*Please read author's note*

“That bastard ran off before we could finally fight again,” Solvi shouts to the empty forest. "Time to continue the hunt for him, and I won’t let him get away again.”

Back at camp, she packs up the rest of her things and gets on the trader's road again.

Walking along the path, she hears shouts coming from further down around a bend. Creeping through the bushes, she investigates what’s going on and finds three bandits attacking some traveling merchants.

“Give it up, and you won’t get hurt!” One of the bandits shouts at them.

“No, leave us alone!” The man sitting on the top of the cart says in return.

“Then I guess we’ll have to take it from you by force.” The bandit motions with his head to the others, and they move forward.

The man draws his sword, ready to defend them.

The short bandit with scruffy hair grabs the reins of the horse so it can’t runoff.

The next second, an arrow pierces through his shoulder, in one side and sticking out the other.

He lets out a shrill scream in pain and tries to pull the arrow out.

“Don’t touch it, you idiot! And you,” the first bandit points at the other one, “find who shot that, now!”

“Yes, sir. Boss sir.” Running to the forest on the other side, he looks for the shooter.

“The other side, you moron.” Shaking his head, the bandit leader looks over at his other assailant, and he’s out cold on the ground.

He approaches the cart with the man still defending his cargo.

“I’ll fight you if I have to! Get back,” he shouts frantically from his perch.

“My cohorts may be ignorant, but I can assure you that I am not.” Blade in hand, another arrow slices the skin on his hand, and he drops it.

“Murphy! Find that shooter now!”

“You got it, boss.” Murphy looks through the bushes and sees no one there. He goes to the other side to check there, too, and still finds no one.

Behind the tree, Solvi laughs at the bandit’s ignorance running within an arm's reach of her. However, tempting to reach out and grab him now, she doesn’t want to give away her position. Instead, she notches another arrow and lets it fly.

The arrow impacts Murphy with enough force to visibly knock him back a step.

“Agh! Where’d that come from, boss?”

“Fine, you dope. You watch these two, and I’ll find the shooter.”

“You got it, boss.” Murphy takes the blade from the leader and points it at the traders.

The leader of the disastrous trio walks to the tree line next to Solvis' hiding spot.

She ducks down further out of sight, keeping a blade gripped in her hand.

He pushes aside the bushes to get a better look, and Solvi jumps out, catching him off guard. She drives the knife into his upper arm, hitting bone.

“You monster, I’ll get you for that!” He steps back and draws the sword on his hip. He takes a swing at her and misses, the blade hitting a branch making leaves fall to the ground.

Solvi lunges forward, going in for close combat. He grabs her hand that’s wielding the knife and twists until she drops it. She punches him in the gut, and he keels over in pain, trying to catch his breath. Solvi swings her knee up, and it smashes into his nose with a loud crunch, and he falls backward unconscious.

Turning to the other bandit holding the horse, she approaches him calmly, stands in front of him, and asks, “Do you want to sit down and give up, or do you want to fight me?”

“I’ll sit.” He crouches and sits next to his unconscious friend.

“Good choice.”

The other two bandits lie on the ground out cold, mostly from blood loss. She puts a tourniquet on the shoulder of the first one she shot, then binds his hands. She ties the hands of the other two as well, for good measure. She adjusts her hood to cover her face before standing up again.

“Are you two okay? Did they hurt you?” Solvi asks the merchants.

“We’re okay now, thanks to you.” The man steps down from the cart to talk to her and calm the horse.

“Good to hear. Where are you headed?”

“We’re on our way to Miofel. How about you?”

“That’s where I’m going too. We can travel together in case any other bandits try to attack. I’d be more than happy to help.”

“Thank you, we would really appreciate it, we have a lot to sell this time, and we’re counting on the money to repair our house.”

“Where are you coming from with so much to sell?”

“We’ve stopped at a few towns, but the main stop was Alenhil. They have the best blades in the area and herbs that work like magic.”

“I’ve heard that. I’ve never been there before, but I’d like to someday.” Solvi trails off and tucks her hands into her cloak, ready to avoid any further questions.

“You should, but be careful who you tell about it. Some people don’t like it when you tell them you work with elves, especially the Vikings.”

“Yea, I’ve heard they don’t get along much.” Her voice trails and she thinks back to the attack—the hate in their eyes. The hunger for elf blood to be spilled. It sends shivers down her spine.