Marcin adjusted his collar. The rough fabric was itching. He stood in front of a small bar in an equally small town. He hated places like this, and he hated that he had been assigned to relay the Bishop’s orders to Milena. Milena the fucking Mad.

  Why couldn’t they just ask Arkadiusz, or Iwona. Grzegor, even. Anyone but Milena. There were plenty of capable hunters and warriors that were strong, loyal, and able to deal with curses. Best of all, they weren’t insane.

  But the Archbishop wanted to send a message, and the girl had obviously frightened Sokolski with her threat. Still, it all seemed excessive to him. Maybe they knew something he didn’t, but one million gold and Milena the Mad for one girl? One that was supposed to be just eighteen years old? It didn’t make sense to him.

  Maybe Sokolski still thought she was Bies. Maybe the Archbishop did as well, despite denying it. If she was truly an ancient demon in the skin of a girl, then perhaps the overkill was justified. But Bies didn’t use curses. Unless the Church’s records were wrong. Something about this whole thing felt off, and Marcin didn’t know what to believe anymore.

  He walked up to the door. At least Milena had been easy to find. They had so many tracking spells on her she probably glowed in the dark to anyone with a bit of sense.

  Technically, she wasn't part of the Church. She was just on retainer—a rabid dog fed with gold and top tier gear. No, calling her a rabid dog was treating her too lightly. It was like she was created by Chernobog himself, but that shouldn’t be possible since Stvora had locked him far below the earth a long time ago.

  Because of her volatile nature, the Church liked to know where she was at all times. Mostly so they could be somewhere else. Milena was trouble. Even when she was "behaving" for the Church, her version of minimal trouble was still a nightmare for everyone else. Marcin just hoped she wouldn’t be a nightmare for him today.

  He cast [Prism Shield], [Mystic Bulwark], and [Stoneskin] on himself, then drank a [Heartroot Elixir]. She probably wouldn’t try to kill him, at least not intentionally, and the spells wouldn’t save his life if she tried, but he hoped it would protect him from collateral damage in case she had one of her moments again. He breathed in deep and slowly exhaled.

  He pushed the door open and his heart jumped. She was sitting at the bar by herself, looking bored and unassuming, aside from the thick plated armor that appeared too heavy for her small stature. He forced himself to keep walking, to look calm and confident. Or at least apathetic.

  Milena noticed him the moment he stepped inside. She turned around, her two blonde braids smacking against the heavy shoulder plates. "Marcin!"

  Marcin sat down next to her. He didn't bother with a greeting. "Milena. Didn’t expect to find you in a place like this."

  She gave him a grin. "It’s been a while. I was starting to think you didn’t like me anymore!"

  Up close, she looked flawless. Her skin was perfect, and there wasn’t a single hair out of place. But the way she looked at him—with the white around her green irises visible—made him feel uncomfortable.

  "A million gold," Marcin said. "That doesn't make you want to go hunt the girl?"

  Milena laughed. "Gold? What am I going to do with gold, Marcin? Everything is free for me anyway."

  Marcin stared at her. No, it isn't, he thought. Just because everyone is too terrified of you to stop you doesn't mean you get to take whatever you want. Milena’s grin widened. She probably knew exactly what he was thinking.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  Suddenly, she shifted. A big man was walking behind her chair, just minding his own business. Milena waited until he was right there, then pushed herself off the bar with her feet and fell onto the ground. The man almost stepped on her, but he managed to stumble back just in time.

  "I'm so sorry! My fault, miss!" the guy stammered. He didn't even look at her twice before he bolted for the exit.

  Milena, still on her back on the floor, watched the man leave and grumbled. "Useless."

  "What the hell are you doing?" Marcin asked.

  She slowly climbed back onto her stool like nothing happened. "So you’re having some trouble with this girl. Half the country is after her, that should be enough. So why are you here? You want me to kill her?"

  "Eventually. First, we want you to observe and report."

  Milena scowled. "I don't do 'observe and report.' I do seek and destroy."

  "The orders are backed by the Archbishop himself," Marcin said, trying to sound authoritative.

  "I thought you had scriptors for that. It’s just one girl. Is she that dangerous?" Milena asked.

  Marcin shrugged. "She’s only ever let one person live, and he thinks she is. Sokolski seems to think she’s Bies. The Archbishop wants to make an example out of her for the purge squads she wiped out, and Sokolski wants her dead because he's practically pissing himself. Apparently, she told the scriptor to tell him she was coming for him."

  Milena laughed again, and Marcin felt a shiver run down his spine. "That’s bold. I like her already," she said.

  Marcin almost asked why she thought that was funny, but he stopped himself. The only real difference between the girl they were hunting and Milena was that Milena was on their side. For now. Hell, Milena might even be worse. If the girl hadn’t threatened Sokolski personally he probably wouldn’t have turned it into this circus.

  He looked at the matte black armor Milena was wearing. The disturbing look in those piercing green eyes. What would happen if she switched sides? They had enchantments on her to stop it, but with the gear they’d given her... And what level would she be by now? Only Stvora knew.

  What if she found a way around their safeguards? Would she still do what they told her if she had a choice? Maybe the promise of even better gear and consequence-free murder would be enough to keep her aligned with the Church.

  He didn't even know if she was smart, stupid, or just a complete lunatic. Obviously they called her “Milena the Mad” for a reason. She was unpredictable in every way except one: she loved killing. If she got a chance to end someone, she took it. Usually, she’d even take out her own squad if they got in the way. And the Church just let her, because she always got the target.

  Maybe she was predictable in two ways. She may not have cared about gold, but she loved gear. He wondered what would happen if the girl was somehow able to offer her better gear than the Church could provide. The Church decided who got what. Who got the best runes, the best quality gear. But this girl existed outside of their influence.

  Milena wasn't paying attention to him anymore. She was watching a man with a scarred face and an eyepatch walking behind her.

  She waited. Then, she pushed herself off again and fell flat on her back. He stepped right on her stomach and looked down. "What the fuck, you stupid bitch?"

  Milena didn't look hurt or angry, instead she got the biggest, most terrifying grin Marcin had ever seen.

  Five minutes later, the bar was a graveyard. Splintered wood, broken glass, blood, and bodies were everywhere. The only people still alive were Milena and Marcin.

  Marcin looked at the red smear on the wall that used to be the man with the eyepatch. A few chunks were still stuck to the wall, dripping slowly onto the floor. He felt a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. He looked at the bodies, then at the shattered remains of the bar, and finally turned on his stool to give Milena a disapproving look. "Was that really necessary?"

  "He started it," Milena said, wringing the blood out of one of her braids. She watched the red liquid pool on the floor with a faint smile. "He stepped on me. You saw it."

  Marcin didn't say anything. He just stared at her. He couldn't imagine Stvora would ever approve of this. He didn't understand why the Church tolerated her existence. She was an abomination, and by giving her increasingly powerful gear they were enabling her violent behavior. In fact, the stronger she became, the more havoc she could—and did—wreak.

  She noticed him staring, reached down and grabbed an ear from the floor, and threw it at him. “Lighten up, Marcin!”

  It bounced off his [Prism Shield] with a wet sound and landed in his lap. He looked down at it, then back at her. He felt a deep, heavy tiredness that no elixir was going to fix.

  He sighed, stood up, and let the severed ear slide off his robes and onto the floor. He walked out of the bar without saying another word.

  Patreon :)

  Discord and would love to see you there!