King of the Castle by Treva Harte

Author:Treva Harte
Language: eng
Format: epub

* * * * *

Ara tried not to stare too openly as they filed down the narrow streets. In fact, soon she decided not to look at anything at all but the shoulders of the male in front of her. There was just too much!Too much noise, too much stench…too many eyes staring and bodies jostling.

“I didn’t know there were this many men in the whole world!” Stefani piped up behind her.

“Hush,” Maryam muttered, pulling the scarf up higher over Stefani’s face.

Trust the child to say exactly what everyone else was afraid to say. Ara suddenly felt very lonely. There were too many men. It was dark, a time when she imagined normal folk slept. Still there seemed to be hundreds of them, all pressing in at their group. Those on the outer parameter of their group were having difficulty keeping them back.

Perhaps these weren’t normal folk. She could half-hear the comments and she fought not to cringe. Men here begged for everything from money to sex. When that didn’t work, they threatened.

Even with Ulrich’s and Quinn’s men combined, there didn’t seem to be enough of a guard to keep them safe. She’d never properly imagined a city in her small keep. How could she?

“Where is the inn?” Ulrich growled the words to Quinn. “And how safe is it?”

“It’s the inn my House uses whenever we come to the City of Thieves. It’s as safe as any place can be in this snake pit. I know the innkeeper and he knows I pay promptly. That means something here. I also know all the exits and entrances, including the hidden ones.” Quinn half-drew his sword when one bystander got too close. “Turn the corner here. Ladies, enter quickly. We need to attract as little attention as possible.”

“This is a little attention?” Ara gulped. The heavy wooden door to the inn looked secure, but she wondered.

“As little attention as any group of females will attract.”

The last soldier stepped through the huge, open door and Ulrich himself manhandled it shut and barred it.

“Flame it, man, you’ll keep my customers out!” A burly male, his face crisscrossed with a mix of shimmering streaks that were natural, and tattoos, which were not, stepped forward.

“We’re all the customers you’ll have for now.” Ulrich stared him down. “There are enough of us to make it worth your while.”

The man sputtered, eyed the giant, and then nodded. “Welcome.”

Ulrich didn’t nod back.“Precisely.”

“Gor!”Quinn called. “Are you able to go fetch the sheman you spoke of? We’ll need his aid as quickly as possible. I’m afraid rumors of all the women we have are already spreading.”

“Send Mio as well and some of my men.”Ulrich glanced out the slitted window to the street. “He’ll need some men at his back.”

“‘Tiz bad enough to be housed with Sylvanianz.Must I work with them so closely?” Gor hissed the words out in heavily accented Sylvanian.

Ulrich growled, then glanced at Quinn and fell silent.

Quinn glanced outside. Ara could only imagine the sights out there.

“Yes. And be grateful for the aid, Gor.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.