Page 29 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
Maybe.
I was getting ahead of myself. She was here, perfectly safe.
“Well …” The minstrel eyed my chest and bursting housecoat before dragging her eyes up to meet mine. My tail stopped wagging when I heard the hesitation in her voice at my earlier question.
“Go on.” My voice was deeper than I’d planned.
“Technically, he shot ice at me when I startled him,” she clarified, “but he missed. And then he told me to find you, so here I am.”
She shrugged, and I raised an eyebrow. “Here you are … How about we leave that pompous lizard to his tea and go put on some real clothes?”
Wandering around in nothing but a housecoat didn’t feel the same without my dungeon office, daybed, and glass of wine.
“That would be great,” Bronwynn agreed, plucking at her own housecoat. “I miss my knives.”
“Then I can escort you both to the changing rooms.” Elder Clarissa bowed.
The bard sighed. “It would’ve been nice to stay longer; I didn’t get to finish the meditation walk.”
“You’re welcome to come again,” the snake elder let Bronwynn know as she led us through a short series of hallways. “We could even arrange something if you were willing to stay a night and perform? Our general enjoys fine music with his meals.”
“I would love to. Let’s work it out the next time I’m passing through,” Bronwynn agreed.
Something about Derilla having a private performance by Bronwynn left a knot in my stomach, but it was her profession—and she was good at it.
I wondered if I needed to remind Derilla that he wasn’t allowed to eat people anymore …
“Here you are, commander general,” the naga said, dropping me off at my room and then leading Bronwynn away.
I said my farewells and went inside to get changed. I deliberately took my time, knowing Knolith was waiting for me, and Bronwynn still needed to wash up. The lizardkin could wait even longer after he’d shot ice at one of the most amazing women on the continent and then ordered her around!
As I exited my room, I found Elder Clarissa waiting to guide me.
“Did youknowwhere General Knolith was cultivating?” I demanded, asking the question I’d been stewing on. I’d changed back into my calf-length black pants, a white shirt with laces open at the throat, a vest full of pockets, and my belt and pouch.
“We knew, but we were not expecting him to come out so soon.” Elder Clarissa shook her head. “We made a mistake.”
“I understand.” I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “Why is the General of the East evenhere?”
“He told the master that he required a mountain for his closed-door cultivation.”
There were no mountains in the eastern bog. Rufus nodded. “Minstrel Bronwynn was in the mountains for what, an hour?”
“Yes, my lord.”
One thing I knew from her stories was that Minstrel Bronwynn alwayshada story. Every performance would include an interlude where she regaled the audience with some tale or other about how she’d overcome the odds to be there. Whether she was beset by thieves or had her wagon stolen or got trapped for three hours at a bridge by a troll riddle, she always had something, and each was an entertaining recount.
Now I was along for the ride, wooing wombats and dodging master cultivators, and it’d only beenoneday.
“Alright, I’m ready,” I said. “Lead me to Knolith.”
CHAPTER 14
Did Spring Finally Come to the Dark Enchanted Forest?
Brownie
Bronwynn recognized that Rufus was a very strong, capable, and charismatic individual. She knew he was quick to smile and easy to read, with a tail that got away from him. He was sweet and fluffy, but nothing more than her best friend’s husband’s friend.
