Another weekend passed. Unfortunately, Vayuhn was kept too busy for either hunting or lessons. He had barely managed to find the time to track and hunt a kill for his weekly quota. Harper spent the time assimilating the rest of the snake corpse, spending time with Briar, and learning about alchemy.

  It was not the extensive and in-depth education that a professional alchemist would learn, but the necessary bare minimum to brew basic products. It was the equivalent to the difference between a field medic and a physician. The medic and doctor would both know what to do, only one would know why though. Still, it would be a while before she was capable of even basic recipes.

  In no time at all, Harper found herself back at the town hall, heading into the courier department. The week in the city was interesting, but Harper was ready to get back outside of the walls. This week was her last as an apprentice. After it was over, she would be a courier in full and doing her own runs.

  Amelia was there, organizing supplies; their trip would be at least a few days then. She had gotten back the previous Stoneday, but had earned the day off. From what she had told Harper, she had gotten very little sleep those six and a half days. She spent them checking up on and warning the colony’s western population centers about the Unshackled’s attacks.

  There was a moment of awkwardness when Harper had talked to her and some of the other couriers. With the news that she was a mid-level noble exiled from her house, some seemed to act differently around her.

  Amelia herself had stiffened and addressed her as “Lady Waspen.” Harper had immediately reassured her, asking that she continued to call her Harper. She acquiesced, but something was still different. Amelia seemed a little more on guard in her presence than she was when they had first met. Hopefully that would fade in time.

  Near Amelia were two more couriers, also packing for a longer trip. She knew them as Mister and Misses Gunter; they were chattering idly with each other. Harper had met them a couple weeks into the start of her courier training. They were friendly enough, but she had rarely seen them. They usually took longer runs and spent the majority of their time beyond the city.

  “Hey Harper,” called Amelia, noticing her presence. She sent her a reserved smile. Harper grinned back, relieved that some of the earlier tension had disappeared. It was short-lived; the courier couple turned briefly and gave her an almost unfriendly look, before resuming their conversation.

  Well, people will think as they will. Hopefully things will go back to normal soon. “So, what is our next delivery?” Harper asked.

  “Not exactly a delivery, more a delegation. Make sure to grab enough supplies for the next week. We may be gone for a while; if you need to tell anybody you’ll be gone, you should do it now. We leave in an hour at the southern gate.”

  Amelia walked over to the delivery counter. She motioned to an area with a collection of documents, books, and several small packages. “This pile is your charge for the week. We normally use bags that are treated with mundane means to keep out water, but we still have to go to great pains to keep some things dry. The enchantment on your bag should make that much easier. Make sure to collect these before you leave.”

  With that, Amelia made her way out, telling her that she’d see Harper in an hour. The young woman did as she had recommended. An hour later, she was walking up to the gate, leading her horse, Nimbus. She inspected the gathering delegation.

  Horses were being saddled with cargo, more than what was necessary for a week-long trip. The party was made up of couriers, rangers, and a few others dressed for travel. Thankfully, neither Gavin nor Captain Lancor was amongst the rangers. Of the couriers, she noticed Amelia, and Mister and Misses Gunter.

  Several minutes later, they set out. The delegation headed down the southwest road. Once they had ridden for a while and the horses grew tired, they switched to a slower trot. Amelia finally got around to telling Harper their purpose, and how she should conduct herself.

  “So these... Uweyvi... live on the lake?”

  Amelia nodded emphatically. “I’ve been there a couple times myself. The way they’ve managed to build their homes is... fascinating. You'll see when we get there.”

  Harper was about to inquire further but Amelia cut her off, content to keep it a surprise. “Anyway, be very careful with how you treat the lake. Don’t spit in, toss anything, or otherwise disrespect it in anyway. It’s safest to just not touch it at all if you can manage it. It’s both their home and holy ground.”

  Amelia continued to the people themselves. “Be very careful with prolonged eye contact. It can be taken as a challenge, especially by the higher-ranking efferans. Their duels are not like ours; they are much less concerned with rules and fair play. Two of our party are Magnates, but they will not step in if they feel that you were challenged to a duel that could have easily been avoided.”

  Apparently, that was a general rule for all efferans, not just this tribe. Eye contact was a luxury for the strong, and a protection for the week. The longer you maintained eye contact, the more they would respect you, but the more likely that they would challenge you. Those who averted all eye contact were seen as weak and dismissed as scum. The key was finding the right amount of eye contact relative to your station.

  Harper was told to maintain eye contact with children, be conservative with adults, take only glances with the elders, and avoid the chief's gaze entirely. Fights were almost never fatal, but injuries were not uncommon. Despite this and other warnings, Harper was excited. She’d get to see efferans in the flesh.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  She had read about them and seen paintings of them, but it was not the same. She would be cautious of course; she had heard all about their aggressiveness and beastlike appearance. Some were finally accepting the civility offered by the colonies, but it had taken a long time.

  Their worship of spirits and beasts and penchant for warring tribes was a primitive thing and held them back in many ways. Many thought that they would one day stand as a great nation, once they were shown how things should be done.

  The days passed in efficient travel; everyone coming was an experienced rider. Their party consisted of ten people. Four couriers, including herself, four rangers, the government liaison, who was also the translator, and her assistant, a labuntish slave.

  After two days, they had left the colony and had no more towns or villages to stop in for the night. The delegation started setting up camps in the woods. They posted sentries every night, split into four shifts.

  On the fourth night, and nearing their destination, they were attacked. Harper was sleeping at the time, but she was not woken up by the sentries. No, the all too human sounding screaming was enough for that.

  The now wide-awake young woman jumped up with surprising alacrity. Sleeping the occasional night in the wilderness was something she had gotten used to. She scanned her surroundings, blood pumping in her veins and her heart in her ears.

  The remnants of the fire and nearly full moon provided enough light to see well enough in their small clearing. No one appeared hurt, only startled and tense. The sentries were both staring to their east, the direction the scream had come from. “Mountain lion everybody, be on your guard.” The warning came from the senior ranger, one of the parties Magnates.

  More screams came from the distance, sounding louder with each one. The sounds were eerie, the similarity to a person’s scream of horror curled her blood with every roar. It sounded like more than one, which was unusual. Mountain lions, even ones touched by the Domains, were solitary hunters.

  Harper was concentrated not on the surrounding forest, but her weaponry. Wrapping a ball in cloth and shoving it down the barrel with the small ramrod that came with the pistol. Drilling with gunpowder weaponry had been an extensive part of her noble training, she carried the loading process out with well-practiced speed and calm.

  She turned her eyes to the forest, adding another pair of eyes to the watchers. Not a minute later, one of the beasts appeared in the foliage. It was only visible for a moment, quickly disappearing.

  The mountain lions quieted down, not wanting to give away their position. The party only heard rustling in the area around them. The watchers in the area opposite were the first to be attacked, sounds of gunshots ringing from the encampment. Harper took only a quick glance behind her, wary of taking her eyes from the forest.

  Her caution proved wise. A large light brown cat charged towards the line. Only Harper and one of the rangers fired immediately. The others were either watching elsewhere or distracted by the first attack.

  The beast was staggered but not downed. Seconds later two more shots rang out, dropping the beast. Another cat screamed and charged out to their left. Harper fumbled with her sword, preparing to meet it in melee. Thankfully, she did not have to.

  A troll ran out from the middle of the group to meet it. One of the Magnates, the ranger, had taken the time to shift to his Alius. The beast stood at twice her height, and almost twice her width. It was broad shouldered and long armed. Large, pointed ears and a protruding nose added to its ugly, but intimidating appearance.

  The troll was clothed in a layered leather garment and wielded a spiked club. They must have been held in the ranger’s aetherspace and summoned along with his monstrous form. Such a powerful creature did not need such equipment to be an effective combatant, but the items worked as a force multiplier, extending his already huge reach, multiplying the power of his blows, and adding further protection to his already tough skin.

  The ogre met the large cat club first. The cat ducked under the swing, intending to ravage its opponent. Though the creature was fast, it did not have an overwhelming speed advantage. The benefits gained by having another inherent Domain evened the scales in that regard and further widened the gap in strength. Even one blow from the troll would pulp the feline.

  The troll had jumped to the side and took another swing at the lion. Harper stopped paying attention to the fight, busy reloading her flintlock. Once she was done, she looked around, seeking to find where she was most needed.

  On their side, the situation was well in hand. The mountain lion they had shot earlier had risen and was weakly exchanging blows with one of the rangers. They danced around each other, claws against longsword. The ranger took no risks, kiting around the cat while others took shots at it. She spotted several arrows in its side and Amelia readying another shot from her bow.

  Turning around, she inspected the other side. The party’s other Magnate had taken the form of a snawfus, a large deer with a pelt the color of snow. The deer jumped around her opponent, leaving shattered tufts of ice behind that seemed to boost her jumps and direct her in controlled way.

  She fought another mountain lion, only this one was a decent bit bigger. It was about half again the size of the others. A two Domain creature, she wondered. She furrowed her eyes. No, the difference between them is not large enough for a Domain. This is not a Magnate creature; this is a mother and her cubs.

  That was why there were so many traveling together and the other three were as small as a mundane mountain lion. They were not fully grown and hunting with their mother. Despite their lack of size, the number of predators made the encounter dangerous.

  Harper turned her attention to the last of the large cats. This was the weakest point in her opinion. Only two people were currently fighting it. A younger ranger was firing arrows while an older one kept the beast distracted. He only rarely took shots, afraid of hitting his companion.

  Harper stepped up next to him, readying her gun and waiting for an opening. Once she saw one, she took it. Her shot rang out, and struck the lion center mass, staggering it. The ranger took the opportunity to shove his short sword into the creature.

  It reacted in pain, throwing a blow enhanced by panicked strength at the ranger. He was too slow and took a large gash on the chest. The man fell over, leaving himself a vulnerable target to the pained feline.

  Harper reacted instantly, drawing her blade and diving towards the mountain lion. The creature had just gotten its teeth into the ranger's shoulder before she ran her rapier through its torso. Releasing its grip and letting out a strangled scream, it wobbled away, sliding off her blade.

  The creature fell, dying before it hit the ground. Its corpse was brightly illuminated, not by the sky or dying campfire, but by her sword. Beneath the spattered blood, it glowed an ethereal silver, the same color as the moon.