Werewolf Knight 2, page 35
“Well,” Tabitha said and blushed. “I am honored. And thank you for your help. As Hank said, we couldn’t have done it without you.”
The right guard gave a quick nod, and then their faces went blank as they slipped back into their usual stoic personas.
“To the village,” Sybil declared as she bounced down the steps. “I’m so excited.”
“Me, too,” I laughed as I chased after her.
“Are you going like that?” Tabitha asked from behind me.
I stopped in the middle of the trail and then grinned. My squire was right, and if I was going to be feted as a hero, I was going to look like one. I shook my head back and forth and felt the power course through my veins. I felt my muscles stretch and the fur grow out, and a few seconds later, I was in my hybrid form.
Fuck, yeah. This was going to be a day for the history books.
“I’ll race you,” I growled and started down the path.
I took off before Tabitha could reply, and I sprinted past Sybil before she even realized I was there. I barely felt the cobblestones beneath my feet, and the air tasted so good that I let out a howl. I didn’t slow down until I heard voices, and I finally stopped just before the path joined the main road.
Tabitha and Sybil ran up a few moments later, and I waited patiently while they tried to catch their breath.
“Get ready,” Tabitha said when she could finally speak. “I have a feeling everyone is going to want a little piece of Henry today.”
“I can live with that,” I replied as I started to walk again.
I began to see the faint outlines of nobles through the trees. The smell of grilled meat and baked goods wafted over, and it smelled like a celebration to me.
“You ready?” Sybil asked as we peered at the crowd swirling around the town.
“Ready as ever,” I said.
We stepped onto the main road, and a few moments later, we greeted the first revelers. The first nobles we greeted actually gave a slight bow, a sure sign that the story of my adventures was already making its way through the crowd.
“The King should be at a banquet table around here,” Tabitha whispered when we passed the first buildings.
“It’s him!” someone shouted. “It’s Henry Baker!”
I saw the people in the market square start pointing in our direction. I saw their faces change from mildly bored to looks of awe and regard, and my wolf’s hearing picked up the faint whispers after we passed. And then a small figure in a silly costume bounded toward me, and I saw that it was Sebastian.
“All hail the eternal savior of Lupercalia,” the tiny squire exclaimed.
“All hail!” the nobles started to chime in.
The crowd in the market square started to grow around me. I was hemmed in, but I didn’t care. I could barely contain my excitement or my pride, and I found I was standing as tall as I could.
I looked out at the crowd and saw that someone was pushing their way through. It wasn’t a very noble way to behave, and for some reason I thought that Hector was about to appear and argue that I didn’t deserve the title because I’d broken protocol or something.
But the crowd finally parted, and I saw it was my mentor, Charles.
“Charles!” I yelled, and the usually restrained knight ran straight up to me and gave me a big bear hug. Or should I say, a wolf hug.
He gave me a big pat on the back and then stood in front of the three of us with a great big smile on his face.
“You did it,” he said, and he pounded his chest with his hand. “You saved the King and the Kingdom of Lupercalia! I knew that you were onto something, even if I couldn’t be as helpful as I would’ve liked to be.”
“Thanks,” I said with a smile. “And don’t worry. You helped us more than you can ever know. Because of you, we made it to the King in time.”
“Well, I understand some other knights might have helped as well,” he said and winked.
We laughed together, and then I realized that the crowd had gone quiet. It seemed that every eye was now on me, and the Lupercalian nobility were waiting for something.
“What now?” I whispered to Charles.
“Give some kind of speech,” he suggested.
I tried not to groan at the suggestion. I’d never been a fan of speeches, and I usually managed to find an excuse not to give one. Hell, I’d missed a lot of school days just to avoid delivering a book report. But Charles nudged me forward, and I took a deep breath.
Guess there was a first time for everything.
“Hello everyone,” I said and cleared my throat while I tried to work out what to say.
I looked through the audience and saw Greyback, who had a big silly grin on his face. He winked at me, and I instantly felt at ease.
“Good start,” Tabitha whispered and squeezed my hand.
“I’m not a big speech-giver,” I said to the crowd. “But I just want to say that above all, I’m glad the King is safe. And I am happy that all of you are safe as well. It’s an honor to be a knight of Lupercalia, and I will always do everything I can to ensure that it is safe.”
I looked around at Sybil, Tabitha, and Charles, and nodded.
Greyback lifted one of his fists, and the rings that covered his fingers sparkled in the sunlight. Tiny rainbows danced above his hand for a moment, and then he let out a long howl.
“All hail the eternal savior!” the knight shouted in his gruff voice.
“All hail the eternal savior!” the crowd shouted after him.
The crowd burst into hoots and hollers, and I heard a drum start to beat in the background. The drumming was joined by several flutes and what sounded like a harp, and then the nobles of Lupercalia started dancing like it was a medieval prom.
I watched the crowd for a few minutes and smiled at everyone. I recognized most of the knights, and that included Hector, who towered over many of the Lupercalian werewolves with his long, lean body. I noticed that he was wearing a dark blue suede tunic and a silver chain instead of armor.
Hector brushed a wisp of sandy fur out of his eye and then held my gaze. He glared at me until Greyback murmured something to him, and then he rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and started to push his way through the crowd in my direction.
I shot a look at Tabitha, Hector’s former love interest, but she was busy telling Charles all about the battle, complete with furious hand gestures. Well, shit, it looked like I was going to have to deal with the man myself.
“What’s going on here?” Sybil whispered.
“Guess we’ll find out,” I whispered back.
Hector stopped in front of us and placed his hands on his hips like he was about to deliver a lecture. He scowled at Sybil and then sighed deeply when he met my stare.
“Henry,” he said and nodded his head curtly.
“Hector,” I replied and nodded my head.
“And Sybil,” Sybil added.
She peered up at us with her glowing green eyes and grinned a silly grin. I had to stop myself from laughing.
“And the witch,” Hector murmured reluctantly and rolled his eyes.
For a second, his gaze floated over to Tabitha, who was still chatting with Charles. I had a feeling that even if she’d seen him come over, Tabitha would have purposefully avoided him.
“So,” I said as an awkward silence settled between us. “Enjoying your new job?”
“Can we skip the small talk?” Hector asked. “You know why I’m here. I didn’t like you.”
I snickered, and Sybil crossed her arms over her chest defensively as she frowned at Hector. But I was feeling pretty good, and I refused to let Hector ruin the party. So I smiled and nodded like he’d just complimented me.
“Well, thanks for humbling me,” I said to the shit-stirring noble with a chuckle. “But no, I don’t know why you’re here.”
“For saving the King,” Hector replied, and his face softened. “Look. What I was going to say was, you know that I didn’t like you at first. But I must admit that you are a very, very good knight. And however much it pains me to say, I am grateful for the work that you’ve done for Lupercalia. Everyone feels safer with you here.”
He looked behind my shoulder at Tabitha for a split second and then back to me.
“Well,” Sybil replied for me, “that’s very nice of you to say.”
Hector at least had the good sense to look embarrassed when he nodded to the young witch that he’d teased so relentlessly in the past. He sighed again, took a deep breath, and then looked at me. His eyes widened and his ears flattened, like a dog looking for approval.
I had always known that I was more powerful than him, but this guy had an ego the size of Jupiter. It was nice to know that he now recognized I was the top dog, and I wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.
“Thanks, Hector.” I said. “It seems like your new position in diplomacy is really paying off.”
Sybil snickered and then quickly looked away while the werewolf struggled to bite back whatever nasty comment had sprung into his mind.
“Yes,” he finally said. “It is really very rewarding. I’m sure that we will see each other in the palace very soon.”
Hector shot one last longing glance behind me at Tabitha, who had now gone so far as to ask Charles about this year’s production of The Fish of Blue Valley in order to avoid acknowledging the diplomat’s presence. Then he made one more polite nod and wandered back in the direction of the crowd and the music.
“Do you think his dad put him up to that?” Sybil asked as she pressed against my side.
“Maybe,” I replied with a sigh. “Or maybe his diplomacy skills really are improving.”
“I’m not so sure,” Sybil said and squinted into the distance. “If I know anything about that guy, he probably just wanted an excuse to check out Tabitha up close.”
She looked up at me and raised her eyebrow naughtily. Her green eyes glimmered with a sense of mischief in the beautiful mountain sunlight. God, I loved having a witch on my side.
“I think he knows that ship has sailed,” I said with a chuckle. “Tabitha wanted to avoid him so badly that she wanted to hear about the nuances of Dromgoole’s choreography for the pantomime this year.”
Sybil giggled and brushed her black hair out of her face. The morning sun made her pale skin glow like an opal, and for a few seconds, I could almost see magic dance around her.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of the Wahaya air. It smelled like victory to me, and I hoped that I’d enjoy that scent again soon.
“It certainly took you long enough to get rid of him,” Tabitha purred.
I opened my eyes and looked down at Tabitha, who was batting her eyelashes at me. I felt her lean against me as she wrapped her hand around my arm, and for a second, the image of her under me last night as I pounded into her flashed through my head. But the entire nobility of Lupercalia was milling around in front of me, so I put those thoughts away before I got a raging hard-on in front of her family.
“Did that please the Lady?” I teased.
“Very much,” she replied.
“That’s my girl!” Blueclaw suddenly cried out from the crowd.
“Daddy!” Tabitha said with a laugh and ran toward the werewolf that was moving toward us. “Don’t strain yourself.”
“Oh, don’t fuss over me,” he said with a husky laugh and waved his paw in the air. “I’ve still got some of that electric-blue blood running through these veins. But let’s not talk about me. I wanted to give you and Henry Baker here my warmest congratulations.”
He threw his arms around Tabitha and squeezed her so hard that she lifted off the ground.
“Dad…” Tabitha coughed. “Dad, you’re squeezing all the breath out of me.”
He set her back on the cobblestones with a chuckle, and the blonde dusted herself off with a huff.
“Henry,” The old knight said with a big grin as he turned to me. “What you have accomplished in such a short amount of time is a most noble feat. I am very much looking forward to watching the rest of your career as a Lupercalian knight unfold. With you on our side, the Kingdom is in good hands.”
He gave me a hearty pat on my right arm that I could feel even through the armor. The guy might’ve been old, but he was still strong as hell.
“Oh,” I said. “I never got to tell you. Thank you so much for helping us out on the estate. Those extra weapons came in handy.”
“It’s no problem,” he said and waved his hands. “Those weapons are the type of thing you accumulate when your family has been defending the Kingdom for generations. How is the estate, by the way? Still growing beans?”
“It’s been busy,” I replied. “We haven’t been back for a few days because we were trying to work out what the vampires were planning. But it’s growing. We have some new families moving in, so we can expand the fields, and Sybil’s been expanding her garden. We have some pretty rare plants now.”
“That’s good news,” the older knight replied.
“Ava will be happy,” Sybil noted. “She can never get enough moon-beans.”
“Sorry, who?” Blueclaw asked with a furrowed brow.
“Oh,” Sybil said as she realized her mistake. “Just one of the servants. She’s always got a cup of the brew in her hand, it seems like. Can’t get enough of the stuff.”
“We tease her about it,” Tabitha added quickly. “But she just laughs and drinks some more.”
“That’s good to hear,” Blueclaw noted. “Not the teasing part, but the fact that your servants are so invested in the estate. It bodes well for its future.”
I smiled at the old knight, and saw Tabitha elbow Sybil ever so slightly. Sybil stuck out her tongue at the feisty noblewoman, which the blonde ardently ignored.
“Daddy,” the noblewoman purred as she turned to her father. “When are the nobles thinking of returning home?”
“Anxious to leave?” the older knight asked with a chuckle.
“Well, that monster in the lake was pretty creepy,” Tabitha replied. “But we do need to get back to the estate to… well, you know, deal with estate business.”
“Mmmm,” her father hummed as he studied his daughter. “Yes, estate business.”
“Most of the families are planning to leave tomorrow,” Charles said as he joined our group. “It’s easier heading back, of course. It takes far less time to walk down the mountain than to climb up. Though with Sybil’s talents, we could probably be back in the palace even faster.”
The noble of Stock winked at Sybil, who blushed in return.
I braced myself at the idea of having to run. I didn’t know the exact path from here to the estate, but I did know that it was one hell of a lot quicker than the run from the cipher’s place in Lake Gomul.
“Well, girls,” I said. “What do you think we should do? Should we stay one more night?”
“I have an idea,” Blueclaw said. “Why don’t you take one of the royal carriages back with us? There are certain luxuries you’re afforded as a long-standing knight of the kingdom, and when you’re an old man like me, you’re allowed to travel more comfortably than most.
I looked over at the girls, whose faces had lit up.
“A carriage,” Sybil giggled. “I’ve never had a ride in one of those before.”
“Oh, you’re in for a treat,” Tabitha said. “Are you sure, dad? We don’t want to take up too much space.”
“Nonsense,” he said. “There’s plenty of room for you three as well as your mother and I. We can start the journey today and ride through the night if that suits you."
“That would be wonderful,” I said. “But I just have one question. How do you have a carriage if horses don’t like shifters? Or, I mean, bluebloods.”
The old man put his hand on his chest and laughed.
“Oh, Henry,” he said. “I’d love to see the kingdom of Lupercalia through your eyes. It’s so refreshing to an old hand like me. But you’re right, we don’t have horse-drawn carriages.”
He shot a mischievous look at Tabitha, who laughed and shook her head.
“The carriages are drawn by direwolves,” the noblewoman explained.
Okay. That made more sense, and it was pretty damn cool.
“Well,” I said. “After the quest we had, I’m more than happy to let someone else do the running.”
“Excellent,” Blueclaw said. “We’d planned to leave right after the King’s usual speech about the success of the ritual, but of course, we had to stay and see Tabitha after we heard his story. Can you be ready to leave in, say, ten minutes? We can have you back at your estate by dawn.”
“We’re packed and ready to go,” I replied.
“Meet us at the edge of the square, then,” he said. “I just need to find my wife in this crowd.”
He laughed and then strolled away.
“I can’t believe we’re taking a royal carriage,” Sybil sang.
“Even I can’t,” Tabitha said. “Royal carriages aren’t like the usual ones. They’re much bigger and more comfortable.”
“That’s good,” I said. “Because it sounds like we’ll be sleeping in one tonight.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Tabitha replied with a chuckle and looked up at me with her big brown eyes. “I think you’ll be very well taken care of.”
I felt a pat on my shoulder and turned to find Charles behind me with a grin on his face.
“Well,” the knight said. “I suppose you have business to attend to. I’m glad you’re being given the royal treatment. It’s what you deserve after everything you did in that Lake.”
“I’m just glad I could help,” I said. “Are you going to stay here until tomorrow?”
“I think I will,” the kind knight said with a smile. “The kids love it here, and of course, I used to come here with my parents, and they did with their parents before them. But it’s harvest season very soon, so I’ll be spending most of the upcoming month in Stock. I’ll stop by the estate when I can.”
“Sounds great,” I said.
“We’ll see you soon, Charles,” Sybil said and waved as the knight started to walk toward the square.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he called back. “And I can’t wait to see the look on your brothers’ faces when they find out what you’ve been up to.”
