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Just like Meallan, they were naked and creeping—moving quietly at the edge of things as if not wanting to take part, but needing everyone to know they were there.
Eadaoin drew closer to me. “My lady, would you happen to have that dagger you took from me last night?”
“Yes, in my pocket.” A direct question deserved a direct answer.
“No,” she hissed under her breath.
I didn’t know why she was whispering until I remembered her saying a shout from the other side of the castle would bring Foalan running.
“Do not put weapons in your pocket. You waste precious time fumbling for them. On your belt always.”
“I don’t have a belt or weapons holster.”
“Then we change that today.”
I nodded. “Eadaoin, why are they so... different?”
She didn’t ask what I meant. “Wolves aren’t like other animals, my lady. They don’t live in peaceful coexistence with other species. They dominate whatever area they call their territory, and will go out of their way to hunt down and killcoyotes, bears, cougars—any creature that dares to live on their land and eat their food.
“As their instincts took over, the wolf faeriken became more and more dangerous to the rest of us. They began killing and terrorizing us indiscriminately—for no other reason than they’ve decided Lumenfell belongs to them.”
Oh no. What have I done?
“But that’s not what makes them different.” Eadaoin nodded to one of the patrolling guards passing by. “They’re different from us... because they like it,” she rasped. “They like being wolves. They like being—” The curse made her skip over the word she couldn’t say. “They like the strength, the power, and the bloodlust. They’ve fully embraced the change by shedding the clothes that separate us from the animals, because they like Lumenfell, Lady Ana, and they believe it should all be theirs, and we should all be dead.”
I swallowed hard. “No wonder the villagers wanted to kill me.”
She didn’t argue.
“Why didn’t Alisdair tell me this?” I cried. “He spent hours telling me about the outer-lying villages, but couldn’t spare a moment to mention why the wolves had tostayin theirs?”
“I can’t speak why our lord does or doesn’t do anything. But why did you give in to Meallan’s request?”
“There was the little matter of his threatening to kill me if I didn’t.”
“Ahhh.” She nodded, patting my shoulder. “You promised him a favor, didn’t you?”
“Not intentionally. He helped me, and I said I’d help him too if the opportunity arose. It’s just what you say.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said gently, picking up on my defensiveness. “You didn’t know that Lumenfell is different. Here, all we have is what we can trade. We take promises andbargains very seriously. Reneging on them is most often than not a death sentence. Meallan, that bastard, took advantage of your ignorance.” She cursed. “Many nights I’ve stayed up late wondering how such an evil shit came from the same litter as Foalan.”
“What will happen now?” I asked, stepping off the bridge. “Are the villagers in danger?”
“Yes,” she said bluntly. “But the guards will watch over them.”
We dropped the subject as we joined the hustle and bustle of town, although our first stop was to the leatherworks to fit me with my new holsters. All three of them. One for my ankle, thigh, and underbust for the knife nestled between my bosom.
“Wow.” I poked my chest. “So many creative places to hide these things. How many do you have on you?”
Eadaoin winked. “You’ll never know.”
“I love that reply. I’m stealing it.”
She laughed.
Eadaoin and I weaved through the marketplace, picking up glances and stares as we went. There was something special on that day. Little tiger cubs, bear cubs, piglets, hatchlings, and other young faeriken raced around, eating sweet apples, waving spinning fans, and shrieking in unintelligible delight.
A platform surrounded the frozen fountain and glaring stone Shadowsoul, holding a jumpy, jaunty band—playing a tune that bobbed my head and tapped my feet. Despite the heavy air accompanied by the watching wolves, the people were determined to enjoy themselves, and enjoy themselves they were—dancing, eating, laughing, and flirting to their heart’s content.
