Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“What’s wrong?” Nylian demanded, glancing over his shoulder at me.
“Uh…nothing. I-I just remembered…we forgot that medicine the healer made me.”
“Ha!” The wind nearly carried away Nylian’s sharp laugh. “Like you were ever going to take that.”
Okay, that was true. I had no intention of applying a single poultice or sprinkling any of that powder in my tea. No great loss. Only a waste of Nylian’s money.
The more important thing was that Nylian wasn’t hurt, and we’d escaped without a problem. He’d even waited for me.
No, this wasn’t a big deal. So what if there was one less woman in his harem? There were still plenty of others for Nylian to meet. I could still fix this.
Chapter 5
Out of the Frying Pan…
Getting transmigrated to a new world of my creation was turning out to be a real pain in the ass.
Literally.
We rode for what felt like hours in the growing darkness. I could barely see anything ahead of us as trees thick with leaves blocked the moonlight. All I could do was cling to the horse and pray I wouldn’t fall off. My ass and thighs cried and complained the entire ride. I was not cut out for life in the saddle.
Yes, I had this sexy new body, and I probably made an impressive figure on the back of my stolen horse, but I couldn’t get past the pain.
When the sadist leading us away from Misty Pass declared we’d ridden far enough and called a halt, I poured off the horse rather than gracefully dismounting.
“How?” I moaned, bent over and rubbing my ass and thighs.
“What?”
“How do you get used to this? My ass is killing me.”
There was a noise. It was soft. Almost imperceptible, but I caught it.
My hand shot up, and I pointed one finger at Nylian. “Fuck no,” I snarled at him.
“What?”
“That. As much as I would love to crack that stone face of yours and make you laugh, you may not laugh now. No snickers. Not even a chortle. Do you hear me? No laughing at my ass-misery.”
There was a long pause before Nylian made a noise and asked in a very serious voice, “Would you like me to rub your ass?”
“Fuck off.”
The elf didn’t react to that, and I straightened, glancing around the small clearing Nylian had chosen for our rest. Thanks to the oppressive darkness, I couldn’t tell if we were still close to the road or if he’d led us away for our own safety. Not that I expected those hoodlums from the tavern to follow us. That was too much work, and they’d been looking for an easy target.
“The more time you spend in the saddle, the more the pain eases,” Nylian murmured. He turned his head and raised one eyebrow in my direction. “One would think you’ve spent several years in the saddle.”
“Shut up.”
Yes, I know. So witty. But I was tired, cold, and my ass hurt. Apparently, when I’d transmigrated into this new body, my old ass had come with me.
After securing the horses for the night and pulling the gear off them, we set about gathering up some firewood. Without even being told, the elf explained the proper way to make a fire. I watched closely, following his instructions for feeding the fledgling flame kindling and blowing on it as the smoke curled toward the sky. He didn’t ask any more questions, which I hoped meant he thought I was some useless noble who always had servants doing things for him.
“So…you’re a bard,” Nylian stated after the fire was crackling and we settled on the ground, resting against our saddles. I’d pulled my cloak close as the chill in the air nipped at me.
“Ha! Not even.” A cackle broke from my throat, and I grinned at the dancing flames. “My mom made me take piano lessons, hoping it would make me more cultured. I kept up with it to impress women.” The words were out of my mouth before I even thought about what I was saying.
“You’re getting your memory back?”
I shrugged one shoulder while cursing my loose tongue. “Bits and pieces. When I was playing the piano, I recalled my mother harassing me about lessons.”
“You’re good.”
“You’re being too generous, but I’ll take it.” I shifted my eyes away from the campfire to the elf, who was sitting with his long legs crossed at the ankles. Despite the desperate race through the darkness and the chilly night air, he seemed perfectly at ease, nary a blond hair out of place. Shadows played across the sharp features of his face, alternating between creating a villain and a god.
“It was a good distraction,” he admitted.
“That I will agree with.” I chuckled as I pulled my gaze away from him to peer into the blackness that lay beyond our campsite. “I figured the two of us had little shot of taking on that many guys at once, and I wasn’t in the mood to get beat up. It’s been such a long day. Why not distract the entire tavern and give you the opening to escape?”