Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 120974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
“You’d better if you come upon it,” the first man says darkly. “If you don’t, the forest will punish you. Don’t be breaking no branches for your fire neither—the trees bleed and Thornmere won’t forgive you for spilling their blood.”
“Blood for sap—you been living on the edge of that blasted forest too long,” the other man says. “Next thing we know, you’ll be saying you’re personal friends with the Lady of Thornmere.”
My ears perk up at that. Could it be that this man knows something of the Sorceress and how to get to her stronghold? I wonder if I dare to ask him or if I should just keep to myself and hope that I hear more without getting involved in their conversation.
Luckily, they keep talking and I edge a little closer, tilting my head to one side to catch what they’re saying.
“I’d never say no such thing—I’m not such a fool as to follow the path through Thornmere to its end,” the man with the red beard proclaims. “But I have heard a few things about her that would make your ears tingle.”
“Oh? And what have you heard and where did you hear it?” the other man asks and waves his tankard in the air. “Hey—more ale here!” he shouts.
The red-bearded man leans forward and whispers hoarsely—but still loud enough for me to hear,
“I’ve heard-tell that she’s a man-hater, so she is,” he mutters. “She captures men and bends them to her will because thinks women ought to be the ones running things—so she does.”
“What? How would they do that?” the man with the hairy, dirty face guffaws as though this is the funniest thing he’s ever heard.
Sitting on the hard wooden chair, I feel myself bristling. What’s so wrong with a woman running things? My own mother has been an excellent Queen and leader of our kingdom since my dear father died. But ignorant louts like this could never understand that.
“There—top it up, love,” the man says, shoving his tankard at the barmaid who’s appeared at his side. But he shoves too hard—pushing the tankard against her waist and causing her to stumble back into me.
Our legs get tangled and I gasp as I fall off my chair. The barmaid scrambles up and turns to apologize.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t even see you there, Miss!”
“It’s all right,” I tell her as I get to my feet. “It wasn’t your fault.” She scurries off and I shoot a glare at the man with the hairy, dirty face but unfortunately, he catches my look.
“Well, and what have we here?” he asks, rising from his chair and coming over to me. “What’s a pretty young thing like you doing in a place like this?”
Too late, I realize that my hood has fallen back to expose my face and hair. I take a step back from him, trying to pull the hood back into place but he’s not the only one watching me now.
“I am but passing through, Sir,” I say formally. “Please leave me be.”
“All by yourself, are you?” He leers at me, getting his face much closer to mine than I like. His breath is yeasty with ale—so strong I could almost get drunk just smelling it. Not that I’d want to.
“No, my companion is in the other room,” I say stiffly.
I’d like to stay and hear more of what his friend, red-beard, has to say about the forest and the Sorceress, but now that I’ve been exposed as an outsider, I think it’s better that I go. I turn away but—to my surprise—the man reaches for me and catches me by the wrist.
“Where do you think you’re going, girly?” he asks, grinning wide enough to show two rotten teeth.
“I am leaving. Now,” I say pointedly. “Unhand me, if you please.”
This makes him laugh.
“Unhand me, she says!” he chortles and his grip on my arm gets tighter. “Like she’s a fine lady!”
“I am the Princess of Theravan!” I snap, losing my patience. “Let me go at once or you’ll pay the price!”
But my words—which would have carried weight back at my home Court—do nothing but make the man leer at me.
“A princess, are you? Well, why don’t you come with me and I’ll teach you a thing or two, Your Highness.”
And to my horror, he starts dragging me away from the light of the fireplace back to a shadowy corner.
22
VALEN
I’m having a fucking horrible dream. It’s about Irena—she’s standing in the middle of a forest, all dressed in white. She’s barefoot and the trees are crowding around her, getting closer and closer. They’re reaching for her with greedy branches like sharp wooden fingers. I can tell if they get her in their grasp, they’ll do something terrible to her.
Even though I don’t like her and I fucking hate her family, I can’t help feeling dread rising in my gut. Something bad is going to happen—something I need to stop. She needs me—she’s in trouble!