Total pages in book: 179
Estimated words: 169943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 850(@200wpm)___ 680(@250wpm)___ 566(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 169943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 850(@200wpm)___ 680(@250wpm)___ 566(@300wpm)
“Right.” She tosses the cloak around her shoulders and gives a girlish giggle, moving to my side and grabbing my arm. “Will you introduce us?”
Oh gods. I could tell her that she doesn’t truly want to meet Magpie. That she shouldn’t meet her hero. That it’s only going to break her heart. But I can’t avoid this forever. With an agitated tug on my nose ring, I nod. “Fine. Come on.”
It’s only a few steps down the hall to the kitchen of the house, but each step is incredibly uncomfortable. My cock is throbbing and stiff and shows no signs of receding. I’m glad that Aspeth’s too distracted to grab a candle because the last thing I want is for Magpie to see just how aroused I am. I haven’t yet told her that I married one of our students, and I’m not looking forward to that conversation.
There’s another crash of pans in the kitchen, and when we enter, I see Magpie bent over, digging through one of the larders, knocking dried onions and a wheel of cheese to the ground. A lone candle flickers on the table nearby, providing just enough light for me to see my boss’s disheveled appearance. She’s wearing a guild uniform, but it’s so wrinkled and filthy that I know it’s the same one she’d been wearing the last time we talked. A quick glance over at my side shows Aspeth’s excitement giving way to confusion.
Hells. I clear my throat.
Magpie turns to face us, her hair a tangled mess around her head. Her gaze flicks to me, the woman on my arm, and then back to me. “Where’s the brew?”
“I had it removed from the house. You should go to bed, Magpie.”
She scowls at me and turns back to the larder. “I had a stash here.”
“Yes, and I removed that, too,” I say calmly. “You said you’d stop drinking.”
“Tomorrow,” she promises, and shoves aside a row of jars, nearly knocking them to the floor.
I glance at Aspeth. Her grip on my arm is tight, her face bright as she regards Magpie. “Madam,” she calls out, and then her smile grows broad. “It is such an honor. I’ve dreamed of meeting you for years. You’re the reason I’ve come to Vastwarren. You’re the inspiration that’s made me determined to join the guild. You…you’re a legend.” Aspeth’s voice grows hushed with awe. “And it is a joy to be one of your students.”
I roll my eyes.
“One of my students?” Magpie turns, squinting. She seems to notice Aspeth for the first time and then saunters over, weaving in a way that leaves no doubt she’s been hitting the bottle hard. No matter how many times I hide the liquor, she somehow finds more. She looks Aspeth up and down, frowning. “I don’t know you.”
“My name is Sparrow—”
Magpie barks a laugh in her face, the sound rude and affronting, and my entire spine tightens with the urge to grab Magpie by the arm and march her to bed like a naughty child. “That’s not your name, fool,” Magpie laughs, spit flying as she announces this. “You ain’t got that name yet. And you ain’t my student.”
“Yes, she is,” I say quietly. “She’s one of your fledglings this year, along with Lark.”
Her expression contorts, and for a moment, I think she’s going to apologize.
Instead, Magpie leans forward and vomits at Aspeth’s feet.
Aspeth looks at me with horror and betrayal in her eyes. I feel like an arse, because I know she’s looked up to Magpie all this time. I should have coordinated a meeting between them. Should have figured out a way to gently point out that Magpie prefers to spend her time soused instead of searching for adventure like she did when she was younger. That she’s not the same Magpie. Hasn’t been for years now.
“I really should get to bed,” Magpie says after a moment, straightening and wiping her mouth. “Got fledglings to train in the morning. Right after I get another drink.”
She wanders away, knocking one of the canned jars to the floor with a crash. Glass and sticky peaches spill all over the floor, and Magpie doesn’t seem to notice.
I bite back a sigh and pat Aspeth on the shoulder. “Go to bed. I’ll clean this and make sure she ends up in her bed and not in a gutter somewhere.”
“She…You…” Aspeth’s gaze blinks from me back to the door Magpie pitched herself through a moment ago. “That was…”
“I know.” I give her shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll talk about it in the morning. Go sleep.”
“She’s…”
“A drunk. I know. And that’s why we’re in danger of losing everything. Now you know why you have to pass this year. If our class fails out, Magpie loses everything.”
And I do, too.
FOURTEEN
ASPETH
22 Days Before the Conquest Moon
My hands on my hips, I stare up at Guild Master Crow, trying to pay attention. It’s difficult to be in the moment this morning, because in my head I’m still stuck on last night, watching my hero vomit at my feet.