Gifted Avenger

Gifted Avenger

  An Ilvenworld Novella

  by

  Nicholas A. Rose

  Copyright 2013 Nicholas A. Rose

  Cover: Joleene Naylor

  Editor: Stephanie Dagg

  Other novellas:

  Gifted Apprentice

  Gifted Hunter

  The Markan Empire Trilogy:

  Markan Throne

  Markan Empire

  Markan Sword

  ***

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 - Normality

  Chapter 2 - Sword Practice

  Chapter 3 - Quarterstaffs

  Chapter 4 - Anguish

  Chapter 5 - New Room

  Chapter 6 - The Interview

  Chapter 7 - Leaving Marka

  Chapter 8 - Riding South

  Chapter 9 - The Hooded Falcon

  Chapter 10 - Gaining Ground

  Chapter 11 - The Wild Sylph

  Chapter 12 - Passing Through

  Chapter 13 - Captured

  Chapter 14 - Unexpected Surprise

  Chapter 15 - Selim

  Chapter 16 - Darkwood Forest

  Chapter 17 - Blackwood Halt

  Chapter 18 - Closing In

  Chapter 19 - Waiting

  Chapter 20 - Vengeance

  Chapter 21 - New Beginning

  ***

  He watched the watcher. Oh, the man would be unaware of his employer's close observation, and have even less idea why he merited such attention.

  At least the watcher managed to keep his wits about him, and remained discreet. If the boy became aware of his presence... The boy. Such peculiar talents had manifested themselves in him, talents he expected more from a sorcerer than one of the Gifted.

  Siranva would have reasons for granting such talents at this precise time. Ignorance of those reasons grated, and this was the reason for employing the men who now planned out their attack in detail.

  The boy refused to use some of the talents granted to him. He had a weakness: he seemed unable, or perhaps reluctant, to kill. Fighting and weapons skill yes; but that killer instinct, the desire to survive above all else, was missing.

  Or more likely suppressed.

  The watcher had his own plan. The boy would be tested and, with luck, turned.

  But the watcher's employer knew first attempts at turning almost always failed. The watcher's plan appeared good. Extreme emotion always destabilized people, and this boy would be no exception. And, once he became emotionally vulnerable, he became weak.

  The boy would be turned. If not this time, then the next, or the one after.

  The watcher's employer waited. He had time, all of time.

  ***

  Chapter 1 - Normality

  Sallis ti Ath set down his spoon, leaned back and patted his stomach in contentment. Ulena and her husband, the rather solidly built Oban, watched silently, while their daughter Pelim emulated Sallis. Their son Kerran, a slow eater, worked through his porridge and pretended nothing else happened at the table.

  "Excellent porridge as always," announced Sallis.

  Surrounded by four people with dark blue eyes, he felt the outsider with his brown ones. Not many native Markans had brown eyes, though plenty of outlanders living in the city did.

  Pelim, the maker of the porridge, blushed.

  One other in the room didn't have dark blue eyes and she now stepped forward. Since another of Ulena's daughters had married, Westin's work had brought her indoors from the stables. Not even human, Westin belonged to the sylph race, blue-skinned and blue-blooded servants used almost everywhere on the mainland for menial work. Ulena owned two infertile sylphs; Westin's litter-sister still worked in the stables.

  Long silver hair tied back and silver-gray eyes sparkling, the sylph offered the alovak can around the table. Only Oban accepted and Westin's long earpoints twitched in concentration as she poured the dark liquid. Done, she stepped back to hide in the shadows again.

  "A ride this morning, is it?" asked Oban, settling back in his chair. Though fond of Sallis, he regarded him expressionlessly. "With Pelim."

  "A ride into the forest," said Sallis, "followed by sword-practice with the City Guard."

  "And don't forget to collect those blankets on your way back," urged Ulena. "They're too heavy for the sylphs to manage."

  "Consider it done." Sallis grinned and turned to Pelim. "Ready?"

  "I should give a hand with the washing up," protested Pelim, gathering the used crockery.

  "I will do it," announced Westin, snatching the used bowls from Pelim's hands. "You can be away earlier now."

  Pelim smiled her thanks at the sylph. Sallis had never worked out if the two sylphs encouraged Pelim or himself the most. Either way, they loved the growing romance and bent over backwards to help him enjoy more time with the only daughter still at home.

  "Let's see if Errim's got Glyder ready yet," said Sallis.

  "She's been out there long enough," grunted Kerran, who ran the stable with Westin's litter-sister.

  "The City Guard won't have forgotten to prepare a horse for me?"

  "Of course not." Sallis smiled at Pelim. "They're always looking for people they can trust to exercise their horses."

  "They hardly know me," protested Pelim.

  "Well, they think it's me doing the borrowing," admitted Sallis. "But you'll be with me, so I'm sure they'll understand."

  "And if they don't?"

  "Then you can ride Glyder and I'll walk," replied Sallis.

  Pelim and Sallis crossed the yard to the stable together, enjoying the warm spring sunshine. The cruel late winter wind had only recently dropped away to nothing, and they had about four weeks before summer's heat began to build.

  Coming from an offshore island with a maritime climate, Sallis had still not fully adapted to continental weather, which made today ideal in his opinion.

  Glyder gave Sallis a welcoming whinny and a near-identical copy of Westin looked up from where she finished tightening a girth strap. Errim's earpoints twitched forwards in pleasure. She wore shirt and breeches, and smudges of dust darkened her blue skin.

  "Everything is ready," she announced.

  "Good girl."

  The sylph arched her back and giggled as Sallis tickled her earpoints.

  "Stop it!" whispered Pelim. "You know Mother doesn't like you doing that."

  Errim blinked and gave Pelim a level look before her attention returned to Sallis.

  "It does her no harm," replied Sallis, trying and failing to twine an earpoint around his forefinger. "She's not a breeder."

  He had always felt a little closer to Errim. Some sylphs could sense Sallis's talents; Westin sometimes scuttled away from him for no apparent reason, wide-eyed and her earpoints bolt upright in shock. Moments later, she always returned to her normal friendly self, but she startled Sallis every time she leapt away. Errim never behaved like that, for which he was grateful.

  He turned away from the sylph and quickly checked Glyder's tack, satisfied that the work had been done properly. Few sylphs enjoyed working around large animals, and even Errim only trusted two horses: Glyder of course, and Rence, the large carthorse the family rented out. He was currently away, working in the forest hauling timber. Sometimes, like now, the carthorse earned more money than the rest of the family.

  Sallis patted Glyder and led him out from the stable.

  "We'll walk to the Gate," said Sallis. "I wonder which horse they'll give you today."

  Despite the relatively early hour, the streets already heaved with activity. People dashed from their homes to workplaces, many disappearing into the industrial quarter, with its stinks and manufactories. Most Markans - human and sylph - spent long working hours in that part of the city.

&nbs
p; Others were sylphs on errands, darting this way and that through crowds of people with other destinations in mind. The blue-skinned sylphs were adept at twisting their way through crowds. People were generally tolerant of their presence and sylphs seemed to have some sort of taboo against touching strangers.

  And beggars. Every city had a few, but Marka attracted people from all over the known world, and not everybody made a success of their new life. Every corner and disused doorway displayed evidence of shattered dreams and crushed hopes.

  Sallis's heart always twisted whenever he saw a grimy blue hand pushed out from a ragged bundle, or earpoints sagged in defeat. Humans could make their own choices - even the worst failure could always return home - but sylphs had fewer choices than most.

  The city's rulers really ought to do more for them.

  After a stroll along Marka's central tree-lined boulevard, they reached the north gate, where the day watch had just relieved the night watch. Sallis passed Glyder's reins to Pelim.

  The City Guards greeted him - all the guardsmen knew Sallis, as he had given them three years of reliable service as a bounty-hunter - and one led him to the stable beside the guardhouse.

  "Which one?" asked Sallis.

  "Sabre," replied the guard, a man named Cullist who neared retirement. He snapped his fingers at one of the stable-boys, who leapt to Sabre's stall.

  Sabre turned out to be a dappled gelding, ready for his morning ride. Sallis made friends with him as quickly as he could before leading him out from the stable.

  The north gate already stood open, but it was nowhere near as busy as its southern twin, so Sallis and Pelim were able to mount up in the courtyard.

  "You all right with him?" Cullist asked Pelim, as she scrambled into his saddle. Cullist kept a hand on Sabre's bridle.

  Pelim patted Sabre's neck. "Looks like it," she smiled.

  Cullist released the bridle and stepped back.

  "Enjoy your ride," he said.

  Sallis ti Ath touched Glyder's flanks with his heels, then gently increased the pressure. The horse knew the command and broke into a gallop, brown mane and tail streaming, his blazed nose pushed forward to help with breathing.

  Brown eyes alight with delight, Sallis looked over his shoulder and laughed as he watched Pelim on the borrowed Sabre fall behind until she too touched her heels to Sabre's flanks. Moments later, she rode alongside him.

  Sabre had been bred and selected for speed, but Sallis knew Glyder would win any race over distance. He was not the fastest, but only the largest carthorses and warhorses could surpass Glyder's endurance.

  But for the moment, Sabre held the advantage.

  Sallis kept up his speed, following Pelim as she plunged into the forest surrounding Marka, turning off the road where Sallis had marked one of the trees. The faint path, safe for horses to gallop along, eventually led to their favorite spot, a glade deep in the forest with its own babbling brook, where they could be blessedly alone.

  Sallis and Pelim kept their relationship quiet and unhurried. A couple of years older than Sallis - well, three to be exact - she and he had always been friendly. Not that friendly, at least in the early days, but friendships can develop and this one had.

  Sallis had thought about proposing more than once. After all, he was eighteen now, and old enough to make all of his own decisions, and yet not quite courageous enough to ask the question.

  He had faced down murderers and thieves, brought a good few criminals to justice, fought against guardsmen and stood his corner when it came to work. But faced with this young lady, all his bravery deserted him.

  The worst that could happen was her saying no.

  Her sparkling dark blue eyes looked into his own and it was as if she had read his mind.

  "I'm not sure mother would approve of me marrying a bounty-hunter," she said. "After all, few could keep me as well as my own family."

  And that was yet another of Sallis's worries. Not being a bounty-hunter, but the nature of his work. It demanded his full attention at times, and also his absence.

  Oh, he felt certain Pelim could look after herself and any family perfectly adequately without him. But bounty-hunters made enemies, and enemies rarely rested. He'd already lost a couple of rivals (who, he had to admit, had also been friends) to revenge attacks.

  Except there would be no family. He really should tell Pelim, or at least remind her.

  And yet, and yet.

  Sallis smiled. "I'm not most bounty-hunters," he replied. "I'm heir to a large farm on Re Annan..."

  "Sheep," interrupted Pelim and waved a languid hand, though she grinned as she spoke.

  "...And those sylphs I sent home are bound to be breeding by now. Not to mention a good chunk of reward money in the depository."

  "Your gold is no good to me there," she said, sliding off Sabre's back and loosening straps so the animal would feel more comfortable. "How can I spend it for you when it's hidden away?"

  Sallis laughed. If anything, Pelim took even greater care of her own money. He should ask and be done with it. He swung out of the saddle, taking care to avoid the sword and quarterstaff strapped to one side. He would be practicing with the City Guard later, always a good way to pass a couple of hours when between commissions.

  Though in his opinion, this must be the best way of all to kill time.

  They stared into the stream's tumbling waters for a few minutes, hoping to catch a flash of silver where a trout suddenly turned, but the pools were deserted today. One problem with this rivulet was that its pools were too small for bathing. Even if drinking the water instantly refreshed the drinker.

  "Father is home," said Pelim, as if Sallis had not noticed Oban's hulking presence at the breakfast table. For a man in his middle sixties, Oban remained surprisingly fit.

  "A hint?" Sallis smiled. "And I thought I must ask your mother."

  Those blue eyes sparkled with inner laughter again. "She might say no, but Father cannot wait to see me go."

  Sallis pursed his lips. "Somehow I doubt that," he replied. Oban's loyalty to his family was as impressive as his size. "It is not your mother's rejection I fear."

  Pelim giggled.

  The apparent childishness of this did not fool Sallis. Pelim's eyes also held a certain gleam he recognized all too well. He must step carefully. "At least we can enjoy some peace and quiet here," he said.

  He lifted the spare saddle blanket down and spread it on the ground beside the stream.

  He and Pelim sat side by side, leaving Glyder and Sabre to munch contentedly on the grass.

  "A shame we can't stay here all day," murmured Pelim.

  "We might yet," said Sallis, with a grin. As he lay back on the blanket, he glanced at the weapons strapped to Glyder. Practice with the City Guard later. Oh, and he must remember to leave Glyder in the City Guard's stable, as he had promised Ulena he would collect some repaired blankets on his way back. "Then again, perhaps not."

  "Did you mean what you said about being too shy to ask?" pressed Pelim.

  "Of course. You've got no idea how shy I am."

  Pelim laughed.

  "What's so funny?" demanded Sallis, sitting up. "You think I'm not shy?"

  "I can't imagine you doing the things you do and being shy." Pelim shook her head. "Perhaps little me intimidates you."

  "That's part of it too." Sallis grinned and lay back again.

  "Anything else?"

  "You must remember that I'm Gifted."

  "I wish I could forget."

  "If you want children, you must marry another," said Sallis. "Even the Gift comes at a cost."

  Pelim paused. "I cannot understand why the Gifted can't have children," she said, eventually. "It seems so cruel of Siranva. Why ever not?"

  Sallis winced at the casual use of the Father's name. Continentals seemed much less reticent to use it, except for sylphs, who believed it blasphemous.

  "Elvallon never told me why not," he replied, "only that it was so. But I don't think any
of the Gifted know why, except for a few like Sandev."

  "Why not ask her?"

  Sallis blinked. "Some questions should never be asked," he replied. "We might not like the answer."

  Pelim sniffed and looked away. "There are always orphans and foundlings to adopt," she said, after another moment's pause. "Raise them as our own and they can even inherit."

  "On the mainland," agreed Sallis. "Not so sure about Re Annan, though."

  "Let one of your sisters inherit the sheep farm. You stay here."

  "And ask to marry you?"

  "Don't leave it too long, else another may win my hand."

  "Hmm. Maybe I should ask you today."

  "You have my full attention right now."

  Sallis rolled onto his side and looked directly into Pelim's sparkling eyes.

  "Will you marry me?" he asked.

  "Very blunt," she replied, before looking away. "And you didn't plead. Or make rash promises you probably could never keep anyway."

  Sallis smiled and waited.

  "Well?" he asked, as the silence grew between them.

  Pelim sniffed. "A girl needs time to make a decision on this subject," she said.

  "You pretty much forced me to ask!"

  Another laugh. "I had to make sure you would," she replied. "Let me see now. I suppose I could fit you into my busy life at that."

  "Is that a yes?"

  "Yes."

  Pelim turned her attention back to his face and they shifted closer.

  The two horses feasted on the lush grass, while Sallis and his betrothed shared a lingering kiss.

  ***

  The watcher stared at the building. An unassuming place, with only the one lodger. Stables around the back, for the moment empty of horses as the family carthorse had been loaned out. The son and a sylph would be in the stable. The man and woman somewhere in the house, and the man at least looked like he could take care of himself. And another sylph working at chores.

  No other visitors.

  He expected the girl to return soon, and he already knew she would be alone. The boy would linger, playing with weapons he did not need, and where only the exercise would be of any benefit. By the time the boy had done playing his games with the City Guard, he would be finished here.

  The fool should have changed his lodgings. A wise bounty-hunter always regularly changed his accommodation. This one was an even bigger fool because he acted as if these people were his family.

  A bad, bad mistake.

  The watcher shifted in anticipation.

  ***

  Chapter 2 - Sword Practice

  After promising not to forget about the repaired blankets, Sallis sent Pelim home on their return to Marka. One of the stable-boys helped Sallis lead Glyder and Sabre around to the stables.