Page 39 of A Weave of Lies
His skin darkened into a deeper red.
“That can’t be right …” Her face broke into a wide, gleeful smile. “Inquisitor Velten, please tell me you have seen a naked woman before.”
“Inquisitors are ordained clerics, you know,” he grumbled.
“And did that ever stop you, O holy man?”
He bit his lip, fighting back the curl of a smile. “Not really.”
“Well then,” she said, “there’s no reason to keep your eyes closed, is there?”
“We do not have time for this. Get dressed.” His voice sounded strained. “We are going back. Now.”
“Hmm … I can’t,” Semras replied, smirking. For once,shehad the upper hand, and she would enjoy it while it lasted. Tossing her bag aside, she spread her arms to offer a nice, clear view of her naked breasts. “As you cansee, I must wash first. You don’t want my dress to get dirty, do you? Imagine, Inquisitor Velten, I’d have to strut around naked—”
“I willnotimagine that! You have other clothes, so stop rebelling and get dressed. I will buy you the finest silk in all of Castereina if that will make you obey for once!”
So … the shameless Inquisitor Velten turned out to be a prude. That explained why he hadn’t tried glancing at her in the inn’s room and why he’d fled her home when she laid out her stays and garters before his eyes.
Oh, this was fun. Now she wanted to make him look at her, see his resolve crumble, and his pride trampled by his own actions.
At the corner of her eye, the wind ruffled the leaves of the undergrowth around the glade. She ignored it, far more entertained by tormenting the man of the cloth in front of her. “What’s wrong with naked bodies?” she said, baiting him with an innocent voice. “Back at home, I’d wearverylittle on the hottest summer days. One time, the blacksmith’s apprentice came by, and—”
“Get. Dressed. I said.”
“Make me.”
She was playing with fire, but seeing him finally lose control would make any burn she’d suffer in the process quite enjoyable.
Her provocation worked. Dropping his hand, Velten glared straight into her eyes. The witch crossed her arms, propping up her chest, and the movement caught his attention. He glanced down, then froze.
Made him look, she revelled with a smirk. Now she had his entire attention, and the irritation in his eyes turned ravenous.
Velten wetted his lips. “You wilful, Voidborn creature,” he growled. “If you insist so much …” He stepped forward and lifted his hand to her nape.
Movement at the corner of her eye snatched her attention, startling her back.
Something was prowling in the undergrowth surrounding the glade, and it wasn’t the wind. There, beneath the bushes, and further up too—flashes of movement.
Semras’ mischievous mood fell with her smile. Whatever lurked there wasn’t alone.
At the corner of her vision, Velten lowered his hand slowly. “… Did I misunder—?”
“Velten,” Semras murmured. “We’re no longer alone.”
“… Ah. I see.” He looked around, raking his hand through his hair. “I swear, if this is that damned boy knight again—”
“I don’t think they’re human. They walk on all fours … and they’re fast.” Semras surveyed the forest’s undergrowth, groaning in frustration at the menhirs blocking her sight.
The creatures spread around each side of the glade. Between stones and shrubs, a flash of reddish brown fur sprinkled with black hairs darted into sight.
“Bloody Void,” Velten mumbled. “These are wolves.”
“Wolves?” she said, straining her eyes to count them. “I thought hunters chased them out of the peninsula long ago …”
“Excellent news, no need to worry, then,” he said, ribbing her. “Damn it all, these beasts must be starving to attack humans. They will be desperate. I see three—no, four of them.”
Semras chewed her lip. “Make it five.”
