Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
In all the pictures I’d ever seen drawn of goblins, the monsters were hairless. Yet this one had a curly white beehive rising from the top of its skull. Was it…was it wearing a wig? It was as if someone had turned their gray-haired granny into a goblin.
“How many rooms will you be needing?” the goblin inquired, its mouth spreading into a wide grin full of crooked yellow teeth.
“Two?” Nylian turned and cocked his head at me. “Two rooms? Or shall we share—”
“Two rooms would be perfect,” I cut him off, forcing a stiff smile. In Misty Pass I’d been terrified of the elf leaving me behind. After all the miles we traveled and conversations we’d shared, as well as that strange encounter in the stream, I was less concerned with him abandoning me. Right now, what I needed most was a bath and some privacy to think.
We both signed the register, and the goblin snagged a couple of keys. The iron one she handed to me, while Nylian received a key that looked to be made of bronze. This time, I was the one who placed the money on the counter while smirking at the elf.
“I believe this makes us even,” I taunted.
Nylian grunted, grinning back at me. “It’s a good start.”
A loud and obnoxious clearing of someone’s throat shattered our moment. Adeline’s throat, specifically.
We turned as one to find the diminutive thief glaring at us with her hands on her hips. Jasper hovered a few feet away, clutching his grimoire, his face red and directed toward the ground. Not that he had anything to be embarrassed about. We were the ones trying to run out on our debt. She was the good businessperson hunting down cheap-ass customers.
“We told you we don’t have that kind of money on us,” Nylian repeated. “It will take some time to get it. For now, you know where to find us if you and your brother wish to take accommodations somewhere else in the city.”
“Oh, hell no!” She marched up to the counter, elbowed me out of the way, and slapped a two coins on the shining wood. “One room, please.” She scowled at Nylian and me. “If you think for a second I’m letting you two out of my sight, you’re out of your minds. You’re not leaving Riverhold until I get paid.”
“Yes, yes. You’ll get paid,” Nylian muttered. He grabbed my elbow and pulled me to the stairs so we could find our rooms. Not surprisingly, we were right across from each other on the third floor.
After unlocking my door, I didn’t get more than a peek inside before Nylian called for me.
“Lockhart? Are you staying in this evening?”
I blinked at him for a moment, not expecting him to ask about my plans. “I thought I would do some shopping. There are some things I was hoping to pick up.”
He nodded once. “Allow me to wash off, and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Wincing, I fought the urge to backpedal. After clinging to him so tightly, I felt bad attempting to get rid of him now. “Actually, I was hoping to do some exploring on my own while there’s still sunlight. You’ve got to be tired of me stepping on your heels, anyway.”
Nylian’s expression closed off, making him impossible to read, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was disappointed.
“But we could find a proper restaurant to eat in this evening. A place with carefully cooked food and greens. My treat!”
The elf hesitated, his gaze softening as he rubbed one finger along his jaw. “Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
“Positive. I think I can manage a couple of hours alone without getting killed.”
“Okay. We’ll meet in front of the inn two hours from now so you can treat me to a meal.”
“Excellent!” I darted into my room and closed the door, willing my heart to slow down to a normal pace. This wasn’t lying to Nylian. Well, not more than I’d done already. I needed to run some errands and find someone to look at this damn coin.
What was I supposed to do? Tell him I wasn’t from this world? Yeah, that would go over so well. He’d kill me on the spot for being insane.
No.
No, he wouldn’t.
But he wouldn’t believe me, and I was sure that would hurt him. There was nothing that could make me hurt him. The guy was going through enough bullshit with people plotting against him. He didn’t need my brand of nonsense fucking up his life.
This was one secret he didn’t need to know about. I could keep this one thing from him and still help him get to the truth.
With that reassurance that I could get it all done and not destroy Nylian’s world, I tossed my cloak and sword onto the bed with the rather nice quilt, and walked over to the washbasin, where I splashed some water onto my face. My wavy reflection in the mirror showed a bedraggled man who’d spent too many days on the road. I cleaned up as best I could before jetting out the door again, though I might have peeked into the hallway first to make sure I wasn’t about to run into Nylian. I didn’t trust him to not trail after me if he spotted me.