Crown of Dragons by Morgan Rice

Author:Morgan Rice [Rice, Morgan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Morgan Rice
Published: 2020-06-23T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Vars still couldn’t believe how well he and Bethe were getting along. He had nothing in common with this peasant woman, had lived a life about as far removed from hers as it was possible to get, and yet he felt more comfortable around her than he had around any of the women of the court.

Perhaps it was because there were no games with her. Bethe said what she thought, and wasn’t afraid to tell Vars when he was doing things wrong. No one did that. Currently, she was in the front room of the hovel, telling him that he was folding the laundry wrong.

“No, you need to fold it gently, without pressure, or it will crease,” she said.

Vars did as she suggested, and she seemed pleased by it. For some inexplicable reason, that made him happy. Once again, Vars had to remind himself that he was just using her to stay safe.

Still, as long as he was here, he might as well at least try to be friendly.

“What was your husband like?” Vars asked. “Did he help you to do all this?”

Bethe shook her head. “He used to go out to work, because people always needed a woodworker. He would help when there was building to be done, and occasionally he would make small trinkets to sell at the market.”

Vars could see how sad just talking about it made Bethe, and for some reason, he found that it mattered to him that she was upset.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and he didn’t know whether he was apologizing for what had happened to her husband, for bringing up the subject, or just for not being him.

“It’s all right,” Bethe said. “It’s just—”

They were interrupted by the sound of a fist hammering on the door.

“Guards! Open up!”

Vars and Bethe stared at one another for a moment. Vars could feel the terror building in his chest, so that it felt like he couldn’t breathe. It was only when Bethe pointed at the door to the back room that Vars knew he should be moving.

“I’m coming,” Bethe said. “Let me put this washing down.”

Vars was already running for the back room, hiding there behind the door, knowing in his heart that it wouldn’t be enough. They’d found him! Somehow, the searching guards had found him. He should never have gone out of the house to market with Bethe. He should never have stayed here when he should have been running, not until he was far across the sea and no one could find him. He stood there, pressed against the door, leaving it open just a crack so that he could see out into the room beyond.

Bethe opened the door, letting in two of Ravin’s soldiers, wearing red tunics and gilt-edged plates of armor. They looked a little different from the guards Vars had seen around the city, cleaner and with more ornamental scrolling on the hilts of their swords. Vars guessed that they had come from the castle itself. Had Ravin sent his best men to seize him?

“You are the woman, Bethe?” one of them said.

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