Twisted Game: The Wulf Trilogy, #1

By Leia Meadows

Jessa Wulf made a living as a thief, stealing from everyone that entered the tavern where she lived and worked. It was the only way to survive as an orphan on the dangerous streets of Croatoan's Mixxed Territory where goblins, ogres, and other kinds of horrible creatures went to escape the law. She thought that her life would stay the same - wake up, steal, serve customers, steal, eat, steal, sleep, repeat, then eventually get caught and die. But at fourteen, she was kidnapped and shoved into a deadly game full of spies, fairy-tales, secrets, and revenge.
 
Now, Jessa and her fellow captives/teammates need to deliver an important message to the head of the Croatoan Royal-protection Organization before Dracavix's monsters find them first. But can she trust her new teammates? Or will she perish in this twisted game?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookPatch LLC, The
• Release date: Nov 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637902431

Leia Meadows

Leia Meadows started writing her first novel at fourteen. She is sixteen and lives out in the country with her family. They are very supportive and have always believed that she would become a published author if she wanted. Her younger sister has frequently asked questions like, "When you're a published author can I have free copies of your books?"......... Leia Meadows has not yet answered that question of hers. Leia Meadows has loved reading since she was little and has been writing for as long as she can remeber. She's been homeschooled since third grade and absolutely loves it.

Book preview

Chapter 1

My bare feet crushed the grass beneath me as I studied my surroundings. Swinging my head wildly around, I stared into the darkness past the pine trees towering over me. But the salty sweat clinging under my nose and on my forehead tainted their fresh scent. Dad. My shaky voice bounced off the trees around me. My heart thumped wildly as the wind beat the tree branches together. Dad! The darkness swallowed my louder call. Fear urged me farther into the creepy woods and I cupped my hands around my mouth, DAD! My small voice broke with desperation, I couldn’t lose someone else. A choked sob escaped my lips as my feet pounded to the rhythm of my heart hammering against my chest.

Jessa. The muffled shout dragged me towards it. I stumbled over the branches scattered over the ground and the ones that still hung on the trees whacked me in the face.

Dad! I yelled as I slammed into strong arms. A chuckle rumbled through his chest, and I looked up at the smile poking through his bushy beard. His sharp teeth glistened in the moonlight and my gaze drew to the crack in his front one.

Hey, Little Cub. The familiar nickname tickled my toes and I grinned up at my Wulf Dad. His coal brown eyes crinkled at the corners and tugged at the scar across his cheek.

Our happy reunion was broken up by the sound of angry shouts. Dad swiftly swung me to the ground and stood protectively in front of me. Angry red lights flared, and I coughed as the familiar sickening smell of smoke flooded my nose.

Run, Little Cub, Dad ordered as the shouting neared us. I did what he said and ran. My feet beat harder than they ever had before as I dashed away. I could still hear the shouting when my foot caught a fallen branch and I hurtled to the ground.

A GASP ESCAPED MY SWEAT soaked lips as I bolted up and clutched the locket around my neck. My rotted blanket engulfed my small frame and sent me crashing to the floor. Ouch, I grumbled as I sat up on the wood floor and rubbed my back.

Jessa! Cook yelled and I groaned. The old troll was so annoying in the mornings. But she was the only one who would hire a human girl to work in a tavern in the Mixxed Territory.

Coming, I grumbled as my back protested to standing. I ignored it and stumbled across my tiny room to grab the only thing in my closet, if you could even call it a closet. It was more of a cubby.

I hated nightmares, but they continued to plague me each night. Though the word nightmare didn’t quite fit what I saw every night when I closed my eyes. They were memories. My memories. Tonight, I relived the day I lost my Wulf Dad. My Mama and Papa died when I was a little girl at the age of seven. All they left behind was the old locket hanging around my neck with my mother’s picture tucked inside. After they died, my Wulf Dad found and adopted me until he, too, was ripped away from me by a mob.

Someone banged against my door, Jessa. I recognized Galina’s sandpaper voice. She served alongside me in the tavern and her room stood next to mine. Jessa, come out.

I elected to ignore her as I tied my stained apron around my waist and ran my fingers down the coarse fabric to smooth it out. I’m coming in! Galina called before she shoved my door open.

Galina was around two years older than me at sixteen and had worked in the tavern longer. She never said much about her past, but neither did any of the girls. She always tied her oily black hair back in a braid, except for a few strands that framed her pale, green face. Galina was half-goblin and half-human. She cut her brown skirt so that it fell longer in the back and came to her knees in the front. Her apron had slits in it and accentuated her willowy figure. If Galina had been born into a different life, she might have been a famous dressmaker. But sadly, that wasn’t what happened.

You’re going to be late, Galina stated as she crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

I rolled my eyes, So? I snatched my green hair ribbon out of my cubby closet.

So... Galina marched across the moldy floor to take my hair tie from me. Cook isn’t going to like that.

Yah, well that old troll doesn’t like a lot of things. I’m just another one of those things, I snapped.

Galina hummed and brushed out my mud-colored hair with her fingers. With her goblin heritage, she stood shorter than the average human. But since I was short for my age, I only came to her shoulders. She tied my hair back with my green hair ribbon. You know, I’ve always liked this hair tie, Galina said. I grunted as I crossed my arms. It matches your eyes.

JESSA! GALINA! Cook yelled impatiently. Galina and I groaned in unison. We froze and glanced at each other before chuckling. I swiftly yanked my black mask out of my apron pocket and fastened it around the lower half of my face. Then I tucked my mother’s locket into the front of my dress. Galina tied her face mask on before we rushed out of my tiny room and down into the dirty kitchen.

Other girls around my age bustled around the small kitchen that smelled of rotting fish. They all made sure to avoid the grumpy old troll who ran the tavern. Cook was an intimidating woman, being a troll with greenish blue skin and yellow eyes. But I saw worse walk through the tavern doors every day.

All new girls worked in the kitchen with Cook while the more experienced girls served the customers. Those who served customers needed to wear face masks to conceal their identity. Because, in the Mixxed Territory of Croatoan, no one ever tipped and so the servers stole instead.

Attitude, serve table four, Cook ordered. She seldom called us girls by our real names, unless you had worked in the tavern for a while. Since, I worked there for two years, she sometimes called me Jessa. But she usually stuck to calling me by my nickname, Attitude.

Meeka stumbled over to me with a greasy tray in her hands. The little girl grinned up at me through half closed eyes, Mornin’ Jessy. She yawned. Meeka was 9 years old, with wilted raven hair hanging in her inky eyes. Get ‘ome good tips today.

I grabbed the greasy tray from Meeka before she could dump it in her half-asleep state. Thanks. I will, I mumbled out of habit giving Meeka a small smile even though she couldn’t see it behind my mask. I sniffed and smelled the faint scent of fiali-bread floating around her. And have fun with making fiali-bread.

Meeka slowly blinked up at me for a few seconds before giggling and yawning, ’ow do you al’aways know?

I leaned in and mock whispered loud enough for everyone to hear me, I’m magic. Actually, it was because had a better sense of smell than most people. I couldn’t remember ever not having it. But pretending I was magic was more fun.

You’re clearly not magic if you’re working here, Attitude, Cook rolled her eyes.

Galina grabbed a rusty pan out of a half-way rotted cabinet and said, If you were though, you’d better help us too.

Tavern girls stick together, Haidee stated. She stood at the sink, elbow deep in suds with her rats-nest of curls pulled back into a ponytail. She was about the same age as me only a few months younger. I envied her hazelnut-colored complexion, mostly because of how hard it was for her to sunburn.

Of course, I chuckled, And we’d all live in a big mansion together.

With servants to do our cooking and cleaning for us, Haidee added.

Obviously, Galina nodded.

And- I started to say.

Then Haidee interrupted me and pointed out, And then you stop dreaming and get back to work ‘cause you aren’t magic and have a job to do. She grabbed a dish towel and started shooing me out with it.  

Right, I chuckled as I pushed open the kitchen door and stepped out into the dining room. All manner of foul smells bombarded my nose, and I took a minute to fight my urge to gag. No matter how long I worked here, the stench never got any better. Sometimes having a sensitive sense of smell hurt more than it helped. I made my way across the crowded dining room towards table four.

After my Wulf Dad died, I lived on the streets of Troll Town for about a year before I met Galina, who brought me to the tavern at twelve years old. It was in Mixxed Territory where all manner of grotesque creatures from ogres to imps went to escape the law.

After the Shadow Ages, Croatoan split up into different territories. The Wintern Kingdom sat to the far north, just below the mountains of the Frosted North. Just south of Wintern lies Silverisa, now ruled by King and Queen Charming. The Towers and Rose Kingdom shared the east. While to the northeast of the Rose Kingdom was the Exiled Lands with a huge wall surrounding it. The Trolls and Ogres occupied the west. No other creature could enter unless they planned on becoming food. The southwest is rumored to be fairy territory while off the coast of the southest right below the Oceanic Kingdom is rumored to be mermaid territory. But, at the center of Croatoan, was where I lived, the Mixxed Territory. Where thieves run free, and ogres beat up creatures for looking at them wrong. Yep, that’s my home.

I shoved my rambling thoughts away as I approached table four, not that they noticed me. They were a group of goblins laughing about their recent score which was good for me because that meant they wouldn’t notice a little money missing.

Yous wouldn’t believe them gold they ‘ad layin around, the goblin nearest to me spoke. He looked week and skinny like most goblins with his greasy black hair slicked back into a ponytail. But never let appearances fool you. What goblins lacked in strength, they more than made up for in speed and stealth.

I set the tray down on the table and tried not to draw too much attention to myself. When I first started thieving, I needed to rely on distractions to help me steal. Now, I just slinked my right hand into the bag of the nearest goblin and pulled out as many coins as I could.

I’s just pick up them gold and run outta there. Probably ‘ad um chasin me for a mile, the goblin with the ponytail continued. I shoved the coins in my apron pocket and bent down to grab the tray. As I grabbed it, my locket tumbled out of my dress and swung from my neck.

I tried to scurry away before the goblins could notice, but the ponytail goblin snatched my wrist. That there’s a pretty necklace yous got. His eyes tracked the silver locket and a chill shot down my spine.

I yanked my wrist out of the ponytail goblin’s hand and gave him a glare, It’s not for sale, As I spoke, my dress sleeve fell back, revealing the burn scars underneath.

Ya poor girly, Another goblin piped up with a sickening grin. Where’d ya get that awful burn?

I don’t owe you an explanation, I sassed before turning on my heel and hurrying away from the table.

As I strode back to the kitchen to grab another tray, Sembria came up next to me with her own empty tray in hand. I called her Bria for short. Morning, Jessa. She grinned at me, and my tense shoulders relaxed a little. What did you nick? Bria was a year older than me and about a foot taller. Her blond hair always stayed twisted up in a knotted bun, her only hair down was her bangs.

I shrugged, I haven’t checked yet. How about you?

Bria’s grin widened as she shoved open the kitchen doors, Four silver.

My eyes widened, Nice.

I know.

Bun, Attitude, Cook barked at us before pointing towards the thieving jar.

Bria and I rolled our eyes before stomping over to the jar. The thieving jar is where we dumped half of our earnings after nicking them from customers. Bria dropped in two of her four silver coins before grabbing another tray and heading back into the dining room.

I pulled out the coins and froze on the spot. 50. 50 freakin’ gold coins, I whispered in awe. Bria dropped her tray before making it to the door and the rest of the kitchen fell silent. Most servers only stole about ten bronze coins sometimes four silver, but never 50 gold, even Cook looked stunned.

Jessa, Galina stared at me with her cobalt blue eyes blown wide.

Drop it, Cook ordered. She probably meant to sound intimidating, but it came out strangled. I dropped 24 gold coins into the jar and hoped that no one noticed the missing coin.

I rode on a high the rest of my shift and it passed in a blur. Next thing I knew, I stood outside of the tavern, breathing clear without my face mask. 26 gold coins jingled in my trusty bag. A grin graced my face for the first time in a long while.

I practically skipped to the bread seller and bought a whole fresh loaf, not my usual four-day-old quarter loaf that I get every other day. I bit into the warm loaf with a groan of satisfaction. It tasted like heaven. I got ready to dive in when a high-pitched squeal came from behind me. I turned in time to see the bread maker holding a young girl up by her dirty brown hair as she clutched a crust of stale bread to her chest. She couldn’t be older than Meeka I noted as she curled in on herself.

You rotten thief! The bread maker growled. The girl whimpered as he yanked her back and forth by her dirty hair.

Stop. I didn’t realize I spoke until the bread maker’s yellow eyes glared into mine. But I didn’t back down. Let her go.

Why should I listen to a human? The troll bread maker sneered. A few people stopped to stare at the three of us.

"Because I’ll pay you 3 gold coins to