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Dawn wasn’t far off, the sky just light enough that I could make out the surroundings without squinting. Einri was fastening a harness onto Missy who stood incredibly still while he worked. Sonny, the young wolf was currently chasing his tail while Rolo was rolling in the sweet-smelling grass that was damp with dew.
“You’re going to get all wet.” Einri warned, finishing up with Missy and moving on to Sonny. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
Rolo snorted, then shook his fur out, getting rid of more of the moisture from his coat. Einri continued to talk to them each like they had human intelligence,and it made me smile. In terms of men, I could do a whole lot worse.
“Ready?” Einri asked after glancing over and finding me awake.
“Almost. Let me use the facilities and change, then I’ll be ready.” I stood and stretched my arms over my head feeling my back muscles pull.
After I took care of my full bladder and changed back into my traveling clothes, I was ready for another full day of riding.
“Where do you think we’ll get to today?” I asked Einri, who was starting to undress, the cool morning air not bothering him in the slightest.
“I hope to get to the border before nightfall.” He replied, untying his boots and slipping them off his feet before storing them in the bag hanging from Ruby’s back.
“That's quite a distance.” I said, uneasily eyeing the other wolves and hoping they would be able to keep up.
“We’ll skirt the forests but stay close to the tree line in case we need to hide. The terrain is smoother that way so we should make good time.” I nodded, understanding his reasoning and hoping that it did go smoothly. The last thing we needed was to draw Asena’s attention while we ran through her kingdom. She couldn’t know that Rusalko had reached out or that we were going to meet him.
Einri shifted into his black furred wolf, and I almost wished I had another form I could shift into so I could run along with them instead of ride. I wasn’t willing to go through the change, though Mavka had speculated that I might not be able to change since I was too connected to the wolves already.
I climbed onto Einri’s back after fastening him into his own harness. I tucked my feet over his backside before wrapping my fingers around the straps. I patted the giant wolf on the shoulder to let him know I was ready, and we were off.
The pace was grueling, but we managed to only stop four times to rest, rehydrate, and eat. My wolves were panting but seemed to be in good spirits as we ran. I had explained the situation to all of them,and while Sonny was young, I think he understood how important it was for us to get to Brural.
Einri continued to run into the night while I dozed off and on while holding onto [DD82] his fur until he stopped, his chest heaving with his heavy pants. I slid off him, my legs sore and aching.
“We’ll rest here.” Einri said once he’d shifted his voice dripping with fatigue.
The other wolves were already laying down close together for warmth. Ruby’s eyes were blinking, making sure I was settled before he’d go to sleep. I patted his head whispering that it was alright and that he should sleep. He sighed, giving into his exhaustion and closing his eyes.
“I can’t believe I’m so tired when I didn’t do any running.” I said, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.
“You’re still moving which can make you tired just like traveling in a carriage.” Einri shrugged, pulling his shirt over his head then settled down with his back against an oak tree. He patted the ground next to him and I laid down, resting my head on his chest, his steady heartbeat lulling me to sleep.
* * *
Traudlas,the Bruralian capital, had been on the horizon for half the day. I could not seem to tear my eyes away from the dark fixture while the blue of the sea spread out behind it and, if possible, making it seem even darker.
I now knew why Traudlas was nicknamed the Black City.
According to the history books I’d read back at Castle Hill, Traudlas’s walls were made from black sand that was shipped from the Night Isles that the sea long since claimed. I held tight to Einri’s wolf as we approached the city, thankful I was able to convince him to leave my wolves a safe distance away.
As the city drew closer the clearer the outline became, and I was impressed by the architecture. The black castle could rival Castle Hill with its spires and towers that seemed to glitter in the setting sun.
Butterflies erupted in my belly, but I couldn’t tell if it was nervousness or fear. Einri prepared me for the city, but I don’t think words could have prepared me for the feelings the city would invoke. It was half wonder and half foreboding and I couldn’t seem to put my finger on what caused either of them.
Yells could be heard from the black walls that surrounded the city. At the order,massive doors were opened and I was impressed by the sheer size of them, just one big enough to build an entire ship.
Einri didn’t pause, just ran through the doors and up the black cobbled streets towards the towering castle. I kept my head down, hiding my features in black fur,unwilling to let the inhabitants see my face.
Word must have spread quickly because we found the castle gate open like they were expecting us.
Einri's gait slowed to a walk as he entered the inner walls, his ears twitching every which way as he continued with caution. I loosened my hold on his neck harness sitting up on his back.
There were three guards that I could see, but I could feel more eyes than that on us. I unhooked the harness from around him and pulled his clothes from my own pouch. I laid them on the ground then turned my back so Einri could change and get dressed.
“Arrow.” Einri’s voice called evenly once he was partly dressed.
