Page 89 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

Mariane’s brows furrow as her mother asks, “Would that be safe?”

After a brief moment of hesitation, I shake my head. “Unfortunately, no. Not if I intend to shadow all of us to Cyrel immediately afterwards. It would leave our magic completely depleted.”

“Wait, what if you simply shadowed us town by town?” Mariane asks, stepping forward and resting a hand on my shoulder. “We could go to Zaris to find the pirate, spend the night somewhere hopefully safe, and then you could shadow us back to Slivo’s bakery the next morning?”

“Possibly.” I grimace, dreading my old friend’s reaction if I were to suddenly appear with a group of strangers in the middle of their shop. “Although I’m not sure how all of us would fit in their tiny spare room for an entire day.”

Sera clears her throat, gesturing to the table. “Sit down, I’ll start heating up some dinner. I’m sure all of us would think more clearly on a full stomach.”

As we obediently fold ourselves onto the same chairs as before, she begins gathering up a few pots and pans. “And who exactly is Slivo?” she asks, head halfway into what appears to be an ice box of some sort..

Glancing over at the woman beside me, a small smile makes its way onto my face. “They’re an old friend of mine, in Girnir. They and their daughter were kind enough to let us stay with them for a night while we were on our way here.”

“Ah. That was nice of them.” Placing a bottle of wine and a few cups in front of us, Sera hums thoughtfully. “But, not all of your group would need to stay hidden, would they?”

“That’s a good point,” Mariane says, picking up the bottle and filling the cups to the brim. “As far as I know, I’m the only one with a bounty on my head.”

Lifting a brow, I pointedly glance down at myself, and my very obvious skintone. “For now.”

“Oh.” She passes me a cup, brows once again furrowed. “I’d assumed you would reactivate your glamour before we left. And that the only reason you weren’t using it now was because you felt safe enough to be yourself here.”

A wave of anxiety washes over me, and I quickly lift the cup of wine to my lips, drinking nearly the entire contents before setting it on the table. “No. While I do feel safer here, the main reason is because we’re tired of hiding who we are. What we are. So, no. We have no intention of using our glamour again unless absolutely necessary.”

*Speak for yourself,* Aren grumbles. *I for one intend to continue using it.*

*Yeah, but that’s just because ya like lookin’ like a dude for some weird ass fucking reason,* Rayne replies, making me chuckle. Out loud.

Ignoring the looks of confusion I receive from both Mariane and her mother, I join in on my companion’s conversation by asking, *Aren, are you intending to use your previous appearance? Or are you planning to simply change our true body to match your preferences better?*

*The latter,* they say without a hint of hesitation. *Unless the need arises for me to use my former face, of course. I would hate to be the only one left out of our little act of rebellion.*

Rayne barks a laugh. *As if you even know the meaning of the word!*

*I do so,* Aren argues. *I’m sorry if I simply prefer…*

Whatever else they say fades from my awareness as yet another giant platter of meat is set on the table, effectively pulling my focus away from our mental conversation. Well, then. Apparently they’d cooked enough during the celebration that we may very well be having the leftovers for every meal we eat here.

My stomach sinks realizing how little time Mariane has left before we have to leave again. We have left. It’s been nice, actually. Being here with her. Meeting her friends. Seeing where she grew up. Having meals with her mother, the person who raised Mariane to be the fierce woman she is today.

A hand slides onto my thigh and a familiar head of long dark hair leans on my shoulder. “What is it, My Love?” Mariane whispers. “For a moment it seemed as if you were conversing with the others, so I didn’t want to interrupt. But now…” She lets out a soft sigh. “It’s perfectly alright that you don’t want to hide anymore. In fact, I’m proud of you for making that decision, regardless of the danger. You deserve the freedom to be yourself. Yourselves."

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I place a quick kiss to the top of her head before picking up my cup and taking another sip of wine. “If only the rest of the world were as kind as you.”

She scoffs, grabbing the cup from my hand and drinking the remaining liquid herself. “Well, anyone who refuses to show you the kindness and respect you deserve will have to answer to me. And my swords.”

“Speaking of swords,” her mother says, reminding me of her nearly forgotten presence. “After dinner, I have a few gifts for you both. To take with you on your journey.”

Mariane lifts her head, excitement dancing in her golden eyes. “Is it my old swords? I stole the ones I’m using now from the first man who’d tried to claim my bounty and they’re not nearly as nice. Or as well balanced. Poor craftsmanship all around in fact”

Sera chuckles, shaking her head fondly at her daughter. “You always did have high standards when it comes to weapons.” She nudges the plate of food closer to us. “Now eat. You’ll find out the answer to your question afterwards.”

With that, we do as she says, our conversation switching to lighter topics as we all dig into the delicious food.

As promised, as soon as Mariane and I have eaten our fill about a half hour later, her mother wordlessly gets up from the table, returning a few moments later carrying a long wooden box. When she nods toward the living area, Mariane and I share a brief glance with one another before rising and following the woman as she walks over to a large sofa.

Raising an expectant brow, Sera waits until the two of us are seated side by side on the plush cushions before saying, “To answer your question, Mariane, yes, I do still have your swords. But I also have these.”

Balancing the box in one hand, she flicks open the front clasps with the other, revealing two of the most beautiful swords I’ve ever seen. Each one has intricate vines etched into the blades, as well as featuring snarling wolves on the pommels, small blue stones making it look as if their eyes glow. The same way Mariane’s do when she uses her magic.