the morning air in suncrest was thin and biting.
mist clung low to the earth, curling between the worn stones of the apothecary courtyard.
evie sat at the worktable, idly flipping through a bestiary, when maerin burst through the door with her usual storm-force energy.
"evie!" the old woman barked, tossing a heavy leather satchel onto the table with a thud. "you're up. good."
evie blinked. "define 'good,' maerin."
the older woman only grinned, the kind of grin that usually meant trouble. she pulled a stained map from her apron, flattening it with both hands.
"i need you to go out to the greenthorn marsh," maerin said. "there's a gallshade beast nesting out there."
evie went still.
gallshades were no joke - reptilian, territorial, venomous.
hard to kill, harder to catch.
"you're serious," evie said flatly.
"dead serious." maerin jabbed a gnarled finger onto the map. "we need its venom sacs. few drops can stop a fever that'd melt a grown man's brain. harvest it right, and it'll save half the winter cases."
evie exhaled slowly.
tofu, perched on the windowsill, chirped in interest. his ears twitched.
"i'll take tofu with me," evie said after a moment. "he can smell them better than i can."
"good girl," maerin said, patting her roughly on the shoulder. "you're the only one i trust with this. too tricky for the apprentices. mira's useless for anything that needs faster footwork than a lazy stroll."
"i'll be back before sundown," evie promised.
but just as she was buckling her knives to her belt, a small voice piped up from behind the counter:
"can i come?"
elias.
he was bouncing on the balls of his feet, face lit with excitement.
tofu chirped again, like he was encouraging the idea.
evie hesitated.
"eli," she said carefully, crouching down to his level, "this isn't just a little hike. gallshade beasts are dangerous. i can't look after you and hunt at the same time."
elias' face crumpled a little - but then he nodded, serious.
"fine," he mumbled. "but next time."
evie ruffled his hair affectionately, and he immediately ducked away with a huff, trying to look dignified.
"keep an eye on the shop for me, champ," she said.
as she shouldered the satchel, maerin called after her, "don't get eaten! bad for business!"
evie gave a lazy two-fingered salute over her shoulder.
the sun was barely clawing its way above the rooftops when she slipped out the back gate, tofu perched like a little sentry on her shoulder.
the streets of suncrest were still mostly empty - merchants setting up their stalls, fishermen hauling their catches up from the river.
evie adjusted the straps of her bag and set off at a brisk pace toward the marshlands beyond the town.
she didn't notice the imperial estate's windows glinting in the morning light behind her. she didn't notice the watchful blue gaze tracking her fading figure from the upper floors.
YOU ARE READING
accidentally yours | claude de alger obelia
Fantasyone, she fell from the sky and into his arms-bloodied, burning, and already halfway gone. he's been chasing the smoke ever since. two, a monster hunter with too much magic. an emperor with too much power. they were never supposed to find each other...
