Stuck In Between

Chapter Twenty

"Hide in the forest. Now," she ordered.

The High Elves hesitated only a moment before scrambling toward the trees. Y/n turned her attention back to the thieves. One of them charged at her, but his attack was clumsy and predictable. Y/n sidestepped with ease, grabbing his arm and yanking him forward. Her dagger plunged into his stomach. The man's eyes widened in horror as she twisted the blade and pulled it free. Before he could fall, she drove the dagger upward, piercing the underside of his jaw. His body hit the ground with a heavy thud.

Y/n counted silently. Eight.

The remaining thieves rushed her all at once, weapons drawn. Y/n met them head-on, her movements precise and deadly. She flowed through them like a shadow, each strike of her dagger finding its mark. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. By the time she finished, the ground was littered with bodies. Blood pooled around the fallen thieves, but Y/n herself bore little evidence of the carnage. She glanced down at her clothes and smiled faintly.

"Not bad," she murmured. Usually, these encounters left her drenched in blood. This time, she was relatively clean. A small victory.

She turned toward the trees where the High Elves were hiding. "It's safe now. You can come out," she called.

The elves emerged cautiously, their faces pale as they took in the gruesome scene. Ten bodies lay sprawled on the dirt road, their lifeblood soaking into the ground. The elves stared at Y/n, their fear evident.

"Don't worry about this," Y/n said with a shrug, gesturing to the carnage. "This is pretty clean for me."

The male elf opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, seemingly at a loss for words. Y/n walked over to the horses, calming them with gentle strokes and murmured reassurances. Once they were settled, she turned back to the elves.

"Where are you headed?" she asked.

"To Ravalana's Castle, in Celestoria," the male elf replied hesitantly. "We were invited for dinner."

Y/n arched a brow. "Really? Then what were you doing in Silvendell? That's the opposite direction."

The male elf began to answer, but the female elf quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at Y/n.

"How do you know we were in Silvendell?" the female elf demanded.

Y/n smirked. "Because I've been hitching a ride with you since then."

"You're from Silvendell?" the female elf asked, her tone wary.

"I've been living there for a decade, but I wasn't born there," Y/n replied coolly.

"Then where were you born?" the female elf pressed.

Y/n's expression darkened. "Why are you so curious? Is it normal for High Elves to stick their noses where they don't belong?"

The female elf flinched at the sharp retort and quickly apologized. Y/n waved it off, motioning for them to get back into the carriage.

"Let's get you to Celestoria," she said.

The elves obeyed, climbing back into the carriage. Y/n hopped onto the driver's seat, unceremoniously shoving the driver's lifeless body to the ground. She grabbed the reins and clicked her tongue, urging the horses forward. As the carriage began to move, she glanced back at the elves and smirked. They sat in stunned silence, undoubtedly questioning who—or what—she was.

The silence between them lingered for several moments, only broken by the steady rhythm of the horses' hooves against the dirt road. But soon, the male elf, unable to contain his curiosity, broke the stillness.