Chapter 6

At dawn the next day, Jennifer made her way down the mountain, Geoffrey's sword in hand.

The snow had melted, turning the mountain path into a slippery mess. It took her two whole hours to reach town. Her feet were covered in blisters, but she didn't care—she made a beeline for the pawnshop.

The pawnbroker was a scrawny old man wearing a pair of reading glasses, peering at her from behind the lenses.

"What are you pawning?" he asked.

Jennifer set the sword down on the counter.

The pawnbroker picked it up, drew the blade and gave it a once-over, then flipped the scabbard in his hands to check it out.

"Three silver coins," he said.

Jennifer was caught off guard.

"Three?" she said, surprised. "Sir, take another look. This sword—"

"Three," the pawnbroker replied, putting the sword down. "Not worth a penny more."

Jennifer bit her lip.

Three coins were nowhere near twenty.

And this was Geoffrey's sword. Jennifer felt a pang in her chest—she really didn't want to let it go.

She looked at the sword, then at the pawnbroker's stone-faced expression, and finally gave a reluctant nod.

"Fine," she said.

Clutching the three silver coins, she stepped out of the pawnshop and lingered in the doorway for a moment.

'What can I even do with this little silver?' Jennifer thought.

She slipped the silver into her pocket and headed toward the Hunters' place.

The Hunter family's estate was right in the heart of town, taking up half the street. Jennifer found the main gate and was about to go in when a servant stopped her.

"What do you want?" the servant asked.

"I'm here to see my father," Jennifer replied. "Timothy Bennett."Timothy Bennett

The servant gave her a once-over and let out a mocking laugh.

"Wait here," he said.

He went inside to announce her, and after a while, he came back out.

"Come in," he said.

Jennifer followed him into the estate, passing through several gates until they stopped before a grand hall.

Inside, a man in his forties sat there, chubby with a round face, draped in a fancy robe. Hund was standing beside him, giving him a shoulder rub.

"That Bennett girl?" the man glanced up. "Did you bring the silver?"

Jennifer stood in the middle of the hall, clutching the three silver coins close to her chest.

"Nicholas, I can't come up with the twenty silver coins my father owes you right now. Could you give me a few days' grace? I'll go back and try to find a way—"

"A grace period?" Nicholas laughed loudly. "Since when do I give anyone a break?"

He stood up, walked over to Jennifer, and started circling her, sizing her up.

"Not bad," he said.

Jennifer tensed up, her whole body stiffening.

Nicholas reached out, trying to grab her chin.

She quickly stepped back, dodging his hand.

Nicholas's expression darkened.

"Don't know your place," he sneered. "Hund, cut off one of her father's fingers and show it to her."

"Yes," Hund replied.

Hund turned and started to leave.

Jennifer's heart tightened.

"Wait—" she called out.

Hund stopped in his tracks.

Jennifer took a deep breath, fished out the three silver coins from inside her coat, and placed them on the table.

"This is all I've got," Jennifer said. "If it's not enough, I'll try to scrape together more. Just please, don't hurt my father."

Nicholas looked at the silver on the table, then at her, and suddenly broke into a smile.

"Alright," he said. "Three days. Bring me another three silver coins. Once you've got six silver coins together, I'll let him go."

Jennifer froze for a second.

"But Nicholas, the twenty silver coins..." she asked, confused.

"The twenty silver coins is your dad's debt," Nicholas said. "These six silver coins? That's just the interest."

He burst out laughing.

Jennifer stood there, her face as pale as a sheet.