CHAPTER 106 I’d Rather Face Off Against Assassins

CHAPTER 106

I’d Rather Face Off Against Assassins

Brownie

The Hollow was a huge circle with the giant green oak hanging over much of it. The road led straight down a slope and far off to the dungeon tree, but otherwise, the center of the city was covered in rolling fields and garden beds. The majority of the buildings stretched around the outskirts in a crescent shape against the tree.

The road ahead branched off into hundreds of paths that wound through the green, like the roots of a tree.

There was a delegation waiting on the other side of the gate.

“Greetings, Commander General Rufus.” The leader had long brown hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, and his eyes were green. He held himself with noble bearing, nodding politely at Rufus.

Rufus nodded back. “Sir Vainbark.”

“You arrived early,” the prim and proper elf stated. “Sorry about this.”

“About what—?”

An arrow whizzed through the sky, and Knolith reached out to catch it just before it hit Donna. The horse reared up and kicked the air twice in surprise.

Rufus promptly took a step to shield Brownie with his body and his skill. “[Protector].”

“This belongsss to a Blackfog ssspy,” Knolith said, inspecting the arrow.

“So it would seem.” Rufus sighed.

“They came in this morning, and they’re proving to be a nuisance . Every time we’re about to catch them, they portal elsewhere.” Sir Vainbark frowned. The elf made a symbol with his hands, and a volley of arrows shot from the top of the wall above us, landing somewhere in the gardens below. The elven group formed a shield in front of their wagon, facing toward the assailants. Swords were drawn and bows ready.

“Why didn’t you report this to the castle?” Rufus spoke through ground teeth. “What about the festival?”

Sir Vainbark looked at the beastman with disdain. “Any guest of importance who was invited early is safely in the estate. You need not worry about our affairs; if we don’t find them today, Duke Briarthorn will ask Lithnilheim to deal with it.”

There was a scream in the distance.

The elf knight sighed. “Come back tomorrow when we’ve cleared them all out.”

“Honestly,” Rufus replied, “I’d rather face off against assassins now than travel back through the storm.”

Brownie agreed; she summoned Danielle into her hands under her cloak. The magical rain wasn’t the best on her strings, but they played in some semblance of key. She promptly activated her buff skills, affecting Rufus, Knolith, and the city elves in front of her.

Except, she noticed, that Knolith was gone . Brownie had no idea when, but as she opened her mouth to say as much, Rufus spoke first.

“I’m assuming that Duke Lector made it here with his entourage?” Rufus asked, blocking an arrow that splintered against his shield.

“Yes …” Sir Vainbark turned from giving more hand signal orders to staring at the beastman. “He’s at the banquet now … Why?”

“I’m here to arrest him for illegal international assassination, use of molten ash vane, and cavorting with Blackfog spies,” Rufus replied, waving a hand toward the general direction of the assassins. The lightness in his tone as he blocked a third missile—this time an axe—made the elf leader frown.

“He’s currently having dinner with Duke Briarthorn and Lady Amy,” Sir Vainbark said, alarmed. “I must get back. Lady Hazelglade, notify the green guard to protect the duke.”

“What about the assassins?” An elf woman separated herself from the group, her eyes suddenly glowing green.

“What about the assassinsss?” Knolith repeated, landing in front of everyone on the path. He held two black-clad figures by the scruff of their tunics. He tossed the pair to the ground in front of Sir Vainbark. “Those were the only ones shooting at us.”

The elven knight nodded, raising a hand and issuing another silent order.

“Everyone, follow me.”

The elves used some form of quick step that let them all disperse at not-Donna-speed down the main road.

“Are we helping them?” Brownie asked, picking up Donna’s reins as if she were driving .

Knolith and Rufus shared a look before Rufus said, “Straight ahead to the palace.”

Knolith vanished again.

“So much for a relaxing evening reading and drinking tea while we wait out the rain.” Rufus reached out and wrapped an arm around the bard. He seemed in good spirits as Donna raced them down the road at a quick-but-not-that-quick gallop.

“At least we’re together,” Brownie pointed out, smiling at her beastman. She wouldn’t have expected to see him in such a good mood from everything that was happening.

“You know,” he added, “if we get everything done today , maybe we can go for a nice walk around town tomorrow morning? I wanted to show you one of my favorite spots.”

“That sounds nice,” Brownie agreed. Donna snorted, but the minstrel ignored her sarcastic horse.

“Perfect.”

As they made their way past the last of the flower fields and toward the actual city, Brownie couldn’t help but admire it all up close. Everything in the Hollow was crescent shaped, not just the city itself. The streets were lined with crescent-shaped cobblestone mosaics, the signs on shops were crescent shaped, the bread sold at the bakery they passed was crescent shaped, and each building had crescent-shaped windows.

The palace started to the left of the Green Oak Tree, and rose in twisted spires like unicorn horns. The main body of the palace wrapped itself in a crescent shape over the dungeon gate platform, ending high in the tree on the right side.

It was very artistically pleasing, and Brownie wondered if she should write a song about it.

She couldn’t wait to see it on a clear day, and promised herself that she would spend tomorrow getting a better look in the sunshine. With Rufus.

Upon closer inspection now, the estate was in a state of disarray as countless palace workers streamed into the courtyard outside. They all stood in the rain as the sounds of battle rent the air.

Rufus kissed her on the cheek before jumping down from the wagon. Brownie covered her cheek with a hand.

“I have some work to do,” he said. “Promise me you’ll stay with everyone else where it’s safe?”

Donna whinnied, and suddenly, the mare was shaking free of the wagon.

“I’ll stay with Donna,” Brownie promised, climbing down to join the horse.

He nodded. “I’ll be right back.”

And then, her beastman raced toward the screaming.