Half Wylde | Book 1

Twenty Six: Practice

Fresh air blew through the carriage as we opened the windows wide. The rain had finally sputtered out and I stuck my head out to breath in the wet leaves and gentle scent of rain soaked earth.

The gates of Thanantholl didn't come into view until you were nearly on top of them, the giant trees and thick brush made sure of that. A small trickle of sprites, nymphs, high fae and other beings were coming into the city. Some were hunters with wild game and others were from the outlying dwellings that sometimes peeked through the trees as we rode down the main paths around Thanantholl. All of them flickered their eyes to the carriage. One large male with a fat rabbit over his shoulder lifted his head and smelled my scent on the wind as he watched our approach. I ducked back inside.

"We'll be through the gates soon. They will want to stop and check on us since we have a carriage, but it shouldn't take long," Schula said.

"You two alright in there?" Eberon asked as we slowed to a stop.

"We'll be fine," Schula answered. She stood and pulled our windows closed, shoeing Puko out. He knew his way home by now, or he could ride on top until we got there.

"I hope you are ready for that bath and a workout, because I was serious." Schula smiled as she sat back down.

"I'll be ready." I sat, anxious to get moving as I fidgeted in my seat. I was done being stuck in the little carriage and ready to get moving.

The guards at the gate peeked in the carriage. After not seeing anything suspicious they waved us through. Eberon steered Boxfield through the streets and I could tell from his constant grumbling that we were garnering a lot of attention. I was glad to be inside with the curtains drawn.

We rode to Schula's apartment in silence, ignoring the pressure of fae outside watching us. When the carriage pulled to a stop I barely had the door opened when it was pulled out of my hands and opened wide.

"Wren, you're still too thin! Come, Mama Flori has lunch upstairs. You come eat now." The wrinkled grey face of Mama Flori beamed up at me as I was half dragged out of the carriage and to the stairs that led to the apartment.

"Mama Flori," I protested. "I can walk on my own!"

But she didn't really listen, she just turned to a grinning Schula and a smirking Eberon and yelled at them. "You didn't feed her on your trip, did you? Boys! Boys, come get their things and bring them up now."

Her two sons, also wrinkled grey mole-like fae emerged from the shop covered in flour and grinning. "Yes, Mama."

"Mama Flori, we did feed her. It's barely been over a week, we can't fatten her up any faster than we already are," Schula was nearly in tears laughing after us as I was dragged up the stairs.

"You don't try hard enough," she insisted. "Wren, come."

Through the door I smelled her baking. Schula's table was piled high with breads, pies, tarts, and other baked dishes that were still covered and I couldn't see what they were yet.

"You eat, go ahead." Mama Flori sat me in a chair and began unwrapping food and placing it in front of me.

"How did you know we were here?" Schula asked, coming in after us.

"The bird came, and I knew. Come and sit down, Schula. You need to eat too," Mama Flori said.

I didn't complain as I was forcefully fed until I couldn't hardly move on my own. I glanced out the window at a smug looking Puko who had somehow gotten a bowl of bread crumbs and was gorging himself on them.

Schula didn't fare much better as Mama Flori bounced back and forth between us, making sure we tried a little of everything she had made.

After her sons carried up our luggage, they helped calm their mother down enough that we could convince her to wrap up the rest of the food for later.