Page 14 of Vows of Sacrifice

“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.

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