Gilded Serpent by Danielle Jensen (top 10 novels txt) 📕

At first walking was agony, every strained muscle in her body screaming that she sit still, but gradually, the pain lessened as she loosened up. It was a relief to be in different terrain, the quiet of the forest broken only by the soft tromp of the pine boughs strapped to their feet and the occasional chitter of a squirrel.

But even without the endless wind they’d been exposed to in the Teeth, there was no denying it was getting colder. At night, they made a shelter from the canvas Marcus had taken from the cave, one of them always remaining on watch to ensure that the fire burned high to ward off the chill.

Even with it, by morning she was cold and stiff, and the pain of moving was worse than the first day.

“How long until we reach somewhere with people?” she grumbled. The rabbit was long gone, and her stomach ached with hunger.

Marcus lifted his head and pointed.

Shielding her eyes with one hand, Teriana caught sight of several plumes of smoke rising above the trees. A village. “What’s the plan?”

He scratched at his chin. “Given this village is on the route to the Via Mortis, it will have lodgings of some sort that we can rent. And those living here will be used to Empire messengers coming through, so they won’t be quite as likely to kill me as those on the other side of the Teeth. Still, I think it’s best not to mention my legion affiliations.”

“Agreed. But who are we and why are we coming from the direction of the Teeth at this time of year? We need a story.”

Except there was no explanation that wouldn’t invite questions.

“We’ll tell them that we came from Ygrisia,” he said, naming a city on the North Sea that was only reachable by ship during the summer. “And that your family did not approve of our union, so we ran and fell in with the nomads, who helped us reach the Teeth.”

Teriana’s cheeks colored. She didn’t wish to admit that a good portion of this story was something she fantasized about in idle moments. “Okay.”

“And if they cause us trouble, then…” He touched the hilt of his gladius and started walking.

“Don’t you dare kill anyone!” She scuttled after him, nearly tripping over her own feet. “The answer is not always violence.”

“I promise not to kill anyone who doesn’t try to kill me first.”

The village wasn’t large by any stretch of the imagination, but it was surprisingly full of people given the number of buildings. Many of them seemed to be trappers here to sell their furs to merchants who’d subsequently transport the goods to larger towns and cities for sale. The best of the goods were sent into Celendrial, where the most coin was to be had.

But even accounting for that, the crowds seemed thick, women and children buying cups of steamed milk and sweet cakes from vendors. And the village square was strung with garlands and tiny lanterns, the sight of which caused Teriana to count her fingers, trying to determine the date. “It’s the last night of fall, and tomorrow, winter officially begins,” she said. It was not lost on her that if she and Marcus had fallen through the xenthier a few weeks later, they’d never have survived. “There’s going to be a festival tonight.”

Marcus didn’t answer, but his brow furrowed, his blue-grey eyes sweeping the town as though he expected to be accosted at any moment. “There’s the inn,” he said. “Hopefully there are still rooms.”

As it turned out, the majority of people were staying with friends or family, so the inn was quiet compared to the bustle outside. But that didn’t stop the innkeeper from wrinkling his nose, looking Marcus up and down like he’d rather throw them outside than rent them a room. Though she wasn’t certain whether that was because they were dressed in clothes fabricated from blankets and badly cured wolf hide or because Marcus’s coloring marked him as quite obviously from Celendor. Perhaps both.

“Late in the year for travel,” he said in perfect Cel.

“It is,” Marcus answered, not giving an explanation to the implied question. “And we’d rather not sleep on the ground tonight if it can be avoided.”

“Looks as though you’ve spent more than a few living rough. Smells like you’ve been living rough, too.”

“And we grow weary of it. We can pay, if that’s your concern.”

“That’s not my concern.” The man rested his elbows on the counter. “What’s a Maarin girl doing this far from the sea in the company of a Cel boy?”

“My ship has been keeping to the North Sea to avoid the Cel,” Teriana answered swiftly, seeing Marcus’s temper was starting to rise. “And they took issue with me taking up with him, so I left.”

“Should’ve listened to your family.”

Next to her, Marcus shifted restlessly, so she stepped on his foot. “Believe me, I know. But my bed is made, so I have to sleep in it. Preferably in a room in your lovely establishment.” Reaching into a pocket, she extracted a silver hair bead she’d removed earlier, the rest of her hair pulled back in her hood to hide her true wealth. All their coinage was unmarked, which would raise questions. “We’ll only be here one night.”

“One night,” the innkeeper said, his reluctance fading as he examined the silver bead. “But first, you wash up and burn everything you’re wearing. Don’t want you lousing up my linens.” Then he smiled. “For another one of these beads, I’ll supply you with clothes that don’t smell like rotting wolf hide.”

“Gladly.” Handing over another bead, she added, “Now point me in the direction of the bath.”

Arms full of clothes that the innkeeper had provided, Teriana followed Marcus through the snow behind the inn, heading toward a small structure with smoke rising from a chimney. “I can’t wait to sit in a tub. I’ve never been this filthy in my entire life.”

Marcus glanced back at her.