Hunted Queen

Chapter Thirty One • Ride Now

*Long Chapter*

-Jade-

The common room had turned deafeningly silent after Rag Man had posed his question. The longer Loren took to answer him, the more palpable and unbearable the tension grew around them. Jade could feel Loren's grip around her arm tighten with every passing second. He was becoming noticeably more and more uneasy with the increasing hostility.

Jade wasn't wearing a cloak and he was. How were they supposed to lie their way out of this? It was such a simple detail that would get them caught. How had they not thought of this?!

All eyes rested upon them. Even though she couldn't see all of them, she could feel them on her. Burning her. Soon there would be no more time to explain. Soon, the silence would turn into evidence that they weren't who they said they were.

Jade's eyes flickered from the left to the right as she scoured her mind for an answer, praying that her imagination would give her something. However, nothing came to her. And her guard seemed to be in the same situation.

They were only a couple of steps from the bottom of the staircase. Rag Man wasn't standing far away from it. Anxiousness crawled underneath Jade's skin from knowing that whenever he chose to, he could take the last remaining steps to see for himself that Jade was the one they were searching for. Hunting.

Her heart started to beat faster, leaving her lightheaded and trembling. The force of her blood rushing through every vein and her heart made it feel like she had a drum in her chest and a voiceless storm in her ears. Her fingertips grew numb and were sort of vibrating underneath the skin.

"What of it?" Loren finally replied, ripping Jade back to realty. From the sound of his voice, Loren seemed as unable as Jade to come up with an adequate reason for her lacking of a cloak. His voice was hard and cold.

"Well..." Rag Man started. Jade turned her head ever so slightly so she could see him a little better. "It's cold enough to freeze ye'r rocks off outside, isn't it?" He continued with a crooked smirk on his lips. It didn't reach his eyes from what Jade could see.

Rag Man cleared his throat disgustingly and spat to his right, almost hitting one of the other guests boots. Jade could feel his gaze on her, exploring her, searching for her gaze. Almost demanding her to meet his.

"Very odd isn't it?" He droned on, crossing his arms and pretending to think it all over. Mocking Loren all the while. Making him look like a fool. "To let her outside without proper clothing?"

Silence hung in the air for a moment before he went on. "And this wife of yours have the hair of the girl we are searching for." He continued. "I'd like to see her eyes as well, if you won't mind."

Jade's stomach dropped and simultaneously Loren's grip tightened around her arm even more. Now all of her fingers were growing numb and the tips of them were starting to sting and feel prickly.

"I do mind-" Loren began.

"-this lass is obviously not alone." The innkeeper's voice suddenly filled the room, interrupting Loren out of nowhere. He had deliberately inserted himself into the interrogation of Loren. Clearly attempting to help them. For some reason, the innkeeper had to know that Ulf and his men were not the one's to be aided.

Loren gave the room a meaningful shrug of his shoulders. Silently agreeing with the innkeeper. Smart, don't act too eager to get out of here, or escape Ulf's men. They'd probably try even harder if he did put up more of a fight. She praised her guard's quick thinking internally.