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)
Jasper spoke some garbled words that sent a powerful echo into the marrow of my bones, and thrust out his hand. A bolt of purple light shot forth, and I dove for the ground, not caring that I was getting covered in dirt, mud, and worse. Metal clattered against paving stones, followed by several loud and angry quacks.
I shoved upright and twisted while still kneeling to see four white ducks waddle out of the alley.
“Ducks?” I shrieked. My head whipped around to see Jasper cringing behind his grimoire. “You turned them into fucking ducks?”
“I was trying the same stone spell I attempted with the ogres,” Jasper replied, his voice muffled behind his book.
With a groan, I climbed to my feet and glared at the ducks, who were quacking and waddling in all different directions. This was a disaster, not a distraction.
Jasper hurried over to my side and helped me to pat away the dust and dirt that now covered my clothes. “Don’t worry! They’ll turn human again in an hour or two. I’m sure of it.”
“That’s assuming that someone doesn’t catch them, pluck them, and roast them before they’re human again.”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
I sighed and looked at the alley to find it empty. Adeline had likely climbed a wall or slipped into a window the moment those assholes had turned toward me. She’d missed the magical half of our performance.
“You know,” a too-familiar voice above my head said. It sent a chill along my back, and I curled up a little prior to lifting my eyes. Nylian sat on the railing of a small balcony on the second floor of a residence. He held the slender stem of a red flower between two fingers, twirling it slowly, as if he were the most carefree person in the world. But when he lowered his stare to me, I wished the four brutes were here to beat me to a pulp. “I thought the inn was in the other direction,” he continued in an icy voice.
“I think you’re right!” My voice was so high, I thought I was going to shatter glass. I grabbed Jasper with both hands and turned the wizard in the correct direction. “We are going the other way right now.”
I partially dragged Jasper along the street, speed walking the entire way to the inn so that we were panting and sweaty as we arrived. I wasn’t brave enough to glimpse over my shoulder to see how close Nylian was. If I were lucky, he’d take some time to calm down. Because right now, I was pretty sure the elf was going to kill me.
Chapter 14
A Little Massage for the Angry Elf
At the inn, I got Jasper into his room. While he was more than eager to have a sleepover—even offering to sleep on my floor—I needed some space. Particularly since Nylian and I had to have a chat in private, and I didn’t want Jasper around while Nylian read me the riot act over my failure to obey his rather simple instructions.
I’d barely closed my door and peeled off my boots when there were two hard knocks. With a sigh, I opened the door in stockinged feet and waved for the pissy elf to enter.
“Look, I know what you’re going to say. I should have followed your instructions and taken Jasper straight to the inn, and I’m sorry for worrying you. We were walking to the inn when we saw those four men corner Adeline in the alley. Jasper freaked out, demanding we help her. I figured you were busy with the other three. I thought I could distract them long enough to give Adeline a chance to escape, and then Jasper and I would run. But things went…”
Steam ran out on my words when I found myself trapped in Nylian’s narrowed gaze. The ice from earlier had melted, and now he was a boiler about to explode under the mounting pressure.
“Did it not occur to you that I was winnowing down the number of men chasing that thief? That maybe you were in my way when you picked up a shovel to defend yourself?” Nylian demanded through clenched teeth.
“Oh. No. It didn’t.”
“And what were you going to do, Lord of Distractions, when your first plan failed?” Nylian took a step toward me, and I backpedaled.
“I was still working that out.”
“Luckily, you had an untrained wizard with you to turn them all into ducks.”
The undercurrent of rage in Nylian’s voice faltered for the first time when he mentioned the fowl end for those bruisers. His lips twitched as if he were trying not to smile, but I could see amusement twinkling in his eyes. I was pretty sure I was off the hook. The elf had needed a chance to vent and make sure I was chastened.
“What would you have done if he’d hit you with that spell?” Nylian growled.