Ascent of the Unwanted (The Chronicle of Unfortunate Heroes Book 1) Read Free

man, slow to anger, but when his ire was up it could take hours for the emotion to pass.
    Finishing the carving on the hand guard he poured the molten steel into the mold. The pops and hisses of hot metal hitting cool wood soon was accompanied by numerous hoof beats coming up the path to her father’s shop. Miranda’s heart leapt into her throat. 
    “Miranda, would you go and refill this cup, please.” Her father handed her the empty cup she had brought into the shop.
    “But father, I—”
    “Now!”
    “Yes, Father.” she said. He always treated her like a little girl. Why couldn’t she stay and watch the transaction? She would just have to hurry along with her errand. If she came back before the baron left her father could not possibly be angry with her. Being quick with one’s duties should never be punished, it should be praised.
    She ran to the well to fill the cup with water. She could hear the hoof beats slowing as they approached her father’s shop. She upended the bucket over the cup and watched as a weak stream of water mocked her. She threw the bucket into the well. The weight of it usually sent the rope spinning along the spool, soon to be followed by a crash of wood on water.
    Today the bucket hung in midair. The rope was not tangled but it was not spooled correctly either. It needed coaxing. She grabbed the handle and began to lower the bucket. As soon as the taught line became free she let the handle go. The whirling of the free handle as the bucket fell announced her victory. She let the bucket hit the water, gave a small enough pause for it to fill, and began the long crank to bring it back up. As soon as the bucket came into her reach she grabbed it. In her eagerness half the water found its way into the hungry earth but enough hit the cup to fill it.
    She walked to the shop as fast as she could without splashing too much water. Five horses were picketed outside, the gray one with the odd branding among them.
    She had not missed them! She would at least be able to see the baron’s son before he left. She dabbed the sweat off her brow, fixed her hair, and hurried into the shop.
    The door slammed into someone as she burst inside. The man was knocked off balance, falling partway into her father’s cooling barrel. Miranda raised her hands up to her mouth in embarrassment, forgetting she was still carrying her father’s water. The cup crashed into her face, flew out of her hands, and landed behind her. She had to get out of here. Gordon stood among these men laughing at her idiocy. She turned to flee, her foot rolling on the dropped cup. Her arms flailed wildly. She fell, face first, onto the smithy’s now wet floor.
    Mud covered her beautiful green outfit. Her hair, disheveled and wet, pasted long clumps to her face. She no longer had to worry about pinching her cheeks for color since her entire face was flushed red with embarrassment. Miranda began to cry.
    “The mountain blooms grow so wild out here in the hills they’re barging into your shop, sir smith,” a gentle voice joked above her.
    Miranda sucked in her breath and willed the courage needed to look up. A hand was offered to her; It was Gordon’s. Her already red face flushed with more heat. “Sir, I am sorry about your man. I should not have been in such a hurry…”
    “Oh, really. There is no harm done. Jules needed a bath anyway, didn’t you, Jules?” A mischievous smile lightened his face.
    And what a face he had. His golden brown curls were a shade lighter than his hazel eyes. With his tanned skin the man looked to be molded out of gold. His bright smile ended in high cheekbones. Long angular features and a strong chin, with perfect dimpling, gave him the air of command needed for a future nobleman of the realm. Miranda’s bosom tingled and she raced to catch her breath.
    There were other men in the room. Turning her head she saw the dark man from this morning. He watched her with hungry eyes. Again, the feeling of being