The Vaetra Chronicles: Book 01 - Vaetra Unveiled by Daniel R. Marvello

stop her. To tell her something, anything, that would make her smile at me again. Every step she took away from me was a nail being hammered into the coffin of a possible future that might include her.
    A future with Sulana held possibilities. And dangers. And complexity. My heart sank with the recognition that a significant opportunity had just passed, and I'd chosen to let it go.
    ***
    Our return trip to Northshore was a somber procession. As expected, the road had thawed to mud in the morning sun and we had to move carefully. The horses occasionally hit a soft spot and slipped a bit, but overall the footing was not as treacherous as it would have been even a week before.
    We all seemed lost in our own thoughts. I was busy wrestling with my conflicting feelings about sorcery and feeling anxious about the idea that Sulana would soon be on her way to finish her quest for the Archives. Sulana occasionally stole a glance over her shoulder in my direction and seemed about to say something, but each time she looked away quickly when she caught my eye. Talon and Barek plodded along and looked bored. Barek trailed the group, leading the horse that carried the dead thief.
    Daven was the only one who appeared to be in relatively good spirits. He rode up alongside Sulana and tried to engage her in conversation a few times, but he gave up after getting a few monosyllabic responses from her.
    The sun was now high in the sky and the morning had progressed from chilly to warm. We had removed our cloaks, and the sun on my hands and face was relaxing. But the warmth didn't lift my mood as much as it normally would.
    We finally arrived at Northshore in the early afternoon. The guards at the west gate watched curiously as we passed, but they didn't try to engage us in conversation. Their job wasn't to inspect traffic as much as it was to watch for good reasons to close the gateway. If a threat appeared outside of town or a manhunt began on the inside, these two seemingly listless men would be swift to slam and bar the heavy gates.
    One of the men nodded to me as we passed, mouthing my name. I acknowledged him with a nod of my own and continued on my way. That man had once been under my command, but now I was just another citizen.
    We rode carefully through town, slowed by townspeople crossing the roadway and wagons heading to and from the town gate. Heads swiveled to watch us pass every step of the way to the Governor's Complex. Sulana took the lead as we approached the gate to the complex and the guards on station there. One of the guards stepped forward to get a closer look at the mud-splattered corpse draped over the horse that Barek led.
    "We need to deliver this thief into custody and question the other man we captured yesterday," Sulana said to the guard who remained at the gate.
    The young guard, whose name I knew was Zak, craned his neck to look over at the dead thief. "Doesn't look like we'll get much trouble from him," he said with a grin. "I gather he resisted ?"
    Sulana responded with clipped words. "It was an accident, actually." Even from behind her, I could see the color rise on her slender neck.
    "An accident," nodded Zak with a knowing grin that was starting to annoy me. "I understand completely."
    Sulana glared at him, but didn't respond to his needling. "May we pass now?" she asked.
    "Be my guest," Zak said, as he stood aside to give our horses clear passage through the narrow gate. "Take the corpse to the infirmary for inspection and the horse to the stable for impound," he ordered in a more serious tone as we passed. He pointed unnecessarily at the infirmary, which was clearly identified by the large red circle above its door.
    Sulana nodded her understanding and mumbled a thank you in his direction.
    As I went by, he shouted up to me. "Hey Jaylan! How did you get mixed up with this crowd?"
    In spite of my serious state of mind, I chuckled at his jocularity. "It's a long story, Zak. Buy me a drink sometime and I'll tell it