Page 48 of Rogue Elves of Ardani

They crossed the river that passed the city, and circled along the outer wall. The wall was older than old. Pieces of it that had been destroyed over time by invasion attempts or by nature and had been replaced or patched. Some parts were still crumbling. Its upkeep was an ongoing project for the city’s masons.

The crack in the stone that Crow and Vaara squeezed through would probably be patched soon enough, but the city’s underworld would only replace it with another, and another after that.

When they’d successfully passed through the wall and entered the city, Crow made an ironic, grand wave toward the scene in front of them. “Welcome to Valtos.”

They had come out in the darkest, dirtiest, most run-down corner of the city, where the streets were made of dirt and refuse and the scent of rotting food and sewage hung in the air.

But if you looked up the hill, you could see the rest of the city rising up like a beautiful labyrinth. It seemed to go on forever.

For a long time, Vaara didn’t move. His gaze lingered on every object in sight as he took it all in. Crow waited.

“It’s something to behold, isn’t it?” she said. It must have been unlike anything he’d ever witnessed. Having grown up in Valtos, she sometimes forgot how novel it was to outsiders.

Refusing to acknowledge that he was intrigued, he only said, “What now?”

She pointed high up the hill. “We’re going up there. But first, we rest. Tomorrow, we do what we came here to do.”

Chapter 13

By the time they reached a decent inn, Vaara looked like he was sleeping on his feet. So much so that Crow checked several times to see if he was still awake.

Her purse was growing light. Patros had plenty of money, but he’d only given her enough for a few days of travel. She wouldn’t be able to get more until they got back to his house.

She managed to persuade the innkeeper to give them a room for free. A small but cozy room with a large bed.

Bed, singular. But it was big enough that two people could lie at either side of it without touching.

“You might sleep better on a real mattress,” Crow said reluctantly. “If you’d like to join me?”

He looked up at her, eyebrows high.

Crow rolled her eyes. “Stay on your own side, if you please?” she said, nodding toward the opposite side of the bed.

He slowly pulled the scarf away from his face and unraveled it from his neck. “Letting the dog sleep in your bed? How generous.”

“I’m glad you think so. Just try to keep your hands to yourself.” In her experience, most men didn’t. She was mostly past being surprised by it at this point in her life. She may also have just known a disproportionate number of terrible men, but that couldn’t be helped.

“If I didn’t invite myself to touch you while you were drugged, why do you think I would do it now?”

“How would I know whether you did or not?”

“Didn’t you read my mind and check what happened while you were unconscious?”

“No.”

He looked suspicious. “Why not?”

“I want to gain your trust. I told you I wouldn’t touch you anymore, so I haven’t.”

His derisive snort told her what he thought of that. “Anything could have happened. I could be plotting your death, and you’d have no idea because you’re busy trying to gain the favor of a stranger who couldn’t give a rat’s ass about you.”

She looked sideways at him. “Is that what you were doing? Plotting my death? Or just assaulting my unconscious body?”

“I guess you’ll never know for sure,” he sneered.

Setting her jaw, she strode across the room to him, watching his expression go rigid as she approached. She hesitated, then pulled off a glove with a jerk and grabbed his hand. He didn’t resist.

Apprehension thumped a harsh beat in his mind, his thoughts buzzing loud and quick. But it was obvious that he’d made up his suggestions about what he might have done to her. She felt his innocence immediately.

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