Quinn

It had been five days since I had confronted Lord Bedford, and since then, we had had a sober, family-only funeral for Quinn at the back of the cottage. I had made beautiful headstones for Quinn and Eva at Elizabeth's request. Apparently, Eva was Quinn's older sister by one year, and both Eva and Quinn were of Lord Bedford's lineage.

The very thought that that pig had not only impregnated Elizabeth once but twice riled me up. I bet he had laid his filthy hands on her against her will many times, and that got me so enraged I had been on the verge of barging into the manor and torturing him with my magic. But I had held myself in check. It'd be no good if he died under my hands and Lord Norsewood turned up and... Well, things would just get messy and ugly.

Since that day, too, Elizabeth had been summoned to the manor for what apparently was a presentation of gifts from Lady Bedford. Gowns as well as shoes she and her daughters no longer desired were those gifts for Elizabeth, Maria, and me.

There was jewelry such as earrings and necklaces, as well as coins—fifty golds, two hundred silvers, and five hundred nickels. In equivalent terms compared to American dollars, brass was one, bronze was ten, copper was twenty, nickel was fifty, silver was one hundred, and gold was five hundred. All in all, Lady Bedford gifted us an equivalent of seventy thousand grand. This was not my dowry. That will be donated straight to Lord Norsewood after the wedding.

Seventy thousand grand, or one hundred and forty worth of gold coins in this world, was not a lot where Lord Bedford was concerned, especially when he was considered a multimillionaire if he were back on Earth, with numerous coffers filled with gold coins, plus land and estates and various businesses running all over the country, too.

Indeed, it would seem as petty to part with such little gifts, especially to ones who were willing to take his daughter's place in a marriage ordered by the king they wanted no part in. I, however, didn't give a fart about the gifts, though I did appreciate them. We'd be needing it, especially when traveling through towns and buying what was necessary.

As for the gowns, Lady Bedford had said to Elizabeth, "You can alter one of those to fit your boy for the wedding ceremony. Be grateful you're receiving those."

Hence, Elizabeth returned, along with Liam, in a tattered wagon that was given to us by Lord Bedford. Inside was the chest containing the gifts.

Supposedly, the wagon—which had seen better days and was on the verge of collapse—was meant to be the vehicle that'd transport us to Norsewood after my wedding. The four horses that came with it looked thin and sickly, and I knew they were on the verge of death.

Horses were great assets in this world, and I wasn't about to let them suffer. Hence, with my healing magic and the pills designed specifically for them, they started to recover in no time. Although Liam mentioned these were the dullest of the lot in terms of intelligence, I wasn't sure if the pill increased their cognitive skills or not, but they seemed rather intelligent to me. Not to mention very tame and loving as well. As for their strength and stamina, the pills sure did play a huge role in that. Now they could go on galloping all day without showing signs of fatigue.

In terms of the wagon, Maria, in a fit of outrage, retrieved a hammer and tore it down, and then tossed the rotten wood into the fire. She even threw in the gowns and shoes. "We don't need those," she said. "We have ones that are far better than those sorry things."

I shook my head, a smirk on my face, remembering that day. Maria was a character, to say the least.

But, of course, Maria was right. We didn't need those, and certainly not the sort of gowns those women had already worn and threw away, not especially gowns worn by Quinn's tormentors. As for the wagon, well, it wasn't fit for our very healthy and handsome horses. Hence, I ended up creating one using my magic that'd be suitable for our travel, with all the comfort and amenities. I had even added a family crest with the symbol of a flower blossom and at the bottom with the surname Fairchild, too, and it looked very grand, if I said so myself.

I raised my gaze to the sky, noting that it was darker than usual even though it was barely ten o'clock in the morning. I guessed it was nearing the end of autumn and winter was just around the corner. Most of the leaves had fallen off and left only the branches bare as the trees entered hibernation during the snowy season.

Snow, eh? I had heard Norsewood would be blasted with it during most of the three months, and during that time, the residents would lock themselves inside their flimsy cottages to keep warm.

I sighed. It sounded awful. I wondered if it was that bad, the place. I also heard one would need to cross the Northern Alps to get to Norsewood, too, and I imagined the ranges of rocky mountains covered in snow like the ones in Canada or across Europe.

The thought of the Alps and snow caused me to shiver, despite having on a warm jacket and flat cap.

Actually, I admit I looked like a young lord out hunting in the woods in the Edwardian era donning formfitting trousers, leather riding boots, jacket, and a flat cap. Over my shoulder and across my chest was a leather satchel, too, containing my lunch, which was a bread roll packed with delicious crispy chicken, avocado, and lettuce and topped with sweet, tangy, slightly spicy sauce. I couldn't wait to eat it.

The woods were, as usual, quiet and serene, and I took my time exploring. I decided to go out farther today, and boy, was I glad I did because the sight was breathtaking. I happened to encounter a waterfall and a pool, too, and I chuckled in delight.

I made a pit stop here, and after I had satisfied myself exploring the place like a kid, I got down to the business at hand and began practicing my magic.

Since I had learned to summon the circle that first day, I had now added fire, water, earth, and wind magic into my bag of skill sets.

To summon any one of those elements, there was no chanting. I merely had to think about it and conjured a magic circle, and voila, a flame of fire, spiraling water, protruding earth, or gusting wind would appear. I had experimented with mixing the elements together, too, and the results were sometimes wonderful, sometimes overwhelming, and other times, just plain disastrous. I had nearly blown myself into smithereens yesterday, and I had to come up with a way to protect myself. Hence, here I was, practicing stabilizing a magic barrier.

It was harder than I thought. The barrier, a blue hue of a shield, would shake and break every time I shifted my mind away from it. My aim was to create a barrier that could operate at full capacity without me around. I'd like to use it to protect our future home and our carriage. After all, one never knows when arrows or swords would come flying.

I gave up after an hour of work. Although this time I managed to extend the time of stabilization, which was good progress. I supposed I'd just have to practice more. Either that or I didn't have enough mana, or I didn't know the proper technique.

I stretched and moaned pleasantly as I stared up at the sky, which was still gray. Right, time to practice my hunting skill.

I summoned my space storage and put my hand into the magic circle as I said, "Wonder if I can get a few wild rabbits this time."

Well, to be fair, I sucked at it. My target was always off.

I retrieved my crossbow. This one was very nicely designed and made from wood. I created it so that the arrow would materialize and be primed, ready to go after each shot.

Armed with the crossbow, I started off, searching for a little furry animal, but of course, after an hour of trekking and going deeper into the woods, I found none. Either there were absolutely no wild rabbits here or I didn't know how to track one down. Again, it came down to technique and experience.

I was getting even deeper now, and I paused, feeling that uncomfortable nag within me that told me to turn back. I darted my eyes around, realizing that it was too quiet here for my liking. The place had an ominous feel to it.

From Quinn's memory, she had never ventured this deep, and neither had others.

What was it? Something was living here, wasn't there? It was vague since it wasn't that important in Quinn's mind.

Trusting my instinct, I turned on my heel, intending on leaving the woods for the day. I've had enough.

I was just taking two steps when something massive appeared in front of me from out of the bushes. I stopped in my tracks, my eyes on the thick, pinkish-brown skin that clearly didn't belong to a human.

I lifted my head and felt my entire being freeze. An overwhelming sense of fear and terror struck me to my core.

Yes, I was in another world full of magic and monsters. Since I had awakened from my reincarnation, however, I had not encountered a monster, so it hadn't felt real that there were monsters living amongst humans and other nonhuman beings. But now that one was in front of me, towering over me, it felt very, very real.

Small, round eyes, piglike snout and ears, and large fangs.

I sucked in my breath and my mind raced, wondering what I should do. Magic? Should I use an elemental magic?

That orc roared, its mouth opened wide as it swung its mighty arm toward me. Through my peripheral vision, I saw its large hand holding a wooden club.

Move, idiot! I shouted in my mind.

I bent my legs and rotated myself, rolling onto the ground as the club swung inches from my head.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

On my knees, I gathered myself, the crossbow still in my hands. I lifted it up and aimed. I was in too much of a panic that I didn't lock on the target correctly and blindly shot. The arrow flew past the orc as it marched toward me.

"Shit!" I hissed under my breath.

Another arrow magically materialized and was locked and ready to go. I hastily pulled the trigger again. This time, the arrow hit the orc's thigh, and I felt a sense of accomplishment.

"No time to celebrate, Quinn," I said to myself.

I got my ass moving as the orc stumbled and roared so ear-deafeningly loud that I was sure the noise would reach the other end of the woods.

Suddenly, I heard rumbling and felt the earth trembling beneath me, and I knew more orcs were coming. As I sprinted, I glanced over my shoulder. Instantly, I regretted it. There behind me were at least ten more massive orcs, and I knew if I couldn't escape, I was done for.

Think, Quinn, think! I shouted in my head as I flitted between trees, trying to confuse them. To my surprise, they were quite intelligent and caught up to me in no time.

Magic, I thought, I had to use magic.

I opened my storage circle and tossed the crossbow into it. Then I came to a stop and turned. "Waterblast!" I shouted as I summoned a magic circle. Water shot out and projected toward the horde of orcs.

The water blast hit three at the front, throwing them back a good distance away. There were still seven more, and they stampeded toward me with murderous intent.

"Get lost, pigs!" I shouted as I summoned a fire magic circle. "Or you'll be barbequed alive." Of course, they were still trooping toward me, and I said, "Fireballs!"

Large, round fireballs shot out of my magic circle and went flying toward the orcs. Two hit the monsters while three hit the trees. Both monsters and trees burst into flames. While the engulfed trees fell to the ground, the flaming orcs ran around, roaring and screaming like headless chickens. Despite looking hilarious, I had no time to laugh or pay them attention. The other orcs were still after me, and they were so damn close now.

I intended to shoot more fireballs when one jumped high and landed mere inches in front of me, causing the earth under me to shake in the process. I knew then that I was done for.

I involuntarily screamed as I got moving. Despite my effort in escaping, it wasn't enough, and I felt the orc's mighty hand striking me, throwing me to the side.

I went flying like a weightless thing and my side hit a tree trunk, breaking my arm in the process before I fell to the ground with a thud. Pain raged through my body, and I groaned, my head spinning.

I had to heal myself, I thought, as I attempted to sit up. Across from me, I could hear the rumbling sound of the orc's feet running toward me.

Move your ass, Quinn! I commanded myself.

I managed to clear my vision and sat upright. I started healing my arm while I eyed the oncoming orcs.

Shit! What do I do now?

One was only inches from me, and I froze, holding my breath.

Is this it? I wondered.

The orc roared as it raised its massive wooden club over its head. Then it swung down, and I closed my eyes.