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I was in front of him, now, looking up at him. I was certain I had never met a person who had made me feel actual rage before, but Valerian had gotten me there. My arms were shaking, my hands were fists, and my eyes were all daggers. He was the only person in Arcadia who knew who I was, but right now, I would’ve preferred Lord Cyr over Valerian and hisstupid, silver topknot.
“We’ll head for the road,” I said, gritting my teeth. “When we get to it, we can decide whether to go towards Windhelm, or Lysa.”
“We’re not going to Windhelm.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Valerian stepped aside and gestured for me to walk ahead. “After you,” he said.
“The road is that way,” I said, pointing in the other direction.
“Myfriendis this way. I cannot leave him in the woods.”
“What friend?”
Valerian whistled, creating a quick, sharp, high-pitched sound. A moment later, something stirred behind the trees a little way from where we were standing. I watched a creature move toward us, gently moving through the trees, shafts of sunlight touching its large, furry body, its antlers, and even the steam billowing out of its mouth.
It was aMaukibou. The towering creature was all white fur and black antlers, tall, strong, and majestic, but also gentle, and incredibly fast. No wonder Valerian had gotten here as quickly as he had. Valerian approached it, placed his hand along the side of the Maukibou’s face, and then pressed his forehead against its nose.
“Thank you for waiting,” he whispered.
The Maukibou snorted in response, then it looked at me, and I saw… intelligence in its eyes. Not just intelligence, but—strangely—recognition.It knew who I was. I approached the creature and offered it my hand. The Maukibou sniffed me, then lowered its head in reverence.
“I know you…” I whispered.
“You do?” Valerian asked.
I smiled at the creature. “You’re Colbolt, aren’t you?” I asked.
The Maukibou snorted again.
“Itisyou… you know me, don’t you?”
Another snort. Colbolt then padded the ground with one of its large, front hooves.
“It does know you,” Valerian said. “How?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “But of all the Maukibou in the city, you happened to findthis one, and you rode it all the way to me… what are the odds?”
Valerian used Colbolt’s barding to climb onto its back. “I’m not sure,” he said, “But we should get out of here. It’ll be dark, soon.”
He offered me his hand, and I stared at it for a moment. “You want me to get on his back with you?” I asked.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t have to. I can run.”
“I’m sure you can, but you should conserve your energy. Just in case.”
I thought about it for another moment. The prospect of climbing onto Colbolt’s back and riding with Valerian, who had popped out of nowhere, set off all kinds of alarm bells. Still, I couldn’t argue with his logic. The Maukibou could get us out of the forest faster than I could run the distance, and I would use less of my own energy getting there.
I decided to climb up, settling on top of the saddle in front of Valerian. He slid in behind me, put his arms around me, and grabbed hold of Colbolt’s reins. I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling far closer to Valerian than I had intended to be. He was warm, his arms were large, and powerful, and having them around me like this…
No. I’m not supposed to like this.
He’s stupid, and probably lying to you.
Shut up, Amara.
