She wondered if he would punish her for flouting his protection and gallivanting off into the countryside. Her cheeks warmed at the idea. While she had enjoyed his particular brand of torture, she had no assurance he would do the same thing the next time and didn’t particularly want to make him angry enough to find out.
Draugr snorted and stamped his hooves, appearing impatient to get back on the road.
Elizabeth shook her head to clear her thoughts and swung her leg over her horse.
They made their way back to the road that wove through the forest and continued heading west.
Draugr sped up to a trot without any urging from her, and seemed displeased whenever they stopped, as if his wild heart could have run forever.
Elizabeth stopped to stretch out the stiffness in her legs from being in the saddle for so long, grimacing and massaging her legs. Draugr snorted impatiently beside her.
Fetching a shallow bowl from her pack, she set it on the ground and poured some water from her waterskin into it, raising her brows. Almost grudgingly, Draugr stuck his nose in and took several draughts of water.
That done, she sat on a rock and drew some nuts and jerky out of her pack for a quick snack. Draugr butted her gently with his nose.
She rolled her eyes and patted his neck.You have to rest, or you’ll collapse from exhaustion!
She threw the words down the bond between their consciousnesses, which had begun to wax stronger each day. It was becoming more familiar, easier to slip into Draugr’s mind. Draugr flattened his ears and blew out a gust of air. Annoyance and irritation radiated down their bond.
Grinning, she forced the two of them to take a proper break, urging Draugr to graze in a patch of grass before returning to the road.
She made it to Volantia just as the sun reached its midday peak over the horizon.
Volantia was similar to Veridas, with its spindly black buildings covered in ivy and greenery. The palace was built on the highest peak, so tall it reached into the clouds. The structures around the palace grew gradually shorter, making the whole city appear pyramidal from afar.
Volantia was set on the highest peak of the mountain range and offered an uninterrupted view of the Phthalo Sea that stretched dark and green as far as the eye could see. They were up so high that the forest-covered mountains around Volantia looked like rolling hills by comparison.
Passing through the curling iron gates, she attempted to board Draugr at a stable for the afternoon, but he tried to bite the stable hand when she turned to leave. The whites of his eyes showed, and her poor horse radiated fear. She tried to calm him, stroking his nose and murmuring reassurances.
I’m not abandoning you. I’ll be back very soon.
She imagined warm waves of calm washing over her. She slowed her breathing down and stayed until Draugr quieted.
The stable hand eyed her horse warily, as if he didn’t particularly want to board a troublesome stallion. She smiled and nodded, handing him the reins. Draugr blinked and swished his tail, finally allowing the stable hand to lead him off.
Leaving a copper in thanks, she turned on her heel and strode into the city.
Walking into the bustling city square, her lightened mood from Draugr’s cooperation quickly soured. The streets were filled with well-dressed commoners going about their day, and they seemed well-fed, smiling, andhappy.Things she had once taken for granted but now missed like an ache in her chest.
Everywhere she looked, couples strolled arm in arm. One pair caught her eye—commoners so obviously in love it made her stomach twist with something bitter.
She lifted the hood of her cloak against the chill, not wanting to smile or invite conversation with any passersby. Her cloak covered her from head to toe as shewandered the streets like a wraith. She walked through crowds of smiling people with her dark and somber mood, making her feel like an unwelcome imposter in someone else’s home.
A shop window came into sight, boasting an extravagant black ballgown with a bodice encrusted in rubies. The shop belonged to a high-end dressmaker, the kind that serviced the nobility who attended balls with kings and queens.
Elizabeth stepped into the shop, and a tinkling bell sounded. She lugged a heavy bag behind her, which was packed with two neatly folded evening gowns.
The dressmaker was a tart woman who became friendly and chatty when Elizabeth showed her the gowns she brought. The dressmaker’s eyes lit up when she examined the skirts of one of the gowns that was encrusted with hundreds of tiny sparkling crystals that made the fabric appear to shimmer in the light. “These are exquisite. I have clients who’d pay handsomely for work like this.”
The woman’s enthusiasm grew as she assessed the craftsmanship of the sewing on the bodice. “I’ll take them both,” she murmured, counting out gold.
“I could get these stones for you, if you wanted something similar,” Elizabeth ventured casually, draping the skirts to better display their sparkle.
The dressmaker pursed her lips. “Hmm … I might be interested.”
The dressmaker handed her a small sack of gold for the two gowns and scribbled something on a bit of parchment, handing it over with raised brows. “My address, if you happen to hear where your last dressmaker got those crystal beads.”
Elizabeth smiled warmly and slung her now-empty bag over her shoulder. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to let you know.”
