Page 52 of The Fury She Holds
“So, your plan was to ride horses and hunt quail? Forgive me if I was expecting something a little more… precarious.” She threw the quiver over her back anyway.
“I’m sure you’ll manage to find some mischief.”
She chuffed. “Maybe I will.”
They stalked between the trees, easily finding their prey. Faron quickly drew back his bowstring and released his arrow, killing two birds at once. Tal missed one shot after another.
She grumbled to herself that a bow and arrow would do her no good in hand-to-hand combat. Faron teased her, “I don’t know what kind of quail you encounter in town, but I’ve never seen one big enough to grapple with.”
“No, but I could take down a boar and feed several families.”
“That’s…” He paused. When Tal didn’t deny it, he added, “Impressive.”
Another of Tal’s arrows missed its mark, and she swung her bow around in frustration. “Damned thing.”
“I don’t think it’s the bow’s fault.” He laughed.
A flicker in her chest had Tal concentrating on her breaths before she shot a flame at the noble out of spite. “What are we even doing out here anyway?”
He leaned back against the trunk of a nearby tree. “It’s peaceful out here. I thought you’d appreciate the fresh air. Besides, I heard the trees can tell us our future.”
Tal scoffed. “And what do they say?”
“Nothing yet.” He shrugged.
“I guess you’re no witch then.”
“Ha! No, I guess not.” Faron shook his head.
It was no secret that witches lived within the woods. Tal wondered if he knew how close his musings were to their lore.
When they’d caught enough for a meal, Faron set about preparing the birds to be roasted on the fire pit on the far side of the building. Tal picked berries nearby. When they sat to eat, Faron let her have the first bite, and he chuckled when she nearly groaned at the flavor. “I take it you don’t eat fresh food often?”
Tal took another bite and spoke with her mouth full, “Only as fresh as they can get at the tavern. The fish are usually pretty fresh, but it gets boring eating the same thing all the time.”
“I could tell by the way you enjoyed the buffalo at the masquerade.” He popped a purple berry into his mouth.
“So, youwerewatching me then?” she teased.
“You were pretty difficult to miss.” He threw the next berry at Tal. She snatched it out of the air and popped it into her mouth.
“Are you going to tell me who asked me to dance then?” She brought up the mystery noble whose identity eluded her. She tried to recall the color of the man’s eyes, but that detail remained fuzzy.
“If you don’t know by now, I don’t think you would want to know.”
Tal put down her roasted quail. “What do you mean by that?”
“Why don’t you ask your noble knight?”
“I’m hoping to avoid all conversation with him regarding the masquerade.”
“Oh, right. I almost forgot.” He bit into a strip of quail to hide his smirk.
“Lying is not a good look for you.”
He winked at her and opened his mouth to say something but hesitated.
Tal’s thoughts raced as she returned to her meal. Who was the mystery man, and why had he taken an interest in her? Why would Faron keep his identity a secret? A thought occurred to her, and she scrutinized her companion. “It wasyou.”
