"Who are you?"
I yanked my knife and pointed it at the figure in the light. A girl—barely a teenager—stood in the stable doorway, armed with nothing more than a rake and a sliced-up apple, which had fallen from her hand.
"W-who are you?" she asked. "Are you gonna steal our horse?"
"No, of course not," I replied, sheathing my knife. "I'm sorry I scared you. I just needed a place to sleep for the night."
She quirked a brow at me. "So why didn't you come to the door and ask?"
"Because you Niemenians don't seem the most welcoming of people," I replied. The girl, however, seemed nice enough with her rosy red cheeks and bright blue eyes, so I forced my frozen face into a smile. "I'm Larissa."
"Katya." She swallowed hard, coming into the barn but still keeping her distance. "You're that Forcadel woman, aren't you? The one who threatened Boris? They were talking about you at market this morning."
I assumed there probably weren't any other Forcadelian women wandering around threatening people. "You mean after Boris tried to take my money?"
"He's a brute," she said, offering me a small smile. "I'm…surprised. He described the woman who beat him as much larger. You're nothing but a girl yourself."
"I'm bigger than I look." I gingerly stood and brushed the hay off my rear. If the authorities were looking for me, I needed to leave before they caught up. "How far is the next city from here? Preferably in the direction of Linden?"
"Oh, um…" Katya hesitated. "The next city is over the mountain, in the valley. But if you're going to Linden, you should take the royal road. It starts about five miles north of here."
"I know all about the royal road," I said. "Can't afford it. Know anyone who'd be going that way who could use an extra set of hands?"
"M-my sister might know someone. She's a fur trader, and she goes to Linden all the time. Maybe she can help you."
I hesitated. "Are you going to tell your sister I slept in your barn?"
She grinned. "I don't see how that's any of her business."
I smelled like a horse, but I followed Katya toward the small farmhouse I'd seen the night before. The red door had probably been something in the past, but it was faded and chipped now. The whole estate had seen better days.
"You said your sister is a fur trader?" I asked.
The girl nodded. "Our family has been for centuries. Used to be the most well-known in the country. But you know, when that royal road got put in a few decades ago, people started getting their furs from the bigger cities up the river. And with the wolves…"
"Wolves?" I swallowed hard. Perhaps I'd been luckier than I'd thought the night before.
"They aren't around here," Katya said. "But they're up in the mountains. Brigit can tell you more about them."
I nursed my trepidation as Katya led me into the small house. The kitchen had the same look as the rest of it—faded wallpaper, an old woodburning stove with rusted feet, and a kitchen table that had seen its share of meals and burns.
"Brigit?" Katya called.
"In the back."
We continued through the back of the house and into a small workshop where an older woman was turning a wrench on what appeared to be a wagon wheel. She looked up at me for a moment, then straightened, holding the wrench in a defensive position. Her skin was beginning to wrinkle around the eyes, and wiry gray hair peeked out from her blond hair.
"Who's this?"
Katya hesitated. "This is…"
"Larissa," I said, stepping forward. "I'm in need of passage to Linden. Your sister thought you might know of someone going there."
Her blue eyes scanned me as if she could see inside my soul. "And what's your business in Linden?"
"My business is my own," I said then paused and added, "Just need to meet with some people there."
"Can't write a letter?"
I cleared my throat. "Hardly. This message has to be delivered in person. I'm not here to cause trouble."
She snorted. "I may not be much, but I'm still loyal to Niemen. Don't like foreigners coming into my capital city who can fight like you can."
I rolled my eyes. News traveled fast, it seemed. "I come in peace and…on behalf of Princess Brynna."
"Thought she was dead."
"Not yet," I said. "And she's trying to gather allies so she can get her kingdom back. She's sent me to speak with the queen to ask for help."
Brigit studied me for a long time—so long that I was sure she would throw me out of her house. But surprisingly, she didn't. "As it turns out, I need to make a trip to Linden. Have enough furs that I can sell at the market there. Just need to get the carriage set up and packed. Think you can help out with that?"
"Are you serious?" I couldn't believe my luck. "You'll take me? Just like that? Today?"
"I've been mulling over trip for the past few weeks," she said, averting her gaze. "And you seem like the sort of person who'd get me to the capital unscathed."
The hairs rose on the back of my neck. "What do you mean unscathed? What's in the mountains?" I glanced to Katya. "Wolves?"
Brigit glared daggers at her little sister, who cowered. "Ain't nothing but thieves and regular human monsters. I can't protect my stock and myself at the same time. Be nice to have another sword, especially one so well-used."
Hesitation forced my silence as I quickly considered the pros and the cons of helping this woman. It was clear she was no slouch, but something in the mountains concerned her. Enough to trust a complete stranger. Still, this was my one shot at getting to Linden—and the price was one I was willing to pay.
"Yes, that sounds fine."
Brigit nodded. "Help Katya get the wagon ready. We're leaving as soon as possible."
"And when you get to Linden, you must visit the chocolate shops," Katya said from beneath the pile of soft pelts she was carrying. "They bring in the best from Kulka and beyond. They've also got the prettiest jewelry there. Brigit brought me a ring once, so gorgeous it was."
"Was?" I asked, taking the pile from her and assembling them on the old wooden wagon, our transport over the rocky mountain. I wasn't sure how this would go, but I assumed the fur trader had more experience, so I didn't question it.
"I decided to sell it to a passing trader. Things haven't been easy since Dad died last year. It's hard to pay for a trip into the mountains, especially when we're not sure all the stock will get there." She beamed at me. "But with you there to help Brigit, I'm sure you'll get there safely."
I grimaced, which I tried to hide under a smile. "So, these wolves. Your sister said they were human. Are they not?"
She shivered and didn't respond.
"Katya, I need to know what I'm getting into," I replied. "What kind of creatures are they?"
"They're human—I think," she said. "I've heard stories. They say that they're shifters, turning into vicious, bloodthirsty creatures at the drop of a hat." She made a gesture toward the barn. "Bigger than that."
I swallowed hard. Humans, I could handle. But giant wolf creatures? That might be more than The Veil could take. All I had in my bag were vigilante things, a crossbow with a few arrows, rope, and my knives. I would need more.
"What weapons do you have?" I asked.
"Not many," Katya said. "But maybe in the workroom."
The tannery was inside the locked barn and smelled of old blood and drying flesh. Pelts of every size hung along the walls, some stiff with frost, and others seemingly ready to take. A skinned carcass rested on the table—an elk, if the antlers were any indication.
"I have to prepare it," Katya said, glancing at me. "We'll dry and salt the meat for winter."
"Suppose not much spoils up here," I said. "It seems freezing year-round."
She cast me a long look. "If you think this is cold, you should take another cloak. This is summer weather for us."
I stifled a whine as she led me into a back room. There, I found an assortment of knives in a block, a staff, an axe, and various other skinning tools. Swords and weapons weren't my problem—I needed something bigger.
"Like this?" Katya said, holding aloft a bow nearly as big as she was.
"That'll work," I said, taking it from her. "Have any arrows?"
"A few, but there's flints in the mountains," she said, showing me a quiver with two arrows in it.
I nocked one in the bow and aimed for a spot on the wall, releasing it almost instantly. The arrow hit exactly where I'd intended. I pulled it from the wood and checked the tip—still sharp.
"You'll keep my sister safe, won't you?" she asked quietly.
I looked at her. "I'll certainly try."
"If we don't get some money soon, we may lose the farm," she said, her eyes growing misty. "I prayed to the Mother that She would send someone to save us, and then…then I found you in our barn."
As much as my unease bubbled in my stomach, it was hard to say no to Katya's eager eyes. At the very least, I could swear to keep her sister safe, if only to give her some peace.
"I promise," I said quietly. "I'll do my best to keep her and your stock safe."
The little girl beamed.
When we returned to the carriage, Brigit was already seated on the bench and the horse tacked and ready to go. Katya wiped her eyes, trying to remain stoic as she approached her sister.
"Watch the apple trees," Brigit said, ignoring her sister's tears. "There's been some elk out and about, and I don't want to lose our last crop."
"I will," Katya replied. "Do you have the food?"
Brigit nodded. "Well, Forcadelian? Are you ready to depart? Mind the furs when you step in."
I climbed atop the bench to sit next to her, resting the bow and arrow behind me. "Ready when you are."
The elder woman gave her sister one last, lingering look before snapping the reins. The horses jumped and started walking, pulling us forward and out of the farm. To her credit, Katya didn't follow us, standing completely still in the center of the farm, her small hands tucked inside her apron as tears leaked down her face.
"She's a sweet girl," I said, turning away to face the front.
Brigit grunted, but didn't respond otherwise. Clearly, I was on yet another adventure with a taciturn Niemenian. I just hoped Brigit was better company than Sarala.