My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 520

Elara

The sun dipped low then disappeared. In the last light, hundreds of lanterns flared to life. Haggling voices, clanging hammers, woodsmoke, and lowing cattle swelled out of the twilight. We'd arrived at the border market.

I stepped out of the car, stretching stiffly. Rows of Southern trucks hulked in the near darkness. Beyond their gleaming chrome, I could make out the Northern side: bundles of furs and rolls of iron, sturdy wagons heaped with timber.

At the far end, a narrow gate pierced the market's edge. Guards stood there, a head taller than the milling crowd. Horses and carriages shifted in their traces beyond the gate.

Kane walked to the stall of the market master, a heavyset man who watched us with a calculating eye. They talked quietly and Kane said something that made the man laugh. I tried to read his lips but it was too dark.

Probably arranging our carriage.

The warrior stayed by the car, his eyes on the Northern gate and the crowd around the stalls, not on me. I wandered closer to the stalls, the ring in my pocket. The smell of horses and hot metal filled my nostrils.

I walked down the row of Southern trucks. One was a flurry of activity, cured hides being loaded for the road home. I stopped beside it. The trader, a lean sunburnt man, chewed a sprig of dried mint, his lips pursed.

"Headed south?" I asked, though it wasn't really a question.

He nodded, eyeing me. "Tonight."

I drew the ring out of my pocket, opening my fist just enough for him to see the gold band and the red stone glinting in the lantern light. "I need a ride," I told him, my voice low.

He spat out a piece of dried mint stem, turning to load more hides into the back of his truck. "Where?"

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