They tied the horses to a young birch tree at the edge of a nearby clearing, guarded by Fynn’s wolf. They figured Oskar would scare off any smaller predators, and just in case something larger came along, Fynn tied his leash to the ends off the ropes that bind the horses to the trees. If Oskar had pulled on his leash, he would have freed both himself and the horses. Neither Astrid nor the Sheriff was sure giving the dog the ability to free himself was a very good idea, but when they return to the clearing, they see him standing exactly where they left him, staring in their direction. His half-open mouth with its large teeth makes it look like he's intent on murdering them, but his wagging tail tells them he's happy they’re back.
Still, he doesn’t move from his designated spot.
Fynn runs up to him and starts scratching his back. “Good boy.” The wolf looks up at Fynn and opens his mouth wider. His jaws could fit Fynn's head between them. “You like that, don’t you?”
The Sheriff looks down at both of them and says, “I must say, Fynn, Oskar is incredibly well trained.”
“You hear that, Oskar? The Sheriff thinks you’re a good boy too. Because you are!” Fynn continues to scratch Oskar. Then he pulls on his leash, untying the wolf and the three horses at the same time.
The Sheriff awkwardly stands in front of Shiva. “Uh… Fynn, Astrid, could you help me up? It’s a bit hard without hands.” She shakes her hands, causing the small chain connecting the two cuffs to quietly rattle.
Astrid and Fynn get into position behind her and start pushing the Sheriff up.
“God this is embarrassing,” she says.
Fynn and Astrid manage to push her far enough up so that her leg can swing over the horse’s back. She puts her feet into the stirrups, then sits up straight, in a casual posture.
While she keeps her back straight, she allows her shoulders to slouch, while at the same time pushing them back. While the way she sits in her saddle is comfortable, it causes her cut clothing to part even more than it did on its own.
Astrid thinks it might be better for her modesty if the Sheriff tried pushing her shoulders and upper body forward a bit. She is sure the Sheriff knows she’s parading her breasts though, and decides not to say anything.
“You guys do know I can’t control the horse. Right?” the Sheriff says. She waves her cuffed hands at them from behind her back.
“Right.” Fynn grabs the rope that tied the Shiva to the tree and attaches it to Imka’s saddle. Then he mounts his horse.
They snake their way between the trees as they try to get back to the road. Astrid does her best to ride next to the Sheriff.
As she sees Astrid pull up next to her, she smiles and says, “Ha. I feel like a damsel in a western.” She strains against her handcuffs. “Wearing these things really makes you feel for the criminals that get these slapped on. They are really uncomfortable and your joints start hurting after a while.”
Astrid isn’t sure if she should bring the subject up again, but she feels like she needs to say something. “Sheriff Winkler...”
The other elf interrupts her. “Why does everyone keep calling me Sheriff or Sheriff Winkler? My name is Manfred.” She stares down at her own chest, then laughs.
Astrid can’t really share in the joke, and tries to remember why she calls the Sheriff, Sheriff. “Back at your house, you told us to call you Sheriff Winkler.”
She chuckles, causing her shoulders to jump up and down. “I guess I did.”
“Sheriff… I wanted to say thank you. For before.”
The Sheriff’s smile evaporates. She clenches her teeth. For a moment she looks like she might get angry. Then her features relax once more. She even smiles. “Don’t mention it. I mean that literally. If you tell anyone I was plowed like a field by some asshole in the forest, I will plow you with an actual plow. You got that too, Fynn?”
“Got it.”
Astrid wants to ask her why. She wants to know why the Sheriff, someone she's only known a few days, would sacrifice herself like that for her, but she doesn’t dare ask anything else. Still, the question is written all over her face.
The Sheriff takes one look at her, then says, “You want to ask something else? You already stomped my attempt to distract myself, so you might as well satisfy your curiosity.”
“Why did you step in?”
The Sheriff frowns. She looks down at her horse, then straight ahead before she starts talking, “You’re brave and confident, but young. I once had a case where a young woman got assaulted in the forest. To make a long and shameful story short, we never found the bastard that did it. It destroyed the poor girl and let’s not kid ourselves. There won’t be any justice here either. I couldn’t let something like this ruin you forever. To be honest, the guilt I would have felt about not stepping in would probably have been even worse than… this.”
Astrid swallows. The thought that those bandits will go unpunished almost causes her physical pain. “Maybe Elijah and Noah managed to meet my father after all. We could easily get revenge with him.”
The Sheriff shakes her head but says nothing.
As they reach a road, the Sheriff says, “Fynn. We need to catch up with the others. Let’s go into a trot.”
The group follows the road, with the Sheriff occasionally telling Fynn were to turn. A freshly eaten apple by the side of the road and the large tire tracks in the mud tell them they’re going the right way.
The road has a bend ahead, and right in front of it, Astrid spots something lying on the asphalt. Even from a distance, she can see that it’s a corpse. Black birds are already feeding on it, but the blood around it is still fresh. A heavy weight starts forming in Astrid’s gut.
As they get closer, they can hear a mixture of talking and whimpering. The birds start hissing, but take off when they see that their threats don't deter the riders.
The tractor stands in the center of the road, a thin plume of black smoke rising from the engine. The corpse on the road wears green clothes that identify him as one of the hunters. Several dark-red stains form a line over his chest.
Astrid’s gaze wanders towards the tractor, moving over the old lady she met the first night. A bullet ripped through her skull. Next comes Tom the kobold, who got shot in the shoulder and lower body several times. The tractor and trailer are riddled with bullet holes and the things that were loaded onto it are strewn around the area.
The tub that contained her mother has been tipped. The mermaid lies next to it, her torso pierced by a bullet. Next to the tractor lie the corpses of three more hunters and several other people. The corpse of the policeman giant Jakob rests in the ditch next to the road. His body is also riddled with at least a dozen red spots.
Finally, her eyes spot her brother’s frame. He’s leaning against a tree with his hands at his sides. There is one red mark on his shoulder that has blood oozing out of it. Next to her brother rests the Mayor, her left arm covered in bandages. The doctor is with them, doing something with someone Astrid can’t see.
“Kilian? Mom?” she calls out, kicking Ranger in the flanks. The horse gallops forward and closes the distance between them.
Her mother turns to face her. “Astrid?”
She brings Ranger to a halt next to them and jumps off his back. “Are you all right?”
Her brother’s face is contorted in a grimace. “I got shot! What do you think?!”
Astrid jerks back and raises her hands in front of her chest. She looks away from her brother and down at her mother. He has a nasty gash on his fin but looks fine otherwise. “What happened here?”
The Mayor answers, “The soldiers ambushed us.”
Kilian’s face lights up. “Did you manage to find Dad?” He looks past Astrid, then sees the Sheriff. His face darkens once more. “Where is Elijah? And why is Sheriff Winkler cuffed and half-naked?”
The Sheriff stares at a corpse lying just behind the tractor. Her glass-like eyes fill with tears as they fix on the corpse of her wife. Her only wound is a bullet hole on her leg. Kilian’s question causes the Sheriff to blink several times and snap her head towards him. She sniffs and squirms in her handcuffs as she replies, “The bandits were watching the farm the entire time. They surprised us while we were fleeing from a gripper. They took our guns, beat us and humiliated us a bit, but that was it. Elijah and Noah managed to escape. As for your father, he was a no show.” Her eyes scan the area, while her hands continue to twitch behind her back. “How many of us are left? And how many of them did we kill?”
The doctor looks up from his patient. “Counting you three, we’re eleven.”
The Sheriff gives a grim nod. “So twenty-four people were killed.”
“It was a bloodbath,” Kilian says, gesturing at the carnage surrounding them. “It all happened so fast. One of the hunters acting as a guard yelled. He barely managed to give off a shot before the soldiers opened fire. They mostly aimed at the hunters with guns, but they didn’t care who else they hit. They even threw a grenade. We tried to fight back, but the hunters barely managed to give off a few shots before they were shredded. We just ran for it and only came back once the shooting had stopped and we were sure the soldiers were gone. I can't believe anyone would do such a thing. They took all the weapons with them, but left most of the fruits and vegetables.”
The doctor adds, “You’re lucky you weren’t here. Most of them didn’t die immediately. I did my best to patch up anyone I could, but there were few I could save. You have no idea how difficult it is to work while the guy with a bullet through his stomach is begging you to save him… Anyway, I think everyone who’s left either wasn’t harmed, or is going to make it.”
Suddenly, a familiar roar pierces the air. Their heads all snap up at the same time. A green shape soars over the trees. The winged beast passes over them and flies out onto the field. Astrid’s eyes widen as she realizes it’s the same green flying beast they met at the lake.
The dragon starts to turn, and as it does, she spots the two figures on its back. Noah and Elijah are holding on for dear life as the dragon lowers its tail and fully expands its wings.
Everyone on the ground is hit by a gust of wind as it stops itself in mid-air. The dragon beats its wings, throwing up dust as it slowly descends. Astrid can see that the leg she shot him in is weirdly stiff as he finally touches down. He stops beating his wings and allows himself to drop forward. His wings fold so that the claws in their middle hit the earth and stop his upper body from slamming into the ground. His eyes move over the scene in front of him.
While Noah jumps off his back with the biggest smile Astrid has ever seen, Elijah continues to cling to the dragon’s mane. He points towards them. “Dad. Look. That tall lady with the white hair, that’s Astrid. And the really big man is Kilian. And the man-mermaid is Mom.”
The dragon slowly walks towards them, every step making a dull thud.
“Dad?!” Astrid yells. Her family is finally reunited. Even though her heart is filled with joy, she walks slowly towards her father. Finally, she just throws herself at him and hugs him around his neck. His fur is short but soft. Like a fluffy pillow or really short hair. Astrid expected hard, brush-like hair. “I missed you, Dad.” Astrid feels like she hasn’t seen her father in years.
Her father replies with a grunt.
Kilian joins in a moment later. Together, they hug him until he tries to move forward. They step away and let him walk towards the group. He bends his long neck towards his wife. The merman leans up and kisses him on his snout. “We thought you were dead. Thank god you’re all right. Can you talk?”
The beast shakes his head.
“Too bad, but I’m sure we’ll figure something out. I’m just glad you’re back.”
Astrid’s father nods.
While they talk, the doctor helps the Sheriff dismount her horse. She walks up to Noah.
“Noah. I need your help over here.” The Sheriff wiggles her hands in her cuffs, causing the chain to jiggle. “Do you still have your handcuff keys?”
Noah nods and pulls a small key out of one of the pockets on his bandolier. He looks the Sheriff up and down. “Sheriff, what happened to your clothes?”
“They decided to humiliate us a bit before they left. Now get me out of these cuffs!” The Sheriff turns around and offers her shackled hands to Noah. Noah quickly opens the locks and the handcuffs fall off. He catches them before they touch the ground.
The Sheriff lets out a satisfied groan as she stretches her arms and rubs her wrists. “Thanks,” she says down to Noah. “All right, so now we’re thirteen people and a… dragon.” Her gaze wanders over the former battle-, or rather slaughter-, field. “Doc, how long till we can continue traveling?”
“We should be ready to go in an hour, but where do you want to go?”
The Sheriff shrugs. “Ground Lake, of course. That was the plan. Unless someone has a better idea?”
Astrid remembers the way she pictured the bandits melting and the satisfaction it brought. She wants these people to get punished. For humiliating and making her feel helpless, for what they did to the Sheriff, and for murdering all of these people. Her blood boils with anticipation. “We need to get revenge. With my father, we can easily find their base from the sky and then he can drown them in… soulfire.” Astrid figures that calling what he breathes ‘acid’ doesn’t really fit, but soulfire is a cool, if not entirely accurate name for something that melts people.
The Mayor groans as she leans forward. Even though her face is still contorted in pain, her eyes have a sudden glow to them. “Yes. With your father's help, we can avenge everyone who died here. After the soldiers robbed us, they grabbed their motorcycles and drove in that direction.” She points down the road. “And we know that their base is in the High Rock Army Base High School.”
The Sheriff shakes her head. “I don’t think we should risk it. As painful as it is, we should just cut our losses and get out of here. Before we lose even more people.” Everyone looks at her as though they can’t believe what she’s saying.
The Mayor’s eyes snap onto the Sheriff, disbelief plastered all over her face. “I would think you of all people would be all on board with punishing criminals like that.”
“I would be. But we’re unarmed and this whole ordeal has cost us so much. I just want to put this whole thing behind me and move on.”
Astrid turns to her. “How can you say that? They murdered almost everyone here and shot my brother. They almost raped me and they did rape you! How can you say you just want to move on…” Astrid trails off.
The Sheriff's eyes snap onto her, burning with rage. Astrid sees it coming, but isn’t fast enough to react. She barely manages to widen her eyes and clench her teeth before the Sheriff punches her. Her closed fist connects with Astrid’s cheek with so much force that it causes her to lose her balance and stumble.
The punch itself isn’t very painful, but it leaves a throbbing pain in her jaw.
“I told you not to tell anyone!” the Sheriff hisses. Her voice has an abnormally high pitch and her eyes glare at Astrid like she’s about to murder her.
Astrid feels a weird mixture of surprise, fear and anger of her own, but she’s not sure whether it's at the Sheriff or herself. She holds her cheek and looks back up at the furious woman. For a moment, Astrid thinks the other elf will lunge at her, but then the Sheriff takes a step back and opens her fist.
A roar fills the air. Everyone looks at Astrid’s father. He raises his upper body and unfolds his wings. With a powerful beat, he sends out a gust of wind. Dust and small plants wash over everyone as the dragon takes off.
“Stop. Get back here!” the Sheriff yells.
Astrid’s father ignores her. He roars again as he swings his tail into the air and, with a few more powerful swings, he takes full flight. He turns in the direction the Mayor pointed in earlier and rapidly gains speed and altitude.
“No!” the Sheriff yells. She runs after him for a few paces, then stops. She turns around to glare at everyone. “What have you done? We have to stop him.” The Sheriff runs to her horse and climbs up.
“Why?” Kilian asks. “Do you really want to spare these monsters?”
“I don’t care about them! But in case you morons haven’t noticed, those soldiers are carrying assault rifles! Your father doesn't have mythical tank-scales, but fur that a .38 could shoot through. Those guns are going to shred him like tissue paper!” the Sheriff yells. Her voice has lost its usual calm and serious tone and is now little more than a screech.
Astrid climbs onto Ranger, more just to follow the Sheriff than anything else. “Dad has healing powers as well as his soulfire. He can just heal through their gunfire.”
“Yes! That’s why his leg was oddly stiff when he landed, right? Because bullets don’t deal any damage to him! Astrid. You might be brave, but you are as bright as a broken lightbulb.” The Sheriff kicks her horse in the sides and loosens the reins. Shiva starts a casual walk, but as the Sheriff doesn't relent, she breaks into a trot.
Astrid would be offended if the Sheriff didn’t sound like a screaming toddler. And if she weren’t right. ‘Oh no,’ Astrid thinks and spurs Ranger to follow Shiva. As he sees his fellow horse break into a gallop, he follows at full speed.
