Page 65 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

“What’s wrong?” Stephen asks, running his fingers through his shaggy red hair. “Why’d you stop?”

“Take your time,” Kali says, wrapping her arms around Stephan’s waist. “I’m sure it’s a lot to process after being gone so long. Do you want us to go on ahead of you? Let people know you’re coming? Or?”

“No.” I shake my head, taking one last deep breath. “I’m ready now.”

Steeling myself, I give the hand on my knee a quick squeeze, ignoring the brief pang of loss I feel when it falls away as I nudge my horse forward again. Vannaria keeps Adaman by Obsidian’s side and together we break through the treeline with Stephan and Kali following closely behind us.

The village is exactly as I remember it. An enormous magically created clearing filled with small wooden cabins, with a few even smaller huts and tents spread throughout. Huddled together in the center of the village are the larger buildings housing the shops and other businesses. Smoke still rises from many of them even though the sun has nearly begun to set.

Our people mostly rely on trade and not coin, but other than that someone could easily mistake this for any of the other towns we’ve passed through. Even from here I can already hear a street vender loudly proclaiming he has the sweetest apples in the entire forest for sale. And he just might, considering I recognize his voice and know he’d likely used magic to grow the apples himself. Just like I used to be able to do.

I shake my head. Soon enough I’ll have my own magic back and then I’ll be able to do much more than grow fruit. At least I hope. Pray. If not, then…

No. One step at a time.

The small group of children we’d heard are the first to notice our arrival and their laughter trails off as our group approaches. While they all stare wide-eyed at me and Vannaria, I’m hit with the painful realization they’re all too young to have any idea who I am. More than that, they were likely all born after I’d been taken.

Blinking back tears, I square my shoulders and guide Obsidian around the children, heading towards the center of the village. I hear them whispering to each other as we pass, but soon enough their laughter resumes and they continue whatever game they’d been playing before we’d interrupted.

Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention and I glance over to see Vannaria lifting her hood in an attempt to partially hide her face. I open my mouth to ask if she’s alright, when I hear a loud gasp, followed by a soft thud.

Whipping my head towards the sound, a strangled gasp of my own rips its way out of my chest and the tears I’d been fighting break free. Old Greyva, in all her ancient glory, is standing directly in our path, hands over her mouth and a basket of potatoes at her feet, its contents now littering the ground.

Not having the patience to dismount safely, I immediately leap down off Obsidian’s back, distantly grateful he’d stopped on his own. My knees protest the fall slightly, but I ignore them as I run toward the woman and throw my arms around her as gently as I’m able to at the moment.

She returns my embrace, her frail arms gripping me far tighter than they should be able to. “Thank the gods,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “Oh, how we’ve missed you, child.”

“I’ve missed you all too, so much,” I choke out, my own voice even shakier than hers is. “I–”

“Mariane?”

All the air leaves my lungs hearing the familiar voice and I slowly lift my gaze to the woman now standing behind Greyva and whisper, “Hello, Mother.”

The arms around me briefly tighten before falling away.

Now openly sobbing, my mother runs towards me, nearly knocking me off my feet as she captures me in an embrace so tight my ribs ache, although I hardly notice. Hugging her back just as fiercely, I let out a sob of my own, fresh tears flowing freely down my face. Seems like neither one of us is willing to let the other go after being separated for so long because we continue to hold each other for several long moments.

It isn’t until after our sobbing has been replaced by quiet sniffling that I realize we’ve drawn a crowd, and hearing their hushed voices sends a spike of anxiety through me.

Slowly pulling away, I clear my throat softly and take my mother’s hands in mine as I look at all the people now surrounding us. I recognize most of them, which helps to lessen my unease some, but not entirely. It instantly returns, however, when I realize the majority of their gazes are focused on something behind me.

No, not something. Someone. Vannaria.

Glancing over my shoulder, I see the elf still sitting atop Adaman with her hood pulled low over her eyes. Stephan is standing next to her, arms crossed, and Kali is clutching Obsidian’s reins, doing her best to keep the giant horse calm in the presence of so many strangers.

Cursing myself for abandoning Vannaria, I tighten my grip on my mother’s hands and say, “Mother, I have someone I’d like you to meet.”

I dip my head in a faint nod and Vannaria takes that as her cue to dismount, handing Adaman’s reins to Kali as well. She takes a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling with the motion, then begins slowly closing the distance between us, Stephan right on her heels.

Old Greyva sucks in a breath and I know she can already sense who, and what, my companion is without needing to see her face. The old woman’s magic is powerful enough to see into the depths of someone’s soul. Or souls, in this case.

Once she’s made it to my side, Vannaria places one hand over her chest, bowing slightly. “It is an honor to meet you, Ma’am.” With her free hand, she tosses her hood back, her dark skin and purple hair making her easily recognizable as a Nightshadow Elf. “My name is Vannaria, although you may know me as Vaniaren Zarathi.”

My mother’s eyes widen and the crowd around us lets out a collective gasp. There’s not a single doubt in my mind that every adult here is fully aware of the significance of the name. I instinctively tense my muscles, readying myself for a fight should anyone move to harm the woman beside me.

“She’s also my partner,” I add, giving the elf what I hope is a reassuring smile.

One corner of her lips twitch as she straightens. “That I am.”