Page 3 of Shadows of Winter

“She gave you nutmeg.”

“Poison.” He sneezed again.

His dourness couldn’t make Kaylina’s vision falter or still the energy humming through her. She couldn’t wait to sign that lease and take ownership of this place, to clean it up and—

The heavy front door slammed shut, the thud echoing from the stone walls.

Had that been… the wind?

As if in response to her thought, a creepy draft whispered across the back of Kaylina's neck, sending a chill to her core. With her instincts warning her of danger, she ran to the front door and tried to open it. It didn’t budge.

“That guy locked us in?” Kaylina darted to a window as tall as she, heavy shutters covering it. She grunted as she tried to open one. “Do you still have your purse?”

Coins jangled.

“Yes, but we left our trunks out there.” Frayvar’s voice lowered. “I’ll bet he set us up to be robbed. I knew he wasn’t legitimate.”

“If you knew that, why didn’t you say something back at the market?” Again, Kaylina pushed at the shutter, but it didn’t move.

“I didn’t know until he quoted the rate. I’m not that good at reading people. You know that. You’re supposed to have a woman’s intuition.”

“You’re thinking of Silana. I have…” What? If Kaylina knew, maybe she wouldn’t have felt compelled to make this journey to prove herself.

“Schemes.”

“Dreams.”

A clank came from the back of the castle. The kitchen? It sounded like someone had kicked a pot. Someone sneaking through the shadows to waylay them?

“I hope they can defend us from thieves and cutthroats.” Frayvar turned toward the kitchen.

Kaylina reached for her belt, for the only weapon besides her utility knife that she carried. But the sling was for hunting grouse, not braining thieves. If it hadn’t been a gift from Grandpa, she might not have brought it, but she’d wanted it in case she didn’t get to go home again for a long time.

Behind them, the shutters flew open. Light shone in around the blue-furred head of a towering taybarri, its soft floppy ears contrasting with the fangs revealed when its jaws parted. Its breath steamed into the room, fogging the cold air.

Kaylina stumbled back, screaming before she caught herself.

The creature’s large nostrils twitched. Because it was sniffing her? Because she smelled like dinner? What did taybarri like to eat?

Appearing far different from the image on her brother’s shirt, the long-bodied, four-legged beings were supposed to be at home on the Plains of Tiardia, where their height, greater than that of a horse, allowed them to see over the tall blue grasses and stalk prey as they swished their thick, long tails behind them. The stories said those tails were as much weapons as their claws, fangs, and flash magic. Their floppy ears made them look cute when they were at rest, but when the taybarri sprang into battle, even the fearsome Kar’ruk warriors scattered.

This one leaned closer, its jaws parting farther. The fangs drew Kaylina’s gaze, almost mesmerizing her. The taybarri’s nostrils twitched again, but it didn’t look at her face or what might be her delicious torso. Instead, it peered over her shoulder to her pack.

Kaylina pulled it off and set it on the floor, thinking the taybarri might want the handful of snacks she’d taken from the galley before they disembarked. Or maybe the creature smelled her grandfather’s honey. Not fully trusting that the trunks wouldn’t be lost, she had stashed some in her pack. But would something with that many fangs eat sweets? Those teeth and that powerful jaw had to be for tearing meat from bones.

As its head dipped toward the pack, Kaylina noticed the rider for the first time.

When she met the icy blue eyes of the pale-skinned man, she didn’t grow any more certain of her fate. He wasn’t much older than she and might have been handsome once, with a square jaw, straight nose, and cleft chin, but one of three parallel scars pulled down his left eye at the corner. Marks made by claws? His short red-brown hair was trimmed so close that it revealed more scars on his scalp. They also looked like they’d been left by an animal rather than a blade.

Dressed in the black leather armor of a ranger, he had to be one of the fabled protectors of the kingdom, and she shouldn’t have needed to fear him. His face was cold and distant but not cruel, and he sat calmly on his mount, barely stirring. Even so, her instincts warned her of something dangerous about him, not only dangerous to enemies of the kingdom but to her.

“I am Lord Vlerion,” he stated with little inflection. It reminded her of her brother’s tone, especially when Frayvar was tired and not putting effort into being expressive, but the coldness in the ranger’s eyes made his voice more menacing. Or maybe it was the fact that his hand rested on the hilt of a sword. “You will come out of the castle.”

His taybarri shifted slightly, enough for her to see another standing in the courtyard, a strikingly handsome man mounted atop it. He also gripped the hilt of a sword, promising he was a threat as well. Despite his good looks, he regarded her with the same coolness as the other man—Vlerion.

His taybarri’s jaws parted, and it looked at her like she was dinner. There was no curious sniffing. A wide pink tongue slid between its pointed teeth to wipe saliva from its jowls.

“Actually, we’re in the middle of a tour.” Kaylina was proud that her voice didn’t squeak. “Maybe you could speak with…” She glanced at her brother. “What was his name?”

---