Henry constantly checked over his shoulder as he neared the outer edge of the town, ensuring he hadn't been followed. He'd earned curious glances from the guards, and they were hesitant to open the castle gate for him.
After he had explained he merely needed to take a stroll to help clear his mind, they let him through. Thank Goddesses.
As he inched around the corner of a wide town house, he noticed the silhouette of a person leaning against the building. They were holding something in their hand, which they kept bringing up to their mouth.
Henry cautiously approached.
"I see you got my signal," Haven spoke, popping the cap back onto her leather flask.
Henry reached into the back pocket of his old trousers and retrieved the parchment paper that'd been folded into a heart shape. He held it up and narrowed his eyes at her.
She lifted her right shoulder and blew air out of her nose. "Don't flatter yourself. It's the only shape I know how to make."
"Oh, yes. Quite clever, too, if I may add."
"It got you here, didn't it? And you knew exactly who it was from."
"Yes, well, I figured you were the only one bold enough to leave it on my pillow." Henry stuffed the origami heart back into his pocket, his eyes never leaving hers. "Now please tell me this is what I think it's about?"
"Your gold?" Haven smirked, pulling herself away from the building. Seeing her better now, he noticed she was wearing an almost entirely black attire of breeches, boots, and a vest, but the shirt underneath was green. Her hair was tied up into a bun again—albeit messier than last time. She seemed to make it all work somehow.
"You hired me for a job, Hank, and I promised I would have it done." Haven nodded, directing him down the street.
Henry took a step forward, then looked at her blankly.
Haven groaned. "Must I hold your hand and lead you to it? Move it."
Henry rolled his eyes. Yet he hurried past to see for himself. He heard the snort from the black-spotted horse before he saw the animal and the old wooden wagon it was attached to. The contents of the wagon were covered by burlap, leaving him to only see bits of hay sticking out from underneath. It resembled the wagon that had left the castle earlier. He would've believed it to be the same if it weren't for the nearly broken wheels and chipped white paint.
"My buyer was very interested," Haven explained as he lifted the cover and found a brown-leather chest surrounded by hay and buckets filled with apples. "Thirty-five thousand gold coins for everything I took. Which wasn't too much, really. That satchel of yours hardly fits anything. It helped that the jewels were marked with the royal family crest. People are always so stupidly willing to spend as much as it takes to get their hands on a future queen's precious belongings."
And, right now, Henry was plenty grateful for that stupidity.
He said, "Thirty-five. That is incredible."
"But after securing my part, twenty-nine thousand and seven hundred remains in that chest. That should suffice, shouldn't it? Of course, if it doesn't, my buyer would be... happy to do business again."
Henry eyed her sideways and swallowed hard. She stayed perfectly still and didn't even crack another one of her devious smiles. He then glanced down at the chest again and squinted at it.
"How does this buyer of yours have this much gold and more in their possession?"
"There are questions you can ask, and then questions you should never bother with. Mind taking a guess where yours currently falls under?"
YOU ARE READING
A Guardian's Fate (Book #2)
Fantasy(BOOK #2 in the Secrets of Aristol series.) It's almost been three months since Elouise's birthday. Although she's kept herself distracted by Beatrice's past, she's left with more questions. Perhaps she isn't concentrating hard enough. After all, sh...
