The Vitorian Envoy is a strange and elite organisation. It has close ties with Silver’s Reach, but is not the same thing. For example, not all generals are members of the Vitorian Envoy, and not all members of the Vitorian Envoy have served in Silver’s Reach.

But fear those who are that have noticed you. Should you slight them, you can forget the chance of any reinforcements the next time you need any, and that’s if they don’t get one of their Left Ranks to just kill you.

- Advice offered by Jaskair Jewel to an upstart field captain. Promptly ignored.

I waited until Breach was far enough away that the gentle rising and falling of the ground behind us removed the town from view. The ruined fort was still visible, but I could cover what little I could see of it by holding my thumb out at arm’s length and covering it with my thumbnail. Only then was it that I deemed us far enough away. Jevi was swinging between tense and on guard from the world to being tense and on guard from me, as if I was a deadly threat that could kill her in a moment.

Which… I actually was if you only considered our relative skills. But I didn’t have any reason to kill her at that moment, so I just let her rampant nerves serve to sooth my own.

Avien was searching in the wrong direction, after all. He wouldn’t be finding my trail for months!

Thinking about that made me feel good inside, and just a little guilty. But I knew that wasn’t actually me feeling guilty, so it was an easy enough sensation to devalue. It didn’t change the fact that I was elated.

But I couldn’t travel with Jevi if she was going to be like this. I glanced over at the girl as she shifted to be wary of me.

“I can tell you have questions.” I said, starting the dialogue.

“I do, starting with who that guy and what your-”

“Why is the Vitorian Envoy following you?” I cut off the torrent of words that had no doubt been building ever since we sent Avien away. All I said was that Jevi obviously had questions. I hadn’t promised to answer them, or let her even ask them just yet.

“Relation…” Jevi lost all momentum. When she spoke again, it was in awe. “How did you fend them off?”

“Your shadow didn’t look too high ranked, judging by his skills. Some misdirection was all that was necessary.” I answered evasively. Jevi frowned. “Still, the Vitorian Envoy doesn’t take interest in just anyone. Who are you?”

Jevi looked at the ground in front of her for a long while. “... Jevi isn’t my real name.”

“Truly?” I asked in ‘shock’.

Jevi glared at me. “You don’t need to be such a bitch.”

“You’d be surprised.” When I was around Avien, I acted ‘nice’. That wasn’t me, so I needed other things to make my own. “Also, you told me your name was Jeevi,” She cringed at the reminder. “Then corrected it and told me I hadn’t heard you right. Well surprise! My hearing is impeccable! So tell me who you are, or we’re splitting up when we next reach town.”

Jevi waged an internal war before she next spoke. When she did, her words were deliberate and spoken clearly to brook no misunderstandings. “My family has close ties to the Vitorian Envoy.”

Well shit. “How close?”

“I’m meant to serve as a Left Rank this year.”

I arched an eyebrow to tell her to go on.

“They have this saying, ‘the right hand runs silver and the left hand runs red’.” Jevi continued. “It’s not very well known outside those close to members of the Envoy, which now I guess includes you.” I frowned, but didn’t interrupt. “It goes on to say ‘That the citizens and country may prosper. Something something something, bed.’”

Jevi sighed. “I was supposed to travel north and get some extra training, so that my zinger isn’t the only spell I rely on. I…” She trailed off.

We walked like that for a while.

The saying she mentioned made me frown more than anything else she said. It wasn’t the one I used to make contact with the agent following her, but the careless way she explained it made me think it was the most truthful thing she had told me. I wasn’t sure how honest she was being for the rest of it, but I didn’t doubt she had ties to the Vitorian Envoy.

I was the one to speak next. “So the Left Rank and the left hand are basically the same thing, right?”

“The left hand of the king, yes.”

“And you were to serve the king?”

Jevi cringed. “Maybe… eventually.” She looked at me, and I couldn’t pin down the emotion in her eyes. “There are... layers to it. Most Left Ranks don’t stay in Kreg’uune. They get sent to foriegn countries to spy or sow disorder among our enemies. If a Left Rank is good enough, they get recalled for secret missions on Kreg’uunian soil. Or, that’s the rumour at least. Left Ranks don’t technically exist.”

“So I picked up a girl that’s slated to be a spook.” I stated. “Fantastic.”

“The term is ‘Royal Assassin’.” Jevi corrected.

“Yeah, I guess if you’re going to call yourself something terrible you want it to be as grand as possible.” I sighed. Now I had to decide on whether or not I wanted to continue travelling with Jevi at my side.

She was a skilled caster, at least by the standards of anywhere that wasn’t Veliki. She had some degree of social savviness, going by how she sent Avien in the wrong direction, and then there was my debt to her because of it. It was all counterweighted by the fact that she was a part of a group of secretive killers.

Killers that she had run away from, and I had sent scurrying back to their masters.

“Fuck.” I muttered. Jevi glanced at me curiously. “I’m stuck with you now.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t kill the agent following you. I sent him home, and he knows what I look like.” I pressed both my palms into my face. “And he probably overheard Avien asking about me. Fuck!”

It’d take a while, but I had no doubt they’d eventually solve that little puzzle once I became a person of interest. Then they could deal with me by simply bringing Avien into my general area and having him ask me to go back home. I hated that my adventure had such a great chance to end, not in bloodshed, but by some silver haired cub asking for my company.

“Yeah, he probably did.” Jevi agreed after a moment.

Shit. What were my options then? I was a fifteen year old girl against an organisation that was infinitely better funded than I was, and had an information network that spanned to every neighboring country and likely beyond. I could fight the next agents that found me to the death and go out in a bloody blaze of glory, though they’d probably just take me alive and question me until I got rescued by Avien.

I could try hiding from them with Jevi. She was clearly better versed in methods of hiding herself, but at the same time she hadn’t realised we were being followed in Breach. We’d hide for a time, then we’d be found. That was all.

A third option involved ingratiating myself to the Vitorian Envoy. But at the same time, I didn’t know if I really wanted to do anything with a group of ‘royal assassins’. I glanced at Jevi.

“Question.” I said. “Why did you run away?”

“‘Cause I’m supposed to be a protector of this place.” Jevi answered. I wasn’t satisfied and motioned that her explanation wasn’t enough. “I never really left Juvel before this!” Jevi said exasperatedly. “It was all ‘meet the nobles, don’t disappoint your tutors, don’t leave the, uh, estate to play. In fact, stop playing. Go spend more time with your tutors, let your father know what you’ve accomplished but don't waste his time, don’t disappoint your tutors again, and most of all, don’t disappoint father.’”

“Huh.” That didn’t actually sound that different from Avien, actually. Just replace father with mother.

“That’s pretty much all I can remember since forever.” Jevi continued with a sigh. “There were times I left all that, but it was to spend time in someone else's grand mansion. They started all blending together. I just wanted to see the things that I’m supposed to-”

“Halt right there!”

We blinked and realised there was a man standing on the road in front of us, specifically standing in our way. He had a sword in one hand, though it was chipped and dented, and the rest of him seemed to fit into the ‘cutthroat’ archetype. His black hair was matted and bald in patches while his dark skin was distinctly unhealthy.

“What’re two wealthy looking ladies such as yourselves doing out here. Don’tcha know the road isn’t safe to travel alone?” He grinned and I saw how many teeth he had missing. It was most of them.

“You’re interrupting.” I told him, voice flat as I made to draw my sword.

“Gimme your coin and this won’ be any more trouble.” He grinned in a way that made the hair on my neck stand on end. “I’ll even tell my friends up ahead to let you through if ya let me walk with ya.”

“Yeah. Pass.” I deadpanned, flourishing my sword into a ready position. This guy seemed to be rather dim, actually. Not that I could say I was surprised. The obvious display of skill did nothing to dissuade him from his current course of action.

Then I was half blinded as Jevi finished muttering an incantation. A bright blue-white ball of energy shot from her wand and impacted the man in the chest. He tried to block it with his sword and managed to put it in the way, but that did nothing to save him. The ball, which was twice the size of his head as best I could figure, passed through the sword as if it wasn’t even there, then hit the man in the chest. Immediately there was a sound much like repeated bolts of lightning, though much quieter than the booming thunder I was used to.

The cutthroat bandit was sent flying, and the ball followed him to the ground where the sound of lightning resumed. I caught glimpses of him thrashing and twitching.

“See this!?” Jevi shouted over the lightning. “This is the trash I’m supposed to be protecting!? This piece of shit that stops two underage girls and extorts them for coin! My life in the service of him!? Fuck! That!”

She flourished her wand and the ball of lightning lifted up into the air, ending the sounds of lightning strikes for the time being. The man was unmoving now, with smoke rising from the ruined leather where the ball had hit.

“I can see your point.” I said blandly, returning my sword to its sheath. After taking in the view, I decided against reminding Jevi that we met when she decided to do exactly that. “Your zinger is as impressive as I was led to believe as well.”

“Rragh!” Jevi shouted and slammed the ball back down into what I believed was now the bandit’s corpse. She did it again, and again, and then she missed, sending the ball into the earth and ending the flow of magic I could feel emanating from Jevi.

“Fuck.” She swore and stalked over to the body. A minute later she stood with a coin purse in hand that she tossed to me. “Nothing of value, except for some silver.”

I weighed the purse in my hand. It wasn’t as heavy as I was expecting. “You’re certain? You did get the kill.”

Jevi waved her hand with a scowl and I tied the coin purse to my belt with a shrug.

“Did the sword melt?” She was handy with a blade, after all. If there was a sword available, I couldn’t see any other reason why Jevi wouldn’t take it.

“Enough to blunt it.” Jevi answered grumpily.

“Ah.”

“Where were we?” Jevi asked as we started walking again. She purposefully stepped on the dead guy’s head instead of going around. “He cut me off.”

“I think you made your point spectacularly.” I said a little hesitantly.

This wasn’t the first time I’d seen someone die, but I did suspect this was the first permanent death I’d ever witnessed. I shook my head to clear the thoughts. There was going to be more death in the future. That was the way of things.

I shook my head free of such thoughts and looked at my newfound companion. “You wanted to see what you were protecting, and so far you’re disappointed. Standard disillusionment backstory.”

Heard it a hundred times, really.

Jevi gave me an interestingly perplexed expression. “What?”

“Of course, you’re lying about most of it, and you told me your name is fake without giving me your real one. So I must conclude that it’s a secret disillusionment backstory that I couldn’t possibly hope to comprehend.”

I may have said that sarcastically.

Jevi’s vexed frown remained. “I don’t get what you’re saying.”

In my opinion, she didn’t really need to. “Anyway. My backstory is one of rebellion. And you should be more careful with your zinger in the future. It’ll end early if it touches the ground, as you no doubt just saw.”

Jevi looked perplexed. “I know that.”

“Keep it away from metal poles in the ground too.” I gestured a thumb over my shoulder. “If his sword had been stuck in the ground instead of in his hand and the zinger touched it, it would have vanished.”

“I’ll…” Jevi gave me a curious look. “Who are you?”

“A girl who knows the truth behind the lightning rod.” I answered mysteriously. There were several of the creations in Veliki, and were vital in preventing the regular duels from destroying the town. When people weren’t dropping flaming meteors, that was. “Or did you want me to expand on my backstory?”

“The second one.”

“First, you need to unders-”

“Troyan!” A grief filled yell pierced the air and pulled me away from that train of thought. Looking back, I saw a man who looked like he fit the highwayman archetype from the pictures I remember spending some time with in the School of Paper.

Oh. That’s what the first guy was as well, he just looked more like the standard cutthroat so I didn’t make the connection. This guy had a scarf and mask on, which bridged the connection right away in my mind. I know because we made eye contact and he pointed at me.

He didn’t say, “Stand and deliver!” like I wanted him to. Instead he shouted, “You bitches killed Troyan!”

“Again? Really?” Jevi sounded put off.

Actually, weren’t we just a few short hour’s walk away from Breach? This was awfully close for banditry.

My musings didn’t do much to interrupt the highwayman as he put two fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle, then drew his sword and charged. Two large dogs burst into movement from a fair ways off the road, bounding towards us. I didn’t know the breed, but they were big, had big fangs in the mouths they left hanging open, and were lightly armoured. Although I listened for the telltale note of magic in the whistle there wasn’t anything of the sort, so I wasn’t going to be using the same trick as what I did with Ratmaker.

That meant I needed to use the sword.

“Uh...” I wondered how to offer a split as I drew my sword. They were coming from two different directions, and there were two of us.

“I’ll take the asshole.” Jevi said, and I could feel the eye roll in her voice.

“Then the dogs are mine.” I agreed, stepping that way as Jevi started muttering. I knew she didn’t have another zinger in her, but her cantrips would be more than enough to deal with a human that wasn’t chosen. On the other hand, I was outnumbered, and it looked like these dogs were matching their speed to pounce on me at the same time.

Oh, and on the top of the hill was a deer. If I squinted, I could bet that there would be an arrow sticking out of its flank. But that didn’t matter.

The dogs pounced at the same time as I expected them to. It would've been impressive if I hadn't spent half a week facing Brynn doing that exact move repeatedly. In response, I flicked my blade at the face of one of the dogs and spun to the side when they could no longer track my movements, the maneuver allowing me to scratch the flank of the other as I went. I didn’t get much depth to the blow and it was armoured anyway. The cut didn’t do much.

That being said, it was blind now, and went charging off in a random direction, whimpering all the while.

Another flick of the sword and a simpler dodge when the second dog tried to do the same thing again saw it blinded as well. I licked the length of its side with my blade to disable the legs on its left side, this time getting under the armour, and it wasn’t going anywhere after that.

Done for now, since that first dog wasn’t finding its way back to me anytime soon, I looked over to see how Jevi was doing. She had her hand around the highwayman’s neck, her wand was crackling with magic, and the highwayman was on his knees. His sword was dropped on the ground, and the man himself was shaking in a jittery way that told me lightning was coursing through him. I’d seen it- and experienced it- too many times thanks to my belligerent relationship with Mary.

I did not envy that guy. Then again, he was probably dead by now. Jevi didn’t strike me as the type to take prisoners.

As I predicted, the highwayman keeled over to the side when he was released. Smoke rising from the burns outlining a handprint on his neck.

Since that was fine, I looked back to the deer. It hadn’t moved since all it ever did was watch, look sad, and run away. Well, I was going to give it more things to be sad about every time it showed up, no reason to disappoint it now. I slashed out with my sword and all but cut the dog’s head off. It died in the next few seconds.

The deer in the distance bowed its head. After a respectful moment had passed, it turned and trotted away.

“Are you an animal lover?” Jevi asked, bumping my shoulder with her own. I frowned back at her. She wasn’t acting like she’d seen the deer. It had been in the distance this time though, so I wasn’t going to make a big deal about it.

“Not particularly.” I said, looking for where the other dog had run to. When I found it, it had fallen over and was trying to find its way back upright. It was pathetic.

“Could’ve fooled me, the way you were standing over it, all mournful.” Jevi squinted at the floundering canine. “What did you do to it?”

“Cut its eyes.”

“Truly?” She glanced at me, impressed. I didn’t respond. “Do you want me to put it out of its misery?”

That would be easier than doing it myself… but I shouldn’t. Instead of answering, I drew my hand back, aimed at the dog, pushed a little more magic into the sword, then corrected and threw my sword at the blinded beast. I knew that it would have good hearing, would hear my blundering approach, and would try escaping once more if I did it up close. This was the quickest way to end its misery.

The sword flew in a perfect arc and embedded itself blade first deep into the chest of the dog. It stopped struggling after the next moment.

Jevi whistled her admiration. “I don’t get how you let me drag you around, and then do feats of strength like that.”

“You can continue wondering.” I responded as I started picking my way over to dog. I pulled my sword out with ease, wondered if I should send the dog off with a prayer or something. Then I remembered that the gods were the ones that put me in this situation.

The dog lay there and I walked away.

Jevi had patted down the highwayman by the time I got back. This time she didn’t toss me any coin purses, but she did have a new straight sword and scabbard attached to her belt. She looked as though the weight on her side was uncomfortable. Regardless, she was grinning.

“We’re a little more defended now.” She patted the hilt of the sword, making the whole thing drop a few centimetres and need to be pulled up again.

“I hope you use that better than you wear it.” It felt weird to talk casually after killing the dog. Which in itself was weird because killing the rats hadn’t affected me like this. I chose to blame the Shepards. Or the corpse five paces away.

“I will.” Jevi insisted, taking offence. “It’s just that my casting has always been more developed. I was-” She sighed. “I was actually headed to North Kreg’uune to further enhance my abilities. But that isn’t happening anymore.”

I gave Jevi a long look before resuming the walk that had now been twice interrupted. “Magic, like swordsmanship, improves with experience. Less so in the beginning. More so after a certain point. You should be able to use that zinger again sooner than you think.”

Jevi didn’t look convinced.

“Or you were going to take part in a ritual to strengthen your magical abilities that could only be conducted in North Kreg’uune, which is why you’re thinking my words are wrong.”

Jevi spluttered. “When did you cast Read Thoughts?”

“I didn’t, you’re just easy to read.”

Her jaw opened and closed, then she shook her head furiously. “No! We were talking about you before that idiot interrupted! You were going to tell me about your past!”

I blinked. So I was. “Oh, sure. The first thing you need to understand is that Avien is a Chosen One.”

Jevi’s eyebrows drew together in a thoughtful frown. “If that’s true, then why was he looking for you? Chosen Ones go on grand quests, not fetch treks.”

“Because I’m a Chosen One too.” I revealed.

Jevi clenched a fist in celebration. “I knew it!”

“I was Chosen to be a wife.” I finished the reveal.

Jevi nodded with a silly grin, then frowned when she realised what the second thing I said was. “Wait.”

I did, though I did not actually stop in place. That kind of humour was for retired adventurers I’d left behind.

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Jevi eventually said.

I shook my head. “It makes perfect sense. I have rejected my calling. Avien is on a grand quest to make me change my mind. That’s why I can use a sword at all, something wants me to reject it as well. It’s also why I’m so godsdamned weak. I’m not supposed to be wrapped up in anything more dangerous than a kitchen. It makes me need him.”

“That’s…” Jevi trailed off, picking her words. “I can think of a few people who would do anything to have what you described.”

The implication made my eyes twitch.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I demanded. “Those people you’re thinking of had a hand at life and found things too difficult! They just want something cozy to spend the rest of their life with, something that pats them on the back and whispers ‘its okay’, and only because of whatever they experienced that made them feel that way.”

I pulled Jevi’s shoulder to make her face me and shoved a finger at her face. “I don’t have any of that! I grew up sheltered! I was told that this was what I would amount to! That I would grow fat with child over and over again while my husband, who was chosen for me before I was born, went out and fought his demonic fucking reflection for a whole fucking decade as the prophecy has foretold!

“See this land around you? I was never meant to see any of this! Things like those dead guys back there? Things like the broken fort of Breach? They were never meant to be something I could even dream of! I was supposed to be content in a small wooden house in a town where I would never leave for anything more dire than the groceries! I’ve not been given a chance to live, so I’ve molded one for myself, and All is doing its damned best to make sure I fail to take advantage of it!

“And you’ve already pointed my promised husband to the wrong corner of the country, just as I removed the agent that was following you after you ran away. I’ve likely made an enemy of the Vitorian Envoy in doing so, and you can bet that Avien’s backers will have retribution for you when they realise you lied to him. I’ve thrown my lot in with you, and you’ve thrown your lot in with me. So when I point out that the things you tell me are obviously false, lie better. Don’t respond by mocking my honesty.”

I breathed out, then in, and out again. I had basically been growling at the end of that.

My eyes lifted to meet Jevi’s. “Is that all perfectly clear?” I demanded.

Jevi had this dreamy smile spreading across her face for some reason. “... Crystal.”

“Good!” I stormed ahead on the road. Just then I noticed that some blood had splashed on my cloak, obviously from the fight with the dogs. Now that I knew it was there, I had an itch to find some place to rinse it out, if not clean it entirely.

It didn’t have anything to do with what we were talking about, but it made me mad. More so that what Jevi had said.

Jevi caught up quickly, but walked a half step behind for the time being. That was fine by me, since my blood was still boiling, but eventually, over the course of another hour, the quiet relaxed between us, and was eventually broken by Jevi. “I might need to-”

“Stop there, murderers!”

I hissed through clenched teeth in irritation. Another fucking interruption.

\V/