Page 128 of The Ashpaw: Part One

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I understand.”

“Good,” he said, nodding once. “Finish your meal and return to your rooms to prepare yourself. Someone will arrive to bring you to Hearth Hall in a few hours.”

Her appetite gone anyway, she stood to leave when his hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist. “I said you could finish your meal,” he said.

She patted his fingers gently until he let her go. “Never seemed to bother you before.”

Fern turned around, not wanting to see the anger on his face, and her guard left his post to follow her back to her room.

“Do you know the name of my attendant?” she asked, leading the way.

“Pardon?”

“My attendant. The mute Solvekh. Do you know her name?”

The guard looked confused. “I… can’t say that I do.”

Fern’s lips rumbled as she exhaled. “Is there any way I could get a wax tablet?”

“Of course, my Lady.”

“Thank you. And how should I address you?”

The guard was confused again, tilting his head as he replied, “Me?”

Fern stopped walking so she could face him directly. “Aye, ‘you.’ Unless you prefer for me to just refer to you as Guard Number One?”

He looked up in thought, stroking his beard. “Number One, eh? Better than Number Two, at least.” His eyes lowered to meet hers and he smiled. “Lucas will do, my Lady.”

They headed back to her room, and just as Fern was about to pull out her nicest dress, her wolf growled, and she followed her gaze to look at her nest.

It was small. It was probably something Fern did herself before leaving that morning.

But it was wrong. The square pillow, its corner…

Too low.

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, counting to twenty before opening them again.

“Gods, I am scaring myself over nothing,” she said.

Her wolf wasn’t so sure.

She fixed it and then went back to the cedar chest.

Ten minutes later, the attendant arrived, wax tablet and lidded basket in hand.

“Ah, perfect,” Fern said. “Do you know your letters?”

The woman stared at her for a moment and then gave a quick nod. Fern pointed to the tablet, asking for her name.

“JENA,” she wrote in large, crooked block letters.

Fern smiled at her. “Nice to officially meet you, Jena. First, did you clean my nes—er, bed, while I was out?”

Jena shook her head. She looked sincere enough.

“That’s fine, I’d actually prefer if you didn’t. I’m very… particular about how everything is placed.”