Bounty Hunter (The Black Tulip Chronicles #1)

6. Vera

Chapter 6

Vera

I get varying reactions when I tell people what I do for work. The Tulips give me looks of confusion bordering on horror. Some people take one look at me and think I’m full of it—don’t believe me a bit. A very few seem impressed. Maybe it’s my petite size, or maybe I have the face of one who looks too young. I dunno, but I kinda like the startle I get when I tell someone new.

I’m choosy about the criminals I help chase. I learned that the hard way when I first started out. Took a Class A bounty for the large reward offered. I was a dirt-poor newbie, and it was too tempting. I found out real quick to never take a Class A again. The hunter I contracted with ended up dead, the bounty escaped, and I was on the run with no money or food at just eighteen. Big fail, that one. Had to eat roots and leaves from the forest and the rare fish I was able to catch for over a month until I found my way back to civilization and picked another contract up. Let’s just say, my talents don’t lie in navigation or my sense of direction. Somehow, I survived, but if that happened now, I’d be dead four times over. Gloam has always been a problem, but now it’s a formidable opponent.

So yeah, it’s dangerous to wander the gloam-infested forests, but other than that first time, I’ve always had a hunter nearby for protection. I work smarter now than I did eight years ago. We’ve come upon gloam creatures and forest beasts that were here before gloam was even a problem, but both are dangerous. I simply lend the hunter a bit more magic—they can’t tell mine is white and not the more yellow sunshine color of a true Originator unless I were to send a literal fountain of it—and he usually takes care of it quick. And at times when I’m on my own, I have my trusty short sword. I rub a hand down the worn pommel and aged leather grip. In all, bounty assisting is all about teamwork, and I like to think I’m rather good at it by now.

I lean back against a large tree and cross my legs as the last of the three suns sets. The thick fabric of my loose trousers is already worn and filthy, so I don’t worry about sitting in the dirt. One of many benefits of drowning myself in men’s clothing. Rupi hops from tree branch to tree branch above me, her happy chirps carrying softly in the breeze. I rip off a large piece of jerky that the burly hunter, Ravio, gave me. He’s not a talker, but he sure likes to eat, and I’m not complaining. I’m never better fed than on bounty jobs, with fresh-caught meat cooked over the fire every night, and sometimes even fish. Their packs are always loaded with jerky, dried fruit, nuts, and sometimes even bread and cheese if we aren’t gone too long. My loose clothing appreciates the extra food, and I chew it contentedly. Another benefit of working with hunters, most of them have a hearty appetite and almost never skip meals, unlike healers. My stomach cramps at the memory of working with Mardine, a woman so devoted to her work that I was woken at all hours of the night and skipped days of meals at a time as we traveled to help those in need. A worthy job, but a hungry one, one that my already willowy frame could barely afford. And so, besides Mr. Eddieren, I stick to bounty hunting for survival.

Across camp, the bounty we caught two days ago sits beside the fire where the hunter keeps a close eye on him. He’s considered a Class C criminal, the lowest of the three grades. I’ll only take a Class B contract if I’m feeling desperate, since the higher grade the criminal is, the better the pay. But I never take Class A grade bounty contracts, even though they pay more than any other contract of any other profession I could take. I prefer to live.

My part in this job has consisted of lending my raw magic for about two minutes, while Ravio cuffed the guy and I ensured he had plenty of magic to work with, if needed. Ravio’s huge and powerful enough in his own right, but he’s also smart and knows there are other things to avoid while we trek through the forest. He’s basically traveled the forest his entire life, at least that’s what I got from the few words he’s spoken.

We’ll be back to the city to turn the criminal in by tomorrow afternoon, and this time, even with the end of the good food, I can’t wait. While I love the hunter appetite and hearty meals, this criminal is giving me the creeps. His green gaze meets mine, and while he’s good looking enough, his eyes emanate something dark. His lip curls when my eyes snag on his, and I quickly avert my gaze. I’ve seen his type before, the ones whose eyes showcase the darkness of their souls while masking it with a handsome face. I’ve seen others who smell, and look, as if they rolled right out of a pig pen, some who’ve lost their sanity and laugh like madmen the entire trip to prison, and a rare few who seem to be perfectly innocent. Usually, those innocent looking ones are women, and they’re a dangerous sort. Definite downside to bounty hunting—the criminals. I’ve met more than enough for my lifetime. Over the course of my adult years, I’ve taken more bounty contracts than I can remember, so none of this is new to me. But I’m done after this one. I have one more contract with Mr. Eddieren that I’ve already lined up, and then I’m free.

I think of the odd assortment of items I’ve gathered over the years of my travels. Unusual candlestick holders with shapes and bases forged into animals that I bought from a traveling shifter merchant. An assortment of spider silk clothing I’ve snagged from my wealthy fae aunt, Mama Tina. She always has a pile of clothes for me a mile high when I visit that I pack away since they are completely impractical for my line of work. I even have a pair of earrings shaped as tiny, intricate, usable knives that a weapon master enchanted for me. I would have claimed them as my own, but with no more than basic sword training, I worried I’d end up stabbing one of the minuscule blades into my own neck. Instead, they sit carefully wrapped and stored with all my other precious wares, waiting for a shop to be sold in. I currently carry a fancy comb engraved with flowering vines and small gems. I’ll store it with the others at Mama Tina’s when I get there.

And when I have the money, I’ll no longer have to hide myself amongst people who hate me… Originators. I can even call myself an Absent, someone born without any magic at all, and no one will care. I can run my shop, travel to find more to fill it, and never worry that I’ll happen upon a king or that anyone will care about what I am.

Hopefully, Renna will be able to find work nearby, or I’ll be successful enough to hire her. We are sisters by magic, as much so as I’m a sister to the other Tulips. But Renna and I have a bond forged by the struggle to survive on top of it. That time I almost died taking that Class A criminal contract? Renna took me in and helped me be willing to try again. I don’t intend to desert her now.