Chapter 23 #2
That anger burned in Rose’s chest. She'd enjoyed existing without it for a little while, but her sister's words made it burst to life again. She wasn't a child. She didn't need someone to look after her!
"Astrid," she said, trying to make her voice sound firm even though she knew damn well it didn't. "If I want your help on this matter, I will ask for it. Thank you for your concern. It is unwarranted."
Astrid's jaw dropped open for a moment. She stared into Rose's eyes, searching for something that wasn't there anymore. Maybe it was a hint of that little girl that she had once loved, but that little girl had died years ago. The first time a king had taken her by the hand and torn her apart.
Rose nodded at her one more time and then returned to the others to wait. She watched many of the competitors return. Some of them had rather interesting prizes, most of them with creatures that she knew were quite tasty.
Over half returned with what looked like hogs.
They were much smaller though, usually only feeding two or three people.
They had the smallest eyes because they didn't actually need them to see in the caverns where they lived.
They used their massive snouts to find the algae that they ate in abundance, which made their flesh very tasty.
Some trolls returned with massive snakes that Rose knew were abundant in the farther reaches of Trollveggen. They must have run very fast to get those massive beasts that were longer than a troll was tall.
And then Magnus came back with what looked like a gigantic cat draped across his shoulders. It was an impressive beast, with pitch black fur and paws that were nearly as big as her head.
Huge.
Sleek.
Must have been beautiful when it had been alive.
The trolls went wild, cheering about how their prince was a warrior unlike any they had seen before.
Their thunderous applause was made even wilder when they saw that he had a fierce cut down his cheek, all the way down his neck, and onto his now bare chest. Rippling muscles shifted and moved as he lifted the beast over his head and laid it at her feet.
"My lady," he said with a smooth grin. "This is a skarn. They live only in the deepest caves, and they are known for hunting any trolls that come into their territory. It is a great gift to be given. Their claws are used in only the most special of jewelry."
He pressed down onto the paw and she watched as what looked like a sapphire claw extended out of the soft pad.
But all she saw was the blood. The blood that was partly Magnus's, but mostly the blood of a beast that had once been beautiful. And now it had been cut down by a man who’d killed it because he wanted to impress her.
Her stomach twisted. Her heart started to thud hard in her chest. She couldn't quite get enough oxygen into her lungs, and for some reason, picking at her fingers didn't help.
Even the sharp spike of pain when she tore the skin too deep didn't ground her.
She was floating out of her body with nowhere to go, and no one realized there was something wrong with her.
Magnus's brow furrowed. "Rose?"
She couldn't. She couldn't do this.
At least until she heard the crowd start to... laugh.
She looked up at the forest to see Gunnar approaching with his arms full of something lime green and awkwardly moving. He swore a few times, almost dropping the oddly shaped creature before striding right over her.
"Hold out your arms," he said gruffly. "The damned thing isn't happy. That’s your only warning."
Why was it not dead? Everyone else had offered something dead.
"Is that a venimoss?" Someone chuckled, pressing their hands to their mouth as Rose reached out her arms. "Why would he bring her that?"
Even Magnus took a step back, confusion making his face wrinkle. "Why the fuck did you bring her that? We were supposed to bring them something from the hunt, Gunnar."
He didn't reply as he dumped the writhing creature into her arms. And instantly, it calmed.
Rose stroked a hand over the lime green.
.. not fur, she realized. It wasn't soft, but rather coarse.
It had antennae on the top of its head that were curled in like a fern that hadn't opened yet.
And then it turned a black, equally furred face toward her, and she could see it had three eyes on either side of its head.
Eyes that glowed just like the glow underneath their feet, the one that gave the mountain power.
"Better?" Gunnar asked, his words a little clipped. He probably didn't like it that everyone was laughing at him.
"A venimoss?" she asked. "I haven't heard of these before."
"They are... caterpillars," he said. "But bigger."
Magnus snorted. "Not good eating at all. It's just goo in there. Don't try it. I did when I was a child and it stained my hands green for a month. Unless you want to look like Gunnar, of course. Then you should try."
Everyone was still laughing, but she wasn't scared anymore. Now she had this odd little creature that was holding on to her arms with all of its many legs, and it just felt right. Relaxing.
She looked up at Gunnar with a question in her eyes, and she saw him soften.
"Venimoss are part of the mountain," he said quietly. "They are messengers of the goddess, some say. They glow in her light and they are the only creatures here who hunt nothing. They have no natural predators. They only eat sap from very special trees. I will get you some, so it will stay alive."
"Thank you," she whispered.
All the others started talking again, and Magnus clapped a hand to Gunnar's shoulder. "Seriously? A venimoss?"
"She doesn't like dead things," Gunnar replied as the other man wheeled him away from Rose. "She's seen enough death in her life."
Her heart squeezed hard in her chest. A heart that she'd thought had died a long time ago.