The contented growls and hisses emanated from the Lindwyrm’s corpse as Eggs feasted on our foes' innards. Gertha raised her eyebrows at me and smiled thinly, wincing as a bone cracked. Eggs squealed and appeared at the door-sized hole in the Lindwyrm’s chest they’d torn open, holding what looked like half a rib in their mouth, their frill opened, sending droplets of blood spattering across the ground. They dropped the rib onto the pile of other similarly removed bones before delving back inside.

  “We’re just gonna sit here all day then? Wait for every carrion eater for miles to descend on us?” Gertha asked, rubbing the tops of her legs. She was sitting atop a half-smashed tree that had been knocked down in the fight. I sniffed and rubbed the back of my head.

  “You think any carrion eater will come near while Eggs is…busy?” I motioned toward the door hole in the chest of the Lindwyrm.

  “It’s not crows I’m worried about, Tullen. It’s other bloody wyrms, or if the Gods really want to stitch us up a Drake or even a bloody Dragon.” She kept glancing behind her, only looking back at me when she had finished peering in every direction.

  “Dragons wouldn’t bother with a Lindwyrm’s body, it’s way too small,” I said.

  “If you were hoping that would reassure me, it didn’t.” She grumbled.

  Balls, I was hoping it would.

  “Well, if a Drake showed up, I’m sure we could give it a run for its coin,” I said, injecting cheer I didn’t quite possess yet into my voice.

  “I’m not sure I could even walk briskly at this point.” Gertha sighed. She rubbed her elbows and knees, stifling a yawn.

  She looked tired again, after she’d used her magic on the Creep. She’d seemed a lot better. I shivered when I thought back to that moment. It was like something invisible had been taking chunks out of him. I watched her as she continued rubbing her knees, as I tried to convince myself the spell she used and the burst of energy she’d had afterwards were unrelated.

  It’s fair to say, I saw right through my own bullshit.

  “Maybe Eggs knew you needed a rest?” I asked, trying to keep the tone light.

  “Indeed, I think Eggs instead is driven by more primal concerns.”

  “You need to rest, though, Gertha, you look wiped. About as tired as you were before those two cannibals attacked us.” I said

  “I’ll be fine for now, just don’t expect the full mysteries of the arcane for a little while.” Gertha sighed, yawning once more and forcing herself to her feet.

  “You didn’t look as tired after they attacked us.” I ventured, having the same sensation in the pit of my stomach as I did whenever I overextended on a lunge. It was that feeling of your centre of balance shifting just enough for you to fall flat on your face with a blade in your neck for your troubles.

  Eggs poked their head out again, this time dropping a bone nearly as long as my arm before disappearing like a serpent in its nest.

  “You’re as subtle as a spear up the arse, Tull.” Gertha glared.

  “Fine, what in the Mummer’s name did you do to that man? You're going to do it again to get past this tiredness.” My heart raced; I felt bad about prying. I knew the effect the incident had on her afterwards, but I also knew very little about my companion and almost friend. My arms were crossed, and I scratched at an itch on my neck. Gertha looked me up and down slowly, like a cat eyeing up a mouse.

  “Eye for an eye, Tullen, that’s what I did.” She said, smiling thinly and looking between her feet.

  “Eye for an eye? You did more than his eyes. It looked like something ate that cannibal.” I stood up the images of that still living, half-eaten body, I put out its misery in my mind.

  “He only suffered that which he dealt out himself. That’s all that spell does.” Gertha said, standing as well, approaching me with her arms open.

  “So if he hadn’t been eating people-”

  “Then he wouldn’t have had those very wounds, those crimes returned to him.” Gertha finished for me, bending down to catch my eye, as I’d started staring at the floor. I looked back.

  “So you don’t just…eat people with magic?” I asked.

  “No, fat for brains. What do you take me for? If I cast it on you, you’d probably hear a lot of sarcasm, then get stabbed.”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  I raised an eyebrow; she wasn’t wrong.

  “Then how did you suddenly get better?” I said, my brain was hurting by this point.

  “I rested?” She let out a half-laugh and went back to her tree stump.

  “So there’s no way to…” I motioned my hand in a circle, the cant for hurry up along the String Guard.

  Gertha scoffed, “No, Tullen, there is no way to speed up my recovery; it just happens when it happens.”

  “Right, fair enough.”

  “Is that why you were asking me about that attacker? Were you thinking of nabbing me someone for a snack?” She laughed.

  “No, that’s not what I-”

  “Or you thought you might be next on the menu? That after the brief but eventful time we’ve spent together having each other's backs, I would suddenly turn around and consume you?” Gertha’s voice had an edge to it now, a dangerous one.

  “No, Gertha, I was just trying to unde-”

  “Dick move, mate. I used that spell as a last resort because I was terrified. Because I knew it would take one opponent out of play and because I trusted you to handle the other one.” She took the coin out of her mouth and clamped her lips tight.

  A silence hung in the air between us as I cursed myself inwardly for being so bloody stupid and assuming the worst. I’d been taught to expect the worst, to plan for it so I could never be caught off guard. Peevan hadn’t given me many lessons in how not to make an arse of yourself in a conversation, though, probably because he was one of the best people at making an arse of himself.

  I missed, loved and hated that man.

  I took a deep breath, then gulped. I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it. Finally, I managed to find some words.

  “Look, the way I’ve survived. The way I was shown to live was to look for threats, at all times, from all people. Even friends. I’m sorry, it’s not personal. But power like yours is beyond my mind half the time. I just needed to know tactically what you need, because we’re in this together, but I also had to know if I have to watch myself around you.” I let out a long exhale. If I spoke for any longer, I’d probably be so light-headed the damn thing would float away.

  Gertha looked up at me, her eyes narrowed, and she slowly opened her mouth.

  “That has got to be the longest thing you’ve ever said to me.” She said.

  “Well, I just wanted you to understand-”

  “Look, Tullen, I’m sorry you had a weird upbringing, but that doesn’t let you act how you want. I am not your enemy. If I were, frankly, you’d be dead already and none the wiser.”

  “Was that supposed to reassure me?” I chuckled.

  Gertha grinned, “No, that’s just letting you know I’m not to be fucked with.”

  I gestured at the scorch marks on the Lindwyrm’s body.

  “I knew that already.”

  “Only about a third of those are mine. Our little friend took care of the rest.” She said, stepping toward the Lindwyrm’s body. Eggs had curled up inside the chest cavity now, their frill flattened over their eyes as they breathed softly. It was quite the sight, a Wyvern the size of a horse curled up like a cat in a cave of gore. In an odd way, it looked rather peaceful in there.

  “Don’t be too loud, you’ll wake them,” I whispered, unable to contain my smile.

  Gertha huffed, “Well, you can clean them. I’m not getting involved.”

  I nodded, mainly because I’d already seen Eggs clean themself thoroughly enough and I wouldn’t have to. Gertha had been right, though; we needed to get a move on, sleeping inside a Lindwyrm was an option only for one of us and at some point, animals and other bastard Lizards would be curious. Too curious for our liking.

  A low rumbling moan from the treeline echoed through the small clearing that the thrashing of the Lindwyrm had created. Eggs immediately rose from their slumber and stuck their head out of the hole, screeching, clearly defending their precious prize.

  I drew my sword in a flash, holding it ready in front of me. I didn’t feel up for a fight, but whatever was out there would get one. Gertha slipped a coin into their mouth.

  The moan turned into a bellow, and then a snort. Then, entering the clearing was a large Stag. It was just taller than Eggs, and the spines across its back stood straight and swayed as its muscles contracted. It huffed as it looked at us, but my gaze was drawn to the two people on either side of it.

  They were a man and a woman, they looked young enough not to suffer life’s great insults but old enough not to be pig ignorant, they were perhaps in their late twenties. They had long dark hair and tanned skin that marked them as from the Outland territories. I’d seen a merchant from there once; he’d done incredible things with knife throwing.

  The man carried a long barbed spear and was holding what looked like a big coil of rope; his companion held what looked like two shortened scythes. On both their backs were short bows and what looked like two sticks about as long as my arm. They wore scaled hide; these two had clearly killed a Lizard or two in their time.

  “Hello there…friends. Do you need assistance?” I called out, my voice wary.

  “He has the mark.” The man said.

  “There is a Lizard they forgot to slay.” The woman replied.

  “I know her.” The man stepped forward, pointing at Gertha.

  Gertha stepped forward, her hands at her side.

  “Forgot my name already Sila?”

  I lowered my sword, “You know these two?” I asked.

  Gertha didn’t look at me, instead taking a slow step forward. “Know them? I raised them.”