“All right.”
He didn’t ask her why she’d decided to leave so suddenly. During the week they’d spent at the White Horse, she hadn’t mentioned it once. For someone who was out for revenge, set on crossing into enemy territory to find the men who’d destroyed her life, Seraphina had been content to forget all about that and indulge in days of peace and quiet, good food, strong beer, walks in nature, and nights spent in the arms of a man who made her feel safe and adored.
Was she going soft? Was she losing sight of what mattered, tricked by the possibility of a different kind of life that she’d never imagined before she’d started falling for Rune?
She was starting to fall for him, wasn’t she? It was a different kind of falling than how she’d fallen for Matteo.
Rune, unlike her purist first love, was tangible. He fought her still, but even so, she could reach him, touch him, taste him, have him. His resistance wasn’t rooted in an ideology passed down through a family of repressed nobles – which Seraphina would’ve never been able to break through, not even if her cunt demonstrated magical abilities. Rune’s resistance came from hisbelief that he was ugly, unworthy, unfit for her, but that she could change – his mind.
He didn’t ask her why they were leaving tomorrow and not three days ago, or three days from now, and she didn’t tell him about Briar. As far as he was concerned, she’d gone for a stroll as a means of challenging him to push himself and be in the presence of strangers, calmly drinking a beer in the middle of a crowded place while she wasn’t there to anchor him.
He didn’t need to know that Briar was after her, because right now, she wasn’t, and Seraphina would know how to thwart her in the future. And he certainly didn’t need to know what Briar had told her about him. How she’d described him.
Seraphina herself didn’t want to think about it. Because she didn’t believe a word of it. Truly, she didn’t.
Besides, it didn’t matter. Rune could’ve been covered in stitches from head to toe, his skin could be uneven, mangled, a fright to behold, and she would want him.
Seraphina would always want Rune.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The pews had been pushed against the walls to make room for rows of makeshift beds.
At first light, Seraphina and Rune were on the road. They took the horses and left the carriage, and Seraphina paid the stable boy another gulden. The innkeeper’s wife had prepared two bundles for them containing dark rye bread wrapped in cloth, hard cheese, a few smoked sausages, and hard-boiled eggs. She’d added a flask of beer. The provisions wouldn’t last them long, but Seraphina tried not to think about it. She and Rune had always managed.
They avoided the main roads and other people, directing the horses through the woods and fields. On horseback, they made good time, and Seraphina relaxed and enjoyed the feel of the beast underneath her, its strong muscles moving rhythmically, swaying and lulling her senses until she could lie to herself that all was good, that she was a child again, learning how to ride in Hyde Park. She and Rune rode in silence for hours. At first, she’d been worried about him. When they’d mounted, she’d asked him if he’d ever ridden before, and he’d said no. Somehow, he had no issue with it. He didn’t struggle. On the contrary, he sat atop his mount like he’d been born to ride.
Five hours must have passed when Seraphina judged that the horses were getting tired. Her stomach rumbled, which told them it was time for a meal, so they stopped near a stream, let the horses drink and graze, and spent two hours on a patch of grass that was graced with feeble sunlight here and then, when the sun peeked from behind the clouds. It had snowed the night before, but not enough to settle. The weather was chaotic, the seasons making little sense, but Seraphina didn’t question it anymore. It had been this way since 1815, and she’d stopped hoping it would return to normal. It probably never would.
She and Rune nibbled on the food, not wanting to finish it too soon. They drank beer with more vigor, both of them parched. There was water in the stream, but beer was safer. Anyone who knew what was good for them would always choose beer if the option existed, even children. Once rested, they mounted again and resumed their journey.
Seraphina couldn’t help but notice that Rune was keeping his back straight and his chest open. His hood was down, as was hers, and he didn’t hunch and cower when the trees gave way to fields, and the sky spread wide above their heads. She felt proud of him, and of herself for having come up with the right methods to help him. She didn’t think he was fully healed, but he was getting there.
It was late afternoon when they were forced to veer east and prolong their journey to Freising, maybe by another day. There was a military checkpoint up ahead, and Seraphina recognized it by the bark of orders, the stamping of horses’ hooves, and the murmurs of travelers waiting to be questioned. They were getting close to enemy territory, and the resistance soldiers were everywhere, patrolling and making sure no one passed to the front lines that had no business to. Seraphina cursed under her breath, but she knew this would happen. She and Rune would have to go around and find a way to cross without being stopped or noticed. At some point, they might have to leave the horses.
The shadows lengthened and darkness fell early. Dusk was upon them, and Seraphina started to grow restless. Her back hurt, and she felt slight chaffing between her thighs, where they rubbed against the leather saddle. She hadn’t ridden in too long, and she wasn’t used to so many hours on horseback. Rune, on the other hand, seemed to be perfectly comfortable.
“We should stop somewhere,” she said. “I’m not sure where we are, but maybe we can find the main road, ride along it, and see if we come across a village or town.”
“All right,” he said, pulling the horse’s reins to follow her lead southwest. “It is quiet, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” She inclined her head, considering.
“No more checkpoints?”
“I don’t know. It does seem awfully silent.”
They rode for another hour, following the main road but keeping out of sight in case anyone passed. No one did.
“I see houses,” Rune announced. “A church tower in the distance.”
“Good. Let’s try our luck.”
They approached, and soon Rune could confirm it seemed to be a small town. They entered it proper, passing a few scattered houses, when a woman shouted at them, her voice shrill and panicked.
“No! What are you doing? Turn back, turn back!”
Seraphina saw her shadow run toward them, waving her arms desperately.
