Page 8 of Tattered Huntress
‘I hate elves,’ she grumbled. ‘Especially elves like you.’
I was still feeling a tad touchy after my encounter with Hugo Pemberville. ‘Like me?’
‘You know.’ She waved an irritated hand. ‘High-born idiots who have more magic than they know what to do with.’
I relaxed slightly. ‘I’m not a high elf.’
Duchess squinted again. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yep.’
She pursed her lips. ‘Are you really from SDS?’
‘I am.’
‘Why didn’t they send that tasty boy like last time?’
Presumably she was talking about Billy. ‘Because last time you covered him head to toe in troll snot and it took him a week to wash it all off.’ Troll snot is like tar, but worse. Sometimes, when the wind blew the wrong way, I could still catch the odd rank whiff of it from Billy even though it was months since she’d doused him with it.
Duchess giggled. ‘Yeah, I did do that.’ She grinned and pointed to the parcel. ‘Hand it over.’
‘You have to promise not to attack me once you’ve got it.’
A crafty look came into her grey eyes. ‘Why would I attack you? Hand it over.’
I stayed where I was. ‘Promise.’
‘Just give me it! It’s mine! I’ve paid for it and I need it! These candles are the only things that work.’
Now it was my turn to squint. ‘Candles?’
‘Lavender and honey scented,’ Duchess told me. ‘It stinks in here. It’s dark and gloomy, and hardly anybody ever drops in. Count yourself lucky that you don’t have to live here.’
‘You could move.’ If she did that, she might fall under the jurisdiction of a different delivery company. That would be great; I’d get employee of the month if I managed to persuade Duchess to relocate.
Without warning, Duchess lunged towards me and her right hand snapped out, curling around my throat. I felt her claws digging into my flesh. Uh-oh; I must have said the wrong thing. ‘Move?’ she screeched. ‘Move where? Where else is there to go?’
I resisted the temptation to resort to magic to defend myself. It would only rile Duchess further and she was already on the verge of losing her temper completely. ‘I know the perfect place,’ I whispered, struggling to get the words out as my throat closed up.
She pulled her hand away and tilted her head. I doubled over and gulped fresh air into my lungs. ‘Where?’
I rubbed my aching neck and straightened up. ‘Pemberville Castle. It’s got a moat and a bridge that would be perfect for you, and you’d have it all to yourself. It’s near Loch Lomond.’
‘I know where it is!’ Duchess snapped. ‘I also know that it’s filled with waterwights.’ She advanced on me again.
I hastily held up the box as a makeshift – and probably useless – shield. ‘They’ve gone. The waterwights have left. It’s a good place, Duchess. You’ll see a lot more people than you do here – and I bet it doesn’t smell. You won’t need any more scented candles.’
Duchess continued to gaze at me suspiciously, but there was a flicker of hope in her eyes. She really did want to move.
‘I’m not lying,’ I told her. ‘If it doesn’t work out, you can always come back here, but it’s got to be worth a try, right? You don’t have anything to lose.’ I was telling the truth: Duchess wouldn’t lose anything, but Hugo Pemberville would.
No, I still didn’t think I was a bad person – though I’d happily admit to being petty.
‘Give me my parcel,’ Duchess snarled. I clutched it to my chest. She sighed, exasperated. ‘I won’t hurt you. I promise.’
I examined her face carefully to see if she were lying. As satisfied as I could be that she wasn’t, I passed it to her.
‘You’re sure the waterwights have gone?’ she asked.
