Chapter 213: Finally Back.
Here, the air lost its thick scent of sweat and rancid grease, replaced by the cleaner aromas of fresh sawdust, pressed linen, and expensive horseflesh.
The frustration from her encounter at the gates still simmered beneath her skin, a prickly heat that made her travel cloak feel stifling. She needed the sanctuary of her family estate. She wanted a place where she could think clearly and dismantle the Wolf King's subtle blockade.
With a sharp, imperious gesture, she signaled a passing carriage. It was a polished vehicle of black lacquer, the kind that frequented the more affluent boroughs, pulled by a chestnut horse moving at a brisk, professional trot.
The driver, a man sporting a tidy grey beard and a well-maintained coat, saw her and guided the coach to the curb. The horse gave a soft, yet audible huff as it came to a halt, its breath misting in the cooling afternoon air as its hooves beat a final, precise impression against the stone.
