welcome, the tone wasn’t. Harlan must have found me, but Harlan was a well-respected archeologist. How the hell could some pipsqueak glorified guard dog look down his nose at Harlan? I’d deal with that later, right now I just wanted to get out of here.
I scrambled to my feet and tried to make myself respectable. “I am so glad to see—”
My voice dropped to the ground as a far too familiar and soon to be dead face came into view. He was dressed differently, wearing loose clothes to hide his lean fighter’s body, and a stodgy felt hat with his hair tucked under it. But it was Alric.
“Yes, there she is. I am her patron as you see by the documents. I will assure you that she will return in time for her trial.” His voice had dropped to a low gravely tone and an odd odor wafted my way. Onions and glock liver. No wonder the guard was standing a distance away.
“Now, if you would be so good?” Alric flittered a shaking hand in my direction carefully flashing age spots that hadn’t been there when I cuffed him.
The guard rubbed his upper lip as he studied the paper Alric had provided, finally he shrugged. “Not my here or there where she goes. Captain said to give you what you needed.” A look crept across his face that was either a thought or bad prunes at lunch. “I don’t recall him mentioning her though.”
Alric turned and toddled forward to get as close to the guard as possible and leaned into his space. I was torn between giving him up as a liar and getting the hell out of here. But even if Harlan or Covey showed up, a patron would have the best chance of getting me out before trial. And the idea of spending four weeks in here scared the crap out of me.
That bastard. One more thing I owed him for.
“Fine, fine.” The guard stepped back, waving the air in front of his face. “She’s yours. Just get her back for trial.” Without ceremony he unlocked the bars, motioning quickly for me to step out. The goras watched Alric with sharp black eyes. It appeared that they saw something in Alric far different than the guard or I did. Something extremely interesting.
I stepped out of the cell before they decided to see how interesting.
“There you are, young lady. It’s time we get you back to the school.” He patted my arm.
It took all my willpower not to choke him.
I just had to keep the charade up until we were out of sight of the prison, then I was laying him out like a faery on a binge.
“What in the hell are you doing?” I hissed under my breath as we hit the street. It was only early evening, but somehow it felt like I’d been locked up for days.
“Saving your ass in case you missed it.” Bright green eyes struck me from under the brim of his hat. They hadn’t been noticeable in the jail. “Unless you wanted to spend a month or so with the goras?”
I tried to pull my arm free of his grasp, but as I’d seen demonstrated the night before, he was far stronger than he looked. I couldn’t budge as we marched down the street. I might be able to fight free, but this close to the prison would just land me back inside.
The way my luck had been lately, the harpy half-breed would be awake this time.
“I give up. Why set me up then come and bail me out?” I figured asking point blank might startle him enough to let something loose. Me or his tongue, I was fine with either.
“What?” He pulled back to give me a closer look. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting me to call him on it. “I didn’t set you up. Trust me, one of the last groups of people I want watching me would be the guards.” He winced as he caught a smirk I hadn’t been able to keep tied up. I’d shocked something out of him, just not what I’d been expecting. Still…
“How do I know? No one else knew I was in your den of ill-used clothing.” I dropped my voice and my head as a returning guardsman appeared far too interested in us. Alric shut up as well, and the guard passed without a word.
“I’m the one being
I scrambled to my feet and tried to make myself respectable. “I am so glad to see—”
My voice dropped to the ground as a far too familiar and soon to be dead face came into view. He was dressed differently, wearing loose clothes to hide his lean fighter’s body, and a stodgy felt hat with his hair tucked under it. But it was Alric.
“Yes, there she is. I am her patron as you see by the documents. I will assure you that she will return in time for her trial.” His voice had dropped to a low gravely tone and an odd odor wafted my way. Onions and glock liver. No wonder the guard was standing a distance away.
“Now, if you would be so good?” Alric flittered a shaking hand in my direction carefully flashing age spots that hadn’t been there when I cuffed him.
The guard rubbed his upper lip as he studied the paper Alric had provided, finally he shrugged. “Not my here or there where she goes. Captain said to give you what you needed.” A look crept across his face that was either a thought or bad prunes at lunch. “I don’t recall him mentioning her though.”
Alric turned and toddled forward to get as close to the guard as possible and leaned into his space. I was torn between giving him up as a liar and getting the hell out of here. But even if Harlan or Covey showed up, a patron would have the best chance of getting me out before trial. And the idea of spending four weeks in here scared the crap out of me.
That bastard. One more thing I owed him for.
“Fine, fine.” The guard stepped back, waving the air in front of his face. “She’s yours. Just get her back for trial.” Without ceremony he unlocked the bars, motioning quickly for me to step out. The goras watched Alric with sharp black eyes. It appeared that they saw something in Alric far different than the guard or I did. Something extremely interesting.
I stepped out of the cell before they decided to see how interesting.
“There you are, young lady. It’s time we get you back to the school.” He patted my arm.
It took all my willpower not to choke him.
I just had to keep the charade up until we were out of sight of the prison, then I was laying him out like a faery on a binge.
“What in the hell are you doing?” I hissed under my breath as we hit the street. It was only early evening, but somehow it felt like I’d been locked up for days.
“Saving your ass in case you missed it.” Bright green eyes struck me from under the brim of his hat. They hadn’t been noticeable in the jail. “Unless you wanted to spend a month or so with the goras?”
I tried to pull my arm free of his grasp, but as I’d seen demonstrated the night before, he was far stronger than he looked. I couldn’t budge as we marched down the street. I might be able to fight free, but this close to the prison would just land me back inside.
The way my luck had been lately, the harpy half-breed would be awake this time.
“I give up. Why set me up then come and bail me out?” I figured asking point blank might startle him enough to let something loose. Me or his tongue, I was fine with either.
“What?” He pulled back to give me a closer look. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting me to call him on it. “I didn’t set you up. Trust me, one of the last groups of people I want watching me would be the guards.” He winced as he caught a smirk I hadn’t been able to keep tied up. I’d shocked something out of him, just not what I’d been expecting. Still…
“How do I know? No one else knew I was in your den of ill-used clothing.” I dropped my voice and my head as a returning guardsman appeared far too interested in us. Alric shut up as well, and the guard passed without a word.
“I’m the one being
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