Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
He turns to look at me, eyes narrow. “What’s wrong?”
“I just want to hang back a little,” I whisper. “Hear what they’re asking people. See if we need to run.”
“And go where?”
“That cave on the hillside you mentioned, maybe,” I hiss, then indicate with a finger to my lips that he should be silent. He huffs, but I can’t tell if the sound is amusement or annoyance.
I pull my pack to my front and dig through it, pretending to look for the fantasy-world version of my wallet. “I know it’s in here someplace,” I mumble helpfully, and let others pass in front of us as I pretend to search, rustling my near-empty pack. Our food supplies are almost gone, and the few dull knives I managed to steal from the inn are already tucked into the front of my tunic.
Touching the wooden branch inside the pack, I ponder if I should drag it out. It’s about the length of my lower arm and about as thick, and I figured that if nothing else, I could use it as a club. Kalos was skeptical that I could defend us with it, but I’d rather go down fighting than just give up.
“State your business,” one guardsman says to the people in front of us.
“Market,” the man says, and they shuffle on through, baskets in hand.
“State your business,” the guardsman says to the next man.
“I’m a traveler,” he says, a hood over his head. I can’t see what he looks like. “Going to stay at an inn and pay my respects at the temples.”
The guard puts a hand on his chest to stop him.
I swear my heart nearly jumps out of my chest. I clutch at Kalos’s arm. This is it. We’ve been found out and now we’re going to have to run. Kalos just sighs heavily and grabs my hand in his, holding it. He gives it a slight squeeze and releases it.
Was that…reassurance? Or is he trying to tell me something?
“Hold, friend,” the guardsman is saying to the traveler. “Pull back your hood. We need to see if you’ve the plague.”
“Plague?” the man bellows, even as he lowers his hood.
The guard grimaces. “Not so loud. We’re only checking. There’s a district in the city that’s been touched by the Vulture God’s hand, though he’s no longer in residence. Avoid the marked doors and you’ll be fine.” He eyes the man’s face and nods, gesturing. “You can go on through.”
“Not sure I want to, now,” the man mutters, but he heads in anyhow.
Plague. There was plague here.
Of course there was. Kalos was here, and the other Aspect probably leaked plague like a leaky sieve whenever he got moody. Even so, it’s not something I considered, and for a moment, I’m utterly overwhelmed. Why was I picked for this task when it’s obvious I don’t know anything about this world? I don’t know what to be on guard for. I’m useless.
I’m going to fail, and it’s going to be purely because I don’t know what I’m getting into. Despair threatens to overwhelm me, and I swallow hard to fight back the knot in my throat. Shit. Fuck. Damn.
“You look frightened,” Kalos comments, leaning in toward me.
I clutch the near-empty pack to my stomach, hating that it growls fiercely. I’m starving, and there’s nothing to eat, not that this is the worst of our problems. It’s just another small one piled onto everything else. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“I can’t do it,” he comments. “I imagine they’ll recognize me. It has to be you.”
I shake my head, my courage deserting me. “I can’t do it. I can’t do any of this.”
He leans in close again. With his hand, he reaches out and grabs my chin, pursing my mouth like a fish and forcing me to look him in the eye. “Remember that I am Apathy. And remember that you are fiercer than you think.”
That is…achingly sweet of him. I relax and try to smile, my cheeks pushing against his hand. His gaze moves to my lips and for a long, fraught moment…I think he’s going to kiss me.
I…I thought he hated kissing me?
But his gaze remains on my lips for one breath, then another. Then another.
“Kalos?” I whisper.
Kiss me. Kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss me.
The god gives my chin a squeeze and then releases me. “Be strong,” he says, and retreats behind his bored demeanor. It’s almost as if I imagined it…but I know I didn’t.
For a moment, there was something there. Something more. I’m both frustrated and full of hope that perhaps he doesn’t find me as repulsive as I’d imagined. “Thank you for the pep talk. I’m better now. We just have to keep moving, one foot in front of the other.”
Kalos nods.
I put on my best smile, hold my pack tight, and move forward to talk to the guard at the front of the group. There’s several of them stationed together near the gate entrance, but only one seems to be doing most of the work.