Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 153795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 769(@200wpm)___ 615(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 769(@200wpm)___ 615(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
“I’m not here to cause trouble,” Thane replies. “I’m here to buy a horse. Now let me through.”
“Thing is, Valkor, Garyn is still pissed at you.” Valkor? So that’s his last name. Or maybe it’s his first and he goes by the last? I don’t know. “Do you know how long it took to clean up the card tables after you left? They were covered in velvet, and blood was everywhere, you piece of shit. We had to replace over half of them and bury those men.”
Thane offers a shrug. “My condolences.” He strides toward Chaun as he sticks out his hand. Thane drops several gold coins into Chaun’s palm.
Chaun makes sure the other guard isn’t looking before counting them. With an annoyed exhale, he shifts backward. “Go through the back gate. But I’m warning you now, don’t let Garyn catch you. You get a horse and get the fuck out.” He bobs his head at the other man. “Take them ’round.”
The other guard leads the way, skirting the perimeter of the brick wall until a smaller gate appears. It creaks on the hinges as the guard unlocks the doors. I follow Thane closely, ignoring the stranger’s obvious annoyance.
Redclaw isn’t really a town, more like a small settlement. The dirt streets ahead are bustling with bodies. Copious treetops hang over the brick walls, as if they’re proud to keep this place a secret. The sky is hard to make out, so it appears darker here than outside the gates. Shabby huts line either side of the street, and as we pass through, a few people peep out of their windows.
I grip the strap of my rucksack tighter as I notice a group of men standing near a tavern, smoking brimsticks. Ahead of us, in the heart of the village, is a half-circle of dirt-stained pavilions.
Merchants stand outside of them, shouting prices as we pass, insisting that we step in to look at what they’re offering. Most of them smile and wave. Oh, no. I’m not falling for it this time. I keep a good pace with Thane as he remains intent on finding a horse.
Finally, we arrive at a stable made of tin walls and worn wooden beams. A man with a massive, wide-brimmed hat sits in an enclosed booth built in front of it, chewing disgustingly on a mouthful of seeds.
When he catches sight of Thane, he spits to the side and sighs. “Shit. Not you again.”
“Yes. Me again.” Thane stops short of his booth, waiting for him to come out.
He’s a short man, ruddy with a pot belly. His bones pop and crack as he climbs off the stool, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth to clear the seed shells. “What happened to your last horse?”
“Sold it.”
“You don’t get attached to anything, do you?” Big Hat asks, cracking a grin.
Thane doesn’t smile. Instead, he gestures to the stables and says, “Best horse you have.”
“That’ll be a pretty coin,” Big Hat replies.
Thane digs into his pocket, producing a handful of coins. He shoves them into Big Hat’s hand and demands, “Horse. Now.”
“All right, all right. Take it easy, killer.” The man takes off after counting the coins and enters one of the stables with a chuckle.
Okay, first Chaun mentions blood on velvet tables and buried men, now Big Hat is calling him killer? I start to ask Thane what he means by that until someone else’s voice overpowers mine.
“I know that’s not who I think it is!” a booming voice calls from behind us.
I whirl around while Thane inhales and exhales slowly like he’s been expecting this man but had hopes of dodging him.
“Garyn.” Thane finally turns to face the person wearing a red vest and matching gambler hat. His skin is purplish-brown, and he has thick, silvery-white braids that stop at his shoulders. He wears a black eyepatch over his left eye, but his right eye is alarming. The pupil is large and seems to absorb the color of his iris.
People who have eyes like theirs do the nastiest kind of drugs. Kopa is the worst of them because it’s created with beastial blood and makes mortals feel invincible, like they have speed, flight, or can climb walls, too. And maybe they can. I don’t know for sure. Analla spoke about kopa all the time, but only to serve as a warning for me to never, ever do it.
That creepy eye of Garyn’s swoops toward me. He flashes what I assume is meant to be a charming smile. I step back as Thane shifts forward, partially blocking me from Garyn’s view.
“We’re getting a horse and leaving,” Thane tells him.
Garyn keeps that twisted grin plastered on his face, fixing his attention on Thane again. “What? No fight in you today?”
“No time,” says Thane.
“Right, yeah.” Garyn sniffs as Big Hat returns from the stables guiding a black horse with a silky ivory mane by the reins. “But see”—Garyn waves a finger—“I don’t think I should just let you leave. Last time, you ripped through my tavern, and I lost eight good men. You disappear for weeks and now you’re back, prancing through my territory and buying horses like you own the place.”