Chapter 11

The roar of laughter filled the inn, and Kyrin glanced over from the dark corner to watch them. She had killed one of the Shadowmere that had coins on him, and she took the opportunity to get some food and water at the busy inn.

The patrons were growing restless as the elven wine was passed around, but she refrained. She didn’t need her reflexes dulled when the Shadowmere could be anywhere around her.

She tore off a piece of the stale bread and dipped it into the thick, partially rotten stew she was eating. She gagged it down, not sure when she would be able to eat again. She couldn’t afford extra food and water, but hoped to find a dimension soon with something in it to drink.

Her mouth watered at the thought of the juicy apples that would be sitting, untouched, in the Valharan orchard. Eating the last of the stew, she looked around again and caught sight of one of the wenches sitting beside a ranger. They were kissing passionately, and his hands were roaming all over her as their lips pressed against each other.

Kyrin touched her lips softly, and had to admit she missed the soft kiss Alric gave her when trying to gain her trust. She’d been thinking more about him lately as loneliness set in. She missed his company and how he was amused at her actions and words.

It didn’t matter. She’d been gone from Paragoy for a year, and she knew that by now, Alric would have written her off as dead and more than likely had a wife to keep him amused. She would always remember his kindness and selflessness though, and she thought of it often at night before falling to sleep under foreign stars.

Kyrin reached down and unwound the bandages from her hand. She had a run-in with one of the Dieb Consortiums, and though she’d won, he managed to get a good dagger cut off on her hand. The wound was inflamed and smelled bad, so she knew there was an infection forming.

Picking up the wine one of the patrons had given her, she dumped a small bit over the wound, hoping to kill off the gangrene that was surely to set in. She winded it again with the same bandage, and then stood slowly and adjusted the hood to cover her face.