Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Five minutes later, I realize that I am lost. It happens all at once. One moment I know where I am, the next, I have no idea. The forest looks the same in all directions. Trees and bushes surround me. I know that here is not a place where one can technically be lost, but it doesn’t feel good.
“Hey!” I call out. “I don’t know where I am!”
There’s silence. I notice the birds have stopped singing. I don’t blame them. I am carrying three dead birds right now. If I saw a giant carrying three dead people around, I probably wouldn’t sing much either.
“Guys?”
I stop to listen again. I still can’t hear anything, but I know Drako can move without making any noise whatsoever, so I hope he’s close. I can’t have gotten too far away surely. I start to worry that I am in real trouble.
“Hello?” I say again, but this time I am not as loud. The forest is so dense, and without the distraction of hunting for food, I find myself aware that the circle of life includes me in this world.
“Hey?” I squeak.
A hand comes through the undergrowth and grabs me firmly. I let out a sigh of relief, because no matter how creepy that is, at least it’s not a pair of jaws full of razor-sharp teeth. Instead, it’s Drako.
“The snare is a mile away,” he says. “And you are dangerously near a ravine.”
I turn to face his tall, displeased self. Having to always crane my neck to explain myself is going to lead to some postural issues, I think. He is devastatingly handsome, his eyes burning down into mine, his cheeks hollowing as he visibly contains himself. I bet he wants to beat me. And worse. A ruthless jarl does not soften overnight.
“I found some eggs,” I say. “And I wanted some more so we could have a bigger, better breakfast. I was foraging.”
“Were you told to forage?”
“I was told to check the snare, and I did. And then I did more, because I’m a self-starter and a go-getter. I’m internally motivated. I have an intrinsic locus of control.” The latter statements are things I’ve heard my sister’s husband say. They do not elicit a positive reaction from Drako.
“When I tell you to do something, you do that thing, and only that thing. I do not want you thinking. I want you acting on those thoughts even less, do you understand?”
“Yeah. You want me dumb and full of your cum,” I say.
“Precisely,” he grins. “You get it.”
I’ve managed to defuse his irritation, and that is a good thing. I have to learn how to work Drako. I need to survive him as much as I need to survive this world.
“I was really just trying to get something nice for us to eat,” I say. “I’m sorry.”
The words feel like acid on my tongue, because I’m not sorry, but I lower my eyes as I say them and I make a big show of submissive contrition. Drako is an egotist. He’s also used to people rolling over and showing him their belly. He expects me to fold, so I do.
“Follow me back,” he says. “Stay close behind.”
I do as I am told, because I know it’s for the best. I want to see Thor again. He has not behaved as I expected him to at almost any turn, but I still sense he is a safer proposition for me than Drako. Thor came after me to rescue me, and in doing so saved my life. If I had been with Drako’s people when the monsters came, I would have been eaten with them.
“Found her,” he says when we get back to camp. “She was trying to call down a predator.”
“I was not. I got food.”
“We literally cannot leave you unattended for a moment,” Thor says, looking stressed. I wonder what he thought was happening while we were in the woods. There’s a jealous note to his tone.
“I am not sure you are supposed to leave me unattended. I got some eggs.”
Thor prepares breakfast. Drako watches the perimeter. I try to work out what I am going to do now that these two have decided to engage in the world’s most awkward alliance.
Breakfast is bits of bird fried up in eggs, along with some greens that Drako says are good for us. The act of sitting down with others and consuming some hot, freshly made food is good for the soul.
“Thank you for finding the eggs,” Thor says. “They were a nice touch.”
“Don’t thank her for that. She went and got herself lost to find them.”
“I’ll speak to her as I please,” Thor says. “We’re all lost.”
“I am not lost. And you will not be if you follow my lead.”
“I am not interested in being led. Not by someone who was our prisoner a few hours ago. You are no jarl to me, Drako.”