1564024802

golden ring on her finger, the invaluable
heirloom little more than a lover’s keepsake.
Gnawing on her lip, she cast uncertain, darting
eyes on the soldiers, on the tavern. Sniffled a
little.
The other female—the one in the fine blue
clothes—noticed her first.
She was beautiful, Elide realized. Her dark
hair falling in a thick, glossy braid down her
back, her golden-brown skin shone with an
inner light. Her eyes were soft with kindness.
And concern.
Elide took that concern as invitation and
stumbled up to them, head bowing. “I—I—
I’m sorry to interrupt,” she blurted, speaking
more to the dark-haired beauty.
The stammer had always made people
uncomfortable, had always made them
foolishly off guard and eager to get away. To
tell her what she needed to know.