Of Dragon Warrens and Other Traps by Shannon McGee

Author:Shannon McGee [McGee, Shannon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780999470824
Publisher: Shannon McGee
Published: 2018-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Back at the inn, money had been left for us at the front desk—the original payment that had been agreed upon for slaying the nest of baby dragons.

As the coin-filled purse settled into my palm with a clink, a small thrill sang through me. True, my cut was less than the others. Aedith had already deducted the price of my horse, spear, and leather jerkin from it. Still that meant once we were paid for the next hunt, so long as I made sure to set money aside for my guild fee, I could buy things again. My own food, face balm, and maybe even clothes. It was like holding freedom in my hands.

Before doing anything else, the lot of us bathed, giving our clothing over to the servants to be washed and cleansed of the muck of the sewers. Aella’s leggings had to be chucked. She claimed she didn’t mind. They were the pair with the wonky seat that she had mended before we left Forklahke.

Slowly but surely, the lemony steam of the bath house seared the scent of refuse from my nostrils and purged it from my skin, where it had rested like a cloak the whole ride back. No one else but the other mercenary women were in the pool this time of day, and I found I was less shy than I had been with strangers around.

“I’m so tired. I hate having to get healings,” Aella complained, then she moaned. “And if you keep this up, I may sink beneath the water and never come back up.”

I was rubbing the kinks out of her shoulders, trying not to press too hard on the one that held a sizable bruise—she must have fallen on it. As she spoke, Aella had tilted her head back so she could see me. The scratch on her cheek was a stark red line against the rest of her skin. An impulse to press my lips against it flitted through me.

I giggled nervously “Let’s finish up in here and get some midday into you. We must strengthen you back up.”

The servants had provided us with robes so we wouldn’t go up to our rooms in our filthy clothes. Long and thick, they were more like dresses than anything else. They had intricate embroideries stitched down the lapels and around the cuffs of the sleeves and the bottom hem. Still, it felt scandalous to be out in the hallways in them.

Back at the room I had thought to put Aella to her bed and fetch her whatever she needed. She had other plans. She was half dressed before I had even put together what she was doing.

“Hold up!” I exclaimed, averting my eyes as she shucked the robe and began to pull on a tunic over her breeches. “You were mauled this morning, and you said yourself that you’re exhausted. Don’t you want to lie down?” She didn’t reply, too busy pulling her still damp hair from beneath her tunic’s collar. Moving so she couldn’t avoid looking at me, I growled, “Aella?”

She rolled her eyes.

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