Offspring (The Sword of the Dragon) by Appleton Scott

Author:Appleton, Scott [Appleton, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781617152627
Publisher: Living Ink Books, an imprint of AMG Publishers
Published: 2011-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

The next morning the Warrioresses traveled to the village of Harpen. The sunlit streets were thronged with people. Some refugees from other southern towns trudged through town, carrying their possessions on their backs or in carts. Caritha led the way to a large inn and inquired as to the whereabouts of the doctor who had cared for the survivor from Bordelin.

“Follow the main road west,” a burly man said. “The doctor lives at the very edge of town in a fine, two-story brick house. It’s the last on the right. You will have no trouble finding it.”

She thanked him for his help, then turned to her sisters. “Did you—”

“Wait a minute.” The blond, curly-haired innkeeper stepped closer. “Aren’t you the Warrioresses?”

A small crowd of mug-holding men gathered around them.

Dropping her voice, Caritha whispered in Levena’s ear. “Get out of here and meet me at the doctor’s house. I’ll keep these people distracted long enough to keep them out of our way.” Her sisters filtered out of the door, and Caritha faced the friendly faces with a charming smile. “Yes, I am a Warrioress.”

The men came in closer, some shaking her hand, some trying to kiss it. She turned to the man who’d given her directions and played at being shy. “I need to find a ladies’ room,” she whispered.

He puffed out his chest and boomed orders to the crowd. “Make way for the lady!”

She strode into the restroom at the back of the inn and locked the door behind her. A couple of windows, built high in the wall to let in fresh air, offered her the perfect escape route. She sprang up, grasped one of the sills, vaulted through the window, and landed in a crouch on the dirt in a back alley. Keeping to back streets, she made her way to the western side of town.

The last building on the right hand side of the main road was a two-story brick house. Her sisters were waiting for her in the front. “Caritha, come!” Laura beckoned with her hand. “We were considering going back to make sure you were all right.”

“Well, I got away rather quickly, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t seen.” She ran her hand through her hair and dusted off her skirt.

Laura went up to the front door and knocked. A tall, tanned woman wearing a bright yellow dress opened the door.

Caritha stepped forward. “Ma’am, we seek information—”

“Are you the Warrioresses?”

“Yes. Lord Ilfedo sent us to—”

The woman nearly tripped over her threshold as she stepped out and held the door wide open. “Please, please. Do come in. I am Doctor Malinda.”

“Thank you.”

The lady doctor was all smiles as she showed them into her cozy parlor. Long, lace curtains covered the high windows. Plush, green carpeting covered the floor. Three portraits adorned one wall, a grandfather clock chimed in the corner of another, and two couches layered with animal furs formed an L around an oval, knee-high table in the room’s center.

“My husband is gone for the week.

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