Of Wolves and Wardens by Sylvia Mercedes
I face the shadows of Whispering Wood, adjusting the strap of my quiver across my breast. Eadmund stands beside me. My husband.
My husband . . .
I still can’t quite get over that idea.
We spent most of the day making our way back to Phaendar Hall. Even though it’s been less than a day since Granny’s death, the Wood has already gone wild and tangled without someone to guard it. I hope the witch coven will appoint a replacement soon, or there may be problems for Virra County.
As we travelled, we searched for some sign of the other two werebeasts but found nothing. I trust they were both liberated from their curses too. Even more, I hope they’ll manage to make their way safely home.
I also kept my eyes peeled for some sign of the new apprentice, the one I kept from being cursed. But she’s not here. Maybe Granny dismissed her after I destroyed her spell. She wouldn’t have any use for the girl anymore, after all. Either way, I’ll be certain to send a message to Mother Ulla, asking her to look into the matter.
Eventually, we found our way to Eadmund’s old family home. It was already much more ruinous than when we last saw it, but we managed to find more suitable clothing. I even found a tunic that’s only a little too big for me, and a pair of trousers I can belt comfortably enough. Not exactly bridal wear. But when I emerged in my new costume, Eadmund gave me an appraising once-over and smiled.
“No bride ever looked lovelier,” he said.
At which I laughed outright.
We proceeded to Gilhorn from there and interrupted a priest just as he was sitting down to his dinner. With a little persuasion—and more than a little gold coin taken from the Phaendar vaults—we convinced him to perform a simple wedding ceremony. A local pig keeper and goose girl were brought in to bear witness.
It’s funny, but when Eadmund took me in his arms at the end of the ceremony and kissed me, there was something a bit . . . different. Something sweeter. Deeper. I hadn’t believed we could be more connected by a few simple vows, but apparently I was wrong.
There is nothing in this world quite like kissing myhusband.
Now we stand together, facing the Wood. I turn a wry smile up at him, catching his eye. “Are you sure about this?”
“Very sure,” he responds without hesitation.
“But you . . . you could have a life here. Now that Granny’s gone, you might be able to get the other ward witches to help you reclaim Phaendar Hall. You could find your family, reestablish your place in the county.”
He shakes his head. Though he tries to hide it, I see a gleam of sorrow in his eyes. But only a gleam. “That life is over,” he says firmly. “Over and done. Twenty years done! Wherever my family is, they’ve moved on. There’s no going back. Not for them, not for me.” He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “There’s only going forward.”
I purse my dry lips, then offer a smile in return before turning my gaze back to the Wood. All those deep, dark secrets that had once beckoned me so keenly beckon once more. I feel the same stirring in my blood that I knew as a child, urging me to plunge in over my head and take whatever adventure the gods deemed fit to send me.
“Lunulyr. Is that right?” Eadmund says. “That’s what the fae woman told you—a Lord of Lunulyr has taken a Moonfire Bride?”
I nod. “It might be Valera. It must be.”
He places a finger under my chin, turns my face to his. “Whether it’s her or not, we’ll find her. Together.”
I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face even if I tried. It doesn’t matter how many perils stand between me and my sister now. I can’t begin to guess the strange and wonderful worlds through which we’ll have to pass, the paths we’ll have to walk, the beings we’ll have to face. Whatever comes, I’ll face it all with Eadmund. My heart is bound to his, our heartsblood mingled.
Eyes dancing, I grip his hand hard. “Come on then!” I say and break into a run.
Together we plunge into the shadows of Whispering Wood, leaving behind the mortal world forever.
THE END
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