Legends of Andolin: Rising Tides by A. M. Portman

Author:A. M. Portman [Portman, A. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cetus Publishing
Published: 2023-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Choice and Chance

Kol unbuckled his belt, his fingers clumsy from too much drink, then tossed it with his sword scabbard onto the foot of the bedstead. He pulled his worn linen shirt over his head and, wadding it up in his hands, looked down at the thick, white scar on the side of his abdomen. It seemed so long ago now, since the wound had healed. The memory of Adella’s hands, pressing the cloth into the wound to stop the bleeding, came to mind. He thought of her face, so close to his own that he could feel her soft breath on his neck, remembering the look of worry that surrounded her pretty eyes and pouting lips while she leaned over him to change the dressings. No one had ever cared for him like that before. No, he shook the thought from his head, swallowing hard to keep the grief that gripped his chest from rising up his throat. You can’t live like this forever.

Kol turned around to see the young woman set a chamberstick onto a small table, then begin to unlace her bodice. He stepped toward her. She was young, he knew, but now that he looked more closely in the candlelight, he could see she was much younger than he had realized. Wide, amber eyes looked up at him from beneath an array of chestnut curls. He hooked a finger under her chin and tilted it up toward him. “How old are you?” he asked. Squinting, he searched her face for lines, but found only freckles.

“Old enough,” she said, wrenching her chin from his grip.

“In that case—” Kol put a hand to the back of her neck, burying his fingers into her hair, and pulled her in close. He pressed his mouth hard against hers, and she let out a timid gasp. He drew back just enough to see the girl squeezing her eyes shut, cringing in fear. What am I doing? he asked himself, shoulders drooping. This isn’t who I am—Not anymore.

Kol dropped his hand, stepping away. “You don’t want to do this.”

“I need the money.” Her answer came out quick and sure, but her voice was nearly breathless.

He pulled a few gold coins from his drawstring pouch and tossed them onto the bed with a clink. It didn’t seem like much to him now, but he remembered a time when it was far more than he’d ever had. It hadn’t been that long ago. “Take it and go,” he ordered. “But don’t mention it to anyone.”

The girl hesitated, eyeing the coins that glittered on the dirty, tattered quilt. Slowly, she reached out for them, then snatched them up, moving quickly away from Kol as though she was afraid he may change his mind. Watching him warily, she edged backward toward the door.

“You should find different work,” he added, her eyes still fixed on him. “You’re not suited to this.”

Her hand found the door handle behind her. “Easy to say, for a rich man,” she replied cuttingly, then disappeared out the door.

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