Page 77 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

She chunks a piece of potato at my head, which I allow to bounce harmlessly off my forehead before snatching it out of the air and popping it in my mouth. There’s a few seconds worth of silence, and then all three of us burst into uncontrollable laughter.

With that particular story now abandoned, Mariane begins sharing much less explicit stories of our time traveling together with her mother as we all dig into the mountain of food on the table.

Adaman bobs his head up and down, whinnying in excitement as I approach the village’s stables. I’m momentarily taken aback at the way his dappled grey coat is glistening and the several small colorful flowers braided into his now tangle-free mane. With a soft chuckle, I shake my head and pull a small piece of apple out of my pocket. He snatches it out of my hand, letting out a snort of what I assume is gratitude as he happily munches away.

I’m about to pull out another piece for Obsidian, but then I realize the stall next to Adaman’s is empty. Which is where the massive horse should be. My heart leaps into my throat and I curse myself for being so careless last night. I’d been so caught up in the chaos and excitement of Mariane’s reunion with her mother, I’d completely abandoned the mounts responsible for getting us here.

Our remaining horse lets out another loud whinny, directly in my ear. Hearing an answering call coming from behind me, I whirl around, sighing in relief when I see it came from Obsidian, the large horse slowly making his way over to us. Although my relief is short-lived when I realize there’s an unfamiliar orc, or perhaps half-orc, woman leading him, her eyes narrowed into a furious glare.

I’m about to question her on why she has Mariane’s horse, but she beats me to it, calling out, “What in the hells you doing with that horse, huh?”

Tossing back my hood and letting my cloak fall to the ground, I send her a glare right back, readying myself for a potential brawl. “Considering he belongs to me, I believe that’s none of your concern.”

To my absolute confusion, the woman bursts into laughter, complete with her leaning over and bracing her large hands on her knees. I cross my arms, tapping my foot impatiently while I wait for her to regain control of herself. It takes far longer than I’d like.

“Oy, sorry mate.” She clears her throat, wiping the tears from her eyes before giving me the most awkward attempt at a bow I’ve ever seen. “I mean, Your Highness. Didn’t recognize ya with the cloak on. Thought you might’ve been one of the youngsters hoping to sneak him out for a joyride or somethin’.”

“No apology necessary,” I say, letting my arms fall back to my sides. “I appreciate you looking out for the well-being of our horses. But my name is Vannaria, no ridiculous titles necessary.”

“Well, alright then.” She finishes settling Obsidian back into his stall before sticking out a hand in my direction. “Nice to meet ya, Vann. My name’s Kora, caretaker of all things equine in this fine forest of ours.”

Grasping her offered hand, I give it a firm shake, the corner of my lips twitching at the nickname. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Kora.” Gesturing to the flowers also now woven into Obsidian’s mane, I ask, “Are you the one also responsible for those?”

Grinning sheepishly, she runs a finger through her own braided hair, flowers included, and nods. “Yeah, sure am. I uh… Well, ya see…” Her broad shoulders lift in a shrug. “Ah hells, I just like ‘em to look pretty. Sorry, I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“Oh, I assure you, I don’t mind at all.” I shake my head, pulling several apple slices from my pocket. “I’m only here to give the boys a few treats. You’re more than welcome to pamper them as much as you’d like while they’re in your care. They’ve more than earned it.”

Kora pulls out several more apple slices from her own pocket. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be sure to treat them like royalty.” Her grin falters as she briefly glances over her shoulder. “Speaking of royalty, is it true that you and Mariane are married?”

Now I’m the one unable to stop myself from bursting into laughter. When she frowns, I shake my head, doing my best to compose myself as I choke out, “No. No, we’re not. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh, but I have a good feeling on how that rumor got started.”

She offers an apple slice to Obsidian, her brows furrowed. “Well, I heard it from Lynne. She said Carina told her she’d heard you call Mariane Your Majesty.”

“She did.” I nod, feeding a slice to Adaman as well. “But it’s simply a nickname I’ve gotten in the habit of calling Mariane during our journey together.” Stroking my hand down the horse’s face, I mutter, “I do love her though. Quite a lot actually. So, perhaps some day.”

“Well, ain’t that just adorable,” she coos, a cheesy smile spreading across her face. “Best of luck to you both. Truly. I saw the two of you together last night and I gotta say, you make a good pair.”

“Thank you. I’ll gladly take all the luck I can get.” A soft smile slips onto my own face as I divide my remaining apple slices in half and toss an equal amount into each of our horse’s stalls. “Well, speaking of Mariane, I should probably get back to her now before–”

“There you are!”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Mariane

With a growl of frustration, I jog up the small hill towards the stables. At least Vannaria has the decency to look guilty, I’ve been looking all over the damn village for her. I’d been talking with my mother after we’d finished lunch, and the damn elf had just vanished. Alright, so vanished is a bit of an exaggeration. But she’d said she’d be right back, and that was nearly an hour ago.

Kora, at least I think it’s Kora, she’s changed quite a bit since I’ve last seen her, lifts her hand in a small wave. “Hey, Mariane. We were just talkin’ about you.”

“Were you?” I cross my arms, pinning Vannaria with a glare.

She frowns, violet eyes filled with a look of concern as she takes a step toward me. “Are you alright?”

Forcing a smile, I turn to the half-orc, who I hope is who I think she is, and say, “Kora, it’s good to see you again.”

“Good to see you too, Mariane.” She returns my smile, so I must’ve gotten it right. “Been a bit quiet around here without you and Stephan getting up to your usual mischief all the time.”

My smile turns genuine as I let out a soft chuckle. “Ah, I’m sure he’s gotten into plenty on his own. And even more with Kali.”