It made me angry to think about people picking through my parents’ stuff, turning the house upside down for clues. How long would it take for someone to come and clear it? It was mine—my dad had lived there for so long that he’d paid off the mortgage years ago, and I knew I’d inherited it. Would it just sit there filled with our stuff, falling into disrepair? The weird house in the village with the dead couple and the missing son?
Even though it wasn’t overly hot, the cottage still got too warm when the kitchen hearth was lit for me to make tea in the morning. I’d opened the window in here, and the cat was curled up napping on its deep sill, while I sat at the table and carefully copied out the potion I wanted to try on a blank piece of parchment I’d found with a sheaf of others in the trunk in the living room. It had taken me a while to get used to writing with a quill and ink, and my handwriting was a messy scrawl on the page, but it was still easier to read than the tiny letters in theNovice Drachmsmithbook.
When the cat’s head suddenly popped up, I glanced over at him. My gut tightened with weird anticipation when he stood up, gave me a look and slunk out of the window.
When Caom visited, the cat tended to hide under the bed until he left. There was only one person he’d vanished entirely because of before, no doubt disappearing into the forest to get far away.
I jumped when I heard a jangle of coins from outside, followed by a knock. Licking my lips nervously, I stood up from the table and made my way through the living room to the door. I stared at Lonan when I opened it.
He gazed back with hooded black eyes, saying nothing.
“Hello,” I said nervously, trying to ignore the way my gut tightened with a rush of… something.
“The Carlin has invited you for dinner tonight.”
His words made my stomach drop, any confusingly pleasant feelings vanishing in a rush.
“What?”
He huffed, eyeing me like I was an idiot. I flushed.
“You will come to the court tonight. For dinner,” he repeated slowly, then held out a bulging cloth bag. “Go into the village and buy suitable clothes.”
My hand automatically came up to take the bag, and I swallowed as our fingers brushed before he let go.
“I… Why?” I asked, staring down at the bag. It was heavy, and I could feel the hard edges of tightly packed coins pressing into my fingers.
He stared at me. “She is interested to see how you are settling in.”
“I thought…” I licked my lips. “I thought that was your job. To tell her.”
“Myjob”—he sneered, as though the notion of it was beneath him and he resented the fact he had to spy on me—“is to ensure that you don’t do anything stupid.”
I couldn’t stop myself from glaring at him, even as my throat flushed with embarrassment. “I haven’t done anything stupid.”
He huffed and flicked his gaze away.
“Go into the village and buy clothes,” he said again, nodding at the bag. “And whatever else you want. The money is yours. I will come and collect you tonight for dinner.”
My gut clenched with nerves. I let out a breath, staring at the bag and feeling Lonan’s cold eyes on me.
“You haven’t been into the village yet, have you?” he asked, though it was barely a question. He knew full well that I hadn’t.
“No.”
He was silent for a moment, before saying in his husky voice, “Keep to yourself. Don’t thank any of them.”
I stared at him, wondering why he was helping me. I resisted the urge to thank him for the advice, knowing he would just look at me like I was a complete moron if I did.
I nodded once instead. “Okay.”
Without another word, he turned and walked off. I stared after him. Unbidden, my eyes dropped to his backside, but it was hidden under the tail of his untucked shirt. My skin getting hot, I tracked my gaze lower, taking in his long, toned legs encased in black leather instead. The swords crossed on his back winked in the sunlight, and his black hair shifted with faint shades of pink and green as he walked.
Feeling like a creep—and a complete fool—I exhaled and shut the door, weighing the heft of the bag in my hand as I walked into the living room. Opening the drawstring, I peered in. It was bulging with coins—copper, silver and gold—but they were totally foreign to me.
The jumpy feeling from seeing Lonan turned into nerves as I retrieved the satchel from the trunk, and my dagger from under the mattress.
It was time for me to finally go into the Folk village.