Villain's Vignettes: Volume I (Villains' Code) by Drew Hayes

Author:Drew Hayes [Hayes, Drew]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2023-06-21T00:00:00+00:00

5

According to Lelren, the well-dressed employer of the brigands, the knight in question had been combing the area, searching for a priestess of the Lost Moon. Upon hearing rumors of bandits nearby, the knight had investigated, suspecting they might have snatched up the priestess. That attempt at scouting ended in capture, with a ransom demand reaching the guard captain of the nearest outpost. Unfortunately, it seemed this knight wore no insignias indicating a patron and was refusing to talk, meaning no one had any idea what noble house would need to take care of such demands.

In the end, Lelren had put together a rescue mission out of obligation; apparently, the knight had taken a role in guarding his caravan during the trip down and had saved the merchant’s life in the process. That was enough for Lelren to commission the band of brigands and set out in search of the lost knight.

As it turned out, however, that sense of duty wasn’t quite enough to sway Lelren into continuing the journey with a human-eating monster he’d watched wipe out the majority of a tavern. After telling his story and handing over a reasonable sack of gold, the man had quickly excused himself and taken a swift leave, sweat dripping visibly from his forehead.

Perle didn’t fault Lelren for his retreat. If anything, he was the sane one; running from such creatures made sense. The strange one was her, having a delicious meal with the pair after having witnessed brutal slaughter. But several days without food was enough to make her mind forget just about anything that might have otherwise turned her appetite, and before they were done, Perle had put down several platters of meat and greens, along with an entire loaf of bread. It paled in comparison to the ridiculous amounts shoveled into both Ivan and Auro; however, for someone of her size, it felt like a tremendous meal.

With the food heavy in her stomach, Perle wanted nothing more than to inquire about a room, perhaps even a tub with warm water, and to fall asleep on top of a soft mattress, rather than damp swamp ground. Instead, she had to make do with leaning back in her comfortable chair.

Images swam in front of Perle’s eyes, flickers of her parents dutifully minding the temple. The pain of standing in that same room, staring on in disbelief as an older priest explained that they’d been killed, lost in an unexpected monster attack while ministering to wounded civilians. Weeping under the sigil of the Lost Moon until she passed out. The intensity of Fesver’s gaze as he promised vengeance for Perle’s lost family and his own brother. The dark glee she’d felt at such a vow, even as the elder clergy chastised Fesver for such a notion. She’d never told anyone about that kernel of wicked joy, or how it had bloomed when Fesver returned, dragging the corpse of a tremendous monster. The pack that had swept away her parents had an alpha, one that Fesver left rotting in front of the temple.

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