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He frowned. “You’ve never swung a sword before?”
“I mean… I’ve swung a sword before.”
“Fencing doesn’t count.”
I paused. “Then I’ve never swung a sword before.”
“You fenced?”
I nodded. “It was mandatory training. It never went anywhere. Once I learned I could change my form and become a wolf, playing with swords lost its appeal.”
“You won’t always be able to shapeshift…”
“Untrue. I canalwaysshapeshift. It’s as easy as breathing.”
“It didn’t look that easy on Earth.”
“I guess… but we’re not on Earth anymore.”
Valerian grunted. “Take it anyway.” With a grin, he added, “You can pretend you know how to use it, and when the time comes,Ican use it.”
“I’m not holding your sword for you.”
“What?What?!” Gullie asked, her wings buzzing and picking her sleepy body up as she rubbed her eyes. “What did I just hear?”
“Oh, my Gods, Gullie,nothing.Look.”
Gullie stared at the sword in Valerian’s hand. Her bleary eyes narrowed. “Good…” she said. “Because if I get a whiff of any funny business—”
Warm embarrassment flushed against my cheeks. “—could you not, please?” I begged, interrupting her. “How about we just go and do this thing? Is it time?”
There was a hint of mirth on Valerian’s face when I looked back at him. He withdrew the sword, placed it on the table, and nodded. “Our meeting with the huntmaster is at high noon. We should make our way over to the guild hall before then.”
“Counter point,” Gullie said, “How about we eat first, then go to the guild hall? Is there time?”
Valerian walked over to the chest in the back of the room. He unlocked it, opened it, and pulled out a cloth bundle that he then began to unwrap. Inside the bundle was an assortment of dried meats that looked and smelled like hard leather. I picked one up, sniffed it again, and took a bite. To my surprise, it wasn’t awful. A little dry, sure, but edible.
“What is this?” I asked.
“A little of this,” said Valerian, “A little of that. It helps if you don’t think about it.”
“Oh no… it’s not Maukibou, is it?”
“No. It’s not Fae either.”
“It worries me that he had to say that,” said Gullie, who was trying to pick up a piece that was bigger than she was.
I rolled my eyes and took another bite. “He’s messing with us,” I said.
“Is that something he does often?”
“I’m not known for it, no,” said Valerian. “But it’s easy with you two.”
I smiled at him. “Please stop,” I said, as I took another bite.
We didn’t spend too long in his safehouse. Once we had finished eating jerky, it was time to head out and find the guild hall. I had to admit, I was a little nervous to head into the busy streets of Lysa—what if someone spotted me? What if we were arrested? But there wasn’t any other choice, so I pulled up my hood, and followed Valerian out.
The knot in my stomach untied itself minutes after we left. The people on the streets didn’t care about me, most of them wouldn’t give me a second look. The ones who did were the street vendors and the trinket peddlers; those with something to sell, who would go out of their way to speak to everyone they could.
