Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
“Be on your way,” the leader said with a dismissive wave. “This does not concern you.”
Raff got angry at being endlessly dismissed and his lips curved into a humorless smile. “Aye, but it does when you mean to steal from the lass.”
The woman’s gaze fell on him, confusion and hope warring in her expression. She did not know him, just as no one else did. Yet, for the first time in a year, he thought he caught a flicker of attention like she actually noticed him, and he wondered how that could be.
A sliver of hope filled him, and he had to find out why it was she looked at him as if she truly saw him and, if so, was there any way this woman could somehow help him banish the wish.
The leader took a step forward, his hand drifting toward the sword at his waist. “You looking to die, stranger?”
Raff didn’t answer. He shifted his stance, weight balanced, his muscles coiling in preparation. He had no claim to this fight, but his body remembered the rhythm of battle, the way to anticipate an enemy’s next move. Had her look awakened it in him? For the first time in what felt like forever, he had a purpose.
The leader’s lip curled as he drew his blade. “A fool’s choice.”
The other men followed suit, steel flashing in the muted light. Raff remained still, and his heartbeat steady. He would have to be quick, precise, and use their numbers against them. A better weapon than the dirk in his belt would have been useful, but he had learned long ago that a warrior’s deadliest tools were his instincts and his fists.
Then, the woman moved. In one swift motion, she flung the basket she had been holding at the leader’s face. The unexpected attack startled him, causing him to stumble back. It was all the distraction Raff needed.
He lunged, grabbing the closest man’s arm and twisting it hard enough to make him drop his weapon. With a swift kick, he sent the man sprawling into the dirt. Another came at him, slashing wildly. Raff dodged, driving his fist into the man’s gut before wrenching the sword from his grasp.
The remaining men hesitated, reassessing their odds.
The weight of the sword in his hand brought back memories of long-fought battles and victories and he felt a sense of himself returning. But he had felt such twinges before, and they faded soon after.
“Think twice. Is this the day you want to die?” he asked, the man stepping back as if stepping away from death.
The leader, droplets of blood popping out of the scratches on his face from the basket, snarled. “This isn’t over.”
He gestured to his men, and they retreated, disappearing down the road. Raff watched them go and did not turn to the woman until they were out of sight.
She stared at him, her eyes wide with something between admiration and wariness. “Who do I offer my appreciation to?”
For a moment, he considered telling her the truth… that his name meant nothing, that he had no past, and no future. But instead, he said, “Raff.”
She studied him for a long moment before nodding. “Well, Raff, I’m Ingrid, and you just saved the villagers’ livelihood. May I repair you with a hearty meal before you go on your way.”
Raff hesitated. It had been so long since someone had offered him anything other than indifference, being ignored as if he didn’t exist as if he was nearly invisible all because he wished to be free. So, how was it this woman saw him? That she did, continued to have him curious and dare he be hopeful?
He nodded. “A meal sounds good.”
CHAPTER 2
“The village is up just around the bend,” Ingrid said, with a light flick of the reins on the horse to get her moving.
That’s when Raff noticed it. The end two fingers on her left hand moved together as one. They were fused together, and he wondered how that might have happened. It wouldn’t be mannerly of him to mention it, so he said nothing even though he was curious.
Raff followed alongside the cart as it rolled along the winding path. It wouldn’t have been proper, he being a stranger, to join her on the cart’s bench. She kept a slow pace, so it wasn’t difficult to keep pace alongside her, and he didn’t mind. He enjoyed watching the sun begin its descent, casting a golden glow over the hills as they neared the village. It was similar to places he had wandered through in the past year—thriving, alive with the sounds of laughter and the clatter of daily work.
Children ran past, their laughter ringing in the air as they chased one another with sticks, pretending to be warriors. Women stood outside their cottages, chatting while others tended to steaming pots set over outdoor hearths. A group of men repaired a fence, pausing to wipe the sweat from their brows and exchange a few words. The entire village pulsed with a sense of purpose, of belonging.