She drew herself up to her full height and glared at him, saying nothing.
“We’ll need funds if we’re going to travel as swiftly as possible and I’ll need to sell your clothing. Don’t worry, I won’t look, I promise,” he said, rather enjoying the idea of maybe catching a peek if he could get away with it. He dug through his pack finding his cleanest shirt and trousers. “Here, put these on. It’s better than sitting around naked while I go into town and get you some proper clothes.”
He held the bundle of clothing out to her and waited. He knew if he was patient and didn’t let her royal attitude set off his temper, she would warm to him again. Eventually, she stomped over and snatched the clothing out of his hands and pointed silently toward the trees. She wanted him to go far enough into the forest that he couldn’t sneak a peek at her. Chuckling, he turned on his heel and walked until he could no longer see her but he already had a plan.
Her hearing wasn’t as sharp as his and maybe he could climb up a tree and get high enough to spot her again. It was his job to watch over her, he reasoned, and he should take that duty seriously. He found a likely tree and began to scale it. If he could get high enough, he should be able to see her.
After he’d climbed up a few branches, his grip suddenly slipped. It felt like the branch itself had turned in his hands. He didn’t fall straight down, but every branch on the way smacked him in the rear, slowing his fall and tanning his hide at the same time. He could feel the tree’s amusement mixed with a healthy dose of disapproval.
He’d just been spanked by a tree.
Clay rubbed at his bottom and chuckled a little to himself. Well, he would just have to behave himself, he decided, looking at the oak.
“Fine, then. But it’s your fault if something happens to her,” he told it, then leaned back against the tree and waited.
Hearing Lana long before he could see her, he turned to face the direction of her footsteps. When she appeared, the sight of her in his clothing made his mouth go dry. The dress did a lot to hide her figure, all prim and proper, but a man’s clothing did exactly the opposite. She wasn’t a curvy girl by any means but she was still curvier than him so the pants stretched across her hips in a tantalizing way and she had cinched a cord around the shirt, accentuating her tiny waist.
She presented the folded bundle of clothing to him with her slippers on top. He took them gently from her hands, not trusting himself to speak. Instead, he gave her a slight bow and she nodded silently in return.
Clay had to clear his throat before he could speak. “You can wait here and I’ll be back soon.” He shot a wry glance at the big oak tree. “This one right here likes you quite well so you might want to stay near it. It’s very… protective.”
Lana looked at the tree in surprise and then back at him, her eyes narrowing. Not wanting to set off her temper, he bowed again and began to walk toward the village.
Briar Glen
Briar Glen was not a huge city, just a small village. Most of the families relied on lumber from the neighboring forest for income and, aside from a two story home here and there, the buildings were very small and nondescript. As an elf, he had a certain distaste for humans who used the land for profit, but he had to get Lana to the elven kingdom so he would just have to tolerate them as best he could.
The village was surrounded by only a short, wooden wall. It would never hold up to any concentrated attack but this town was so far from any strategically advantageous spot, no army would try to take it. Clay walked through the gate, unmanned by any guards, and looked around.
It was still early and the town wasn’t quite bustling yet. The working men were likely at home, finishing their breakfast. Most of the shops were directly in front of him in the square, including a seamstress, but Clay wasn’t going to start there. It wasn’t often such finery came through a town like this and that was precisely the reason why he didn’t want to deal with them. They were local and would remember an exceptionally tall man with an exceptionally fine dress to sell.
He doubted they would know an elf if they saw one, most regular people couldn’t tell an elf from a human. While elves were almost always very tall with tilted eyes and thin frames, humans came in a variety of shapes and sizes and an elf could easily pass for human if they wanted to. But even if they didn’t know him for what he was on sight, someone asking about him may recognize an elf from a description so he had to be as nondescript as he could manage.
Strolling around the square, he found what he was looking for. A wagon stood near the inn, two strong looking horses hitched to the front. An old man was climbing up onto the bench and picking up the reins. It looked like he was departing after having spent the night. He saw the words ‘Pava’s Wares’ painted on the side of the wagon and knew he had arrived just in time. A peddler was always on the move and not as likely to remember where each of his items came from or details about the person who had traded with him.
Approaching the wagon, Clay hailed the man before he could urge the horses into
