Page 89 of The Shadow Path
“In truth, I do not know,” he admitted. “My prior matings did not have an emotional attachment. If Seren noticed anything, she did not tell me.”
Wait, did that mean Cadell had never had sex just for fun?
Carys saw Laura staring carefully ahead and guessed that her friend was wondering the same thing.
Interesting.
And also kind of weird.
A stout troll with a stony face and grey tufts coming out of his large ears stepped in front of Duncan near the end of the bridge, glaring at Cadell.
“That dragon isn’t welcome in the market.”
“He may not be welcome,” Duncan said, “but he’ll pass through.”
The troll puffed up his chest. “Says who?”
Cadell stepped forward and seemed to grow several inches as his voice dropped and a red glow appeared at his throat. “Do we have a problem?”
Duncan jabbed a finger toward Cadell. “Says himself. We’re passing through, warden. We don’t want trouble—we’re only making for the fae gate.”
The troll narrowed his eyes at Cadell, then looked at Duncan, Laura, and finally Carys. “Yer the one,” he muttered.
Carys’s eyes went wide. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“The one who started the trouble.” He bared two curved fangs at Carys, but then he curled his lip and pointed over his shoulder. “Get on with you. Straight to the gate and don’t talk to no one.”
Carys jutted her chin out. “If no one talks to me, I won’t talk to them.”
Duncan put a hand on her shoulder and guided her past the troll and off the bridge. “We’re moving.”
Carys muttered, “He’s acting like I’m the one who burned down the place.”
“Did you see the badge on his chest?” Duncan asked. “He’s the warden of the market. At least they have one now. It’s his job to keep the peace.”
“And I’m not the one who broke the peace in the first place.” She scanned the cobblestone lane along the river where the fire-scarred skeletons of ramshackle buildings and open stalls remained standing like withered matchsticks. The three humans and the dragon picked their way through the remains of the troll market where soldiers patrolled and a few intrepid vendors still set up stalls.
The fae bookseller was there, reading a scroll that unfurled itself. Her booth was parked next to the troll with the scaled hands. It was too late for fish, so he had switched to hawking fishing equipment like lines and charmed nets.
There was a round-faced troll woman selling crystals and charms, and an elderly human in a turban carefully measuring herbs.
Carys saw no humans being sold; the vendors that remained in view of the patrolling soldiers all appeared to be legitimate businesspeople.
“There.” She pointed out the lane that she couldn’t forget. “This is the way.”
“I remember.” Duncan walked forward, disappearing into the narrow lane as he walked to a corner where two lanterns sat on a narrow stoop.
“Follow Duncan,” Cadell said quietly. “I’ll watch your backs.”
“Is this smart?” Laura asked quietly.
“We’re heading into the Brightlands,” Carys said. “At least the chances of running into malevolent trolls are a lot lower there.”
Laura watchedan early-morning drunk peeing against a wall in an alley off Wilton Place. “Lower, but not zero.”
“What?”
Laura pointed her chin at the stumbling man, who still had his penis dangling out of his pants as he shuffled away.
