Swan Song

Chapter Four

Ouch.

Sophie cursed under her breath as she pulled a thorn from her palm, flicking the drops of blood to the forest floor. She consulted the map in her left hand, trying to find the closest clearing. Wherever she was in this forest, it was not safe to touch anything. 

The burial site of Princess Biana seemed to be located smack in the middle of the Amberly Woods, so it would be halfway to the palace. Sixteen acres wasn't a very long walk — Sophie was sure the journey to the Havenfield Inn had been longer — but these woods didn't seem to be very friendly to people not acquainted with the area, which she most certainly was not. Oh, well. It was worth it for the five million lusters. 

In what was simply labeled in the Everglen region the Forbidden Cities, where Sophie had grown up, a single luster was worth upwards of one million dollars. Once she got her money and could get safe passage home, she could easily swim in dollar bills for the rest of her life. Finish the job, get out of here, and then the world will be your bitch. Sophie wasn't really one to daydream, but it was hard not to consider all the things she could do once she became basically the richest person in her universe. And then what? You hope Forkle doesn't find you again? You live with your abilities in secret? Money can never bring them ba-

Sophie slammed her hand into the nearest tree, letting the sharp spikes pierce her fingers. She couldn't go there. One wrong move could cost her her life, and she couldn't afford to be emotionally compromised with those stakes. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she drew her hand from the trunk, trying not to wince as the thorns tore her skin. She patted her freshly bloody hand against her black cloak, took one last look at the map, and set off blindly towards what she hoped would be Biana Vacker's grave. If she had any actual wilderness skills, this would be easier, but despite her circumstances, she had never bothered to learn much about forests. Cities were easier, safer. Blending in was the safest form of hiding. But for whatever reason, blending in here was not easy. At all. Her hair was too blonde, her eyes too warm, her skin too pale. She would have had better luck in the Lumenaria region, perhaps, or maybe even just staying in the Forbidden Cities. But alas, there she was not. Which was why she had to dye her hair a tacky auburn and drink elixirs to switch her eye color. If she received one luster every time she had to lie about being from northwest Everglen to explain her features, she wouldn't have needed to be on this ridiculous job in the first place. I cannot wait to get out of here. 

A crunch of leaves sounded from somewhere near her, and Sophie paused, waiting. Her hand dipped to her pocket, soundlessly drawing two throwing stars. Her breathing was practically nonexistent as she stood there, frozen, waiting to see if someone was near. When nothing happened, she reluctantly continued walking, her hands still clutching her blades. Nobody should be here. The woods were private property, although they weren't monitored this far away from the palace. The only person that could have been around would be Princess Biana's ghost, Sophie assured herself as she walked. Why was she so nervous? Normally, she would have had no problem defending herself. 

So when a twig snapped, she didn't hesitate, flinging her throwing stars blindly behind her. Silence again. Sophie carefully peered around, only to realize the twig that she had heard was sitting broken at her feet. Sighing, she trudged backwards to retrieve her weapons. Maybe she should wait a little before getting close to the palace. She clearly wasn't in the best mindset. But the money. She looked at her hand, trying to remind herself of the consequences that could come if she got caught. Then she looked at the assignment paper tucked into her cloak. Five million lusters.

Sophie kept walking. 

Okay, this walking time is good. You need a plan. She wasn't completely sure what she was trying to do, other than examine the security of the estate. How would she do that from so far away? She could try teleporting inside, once she got a clear enough mental picture, but she had no clue how heavily guarded each room was. She could try to sneak into the palace, and pose as a maid or a chef, but she had no idea how to get ahold of a uniform and ID. This would have been so much easier if the client hadn't insisted on being anonymous. She could have had them give her the palace schedule, the prince's routine, literally anything to make her job less complicated. 

Click.

Sophie was 100% sure she wasn't imagining things this time. She whirled around, her eyes combing the trees, searching for who it was. Hands flying to one of the knives in her coat, she aimed directly at where she heard the sound coming from, letting the weapon fly. She could hear it make contact with metal, before a black cloaked figure ran out, darting between the trees. Sophie took aim with a goblin star, but it bounced uselessly off the mystery person's seemingly metal body. What the hell is going on? 

"Stop!" she called, chasing after the figure. The person turned around, a white gloved hand reaching for something. By the time Sophie realized it was an arrow, it had already flown past her, inches from her ear. 

"Aw, did you miss?" Sophie stalled, trying not to panic. If this person was immune to her throwing stars, she would have to get close to take them out. She inched closer, staring into the archer's cloak. 

"I would have killed you if I wanted to. What are you doing on my property?" The voice was strangely familiar, yet somehow completely unique. 

"Your property? Oh, well, I'm sorry. What a lovely house you have here. I adore the bramble wallpaper," Sophie feigned an eye roll, tracking the figure's movements. They were only around 10 feet away now. She had no clue how she was supposed to fight them, but she knew she couldn't do it from afar. 

"Yes, my property. Now answer my question. What are you doing here?"

"This isn't your property any more than it's mine. I could ask you the same." 

"Well, easy. I live here."

"You live here? On a Vacker property? I don't think so. The only person that lives here is Biana Vacker. The very much dead princess."

"Oh, you fool." The gloved hand reached up, throwing back the black hood. Sophie didn't have time to register the famous teal eyes before another round of arrows came whizzing by her. "I am the princess."