Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 96695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
The stranger’s low chuckle drifted across the room. He did this weird hobbling step over to Hugo and squatted so that his face was right next to Hugo’s, but his mask made it impossible to see his eyes.
“Hope is a funny thing. It makes us want things we know we shouldn’t. Makes us fight and achieve impossible things.”
Hugo scoffed. “Like spinning straw into gold? Yeah, I seriously doubt I’m ever going to develop that magical skill. I create and weave glass. That’s all. Nothing important.”
“But you make beautiful things with it because your soul is beautiful,” the stranger whispered, bringing the hint of a smile to Hugo’s lips. “And you know glass can be as deadly as steel. Bet you could protect a person with that gift. It has more value than you think.”
“Maybe.”
“The important question is whether this useless prince—”
“Not useless,” Hugo cut in sharply.
“Okay, okay, not useless. Does this beautiful specimen of human flesh return your feelings?”
Hugo snorted at the stranger’s description of Everand. He didn’t seem to care for the prince, but Hugo had felt the same about Ev at one time. It was likely that this person didn’t know him at all.
“Yes, Prince Everand likes me too. He wants to see me. But even he warned me that being together might be complicated.”
The stranger made a dismissive noise. “Complicated. Bah. All things worthwhile demand a fight. Are you willing to fight for him?”
Hugo didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes, I want to fight for him. I want to be worthy of him and have him fall in love with me.”
The stranger straightened, clapped his hands together, and rubbed them. “Then we need to get you out of here. But you know my requirements. I don’t work for free.”
Hugo climbed to his feet as well and lifted his hands, already pulling on his spark of magic within his chest. “Would you like me to make you another rose? Or maybe an iris? I know how to make a few other flowers. How about a branch with a bunch of pink plum blossoms?”
But the stranger was shaking his head. “Nope. Nope. You made me a glass flower. This needs to be something different. Something you didn’t make, but that has value.”
“Oh.” Hugo’s heart sank as he dug through his pockets. He’d brought nothing with him. Just worn the nicest suit he had, which was the suit he’d received during his last visit to the palace. “I’ve got some money. Not many coins, but you can have all of them.”
The stranger made a noise. “Coins are too common. Everyone has coins.”
Hugo was about to point out that most people would argue they don’t have nearly enough coins when the stranger grabbed his hand.
“What’s this?”
Hugo looked down to find him looking at the jade-and-silver ring he wore on his thumb. His father’s ring—the only thing he had left from his father. He jerked his hand free and covered his right hand with his left, rubbing his thumb across the wide band. “It’s my father’s ring.”
“So, it’s valuable.”
“Well, probably just to me. It’s not worth much to anyone else if you try to sell it. You wouldn’t get much if they melted it. I’m sure I have more coins in my pocket than you’d get for the ring.”
“Doesn’t matter. That’s what I want. The ring in exchange for spinning all this straw into gold.”
Hugo frowned and stared at the ring, rubbing it even harder. What would his father say?
He almost laughed. He could hear his father’s deep, booming voice in his head demanding that he take the deal right that second. It was just an old ring, and this was his chance to chase after love. Of his parents, his father was the romantic. He’s the one who’d chased after their mother, while his mother was somehow the pragmatic one.
“Okay, but will you promise me one thing?” Hugo said.
“What’s that?”
“If you ever wish to get rid of this ring, will you try to find me first? Let me make an offer for it before you sell it to anyone else.”
The stranger hopped from one foot to the other and punched Hugo in the shoulder. He got the feeling he was smiling behind his mask. “Deal!”
Hugo felt a little better about sliding the ring off his thumb and putting it into the gloved palm of his companion. At least there was a slim chance of the ring working its way back to him one day.
With a cackle, the stranger dropped onto the stool behind the spinning wheel, setting it whirling. Hugo jumped into action, pulling straw closer to the man so it was easily within his grasp. He also shifted the basket of empty wooden bobbins closer.
One after another, he watched the bobbins fill with glittering gold thread. Each one got him one step closer to Everand. He still didn’t know how he was going to fix the mess he was in. He needed to stop the queen from ever making this demand again, but he wasn’t sure how he was going to do that without losing his head.