A Storm of Shadows (Shatterborn Book One)

Chapter X, The Earthlord [Sam]

A/N: Inspiration for the main meal is in the Youtube bit :D Also, grammarfreak15: see if you can find the reference to your story :D

Lunch with Brynn was a distracted affair.

             Sam met her outside Curlicue and Stayne’s just after the toll of the first bell of the afternoon. She was already waiting for him, coat in hand. When she saw Sam approach, she smiled broadly. “Took you long enough.”

Sam smiled distractedly. The ring was heavy in his pocket. “Cold enough for you?”

Brynn shook her head in amusement. “You Solarans are so frail. It’s not that cold today, and you know it.”

He looked her in the face with a dubious expression. Brynn met his gaze for several seconds, and then burst out laughing. “Alright, so it is a bit chilly. Do you want to wear my coat?” She grinned cheekily.

Despite the ring, despite the book, Sam found himself smiling. “I’m quite alright, thank you. It’s a little too feminine for my taste.”

She shrugged the coat on. “Suit yourself. Don’t whine at me when you freeze.”

Together they walked through the market square, now truly bustling with citizens going about their shopping. The air, no matter how chilly, could not drive away those determined purchasers. Sam turned to Brynn. “Do you have anywhere in mind?”

“Well, actually,” she smiled. “I know just the place.”

Sam waved his hand. “Lead the way, my lady.”

She laughed and shoved him slightly. “Don’t be a chauvinist.” Brynn paused. “Although… I do quite like the sound of that. Alright, Sam, you can call me ‘my lady’-but only if I can refer to you as ‘your lordliness’.”

He groaned. “Why, for the love of the Nine, did I introduce you to Keress?”

Brynn laughed lightly. “That was truly a mistake on your part, wasn’t it?”

Sam had to admit it was. A couple of months ago, the day he and Brynn met, they ended up walking back to meet Keress together. She and the horse-driver had hit it off almost instantly, and mercilessly teased Sam with ‘lordly’ taunts. Since then, Brynn had not let up-and neither had Keress. “A mistake indeed… The only one I made that day, it seems.”

Brynn glanced at him with a shy smile on her face.

They walked in silence for a few minutes more, before finally turning into a quiet side street. It was mostly brick houses, with a few trees dotting the street. Here, the stench of civilization was not quite so bad. Instead, the smell of cooking food drifted through the air. Sam’s mouth watered. With a start, he realized he’d completely missed breakfast.

One of the brick houses wasn’t a house at all. It was a shop, and the delectable scent that wafted down the street emanated profusely from it. A small sign sat on the door, stating to passersby, “Yes, we’re open!”.

“Welcome,” Brynn said in a dramatic voice, “to Mrs. Lorett’s Bakery and Café.”

As they walked into the shop, Sam put his hands in his pockets. His fingers brushed against the ring. He stiffened slightly. Enough, he thought to himself. Freaking out about it isn’t going to change anything. Yet he could not make himself forget the ring in his pocket, and the omen that it signified.

They made their way to the counter and waited. Brynn smiled up at him through her eyelashes. “So, what do you think? Bet you’ve never been here.”