Page 48 of Cycle Keeper’s Shadow

Brunna pressed her lips together, eyes closing as a helpless snort of laughter escaped.

“Wren…oh gods. This is my fault.”

In an instant, Brunna was moving—grabbing a small crate by the stove, yanking out a half-loaf of crusty bread, then filling Wren’s mug with water from a nearby jug. She shoved both into Wren’s hands.

“Here. Eat. Drink.” Brunna leaned close, her tone firm and maternal. “Now.”

“Whaaat?” The word came out far too long. Wren blinked between the bread and Brunna. “I’m fine. I should go home. Momma’s gonna be pissed.“ The last word hissed out like steam, and she giggled—because for some reason, it was hilarious.

Brunna groaned, dragging both hands down her face. “Marrowen’s gonna kill me,“ she muttered, peeking at Wren through her fingers. “Eat. Drink the water. Trust me.”

Wren obediently tore off a huge bite of bread. It was delicious. Shockingly so. Brunna should bake more often. Maybe open a bakery with Branwynn. Forge on one side, pastries on the other. Brilliant. She’d tell her that. Later. Brunna’s earlier words tumbled back through the haze, and Wren shook her head to clear them—instantly regretting it as the room tipped.

“I think I’m…relaxed,” she mumbled around the bread. “Is this what you feel like all the time?”

Brunna barked a laugh. “Only on very good days.”

Wren swallowed the last bite and chased it with a long drink of water. The glow still hummed in her head, but at least the walls had stopped drifting apart. The silver charms on her new horn caps caught the firelight as she turned her head, swaying softly in her peripheral vision. She smiled, dreamy and loose-limbed.

“They’re so pretty. Really. But I should go—Ma’s probably pacing by now.”

“I’ll walk you,” Brunna insisted. “You’re swayin’ like a leaf in a breeze.”

“No need.” Wren laughed again, shaking her head—slower this time. “I walk all day. You might say I’m an expert.”

Brunna leveled a look at her.

“I’ll be fine,” Wren said, standing—miraculously without swaying. “Promise.”

“You’d better be. Tell Marrowen I’m sorry. If you show up singin’ ballads about the moon, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Wren giggled, slung her satchel over her shoulder, and stepped out into the evening chill. The air met her like a bucket of river water—crisp, clean, full of distant laughter.

The cobbles were damp beneath her hooves; the faint smell of river mist tangled with smoke from the food stalls. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but the light was fading fast, lamplighters making their slow way down the main road.

Her breath puffed out in small clouds as she headed toward the River Gate. Street musicians had gathered by the fountain, their notes spilling into the night. The sound drifted out long before she reached the square—fiddles and flutes weaving together in bright, looping tones. Children spun at the water’s edge, joy rising like chimes in the cooling air.

And there he was.

Orzen hovered near the far side of the performers, a tankard in one hand, the other resting loosely on the hilt of one of the daggers at his side. The easy air he’d worn earlier was gone. His dark armor gleamed dully in the torchlight.

He looked less like the man who’d fixed Marda’s roof, more like a soldier on patrol. Infuriatingly, he was no less attractive now than he’d been then. She straightened and shook her head. Her vision swam until she blinked it clear again.

If only she could bring back the other side he’d tried to keep hidden. She remembered that first flush of color when she’d caught him staring—the awkward way he’d fumbled his words. She wondered if she could catch him off guard again.

Wren’s grin curved, slow and sly. She crept forward.

Quiet as shadow. Cunning as dusk, she told herself. But the charms on her new horn caps jingled brightly with every step.

A bat in the night, ringing like a wind chime.

Chapter 14

Beneath A Smile of Thorns

Marda had thanked Orzen twice before he left, fussing over the wood stacked neatly by her stove and the bell now hanging beside her door.

“What did you do to Wren?” she’d asked as he was heading out. “Didn’t scare her off, did you?”