his grip. She sounded almost curious rather than angry.

“I punched a guy in a bar fight. Though he punched me first.”

“They put you in prison for a bar fight?”

“I was wearing my gauntlets when it happened. I was only in for a week, but they figured it counted as pulling a weapon.”

“I don’t want to go to prison!” she said, starting to struggle again. “I was just trying to get money to get my brother out!”

“Well, I’m sorry about that, but it was other people’s money. Besides, where do you think you’re going to go without your horse?”

“What?” She peered around his shoulder back to the camp. The two old nags the thieves had been riding were gone. “Felix!” she shouted. “Where are you? Where’s my damned horse?”

Corec winced. The girl could really project her voice when she wanted to.

“Let’s go back and see what else he took,” he said, releasing one of her wrists and tugging her along behind him.

“He can’t be very far away! We’ve got to find him!”

“I’m sure he’s close, but what direction did he go? East, west, or off the road? The ground is dry and hard-packed, and I’m no tracker. Besides, I can’t deal with you both, and I doubt he’ll come willingly.”

“Neither will I! He’ll have gone east. Just let us go and I’ll give you half of our money. It’s got to be more than the bounty.”

“I can’t do that.” Corec was still debating letting the girl go, but taking the money would end badly if it ever got back to the constabulary. He’d get ten percent as a finder’s fee, anyway.

They reached the clearing and looked around at the mess Felix had left. All of Corec’s bags had been emptied, and the straps of his saddle had been cut. It would take him at least half an hour to repair, making it even harder to follow the old man.

“Why is my bag open?” Katrin said, then suddenly changed the direction she was pulling in, fast enough that her wrist slipped out of his grasp. She ran over to a set of saddlebags and dug through them, then sat back in shock. “He took our money! All the money we’d saved up to get Barz out of prison!”

That seemed to take the fight out of her, so Corec didn’t rush over to grab her again.

He found the mule standing where they’d left him, but Dot was a wanderer when she wasn’t tied. He whistled for her and she came walking back slowly. She was supposed to come at a trot when he whistled, not a walk, so she must have been mad at him for rushing off. He rubbed her neck in apology.

Katrin hadn’t spoken again, so Corec said, “Maybe your uncle will take the money and get your brother released.”

“You don’t know Felix. He didn’t want to come on this trip in the first place. And we hadn’t saved up enough yet. It’s the fourth time Barz has been nicked, and Circle Bay doesn’t like thieves. He’s in for ten years if I can’t pay off his penalty.”

“Why not just stay in Circle Bay for your pick-pocketing?”

“The city guard knows who we are and watches us. They know Barz is a thief, so they think I am, too.”

Corec cleared his throat pointedly. The girl made a rude gesture.

“Let’s get this stuff cleaned up,” he said. “Then we can head back to that last village.”

“Please, just let me go. I don’t want to go to prison.”

“To be honest, I haven’t decided what to do with you, but I can’t leave you alone in the wilderness without any money or a horse.”

“That’s all your fault!” she said.

He shrugged uncomfortably. “Maybe. Or maybe it’s your fault for being a thief, or your uncle’s fault for taking all your money. For now, help me gather everything up. Unless you know how to repair saddles.”

#

They got back to the village six hours later. It had taken an hour to repack everything, fix the saddle, and rig up a way to carry it all back. Katrin’s saddle didn’t fit the mule very well, but it was the best they could do. The pack saddle, which didn’t have a seat for a rider, had been disassembled and strapped over a blanket on the mule’s back. The packs had been strapped, as best as possible, over the top of Katrin’s saddlebags.

The ride back had taken longer than the ride out, since the mule had an unbalanced load and Katrin’s hands were tied together. Corec hadn’t wanted her trying to jump off and escape.

Stopping just outside the village, he cut the girl’s bonds to avoid drawing undue attention, then they walked in on foot. Not wanting to deal with the innkeeper he’d lied to that morning, Corec led them to the only other inn in town. There was one room available, so he paid for it, then requested that their suppers be delivered up to them.

They didn’t talk much during the meal, but after they’d eaten, he said, “When you first agreed to come back to Tyrsall with me, how did you expect to pass as two bards? You might be one—barely—but your uncle isn’t.”

She glared at him. “I don’t have to be the one singing to do it. If I concentrate, I can do it while I’m playing an instrument. It’s just harder. Nobody can tell who it’s coming from, so I can make it seem like we’re both bards.”

“Ahh. And why aren’t you studying with a real bard, anyway?”

“Most of the bardic schools won’t teach women. I’ve heard there are some that do, but not the two that I’ve asked.”

“So, you’re not a bard at all, then?”

“I have the talent,” she said, glaring again. “I just don’t know how to use it. Felix taught me to sing and play, but he couldn’t teach me anything else.”

Corec sighed. “I wasn’t trying to insult you. Let’s just go to sleep, all right? Tomorrow morning, I’ll find a horse for you to ride, then we’ll try to get out of here early.”

“Go to sleep how?” she asked, looking at the only bed in the room.

“It’s big enough for both of us. I just need to tie you down first.” He pulled one of his lengths of rope from his bag.

“Tie me down?” she asked in a panicked tone, standing. “What are you going to do?” She looked like she wanted to bolt, but he stood between her and the door.

“Oh, relax, will you?” Corec said. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just making sure you don’t run away while I’m sleeping.”

He had her lie back on the bed, then tied her hands together and secured the other side of the rope to the bedpost.

“You’re going to leave me like this all night?” she asked. “What if my arms fall asleep? What if I need to get up?”

“If you need something, just tell me. You can kick me awake if I don’t hear you.”

“My forehead itches!”

He laughed. “I’m sure you’ll live.”

He’d removed his armor earlier, before they ate, but decided to leave his clothes on so as not to frighten her. He lay down on his side of the bed, taking one last glance at the girl. Then he turned to face the other direction, trying to think of something other than the swell of her breasts in her blouse as she lay there helplessly.

#

The next morning, Corec felt like he’d barely slept at all. Any time he’d started to fall asleep, Katrin had woken him up for one reason or another, mostly claiming that her arms were falling asleep. After the third time he’d had to untie her and help her to her feet to regain her circulation, he’d relented. He’d left her hands tied together but not attached to anything, and had added another rope to tie her ankle to the lower bedpost. It wouldn’t keep her from untying herself, but he’d tied the knots tightly enough that if she tried it, her movement would be enough to wake him.

How did real bounty hunters manage to bring their prey back? Not that he was interested in taking it up as a career, but if he’d caught Felix as well, he wouldn’t have been able to wrangle them both. Before leaving Tyrsall he’d considered buying shackles and chains, but they’d turned out to be expensive and not available on short notice.

Looking to the other side of the bed, he found Katrin still asleep, facing away from him. As far as he knew, she hadn’t tried to escape, and her complaints had died down once he’d changed how she was tied. Getting out of bed, he stretched his arms toward the ceiling. His right arm had finally stopped itching, which was a relief.

“Hey, wake up,” he said, wanting to get on the road.

She rolled over to face him, and he stared in shock. Centered on her forehead was a small, glowing blue rune. It was roughly in the shape of a horseshoe, with the rounded part pointing down, a dot in the middle, and a bar over the top. What was it? Was she secretly a mage of some sort? If so, why had she allowed him to catch her?

“What’s wrong?” she asked in confusion.

“The symbol on your face…”

If anything, she looked more confused. “What symbol?”

He untied the ankle rope and helped her off the bed so she could look in the room’s small mirror.

“What did you do to me?” she screeched. “Get it off!”

“I didn’t do it! You did it!”

“No, I didn’t! Get it off!” Her hands were still bound together, but she rubbed at the mark with her hands, and when that didn’t help, she started scratching at it with her fingers.

Corec stopped her when she drew blood. “You’re hurting yourself.”

“What is it?” she asked, crying.

“How would I know?”

“You were the only one here!”

“I was asleep!”

She sat back down on the bed, still crying and now refusing to look at him. He wasn’t sure what to believe. Was it possible for her to fake her tears? Or perhaps she wasn’t responsible after all. Then again, if she was a mage, she might be able to make him just think she was crying.

Shaking his head in frustration, Corec paced to the other side of the room as he tried to figure out what to do. One option was to simply let her go so he didn’t have to deal with it. Of course, if she was responsible, that would be exactly what she wanted. And if she wasn’t, he’d feel guilty for abandoning her.

She was still looking away from him, so he decided to take the opportunity to change his shirt before putting on his armor. When he pulled off the old shirt, he looked down. There, on his right arm, just below the shoulder, was a glowing blue rune that matched the one on Katrin’s forehead. It was centered right on the spot that had been itching for days.

“Shit.”

“What?” she asked, turning around.

He was tempted to hide it from her, but whatever it was had happened to them both. He turned his body so she could see his shoulder.

She jumped to her feet. “I knew it! You did it! Make it go away!”

“Damn it! I told you, I had nothing to do with it! Whoever did it did it to both of us.”

She was still skeptical, but she asked again, “What is it?”

“I don’t know. I grew up in Larso. The priests of Pallisur weren’t exactly friendly toward mages.”

“You think it’s magic?”

He looked back down at his shoulder. “I don’t see what else it could be. It’s not a tattoo—it’s glowing.”

“Can a wizard help us, then?”

“I don’t know. The closest wizards I know about are back in Tyrsall. We could ask them.” He didn’t want to mention the little bit of magic that he had, particularly when she was still suspicious of him. He wasn’t sure what help it would be, anyway—he’d never actually studied magic, and had never heard of anything like the runes adorning their bodies.

“I can’t go back to the city like this!” she protested.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Look at me! At least you can cover yours up!”

He realized he was still standing bare-chested in front of her, and hurriedly pulled on a clean shirt. “You can wear your cloak with the hood up,” he suggested.

“All the time, in the middle of summer? We can’t go back there!”

He was about to remind her of the bounty when he caught the look of fear and despair in her eyes. She didn’t seem to be faking it. And while he didn’t want to miss the caravan back to Four Roads, he also didn’t want to leave the blue rune on his arm—especially without knowing what it was.

Taking pity on her, he said, “Well, if we go the other direction, but farther south, we can reach the Terril Forest in about a week.”

“The elves? Do they even have wizards?”

“I don’t know, but they have some sort of magic. I’ve seen it when I went there as a caravan guard.”

“Will they help us?”

“I have no idea, but as long as we follow their laws, they’ll allow us in as far as their border outposts. Some of the elves in the outposts speak the trade tongue. We can ask them.”

“We can reach them in a week?” Katrin asked.

“A week to reach the edge of the forest. Maybe another week to the nearest outpost, but I don’t know the way. We’ll have to ask for directions or find a caravan to join. The caravan masters always bring a small gift, so we probably should as well.”

“Felix took all my money,” she reminded him, obviously still angry about it.

“I’ve got a little. It might be enough to get us there and back, if we’re careful.” Corec had more than enough coin on him, but he wasn’t going to mention that to a known thief. He’d use his extra pouch of silver for purchases, and leave his other coin pouch hidden.