Chapter 76

I felt Harper's hand squeeze mine hard. "Stand your ground. He isn't going to do anything here, they wouldn't risk it," he said, glaring defiantly at the Varúlfur. As the young beast got closer, I saw that he was carrying something in his right hand. It was a file, similar to the type of official court file that you would see in a law firm, garnished with red ribbon. I'd seen enough of them from my time with Brandon to know what it was. And what's more, the boy was scared. Oh, he was doing his best to keep it under check as he tried to portray an air of arrogant confidence but I could detect the fear. His heart beat loud and hard with every step forward. The closer he got, the more I could smell the stench of anxious sweat mixed together with that foul Varúlfur odour and I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose in disgust. A sheen of perspiration slicked across his forehead and nose and I noticed how his eyes darted around as if it were him that was expecting an ambush and not us. He reache