Page 29 of I Destroyed the Elf Prince's Harem

Jasper jumped to his feet and thrust one fist into the air. “Yes!”

The woman rose as well and grabbed her brother’s arm, pulling it down. “Absolutely not. I don’t want you anywhere near Galinaes. Besides, how the hell are they going to explain your presence? We can at least pass for caravan guards. Even if we change your clothes and hide the grimoire, you don’t look like a guard.”

“We could say he’s an apprentice to one of the guards,” I suggested.

“Who? You?” Adeline cackled, and I groaned at her. Yes, I looked like someone who could wield a sword and kick ass, but that image disintegrated the moment I attempted to do either. People would pity Jasper if he claimed to be my apprentice.

“If we found a caravan from the kingdom of Kodra, he could remain a wizard and pass as one of the guardians,” Nylian chimed in.

Jasper’s head popped up and the young man instantly brightened. “Seriously?”

“The kingdom of Kodra maintains only a small naval force. Most of their trade goes over land.” Nylian stood with the spear he’d made for killing fish and used it to poke at the logs, resettling them before adding another few. “Because of the long distances their traders must travel, they will often hire a wizard to accompany the goods and men to assist in the protection. It’s a much higher expense, but it’s also why you find only the truly high-quality goods, such as gems, crystals, and some of their finer fabrics outside the kingdom.”

“I thought Kodra just traded with Lockeheim to their west,” Adeline interjected.

Nylian grunted as he stuck the point of the spear into the ground and leaned on the stick. “It’s their preference during the summer and early fall months when the pass through the Broken Shards mountains is clear and safe, but for half of the year, the pass is unusable.”

“Well, it sounds like we have a few options,” I said, letting relief leak into my voice. “I would imagine we’ll be in town for a few days. We can stock up on some supplies and poke around the town, searching for the right opportunity that will get us into Ulmenor.”

“We’ll find a nice inn to get rooms in,” Nylian agreed, a half smile teasing up one corner of his mouth.

There was no holding in my happy sigh. Rooms at an inn meant I could get a bath and finally be clean. It meant regular meals. And with the coins in my pouch, I could buy a change of clothes and nice soaps. Yes, this all sounded heavenly.

Just maybe, if I could get away from Nylian for a while, I could find a wizard to look at my coin. Not that I didn’t trust Jasper. He was a good kid, and he seemed far more honest than his sister, but I needed someone with a lot more experience and magical knowledge. Flipping this damn coin had to be more than a one-way trip to this world. I had to find a way home.

“Don’t go rushing off to spend my money!” Adeline shouted. “The moment we step foot in Riverhold, I want to get paid.”

“And exactly how is that going to happen?” Nylian drawled. “We told you we don’t have the money on us. How is that going to magically change the second we enter the town?”

Adeline snarled and drew a knife to point at Nylian. “Don’t think you and this one can sneak away from me.” She moved the blade from Nylian to me to the elf again. “I’m sticking to you two until I get paid. You hear me?”

“Of course. You’re not exactly quiet,” Nylian muttered, and I struggled not to snicker. If I did, I was pretty sure Adeline was going to poke a new hole in me I didn’t need. He pulled the spear from the ground and returned to his spot on the log near me. “Are you dry now? Warm enough?”

“Yep. Clothes are dry, and I’m warm. Nothing to worry about. No illness here. You’re not ditching me yet.”

“I’d at least wait to ditch you in a town. I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to survive on your own without me to watch over you.”

“And you need me to watch your back in town to keep you from getting killed. Face it, you’re stuck with me.”

A strange expression I couldn’t quite read crossed Nylian’s handsome face, but it was gone too quickly, lost to the shadows cast by the flickering fire. “Get some sleep. I’ll take the first watch tonight.”

“Are you sure?” I’d taken the first watch the past two nights because I struggled so much falling asleep on the hard, cold ground.

“It’s fine. I want to think about the Riverhold plan some more.” He turned his head toward Jasper and Adeline, who were getting their meager pallets ready to sleep. “We’ll start out at first light. The more miles we can cover each day, the faster we can get to Riverhold.”

I lay as close to the fire as I could stand while wrapping my cloak across my torso. With my right arm pillowed under my head, I reached out with my left to catch the edge of Nylian’s cloak before he could take up a guard position away from the fire. The elf stopped and kneeled next to my head.

“Make whatever plans you feel you have to, but they have to include me,” I whispered harshly, hoping the crackle and pop of the fire masked my words for Jasper and Adeline. “You need my help. You’re not going anywhere without me. Even Galinaes.”

Long, slender fingers drifted down and threaded through a stray lock of my hair, pulling it from where it had fallen across my forehead. “I know, Lockhart. I know.”

Nylian straightened and moved away from the light so his eyes could adjust to the darkness of the surrounding forest. I don’t know whether it was the soft ripple and splash of the nearby stream or the unexpected swim we’d taken, but I had little trouble falling asleep that night.

However, those five words followed me into my dreams, leaving my heart aching. There had been something heavy and unsettling in his tone, as if he didn’t find my presence reassuring, but something that made him weary…and maybe even sad.

Chapter 10

Drunk Me Is an Idiot or Puns Suck

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