Werewolf Knight 2, page 8
“Well, thanks for that,” I said. “But we need help burying the body and cleaning up the blood.”
“Don’t you worry about it,” the dark-bearded man said, and he gestured at two of the others to come with him. “We’ll take care of it.”
“We need to be sure he was alone,” Tabitha said. “Hank, Sybil, and I can check the rest of the house, but the rest of you should visit the other houses as well as the gates.”
“Of course,” the remaining men bowed their heads in reverence to Tabitha and then turned to me.
“This will all be taken care of,” one of the men assured me, before they headed back into the dark.
The rest of us stepped back inside, and the three peasants moved up the stairs without further comment.
“You two head to the kitchen,” I suggested. “I’ll check the rest of the house and meet you there.”
“Oh, alright,” Tabitha said. “Even I could do with some warm milk.”
The girls sauntered away, and a moment later, I began my own search of the house. With my werewolf senses, I was able to finish the job much quicker than an army of men could have done. I had already suspected there was no one else in the house, but it was good to make sure.
When that task was done, I returned to the kitchen where I found Tabitha seated at the table while Sybil poked around in the cupboards. I changed back into my human form and then sat down next to the noblewoman.
“Are you rearranging the pots and pans?” I laughed. “Or just making sure our thief didn’t steal any of the cutlery?”
“I was going to heat some milk,” Sybil replied. “I have an herb I can add…”
She trailed off as she plucked a saucepan from a stack and then turned to look around the room.
“Someone’s coming,” Tabitha said as she stared nervously toward the archway.
“Not a thief,” I assured her.
A moment later, a woman appeared in the doorway and curtsied to our little group. She was one of the kitchen workers, and I knew for a fact that she was a master of sweets.
“Oh, Miranda,” Tabitha said in relief. “Why are you up so late?”
“I heard about the intruder when the men came to check the house,” Miranda replied. “My husband is helping the men search, and I came to gather the cleaning supplies to remove the stains. But is there anything you need? Perhaps something to soothe your nerves?”
“I was just going to heat some milk,” Sybil replied. “You don’t need to worry about tending to us this late.”
“Oh, let me do that,” Miranda insisted as she crossed the room and plucked the saucepan from Sybil’s hand. “I really don’t mind.”
The kitchen maid then scurried behind a long white curtain that hid the pantry and reappeared a moment later with a tin pail of milk. She poured a hefty helping of the thick, creamy milk into the saucepan and placed it over the warm embers. She stirred it with a wooden spoon for a moment, nodded at whatever she saw, and then carried the pail back to the pantry. When she reappeared, she had a stick of cinnamon in her hand, which she added to the rapidly warming milk.
“That smells heavenly,” Sybil said.
“It’ll calm your nerves,” Miranda replied as she smiled at us. “Now, if you’ll just keep an eye on that, I’ll gather the cleaning supplies and take them upstairs.”
“Of course,” Sybil said as she moved toward the fireplace.
Miranda nodded and turned her attention to the cupboards. She pulled out various cleaning supplies, some old cleaning cloths, and a bottle of what smelled like vinegar. She shoved everything in another empty pail and curtsied at us.
“Everything should be taken care of in the next fifteen minutes, my Lord,” the peasant said. “And you will be able to sleep soundly in your quarters.”
“Thanks so much for this, Miranda,” I yawned. “Make sure that you and your husband sleep in tomorrow for all the hard work you’ve put in tonight.”
“Oh,” she said and blushed. “You really are too kind, my Lord.”
She disappeared into the dark hallway, and a moment later, her footsteps echoed along the hall as she made her way upstairs.
In the meantime, Sybil found a few mugs and set them on the wooden counter. She stirred the saucepan again, and a moment later, she traded the spoon for a thick tea towel. She carefully lifted the saucepan by the handles, carried it to the counter, and filled the mugs.
“My mother used to give us warm milk when we were kids,” Sybil sighed as she handed us each a mug. “Not every night, but if we couldn’t sleep for some reason.”
I brought the warm, comforting drink to my lips, and let the spicy cinnamon warm up my insides. I suddenly realized just how tense I had been as my shoulders relaxed and my jaw unclenched.
“I’m so tired,” Tabitha yawned and then downed the rest of her milk. “I could sleep for a thousand years.”
“You would do that anyway,” Sybil teased.
Before the noblewoman could come up with a retort, we heard the front door slam shut. A moment later, we heard another pair of footsteps hurry down the stairs and head out the front door as well. The lock clicked a moment later, and the sound carried throughout the house.
“They must be done,” Tabitha said and raised her eyebrow.
“That’s impressive,” Sybil added. “They made quick work of that one."
“Truly,” I sighed and stood up.
We set our mugs on the counter and made our way out of the kitchen. We crept through the dark hallway and back up the stairs, which felt so much more ominous now that we knew someone had broken in.
When we reached my bedroom, I opened the door slightly and was shocked to find that the place was not only clean, but sparkling.
“Whoa!” I said with a sense of awe. “That’s amazing. The whole place is completely clean.”
“They did an amazing job,” Tabitha agreed. “This place looks even shinier than when we moved in. I hope they get a good night’s sleep now.”
“Well,” I said as I moved into the room and looked around. “I guess there’s nothing left to do but get ready for bed.”
“Oh, sure,” Sybil said as she stared at the spot where the body had been. “Nothing weird about sleeping in here tonight.”
“I’m sure his ghost won’t haunt us,” I laughed as I started to pull off my armor.
“We should give him a show if he does,” Tabitha said with a grin.
That only made me move faster, and I soon had my clothes off as well. I threw myself onto the bed and patted the mattress.
“That does look inviting,” Sybil laughed.
The witch lifted her dress off over her head and revealed her perfectly pert breasts and her slender body. If I hadn’t been so sleepy from the events of the last hour, I would’ve taken her right then and there.
“I’ll be back,” Tabitha announced and rushed out of the room.
“Where’s she going?” I asked sleepily as I pulled Sybil close to me.
“I don’t know,” Sybil sighed as she nestled against me. “But I really just want to sleep right now. That warm milk has knocked me out.”
A moment later, Tabitha rushed back in and slammed the door behind her.
I’d already started to doze off, so I had to blink a couple of times before I could see her.
“What…?” I muttered. “Is that my Hulk shirt?”
“I wanted to be comfy,” she whispered as she slid into bed. “And I think the show for the ghost will have to wait, because I suddenly feel like I can’t keep my eyes open.”
“We all feel that way,” I murmured. “Too much food…”
I woke up with a start after what seemed like only a few hours of rest. However, when I turned my head to the window to see how high the sun was in the sky, it looked like it was at least mid-morning.
I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and absorbed the fact that I was alone in the bed. I sighed and stretched to work out the kinks, but before I could put my feet on the floor, the door creaked open.
Sybil stepped inside and handed me a cup of steaming moon-bean brew. It smelled amazing and sent jolts of energy through me before I’d even taken my first sip.
“I had a feeling you might be awake by now,” the witch said with a grin.
I took a long swig of the brew and felt it melt into my bones and my muscles.
“So, are you adding psychic to your list of esoteric talents?” I asked as I took in her green dress and long braid.
“I wouldn’t say that,” she said as she sat down on the end of the bed. “I just know you.”
“Thanks for this,” I replied. “I don’t know what I’d do without it.”
“You had a busy night last night,” she replied.
“We all did,” I noted. “And it’s clear now that there’s something important in that notebook. By the way, did they find anything last night?”
“No,” she replied. “They searched all the other buildings and walked the entire perimeter of the fence, but they didn’t find any other intruders. Some of the men went out again at first light to look for the place where he got in.”
“Mmmm,” I mumbled as I took another sip of the brew. “Of course, he could have slipped in during the day when the gates were open and just waited for us to leave. He probably expected us to head to the palace for the feast.”
“Maybe,” Sybil replied. “That’s a scary thought, that he could have been hanging around all day.”
“And he didn’t finish the job,” I said.
“You think they’ll try again?” Sybil asked. “Whoever ‘they’ are?”
“I do,” I said as I stood up. “So I think we need to figure out what’s so important about the diary, and I think we need to talk to the King.”
Chapter 5
While Sybil went to collect Tabitha and Casanova, I rummaged through my wardrobe for a pair of comfortable but smart suede pants, a blue tunic, and some chain mail. I didn’t need my armor since it wasn’t a special occasion, and we weren’t heading out on a dangerous quest, at least not yet.
Once I was dressed, I picked up the notebook and then realized that I didn’t have a good place to hide it. I tried tucking it in my waistband and up one sleeve, but the notebook kept slipping out of place. After staring at the mirror for a moment, I remembered that Tabitha had a belt with a leather satchel attached to it, almost like a medieval-looking fanny pack. I decided to take the risk of going into the girls closet to try and find it.
I slipped down the hall to the giant closet and found exactly what I’d dreaded.
A complete mess.
Or at least, Tabitha’s half was. Sybil’s half was easily identifiable because of the array of identical green dresses, all neatly organized and perfectly pressed. Tabitha’s side, on the other hand, looked like some kind of multicolored fabric bomb had exploded.
I waded through the fabric until I got to a pile of shoes and bags. There were silver boot-covers, leather boots in every shade of brown, and the red pointy boots that she’d been wearing yesterday. I’d had no idea the noblewoman even had so many pairs of boots, and I even found a few pairs that looked like they’d never been worn. After some serious digging, I finally found the sturdy brown leather belt with attached pouch, and as I’d hoped, the notebook fit perfectly.
The real test was whether the belt would fit my much larger waist, and though the leather creaked in protest, I managed to squeeze into it using the last hole. I checked to make sure that it was hidden beneath my chainmail and then quickly abandoned the closet before something attacked me.
“Morning, Hank,” Tabitha yawned as I stepped through the front door.
“Morning, Tabitha,” I laughed. “Seems like I’m the last one up this morning.”
“That you are,” Tabitha agreed. “Though I have to say, I’m only up because Sybil dragged me out of bed this morning.”
I glanced at the witch, who was fitting Casanova in his riding gear.
“I needed a hand with some of the chores,” Sybil said without looking at me.
I laughed and then looked out over the moon bean fields, where workers were filling up sacks of beans and loading them onto horse-drawn wagons. When they’d picked enough beans for the day, the beans were deposited in the silo, and then the workers either spent time with their families or tended to other duties on the estate.
“You’ll be happy to know that we’re heading to the Palace,” I said. “So you don’t need to worry about any more chores.”
“A good run will wake me up,” the noblewoman replied as she strolled over to the direwolf. “Won’t it, Casanova?”
The pup wagged his tail and drooled onto the cobblestones as Tabitha scratched behind his ears.
“Are we ready?” I asked when Sybil seemed satisfied with the gear.
The great big black direwolf pawed at the ground and then hopped up and down to show just how eager he was to run. It took a moment, but he finally sat down so the three of us could slide into place on his back.
“Remember, no getting sick,” I warned as I nudged Casanova forward.
“I thought that was just in the car,” Sybil replied.
I laughed and tapped Casanova. The giant pup leapt forward toward the now open gate, and it reminded me of being on a plane that was heading down the runway. At any moment, I expected the pup to jump into the air and start to fly toward the palace.
We cleared the gate, and the nearby fields became a blur. Trees were little more than brown streaks in my peripheral vision, and leaves danced in our wake.
“Hank!” Tabitha yelled into my ear.
“Yeah?” I yelled back.
“We’re veering slightly West,” the noblewoman replied. “He’s going toward Stock instead of the palace.”
“Why is he going there?” I muttered as I tried to change the pup’s direction with the reins.
But Casanova ignored me and continued on his determined race toward the village center. The thatched roofs and simple homes suddenly appeared in front of us, but the direwolf refused to slow down.
“Oooh!” Sybil cooed. “We’re in my neck of the woods now!”
“Yeah, but it’s not where we want to be,” Tabitha sighed. “Casanova seems to have a mind of his own these days.”
With one last hard pull on the reins, the pup finally slowed down to a walk and padded around the little town. He occasionally tried to poke his head through some of the pigpens to sniff them, and the pigs stared back with a confused expression on their faces.
“Hello, piggies,” Sybil called out from the back of the direwolf and waved.
“That’s not how you do a royal wave,” Tabitha noted. “You have to cup your hands, like this. See?”
She demonstrated a royal wave, with closed hands and a certain steadiness. It seemed to have no impression on the pigs, who stared back blankly.
“The pigs don’t seem very impressed,” the witch laughed.
“And that’s why they’re pigs,” Tabitha replied.
Casanova led us into the town center, past the cobblers, iron-mongers, and shopkeepers. A few people looked our way, but since Charles regularly rode through the town on his own direwolf, it wasn’t an unusual sight, and most people simply ignored us.
The pup kept going until we reached a house that was much larger than the others, about four stories high, with a small gate outside it.
I peered through the closest window, and a familiar face peered back.
It was Charles.
“Hello,” the knight exclaimed as he opened the window. “What a surprise to see you all here.”
“Hey, Charles,” I laughed.
“Morning, Charlie!” the girls said in unison and burst into a fit of giggles.
Charles’ face went a bright beetroot pink, even though he didn’t get the Charlie’s Angels reference.
“Morning, girls,” he nodded. “Nobody’s called me Charlie in years.”
“We’ve run into some navigational trouble,” I explained. “I thought Casanova only knew the way to the palace and back, but today he decided to follow his nose or something.”
“Ah!” Charles laughed. “The great royal direwolf learns to navigate. Don’t fret. It’s good to have a young direwolf that takes some initiative, even if it does mean leading you several miles in the wrong direction. It means they’re curious and want to explore. It also means he’s smart, and he’ll quickly learn to take commands and directions about where he should go.”
Casanova had wandered over to the window while Charles spoke, and the knight laughed as he patted Casanova on the head. Casanova smiled and drooled for a moment, and then the pup licked Charles’ hand when he tried to pull away.
“I guess we should try again and hope he doesn’t run us into the woods or something…” Sybil trailed off.
“If you’d like, I can take Bertie to the palace, and Casanova can follow,” Charles offered. "Direwolves love to travel in packs, and they often learn by example. Does that sound good?”
A wave of relief washed over me since Casanova still didn’t quite understand steering, only how to go faster or slower.
“That would be amazing,” I said. “I don’t know what we’d do without you, Charles.”
“It’s just my job,” he smiled. “I’ll be right out.”
The knight disappeared from the window, and a few moments later, the door opened. Charles stepped outside with a grin on his face, made a clicking noise with his mouth, and then started to walk back toward the village. Casanova immediately followed the knight, like he’d been taking orders from Charles for years.
“I need to learn how to do that,” I mumbled.
We walked past a few of the other houses in Stock, and I vaguely recognized the area from when I’d woken up there that fateful day.
“Just a second,” Sybil said.
We looked around and watched as she brought both hands up to her lips and whistled a whistle so high-pitched that I think it took out some of my hearing for a second.
“Good grief, Sybil,” Tabitha moaned.
But a face popped out of one of the windows of the modest thatched-roof houses. It was a man, but he had the same lanky build and glowing green eyes as Sybil. He was wearing a loose-fitting blouse and had long, elegant limbs.
“Don’t you worry about it,” the dark-bearded man said, and he gestured at two of the others to come with him. “We’ll take care of it.”
“We need to be sure he was alone,” Tabitha said. “Hank, Sybil, and I can check the rest of the house, but the rest of you should visit the other houses as well as the gates.”
“Of course,” the remaining men bowed their heads in reverence to Tabitha and then turned to me.
“This will all be taken care of,” one of the men assured me, before they headed back into the dark.
The rest of us stepped back inside, and the three peasants moved up the stairs without further comment.
“You two head to the kitchen,” I suggested. “I’ll check the rest of the house and meet you there.”
“Oh, alright,” Tabitha said. “Even I could do with some warm milk.”
The girls sauntered away, and a moment later, I began my own search of the house. With my werewolf senses, I was able to finish the job much quicker than an army of men could have done. I had already suspected there was no one else in the house, but it was good to make sure.
When that task was done, I returned to the kitchen where I found Tabitha seated at the table while Sybil poked around in the cupboards. I changed back into my human form and then sat down next to the noblewoman.
“Are you rearranging the pots and pans?” I laughed. “Or just making sure our thief didn’t steal any of the cutlery?”
“I was going to heat some milk,” Sybil replied. “I have an herb I can add…”
She trailed off as she plucked a saucepan from a stack and then turned to look around the room.
“Someone’s coming,” Tabitha said as she stared nervously toward the archway.
“Not a thief,” I assured her.
A moment later, a woman appeared in the doorway and curtsied to our little group. She was one of the kitchen workers, and I knew for a fact that she was a master of sweets.
“Oh, Miranda,” Tabitha said in relief. “Why are you up so late?”
“I heard about the intruder when the men came to check the house,” Miranda replied. “My husband is helping the men search, and I came to gather the cleaning supplies to remove the stains. But is there anything you need? Perhaps something to soothe your nerves?”
“I was just going to heat some milk,” Sybil replied. “You don’t need to worry about tending to us this late.”
“Oh, let me do that,” Miranda insisted as she crossed the room and plucked the saucepan from Sybil’s hand. “I really don’t mind.”
The kitchen maid then scurried behind a long white curtain that hid the pantry and reappeared a moment later with a tin pail of milk. She poured a hefty helping of the thick, creamy milk into the saucepan and placed it over the warm embers. She stirred it with a wooden spoon for a moment, nodded at whatever she saw, and then carried the pail back to the pantry. When she reappeared, she had a stick of cinnamon in her hand, which she added to the rapidly warming milk.
“That smells heavenly,” Sybil said.
“It’ll calm your nerves,” Miranda replied as she smiled at us. “Now, if you’ll just keep an eye on that, I’ll gather the cleaning supplies and take them upstairs.”
“Of course,” Sybil said as she moved toward the fireplace.
Miranda nodded and turned her attention to the cupboards. She pulled out various cleaning supplies, some old cleaning cloths, and a bottle of what smelled like vinegar. She shoved everything in another empty pail and curtsied at us.
“Everything should be taken care of in the next fifteen minutes, my Lord,” the peasant said. “And you will be able to sleep soundly in your quarters.”
“Thanks so much for this, Miranda,” I yawned. “Make sure that you and your husband sleep in tomorrow for all the hard work you’ve put in tonight.”
“Oh,” she said and blushed. “You really are too kind, my Lord.”
She disappeared into the dark hallway, and a moment later, her footsteps echoed along the hall as she made her way upstairs.
In the meantime, Sybil found a few mugs and set them on the wooden counter. She stirred the saucepan again, and a moment later, she traded the spoon for a thick tea towel. She carefully lifted the saucepan by the handles, carried it to the counter, and filled the mugs.
“My mother used to give us warm milk when we were kids,” Sybil sighed as she handed us each a mug. “Not every night, but if we couldn’t sleep for some reason.”
I brought the warm, comforting drink to my lips, and let the spicy cinnamon warm up my insides. I suddenly realized just how tense I had been as my shoulders relaxed and my jaw unclenched.
“I’m so tired,” Tabitha yawned and then downed the rest of her milk. “I could sleep for a thousand years.”
“You would do that anyway,” Sybil teased.
Before the noblewoman could come up with a retort, we heard the front door slam shut. A moment later, we heard another pair of footsteps hurry down the stairs and head out the front door as well. The lock clicked a moment later, and the sound carried throughout the house.
“They must be done,” Tabitha said and raised her eyebrow.
“That’s impressive,” Sybil added. “They made quick work of that one."
“Truly,” I sighed and stood up.
We set our mugs on the counter and made our way out of the kitchen. We crept through the dark hallway and back up the stairs, which felt so much more ominous now that we knew someone had broken in.
When we reached my bedroom, I opened the door slightly and was shocked to find that the place was not only clean, but sparkling.
“Whoa!” I said with a sense of awe. “That’s amazing. The whole place is completely clean.”
“They did an amazing job,” Tabitha agreed. “This place looks even shinier than when we moved in. I hope they get a good night’s sleep now.”
“Well,” I said as I moved into the room and looked around. “I guess there’s nothing left to do but get ready for bed.”
“Oh, sure,” Sybil said as she stared at the spot where the body had been. “Nothing weird about sleeping in here tonight.”
“I’m sure his ghost won’t haunt us,” I laughed as I started to pull off my armor.
“We should give him a show if he does,” Tabitha said with a grin.
That only made me move faster, and I soon had my clothes off as well. I threw myself onto the bed and patted the mattress.
“That does look inviting,” Sybil laughed.
The witch lifted her dress off over her head and revealed her perfectly pert breasts and her slender body. If I hadn’t been so sleepy from the events of the last hour, I would’ve taken her right then and there.
“I’ll be back,” Tabitha announced and rushed out of the room.
“Where’s she going?” I asked sleepily as I pulled Sybil close to me.
“I don’t know,” Sybil sighed as she nestled against me. “But I really just want to sleep right now. That warm milk has knocked me out.”
A moment later, Tabitha rushed back in and slammed the door behind her.
I’d already started to doze off, so I had to blink a couple of times before I could see her.
“What…?” I muttered. “Is that my Hulk shirt?”
“I wanted to be comfy,” she whispered as she slid into bed. “And I think the show for the ghost will have to wait, because I suddenly feel like I can’t keep my eyes open.”
“We all feel that way,” I murmured. “Too much food…”
I woke up with a start after what seemed like only a few hours of rest. However, when I turned my head to the window to see how high the sun was in the sky, it looked like it was at least mid-morning.
I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and absorbed the fact that I was alone in the bed. I sighed and stretched to work out the kinks, but before I could put my feet on the floor, the door creaked open.
Sybil stepped inside and handed me a cup of steaming moon-bean brew. It smelled amazing and sent jolts of energy through me before I’d even taken my first sip.
“I had a feeling you might be awake by now,” the witch said with a grin.
I took a long swig of the brew and felt it melt into my bones and my muscles.
“So, are you adding psychic to your list of esoteric talents?” I asked as I took in her green dress and long braid.
“I wouldn’t say that,” she said as she sat down on the end of the bed. “I just know you.”
“Thanks for this,” I replied. “I don’t know what I’d do without it.”
“You had a busy night last night,” she replied.
“We all did,” I noted. “And it’s clear now that there’s something important in that notebook. By the way, did they find anything last night?”
“No,” she replied. “They searched all the other buildings and walked the entire perimeter of the fence, but they didn’t find any other intruders. Some of the men went out again at first light to look for the place where he got in.”
“Mmmm,” I mumbled as I took another sip of the brew. “Of course, he could have slipped in during the day when the gates were open and just waited for us to leave. He probably expected us to head to the palace for the feast.”
“Maybe,” Sybil replied. “That’s a scary thought, that he could have been hanging around all day.”
“And he didn’t finish the job,” I said.
“You think they’ll try again?” Sybil asked. “Whoever ‘they’ are?”
“I do,” I said as I stood up. “So I think we need to figure out what’s so important about the diary, and I think we need to talk to the King.”
Chapter 5
While Sybil went to collect Tabitha and Casanova, I rummaged through my wardrobe for a pair of comfortable but smart suede pants, a blue tunic, and some chain mail. I didn’t need my armor since it wasn’t a special occasion, and we weren’t heading out on a dangerous quest, at least not yet.
Once I was dressed, I picked up the notebook and then realized that I didn’t have a good place to hide it. I tried tucking it in my waistband and up one sleeve, but the notebook kept slipping out of place. After staring at the mirror for a moment, I remembered that Tabitha had a belt with a leather satchel attached to it, almost like a medieval-looking fanny pack. I decided to take the risk of going into the girls closet to try and find it.
I slipped down the hall to the giant closet and found exactly what I’d dreaded.
A complete mess.
Or at least, Tabitha’s half was. Sybil’s half was easily identifiable because of the array of identical green dresses, all neatly organized and perfectly pressed. Tabitha’s side, on the other hand, looked like some kind of multicolored fabric bomb had exploded.
I waded through the fabric until I got to a pile of shoes and bags. There were silver boot-covers, leather boots in every shade of brown, and the red pointy boots that she’d been wearing yesterday. I’d had no idea the noblewoman even had so many pairs of boots, and I even found a few pairs that looked like they’d never been worn. After some serious digging, I finally found the sturdy brown leather belt with attached pouch, and as I’d hoped, the notebook fit perfectly.
The real test was whether the belt would fit my much larger waist, and though the leather creaked in protest, I managed to squeeze into it using the last hole. I checked to make sure that it was hidden beneath my chainmail and then quickly abandoned the closet before something attacked me.
“Morning, Hank,” Tabitha yawned as I stepped through the front door.
“Morning, Tabitha,” I laughed. “Seems like I’m the last one up this morning.”
“That you are,” Tabitha agreed. “Though I have to say, I’m only up because Sybil dragged me out of bed this morning.”
I glanced at the witch, who was fitting Casanova in his riding gear.
“I needed a hand with some of the chores,” Sybil said without looking at me.
I laughed and then looked out over the moon bean fields, where workers were filling up sacks of beans and loading them onto horse-drawn wagons. When they’d picked enough beans for the day, the beans were deposited in the silo, and then the workers either spent time with their families or tended to other duties on the estate.
“You’ll be happy to know that we’re heading to the Palace,” I said. “So you don’t need to worry about any more chores.”
“A good run will wake me up,” the noblewoman replied as she strolled over to the direwolf. “Won’t it, Casanova?”
The pup wagged his tail and drooled onto the cobblestones as Tabitha scratched behind his ears.
“Are we ready?” I asked when Sybil seemed satisfied with the gear.
The great big black direwolf pawed at the ground and then hopped up and down to show just how eager he was to run. It took a moment, but he finally sat down so the three of us could slide into place on his back.
“Remember, no getting sick,” I warned as I nudged Casanova forward.
“I thought that was just in the car,” Sybil replied.
I laughed and tapped Casanova. The giant pup leapt forward toward the now open gate, and it reminded me of being on a plane that was heading down the runway. At any moment, I expected the pup to jump into the air and start to fly toward the palace.
We cleared the gate, and the nearby fields became a blur. Trees were little more than brown streaks in my peripheral vision, and leaves danced in our wake.
“Hank!” Tabitha yelled into my ear.
“Yeah?” I yelled back.
“We’re veering slightly West,” the noblewoman replied. “He’s going toward Stock instead of the palace.”
“Why is he going there?” I muttered as I tried to change the pup’s direction with the reins.
But Casanova ignored me and continued on his determined race toward the village center. The thatched roofs and simple homes suddenly appeared in front of us, but the direwolf refused to slow down.
“Oooh!” Sybil cooed. “We’re in my neck of the woods now!”
“Yeah, but it’s not where we want to be,” Tabitha sighed. “Casanova seems to have a mind of his own these days.”
With one last hard pull on the reins, the pup finally slowed down to a walk and padded around the little town. He occasionally tried to poke his head through some of the pigpens to sniff them, and the pigs stared back with a confused expression on their faces.
“Hello, piggies,” Sybil called out from the back of the direwolf and waved.
“That’s not how you do a royal wave,” Tabitha noted. “You have to cup your hands, like this. See?”
She demonstrated a royal wave, with closed hands and a certain steadiness. It seemed to have no impression on the pigs, who stared back blankly.
“The pigs don’t seem very impressed,” the witch laughed.
“And that’s why they’re pigs,” Tabitha replied.
Casanova led us into the town center, past the cobblers, iron-mongers, and shopkeepers. A few people looked our way, but since Charles regularly rode through the town on his own direwolf, it wasn’t an unusual sight, and most people simply ignored us.
The pup kept going until we reached a house that was much larger than the others, about four stories high, with a small gate outside it.
I peered through the closest window, and a familiar face peered back.
It was Charles.
“Hello,” the knight exclaimed as he opened the window. “What a surprise to see you all here.”
“Hey, Charles,” I laughed.
“Morning, Charlie!” the girls said in unison and burst into a fit of giggles.
Charles’ face went a bright beetroot pink, even though he didn’t get the Charlie’s Angels reference.
“Morning, girls,” he nodded. “Nobody’s called me Charlie in years.”
“We’ve run into some navigational trouble,” I explained. “I thought Casanova only knew the way to the palace and back, but today he decided to follow his nose or something.”
“Ah!” Charles laughed. “The great royal direwolf learns to navigate. Don’t fret. It’s good to have a young direwolf that takes some initiative, even if it does mean leading you several miles in the wrong direction. It means they’re curious and want to explore. It also means he’s smart, and he’ll quickly learn to take commands and directions about where he should go.”
Casanova had wandered over to the window while Charles spoke, and the knight laughed as he patted Casanova on the head. Casanova smiled and drooled for a moment, and then the pup licked Charles’ hand when he tried to pull away.
“I guess we should try again and hope he doesn’t run us into the woods or something…” Sybil trailed off.
“If you’d like, I can take Bertie to the palace, and Casanova can follow,” Charles offered. "Direwolves love to travel in packs, and they often learn by example. Does that sound good?”
A wave of relief washed over me since Casanova still didn’t quite understand steering, only how to go faster or slower.
“That would be amazing,” I said. “I don’t know what we’d do without you, Charles.”
“It’s just my job,” he smiled. “I’ll be right out.”
The knight disappeared from the window, and a few moments later, the door opened. Charles stepped outside with a grin on his face, made a clicking noise with his mouth, and then started to walk back toward the village. Casanova immediately followed the knight, like he’d been taking orders from Charles for years.
“I need to learn how to do that,” I mumbled.
We walked past a few of the other houses in Stock, and I vaguely recognized the area from when I’d woken up there that fateful day.
“Just a second,” Sybil said.
We looked around and watched as she brought both hands up to her lips and whistled a whistle so high-pitched that I think it took out some of my hearing for a second.
“Good grief, Sybil,” Tabitha moaned.
But a face popped out of one of the windows of the modest thatched-roof houses. It was a man, but he had the same lanky build and glowing green eyes as Sybil. He was wearing a loose-fitting blouse and had long, elegant limbs.
