Page 174 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
At the sound of her name, the girl turned.
Her face lit instantly with recognition, her smile bright and unguarded. She opened her arms and rushed forward, throwing them around Mal in a fierce embrace.
‘I don’t understand,’ Mal said, stiff with astonishment as Wren clung to her. ‘You were a wolf, and now you are…’
‘Now I’m me,’ Wren said, pulling back with a grin so wide it seemed it might split her face. Her blue eyes sparkled with lively mischief. ‘Ya can’t imagine how frustrating it is being a wolf, not being able to speak and give Zagreus and Kage a proper piece of me mind.’
Mal’s eyes widened further as Wren finally released her and stepped back.
‘Why are you not a wolf?’
Wren shrugged lightly. ‘No idea.Jumped into Hell and landed right on me arse. And then I realised I had an arse!’ She laughed at the memory. ‘Must be something about Hell, I suppose. But whatever it is, I’m here to guide ya. I’ll be yer spiritual guide.’ She paused, considering. ‘Or spiritualanimalguide.’ Then she laughed again, the sound bright and soft against the endless hush of the dead.
‘Wren…’ Mal felt tears sting the backs of her eyes, but she forced them down before they could fall. ‘I’m sorry about what happened to you. I’m sorry you’re trapped in the Underworld, in a wolf.’
Wren’s smile did not fade; if anything, it broadened, bright and untroubled. ‘Don’t be, Mal Blackburn. I’m fine.’
‘I miss you.’
Wren gave a soft chuckle. ‘I haven’t gone anywhere. I’m still right here.’
This time it was Mal who reached forward, pulling Wren into a tight embrace. She held her there for a moment longer than necessary, hoping the gesture might carry everything she struggled to say aloud—the guilt that gnawed at her, the worry she could not shake, and above all how deeply she had missed her.
‘I never really had any friends growing up,’ Mal said after a moment, once they had begun walking slowly towards the enormous statue looming ahead through the dusty haze. ‘My eyes frightened people, and my father kept me locked within the castle walls. My siblings were always my friends. But I think… you were my first true friend, Wren.’
‘I think ya were mine too, Mal,’ Wren replied easily. ‘Me talking always seemed to put people off. And being a princess meant most folk just worshipped me instead. So I neva really had many friends either.’
‘I wish we could go back,’ Mal said, her jaw tightening. ‘Back to the beginning. When we first met at the drakonian castle.’
Wren only shrugged. ‘But we can’t, Mal.’
As she spoke, Wren seemed to notice her own clothing for the first time and smiled faintly. Mal glanced down as well.
The girl wore wolverian hunting attire: light grey trousers tucked neatly into thick boots, and a long-sleeved blue tunic trimmed with furs at the shoulders. It was practical, rugged clothing made for forests, snow, and the wild places of the north.
‘I don’t feel hot, if that’s what ya were thinking,’ Wren said as they continued their slow march across the dusty plain. ‘I reckon it’s because I’m dead. Don’t really feel heat or cold anymore.’
‘Wren… do you know why you’ve become a wolf?’
Wren nodded lightly. ‘A part of me soul is still alive in da mortal world.’
‘What would happen to you if that part of your soul also died?’
Wren tilted her head, considering the question with quiet curiosity. ‘I suppose I’d finally rest.’
‘You wouldn’t be able to stay as a wolf?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Would you want to?’
Wren thought for a moment before answering. ‘I don’t really mind. As long as da ones I love are happy, then I’m fine.’
Mal realised then that they had crossed the vast and desolate land with surprising ease. The last time she had stood in this ring of Hell, every step had felt like dragging her body through chains. She remembered how the earth itself had seemed to resist her, how Thanatos had eventually lifted her into his arms and carried her across.
‘It’s becas yer da God-Killer now, da rings of Hell won’t affect ya,’ Wren said. ‘And becas he’s waiting for ya.’
Mal frowned. ‘Who?’
