Cockblocked #2
I can’t help but chuckle as I watch her. These little mountain towns aren’t ready for a girl like Vanya. But Frostcliff will be, and I can already imagine her playing the dance hall. Almost makes me wish I was heading that direction instead of Airedale.
But maybe I could travel with them. The caravan taught me there’s strength in numbers, and I could have worse company than Jessic’s crew and Vanya on the road up.
I smile as I watch her play before something catches my eye. Maybe it’s just because I’m staring, but I’d swear there was a golden glow coming from the hollow of her throat. It could almost be a trick of the lantern light, but then it brightens as her song comes to a final high note.
Cheers erupt from around the tavern, and Vanya beams before she stands on her chair so folks can actually see her as she bows.
“My name’s Vanya,” she calls, and the crowd greets her enthusiastically. “I think I like mountain towns. This is m’ first time up, but y’all seem fun. What d’you want to hear, eh?”
As she starts into her second song, I watch the room go from being drunk and disinterested to drunker and rapt.
All the while, that golden glow in her throat glows brighter and brighter, lighting her up from the inside out.
Yet as I glimpse around, keeping an eye out for Jessic or his crew, I’m the only one who seems to notice it.
It’s enchantment. It has to be. When we traveled together, I could have swore I felt a spark in her, and while Vanya’s no wizard, that golden glow makes me certain that there’s magic in her all the same. I’ll find a way to test that theory later.
Yet even as I think it, the jovial atmosphere of the tavern cracks apart. Vanya’s music slows, warped and discordant, the rhythm falling apart. The front door to the tavern bursts open, letting in a waft of cold air before Nikolai steps into the inn.
I gasp, staggering to my feet. He turns, brows furrowed, before he storms towards me.
I lift my hands to my spells only to remember I left them in my bag in my room.
Told myself they were too distinct, but in reality, I didn’t want to bring them into a full room, just in case my magic went sideways.
Without warning, the room snaps back into place around me. I can’t stop a quiet gasp as I clutch the bar for balance.
The front door’s closed. Nik’s nowhere to be seen.
Vanya hasn’t missed a beat, but she seems to be the only one who noticed me flinch. Her eyes meet mine in a silent question before she starts into another verse.
Then, a figure passes by the window beside the door. He’s wearing a hood, but my gut drops when I realize I already know who’s under it. I duck just as the door opens, letting in a cold burst of air.
Through the crowd, I watch Nik sweep his hood off, revealing that well-trimmed mustache and dimpled chin.
His normally coiffed black hair is mussed from travel, cheeks red from the cold.
Instead of his normal metal breastplate and chain skirt, he’s wearing a lighter leather one for easier travel.
His eyes scan the room like a hawk, but he doesn’t see me.
I crouch by the nearest table, and the folks who had been talking produce are so drawn by Vanya, they don’t even notice me.
Olbric’s hunch was true, but it ain’t no wizard who’s been sent to bring me back. It’s Nik.
As he heads to the bar, I shuffle around the edge of the room. I pull my scarf up to cover my face before I make for the stairs. But I don’t think I can dart up them without catching Nik’s attention. Already, he’s picking his way through the crowd, aiming for the seat I just abandoned.
“Thanks, all,” Vanya calls as she finishes her song before her eyes land on me.
A distraction is just what I need.
I give her a wink, and Vanya’s smile widens as she says, “This next song is about a friend o’ mine.”
The opening chords to Bandit Layer ring out, but it’s not until the chorus where Vanya belts out my name that Nikolai’s attention snaps to the stage.
I dart up the stairs to my room and waste no time slinging my saddle bags over my shoulders.
I pull my scarf up to cover my face and hair before I head back down the stairs.
Nik’s not immune to Vanya, though unlike the rest of the inn, he wears that ever-present scowl as he watches her, brows furrowed.
I duck down the hall, heading for the back door and the stables.
But before I reach it, a door along the hall slams open in front of me.
Jessic emerges from the lavatory, adjusting his belt, but he pulls up short as I nearly crash into him.
An apology is on his tongue before his face lights up in recognition.
“Fuck me, is that Dominai?” he asks, his tipsy voice booming over the din.
Guess the scarf isn’t covering much. I shush him, casting a furtive look over my shoulder, but it’s too late. Nik’s eyes snap to mine before he lunges up from his seat.
“Shit.” I bump past Jessic in the narrow hall. I hurry for the door even as I call over my shoulder, “Sorry! Got to run!”
Jessic follows my gaze before he lets out a bark of a laugh. “Don’t worry, wizard. I got you.”
I beam as I throw the back door open. “Good seeing you, Jessic!”
Jessic doesn’t reply, but I glance back just in time to see him knock shoulders with Nik. The guard staggers to a stop, but the door closes as I rush towards the stables. Mo and Valar’s heads shoot up as I hurry in.
I grab Mo’s tack from the stand, though I drop a saddle bag on the ground in the shuffle.
I leave it there, not wasting a second as I toss the saddle on and tighten it down.
Mo’s ears flick back, though I’m not sure if it’s because he’s annoyed at me or he’s also heard the door to the inn crack open.
“Wait a second!” Jessic’s raised voice booms. “I felt you slip a hand into my pocket!”
Nik sounds flustered, bordering on angry. “You’re interfering with a matter of the Crown.”
“What matter? Lifting more of my godsdamned coin?” Jessic snaps. “Royal Guards are taxing folks personally now, huh?”
I tie everything down as quick as I can before I fish out my spells. An illusion fizzles out to cover me and the horses as I climb up into the saddle. I take Valar’s rope in hand before I nudge Mo to move.
Nik’s response dies as he hears the sound of hooves. He whirls, and even though I’m invisible, his eyes track me with uncomfortably good aim. I kick Mo into a run, and my haphazardly tied down packs only make him want to run faster.
It’s a mad dash away from the inn, but I cut off the main road as soon as I’m able. The deer trail is rough going, especially in the dark, so I don’t take us far before I pull Mo to a stop.
I get off to resecure everything that’s come loose, ears straining for any sound of pursuit. Yet as the minutes tick by, I don’t hear anything other than the hoot of an owl somewhere overhead and the rustle of dry leaves in the chilly breeze.
But I didn’t get this far by being careless, and I walk Mo and Valar a little deeper into the woods.
If Nik’s already caught up to me on the road, we’ll have to take the cross-country route.
So long as it stays dry, and I scatter the horses’ dung as they leave it, I doubt he’ll be able to track us down.
It’s some time before I find ground that’s level enough to camp on, and I’ve already stubbed my toe three too many times on unseen rocks.
I can’t risk a light, and as I get settled against a rocky outcropping, a cold breeze rustles through my cloak.
I can’t risk a fire either, and I get annoyed all over again that Nik’s chased me out of a good, warm bed with Vanya in it.
Cockblocking asshole.
I get the horses taken care of only to realize I’ve lost one whole saddle bag of supplies and the saddle it belonged to.
I wonder how much that tack is worth. I’ll save some coin to pay the Crux back, but with luck, hopefully Jessic will think to grab my abandoned supplies.
No use in it all going to waste. But as I dig deeper into my supplies, my stomach sinks when I realize my tent was in that damn pack.
As the wind kicks up, I wonder if it wouldn’t be worth it to circle back to the inn for the night. Maybe Nik left to try and catch me on the road. I war with myself for a long moment before I decide it’s too risky.
Instead, I get a sorry excuse for a camp set up, cursing Nik the whole godsdamned time.