Fox Of Greed (Greedy Fox Book 1)

~~ THIRTY SIX ~~

"Are we there yet?" I questioned.

I heard Leraj's laughter behind me before he moved his horse. His hand rested on my thigh gently and my skin goosepimpled. "Almost. Not far now."

"You are so lucky I'm an excellent rider," I replied, blinking into darkness.

"Well if you hadn't been, we could have ridden in the same saddle."

I narrowed my eyes and looked in his direction but it was really pointless. Leraj had insisted I be blindfolded so I didn't ruin the surprise. It was very disconcerting riding my horse blind and had to remind myself to be calm and the darkness was only temporary.

The sounds of Liones had died long ago so I knew we'd left the city. As for through which gate, I was at a loss. My hearing was heightened from the other sense deprivation so I could hear the softness of Myra's footfalls. The dirt roads or leaves would have crunched underfoot; mud would squelch, which meant we were in the countryside that stretched between Liones and another town or city. Off the beaten path, so to speak.

A sweet scent tickled my nose and I turned in it's direction. "I smell... roses? And woodsmoke?" I canted my head and stopped Myra. "Leraj, are you taking me to the Rose Cottage?"

"Pfft, no! Why would I do that?" Then I heard him whisper to Butch, "How the hell could she smell them from all the way here?"

"You are!" I cried, jabbing a finger at him.

"I'm over here," he called a little to my right; I readjusted my aim with a sheepish grin. "Fine then, that part of the surprise is spoilt." I reached up to undo the blindfold. "Hey, keep that on! There are more surprises when we get there."

I pouted. His hand touched my thigh again before he pecked my lips. I leant forward for more but he'd withdrawn. Taking one of my hands and cradling it in his own, we walked side by side to the Rose Cottage.

I'd stumbled on the Rose Cottage within the first week of being in Liones. We'd just become apprentice Holy Knights so Leraj and I thought it would be a good idea to party with some others.

Bad idea.

Someone brought out their own concoction. 'A spin on the Vanya ale but extra kick', the other knight had said. Well, it did kick. I became this competitive, egotistical bitch who challenged a Holy Knight to a footrace. I ended up running 18km without one stop until I reached the Rose Cottage and 'blessed' the roses. No idea where the other guy went.

I woke up in the care of the little old lady who owned the cottage and after that, I visited her once a week when my scheduled allowed to tell her about my day and such over biscuits, scones and rose tea. I loved the cottage and I loved Marigold. She was the grandparent I never had, filling the gaping void my parent's death had created in my heart.

She passed a little over a year from our first meeting, breaking my heart all over again. Still did just by thinking about it. There was no way I'd ever forget those mirthful brown eyes and cheeky smile.

I hoped someone had taken great care of her cottage – last I heard, a relative had taken over. It had been Marigold's pride and joy. The owner's had invited me out but I'd never had the heart to return to it. And when I finally did, I had no time to visit.

"We're here." Leraj's voice startled me back to the present and I was hit with a wall of rose scents. Heedy, overpowering, familiar and comforting.

I sighed happily. Leraj's cold fingers removed the blindfold and I blinked in the late morning sun. My eyes adjusted and I took in the cottage.

A red dusted roof and pale cream bricks – just as I remembered – that formed a quaint home nestled amongst emerald greenery. Someone had planted a willow tree in the time I'd been gone and it towered over the cottage, branches sweeping the slates of the roof. Smoke tailed out of a circular chimney.