Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Fuck it. If I’m going to die by poisoned food, at least it will have been a good meal.
I have a bite. As expected, it tastes delicious.
“And?” Torsten goads. “Is it good enough for an Eslander? I can’t imagine the lot of you surviving on anything more than desert bugs.”
I paste on a smile and nod at Margarelle. “Compliments to the chef. It’s very good.”
Margarelle beams at me and leaves the room. At least someone here seems happy.
“You’re from Esland?” Steiner asks between mouthfuls. “I must have missed the memo about an Eslander coming to visit.”
“We all missed the memo,” Vidar comments under his breath.
“I’ve heard that the Eslanders don’t let anyone leave the continent,” Steiner goes on, talking fast now that he doesn’t have food in his mouth. “Were you smuggled out? Did Andor smuggle you out?”
“No,” I tell him, having a sip of my wine and feeling it bolster my confidence. “I live in the Banished Land. The Dark City. I am free to go where I choose.”
Steiner’s brow crinkles, his mouth dropping slightly before it curves into a grin. “You’re a Freelander? That’s even better.”
“What did you do to get yourself banished?” Vidar asks.
“I escaped the Daughters of Silence,” I tell him.
“Impossible,” Kjell says, slapping his blood-soaked cloth on the table. “No one who enters the Daughters ever leaves.”
“Well, I’m sure you must know more than I,” I tell him, wondering if he’s perceptive enough to pick up on the sarcasm.
“So then what did you do to get yourself in the Daughters of Silence?” Vidar asks over his goblet, cold green eyes observing me with discernment now.
“I didn’t do anything,” I tell him. “I merely existed and paid for the sins of my parents. They’re both dead, before you ask. They were rebels against the Saints of Fire.”
“Doesn’t explain how you escaped the convent,” Kjell says gruffly before having another slobbering sip of his wine.
“No, it doesn’t,” I say, leaving it at that while taking another bite of the stew.
Torsten sniffs. “A Daughter of Silence, a daughter of rebels, and a thief for House Dalgaard. Seems a likely path in life.”
“Thief for House Kolbeck.” Andor finally speaks up. Torsten eyes him and a silent exchange passes between them, loaded with meaning that I can’t decipher.
Suddenly I hear growling from behind me.
I turn around in my chair to see Lemi on his feet, tail wagging, as a shaggy-looking wolf dog comes from around the table and approaches him, teeth exposed in a low growl.
“Feral,” Vidar warns him. “Behave.”
I’m not too worried. Lemi is big, even compared to the wolf dog, and a lot of alphas see his size and think they can take him on to prove something. But Lemi has a trick up his sleeve that the rest of them don’t.
Feral barks, ignoring his master, his hair on end, and Lemi bounces on his front legs, ears up and tail wagging, wanting to play.
And play in his own unique way.
Feral lunges for Lemi just as Vidar shouts at him to stop, but Lemi simply disappears into thin air, leaving Feral extremely confused.
And he’s not the only one.
“What in bloody blazes was that?” Steiner yelps as everyone else—aside from me and Andor—lets out gasps of shock.
Suddenly Lemi appears again behind Feral. The wolf dog whips around and Lemi goes low into a play crouch. By now Feral is a little nervous, even taking a step backward.
Lemi barks, loud, the kind of bark where I’d normally tell him to be quiet, but I decide to do no such thing here. Let the Kolbecks be disturbed.
“How did he do that?” Kjell demands, but I pay him no attention.
“Lemi, leave Feral alone,” I warn him. “He doesn’t want to play.”
Lemi ignores me and tries to get closer to Feral, but the dog ends up running out of the room with his tail between his legs.
Lemi is about to follow, but I tell him to stay put. “I’m sorry, boy, he doesn’t want to play with you for now. I’m sure he’ll come around later.”
Lemi looks at me and barks, his tail still wagging.
I sigh and put my napkin on the table, looking at Andor. “I think I should probably take him outside. He might be like this for the rest of dinner.”
“A ploy to escape,” Kjell grumbles.
“Mmmmm,” Torsten agrees. “Andor, you’re going with her. Shame you’ll be missing dessert.”
Andor doesn’t look bothered in the slightest. He gives me a nod, relief on his brow, and we get to our feet. We quickly leave the room and Lemi trots right beside me. I barely had enough to eat, but I feel bad that Lemi hasn’t even had anything. Hopefully Margarelle will have scraps from the kitchen.
“But, seriously, how did he do that?” Steiner asks me, mouth still agape at Lemi’s disappearing act.
Andor gives his younger brother a look that says he’ll explain it all later and then leads me down the hall, past the kitchen, bakehouse, and storeroom, to the very end where there’s a large wooden door beside a staircase. He pushes it open and we step outside, and I’m immediately engulfed by cool, fresh air and nightfall. I stop on the gravel path outside the door and breathe in deeply through my nose, not realizing how shallow my breaths were before, how hot I was getting in the dining hall. I feel like I can actually think.