Red as Blood || A Snow White Retelling

Chapter Thirteen - A Strange Pack of Wolves

Honestly, this chapter was supposed to be at the end of the last one. But it turned out much longer than I expected so this one might be on the shorter side. That probably isn't a bad thing after last chapter XD The music is from The Witcher 3 soundtrack, which I've been listening to nonstop.

"Well, shit."

I blinked over at the woman as she wiped the sweat from her brow, taking her sword out of Amelia's head. The wet, sucking sound it made made me shiver.

"I-I'm sorry, what?" I hated that my voice shook. Damn the cold. And the pain. And the bloody monsters running inns.

"Doesn't normally go like this, the jobs." The woman stated, sheathing her sword. "Hasn't gotten this messy in a while. Then again, Marcus went in alone. The daft tit."

There was no energy in her voice, just regret. She stepped over Amelia's body, just as it started to disintegrate into ashes and walked over to Marcus. She knelt beside him, sighing and closing his eyes.

"May the Mother and Father watch over you, stupid bastard." She murmured, taking his matching necklace and wrapping it around her hand.

"I'm sorry for your loss, really, but it's been a long night and I still don't exactly know what the hell is going on. So if you could fill me in, that would be great."

I didn't mean to sound so harsh, but I was hurting and tired. My arm stung from the burn, bright red and blistering in spots already. My shoulders ached sharply from where Braxton's claws had sunk in and I was still freezing, despite the large blaze from the barn. I had just burned down a building full of children. Monster children, but still children. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get their screams out of my head.

But the woman wasn't offended at all. If anything, she seemed amused. "Sorry, we don't normally involve civilians." She stood up, brushing the snow off her pants.

"Sounds like this job of yours was anything but normal."

"It wasn't. Especially for you."

"No," I agreed. "But I can't say I'm not used to 'not normal'."

She snorted a laugh, brushing her hair out of her face. I had seen ladies at court with a similar cut, but they kept their hair sleek and tamed and tucked under their chins. Most of the time their hair was parted straight down the middle. But this woman's hair didn't seem to have a place at all. Not part, it just shifted from one side to the other. Pieces stuck out everywhere, and mostly ended up in her face. But it suited her, in a way.

"Not surprised." She said. "Anyway, I'm Arden Molan. And you've got my crossbow."

"Ah, sorry." I handed it back to her, and she seemed to relax a little.

"You're not a bad shot." Arden mused, looking me up and down.

"I was aiming for her head." I admitted.

Again, she laughed her little snorting laugh. How someone could laugh after an ordeal like that, especially after their friend was killed, I had no idea. Arden was stranger than most women I'd met. Her skin was tanner than I was used to, now that I could see her fully in the light of the blazing barn behind me. That, coupled with her obvious worship of the Sky Mother and Earth Father, I could tell she was from The Plains. I had spent enough time around their priests, The Children of the Plains, to tell.