Tarnished by Erica Rose Eberhart

Chapter One: Ailith

The blood from the body on the cart smelled like crushed berries left in the summer sun for too long: sickeningly sweet while still bitter, and wrongly enticing. When the royal hunters approached the northern gate, the scent hung thick in the late summer air. Midnight blue blood spread over the haphazardly tossed white cloth that covered the decapitated form of a woman, gathering at the tips of the fabric and dripping off in a trail behind the cart. The cart rolled to a stop in front of Ailith MacCree who frowned at the corpse.

"She took three of our men. We'll come back for what remains of them later." The hunter walking beside the cart smiled at Ailith. The short sword hanging at his side still dripped blue blood. "But we got her anyway."

He patted the uncovered head placed proudly on top of the cart. A woman's head, by all appearance, until you noticed her pale skin had a slightly green hue, the ripple of gills just behind her ears, and rows of pointed teeth in her open mouth, all the tell-tale imagery of a caroling countess. A tickling of unease rose along Ailith's neck as she looked at the corpse. She shifted on her feet, attempting to appear unbothered. The guard didn't notice her discomfort, or perhaps he didn't care. "King Cearny will be glad; don't you agree?"

"Aye, leave her be," the driver of the cart chided. Another hunter, older than the one on foot, and more kind, offered Ailith a soft smile. "You're the same guard when we left yesterday afternoon. Haven't you finished your shift?"

Ailith pressed her lips together and shook her head. The scent of the countess' blood filled her nostrils and made her queasy. This was the closest she ever came to a countess, although she heard the creature's song for a fortnight and witnessed men leave through the northern gate never to return.

Now she lay before Ailith on the cart, her eyes vacant and cloudy. One of her hands, so human-like besides her nails ending in clawed points, stretched forward as if begging Ailith for aid.

"I worked a double," she admitted, pulling her gaze from the creature to the driver. Beyond them, on the path toward the city, another guard appeared. Ailith nodded toward him, relief filling her. "And that is my replacement now."

"Hop on back, we'll give you a ride as far as the castle. You can sit with me," the hunter standing beside her said, grinning with stained teeth and hungry eyes. Ailith took a step back and felt her insides curl.

"Or you can ride up front with me," the driver offered, patting the seat. Ailith was tired and riding the cart would at least get her home sooner.

His was an offer that Ailith could stomach.

Castle walls loomed beside them before yips and cheers from royal guards sounded from above.

Everyone was seemingly thrilled to see one more magical creature dead, understandable considering their existence was illegal. But the cheers left Ailith shrinking into her seat, brushing her loose brown hair from her face whilst willing the cart forward, unwilling to be perceived by anyone else.

"It's nasty business," said the driver, his voice softer, only for Ailith's ears. "She put up quite the fight and consumed two of our men. She broke the third in half and scattered him like grain tossed to chickens. But that's the expectation of our job.

Same as you're expected to check the carts that pass through the northern gate. In the end-just keep this between you and me-she was only doing what she was born to do. Singing by that lake, killing anyone who came too close; I doubt she knew any other way; it was what she was meant for. We all do what we have to in order to get by."

Ailith smiled at that, glancing at the man as the cart turned toward the castle entrance. "Well, thank you for the ride. I'm sure King Cearny will be thrilled by your accomplishment."

"He always is," the man replied with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Slowing the cart, Ailith climbed off and continued down the main thoroughfare towards home.

She worked doubles frequently, gathering as much coin as she could to help her household survive, but the exhaustion from constant work was poisoning her body, making her muscles ache and her joints stiff. She only wanted the comfort of her mattress in the little room she shared with her parents' caregiver, Gwen, until she had to rise for the next shift that night. Such desires seemed foolish, she realized, as her dilapidated home came into view and a figure waited outside. It could never be so simple as to go home and take a nap.

Pausing her step, Ailith sucked in a deep breath before propelling herself forward, turning her gaze down as she side-stepped the figure and pulled at the doorknob to her home.

"Excuse me, are you Ailith MacCree?" The figure moved forward!, ignoring Ailith's unwelcoming

posture. The door clung to the frame, sticking closed as the hinges succumbed to rust. Ailith cursed under her breath at the door not for the first time, nor likely the last until she had enough coin for supplies to fix it. She glanced at the figure who shifted closer and pulled back their hood, revealing a kind, round face surrounded by a graying mass of curls. Her brown eyes were large and tender, and she offered a tentative smile with the air of a woman who wiped away tears and healed scraped knees.

"I apologize for bothering you. I know you've been working long shifts at the gate, but I must speak with you."

Ailith bristled and threw her shoulder into the door, finally pushing it open with an audible groan.

The stranger's accent was of Braewick City locals, yet with a crispness often associated with the royal family. That, paired with the high quality of her clothes and alarming familiarity with Ailith's work schedule, seemed to confirm she was from the palace.

"I have no interest in working for the king," Ailith replied as she stepped into her home and pulled off her cloak to hang it on the peg by the door. Her fingers drifted over Gwen's cloak hanging next to it sporting moth-made holes, another expense that only soured Ailith's mood further. She turned back to the woman now in her doorway, finding her blinking with surprise. The woman hadn't expected Ailith to figure out her ties and she nearly smiled with self-satisfaction.

Nearly.

"You wouldn't be working for the king," she admitted, her voice soft but sincere. "In fact, it's better if he's never involved."

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