Page 16 of Veil of Web and Ruin

Okay, maybe there is a barb. She’s distinctly odd. Perhaps she’s lonely, in need of company?

‘Thank you,’ I reply, already planning to return the cloak subtly and sneak out of the place before she notices.

Drawing the fabric tighter around me, I turn back to hurry out the door before she can change her mind about lending it to me.

Chapter 6

The conversation with the woman was unnerving, but I try to push it from my mind as I head through to the third ring, the hood of the cloak concealing my hair. Considering how thin the fabric is, it holds more warmth than you’d expect, and I wonder about her magic.

Perhaps she has something like Ruben but is able to imbue her heat into inanimate objects? Or perhaps she was simply wearing it in a warm tavern for several hours.

‘You,’ a knight calls out as I approach the gate. ‘Where are you going?’

I turn to look at him, trying to still the drumming in my ears as a layer of nervous sweat rapidly covers my palms.

The maroon-clad guard isn’t the problem though – it’s his dire wolf. Sitting at his side, her bottom lip is curled up as she stares at me. Not snarling, but a long way from quiet.

Like all bonded wolves, there’s a circle of white around her irises, the ring showing that the dire wolf has traded its wild life to be bonded to a Morathkian knight.

There are all sorts of rumours about exactly how much you share with your bonded dire wolf, whether it’s a case ofbeing able to transfer thoughts, full conversation, or simply an emotional connection.

The latter would make more sense; it would mean the dire wolf could come to your aid whenever you felt fearful. But sharing direct thoughts? I can’t even imagine what such a beast would want to think about.

Although, from the way she’s looking at me right now, I suspect hunger and violence would be top of the list.

‘Where are you going?’ the knight asks again.

‘To the temple of Etta,’ I tell him truthfully.

He eyes me suspiciously as the dire wolf moves closer and sniffs me.

‘Why?’ the guard asks next.

‘Why am I going to the temple? Why else? To pray,’ I say flatly.

He presses his lips together. ‘You got travelling papers?’ he questions.

My eyes slide sideways, and panic grips me. Fuck. Travelling papers? I didn’t know I needed such a thing. If I need papers, this heist is screwed before I even get started. A cold rush surges through me as my heart adopts an erratic new pace.

I swallow and try to claw my anxiety down. I’m not giving up now. Kay needs me to do this and Rula is not a woman to disappoint. There’s a reason she has men like Tella on her payroll. I’m not letting one idiot guard screw us over.

I give him an annoyed look, styling it out. ‘You’re joking, right? You don’t need papers to get into the third.’

He snorts. ‘Of course you do. Everyone knows that.’

‘Since when?’ I argue. ‘I’ve been to the third before. Plenty of times.’

‘Is that right? And when did you last come here?’

I open my mouth as I try to remember. It wasn’t in the last moon; I know that because Dinah came to see us instead. So what does that make it? Two moons, maybe three? I’m not sure.

‘At least within the last four moons,’ I tell him. ‘I can’t remember which. I have a friend among the priestesses – Dinah Poltick. I visit her often. She never mentioned needing papers to visit her now.’

‘Is that right?’ His face is completely stern until suddenly, without warning, it cracks into a wide smile. ‘Well. Guess you should go right through.’

I don’t understand.

Seeing the confusion on my face, he explains, ‘There’s no such thing as travelling papers. I made them up.’