The Light of My Hearts
Collecting a Bounty

A/N: Ok now I’ll be jumping over to Helia and Gillam as the set out on their slaying adventures. I’ll probably bounce back and forth from their adventures to Kendrick/Twillow.

A week after returning to the Lower Realm...

Helia stopped her horse when she spotted the torchlight of the town of Deer Run ahead. Gillam, who flew most of the way but was now walking beside her, stopped as well.

“Alright. I’ve got to collect the bounty for these spiders I killed a few weeks ago. Probably be best if you just hang out here. Humans in this realm haven’t seen a fae before and things could get dicey if they see you.” She stated.

“Collecting a bounty is part of this trade, yes?”

“Well...sure. I don’t risk my neck for free.”

“Then I should accompany you and see how this is done.” The tall fae insisted.

Helia frowned, “Uh uh. No. If they figure out you’re a fae they could turn on us and we’d have to fight our way out. AND I’d probably never get another job here. They pay well.”

Gillam closed his eyes and donned his combat mask with the menacing eye pieces. A shimmer seemed to sweep over him and the light green tone of his skin disappeared to be replaced by a more caramel tone and his bluish silver hair went blonde. He unclasped his blue cloak for a moment, folded his large wings down, and replaced the cloak to effectively hide them. Finally he pulled up his hood.

Helia stared at him thoroughly a moment. Even she couldn’t tell he was a fae. He just looked the part of a big, menacing human body guard.

“Ok then... Guess you’re going to learn how to collect a bounty.” She conceded, “Just let me do the talking and don’t do anything unless I tell you to. Got it?”

“Yes, Dyashra.” Gillam nodded.

“Die- what?” Helia asked quizzically upon hearing the foreign word.

“It means ‘teacher’ in fae tongue.” Gillam explained.

Helia made a face, “O-k. Whatever. Let’s go.”

Together they approached the town which had mild foot traffic; residents, merchants, and guardsman. Despite the fact that Gillam looked like a human he still seemed to be drawing attention because of his height and attire. He did look rather mysterious and formidable with the mask and blue cape about his back. Helia usually got looks too because she was dressed more like a warrior than a lady and carried a sword. But now they were a pair of oddities in an otherwise normal town, drawing double the attention.

“Slayer Helia!” a man’s voice called out. “You’ve returned!”

Helia and Gillam turned to see an average looking man with a balding head and green vest with a deer antler insignia stitched into it approach them. Helia recognized him as one of the top guard’s assistants; his name escaped her. The head guard for Deer Run was a knight named Sir Clyde; he was the one who hired Helia to eradicate the spider nest.

“Yes. I’m here to collect the bounty owed.” Helia nodded.

“We-we thought you had been slain in the attempt when you didn’t return for two weeks.” the man seemed a bit flustered.

“I was...called away on a second job far from here. But I’ve circled back for the bounty. The spider nest plus the queen for one hundred fifty gold pieces.” Helia replied. “I trust you have the money?”

“I shall inform Sir Clyde at once.” he turned to go.

Helia caught his shoulder, “My ‘assistant’ and I shall go with you. Save you the trouble of finding us later.”

“I-I’m sure that won’t...be a problem.” He noticed Gillam looming behind Helia.

“Nevertheless, we shall accompany you.” She insisted with a veiled smile.

He nodded and led the way.

Gillam leaned down slightly with a whisper behind his mask, “You don’t trust him?”

“I don’t trust anybody.” She whispered back succinctly. “First lesson when collecting a bounty: get to the top ranked official first. Don’t mess with the pee-ons.”

“Pee-ons?”

“The toadies, the low ranked assistants who try to lead you around by the nose and waste your time. Go to the guy who hired you first. Less trouble that way.”

The white masked face nodded.

Helia had been hired by Sir Clyde a couple times before when the roads around the town were being plagued by some trolls. He’d been good about making the payments for the job with little haggling or hassle. But still...things could change.

The assistant led Helia and Gillam to the end of the main street near the wall that surrounded Deer Run’s noble house. Sir Clyde lived in the large stone fort house in front of it. Since the knight was in charge of all defenses of the town, Helia never spoke to any nobleman or woman about the spider nest. That was fine by her. Nobles tended to look down on her as a woman or believed they could woo her with their finery and wealth. She wasn’t interested in being some nobleman’s exotic lay. Sir Clyde thus far had kept everything professional. Money for dead monsters and safe people; simple.

They entered the stone edifice, walking past a few guards and lower knights. The balding man approached a heavy door with two guards manned outside it. They spoke and the guard gave a patterned knock and the door opened a crack. He spoke to whomever was behind it. They waited a minute until the door finally was opened and they were admitted.

Gillam maneuvered around Helia abruptly, ducked under the door frame and checked the room first. The woman rolled her eyes and pushed past him. When they were inside they saw a small man with a round head and a small goatee writing with a quill behind a desk. A heavier man of middle age with thick brown mutton chops and a thick jaw was speaking.

“And also, I feel it is within the town’s best interest if...” he paused, as did the writer, “Well I’ll be damned... Helia. So you weren’t killed by the spiders.”

Helia scoffed, “And who said I was killed?”

“We just thought that since you never returned something awful had befallen you.” The broad knight explained, leaning on the desk. “You usually return promptly for payment once a job is done.”

The woman smiled lightly, “Well if I don’t the money seems to suddenly evaporate and people forget.”

Sir Clyde gestured to Gillam, “Who’s this?”

“This is Gillam. My...” Helia gestured to the tall figure behind her but wasn’t really sure what to refer to Gillam as. “...assistant/student? He’s learning the trade.”

Gillam bowed his head slightly.

The knight raised a thick brow, “I thought you worked alone?”

“Typically, yes. We’ll see if he can hack it.” She shook her head, directing the conversation away from Gillam so no more unexpected questions would be asked.

She procured the two queen fangs, “Anyway, I’ve come to collect the bounty owed. One destroyed spider nest and one dead queen.”

“One hundred gold coins.” Sir Clyde stated.

“One hundred for the nest...fifty more for the queen.” Helia corrected.

“How do I know those are actually queen fangs?” he challenged.

She reached behind her back and pulled another fang to compare, “Regular giant spider fangs are smaller, not as heavy. The queen’s are longer, heavier and have white veining on the backside.”

Sir Clyde held out a hand to receive the pair of queen fangs and the ordinary one. He looked at them carefully a moment and found the thin white bands on the backside of the fangs indicative of the queen.

“What the Hell happened to this one? Looks crushed.” he asked holding up the one that Kendrick’s boot had mangled.

Helia made up an explanation quickly that sounded more plausible than it was stepped on by the Gray Shadow, “Got her using a falling rock trap. One-fifty, Sir Clyde.”

He sighed and handed back the fangs, “Afraid all I can do is one hundred...I don’t doubt the authenticity but money is tight.”

The redhead grit her teeth. This “haggling” wasn’t uncommon but it still annoyed her. Especially since Sir Clyde hadn’t done this before. Deer Run was run by a prosperous Duke. She had a feeling he was trying to short her on purpose.

“The deal was one-fifty, Sir Clyde. I killed the queen. Only that prevents any more giant spiders from repopulating and eating your travelers.” She stated sternly. “More unscrupulous slayers would leave her behind so you’d have the same problem again.”

“Like I said...one hundred gold coins is the best I can do.” He shot back.

Helia narrowed her blue eyes and then seemed to relax as she gestured across the room to a shiny armored breastplate on a dummy model. It was ornately studded with small spikes and embellished with antler decorations.

“Ooo! Is that a new breastplate?” her voice turned more feminine and soft.

Gillam, who hadn’t moved or spoken since the meeting began, turned his head slightly. He was baffled by Helia’s sudden tone shift.

The knight glanced to her point, “Oh...yes. Just got it back from the smith.”

“It’s gorgeous.” she approached with what looked like wonder in her eyes. “Such detail. Is this all iron?”

Sir Clyde stood up, “Alloys, mostly.”

Helia suddenly took the spider queen fang and held it a few inches from the ornate design. Her eyes changed, growing icy and serious.

“You know, a queen spider’s fangs are sharp enough to gouge through plated armor like wax.” She mentioned.

The knight betrayed a lurch in his movement and a gasp, “Careful!”

Helia barely let the fang glide along the antler designs, threatening to scratch it, “Sir Clyde don’t fuck with me. A breast plate like this is worth at least two hundred gold pieces...probably more for the custom job. Your Duke has the money to pay me for my services.”

Sir Clyde bit his lower lip as if restraining a string of curses from spewing forth but finally relented in lieu of seeing his armor damaged, “All right! All right! One-fifty.”

He gave the smaller man at the desk a look and he promptly retrieved a strong box. Out of it he pulled three small sacks, each containing fifty gold coins and placed them at the head of the desk.

Helia promptly removed the spider fang away from the beloved armor slightly, “Count that out for me would you?”

Sir Clyde huffed and the smaller man did so, making neat stacks of ten for her to see. Satisfied, she stepped away from the armor and retrieved her payment. Sir Clyde held onto the bag momentarily.

“You can be a real bitch sometimes.” He groused.

“Apparently, so can you.” She shot back, snatching away her sacks of coins, “Next time you need my services, don’t try to short me. We’ll both be happier.”

He muttered sourly as she turned and left. Gillam promptly followed after her. When they were outside he shook his head with bewilderment.

“You handled that masterfully, Dyashra.” He complimented. “Was that...typical?”

Helia tucked the coins into her satchel, “That wasn’t so bad. Sir Clyde is just trying to test the boundaries of my tolerance I think. Some assholes will outright deny I did the job or refuse to pay me at all. I just have to “jog” their memories. Another lesson in collecting a bounty: if they make a deal with you, you stick with it. You finish the job and you get paid what’s owed you. Don’t roll over and go cheap or they’ll take advantage of you every time.”

“I see.” Gillam was listening intently. “So honor means nothing here?”

“Oh...I wouldn’t say that. But there are plenty of people who will take full advantage of you if you let them.” The redhead quipped. “You just have to know where they are weak and turn it against them.”

“That sounds a bit...underhanded.”

“That’s survival.” Helia retorted.

Gillam glanced around behind his mask as he sounded a bit uneasy, “There’s...a lot of iron here.”

“Yes there is. So you’re going to have to watch yourself.” She peered back at his chainmail and other armors which appeared silver but also iridescent, “What’s your armor made of?”

“It’s a mix of dragon scales and mermaid scales. Waterproof and impervious to iron and most magic attacks.” He explained.

Helia tipped her head, “Mermaids? So they do exist.”

Being from a coastal city, Helia had definitely heard tell of the mythical half-woman, half-fish beings. She’d never seen evidence of one other than fish tales from sailors.

“Yes. I believe they exist here as well.” The fae mentioned.

Helia gestured to his armor, “So did you have to kill a mermaid and a dragon to get those scales?”

“Oh, no! Both species shed their scales during certain phases of the moon and they are sold in the market.” Gillam explained.

The redhead nodded to the masked fae, “Interesting. I take it that is expensive armor?”

“Yes.” Gillam looked at the satchel where Helia had put her coins, “Is the payment you received a lot of money here?” Gillam inquired.

“Sure.” She patted her satchel, “I mean I’m not set up to retire by any means. But it should last a few months...get some new provisions and equipment. Speaking of, how about we head over to the tavern and get something to eat before we get out of here? Maybe see if there’s any rumors going around for jobs?”

“You...find jobs in the tavern?”

“Nothing gets people talking more than a few strong drinks.” Helia grinned. “And bartenders are the best source for the latest scuttlebutt.”

The disguised fae nodded and followed her to the local tavern called the Running Buck. Upon entering, Gillam made a disgusted expression behind his mask. The smell of unwashed human mixed with potent liquor and smoke permeated the air. Everything was dimly lit with thick wax dripped candles and the humans inside were loud and rough looking.

“Are you sure?" he asked, not trying to hide his distaste for the place.

“Come on, rich boy. Trust me, the food is great despite how it looks.” She shoved him lightly.

As they entered, a very loud male voice seemed to rise over the din from the bar. Helia and Gillam both looked toward the corner to see a muscular bull of a man sporting long, brown mustache and goatee that was braided off of his squared chin and decorated with a mix of colorful bands. A chain of what looked like werewolf teeth jangled from his thick neck and a heavy werewolf pelt donned his back. He was mildly handsome but with a rough wildness to him. He had a huge, broadsword in his hand and a sloshing mug of mead in the other and was regaling a group of men with some loud tale.

Helia groaned under her breath, “Oh...shit."

“Do you know that human?” Gillam inquired.

“Farley the Wereslayer.” She all but vomited the name. “What the Hell is he doing here?”

“Wereslayer?”

Helia shoved him toward the door, “Never mind. Let’s get out of here before he...”

“HELIA!” Farley shouted raucously.

She stopped in the doorway, instantly irritated by the mere sound of the man’s voice. The big man stabbed his sword into the floor and sauntered over to them. He gulped down the rest of his mead and tossed the empty mug back to one of his men who promptly caught it.

He threw his brawny arms open, “Come here my red angel of death and give me a kiss!”

“Go fuck a dead troll, Farley.” She spat, slowly turning to face him.

He stopped and held a meaty hand to his chest as his brown eyes closing dramatically, “Ach! You wound me, Helia!”

“Touch me and you’ll be worse that wounded.” She warned.

“I heard rumor you were dead! Killed and sucked dry by giant spiders.” He stated.

Helia shook her head, “That’s what you get for believing rumors, Farley. Makes you look like an ass.”

He laughed and slapped his thigh, “Speaking of ass, why don’t you bring yours over and sit on my lap! Tell me where you’ve been.”

Quite abruptly, Gillam withdrew his sword, which was also disguised to hide its fae nature, and brought it at the ready, “Hold your tongue you braggart! That’s no way to speak to a lady.”

Farley paused, sizing up the tall masked fae as the blade came out, “Lady? Helia?”

Suddenly he burst into hearty laughter. His men did as well.

“HA! HO! HO! She’s a woman sure enough but she- HA! she’s no lady!” he guffawed.

Helia stepped in front of Gillam and gave him a look that could kill as she hissed under her breath, “Put that away!”

“But...” the fae protested.

Her blue eyes could’ve froze a volcano, “Put...it...away.”

Coming out of his stance, Gillam sheathed his sword.

“And who is this masked wanker? Your bodyguard?” Farley asked loudly.

“He’s my apprentice.” Helia stated emotionlessly.

Farley stroked his braided beard, “I thought you told me you’d never have a partner?”

“I said I’d never have YOU as a partner.” She corrected sharply.

“Again, you wound me, Helia! We could’ve been the greatest slaying partnership in all the kingdoms.” He gestured.

Helia frowned, “Well maybe if you weren’t such a coattail rider on my kills and didn’t make me want to fall on my own sword every time you opened your mouth I’d think about it.”

“Coattail rider?! Now hold on, Helia! I killed those bog trolls fair and square.” He argued.

“That was my commission and you know it!” she retorted, “You came in during the last two minutes of that kill and made it seem like you killed the lot of them. And that idiot Duke paid YOU!” her anger rose.

Farley chuckled as he shrugged, “I offered to buy you meat and ale.”

“No one steals my jobs Farley. So if you want to keep your balls I suggest you steer clear.” She threatened, eyes flashing, “What are you doing in Deer Run anyway?”

He held up his hands, “I’m just passing through with my men, getting a drink before we move along to Herosh.”

“Herosh?” Helia questioned. In her mind that was the next town she considered to find work.

“Yeah. Barkeep said there’s talk of harpies snatching people on the roads near there. If you want to come I’ll cut you in.” he offered. “Maybe let your apprentice cut his teeth on some of those feathered bitches?”

Helia shook her head, “I’m not going to Herosh.”

The big man shrugged, “Your loss.”

He pointed a thinking finger, “I heard another rumor about you. I heard you were hired by the king of Rumstead to slay the Gray Shadow.”

For a second, Helia wasn’t sure what to say to that. Though it was true, she had obviously not collected on that bounty. Who would believe she actually was acquainted with the Gray Shadow? Dare she say they were nearly friends?

“Where did you hear that?”

Farley shrugged his fur draped shoulders, “Most slayers around here are drooling over that bounty...biggest bounty ever offered on any beast. So...is it true?”

“Yeah. It’s true.” then she began to lie, “But I never found him.”

“They say if you go into those North Woods he finds you, not the other way around.” Farley grinned. “Did you really go or did you just tuck tail before you got there?”

Helia glared at him, “I promise you, I went into those North Woods. There were signs of something really big out there, but I quickly decided I was outmatched and left.”

“Is that so?” He stroked his long goatee, “I’ve been tempted to go after that bounty...but I’d need at least fifty good men.”

“You’d need way more than that.” Helia thought.

“Yeah. Good luck with that, Farley.”

“Join us for a drink!” he offered as she turned to leave.

“Hell, no.” was the quick snip as she exited. “We’ve got to get going.”

“Farewell then!”

No longer thinking of eating, Helia left the tavern and Gillam hurriedly trotted after her. He was slightly confused about the exchange and the boisterous slayer Farley who seemed to rankle Helia. Another confusion was the reference to the “Gray Shadow”. He’d never heard such a title but he had sneaking suspicion of who it referenced.

“Gray Shadow...did he mean Kendrick?” Gillam asked as they walked.

“That’s him.”

Behind his mask Helia didn’t see the surprised look on the fae’s face, “Then he’s...notorious here?”

“You heard Farley. Biggest bounty ever offered on any beast.” Helia confirmed, her tone terse.

Gillam was disturbed by that fact. True enough, Kendrick had attacked him and threatened to break his wing when he arrived at the Estate. But that was all under the misunderstanding that he had kidnapped his own sister. After that he didn’t act aggressively at all toward him. And he was indeed intimidating at his true giant size, but he hadn’t acted malicious whilst roaming the streets of Marlayla. Gillam had found no warning signs that he was anything but good to Twillow. But now he realized Kendrick was infamous in the Lower Realm...like some beastly legend feared by all.

And his little sister was in love with him? Had he made a terrible error in trusting this giant with his sister? Or was it all merely human paranoia of the unknown fabricating wild fantasies?

He was brought out of his thoughts when Helia grasped his shoulder firmly, “I can defend myself, Gillam.”

“He shouldn’t have spoken so crudely to you.” The fae argued.

Helia frowned, “If someone talks to me like that then I deal with it. I don’t need you to come to the gentlemanly rescue anytime someone makes a crude remark.”

“But I...”

“Look, Gillam. I get it. You’re from a chivalrous upbringing. But what you did made me look weak to my competition. And in my profession you can’t appear weak. No one will respect you and it’s hard enough for me to attain that as a female in this job.” The woman explained as she mounted her horse.

“Farley is your competition then?”

She nodded with a look of vehemence, “Farley is a well-known slayer in these parts. He claims he’s been bitten by werewolves and absorbed their power without falling victim to the curse.” She spat, “I say, he’s full of shit. But people believe it and hire him.”

Gillam walked beside her horse as they walked further down the road through town, “So he’s just some fool.”

Helia shook her head, “Oh, he’s strong and an effective killer...but he’s reckless and has stolen several jobs from me. On top of that he thinks he’s God’s gift to me and believes I’m just not seeing it.” She laughed humorlessly, “Dumb ass.”

She gestured to a market ahead, “Well, we’d better stock up and start for the next town. We can eat on the road.”

“Then you’ll train me?”

The redhead sighed, “Like I told you Gillam, I doubt I can teach you much in the ways of swordsmanship...but I’ll try to teach you how to be a slayer.”

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