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)
“Oh. Fancy.”
I stare at her in shock, curling my fingers around the ring. Part of me wants to hand it back to her because it’s hers, and part of me wants to steal it away because if I get both rings, this could be the answer Honori Hold needs. “Gwenna! How in all the gods’ names did you get this?”
She offers me a weak smile. “I stole it from the dead guy.”
“You what?”
Gwenna flinches and gets to her feet. Squeaker immediately rolls onto her stomach and trots away, likely heading back to my room. I remain seated, the ring pulsing warm with power, and Gwenna paces in the kitchen. She wrings her hands. “Every maid knows how to steal. Not that I would, of course. But it’s helpful to know things sometimes. You pick up bits. You learn that when you’re a maid, people know you’re there but no one’s really watching you. You’re invisible in a strange sort of way and that makes it easy to lift things, especially when your employer doesn’t pay you. You figure out a way to get paid anyhow.”
I’m stunned. All I can say is “Oh.”
She hastily raises her hands. “I’ve never stolen from you, Aspeth. Don’t worry about that. But maids talk. We share tips and advice. And if some noble carelessly tosses something away, we grab it for ourselves. Your lot never misses it.” Her arms cross over her chest, her posture defensive. “I know you think I’m the worst—”
“I don’t, I swear I don’t—”
“But you’ve always been good to me and made sure I was taken care of.”
“Gwenna—”
She paces frantically back and forth. “And when I saw his bag and there was something shiny in it, my instincts kicked in.” She grimaces. “I know it’s wrong to steal but he’s dead, right? And this could be a matter of life and death for you, so why not take it? But I guess this is the same as me stealing from the guild, and that’s a bad thing. I probably should have left it, but I didn’t, and I’ll understand if you want to turn me over to Magpie or Hawk. Actually, if you have to turn me in, can we make it Magpie? I think she might be nicer than Hawk. Or she might not even say anything and trade it for a case of ale. I just…I don’t want to go back to changing bedpans and getting tea trays, Aspeth. I want to do something with my life—”
“Gwenna.” I set the ring down, get to my feet, and grab her by the shoulders before she can pace a hole into the floorboards. “I’m not going to say anything. Just…thank you. It’s kind of you to think of me.”
“You’re my friend,” she says, blinking at me. “You brought me with you when you could have left me behind and unemployed. You’re helping me start a new life. Of course I’d look out for you.”
Tears threaten again, because I’m so used to having to look out for everyone else at the hold that it feels strange to have someone watching over me. “You’re my best friend, Gwenna.”
She laughs, and sounds as tearful as I am. “I thought that was Squeaker.”
“We won’t tell her the truth.”
“She’s a cat. As long as she gets food, I don’t think she much cares.”
I bite back a hysterical giggle and look over at the ring on the table. It’s a chance. It could be just what I need to save everyone. “Can I hug you?”
“Can I stop you?” she grumbles, but submits to my quick, happy squeeze.
I hold her tight, because she’s truly proven herself to be the best of friends. When I release her, my gaze automatically is drawn back to the ring. “I wonder what it does.”
“No idea, but it must have been important enough that someone was tomb robbing to get it, right? They said the body was old, and he wasn’t wearing a guild uniform. Just some old, crappy armor. What else could it be but a tomb robber of some kind?”
She has a good point. It hadn’t occurred to me that it would be a tomb robber. Those were common before the guild took over the ruins and established a stranglehold on the artifacts coming out of Old Prell. “Did you see another ring?”
“If he had both, do you think he’d have died there? Or do you think he was still looking for the mate to the ring when he got attacked by ratlings?”
“Or he didn’t know what he had.” I chew on my lip, thinking. “What if the guild has the other ring?”
“Then they’ll be looking for this one.”
She’s right. They’ll pull Drop Thirteen apart looking for a mate to another ring. The fact that they haven’t yet tells me that they aren’t aware of any artifacts in the area. Right now Magpie is just quarreling with them over sending us back because of paperwork. As far as I know, the guild still isn’t interested in the drop itself. “We have to go back,” I tell her. “Before they find anything. And we have to find the mate. If what these rings do together is powerful…it could help my father.”