Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
The same thing is happening with my lower half. The engraved silver bar encircles my waist and the fringe is long enough to hit me mid-thigh. Once again, it doesn’t really cover anything, just gives the impression of a skirt.
I am delighted to see that my legs and arms are covered in golden velvet fur. I touch my cheek and when I find the same velvet there, I let out a laugh.
Eros swings a leg over the… horse, then looks up at me. He’s tall, but this horse is gigantic, so the top of his head only comes to the animal’s back. “What’s so funny?”
“I have fur!” I laugh again. “I’m me!”
“No antlers.”
“Oh!” I touch my head. And he’s right. There is no set of magnificent antlers up there, but there are nubs where they might still come in. And a crown of some sort. It’s made of silver, like the bar encircling my chest and waist. But this time there is no fringe. There are thicker chains of silver and when I trace my fingers down these chains, I realize that they attach to a collar around my neck. “Who cares about antlers. I’m happy just to have fur again. And look!” I lift my foot up and wiggle my lion toes. “Paws!” I lift my leg up higher and point to the middle joint of my leg. “And hocks! I never thought I’d be so happy to see hocks again!”
Eros reaches up to me. “Need help dismounting?”
Normally I do not. I am an excellent rider. But the current distance between me and the ground feels long. So I take his hand, swing my leg over, and let him set me down.
Eros lets go of me and takes a step back. “That’s quite an outfit you’re wearing. Or… not wearing.”
We both laugh. “I’m kind of naked.”
He nods, grinning a little. “Mmm-hmm. You’re kind of naked.”
I’ve never been much of an exhibitionist, but I have to admit, I like the look. It feels very… desert queen.
I point at Eros. He’s shirtless, tanned brown, and sweaty. He’s also missing his wings. How interesting that I was given back my old body, but something was taken from him. His blond hair is tied back with a bit of leather, but some of it has worked its way loose in the wind. His eyes are bright, bright green. And he’s wearing sand-colored canvas pants tucked into well-worn brown leather boots, but that’s pretty much it. “You’re nearly naked too.”
He nods, absently. Looking around at the landscape as his hand explores a pocket on the side of his pants. He looks down as he pulls the hand out, opening his palm to reveal a wad of folded money and a few coins.
I lean towards him, trying to get a better look. “Where’s it all from?”
Eros holds up a bill, the ink bleeding through each side from the sun. “I don’t recognize the writing. Do you?”
I take it, study it closer, and nod. “It’s Vinca money for sure. See?” I point to the image of a palace. “That’s the ancient palace. It was destroyed thousands of years ago. But look here.” I point to a series of ancient numbers. “These are Glory numbers. Vinca used that system because the realms were so connected back then. But this design”—I point to a pyramid with the face of a bull god in the center—“this is Apis. So this is territory money. Vinca does not worship chimera. But there were plenty of territories that did. Even in my day they still did. And the realm would respect their right to do that by putting their godlings on the local money.”
“So we’re in the territories?”
I look around. “Well, I’ve never been anywhere like this. So I don’t know.”
“What about the coins?” He puts one in my hand. “Do you recognize this?”
There is the head of a lion on the front and the paw of one on the back. “This is definitely House of Fire silver.” I look at Eros. “How did it get all the way out here?”
Eros looks at the coin. “This place is fucking hot. I already hate it.”
I don’t know what to say back to that, so I change the subject. “What’s with the size of this horse?”
“Is it a horse?”
Eros and I study the animal. It shares a lot of characteristics with a horse, but the size… It’s massive. And the feet are not only proportionally gigantic, but spiked with some kind of sharp ridge, something you’d see on the back of a reptile or a fish. Something used in battle.
Other than that, it is a horse.
Eros slides his hand under the fur saddle pad and pulls it back, revealing scars. “Look.”
I put my hand over my heart in shock. “Oh, my. Is that a…”
“I think it is.”