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)
“How can I help you, gentlemen?” the innkeeper inquired, her dark eyes darting from Nylian to me, as if she couldn’t decide which of us was likely to be the troublemaker.
“Two rooms for the night,” Nylian said.
She grunted and turned to a board that held a handful of keys on individual hooks. She plucked two off and slammed them on the counter, but kept her hand over them, her eyes narrowed to thin slits. “This is an honorable establishment. I won’t tolerate no brawling. You get in a fight, and you’re out. I don’t care who starts it. Also, no guests in your rooms. If you wanna take advantage of Lady Finkle’s wares, you keep it at her establishment. I don’t want to see any of those whores here.”
I bit the inside of my mouth to keep from snickering. Misty Pass was large enough to support a brothel? The town looked like a forgotten town on a nonexistent dirt path. Brothels were typically reserved for larger towns along major trade routes. I really needed to spend some time trying to remember my own book. The longer we were in Misty Pass, the more I got this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that there was something about this place that I needed to remember. Something that Nylian should accomplish. But it was a splinter dug too deep, and I couldn’t reach it yet.
Nylian smiled stiffly and slapped a gold coin on the counter beside her hand. “You won’t even know we’re here. We’ll be gone by first light.”
The innkeeper released the keys and snatched the coin up in a flash. “Second floor. End of the hall. Rooms are across from each other.”
Nylian slowly took the keys with a nod and led the way up the narrow wooden staircase with a soft thump of his boots. I followed without a word, still trying to take in all my surroundings.
At the end of the hall, my companion handed me a key and motioned to the door across from the one he was standing beside. “Go in and wash up. We’ll go down for a meal in a bit…and discuss things.”
I let out a grunt as I accepted the key, trying to hide the sinking feeling in my stomach. It wasn’t hard to guess what he wanted to discuss. The elf was going to make his first serious attempt to get rid of me. At the very least, I appreciated that he was going to discuss it with me rather than disappear into the night.
Not that I didn’t think he was entirely capable of that.
Running off and leaving me behind was likely Plan B if talking to me didn’t work out.
No, ditching me was not an option. I needed to come up with a good reason for us to stick together so that he wouldn’t resort to Plan B.
The lock scraped and gave a weak metallic thunk as it slid aside. The room was a bit of a disappointment. Barely larger than a walk-in closet, it held a narrow bed with a ragged blanket. The nightstand was a rickety affair with a brass candlestick and a nub for a candle. There was another stand that held a chipped bowl and an old, stained pitcher for water for washing up. A single wooden chair stood next to the only window in the room and appeared as if it would collapse under my weight if I were insane enough to sit on it.
I pulled aside the worn curtain with the sun-faded floral pattern to allow the evening’s last sunlight into the room. The window looked out onto a narrow alley that ran between the inn and a general store on the other side. The added light in the musty-smelling room didn’t help, and I fought the urge to open the window to let in some fresh air. It was probably a safe bet that the air coming off the alley was going to be anything but fresh.
After draping my cloak across the chair and laying my sword on top of it, along with all the nonsense I’d gained from Mother Thistle, I poured some water into the bowl. I bent and splashed the cold water across my face, washing away some of the road dust and forcing my brain to wake up. As I was reaching for something to dry my face, I froze, every muscle in my body locking up as I caught sight of my reflection.
This wasn’t my face.
The eyes staring back at me weren’t my eyes.
Even though I’d woken up in different clothes, I’d always assumed it was my body that had appeared with my mind in this world. But that was not who was staring at me in the mirror. I didn’t know this face!
With shaking hands, I poked at the somewhat large, Roman nose in the middle of the face with high, sharp cheekbones and somewhat deep-set dark-brown eyes. Thick black eyebrows sat over those eyes, giving the face a grave expression.