Free Dragon Lord by Avril Sabine Page A

Mouse. “I don’t want to kill you. And I won’t. I’ll hand you over to the town guards to execute. I don’t want to, but there are too many things at stake. I want you to take a blood oath. It’s quite simple and one day I’ll take it off you. There’ll be less chance of you dying from breaking it than living in Rhone’s dubious care.”
    “Speak normal. Anyone’d think you were using a foreign language with some of the words you spit out.”
    “Mouse. Quit stalling. I need you to make a choice. Blood oath or town guards?”
    Edana came into the trees. “Oh, I don’t know. He doesn’t look worth the effort either way. I say we throw him in a sack with some rocks, tie it up tight and dump him in the river. Much less effort.” Her widow clothes prevented Mouse from seeing who she was.
    “Blood oath,” Mouse squealed. “Keep her away from me. Never liked no widow women anyhow.”
    Fen nodded. He moved over to Edana, hoping she’d brought the parchment with her. She had and quickly gave it to him.
    “River gave me a fright when he caught me. I didn’t know he could reach that far. My tutor thought I was suddenly ill. So I guess it worked well, but don’t let him do that too often.”
    Fen moved her further away from Mouse to make certain he couldn’t hear their softly spoken conversation, noticing Edana’s horse tied to a tree further away. “I had to do something. He’s from my old life. I can’t have stories getting back to Rhone yet. I’m not ready.” It took him only moments to tell Edana the basics.
    Edana nodded. “Make sure you don’t write anything on this parchment you wouldn’t feel safe having another read. You remember how I worded it?” At Fen’s nod, Edana continued. “Here’s some more money. I was worried the problem was more complicated than River showed me.” She handed over a moneybag.
    “Surely your father must notice the amount you’ve spent without anything to show for it.” Fen dropped the bag into his left boot.
    “I’ve never had much to show for the amount of money he’s given me over the years. Us spoilt brats have a tendency to spend money like it’s water.”
    Fen chuckled. “You’re only a spoilt brat occasionally these days.”
    Edana smiled momentarily. “What are you going to do with the moneybag Mouse stole?”
    “I can’t give it back to the lady. I’d probably be accused of being an accomplice.”
    “You could donate it to one of the temples for the poor.”
    Fen nodded. “Sometimes it’s strange I no longer have to lift moneybags for Rhone.”
    “You won’t have to ever again.” Edana glanced towards her horse. “I have to go home. If I’m caught out while I’m supposedly in bed sick there’ll be a lot of questions.”
    “Thank you. Sorry I had to drag you into this mess. I could think of no other way to deal with it.”
    “You’ll have to tell me all the details later.”
    Fen smiled. “Early morning ride tomorrow? I can tell you the rest then.”
    With a quick nod Edana left.
    Fen walked back to Mouse. “Blood oath it is. Let’s get this over as quickly as possible. I still have to see a merchant about a pair of boots today. You’re an expensive problem, Mouse.”
    “Humph. Brought you a fat purse more like,” Mouse grumbled.

Chapter Thirteen
    “He wasn’t quite what I had in mind when I said you needed a stableboy.”
    Fen looked up to where Bertrisa stood in the doorway of River’s pen. He grinned. “I like him. Got an attitude as smooth as sand, as agreeable as a cornered rat and a sense of fashion that puts us all to shame.”
    Bertrisa chuckled. “The gods forbid anyone else should dress the same as him.”
    When Fen had taken Mouse shopping for clothes the day before, the boy had chosen bright red boots, a green shirt, orange trousers and a purple felt hat. He’d swaggered around the stables as soon as he’d washed and donned his new clothes.
    “You do realise if anything goes missing around here the finger