Page 16 of Lady Knight and the Thief

She heard Torren swear softly to himself, but then he and his horse were once more beside her.

“You’re sure there will be an inn?” Cypress asked without looking at him, instead gazing up through the trees, watching great, fluffy clouds inch across the sky.

“Yes. I stayed there on my journey to the Keep.”

Cypress filed that nugget of information away for later. “Is the food any good?”

“I’m sure it doesn’t compare tocastle fare, but it was hearty. Warm and didn’t send me to the Mother clutching my middle,” Torren replied, directing them down the right side of a fork in the road.

“Will there be a heartbroken maiden waiting for you at the inn?”

Torren laughed, throwing a rogueish grin her way. “Nay, Lass. The company I keep knows I don’t stay long.”

Cypress hummed. “So youdoneed my instruction if you don’t leave even a single maiden heartbroken and distraught by your departure.”

A glance toward Torren made her lose control again, laughter bubbling up at his angry face. “Did I say something?” Cypress asked, trying to regain her composure.

Torren ran his teeth along his bottom lip, then shook his head. “No, Lass. Perhaps you’re right, and I will need that demonstration.”

It was Cypress’ turn to turn red, it seemed. She choked on her spit, startled laughter leaking out once more. “Indeed,” she managed, Torren chuckling alongside her.

“Care for a bit of fun?” the thief asked, glancing her way.

“What do you mean?” Cypress responded, leaning on the pommel of the saddle.

“Race you to the Inn? It’s at the end of this lane,” Torren said, pointing down the path through the trees.

Cypress scoffed. “What are we wagering?”

“I win, you give me a demonstration?” Torren proposed, waggling his eyebrows. At Cypress’s glare, he amended the wager with, “Alright, alright. Loser pays for dinner.”

“You’re on,” Cypress replied, urging her horse forward with the slightest squeeze of her thighs.

Seren shot off like an arrow, hooves finding easy purchase on the worn-down road through the trees. It was truly just a path, the dirt packed tight from so many years of use that grass would never grow.

The thundering of hooves not far behind informed Cypress that Torren was close. She kept her seat, her arms moving in time with Seren’s neck, giving the horse her head. The distance between Cypress and Torren increased by every stride, until she saw the wooden sign hung from a large tree with Inn scrawled across in large letters.

The building behind the tree had to be it, so Cypress turned Seren toward it. At the last moment, her horse slid to a stop, prancing in place. Cypress turned just in time to see Torren arrive, slowing his horse to an easy walk before the Inn.

“Looks like you owe me dinner, Thief,” Cypress smiled, breath leaving her lungs in a rush while Seren tossed her head. Cypress loosed her grip on the reins, allowing the horse to walk about a little in order to cool down.

“Seems like it,” Torren agreed, arms crossed over the pommel of his saddle.

“Don’t tell me you’re a sore loser,” Cypress chided, her horse circling his.

“Merely reacquainting myself with my dignity,” Torren retorted, making Cypress throw her head back with a laugh.

“Come on, Princeling, lead the way to the stables,” Cypress said, motioning him forward.

8

Charm & Manners

Torrenledthewaythrough the back entrance of the Inn while Cypress trailed behind. With every step he took, she mirrored it, quietly placing her footexactlywhere he stepped.

The Lass moved like a shadow behind him, barely even a whisper of leather as her booted feet touched down behind him.

Torren had learned the specific pattern of the boards that wouldn’t make the floorboards creak with each step long ago. The inn of Dorne Town was a frequent stop for travelers going to and from the Wylds.