Starlight (Book 1)

Chapter Fourteen

     Ro was thankful for the water basin in the corner of the room. The water was cold, but she washed herself anyway. She had felt so grimy from the last two days of travel. It felt good to be able to feel somewhat clean again. After the sun set, the only light in the room came from an oil burning lamp that set next to the bed. The flame was big and bright and Ro was glad that she didn't have to sit in the dark while she waited for Arik. She still had no idea when he would come back or if he really would.

Ro's stomach growled as she sat on the edge of the bed. She was so hungry. She hadn't eaten in hours and her body was aggressively reminding her. She knew that there was bound to be food downstairs in the tavern, but she had no way to pay for it. She didn't even know what kind of currency the Fairies used. She folded her arms across her body and pressed against her aching stomach. She heard footsteps walking up the stairs. She had heard footsteps several times while she waited for Arik and each time she caught a breath thinking that it might be him, but her door never opened.

These footsteps didn't continue down the hallway like the others. They stopped in front of her door. Ro stood up from the bed ready to see Arik and ready to finally be able to eat. When the door opened a brown and green-eyed Halfling stood in the doorway with a woman gently kissing his neck.

"I'm expecting someone." Ro told the Halfling. "He should be back soon."

The Halfling ignored her and shut the door behind him. His eyes were looking up and down her body with a sinister smile to match. Ro no longer felt hunger. She just felt fear. She took another step back as the Halfling pushed the woman off of him and took a step forward. Ro continued to back up until her back was to the wall. She was cornered and the only way out of the room was through the Halfling that stood before her with the wicked emerald eye of the Wildwood Court.

"Why would a flower like you be left to wilt?" The Halfling reached out and grabbed a strand of Ro's hair. He began to rub it between his fingers as he stared down at her. Ro couldn't look at the Halfling and just looked down at the floor silently praying that Arik would be there soon. "I do not think that anyone is coming for you." Ro continued to stare down at the floor. She couldn't speak.

The woman that was now standing behind the Halfling spoke in French. Ro could recognize some of the words. The woman had mentioned something about his body and patience. The Halfling turned away from Ro and she noticed that he stumbled a bit. If the alcohol on his breath wasn't enough to let her know that he was drunk the way he staggered to face the woman was. He pulled the woman to him and began kissing her. Ro had never felt so uncomfortable. Arik had told her not to leave the room, but there was no way that she was going to sit and watch the couple make their disgusting display.

Ro walked past the drunk couple as the woman began to peel off the Halfling's shirt. Ro knew then that this was a brothel if anything and she wanted out. She closed the door behind her and made her way towards the stairs. There was music and laughter downstairs that she had been unable to hear in her room. There seemed to be more Halflings than before. Her heart was racing as she walked down that stairs. She just hoped that she could make her way through the tavern without being noticed or touched by one of the drunk Halflings.

When Ro reached the bottom of the stairs, she could see the chaos that filled the room. The males were too busy drinking and kissing all over their half-naked slave women to notice anything that she did and she was glad of that. Ro crept along the wall and listened as the males chanted a song in the Fairy language. It seemed to be some sort of pub song like that ones she had heard the night that Braden took her out on the town. She would have given anything to go back to that night. She never would have left Aunt Evie's house. It wouldn't have mattered how much her grandmother scolded her.