Page 38 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
I started the day with a splash in the ice baths.
I’d woken up early and ready. Too ready. An ice bath was in order. The feeling of cold on my skin, not covered in a golden coat, was exhilarating. It cleared my mind and let me get back to planning the rest of our trip.
We would depart Thistlecrick this morning, grab lunch or dinner at Kith Bog—depending on where the village was today—and then be on the road again. Donna was a very agile and speedy horse, so we might even reach the border tonight.
I activated my birth title Beastfolk and changed back into my normal self.
Technically, my hairless folk form, all the way to my giant beast form, was all my “normal self,” but I’d been living in my semitransformed state for so long, it felt the most natural. Many beastfolk picked one look and stuck with it.
Bronwynn was waiting for me at breakfast, her usual chipper expression sleepy and wan.
“Morning,” she said, yawning and sinking into her steaming cup of tea. My nose detected Lady Green leaves, extra caffeinated.
“Morning,” I returned, pouring myself a cup from a teapot at the table. We’d been given a private room for breakfast. Everything was set up on a spinning wooden circle in the middle of a round table designed for floor seating. I liked sitting on the floor. I liked the tea. And I liked the company.
Stop it, tail.
Two days journeying with my favorite bard wasn’t good for my heart. Seeing her sleepy eyed and slightly rumpled wasn’t helping either.
“Are we ready to head out after breakfast?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yep, ready to go whenever.”
The unigoat yogurt parfait with bimbleberries and markle berry spread tasted delightful, and I happily ate a floofpoof sausage baked in flaky pastry. There was also a fruit and vegetable platter that caught my eye. I was done quickly, while Bronwynn still had a full plate and was nursing her mug.
Derilla Vane wouldn’t be awake for some hours, so I’d bid our host goodbye before going to bed. That meant I could sit around watching my idol slowly eat her breakfast without seeming weird. It wasn’t weird.
I refilled my cup to have something to hold.
She didn’t seem to mind the company, silent as it was, and we eventually headed up.
Donna lookedmajestic, with a lovingly brushed coat and braided flowers in her hair. She butted her head against my hand when I reached out to rub her nose—and almost bit off the hand when she realized there were no treats waiting for her.
I dodged and placed my fingers under her chin, giving it a scratch.
“Here you are,” I said, bringing up my other hand, whichdidhold some apples I’d purloined at breakfast. I ran my hands over her coat and pet her to my heart’s content. “You’re beautiful.”
“That she is,” a voice said from the wagon seat. Bronwynn was ready, reins in hand. “Nice dodge, by the way.”
“You don’t become commander general of the Dark Lord’s army without recognizing when someone wants to bite you.” I smiled at the horse and gave her one last pat before joining the minstrel on the passenger side.
Bronwynn nodded. “Just be careful—she’s going easy on you.”
I raised an eyebrow and got comfortable. My bags were already stored in my spatial ring. It would be nice to leave the village; my notification tab was getting overwhelmed again, and I didn’t have the want or care to check the logs.
Donna whinnied and stamped one foot, then we were off.
“And I’ve toldyouthat you can’t go aroundbitingmy passengers,” Bronwynn mused. “Wait until we get kidnapped or someone tries to steal the wagon.”
The horse didn’t sigh dramatically because Donna was a horse … but she did do the horse equivalent and huffed.
“Do you expect those things to happen to us?” I felt bad cutting in between a woman and her horse, but I wanted to know.
“It’s the usual way of things.” The minstrel shrugged. “I’m a child of seven, and a traveling bard.”
I just stared at her.
“My parents were both seven of seven, and I inherited their passive skill [Child of Seven]; it’s the skill responsible for creating encounters.” She waved up and down at herself. “And I’m a bard, who travels every day. Ever since I came of age, I’ve had to pass three trials to getanywhere. Luckily, a kung fu lizardkin burst out of a waterfall at me yesterday, and I’m counting that.”
