"The Wood Goddess" by Meg Y. Gardner

Elana slid quickly and quietly through the trees, bow in hand. There. The deer raised his head, and Elana fired. The stag dropped quickly and painlessly. Elana smiled. Good shot, that was. Not like it had been lucky, or even hard. Shots like that came easily these days, for some reason. She cut the deer and placed the meat in her pack, wrapping it carefully. Before leaving, she made the Sign over the deer’s antlers, thanking it for its gift of food. The Sign was something Mordenna had taught her before Elana left, but Elana had used it ever since.

***

She followed a well-traveled path to the town, the third she had stopped at. Elana wasn’t quite sure what had made her leave her home village to travel. It was just a typical longing to wander, she supposed. Ah. Good. An inn. The White Stag. How fitting. She smiled absently, wondering if she had enough scanros to pay.

The innkeeper came to her the second she entered the inn. "Hello. I need a small room for two nights, please," she said, smiling pleasantly. "Who are you? What’s your business here?" he replied gruffly and rather suspiciously. "I’m—I’m Elana Corion. I’m—I’m just a…a traveler. This is an inn, isn’t it?" she asked, taken aback at the innkeeper’s manner. "You’re not meeting two men here?" he demanded, still wary. He stepped in front of her, blocking her path into the common room. "No, I—of course not," she said, flustered. "What men are you talking about?" The innkeeper grudgingly moved away, ignoring her question. "All right then. You can stay. As long as you’ve got the money." Puzzled but relieved, she passed by, handing some coins to him.

The room she was shown to was on the small side, but clean and outfitted with all the necessities. The common room downstairs was filled with travelers and local townsmen. Elana glanced around the room, looking for an empty table, or even a semi-empty one. The only table in the crowded room with an empty seat was partially taken up by two wealthy looking men.