Page 15 of Wolf's Bane
Hissing with pain, he lifted the wolf to carry across his shoulders and rose to his feet. He wobbled for a long minute. A good meal and a solid night’s sleep, and his wounds would heal overnight. It was the only benefit of his curse.
He followed the sound of the coachman and the horses until he broke through the trees.
The coachman shouted in surprise, causing the horses to stamp their feet nervously. “Sir—”
Torn, the front of his shirt gaped open, exposing the fresh slashes.
Bother.
“Do not be concerned. They are not deep. What is the nearest town?” he asked.
“Fallkirk.”
“And does Fallkirk pay a bounty?” He did not wait for an answer, instead lashing the wolf to the top of the coach. The spilled luggage had been secured back in place.
Alek considered retrieving a shirt from his trunk, but his wounds still bled. He could not afford to ruin another shirt. Instead, he stripped down and wrapped the old shirt against his abdomen. The bleeding would cease soon enough. He felt the coachman’s eyes on him, watching him with alarm.
“Are you—”
“I am tired and want a hot meal and a bath,” he said in a crisp tone that did not invite further questions.
Food. Sleep. Those were his priorities. Tomorrow, he’d collect the bounty on the wolf and find a horse to finish the journey on his own.
Solenne
Boxon Hill
The North Pasture
Her aim lefta considerable amount to be desired.
Solenne frowned at the target, then at the arrow planted into the hay bale behind the target. She knew that learning to shoot with her non-dominant arm would be work, but she didn’t expect to be so embarrassinglybadat it.
“I don’t understand,” she muttered, retrieving the arrows from the bale. “I used to be decent with a bow and arrow.”
“You also used to shoot with your other hand. Your body is relearning a skill,” Luis said. To demonstrate, he switched his stance and his bow to his right hand. He notched an arrow and drew back his left hand. After taking a moment to correct his stance and line up to the target, he released the arrow.
It sailed through the air and hit the target slightly off center.
Luis gave a whoop. “Can you believe that? First try. I’m sorry, Solenne, but I am ah-maze-ing.”
“Cheater,” Solenne said.
“Yes, cheating with my superior skills and techniques.” He nodded and gave her a sympathetic, if exaggerated, frown. “Poor Solenne. It must be hard to be so old and incapable of learning new skills.”
“Oh, hush.” She switched back to her dominant hand. The muscles in her arm ached as she drew the string back, but every part of her ached at the moment from exercise. Repetition would build her strength and relearn the skills she once had.
The arrow flew straight, hit the target, and bounced harmlessly off.
“That’s not possible,” she said, frustration growing. Desire to toss the bow to the ground and stomp on it until the frame snapped surged through her, but equipment cost coin. She could only trade so many tonics and liniments.
Speaking of, she rolled her shoulder and flexed her hand.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Luis asked. He took her hand, removed the glove, and gently rubbed her wrist.
“It’s nothing.”
“Lies,” he tutted, but released her hand. “You are using the muscles in your hand for all your strength, instead of your arm muscles. Do not do this.”
