The Unwilling Adventurer (The Unwilling #1) (22 page)

Her face was pale and her voice shook; she turned away from him. "I want to ask you something," she told him.

Fred frowned. "What is it?"

"Once we reach the capital I'll be under constant guard, and only able to see noblemen and the king. I-" she paused, took a deep breath and turned to look into his eyes. "I want you to be one of those guards, along with Ned."

Fred blinked; he wasn't sure he'd heard her right. "You want me to guard you?"

Pat smiled and tilted her head to one side. "Why not? You've been doing a pretty good job of it so far. If it hadn't been for you that monster would have carried me away."

The boy shrugged. "I-I guess, but to keep protecting you like it's an official thing? Won't the king have some good guards you can use-"

Pat put her finger on his lips, and shook her head. "They will be strangers to me, and how can I trust strangers over those who I already know will risk their lives to protect me?"

Fred pulled away from her finger, squinted his eyes and rubbed his chin as he leaned in toward her. "I don't know. Will there be free food?"

The girl rolled her eyes and slapped him on the shoulder. "Is that all you boys think about?" she scolded.

Fred rubbed his bruised shoulder, and sheepishly smiled. "It's a high priority for us. I can't protect you on an empty stomach."

Pat shook her head, sighed and turned him around to face the downward trail. Ned waited for them a dozen yards down, and there was a smile on his face. "Come on," she told him as she pushed him down the trail. "Let's go see what trouble you can get us into at this place."

Acknowledgments

Thank you for reading this book, your support is very much appreciated! Without your support, I wouldn't be writing anything, so there's always room for you in my dedications.

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Other Books by Heidi Willard

The Unwilling Adventurer (The Unwilling #1)

Blood Guardians (Blood Guardians #1)

Plagued Sleep (Blood Guardians #2)

Weathering Tides (Blood Guardians #3)

Freed Souls (Blood Guardians #4)

Hawthorn Inn (The Catalyst #1)

Sanctuary (The Catalyst #2)

Ghost Woods (The Catalyst #3)

Chimes of Midnight (The Catalyst #4)

Beneath the Valley (The Catalyst #5)