Page 68 of The Sorcerer of Shadowholde

Vita smiled sheepishly, then turned to the exit with a bow. A final glance cast into the room caught Renatus observing the couple, still moaning and thrusting on the couch.

CHAPTER 29

Vita

VITA AWOKE IN A daze, the thick of a hangover still addling her mind. With a groan, she got out of bed, as last evening’s festivities came back to her like the trickle of a stream.

Somehow, she’d gone from over a year of inadvertent celibacy to multiple partners within twenty-four hours. She knew what people would say, the horrible words they’d call her, but that’s not what bothered her.

Petran and Aurora were captivating lovers—there was no doubt of that—and she’d be eager to join them again, but there was someone else she missed. The only other person besides Verian who she desperately wanted to be intimate with, to be close with, had just observed as she had her fun with the others.

Vita tried to remember the glimmer in Renatus’ eyes as he watched her ride Petran, as Aurora pleasured her, but it still hurt.

Food was a necessity, and fast, the grumble in her stomach threatening to turn into all-out-sickness if she didn’t give it what it wanted. Vita put on the periwinkle dress, the first gift Renatus had given her, and she tied the attached golden rope around her chest and waist as best she could. A lazy brush of her hair, and she was ready to find some sustenance.

When she made her way to the dining hall, someone was already there. Most days, she ate her meals alone, though sometimes Aurora accompanied her. But today, the mage was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, Petran would be joining her for breakfast.

“Good morning, love,” he said, standing up to greet her with a crushing hug.

Vita’s entire body flushed with the proximity, with the memory of last night. That was the first time she’d ever had sex with someone she’d just met, and while she didn’t regret it, it still felt a bit odd.

“Did you sleep well?” His deep voice boomed through the room as he released her.

She nodded and sat, adding bread and honey, olives and grapes to her plate. Her stomach thanked her as she filled it, Petran devouring a surprising amount of food next to her. She supposed an enormous elf needed an enormous amount of sustenance, but still, it was impressive.

As the meal wore on, Vita’s discomfort melted away, Petran’s peaceful presence putting her at ease. He was a lot, but he seemed to be a kind man, asking polite questions without prying.

“Will you accompany me to Shadowholde? I want to look around… it’s been a long time since I’ve been back.” He eyed her as a servant walked by and began clearing the table.

“I would love to,” Vita said with a smile, and it was the truth.

They walked arm in arm through Shadowholde’s stone streets, and Vita was certain the blush hadn’t left her face the entire time. Petran escorted her around the city, pointing out the old taverns he used to frequent and the parks he’d enjoyed as a child. Conversation was easy, the day warm and pleasant, though a cool breeze in the air betrayed the coming autumn.

Vita had a question gnawing at her. A few questions, in fact. She gathered her courage as they sat on a stone bench, enjoying the scent of honeysuckle.

“How do you know Renatus and Aurora?”

“Ah, we all go way back. We worked together when I still lived in Shadowholde. Worked for the city, for people who hired us, even for those who couldn’t afford our fees.” He paused, glancing sidelong at her. “You remind me of someone, you know. Our old friend. You have the same hair, the same eyes… the same beautiful scar.”

Beautiful? That was the first time anyone had ever called her blemish beautiful, and emotion welled in her chest.

“Your friend?”

Petran chuckled, eyes focused on the trees around them as if his mind was far away.

“We were inseparable back then. Renatus, Aurora, me, Tullia—the one you look like—and Atria, a priestess of Aona. Tullia, she was a wild woman, a powerful hunter. We did great work together, all of us, until…”

She took a big gulp of air. “What happened?”

With a sigh, he continued. “When Renatus was turned, everything changed. He… he did bad things, terrible things, on orders of his maker. His hunger was insatiable. And Tullia took it particularly hard. They were very close. Closer than the rest of us.”

Petran turned, taking her hand in his. “We tried to help Renatus, made a plan to free him, kill his maker, but he was different. Not the same person he once was, though I always saw a bit of him deep down underneath the façade. Still, it wasn’t enough for Tullia.”

The story entranced Vita, her breath catching in her throat. “What happened to her?”

“Tullia left us, left Shadowholde, moved to a new city. As far as I know, she lived a long and happy life. Atria left us too, devoted herself to the temple until the day she died.”

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