Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
The light that filtered through the trees caught the line of a jaw rough with scruff from a day or two’s growth and the faint scar that curved from his left brow to his temple.
His eyes remained on hers, waiting.
“Do not trouble me, sir, I am on an errand and will meet with friends just up ahead,” she said, to dissuade him from harming her.
“Wise to tell me such a tale, but no one waits ahead for you.”
He didn’t even glance over his shoulder to make sure he was that confident.
She stared at him, not sure what to do. He could be a thief, though he would have attempted to rob her by now. If he was a seeker, he would be asking her endless questions, searching for answers. And worst of all if he was a mercenary, her fate would be sealed. Or could he be a wanderer—
“You wonder who this stranger is who stands before you,” he said, cutting through her thoughts.
She eyed him suspiciously. It was a reasonable assumption or he was astute.
“Aye, I am,” she said cautiously.
He gave a slight bow before saying, “I am a wanderer.”
A wanderer. One of the lost ones who moved between villages, trading labor or stories for a meal. A few had passed through Birkfell, harmless people who vanished as easily as they came. Yet there was nothing harmless about this man. He looked more like a warrior than a wanderer.
“Then I shall not keep you,” she said, expecting, hoping, he would simply step aside and let her pass.
He tilted his head. “I assume you are a healer hiding from the Hunters with the way you watched the village through the trees.”
Her eyes shot wide and worry turned her stomach. He had seen her and followed her. What did he want with her? Would he turn her over to the Hunters for coins?
His hand went up. “I wish you no harm. I enjoy my freedom and would not deprive another of it.”
She did not know what to make of him. He could speak truthfully or could tell tales as wanderers were known to do. And she did not have the time to find out. She had to get to Thornleigh.
She hesitated, fingers tightening around her cloak. “I am an herb-scribe, and I am wasting time speaking with you. I must be on my way.” She waited for him to step aside.
Understanding sparked in his gray eyes. “You ran not just to avoid capture, but to warn the other healer villages.”
Her head lifted sharply, caught off guard by how easily he understood what she meant.
“It is what I would do,” he said and gave a faint shrug. “If I had reason to care.”
Elara frowned. “Yet you sound as though you do.”
“Maybe I don’t like to see innocent people dragged away for a king’s fancy.”
“And that concerns you why?”
“I told you that I’m a wanderer. I go where the roads lead, and I’ve seen enough to know when they’re about to run red. The road is a dangerous place to travel alone, even more so for a woman. You had no idea I followed you after seeing you run from Birkfell. I could escort you if you’d like. It matters not where I go, so it is no chore to accompany you.”
His words unsettled her. Why had he followed her and why would he, a stranger, suggest such a thing? Once again, she wondered about his honesty or was he clever enough to sound it?
She studied him, noting again the curve of his scar, the fine make of his worn cloak, the confident weight in his stance and the way his dark hair brushed his shoulders, the strands glimmering from a fresh wash. Nothing about him matched the aimless poverty and neglect of a true wanderer.
“You say you care little,” she said slowly, “yet you offer to help me. Why?”
“As I said, the roads are dangerous, strewn with Hunters who will not stop until they find what they search for and thieves who will take more than you want to give, and then there are the heartless mercenaries. Alone, you’ll be scooped up. With me, I can protect you from the dangers that lurk on the road and Hunters will find no interest in you if you’re not alone.”
“And why is that?”
“They will think we are a couple who wander together.”
Her pulse quickened at such a ridiculous notion, though she kept her expression still. “You expect me to trust a man, a stranger, I know nothing about?”
He smiled faintly, but it wasn’t warm. “Wisdom would serve you better than trust right now. It’s me or the Hunters.”
Elara had no desire to come across Hunters, but how did she trust a wanderer?
He seemed to read her silence. “I’ll see you safely to your destination. After that, we can part ways. Refuse my offer if you want, but I intend to follow you anyway, as I have been doing, and see you get there safely.”