In a Dragon's Age by L. Darby Gibbs

Author:L. Darby Gibbs [L. Darby Gibbs]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: INKABOUT PUBLISHING
Published: 2023-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Bruen

Crouched down at the back of the treasure cave, Bruen waited until she sheathed the knife she’d used to cut his bindings, then grabbed her by the shoulders. “What are you thinking? They’re still looking for you.” His whisper held a worried tone.

“And they are going to be looking for you, too.” Not a sign of apprehension marred her face. If anything, she seemed pleased about their current predicament.

“We’re trapped in here, Xiami. So let’s get our stories straight. I told them I met you out in the woods when you stumbled into my camp one night. You were banged up, blood on your face and a twisted ankle. I said the next morning, you were gone.” He turned over one of her hands and smiled.

“Good to know you can think fast.” She grinned and tugged her wrist from his grasp. “Now, we don’t have much time. Anything broken?”

“Everything is sore, but it all works.”

She laughed without mirth. “How much can you actually see out of those eyes?”

“What I can see is a beautiful sight.” She touched her fingers to his face, a gentle brush that made him want to lean toward her. His own hands itched to draw her near.

Her mouth quirked up on one side. “Flirt with me later. We have some place to be, and it’s going to take rat runs to get us there.”

“Rat runs?” She really was a curious woman.

“You’ll know in a minute.” She tugged on his arm, and they both took a step toward a corner of the small cave.

She was limping, and he saw she wore both boots. “You shouldn’t have taken the splints off yet.”

“We’ll talk about that later.”

A sound in the passage stopped them both. She hurried to the passage. Limping, she was definitely limping. She peaked around the corner and swore, turning to face him. She stood resigned where she was. Bruen joined her. It was always best to meet your enemy standing with one’s chin up.

Drunn and Korl entered the cave.

Xiami and Bruen backed up a step. He put his arm around her, and she elbowed him in his tender ribs, snagging his breath, but he tightened his stomach muscles and kept the discomfort to himself.

“Hello, Xiami,” Drunn said, cheer in his voice and a satisfied smile on his round face. He held a tall candle, his bald forehead reflecting its gleam. “Forget something?”

Xiami shrugged. “I owed him a favor.”

“You owe me, too.”

“Not really. I never promised you anything, and you gave me nothing.” The girl had more gumption than ten outlaws standing with the bank’s deposits clutched in their hands.

“You promised to meet me and never showed.” Drunn crossed his arms over his chest. Korl stood just behind him, glowering over his shoulder.

Not daunted, Xiami said, “Work interfered, and I explained that to your runner.”

“You missed our second meeting, too.”

“Which I didn’t agree to. But I didn’t choose to miss that one. One of Flint’s recruiters grabbed me, and it took some effort for me to end the visit.

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