Chapter 18 Veilmane
Veilmane
Iam not sure what I expected to find when we rejoin Glo and Jasmeen in the stall a few minutes later, but it was not this.
Jasmeen packs a bag of her own while Glo talks animatedly.
She has dropped her glamours altogether, as though she too trusts this woman after only one interaction. Jasmeen does have that effect.
“What are you—?” I start, wondering what Glo has somehow swindled from her.
“I’m coming with you to Royal City!” Jasmeen explains with a bright smile. “There’s ingredients there that I can’t find in Mayhem.”
“How did you know we’d be going to Royal City?” I ask, turning on Glo. She twirls a strand of red hair around her finger.
“It’s the next logical step, from what Vir has shared with me,” Glo offers, shrugging.
Of course he told her we gleaned no useful information here about Mavick’s disappearance.
And Jasmeen knows I want to return to the mortal realm—perhaps it came up naturally.
Glo stands from Jasmeen’s stool and saunters toward us.
“Plus,” she says, looking at Brynn as though he requires convincing, “I think Jasmeen’s companionship will make Thea more comfortable. ”
She’s not wrong. The idea of traveling to Royal City now seems less daunting. I wouldn’t call us strangers at this point, but of this group, I trust Jasmeen most.
“Will your shop close?” Brynn asks. I wonder if he’s concerned about traveling with three females, two of which are mortals that may require protecting.
“Yes, for a bit. But Haggard’s sits on the other side of Mayhem. I don’t think anyone will mind too much that I’m gone,” Jasmeen says with a breezy wave of her hand. It would be a sad thing to hear if I wasn’t so damn giddy she’s tagging along.
I cannot contain myself. I grab Jasmeen, pulling her into an embrace.
Her arms slide around my waist at once, like she too needed this.
I steal a glance over her shoulder at Brynn and Glo.
They wear similar expressions of mingled amusement and something more…
bitter. Thank you, I mouth to Glo. She gives another one of those mock salutes.
I release Jasmeen after a final, soft squeeze.
“So, how does one travel in Sanctuary anyway?”
It turns out, Sanctuarians travel much like mortals do: via horseback. But these are not horses.
After Glo once again glamoured herself into Brynn’s feminine, petite copy and purchased an entire satchel of breads, jams, cheeses, and beef jerky from a nearby vendor with—I couldn’t help but notice—a familiar, gold mortal coin, we made our way to the northern edge of Mayhem.
Brynn converses with an orc groom. He’s an imposing figure, with a potbelly, massive hands, and an underbite displaying crooked, ragged teeth.
But his eyes soften with recognition, and after a short conversation in a language that sounds more like grunting, he chuckles and slaps one of his giant hands on Brynn’s shoulder.
Brynn does not so much as flinch. The orc retreats into the stalls and pulls out a satchel, handing it over to him.
Next, we obtain two of these not-horses.
They are the color of toads, dark green with brownish fuzzy flecks all along their backs.
They have a single twisted horn in the middle of their heads, but their eyes are milky white, either all-seeing or completely blind.
Their hooves are much larger than that of normal horses, making them appear sturdier.
Jasmeen approaches the less stocky of the two and sticks her hand in front of its snout, inviting it to smell her.
She turns and smiles at my bewildered expression.
“These are veilmane,” she explains. “They’re blind, but guided by their incredible senses of smell and hearing.
” A hint of alarm must show on my face because she continues, “They may not be able to see, but they are extremely sure-footed—and fast when they want to be. Less skittish than horses. It’s very hard to sneak up on a veilmane. ”
After the veilmane gets a good whiff of her hand, it snorts and tilts its large head down for a pet.
Jasmeen obliges, grinning. She motions for me to try.
I allow it to sniff me as I stare into its blank eyes.
I wonder if it truly is blind, because it certainly feels like it sees me.
It huffs in contentment after a beat, permitting me to run my fingers over its snout. It’s as soft as a kitten.
With the help of the groom, Brynn saddles the two veilmane. I learn that the darker one is named Shadow, and the other, who knows Jasmeen’s and my scent intimately, is Moon.
A brief discussion follows about who will ride with whom.
Glo suggests I decide, since I’ve never ridden a veilmane.
Without hesitation, I pick Jasmeen. Brynn’s face falls perplexingly, but he asks Jasmeen for permission to assist her into the saddle.
She might as well be weightless with how easily he lifts her.
She reaches a hand down to help me mount.
Even with her aid, there’s no way to get my foot in the stirrup without a block to stand on—these creatures are much taller than regular horses.
I start to try anyway, and Brynn raises a brow at me.
I glare up at him as he bites back a petty laugh.
“What’s with the satchel?” I ask, stalling the inevitable.
“I make this trip often. Jankar keeps a bag here for me,” he says, smirking.
I avoid his gaze as I check, for a third time, that my own satchel is properly secured to Moon’s saddle.
“May I?” he croons. It’s either him or Jankar, and I don’t want to explain to Jasmeen why I’m being strange, so I give a terse nod.
Without another word, his gentle hands find my hips and he lifts me effortlessly onto the saddle behind Jasmeen.
I mumble a stubborn thanks. His fingers linger a breath before letting go.
Sure enough, my skin hums and burns hot where he touched.
Brynn helps Glo mount Shadow and climbs up behind her.
In her glamoured state, her wings are hidden.
He reaches his hands around her middle to grab the reins.
Jasmeen grabs Moon’s reins, and I place my hands on either side of her waist for stability.
Brynn motions at Jasmeen to lead the way and I get the sneaking suspicion that this is intentional, as though he wishes to keep an eye on us.
It doesn’t take long before we are in the forest I spotted when I first arrived in Mayhem.
The Blackwoods. The veilmane’s pace quickens.
Not quite a gallop, but not a trot either.
They glide. Riding a horse becomes uncomfortable after a short time, but this?
It’s smooth in comparison. The trail, even through the dark forest, seems well-traveled, and the veilmane’s hooves make only a soothing swishing sound.
“Where exactly are we going?” I ask after a while. Jasmeen startles, as if she’d forgotten I was sitting behind her, even with our bodies touching. “Royal City is just a few days’ ride, right?”
“Yes,” Jasmeen says over her shoulder. “This is the most common route to Royal City. There are several different rest areas along the way. We’ll make it to the first stop before nightfall if we keep this pace.”
I glance behind us in time to see Glo’s lazy yawn. She leans back against Brynn, and he automatically adjusts for her comfort. When he notices my gaze, he rolls his eyes and shrugs. I lean forward into Jasmeen’s ear, lowering my voice. “What did Glo say to you to get you to come with us anyway?”
Jasmeen follows my quiet lead. “She asked if I was your friend. I said yes. I know we only just met but it felt rude and untrue to say no.”
“That’s it?” I ask, confused.
“No… she also said that you were possibly in some trouble,” she whispers. “And that Vir could be, too. And… after our conversation about Yield… I was admittedly paranoid. If I can help you at all, I want to.”
My hands squeeze her waist. “Jasmeen, you are very kind. I’m glad we met.”
“Well, it’s not entirely selfless—don’t think too highly of me yet,” she says with a soft chuckle. “Glo offered to pay for some rare ingredients only found in Royal City. And she offered to teach me how to conjure. Some small magics like flame. And maybe one day passageways.”
“Wow,” I say. “That is very nice of her.”
I can’t help but question Glo’s motives… and whether those rare ingredients will be bought with the large gold coins she stole from me. Would’ve been nice to have those earlier this week—seeing that the Sanc do accept them as currency.
“Are you able to tell me more about your missing friend?” Jasmeen asks after a lingering pause.
“Well… other than the fact that I may not know them at all? They gave me that elixir—there’s no way they didn’t know it was forbidden,” I say, my jaw tightening.
I spend the next hour or so of our ride catching Jasmeen up to speed on everything that has happened since the day I went to Aston, checking periodically to make sure enough distance remains between Moon and Shadow that Brynn and Glo cannot eavesdrop.
Glo rests so comfortably against him that she manages to fall asleep. Brynn stares unfocused at the trees.
I leave out Mavick’s name. And the glaring detail that I am a princess and did in fact use an entire vial of Yield on not only my father, but the king.
I opt instead for a simpler, strict father storyline—which is truth enough.
I also omit the deal with Brynn, as his mortal mother and blood status are his own secrets to tell.
And the embarrassing fact that I threatened to cut his throat with my blade.
I do, however, vow to show her the riddle and the dagger when we’re in a more private setting.
She nods her head often but does not interject.
When I finish my tale, Jasmeen’s silence stretches on.
I am about to ask her if I’ve bored her to death when she finally speaks again.