Page 6

Ashana’s mouth gaped in amazement and, to my astonishment, the woman who must have been the queen, her mother, hid a smile behind her hand.

When our eyes met, all signs of friendship instantly disappeared.

She finally approached me. I immediately placed Vulcan to one side so as not to splatter her with mud as he stamped in place.

“I am Queen Lyra, mother of Ashana, and I do not like you, Lord Dovah. You killed my husband, who was a good man. You have Muvaria in the palm of your hand for a king who sees only war. However, I hope you’ll be a good husband to her.”

I studied her for a moment.

“My respects, Queen Lyra. As for me, I hope you realize that I owe you nothing.”

I turned my head towards Ashana.

“Can you ride?” I asked her abruptly.

Without even waiting for her reply, I grabbed her by the waist and set her down in front of me, on Vulcan’s back. Then I looked down at the queen.

“She is no longer your princess. She’s my wife. I don’t have to answer to you.”

I bowed slightly in greeting as Ashana’s stiff body tried not to touch my own, just behind her. And so, we finally left the palace, with half the men. The other half remained in the castle with several officers whose orders were to keep things in place until the relief.

“You are nothing but a boor without manners!” my wife spat through her teeth.

I put my mouth to her ear:

“It was nothing more than the truth. In fact, I did a service to you and your family. The sooner your sisters and your mother get used to the idea, the less painful it will be for them.”

Ashana remained mute for a short moment before saying in a harsh voice, “You’re a murderer!”

With an imperceptible shift of my hips, I closed the meagre distance between us. She immediately stiffened, which made me smile.

“Hard to deny. It’s in my nature.”

My eyes were fixed on her red braids, both held in place by an army of pins.

“Who taught you to shoot a bow?” I asked to change the subject.

But also, because I was curious.

“My cousin. He’s a most remarkable archer.”

“Mmh.”

Strangely enough, it didn’t please me that she’d found another remarkable man. Not at all. With one hand, I tried to remove the damn pins. When she realized this, she turned her head sharply towards me. We were almost nose to nose.

“What are you doing?” raged Ashana.

“I’m freeing your hair. It looks like it’s in agony.”

“But do I touch your hair?”

I raised an amused eyebrow.

“You can, if you like.”

I didn’t know how she did it, but Ashana had a strange ability to relax me. In her presence, I almost didn’t want to slaughter anyone who got in my way.

“Your horse isn’t going to carry us both all the way to Osacan, is it?”

“No.”

“Ah,” she said, genuinely relieved.

I gazed at the back of her neck with curiosity.

“Are you worried about Vulcan?”

“Not really, no. It’s just that I don’t want to make this journey on the same mount as you.”

I smile wickedly.

“To punish you, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

Ashana let out a most adorable indignant cry.

“As soon as the sun goes down, we’ll stop off at an inn. After all, this is your wedding night. A little comfort is in order.”

My tone was as syrupy as possible to unsettle her. If it did, she didn’t show it. I was a little disappointed, but then I had an idea. A fabulous idea that drew a smile of anticipation to my lips.

The rest of the journey went off without a hitch.

No bandits on the roads, no ogres or possessed trees, and best of all: no monsters in the service of the Abyss.

When the sun met the horizon, I ordered the soldiers to halt.

The Green Pig Inn was only a few metres away.

A handful of men from Elendur’s personal guard accompanied us, as did Massim.

The innkeeper recognized me, and when he also saw Ashana, whose hair colour did not go unnoticed, his eyes widened in amazement.

Nevertheless, he had the intelligence to hold his tongue.

“I’d like three rooms. Two for my men, and one for my wife and me,” I added with a broad smile.

Ashana didn’t say a word, but the dark look in her eyes spoke for itself. I laughed under my breath.

“Let my men’s rooms be next to mine. This is a must. If there are already guests, move them elsewhere and buy them a pitcher of your best wine at my expense.”

I slipped two gold coins into the hand of the skinny, balding innkeeper. They had a magical effect on his mood.

All humans are the same , I thought with disgust.

A moment later, he led us to our respective rooms.

“Just one room?” muttered Ashana to me.

I shrugged, hiding my delight at having pissed her off again.

“It’s our wedding night, for God’s sake!” I pretended to be offended that she’d forgotten this detail.

Another murderous look from her.

“Innkeeper!” I called out before the owner left the room. “Prepare a tub of hot water for my wife.”

“Yes, my lord,” agreed the man with a bow.

I turned to my wife, all smiles.

“A bath to relax you. Am I not a caring husband?”

“I refuse to undress in front of you,” hammered Ashana, hands on her hips.

“That’s okay, I’ll take it first. You can admire me at your leisure, and even rub my back, if you feel like it.”

Furious, she threw something at me, and it clattered against the wall. I avoided it almost too easily and burst out laughing. And to think I’d almost killed her to get rid of her!

What a mistake I would have made there! Ashana of Muvaria was a fascinating creature. This wedding night promised to be very entertaining.