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A guard wolf accompanies me, and for the first time it is not an escort, but a guide. I don't know where in the fortress the coronation will take place, and Reeina is not allowed to go there with me.

I can't help but notice his eyes through the slits in his mask, constantly darting toward me.

What is the problem?

But I know that if I ask he won't answer. He doesn't know my language and even if he did he would remain silent. I know them well enough to know that.

I hear the music when we are still far away, and finally we arrive at a corridor that seems to go up indefinitely.

The wolf stops on the first step and makes a rough move for me to continue climbing.

Great, so it's up there and he's not allowed past here either.

These wolves have a lot of rules about who can go where.

I climb slowly, without rushing, taking advantage of all the movement I can make with my legs now that I'm not trapped. There is an almost childlike joy in me when I do this.

I climb and climb for what seems like