Valeria's Arc

Chapter 2 of 7

Valeria stayed crouched, the warm map heavy in her hand. The thought arrived slow and cold: someone had left this for her. The stone had been placed, not dropped. The note faced up, ready to be read. She lifted her eyes from the parchment and scanned the ridge. Grass bent in a line that was not the wind. She was not alone here. She had never been alone here. She drew her knife and followed the bent grass. It led to a flat stone behind a low shrub. On the stone sat a folded poster, weighted by a coin purse. She opened the poster. Bold letters offered a reward for the capture of merchants. A hand had scrawled across the bottom: "Your turn. Follow the map." The purse was heavy. Half the bounty, paid forward. Valeria's hands did not shake. Someone wanted her hunting again — and they knew her name without writing it. Under the purse lay one more thing. A small locket, warm from the same pocket as the map. She thumbed it open. Her mother's face looked up at her, golden eyes steady, dark skin painted with care she had not seen in years. Valeria's breath caught hard. No stranger could have known to leave this. Whoever watched her had watched a long time. She closed the locket, slid it into her shirt, and stood. The hunt was no longer hers alone. She picked up the map and started down the ridge.