Page 75 of Vows of Sacrifice

“You know, my brother isn’t in the habit of extolling the merits of others. And just because you’re his wife, doesn’t mean you’re entitled to any special treatment. You genuinely impressed him with your archery skills.”

I glanced in Dovah’s direction and, just as I thought I was being discreet, his eyes immediately harpooned mine. He was still upset.

“Ah . . .” I exhaled.

I was completely captivated by the dark power of the black irises of this man who was my husband.

Suddenly, there were flames in his eyes. As it only lasted a very brief moment, I wondered if my imagination had altered my perception . . . It wasn’t the first time I’d seen such magic in my husband’s dark eyes. When would he tell me the truth about this?

“Oh!” exclaimed Marione.

Intrigued to know what could have caused such emotion in my young maid, I followed the direction of her gaze. Then, I understood. In fact, we only had to look around to find out. Gulan the Peaceful deserved its name. The vegetation was grandiose and so lush that it was a feast for the eyes and the soul. The trees were nothing like those of Muvaria. The latter rarely exceeded two metres, as the constant cold and lack of sunlight prevented them from reaching great heights.

Those of Gulan were . . . gigantic, with huge trunks at least a hundred and twenty metres high! And so wide! I had great difficulty estimating their circumference, but if I had to guess, I’d have said around thirty meters. Their leaves weren’t really leaves at all, but rather little bunches of thorns, a bit like pine trees. As for the grass, it was such a bright green you’d have thought it had been painted by an inspired artist.

“It’s magnificent!” I whispered, spellbound.

Dovah nodded in agreement. Still, I didn’t get the impression that the panorama that stretched out before us as far as the eye could see truly touched him.

“It’s easy to understand why Paivrin wanted to live here.”

Paivrin’s home resembled something you’d find in a fairy tale: a long house surrounded by giant trees, with exposed stone walls covered in climbing ivy. It also had a brown thatched roof, accentuating its cottage-like appearance for creatures of the little people.

“It’s such a adorable place,” I gushed.

Dovah let out a grunt in response. I turned to him and, after exchanging a long look, he sighed:

“I knew you’d like it, hence my choice. Paivrin built a small cottage behind the main house. I stay there every time I come to visit him. That’s where we’ll be staying for a few days. It’s more intimate than the owner’s home.”

With enormous effort, I managed not to blush at the thought that this implied a greater degree of intimacy with Dovah.

Suddenly, the door to Paivrin’s home flew open, and out stepped a huge white wolf. Paivrin also emerged, then rushed after the animal. It’s hard to imagine this man being blind, judging by his agility.

“Morgana is acting up again,” commented Kynnen soberly.

“It would seem so,” adds Dovah.

For the two brothers, this show was nothing out of the ordinary, which was not the case for us. We had wolves in Muvaria. Snow wolves: huge beasts that could wreak havoc in villages, but they much preferred the heights of the mountains where there was sufficient food.

“Don’t make me catch you!” shouted Paivrin.

To which the white wolf named Morgana growled fiercely, the hair on her back bristling. I leaned over to Dovah and whispered:

“Is your brother in danger?”

“Don’t worry. Morgana won’t attack him. It was Paivrin who took her in when she was just a young cub. Without him, she’d probably have died devoured by a predator. He is like a father to her.”

“Morgana!” shouted Kynnen.

The she-wolf immediately stopped making belligerent sounds and turned her mouth in our direction. Her ears perked up and she even wagged her tail when she saw us. Her change of attitude was incredible. As she trotted towards us, her gaze fixed on a single individual: Kynnen.

He dismounted from his horse with a smooth movement to crouch down and open the space with his arms, smiling.

“Naughty girl!”

The she-wolf jumped on him and showered him with affection. Paivrin joined us with an annoyed expression on his face.

“Right, then. Since you’re here, you’ll be responsible for bathing her,” he announced dryly.

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