Sword and Tattoo

At the center of the known world lies a village with no name. Few traverse the heart of the Sea of Grass, fewer still stray from the main road. But from time to time a traveler loses the way back to civilization and find themselves in this strange village.
Such as a man with a broken sword and the tattoos of one of the bandit tribes. More dead than alive, the villagers leave him to the care of the last ward they took in.
Just a girl when she appeared among them, a woman now, she never speaks a word. But everyone hides their own secrets, especially those who live in hidden villages.
"Sword and Tattoo", a fantasy short story which originally appeared in the ages of Mythic Delirium.