Page 9 of Marked
Though delicate and fragile in appearance, her large blue-green eyes flashed with irritation. “What do you want, Child of Mab?”
“Who’s Mab?” I leaned closer. “Do you know who my parents are? Were?”
The naiad snarled as if she’d ingested something foul. “I know what you are and that’s enough.”
Ah. So, the term was in reference to galeons. Awesome.
“The air is foul on my skin. You knocked on my door with your power. What do you want?”
Well, this naiad certainly wasn’t trying to seduce me into entering the frigid waters to die of hypothermia.
A win?
“I live in the nearby town of Perga where a bunch of supplies were stolen. Do you know anything about that?”
The water creature recoiled, swiftly pushing away from the bank. “You dare suggest I am a thief?” she hissed angrily, her eyes shifting from bright blue to intense green.
“No, wait. Come back,” I called out. “That wasn’t what I was suggesting.”
The naiad paused, poised to dive under the water and disappear from sight.
“I’d hoped you saw something,” I explained.
The naiad straightened and blinked at me. “Like what?”
“Like strange, unfamiliar hunters carrying supplies away from town?” I bit my lip. Was it too much to ask for a break in this case?
“You are the first hunter I’ve seen,” the naiad said. “One too many, if you ask me. But even if I’d seen others, you all look unfamiliar to me. I don’t normally come this way.”
Drat. That would’ve made things so much easier. “What brings you here?”
The naiad cocked her head and blinked at me again. After an uncomfortably silent minute, she spoke. “I, too, am searching for something I’ve lost.”
“Oh.” I straightened from my crouch and shook some feeling back into my legs. “What are you looking for? Maybe I can help?”
The naiad scoffed, spraying water in front of her. “I doubt that.”
“Then may I know your name?” I asked. “I’m Artemis, the guardian of this forest.”
The naiad’s unimpressed expression remained unchanged. If anything, her lips curled down farther. “Names have power, and I will give you none over me.”
Before I could respond, the naiad dove under the water, the magic in the air fading away.
Well, that was insulting. I was the guardian of the forbidden forest, the protector of familiars and other magical creatures, and this one wanted nothing to do with me.
The rejection stung a little.
True, I’d given her no reason to trust me, but neither had I given her a reason to fear me.
I shook off the sting and walked back to where Nala waited, her tail thumping on the damp moss. She stood when I approached and bumped her furry body into mine.
I scratched her head behind the ears. “Let’s continue, girl.”
She yipped in agreement and followed me as I continued along the path that ran parallel to the river. Nala kept pace, an easy lope to stay by my side. I was running out of forest to find this mysterious hunter or pack of hunters, and with each step I became increasingly annoyed. My thoughts had come full circle.
This really was a useless waste of time.
Nala growled and her ears pinned back. As my familiar, she sensed my emotions and her reaction to my strong irritation was a good reminder to temper myself. Taking a deep breath, I forced my shoulders to relax, pushing them down on the exhale. Stomping around the forest wouldn’t make the scouting mission finish any faster and huffing about lying witnesses wouldn’t change my current assignment. This negative emotion only succeeded in draining my energy, and possibly diverting my focus from the objective.