An Unexpected Meeting

Evangeline stood in the corner of the dimly lit inn, her back against the wall. The leather-bound hilt of her silver sword stuck out over her shoulder, glinting in the candlelight; a sturdy fur wrapped quiver rested just below the double-edged sword. Silently she took in her surroundings: one elderly (and frail) bar wench, two burly men in the far corner engaged in a round of cards, one middle aged woman and her husband in the center, and lastly a greying gentleman in the corner across from her. The last one caught her interest.  

He sat by himself nursing his drink, which Evangeline thought smelled oddly of herbs but couldn't be certain from her distance. He had a small satchel strapped across his chest; she could see bits of leaves and twigs sticking out from its flap. And odd aroma of various herbs and flowers wafted from the leather bag every time the man moved. His hair was slightly receding, streaked with gray and silver tones that wrapped around his face and fell into sideburns. His eyes were a honeyed-amber color with puffy gray bags below them. His lips were thin and greyish purple, she noted that he barely opened them to partake of his dink.  

She couldn’t quite place it but something about the man drew her in; something was off. Her talisman didn't move, but her senses were jittering at his presence. Her heart stilled as he met her gaze with his bright eyes. He made sure to keep her gaze and nodded for her to come join him; raising his cup to her. She drew in a deep breath before slowly making her way across the Inn to his table.  

He motioned with an open palm for her to sit across from him, she noted his fingernails were thick and pointed, reminding her of beastly talons.  

"Please have a seat, Fair Maiden." His voice was smooth, and he spoke well; he was someone obviously well-educated and from a well-to-do family. 

Evangeline nodded and sat down directly across from the man.  

"You haven't taken your eyes off of me since I arrived." He said taking a sip of his drink. She was sure it had more than just stale beer or watered-down vodka in it, another curiosity to add to the enigmatic man. He motioned for the bar wench to bring another drink over. 

"I simply took notice of an interesting person." She shrugged, placing her hands underneath her chin, resting her elbows on the edge of the table. 

"Interesting, you say? Hmmm" he hummed before taking a drink, eyeing her from across his cup. "I'll opt to take that as a compliment, seeing that you of all people would know about interesting personas." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked watching him as he slipped a steel tumbler from his satchel. He popped off the cork and topped off her drink with his herby hooch.  

"Merely that, I should think, the world's only female slayer would know an interesting person when she saw them." He said with a hushed voice as he eased the tumbler back into his bag. "I've heard quite a few tales about you over the years." 

She scoffed over her drink. "Modern tales of slayers are about Silver Falcon, not me." She said taking a sip of the concoction before her.  

"You'd be surprised then to learn of the fast-spreading tales of the Crimson She-Wolf." He said with a thin smirk over the rim of his mug, raising it to her slightly. 

"Enlighten me then." She challenged.  

"Of course, Milady." He cleared his throat before proceeding. "I believe the first one I heard was of how the Falcon and yourself rid Canth of a rather nasty beast, a Garkain; I believe most stories go into the gory details of how you burned the creature to a crisp before severing its head from its body. Then there are the war stories, of course..." the man used his hands to talk spreading his hands wide and rolling them for effect. "All which differ slightly, but still make large of your heroic deeds on the battlefields; wiping out an entire battalion on your own at Rose Hill, some say." He said placing his fingertips together for emphasis.  

Evangeline bit her lip. "People of all races and stations in life tend to exaggerate things they've not witnessed themselves." 

"That is very true, indeed." He said taking another drink from his mug. "Although," he drawled on. "I have a feeling, that your deeds don't need much exaggeration, do they Fair Maiden?" 

Evangeline rolled her eyes. "Enough about me." She said taking a swig of her drink, she could feel the effects of the stout alcohol working already. "Obviously, you know exactly who and what I am. But I, Dear Sir, am at a loss on what title you hold, and whom to address you as."  

"Ah," he smiled with thin lips. "I beg your pardon, let me introduce myself. I am Nolan Conrad Ainsley; a barber-surgeon during war times and a simple herbalist the rest of times. You can address me as Conrad, though." 

"A barber-surgeon... That explains some things I suppose." 

"Such as?" 

"The herbs you carry, the hooch, and the faint smell of... carrion..." She trailed off closing her eyes to take in a sniff and hone in on the exact scent. She didn't notice how he clenched his teeth and twinge as she mentioned it. "A smell such as that lingers long after your work is done." She opened her eyes to see him drain his mug. 

"That it does." He said somberly, avoiding making eye contact with her. 

She heard feet shuffle behind them and picked up the scent of a drunken farmer; the smell of shit mixed with cheap ale. "How'd you like to take a walk with me Conrad? It's beginning to get a bit crowded in here, don't you think?" She said, nodding back over her shoulder at the approaching man. She saw Conrad grimace. The man was on them before he could utter a reply. 

"'Ey, there Darlin'." the man said as he ran his hand down her back as he approached. She rolled her eyes with disgust and clenched her teeth. Conrad tensed and clenched his teeth as well, sensing where things were headed. The man hiccupped before continuing. "How 'bout ya come an' talk with a real man?" The brawny farmer said facing Evangeline, leaning on the table trying to block out Conrad with his large body.  

"I beg your par-" Conrad began, pushing himself up from his seat. 

"Get lost ya ol' geezer!" The man yelled grabbing hold of Conrad by the collar of his shirt and hoisting him up out of his chair completely. Conrad didn't flinch, he held the man's gaze before speaking again.  

"I suggest you put me down, Good Sir." 

The drunkard moved to shake Conrad but stopped when he felt a sharp pain along his neckline. Evangeline had already drawn her sword by the time Conrad’s feet had been lifted from the ground. The tip of her blade touched the man's carotid artery. The farmer flinched against the blade cutting a fine line into his dark skin. A trickle of blood began to flow down his neck as his pulse quickened. Conrad pried the man's fingers from his collar and with dignity, straightened out his shirt and vest.  

"It seems the lady would prefer my company at the moment, Good Sir. Kindly, remove yourself from our presence." Conrad quipped, staring into the man's eyes. The man relaxed and stepped away from the pair. Evangeline sheathed her sword, cautiously. Conrad tossed some coins onto the tabletop. "Shall we?" He asked offering her his arm. Evangeline nodded and took the arm he offered with a subtle smile. He ushered her past the gaping patrons and out of the inn into the quickly fading light of dusk. 

They walked a-ways down the path, glancing every so often over their shoulders to see if they were being followed. She felt Conrad’s grip on her hand tighten as four men approached them from the side, as well as two at their rear.  

"Seems like we made quite the impression." He sighed. 

"Seems to be a reoccurring theme for me." 

" I can see why." He muttered, giving her a once over, letting her hand slip from his arm to pull her sword from its sheath. "I'll take the two at the rear." He said turning to face the burly men. She blinked a few times, gave the man a good onceover, thinking to herself that there was still something peculiar about him. It was odd to her how easily she trusted this stranger with her life. She didn't bother to look back, she knew, for some strange reason, that he could easily handle himself. 

"If I were you, boys, I'd turn right around and leave. You fail to realize whom you're harassing." Conrad called over his shoulder as he approached the other men. A smile crossed her face, she knew it was she that he referred to. 

"You an' yer whore made a fool of out of our friend. One of ya did somethin’ fishy back thar. Made 'em act all funny like, ya ken? We dinna take kind ta the likes of ya." Conrad’s eyes shifted ever so slightly towards Evangeline. Evangeline glanced over her shoulder at him, momentarily making contact. She had thought the farmer had backed off too easily. Her new friend had a bit more explaining to do when they wrapped this dance up. 

"You'll leave us be or suffer the consequences. Your choice." She said taking her stance, her blade level with her eye, pointed at the men before her.  

"Shut yer mouth whor-" the man jabbed a grubby fist at Evangeline, before he could finish his sentence she had severed his hand from his body with a fluid swipe of her blade. The man screamed and clutched the bloody stump. Blood gushed from the forearm covering the man in a crimson wave. 

"Get the wench!" Another screamed as he lunged at her. She pirouetted and slashed the man across his abdomen, spilling his intestines across the dirt path. The other two men stood rooted in place, mouths agape in horror as the man fell into a convulsing heap. Evangeline took a step towards the men, her blade raised to strike, covered in blood of their fallen comrades. One man dropped his sword and fled in the opposite direction. The other haphazardly lunged at her with his pitchfork, she easily knocked the weapon from his hands prompting him to follow his friend and flee. She turned to face the initial brigand. The man was sobbing, clutching his stump to his belly.  

“Fuck you ya mutant bitch.” he sniveled reaching for his belt knife. 

She made quick work of him; with a single slash she decapitated his head from his body, ceasing his mewling.  

She flicked her sword in the air, shaking blood from the blade as looked back to check on Conrad. The two assailants were slashed to ribbons, blood pooled between the two bodies at his feet.  

"Well, well. That was something one doesn't see every day; to behold a slayer in battle is quite something indeed." 

"You didn't do so bad yourself I see..." she said sheathing her sword. "You're quite a resourceful man, Conrad." 

"You pick up a few things when you're in my profession." he said straightening out his clothes.  

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this bloody mess." 

"Don't apologize. If I didn't want to be involved, I would have left your company sooner. I wouldn't have invited you over if I wasn't prepared for something like this." He said with a shrug, motioning at the scene before them. "What I mean is that you are a slayer, humans don't exactly accept your kind... and to top it off... you're exceedingly beautiful, if you'll allow me to say so. That alone is enough to bring plenty of unwanted attention; an inevitability."  

"It certainly seems that way at times." She muttered, trying to hide the blush spreading across her face by turning to assess the area around them. The ground was now saturated with a shade of crimson that matched the setting sun. 

"We had best gather our things from the inn forthwith and slip away before anyone notices these fellows are missing."  

"Good idea." She said turning back towards him, the blush faded from her face. "My horse and supplies are in the stable around back of the inn." 

"Mine as well; we should be able to slip in and out unnoticed then."  

"Only if we make haste. Let's go." She said walking past him with large steps. Conrad nodded and followed her lead.  

"Where are you heading from here, if I might inquire?" He asked as he took a spot beside her on the dirt path. 

"Why? Are you going to follow me?" 

"I thought, perhaps, I should accompany you, for a ways, for my own safety, that is. If any unruly mob came after me, what would I do without your assistance?"  

"I suppose having company for once wouldn't be too bad. Someone who can defend themselves is a plus, and..." 

"And what?" He asked, a faint smile playing across his thin lips. 

"Someone interesting and knowledgeable." She finished; the corners of his mouth turned up more at her flattery. She paused a moment before she continued. "I didn't use magic on that man, but you did." 

He groaned and nervously ran his hand up the back of his neck, ruffling his hair. "I was hoping no one would notice that."  

"You might be able to hide things from most peasants, but not from me. You should keep that in mind if you're going to be my traveling companion. I know you're hiding who or what you really are." She said holding his gaze.  

Conrad swallowed nervously and looked away from her. She stopped in her tracks about a hundred yards from the inn.  

"You helped me out back there. I owe you a debt now; I won't force you to tell me but be aware that I'm watching you. I will figure it out, one way or another. Don't abuse my trust, Conrad, it's something I rarely hand out." 

He blinked a few times at her, taking a moment to process her words. "Of course. I thank you for your trust and discretion." He stated with a courteous bow. 

"Enough chit chat. Let's gather our things and be rid of this place." She stated moving alongside the shrubbery, concealing herself as much as possible. 

"Agreed." He said following her lead to the back of the inn.  

Luckily for them no one was around. They took their belongings, mounted their horses, and fled north along the byway. The land was lush and fertile, the dirt road lined with plentiful grasses and trees. It was a much better view than the dessert land Evangeline had previously been traveling through, but it also gave monsters and men ample places to hide. She focused her attention to her senses; keeping herself alert for anything that might be lurking in the picturesque scenery.  

They rode a distance in silence, the hours passing along from dusk to midnight. The silence between them gave Evangeline ample time to try and riddle out what secret her new companion possessed. He had magic of some sort, that she was certain of; good or bad, she couldn’t decipher yet.  

He's not natural. There's something off with him. He's uncanny. He's not a slayer, obviously not part elf but yet he's not a normal human either... if he is, he's a sorcerer and hiding it somehow, for some reason. Mysterious though he may be, I still am drawn to him. Could it do any harm to let my guard down this one time? To live in the moment, with him... To let something happen... It's been so long. She thought to herself as she kept her horse at a slow run. Her thoughts wandered as time went on; contemplating her options and trying to solve the conundrum of the man that accompanied her.