Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Jasher shrugged, unaffected by my outburst. “I came for the compass.”
Maybe. Probably. But the fact was, he’d come, and that was all that mattered to me.
Nugget woke with a start and growled at the executioner, his eyes flashing bright red. I kissed his fuzzy little face, telling Jasher, “He’s hungry.”
A moment passed in stunned silence. “You expect me to feed the runt our rations, too?”
“Was I not clear? Sorry. Yes, I do expect you to feed him our rations.”
“You know he’ll grow into a beast as depraved as trappers, yes? He’ll do it fast.”
“There are few beings as depraved as trappers. But yes, I’ve seen a fully grown rabdog. I understand what I’m getting into.” No way I would back down on this. “So do you feed him or do we part ways now?”
His jaw clenched. “I said I’d get you to the City of Lux, nothing more, nothing else.”
“Well, he goes where I go.” Up went my chin. “About that food.”
“I probably killed his father. And his uncle. And his aunt. And—”
“Okay, I get it. The big, bad executioner slaughtered the pack of rabdogs sent to kill him. Noted. Last chance.” I redistributed the animal’s weight and held out my hand, waving my fingers. “Jerky.”
Huffing, the ruthless executioner dug a piece of dried meat from his pack. Rather than offer it to Nugget, he passed it to me. I pressed the morsel against Nugget’s mouth, and he gobbled it up in record time, ending his growl fest.
Then Jasher shocked me further. He picked up a pair of boots resting at the base of the tree. My boots! Kneeling, he fitted the shoes on my battered feet. It hurt, but I didn’t dare complain, too overjoyed by the gift. And the man. He’d let me hang on to my baby.
“Thank you.” There was no stopping a sudden, wild tsunami of affection for him. Without Jasher, Earl’s plan would have failed. I saw the truth so clearly now. As desperate as we’d been, we’d hadn’t acknowledge the very real obstacles. The executioner solved the problem and saved the day.
“You’re welcome,” he grumbled.
I wouldn’t let myself hug him. “Shall we go before the cannibals decide to turn back and seek revenge?” I batted my lashes at him. “Along the way, I’d love to hear where you got the bow and all the arrows.”
“It’s not a long story. I spent the night making them.”
That…he…wow. My admiration for him spiked. He’d gone to great lengths to aid me. “Thank you,” I repeated, the words now a low rasp.
“Stop saying that. I don’t like it.” Another grumble.
Or he liked it too much? “You know, Jash, you’re actually a pretty nice guy. For a killer and all.”
He rolled his eyes, then turned on his heel and stalked off.
I trailed him as Nugget conformed his little body to my chest. “How did you find me? Was it the blood-stained path I left for you? It was the path, wasn’t it?”
“It did make finding your trail easier when the trappers took measures to hide their course,” Jasher admitted, albeit somewhat reluctantly.
So. Not a wasted effort, after all. I beamed at everything and nothing, proud of my brilliance.
Oh! Two black and white horses, each with a single horn, stood between a pair of trees, their feathery wings tucked into their sides. They watched while bathed in shadows, and my next step faltered.
They reminded me of the flying stallions depicted in my mother’s painting at Emerald City Clucks. Even more proof that she’d spent a good amount of time here. I almost couldn’t process it.
“Jasher. Hey, Jasher,” I whisper-yelled, doing my best not to frighten the creatures. Argh! They disappeared in a puff of white smoke between one blink and another.
“Yes, Moriah?” The executioner sounded resigned.
“Never mind,” I groused.
On we traveled, one hour blending into another. When my arms grew tired from Nugget’s weight, I borrowed another shirt from my guide and rigged a sling.
“We’re taking a slight detour to a nearby village to replenish our supplies,” Jasher announced. “If we stay on the move and encounter no trouble, we’ll arrive before nightfall. We’ll stay at the inn.”
Oooh. A temporary reprieve from my litany of aches and pains sounded delightful. A wonderful prize we both deserved after everything we’d survived. “I would love a bath. I reek of cannibal.”
“I know.”
Ouch. “Yes. Well. You aren’t exactly a sweet smelling rose, either.” Because he was all orchids and sandalwood!
He hiked his shoulders, not the least bit offended.
As silence stretched between us, my mind attempted to resurrect thoughts of Earl, my father and their fates, bringing a deluge of emotion I couldn’t afford to stroke. I forced myself to concentrate on my return to Ozworld, Kansas.
There really was no place like home.
CHAPTER 10
THE COWARDLY LION
Istood beside Jasher at the top of a wooded hill roughly a mile from Dead Man’s Pass, with a sleeping Nugget nestled in the T-shirt sling. The village was not what I’d expected. A cluster of cabins and shops reminded me of old Wild West towns I’d seen in movies. Set in a clearing, this one boasted a single dirt road and multiple posts for tying horses. Women dressed in plain shirts and leather pants were scattered in groups, all rushing for the same building. Excitement filled the air. There wasn’t a man in sight.