“I’m not your subject.”
“So long as you remain in my domain and my protection, you’re under my jurisdiction.”
I sighed. “Alright, you win. I’ll stay at the castle, but only until I figure out what I want to do.” Whatever in the world that would be. What skills could I possibly have that would be useful in such a world?
He was all smiles, but not triumphant. I don’t think that man had a boastful bone in his body. “Excellent. I look forward to showing you around my city. There are few wonders in the world grander than Elyra.”
I cocked my head to one side. “Like what?”
Cassian tapped a finger against his lips. “I will save that for the tour. Now, why don’t we quicken our pace? The faster we reach the inn, the sooner we arrive at Elyra.”
He quickened his pace, and I scurried to keep up. “And when will that be? How far is Elyra from the inn?”
“A day’s ride, but you can see the peaks of the Citadel from miles away.”
“The Citadel?”
His eyes twinkled as brightly as stars. “Just one of the sights I’ll show you when we get to the capital.”
“Okay, now you’re just teasing me.”
“Perhaps I am, but you’ll find out sooner if we move faster.” He stretched his long legs and covered more ground, leaving me behind.
“Hey!” I shouted as my short legs struggled to catch up, and I was forced into a sprint.
Cassian settled into a slower pace, but not much, and by noon, I found myself exhausted and hungry. A most pleasant surprise awaited us around one of the corners. The forest now grew close to both sides of the road, and we heard the horseman before we saw him.
The rider rounded the corner, and a smile brightened his face the moment he saw us. “Cassian!”
Cassian raised his hand. “Titus!”
Titus galloped over and reined in his steed, but not before he hopped down. He opened his arms, and the men embraced in a tight, back-clapping hug. Titus drew them apart and looked him over. “Well, you don’t look as though you’ve lost anything valuable, or do your clothes hide a hideous deformity?”
“Nothing that wasn’t there before,” Cassian countered.
Titus laughed and clapped his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “By God, did I miss your winning our little quip contests!” His gaze settled on me, and his smile softened. “And I’m supremely glad to see you’re safe as well, Grace.”
“And I’m also supremely glad to see you, too,” I returned.
“You must tell me how you escaped the clutches of those nethral,” he insisted.
“Once we get to the inn,” Cassian promised him as he nodded at the road ahead. “Then I won’t have to repeat my tale. Is everyone there to listen? How do they fare?”
“The wounds have been tended to by a doctor, and all are recovering nicely,” Titus assured him. “They’re all waiting at the inn except for Secundus and a few of the men. They went on ahead to inform Auctor about the troubles, and to fetch more men to eliminate that pit.”
“Excellent,” Cassian complimented him as we continued on our way. “We shall have a small celebration tonight.”
Titus threw back his head and laughed. “And without the saintly lord to tell us when we’ve had enough.” He grabbed the reins of his horse and looked at Niveus. His face fell. “It looks like Niveus has quite a wound there.”
Cassian pursed his lips as he studied the wound. “Well, since we do have some time, I’ll relate what happened then.”
Chapter 29
Cassian recounted our last adventure with the strange paint monster and my suspicions of the blind artist.
When he had finished, Titus was left rubbing his chin in one hand. “Velario? As in Damiano Velario?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s what his first name was. Most people just called him Velario.”
