Protector: Book 1 *NEW DRAFT*

Chapter 15

It started raining the night Jade left the estate. The droplets fell heavily and Jade secured the cloak that had been given to her over her shoulders and pulled the hood up. Phantom didn't seem to mind the rain or the mud, his dense fur kept him warm. She rode through the night but kept the pace slow for Chances sake. Jade knew there was no point in making camp when she knew she wouldn't be able to find a dry place to sleep or make a fire.

The rain continued on through the next day and into the following evening. It was a true spring rain and eventually Jade stopped under some trees to try and catch a few hours of sleep. She huddled under the branches and wrapped the cloak tightly around her tucked legs. Phantom laid next to her and quickly fell asleep, exhausted.

Jade only slept a few hours and when she woke she felt more miserable than before. It was still raining and there were no signs that it was ever going to stop. "Let's just hope Viper is slowed by the same storm," she muttered.

The rain continued into the next day and eventually they made it to a small town by the river. Jade went to the bank of the river and stared out through the rain. The water was rough and flowing faster from the storm. She couldn't even see the opposite bank. The rain was falling in steady sheets, the droplets were small but permeated through everything. Even Jade's cloak was beginning to lose its water resistance and she felt chilled to the bone. There were no boats at the docks that Jade could see, which meant there was no way to cross the river until one arrived.

"Well, we'll have to wait so why don't we go get some hot food and dry ourselves in the meantime?" Jade suggested to her companions. She had caught sight of an inn halfway through town. She had no idea how far behind she was, but she knew Viper was headed back to the campsite in Caxil. When Jade had been prisoner, Viper had told her men she'd return in two or three weeks time. So long as Jade didn't waste too much time she could catch her there.

Jade pulled Chance around the back of the inn to the barn. The man on duty took a coin from Jade and she swung her saddlebags over one shoulder. She gave instructions for Chance to be fed oats and rubbed down. The mare shook the water from her mane while Jade and Phantom ducked back out into the rain and jogged to the entrance of the inn.

Jade closed the inn door firmly behind her once they entered and Phantom shook himself, sending water everywhere. Luckily there was no one nearby for Phantom to bother with his bad manners. Jade gave him a stern look and Phantom simply tilted his head as if to say, what?

The innkeeper looked up and then his eyes widened at the sight of her and the wolf standing in his establishment. She knew he assumed, as everyone else did, that she was a Protector. Jade had come to realize that no one cared that she didn't have a Protectors uniform, only that she had a wolf at her side. They saw what they wanted to see.

"Ma'am," the innkeeper greeted coming around the counter. "May I help you with anything?"

"Yes, thank you," she said with a smile. "I'd like a large plate of something hot and a slab of raw meat for my wolf, beef or lamb if you have it." The man nodded and walked away to get what she asked for. Jade pulled her cloak off and hung it to dry by the door with the other dozen cloaks.

"Well I'll be damned," a familiar voice came from a table near the fire at the other end of the room. Jade looked over, surprised to see Lander and his men sitting and eating.

Despite being wet and tired Jade broke into a grin and quickly made her way over to the men. Lander and Merek both stood to greet her and they clasped hands and patted Jade on the back. "Never thought I'd see you here," Lander said motioning for Jade to take an open chair. The men all greeted Jade with smiles. She placed her saddlebags on the ground and unbuckled her sword from her waist before taking a seat.