Page 56 of The Orc's Thief
Arlon’s voice brings me back to the present, and I find him watching me with a slight smile.
“I don’t think I’ll be climbing any roofs tonight,” I admit in a murmur.
My companion lets out a snort. “Best not. I don’t want to chase you, either. Especially as it’ll rain again tonight, I can tell.”
We pass a few villagers gathered on the street, but when we turn a corner and spot the village green, a small market appears, people milling around the stands, purchasing books, fabric, and new pots from the merchants.
“Oh, a fair!” I twist in my saddle to see the clothing merchant’s stall. “I might need a new cloak.”
“Aye, not a bad idea,” Arlon agrees. “You can buy it with the gold you stole from me.”
I swing around, squinting at him even as my heart pounds faster. “What gold?”
He rolls his eyes, no rancor in his expression. “It’s all right, Tessa. I know you took the coins.”
Oof.He either had his money counted down to the last coin or saw me taking the gold marks out of the pouches when I thought he was away, doing his business in the bushes.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I demand.
He shrugs. “You needed the money more than I did.”
And that’s enough for him to let me have it?
“I’ll never understand you,” I mutter, my cheeks flaming with heat.
A muscle twitches in his jaw. “I hope that with time, you will.”
It’s a simple enough wish. If he accepted all the flaws I’ve revealed to him, why can’t I at least try to understand him?
“I’m sorry.” I squeeze my hands on the reins, then force myself to let go. “I’ll return the money as soon as we’re inside. I don’t want to flaunt the gold out here.”
But he shakes his head. “No need. Money means security to you, aye? If you have it, you’ll feel better?”
I hate that he sees through me so easily, but there’s no denying his words.
“Yes,” I admit.
“Well, then, keep those coins.” His words hold a note of finality. “Come, we should find a room before all these people decide it’s time for bed.”
I follow him in silence, mulling over what he said. A part of me wants to deny it—and run away. He’s dangerous, this man who has witnessed me at my worst and still hasn’t left. If I’m not careful, I’ll start believing what he’s saying, and then his inevitable departure will hurt all the more. Even now, the thought of leaving, of turning Clover around and galloping away from him, leaves a nasty pit in the bottom of my stomach.
I tell myself it makes sense to stick with Arlon. He’s set on protecting me, has more money than I could spend in a year, and is good at surviving in the wild, which will surely come in handy.
But the truth is, I don’t want to leave. That’s another decision I’ll have to live with if this all turns to shit.
“Ho, there,” a male voice cries out. “Are you guests of the inn?”
It’s an older man, a groom by the looks of him, coming out of the stables on the right side of the only three-story building in the village.
Arlon dismounts in one graceful leap and leads Pip forward by the reins. “We’re hoping to be, aye. Got any room for our beasts in there?”
The groom steps closer and pats Pip’s neck with apparent admiration. “Maybe. Depends on what Mistress Maeve says.”He nods toward the inn and adds, “Only guests can keep their horses here during the fair. Wouldn’t make sense to take in other folks’ horses and have to turn away our own guests. You’d best hurry inside, we’re nearly full.”
“I can stay here to watch the horses,” I tell Arlon from my perch in the saddle.
He has all that money stashed in his saddlebags, and we don’t know this groom, after all. But as Arlon hesitates, it hits me that he has little reason to trust me over the man. The groom hasn’t hit him in the head, stolen from him, or tried to run halfway across the kingdom to avoid him.
Once he leaves, I could ride away, leading Pip and the third horse, Cricket, with me, and Arlon would have no way of following me quickly. I doubt anyone in this village has a horse large enough to carry him, so he’d have to track me on foot.
