City of Snakes - Book 2 The Council of the Light

-Eight-

Madness whimpered as Clarence cried out in his sleep, woke with a jolt, and for a heart-stopping moment, had no idea where he was. The wolf pup licked his face to calm him. "I miss her so much," he whispered to the puppy. "I feel confused all the time." Am I ever really alone? Clarence felt like he was, everybody who should be a friend was plotting to use him in some way and the only person he wanted to be with was locked away to make him compliant.

The pup rolled onto its back and waved a playful paw but Clarence lay his head back down and let the creature crawl on him until it settled like a hat on top of his head. He could hear the servants getting the horses ready to move on, every so often a snatch of a laugh flitted through the window shutters. He had so many furs on his bed he felt like he was drowning under them, but at least he was warm. The further north they travelled to get to Mossmound the colder it became but he had enjoyed the journey so far. The thing that bothered him most of all was Gloria. Grendal wanted him to get close to her. Ohlo had reminded him as much the night before when he took his position by Clarence's bedroom door and said "You have missed so many opportunities. Has your dick stopped working?"

"My dick isn't trained to rise on command," Clarence had snapped at Ohlo but his guard just laughed at him and shut him in his room.

Since coming to Green Pine they had been travelling through open land, but on their third day, they descended into the Forest of the Mountain King. One of many great forest estates Clarence's family used as their hunting grounds. The forest road was dark and shaded, occasionally it would break out into patches of bright sunlight and little hamlet villages but for the whole it was quiet. Freddie explained to Eric that when the Kings procession went through all traffic on the road had to be cleared and the villagers ordered to stay inside their homes, but Clarence could feel eyes on him. He didn't stick out, in his dark green with his cowl pulled up around his head he didn't look like the most impressive figure in the party- that honour went to Eric, who, for some unknown reason, was still wearing his full plate mail. It was like he had got stuck in it.

They stayed in a hunting lodge that night, and by lunchtime the next day they reached Mossmound. Clarence slowed his horse to a stop and studied a castle that was built on top of a ravine, every inch of it dripped in green moss. It blended into its surroundings, and part of it was crumpled to ruin. He watched mist roll past, and the light penetrate through it in shafts. He closed his eyes and listened past his party to the sounds around him, it was so still he could hear the trickle of the stream down to his right and the drip of water as it rolled off the leaves. The air smelled of fungus and cut grass. His horse stamped, it's breath steamed in the cold and for a single blissful moment, he felt at peace. He pictured Beatrix sitting next to him, he remembered the curve of her jaw, her thick black hair, and how she sat so confidently when she rode. She would have liked Mossmound he was sure. When he opened his eyes he saw Gloria looking at him, that same hungry look, and he hated her for it.

"Could have tidied the place up a bit," Freddie complained, bringing his horse next to Clarence's. "I bet the rooms are damp, castles like that always are. And half of it's a ruin!"

"I think it's quaint."

"Quaint is just another word for shit," Freddie gawfed. "I'm ready for a meal and some sleep. Hopefully, I won't have to heat my own bathwater but from the looks of the place they won't have anybody with fire magic working for them so I'll be waiting for hours for a tepid washbowl to wet my face and hands."

"Are you ever satisfied?" Clarence tutted. "We're here to hunt, Freddie."

Freddie smiled, "wild boar cousin, the forest is teeming with them." He motioned to a servant carrying their spears, "I've picked out some brilliant steal too."