Page 34 of The Daughter of the Scarred Elf

A shiver ran down Kolfinna’s spine at the thought of a mission like this—of hunting magic beasts and actually making a difference. But then, another thought dampened her mood: was this really what she should’ve been doing? Instead of freeing herself from the rune marked on her wrist?

If she wanted to get rid of the mark, she needed information, and so she should’ve been hunting for that rather than magic beasts. If Joran had information on how to build a rune-based bath and to bind people with runes, he had to have gotten it from somewhere—like a book. If she could find those books … There was a high chance that it would reveal more about runes and possibly a way out of them.

That was what she should’ve put her focus on. Not this.

But she didn’t have a choice. She had to play the part of a loyal soldier. And even if—when—she freed herself, then what? Where would she go?

She pushed that thought aside. She’d have to think about all those big questions later.

“Does anyone need a minute before we leave?” Eluf turned to the party. When no one said anything, he motioned them forward. “Then let’s go.”

Travelingthrough a forest with the group reminded Kolfinna of the West Border mission, but instead of traveling with a few of her friends, she was with a group of strangers. One of which didn’t like her. and the rest who were completely indifferent. Almost immediately, Kolfinna felt the difference between the Royal Guards and the military.

“Your name is Kolrinna, right?” Gunnar slowed his horse so that he was beside her. His dark brown eyes matched the semi-frozen trees surrounding them. “Ivar told me?—”

“Kolfinna.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile. Was he purposefully botching her name? Ivar had done the same yesterday.

He blinked. “Oh. Kolfinna, then.”

“Yes,Kolfinna,” she repeated.

“Huh. I could’ve sworn it was Kolrinner.”

“Kolfinna,” she repeated. “You’ve said it wrong twice now.”

“Kolfinna. Kolfinna.” He bobbed his head, seeming to be thinking out loud. “Kolfinna.”

“Repeating it won’t get through to his thick skull,” Ivar called from behind them.

“You’re the one who told me it was Kolrinna yesterday.” Gunnar narrowed his eyes at Ivar, who gave him a look like he didn’t know what he was talking about, but the gleam of mischief in his unmatched eyes told her otherwise.

Herja rolled her eyes as she brushed snow off the mane of her dappled horse. “Can you all just focus on the road? We’re almost there?—”

“Why areyouso annoyed?” Ivar raised an eyebrow. Sunlight filtered through the canopy of barren tree branches above their heads and cast slashes of light and shadows over his face. “Shouldn’t you be excited to chop up some green-skins?”

There it was again—green-skins. She wondered, not for the first time that day, if he was referring to goblins.

Herja scowled and turned back to the forest. Her fiery red hair stood out against the melting snow and mahogany-colored trees. “I would be, if I wasn’t stuck with you buffoons.”

“Don’t lump me with them,” Inkeri said with a look of disgust.

“You’re lumped in with us whether you like it or not.” Gunnar laughed and his dark eyes twinkled. “And forgive me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you excited to go on this mission today?”

“To boost your rank, hm?” Ivar added with a snicker.

Inkeri’s cheeks reddened and Kolfinna watched the interaction with raised brows. This was all new to her. There were people in the Royal Guards who were friends with one another, but she had never been in on the jokes or the interactions. Whenever she was around, they became ice-cold to her and would stop talking.

“Focus.” One word was all it took for everyone to straighten on their horses. Eluf looked over his shoulder from the head of the party. “We’re reaching the caves where we think thecreatures reside. It wouldn’t be abnormal to stumble upon a few of them. I need you all to focus and stop with the games.”

The horses’ hooves clopped over half-frozen earth, gnarled roots, and twigs. Kolfinna flexed her hands and felt the familiar flare of mana beneath her skin. There were various stones hidden within the earth, some deeper and some closer to the surface. It wouldn’t take her too long to wrench those stones and smash them into a goblin’s face if it came at her.

Eluf and Gunnar were both Enhancers, Herja was a fire elemental, Inkeri was an air elemental, and Ivar was a water elemental. That meant that along with Kolfinna, Inkeri, Herja, and Ivar would be in charge of any long-distance attacks. If a green-skinned goblin did show up, it was their job to take care of them before the monsters reached the party.

Simple enough, but Kolfinna still felt nervous as she scanned the trees for movement. Having green skin meant that the beasts could blend in well in forests, but that wasn’t the case in winter. According to Eluf, these creatures were supposedly more active during the nighttime, probably because they could blend in better.

A rustle of trees to her right caught her attention. Twelve feet away, a three-foot-tall green-skinned creature was swinging on branches, its red eyes glowing and its mouth full of rotted, yellowed teeth. It was the same creature she had seen in the West Border mission.

It opened its mouth to snarl, but Kolfinna was quicker. She raised a hand and shot a large stone at its face. The creature swung to another branch and her stone crashed into a tree, snapping several branches in the process.

---