The Heir of Night

1

Their idiocies had brought the blade into her sister's back and severed her artery. One of the males had shoved the male cutting her tendon, forcing him to fall forward and catch himself with the hilt of the dagger, its blade being sent through her back. They let her bleed out in the corner of a training ring, only to be found when training continued in the morning.

Theia hated the male warriors, and hated when they were drunk even more. Yet, she chose to work the evening shift in the tavern every day after her shift at the bakery down the dirt path. Her mother was emotionally distraught, her sister and father dead, Theia was the only one left to work. She had been working at the bakery since she was a child, but she took up the job at the tavern once she was old enough to stomach the stench of ale and whiskey.

"Just threaten to cut them off, that usually works," Theia responded, narrowing her eyes on a particular warrior that was looking at her like she was no more than a cooked steak dangled in front of him.

"Cut what off? Their balls?"

"That, too. I meant cut them off from drinking," Theia reiterated, shooting Elena a quick smile. Her coworker had quickly become a friend when she joined the tavern staff. She also only worked the evening shift, so they only ever saw each other.

"Hey! Another ale!"

Theia glared at the dark haired male as she stepped forward and lowered a glass beneath the keg. It poured slowly, full of froth at the top. She gave him her sweetest smile when she slammed it onto the counter and watched the froth spill over onto his dirt-coated leathers. He rolled his eyes, muttering a curse, and disappeared into the crowd with his drink.

"I still don't get why you don't train. You're already frightening, why not add a sword into the mix?" Elena asked when Theia returned to the counter beside her. Theia shot her a side glance.

"I refuse to join these brutes in the ring. As long as I stay away from them, I can tolerate it. I only ever have to see them in here," Theia responded in a bored tone. Her eyes scanned the group, falling to the dainty female trio from earlier. They were standing near a table full of males, whose eyes were wide and devouring their fit bodies. The females didn't seem to mind, though Theia noticed how the taller one had her hand resting on the dagger strapped to her thigh.

"Excuse me?"

Theia didn't hide her groan at the voice. She snapped her head back to the front, eyes falling on a tall warrior. He didn't have the trainee look to him- not like these other ones. His leathers were clean, purple siphons bright. As Elena stepped forward to serve him, Theia continued her observation. He was a strange sight in a place like this. Most of these warriors were broken down over time and held empty or lustful gazes.

Maybe it was a rude opinion, but Theia thought he was like one of those forest animals that held more intellect in their eyes than the brain-dead creatures around it. Even more interesting, he gave Elena a smile and offered small-talk while she filled a glass of whiskey. He didn't impatiently tap his fingers on the bar, or threaten her if she didn't work faster.

His eyes lifted and met Theia's. She didn't soften her hard glare, or hide the fact that she was looking him over. He offered her a smile. Theia rose a brow, crossing her arms. Just when she thought he may be a different species than the ones around him, he sent her a wink and turned away with his whiskey in hand. There it was; just another warrior brute.

Elena returned to her spot beside Theia and they continued their judgmental stares and talks until the crowd began to disperse. Seeing that training was not scheduled for the following day, more of the trainees stayed in far later than usual. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning when they began to clear out. Their hollering and shouting continued down the streets, but Theia didn't mind as long as they were leaving the tavern. The last group was lingering, including the dainty female trio and the smiling brute.

Theia cleared her throat as she put the last of the chairs up, giving them a look to leave. The females sneered at her, unsurprisingly, and the male that had smiled earlier shot her another wink as he threw his arm around one of the female's shoulders and sauntering through the door. Their group followed, and Theia let out a heavy breath as she locked the door behind them.

"I think it's later than last week," Elena whined as she wiped down the end of the counter. Theia huffed in agreement, running the damp cloth over the chairs and stacking them onto the table. The fire died out long ago, a chill creeping into the room.

"Want me to walk you home?" Elena asked as they gathered their things. Theia ground her teeth when her coat got caught on her wings, tugging it harder than necessary to lay flat over her body.

"No, I'll be fine. Thanks, Elena."

The two locked the back door and parted ways into the freezing night. Elena always offered to walk Theia home on late nights, but Theia never shared the secret of where her home was. It was on the outskirts of the village, surrounded by other run down log homes. The others were vacant, at least for the past several years, and Theia's was the worst of them. Even with her and her mother living within, it didn't look fit for anyone to live in it.

It needed a new patch on the roof, more mortar between the rotting logs, new flooring, and certainly new furniture. Even while working two jobs, Theia couldn't afford maintenance on the house. She didn't have running water like the camp lords, or the ability to fix her own house. She spent a majority of her money on food and warm clothes.

The wind was causing her teeth to chatter as Theia made her way through the streets. The drunken Illyrians were still running the village, making her feel the need to glance over her shoulder at every sound. She didn't care what the High Lord or Lady claim to change; there was nothing safe about being a female in these mountains.

She knew they came to visit often, at least the High Lord and his General did, but their perfect views never settled in this region. Sure, Theia liked that they claimed things like equality and safety, though she hadn't seen any of their claims come true. The females that trained still were scrutinized for joining ranks, and they were normally thrown into a completely different ring than the males.

Theia bit down on her tongue as she rounded the final true street and made her way down the valley road to her home. Her chest deflated when she saw how dark it was- her mother hadn't lit a fire. When she pushed open the door, met with the stench of her mother who never bathed, and rotten food she had hidden away and forgotten about. Equality, my ass. She heard the rumors of the beloved City hidden in the mountains and how the High Lord and High Lady lived in a gloriously built palace. They had safety, Theia had survival.

She didn't say anything to her mother as she passed the rotting chair and began gathering the kindling to start the fire. Only when it roared to life did she turn and study her mother. How she was alive, Theia didn't know. The female's hair was knotted and greying, pulled back in a month-old braid. Her dress was raggedy and certainly not warm enough for these months. In her bony fingers, Maia knitted another line in the moth-eaten blanket that she had started two years ago.

Pressing a kiss to her mother's stale hair, Theia went into the kitchen and began preparing a meal that was made of vegetables on the verge of rotting and ground meat that was far too frost-bitten. Early morning or not, she knew her mother hadn't eaten during her day alone.