Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
Maybe it is this situation with you that is my true punishment . . .
It occurred to me that the situation he spoke of wasn’t taking me to the dragons. If it were, letting me leave would absolve him of that hardship. It wasn’t foregoing his duty, either. How I left would clear him of that, not to mention my innocence of the crimes in question. No, it had to be me leaving him at all that was his true punishment.
I gasped out a struggled breath that rustled Weston’s hair. It was time to go.
I bent forward and kissed his lips softly, lingering there for a moment. Gods help me, I no longer wanted to walk away. Now that I had the ability, I didn’t want to exercise my freedom. I couldn’t stay here, though. If I stayed, he’d have no choice but to do his duty.
And it sounded like it might not be in my best interest to meet the dragons.
After quickly getting dressed I grabbed my bag, hearing a tinkling in the bottom. Confused, I opened and reached down, finding a little sack with hard objects inside.
Gold.
My eyes widened as I looked into the pouch.
Inside was more gold than I’d ever seen in my life, though in fairness, I had rarely ever seen one coin, let alone several. Weston had known with certainty tonight would be the night even before I’d given him that wine. He wasn’t just letting me walk away, he was ensuring I could do it easily. Safely. He was providing me the necessities to start a life on my own, something Granny had never done.
The tears filling my eyes overflowed this time.
He didn’t have to do this. Letting me go was plenty, providing me an escape path was beyond expectations, but this? My heart swelled again, so big I nearly choked on it.
I wasn’t going to waste his generosity. I tucked the pouch back inside my pack, on top of a pile of my clothes. He’d put those in, too.
Last was the lantern. I took it from its hook and then stopped next to the cot, bending to press one last kiss to his forehead.
“Good-bye,” I whispered, my voice quivering.
With the lantern doused for the moment, I wasted no time, quickly and silently slipping out of the tent and around it to the woods beyond. Wolves lay in groups, sheltered at the bases of trees or opting for the soft grasses. Emberflies moved through the air in a lazy drift, sparkling above them.
This time my heart constricted. I’d made friends here. Well, the closest thing to friends I’d ever had, at any rate. I’d made allies; Hadriel was clearly in my corner. I’d remember them, always. I’d remember that, despite how we’d met, they’d eventually helped me get a fresh start in life.
Beyond them and through the trees, the bright moonlight dappled the ground, cutting down on my visibility. There was nothing for it but to push through. I couldn’t use a light until I was away from sentry view. There was a hole in their coverage, sure, but I doubted that would extend to a great glowing beacon. All I had to do was keep my current direction and I’d be fine.
It took about an hour and a half to finally step out of the trees, and I stood there for a moment, a little shaken. I looked back, seeing nothing but darkness and shadow in my wake. I felt no presence lurking in the shadows, felt no eyes watching me. No one waited.
Good news.
I ran my fingers through my hair and straightened my clothes so that I looked presentable. Once upon a time, a starved and frightened child stumbled up to gate houses and along thoroughfares of towns like the one in front of me, looking for help or shelter. Looking for food. Sometimes it had been in the middle of the night; I’d been bedraggled and wild and begging for help, eventually explaining what happened to my mother and revealing my magic-less status. Those had been nails into my coffin, the guards completely unbothered if I were to stagger away somewhere and die.
Not this time.
With my head held high and an air of importance swirling around me, I walked with confidence along the path leading to the town. Given the hour and the apparent size of the town, the large wooden rolling gate would still be closed. A little viewing station sat beside it, currently empty.
“Hello there,” I called up, my lantern glowing and my pack secured on my back. I had a few coppers in my pocket for easy reach. Weston had thoughtfully given me change. Flashing around a bunch of gold would only bring the wrong sort of interest. “Hello!”
A sleepy face showed in the cut-out window with no glass. A man on in his years rubbed his eyes and then ran a dirty palm down his face. He blinked several times and then looked down on me again.