Page 15 of The Shadow of Polaris

“So,” Rune said, resting his chalice on the table with a light tap, “where did you learn to fight like that?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, not meeting his curious gaze. “I guess I grew up fighting. I never really had any protection, so I picked it up fairly quickly.” He ran his fingers down the stem of his chalice, listening intently to my reply.

“How’d you end up at Frya’s place? I’ve heard usually only people passing through stayed with her. She doesn’t strike me as the type to keep a staff,” he asked.

I took a sip of my wine, letting the dryness burn down my throat, leaving a trail of warmth in its path. Suddenly, it occurred to me that by inviting this man for a drink, I’d most likely have to talk about myself. What would I say? I was an escaped convicted lady of Ursae’s court with the accusation of murdering her sister in cold blood weighing on my back? I nearly laughed out loud.

Clearing my throat, I said, “Oh.. um, I was just returning for a visit initially. I left the city a few years ago, but I’ve been here for about four months now. Frya keeps me busy with work, and Arcturas doesn’t seem to mind it here.” The wolf curled up on her down-stuffed burlap bed by the hearth and gnawed on a bone contently.

“What about you? I presume you live in the city,” I asked him, deflecting the conversation off of me.

“I do now, but I wasn’t born here. I grew up in Venia, believe it or not. My Uncle’s a farmer on the west side of Ursae. I moved in to help him when the winters grew too harsh. Gods, that was probably about ten years ago now.”

“Venia?” I’d met no one from the East before. The bloody history surrounding them kept the Easterners isolated from the other realms.

“Yeah, I know.” He trailed off. “I left when I was only a boy. I remember little about it, just the scent of the plumerias that run rampant throughout the city. They’re always blooming. Growing up there, you grow sick of their sweet smell. Sometimes, when I was a boy, I’d pray to the Gods for a frost to come and wipe out all of those little white flowers.” His gaze looked distant, as if he had been pulled into a memory.

I cleared my throat and swirled the remaining wine around my chalice. He drained the rest of his glass and smiled up at me, a faint hint of sadness curling around his lips. Unsure what to say, I pulled the cork from the bottle and filled his glass again.

“You traded eternal spring for eternal winter. I wouldn’t say that’s a fair bargain.” I chuckled, refreshing my glass.

“No, maybe not, but at least ice doesn’t smell.”

Arcturas grumbled in her sleep, rolling to her back, fully exposing the soft undercoat of her belly.

“Are you high born?” Rune asked, cautiously brushing a finger through Arcturas’s fur. Raising an arm for better access, she welcomed the pets.

“What?” I choked on my wine.

“You’re very well-spoken for city folk. Your dialect is quite rare around these parts.”

“My father was a Lord of the court, but I wasn’t close with my family. The black sheep, if you will. I spent more time in the forest just outside the city walls than I ever did in court. How about you? You don’t sound like a farmhand.” I glanced at my hands, trying to suppress the flood of nerves as I confessed a hint of my truth.

“My parents were of status in Venia, but I never wanted that lifestyle. The courts, the politics, it was all so shallow. The lords and ladies were more concerned with the appearance of a thriving city than the wellbeing of their citizens.” He trailed off, continuing to scratch Arcturas’s belly.

“The courts of Ursae were cruel in their own way. Hardened from years of famine and snow, I think. It was difficult to trust even the closest of allies,” I said, watching my wolf accept this stranger’s affection, leaning into his pets. “She seems to trust you. Maybe you don’t have ill intentions after all,” I smirked.

Rune chuckled, looking up at me from his seat through thick, curled lashes. “What’s the story with her? Not everyday does one come across a woman with a wolf as a pet.”

“She isn’t a pet,” I snapped. “Erm, sorry. She’s more than that. I was out on a hunt when I rescued her. She was so small I tucked her into the pockets of my cloak and carried her back into the city. One of the flatland creatures attacked her mother and littermates. She was the only survivor. We seem to understand each other, maybe because we’re both alone.” I smiled at the wolf, her right paw twitching in the air. Rune grew quiet. His mouth was a thin line. Most likely contemplating just how crazy I was.

“I sound insane…” I said, gulping down my wine, letting it sear down my throat.

“Maybe a little,” he chuckled. I hope he’d take the deep crimson burning across my cheeks because of the wine and not my embarrassment.

“But,” he said, looking at me earnestly, “I think I understand. Maybe you saved each other.”

“Maybe.” My eyes met his. The deep hazel glimmered gold in the candlelight between us. The wine had flushed his lips with a tinge of purple. Seconds ticked by, and we sat across from one another in silence, taking in the other’s likeness. Finally, the scrape of my barstool broke the forming tension between us.

“Well, it’s late. I’d best be getting to bed.” I gulped down the rest of my wine and set the chalice down in the sink behind the bar before I could make any more poor decisions this evening. Rune cleared his throat, rising from his seat.

“Thank you for the wine, Ell,” he said, handing his empty chalice to me. Our fingers brushed as I reached for it. The warmth of his skin opposed the ice of my own. An electric jolt coursed between us and we jerked our hands away simultaneously.

“Um. Well, I’ll.. I’ll be on my way.” Stammering, he turned to go, nearly tripping over Arcturas’s outstretched hind legs.

“Watch your step,” I chuckled, “she might bite if you land on her tail.” A soft warning growl rose in her throat as the wolf poked a single piercing eye up at him.

“Sorry, sorry!” Rune stepped over her apologetically, footing gingerly towards the front door. Pulling his cloak from the hanger, I handed it to him, making sure our fingers didn’t touch again.

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