“You want me to believe that dozens of hunters came here just to kill my family?” I ask slowly, disbelief evident in every word. I refuse to believe it. Not even nobles would go so far. The Tomes hated the Grimoires, and they us, but neither family would mindlessly throw themselves onto swords for their vengeance.

“Do you know how manabeasts are fought?” the hunter says, a distinct note of superiority in his voice. “The true threats, not the snowcats in the odd cellar or the boulder hawks that snatch lambs and pigs. The real monsters, the dangerous ones. The ones who can tear apart cities. Or the unknown threats, the ones who kill anyone who comes across them.”

“I’m no hunter.”

“No. You’re a spoiled noblewoman born with too many advantages,” he sneers. “Let me tell you how it’s done. A few brave souls accompanied by a spotter engage the creature. They most likely die. The spotter returns to the guilds with new information on the monster. Another team is assembled and they attempt to hunt it. If they fail, the spotter makes a report, a new team is formed, and the process repeats over and over until the threat is put down.

“Measures that aren’t needed so much in these peaceful times but that is the tradition the guilds are built on. When the kingdom was founded and the human armies began to fight each other to determine who would wear the crown, it was the first guilds that beat back the monsters and claimed the land. We’ve shed more blood than any knight order. We do whatever it takes to rid our home of threats. And you, Lourianne Tome, are a threat.”

“You…you do understand that this all started with two hunters kidnapping an innocent man for daring to refuse them, don’t you? It’s a little hard to come off as righteous when you’re about to lay down your life for a group of petty criminals.”

“I don’t expect someone like you to understand,” he scoffs. “And truly, there aren’t many that hold true loyalty to their guilds. Most of my fellows are little more than mercenaries, exchanging duty for honor and gold. They’ll kill you because they’ve been paid to, simple as.”

Ah. That makes a lot more sense. I can even respect that.

“One last question, before we begin. How much is my head worth?”

“Seven thousand gold crowns along with one medium favor.”

I whistle. That is a lot of money. Now I believe there are dozens of casters here to kill me. Saints, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more than hunters here. Anyone who heard of such a bounty would jump on this wagon.

“No more stalling.” The hunter raises his shield. “Ready yourself.”

“ENOUGH!”

The thundering voice precedes something slamming into the ground between us, throwing up a thick wave of snow. When the flurry settles, it reveals a furious Kalise and a much more sedate Kierra. She smiles at me before turning narrowed eyes to the hunter.

The bronze barbarian looks between all of us, her sneer worsening. “All of you are disgraces. You!” One of her thick fingers points to the shield-bearing hunter. “You take a sacred tradition and try to twist it for petty vengeance. We welcome you into our home, into our battle, and you shit all over us.”

I snicker but cut it off when she whirls on me. “And you? What is this?” She waves toward the headless corpse in the snow. “You think you can drop bodies wherever you please? Did it not occur to you that there is a proper place for this?”

“Well—"

“Don’t suppose you had any plans to clean this mess up either, did ya? You were gonna walk off and leave it to the rest of us to clean up your mess, huh?!”

“Kalise.” Alana steps forward, ready to defend me. “They leveled a challenge. We couldn’t refuse.”

“You think I don’t know that, you little reckless kitten? Only reason I haven’t knocked your head into the ice.”

“Stay out of this,” the hunter says. “Our business is with—"

I see her eyes glow. When she raises her hand, I know she is about to unleash some spell or other. The hunter notices the same, readying his shield and setting his feet.

Neither of us are prepared for the brilliant flash of light and deafening sound of her attack. It happens so fast, I don’t have the chance to put down a film. A strange smell fills my nose as I blink dark spots from my vision.

When they clear, I see a cold-faced Kalise staring at the prone body of the hunter. Steam fills the air as the snow between them and around the hunter has been melted. Beneath the strange smell is also the smell of cooked meat. I can’t hear my would-be opponent’s heat beat.

What in the name of the saints just happened?

“You bastards want a fight? Good!” She turns to the remaining three hunters, still reeling from that horrific spell the barbarian unleashed. “Run back to your band and tell them to ready their arms. You’ll get your fight. And don’t you dare try to run or I’ll set the Beasts on you.”

She snarls as they stare at her stupidly. “Well? What are you idiots doing?! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!”

They hurriedly scramble away from her. She scoffs at the display before turning back to Alana. “I hope you’re ready because both of you stupid kittens are going to take responsibility for this embarrassment.”

-

The air is tense in our room. Alana is tense as a drawn bowstring after cutting our tour short so she can strategize how to handle the conversation with her family. Mainly, how to pin the blame on her brother.

While she grumbles to herself about Victory politics, I decide to collect some information. Rather than send Bell to scour minds, not just because the hunters may actually be prepared for such, I have her send a message instead. Time to reap a seed previously sown.

I sneak from the house and slip around to the back of the nearby stables. I lean against the sturdy wall, occasionally brushing off snow from my head and shoulders, until someone comes jogging toward me. I straighten up as I recognize the pirate-son, despite most of him being covered against the snow. “Took you long enough.”

“Did you know they make the outsiders sleep right in front of the north gate? We’re the first ones that get hit if the monsters get through.” He rubs his gloved hands together. “Besides, I had to slip away without being conspicuous. Unless we’re done playing pretend?”

Several days before I left, Arthur came to, I’m not quite sure. Swear fealty? Become my minion? Essentially, he wants to make himself useful in return for my favor, in hopes he can turn the glory of his false life into a reality.

While struggling to come up with something for the pirate-son to do, Geneva gave me a lovely idea. My succubi are masters at gathering information but they are severely limited by the restraint that is my desire for them to remain near me. There are things they miss until circumstances, or enemies, are right on top of me. A weakness that could be eliminated by having someone dedicated to the role.

Arthur didn’t have anything else to do and wanted to make himself useful, so he got the job. I sent him into the city with some gold to buy a few hunters some drinks in hopes they’d spill their woes and their plans. When he found out some of the more vocally angry of the lot were headed north, I told him to tag along. He was meant to be an extra layer of defense, as Geneva would have sensed him if his group tried to ambush us.

If nothing happened, we would collect him before we marched past the Peaks. But something did happen.

“So, how come you didn’t feel the need to tell me that the hunters were planning to kill me?” I ask, doing nothing to hide how annoyed I am.

“I was getting more information.” He moves to lean against the wall beside me. “All the outsiders are placed together. First night, someone comes around and invites us to have a drink. Hosted by some bloater fish looking bastard named Emberton from the Shadow Wolves. He made sure everyone knew who you were and that you were coming. Might has well have been throwing meat to sharks.

“He hosts his little welcoming parties every night, making sure everyone is good and angry with you. The original plan was to give the James an ultimatum to drive you out of Victory. They’ve got people waiting on the road.”

“Then why didn’t they attack me on the way here?”

“Cause that’s when you’d be expecting it.” Crafty bastards. It wouldn’t have worked. If Kierra didn’t sniff them out, Geneva would have. A good tactic though, if a bit simple. Am I…disappointed? Yeah, I think I am. I expect more from seasoned manabeast hunters.

“I only found out about this last night when this Emberton tells all the hunters gathered about it. They’re not happy with the duke and his family, heh.”

“Is that supposed to be a joke?” I scoff. “What are they going to do in the seat of his power? I dare one of them to say one wrong word about that family.” Knowing the fanatics in this place, they’d probably be dead before their mouths could close. Okay, that might be too much. But I can see a random knight breaking their jaw for the offense.

“Anyway, when we’re all good and drunk, some leatherback looking bastard comes stomping into the camp with a crew of blue armors. Emberton does his best impression of a sucker fish on this guy’s ass so I assume he’s important. He is. Zachariah Erenheart James. The next duke of Victory apparently.”

“Baseless rumor. Don’t go spreading that horseshit.”

He glances at me sideways. “Aye. Anyway, the not-so-little lord insults all the hunters back three generations. Tells them they’re a bunch of cowards and he thinks they’re worthless. That he’d rather take the girl they’re so afraid of.

“Our friends are very excited about that. Practically foaming at the mouth. One of the idiots even attacked him. Didn’t end well. Emberton all but says he’d kill you if given the chance so the lord gives him one. Little duke laughs and walks away. But then one of his people teaches us how to challenge someone, Victory’s style. If we say them, you can’t refuse a fight. Then he tells us to handle our grudges before the campaign or Victory will kick all our asses.

“So, now we have a way to force you to fight but it’s a one-on-one duel. The hunters are little fish, swimming together. You killed a bunch of hunters. You’re a summoner. None of them like their chances in a fair fight. Then this Emberton comes up with something crazy. Gets some of the most extreme guys to volunteer to fight you first and learn your abilities. The cowards get to watch and report back to the strongest hunters and a few mercenaries in it for the bounty he put on your head. It’s pretty good.”

“At least I’m worth some good gold.”

“Eh. I’ve seen bigger bounties.”

“It’s not a competition.”

“It is in Graywatch, captain.”

“Do you have anything else to tell me?”

“I’ve got the names of the hunters they’re expecting to finish you off. I was trying to find who Emberton was trying to rope into taking on that elf but it’s a touchy subject. They know about her pure affinity and it’s common knowledge she’s the one who killed the guildmaster. They’re not eager for that kind of fight, even for seven thousand crowns.”

“Mm. Alright, you haven’t been completely useless.” I clap him on the shoulder. “Good work.”

“Aye, captain. Got any Herbanacle to spare? It’ll go a long way to keeping me in the know.”

“You want to stay?”

He scoffs. “Not like I’m in any danger. No one’s going to connect me to you, especially not with what I got between my legs.” He chuckles. “Sides, the quicker you stomp these idiots, the quicker I get in a room with decent heat and food. Travel rations are disgusting.”

“Ha! Better get back to it. I’ll send Bell with some supplies,” I call over my shoulder as I walk off. “Give her the names.”

“Aye.”