Page 92 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

The old woman gives me a pained smile. “That, my child, will depend on if you succeed or not. Unfortunately, I have no guarantee that–”

“We will,” Vannaria snaps, dropping the book into her lap so she can cup my face in both of her calloused hands, forcing me to meet her gaze. “I made a promise to you as well…” Her eyes briefly take on a slightly more reddish hue before returning to violet. “And I intend to fucking keep it.”

Old Greyva nods, seemingly pleased with my lover’s passionate response. “Good. Keep that promise and I’m sure everything will turn out just fine.” She turns to Sera. “Now, to answer your question more fully, they’ll be traveling by horseback to Zaris. Once they find the pirate, he’ll ask them for a small favor in exchange for passage on his ship.”

“I thought the pirate didn’t have a ship?” my mother asks, glancing between Vannaria and I, confusion twisting at her brows. “Isn’t that what you’d said?”

“That would be the favor.” Greyva shrugs, leaning back in her chair. “I’m not sure of the details, but apparently he’s a terrible gambler. The ship itself is anchored just off the coast, at the very edge of the Lost Forest.”

Vannaria’s entire body goes rigid as she sucks in a sharp breath. I’m about to ask if she’s alright, when she whispers, “I… We… I can’t go in there. Not after…”

Realization dawns on me at her words, and now it’s my turn to cup her face. “We won’t. We can go around it.” I shoot a quick glance at the old woman. “Right?”

Thankfully, Greyva nods. “You can. At least in this instance.” Her gaze softens, turning sympathetic. “But, you will have to return at some point, Your Highness. Fairly soon, I’m afraid.”

“No,” Vannaria snarls, knocking away my hands and shooting to her feet, the strange book clutched tightly to her chest. “No, we won’t.” She starts blinking rapidly and her eyes turn bright red. “Ain't no way in the hells we’re going back there. I don’t care what you saw, or what you say. It ain’t happening.”

“Yes, it is. And yes, you will.” Old Grevya nods towards the piece of parchment, now poking out from inside the front cover of the book. “Trust me, Rayne, you’ll want to return after you read the contents of that letter. There are secrets still hidden there that...” She clears her throat, letting her words trail off.

“That what?” I stand up as well, carefully placing a hand on Rayne’s shoulder. “What secrets?”

The old woman merely shakes her head before glancing towards the window, fueling my irritation.

My mother’s gaze drifts over to it as well, and she whispers, “It’s time, isn’t it.” When Old Greyva nods, her face crumples. A sob rips out of her throat as she steps past Rayne to throw her arms around me. “Oh, how I wish I could come with you. I’m so sorry, Mariane. For everything.”

Allowing my own tears to freely fall, I wrap my arms around her as well. “It’s alright, Mother.” Sucking in a shaky breath, I whisper, “Look on the bright side, now you’ll have time to practice before the sparring match you promised me.”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because my mother begins to sob harder, her grip on me turning painful. I squeeze my eyes shut, desperately trying to hold myself together.

Rayne clears her throat and I feel her awkwardly pat me on the shoulder a few times before she mutters, “Um. I’ll spar with you in the meantime, Wolf. Make sure you’ll be able to easily kick her ass when we get back.”

I choke out a watery laugh, allowing myself to hold my mother for a moment longer before pulling away. “Thank you, Rayne. I’ll gladly take you up on that.”

“The horses are already saddled and ready to go,” Kali mutters, her voice filled with sympathy. “We’ll be waiting at the stables, whenever you’re done here.”

Wiping away the tears still slowly trailing down my cheeks, I nod. “Thank you, Kali. We’ll be there soon.”

As my friends turn to leave, Rayne hesitates for a moment before vanishing in a swirl of shadow, reappearing right outside the door to my old bedroom. Her lips twitch up in a brief half-smile, then she steps inside, closing the door behind her.

“Well, then.” Greyva slaps her palms against her thighs, rising to her feet with a groan. “Guess I should be getting home now. It’s getting late and I’m–”

I pull her into a tight hug. “I’m going to miss you too, Old Greyva. You better still be alive by the time I get back, or I’ll be terribly upset with you.”

She pats my back, chuckling softly. “Don’t worry, child. I’m not dying any time soon, I promise you that.” Her voice lowers to a whisper. “And neither are either of you. Not if I have any say in the matter.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, pulling away from her, brows furrowed.

“You’ll find out soon enough, Mariane.”

With that, Old Greyva reaches back into the bag at her hip and withdraws what looks to be a necklace. She presses it into my hand, then turns to leave without another word, moving much quicker than a woman her age should be able to.

Frowning slightly, I look down at my hand. It was, in fact, a necklace. A familiar necklace. The one Old Greyva has worn every day since… Well, since my earliest memory of her. Although I’m fairly certain no one in this village has ever seen her without it.

It’s a circular pendant, intricately carved into the symbol of the Moon Goddess, Seline. Without needing to turn it over, I know there’s a message on the back that says: Always and Forever, My Champion. Yet, I also know there’s not a single soul in this village that knows who gave it to her. Or what the message is supposed to mean.

Was Old Greyva a warrior when she was younger? Or?

A loud gasp to my left draws my attention back to my mother. Her wide eyes are locked on the necklace in my hand as well, likely realizing the same thing I did.