10

I turned red with embarrassment. “Ah, I hope it didn’t disturb you.”

“Disturb?” Adora asked. “I love the sound of a howl in the evening. Makes me feel safe.”

“Me, too,” Fina said. “I was glad to hear it. Are things okay between you two?”

I took a tiny sip from the flask. The brandy did warm me, and I sank a little deeper into the bench seating. With my cloak wrapped around me like a blanket, I could lower my nose into the fur collar and savor the warmth.

“They’re better,” I admitted. “Getting better.”

Fina smiled, and kindly didn’t press for more. “Good. Here, Kodan has been teaching us this crazy card game from Askon. Want to play?”

We hunkered down with the cards, prepared to wait a long time for Kodan and the king to return—but it was only about an hour before there was a knock on the carriage door. Elias was at the other side, flushed and grinning, with Kodan next to him, still in her intimidating wolf-shape.

“We’ve found a place to stay nearby,” Elias said. “We can fit the party and the horses inside, and we’ll leave the carriages until the storm passes. Kodan will take you ahead to the site, and I’ll help the staff get the horses through the snow.”

The three of us climbed out of the carriage and shifted into our wolf shapes. The cold was far less bracing in my wolf form—honestly, it almost felt good sluicing through my thick fur. I stuck my nose into the white flakes, savoring the shock of cold, then buried my face deeper in a snowbank and shook it over my head and down to my hackles. It was a crisp, refreshing sensation.

I flicked my ears, feeling someone’s gaze. When I looked up, Elias’ eyes were glowing gold as he watched me with a small, affectionate smile.

In this shape, it was harder to hide my feelings. My tail wagged against the snowbank.

Fina nudged my flank with her nose and yipped. Her pelt wasn’t as thick as mine, and she was obviously still cold. I snapped to attention and followed Kodan’s tall, lean wolf through the snow.

Fina’s head was low in her animal shape, her tail between her legs, and even Adora with her pelt of similar thickness to mine looked a little more than displeased, her ears lying flat against her skull. I understood why—it was cold and windy, and we had no idea how far we were traveling to this unknown campsite. And yet I couldn’t help but have a bit of a spring in my step.

What was a journey without a few troubles? I’d been so stuck in the rhythm of life in the manor. It was all the same: sleep in my huge bed, have a lavish breakfast, attend meetings, walk the grounds, read in the library. Just the same few activities over and over. I hadn’t realized how bored I was until this journey had given a much-needed jolt of novelty.

Even the edge of danger felt good. I’d much rather travel like this—in my wolf shape, through the storm, alert and aware of the threats around me—than be packed away, bored by a novel in the carriage.

I flicked my ears as I loped along. Part of me knew that was a big realization. The first instance in which I would ever prefer to be in my wolf’s shape, instead of my human form. But in circumstances like this, it just made sense.

Kodan led us to a formation of boulders near a steep hill. The boulders leaned against each other in such a way that they created a fairly large cave, big enough to fit the whole party, and the horses, too. The four of us hurried into the entrance. The darkness fell over me like a shroud, as did the sudden quiet, as we were shielded from the raging wind. I shook out my pelt. Fina whined, her ears lying back.

Even in her wolf shape, I could see Kodan rolling her eyes. She yelped at Fina, then flopped onto her belly. Fina trotted over and pressed against her side, burying her nose in Kodan’s dense, coarse fur for warmth.

Adora lifted her nose slightly, then tipped her head at me slightly, as if to say, we’re tougher than that.

Only then did I realize I couldn’t speak to them the same way I could speak to Elias.

Before I could think too hard about what that meant, a loud whinny caught my ear. I peered out of the mouth of the cave. Elias had two horses in hand, and his three attendants managed the other four. Kodan nudged Fina, then stood up and shifted back into her human form. Adora flopped down where Kodan had been, and Fina rumbled gratefully.

It was crowded in the cave with the horses and the whole party, but it was cozy, too, especially with the storm raging outside. I shifted back into my human form and helped Elias brush the horses and cover them with cleaner blankets.

“I know it’s not ideal,” he said again, as he had in the Bloody Nightingale. “This will extend our travel time a bit, and—”

I laughed and patted his forearm. “I know you can do a lot, Your Highness, but I don’t expect you to control the weather.”

His expression softened, and he nodded in acknowledgment—or maybe gratitude.

Kodan and one of the attendants built a firepit in the center of the cave, just under a small opening in the top to filter out the smoke. The attendants had brought provisions, too, and once the fire was roaring and the cured meats were unpacked, it was warm enough for even Fina to shift back.

By the time we were set up in the cave, the sky was almost completely dark, though the storm still raged outside. I sat next to Elias on a blanket, with the rest of the party making a circle around the cheerful flames. Elias had uncorked a flagon of wine, warmed it on the fire, and poured a small glass for each of us.