Aryn and Leheen stared at the strange arrow. It had an ominous energy that was hard to describe. Looking at it filled them with worry.
“It’s pretty heavy,” Aryn said.
“It’s very ugly. I’ve never seen an arrow like that.” She grabbed it and inspected it curiously.
“Where could it be from?”
“Not from here, at least. The arrows I’ve seen used for hunting look nothing like this.”
“Shit, we screwed up.” Aryn shook his head. “This man could have been the only person who knew anything useful about the duke, and now they killed him.”
Aryn paused for a moment and looked at the wound left by the arrow that had struck the old man. When they pulled it out, the flow of blood became even more intense. The arrow had hit an artery so precisely that the attacker couldn't have been an ordinary thief or bandit.
Aryn stood up.
“Let’s take this to the castle. Maybe Coathyr knows something.”
They hurried to the keep, where they found Coathyr making a wooden duck figurine at her desk.
“Huh? What do you want?” she asked as she saw them enter. “I’m busy. Did you find the assassin?”
“No, but we found this.” Leheen placed the black arrow on her desk.
Immediately, Coathyr dropped the wooden duck and the knife she had been carving with. She picked up the arrow and held it in her hands. She placed one trembling hand on her abdomen, looking disturbed, and closed her eyes. Then she broke the arrow in two and tossed the pieces onto the floor.
“What? No! That was our evidence,” Aryn said.
“It doesn’t matter. I know where this is from.” She said, with a pained voice.
“How do you know where this arrow comes from?” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“It’s a long story. I wasn’t always the eccentric, very beautiful, extraordinary and strong Coathyr you see today. I was scrawny and weak, just like you. I was a soldier on the front lines, exploring the lands of the new world.”
“Things were very hard back then. I was only sixteen, and the other soldiers were very mean to me. That meant I was constantly fighting them, as well as any threats we encountered. I felt lost. I felt like no one would ever understand me.”
“But then I met Lavenka. She was so gorgeous. I instantly fell in love with her huge stature, her strength, her silver hair, and those red eyes.”
Coathyr blushed just thinking about her.
“She was the first person who had ever been gentle with me. She didn’t care that I was weak or that sometimes I got in the way because I was useless. No matter what, Lavenka smiled at me and told me that someday I would become stronger. That made me happy.”
“I was always by her side, hoping that she somehow understood my feelings for her. Every day spent with Lavenka passed so quickly, whether I was looking at her or talking to her. I always put off confessing my feelings until the next day.”
Coathyr's face turned sad.
“The last time I had the chance to be alone with her, she told me that she was proud of my efforts and that someday I would become a commander. Right then and there, I wanted to confess my feelings, but I still couldn't. All I got to see was her smile.”
“The next day, our group was ambushed by assassins while we were advancing through the northern border of Wuffsain. Arrows flew at us from every direction. I got shot in the pit of my stomach. It was so painful, but not as painful as what I saw just a second later.”
“Lavenka toppled over with a black arrow piercing her left eye. She was dead on the spot.”
“After that, I worked my way up through the ranks and became a commander. At least I didn't disappoint her.”
“It was a blessing to have Lavenka in my life. Nothing would have turned out like this if it weren't for her. I loved her, and she made me happy during a terrible time in my first war. I hope I made her happy, too.”
Her face began to tense up.
“But I never...”
“I never got to...” She gritted her teeth as frustration choked her voice. A tear fell from her left eye as her face twisted with anguish. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
“I never got to jiggle her tits! You-you know that feeling when you love someone so much that you just wanna grab them," Coathyr squeezed the air with her hands "but you're too shy to do it at the moment, so you save it for later, but later never comes because she's gone! Well, now you've got me all sad!”
She stood up and escorted Aryn and Leheen out of the keep.
“Thank you. You can go. Go!”
“Wait, wait!” Leheen stopped in the doorway.
“We don't know where to go yet,” Aryn said.
“Obviously, you need to go to Wuffsain.” Coathyr put her hands on her hips. “That was the last place the assassins were seen before we wiped them out. That was many years ago, so they may have moved elsewhere, but it won't hurt to search there first, will it?”
“You’re right. We’re leaving, then. Thanks, Coathyr.”
She put a hand on his shoulder as he walked, stopping him. “Don’t forget my test, Aryn. You'd better become stronger.”
“I will. And don't forget what I get when I beat you.”
Coathyr blushed and grinned as Aryn and Leheen left the room. She returned to carving her wooden duck.
Once outside the keep, they went to the stable master to get ready to leave for Wuffsain as soon as possible.
Before leaving, they both went home to speak with Erivertz and Casia. Surprisingly, they were very happy that Leheen would be leaving the house to become an adventurer.
They were taken to the cellar, where the figure of Zho Taath rested. A small ceremony followed. Casia chanted prayers while Erivertz whipped Aryn and Leheen with a bunch of long herbs as they knelt before the figure.
They explained that it was a form of blessing for those who went on journeys, so that Zho Taath would protect them from all harm.
They bid farewell to Erivertz and Casia. Aryn thanked them for their hospitality. Leheen also thanked them both for taking care of her for so long. She was leaving, but she would eventually return someday in the distant future.
They got onto the cart. The coachman whipped the horses, and they began traveling south.