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He then broke the silence. “I hear you’re looking for someone to take you to the Forest of Torment,” he said.

I nodded, still struck by his beauty and intimidation, and unable to form words.

“You’ve found the right person,” he claimed.

CHAPTER FIVE

It took me a moment to process his words, his captivating beauty at the forefront of my thoughts. When I finally snapped myself out of my trance, I spoke.

“You… you can take me to the Forest of Torment?” I asked with an embarrassing stutter.

“If you’re willing to pay,” he replied, no hint of emotion in his tone.

Of course. A handsome stranger wasn’t going to just swoop in and take me on a dangerous journey for free. And who knows what kind of criminal he may be. A dangerous one, surely.

I shifted slightly, straightening my posture and rebuilding my confidence that had slipped for a brief moment. “Name your price,” I answered.

The stranger looked down at the three drunken fools on the ground. The main one appeared unconscious while his two accomplices still groaned in pain. “Not here,” said the stranger. “Too many listeningears.”

Right. I better not let it slip how wealthy I was, or these three thugs might have another reason to come for me.

“Walk with me,” he added.

“Where to?”

“Away from here.”

I hesitated. “How do I know you won’t just attack me?”

“You don’t,” he answered a little too quickly. “But if I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so already.”

I supposed that was true.

“And seeing as I am likely the only person in Rimor who has been to the Forest of Torment, I presume you have little choice but to trust me.” He seemed very sure of himself.

Failing to hide the shock on my face, I said, “You’ve been there? And lived?”

He dipped his head, a dull, uninterested expression on his handsome face.

I crossed my arms, ready to call his bluff. “How can that be true? Those who make it never return.”

The man shrugged. “I guess I was just lucky.”

“Prove it.”

“No.”

My eyes narrowed. He had to be lying. I had no reason whatsoever to believe what he was saying. And yet, something deep within myself told me that he was trustworthy – or at the very least, that he wasn’t lying about the Forest.

He stood there, silently watching me, waiting for my response.

I sighed. “For some reason, I believe you. For now.” If he was going to show his arrogance, I would throw my own right back at him. “Lead the way,” I said, stepping over the bodies he so easily put on the groundonly moments ago.

He nodded and turned down the alley, with me following closely. We walked in silence for maybe a few minutes before I finally decided to speak again.

“I guess I should thank you for intervening back there,” I told him. “Although I probably could have handled the three of them myself.” I wasn’t sure that was true, but I didn’t want him to think I was a helpless target.

The stranger turned his head to look at me. We made eye contact for a brief second before he faced forward again. “I don’t doubt that,” he stated. “I saw you hold your own in the alehouse. But you’re welcome.”