Kobold Girlfriend: Sanoh (special preview)

“Have your guests left already?” The patrolman asks.

“I had none,” I answer with a hiccup. “Just enjoying a good meal before there are none more to be found.” I sip my wine again then hold a plate up to the patrolman. “Would you like to sample?”

He pushes the plate down and my insides clinch up and I no longer feel hungry. “Young fellow like you, where’d you get the money for all this? Meal like this here is a fortune.”

“Don’t get me started on these prices!” I laugh. “A hen back home is free as long as you provide the seasoning.” I drink more wine the longer he lingers. He’s making me far too nervous and when I’m nervous I make mistakes. 

The patrolman eyeballs me. “So how are you affording it?”

“Isn’t money such a personal thing?” I flash a gold coin at him. “For something that is so inanimate and meaningless in the wild. Drop a coin in the woods and no one would notice. It would just be a stone out there.” I hold the coin out further to him. “Go try it.”

The patrolman scowls down at me. “Are you trying to bribe me.”

Mistake, I tell myself. I pull the coin back. “Uhm, just a joke,” I giggle anxiously.

The patrolman steps closer to me and reaches into my coat. “Hey!” I yell. “That costs money pal!”

He yanks the coin purse from inside. “This belongs to Lord Gretchen,” he wags it in my face. “Where did you get it?”

I can feel the sweat on my brow as he holds the purse before my face. I gulp down the toad sized lump in my throat and take a deep breath. “He’s my dad.”

“He’s twenty-seven.”

“Oh well,” I laugh. “Someone is lying to me then.” I gaze into his eyes a moment longer before I jump up and toss the table, cutting off his path. I run, flipping chairs and tables as I went. But as I got to the door, more patrolmen surrounded me and I was grabbed. I never stood a chance.

After a sound beating to get my confession I’m tossed into a cold, damp cell. My head is aching and my body is sore. I grasp my arm around my stomach where several harsh blows had been delivered. I threw up all that wonderful food too, at least it was in the boots of a couple of patrolmen, so that’s ok I guess. 

“Are you ok?” The gentle voice sounds too sweet to come from within a jail cell. I must be dying and an angel has come to take me home. “Oh my gosh! What’d they do to you?”

I look over and see my angel has taken the shape of the adorable Kobold from before. She approaches me and kneels down by my side, swiping her finger along the cut on my forehead. “You poor thing!” She gasps, using her scarf to dab the blood away.

“You smell nice,” I murmur. “I didn’t think angels had a smell.” I smile dreamily. “That’s nice.” I feel sleepy and start to drift away.