My hand comes up and traps the stone in my fist, holding it tightly to my chest.

"This was a gift from my mother, and I will not give it away, nor trade it. I have a few gold left if it is a matter of paying for the use of a horse. I am not asking to keep it, for certain. You could even say that you could take the value out of what you had offered to pay me at the end of the journey, should I not return with it."

I think for another moment, but not overly long. "I could also offer you my services, to one task, so long as that task is not of evil or foul purpose. I do not see you as one who would request such, but many are the stories of fools who offer freely without being wary."