Chapter 4
4
FRIDA
W hen a soft, wet nose nudged my hand, unrelenting panic lurched through me. I was out of the tree and on my feet with my bow in hand before I saw the creature. A large black cat perched on the leafy ground and gazed up at me with intense black eyes. Her tail curled around her, the fluffy tip sitting on her paws. Her entire body seemed to hum.
“Oh.” I laughed awkwardly and lowered my bow. “Hello there, kitty. Sorry, you caught me off guard.”
The cat continued to purr. I knelt and reached out a hand. For a long moment, all she did was stare at me, but she eventually rose and padded over. She rubbed her flank against my legs and primly accepted the scratch beneath her chin.
“Good kitty,” I said, smiling. “Do you live here? Don’t tell me I unknowingly stole your house for the night.”
I looked behind me at the tree hollow and its bed of pine needles. It would make a pretty nice den for a cat, I supposed. Some of the cats I’d befriended near my cottage had kept similar dwellings.
“Don’t worry. You didn’t steal that tree from her. Moira lives with me,” a rough, deep voice said.
My entire body went taut. Nerves buzzing, I slowly lifted my gaze to find a towering, muscular orc standing before me with his arms folded over his broad chest. Sunlight filtered in through the canopy and illuminated the silver tusks jutting from his lips and his moss-green skin. He wore his raven hair tied back from his face, revealing the line of rings that decorated his sharply tipped ears. Clad in a simple white tunic with intricate vines embroidered into the neckline, he reminded me of a towering, imposing statue of an infamous warrior—but one someone had placed a flower crown upon. For a moment, I felt flummoxed. I knew I was staring, but I couldn’t stop myself.
This must be Rune. My mark. My intention to remain out of sight had vanished into the dawning light. He’d found me—or his cat had.
I cleared my throat and stood, trying to act nonchalant. “Good morning. Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
He arched a dark brow, scowling. “That seems unlikely, what with you making camp on my property and all.”
I swallowed. “This is your property? It just looked like more of the forest to me…”
“My property line extends out past my cottage and deep into the trees.”
“Oh.” I shifted on my feet. “I’m sorry. I truly didn’t realize. I’ll just be on my way…”
This was going horribly. If my father could see me now, he’d be so disappointed. Not one day on the island, and I’d already mucked this up. I just had to hope I could turn it around somehow. Maybe if I vanished into the trees and remained hidden for a while, Rune would forget about me…
I didn’t think that was likely, though.
Clenching my jaw, I grabbed my pack from the trunk and started to walk away. Every muscle in my body was so stiff, it was like the wood of the forest had consumed me.
“Wait,” Rune called after me.
Dammit.
“It doesn’t look like you have much to eat,” he said, before I’d even turned back toward him.
I looked over my shoulder, my heart thumping. “I have a bow. I’ll hunt.”
“Save your arrows,” he said. “I’ve got plenty of food, and I’d love some company. I don’t get many visitors out here, you know.” A pause. “It’s the least you could do after trespassing on my property.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Breaking bread with my mark was the last thing I wanted to do. The longer I spent in his presence, the more likely it was he’d remember me when his dragon went missing. And if I made myself too memorable, I’d be forced to take it a step further than I wanted. Guild rules: no witnesses left behind.
Rune’s frown deepened when I didn’t immediately reply. “Is there some reason why you’re reluctant to eat with me? Please tell me it’s not because I’m an orc.”
“No, no, no,” I said quickly. “It’s not that. I just…well, I’m feeling a bit out of sorts, I guess. One moment, I’m fast asleep, and the next, a cat is waking me up, and I find out I accidentally camped on someone’s property…sorry. It has nothing to do with you being an orc. I’ll join you for breakfast. Thank you for the invitation.”
Inwardly, I kicked myself. I shouldn’t have agreed. This was a terrible, terrible idea, and yet…I saw no way out of it.
“Good.” He smiled, though there was something still tense in his expression. “Follow me, then.”
Without further ado, he turned and stalked away. His cat padded after him. My gut churned as I watched Rune’s retreating form blend in with the dense foliage. For a brief moment, I considered dashing away while his back was turned to me. If I was quick enough, I could scale a tree and hide in the branches far above. Eventually, he’d forget about me. It would be like I’d never even been here…
The smart thing to do was run. My training told me to run.
Still, I hesitated just a second too long. Rune paused and turned. Through the brush, his gleaming eyes were all I could see. “Aren’t you coming?”
Swallowing, I nodded. But he didn’t continue forward. He waited there in the brush, his gaze locked on my face, like he suspected I might not follow him if he turned his back to me again. If I tried to run now, what would he do? Would he watch me go or would he follow? The sharp glint in his eyes told me it would not be the former.
And so I hefted my pack higher onto my shoulder and followed the orc through the woods.
T here was no end to the forest when we reached Rune’s cottage. The small timber home seemed part of the woods itself. It had even been built with one wall flush against a tree, the branches wending through the wall before sprouting its lush, verdant leaves over the roof. Vines crawled along every wooden beam and trailed across a wide window spilling yellow light onto the forest floor. Wildflowers grew in untamed bunches, and moss-covered stones emerged from the ground, surrounded by elaborately crafted wooden chairs. Nearby, a few wicker baskets were stacked against an outbuilding nearly as large as the cottage, the top one overflowing with mushrooms.
“This is your house?” I asked, not bothering to mask my surprise.
I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. Rune’s name had been etched onto the infamous Assassin’s Guild list, which meant he wasn’t the sort of person one might wish to find themselves alone with. And even though I’d known he lived in a forest, I’d still imagined a dingy, dark hole full of weapons and dust. Something that outwardly reflected the monster he was within.
But there was life and color here—so much that it felt like the house was alive.
Rune grunted, then hauled open the front door. The aroma of woodsmoke and freshly cooked fish drifted from the house, making my mouth water. My stomach groaned, begging me to forgo all logic and follow Rune inside so I could fill my empty belly. I was awfully hungry after my night spent in the woods.
This was fine. No, it was more than fine. Going inside his house was a grand idea. Because befriending him like this could help me with my task.
My assignment was to find the bloody dragon. So far, there’d been no sign of one. Truth be told, I’d expected clear evidence as soon as I’d found Rune. According to legend, dragons ran extremely hot. If they wandered through a forest like this, they’d burn things. It was one of the reasons the crown had considered them so dangerous, back when hundreds of them roamed the world. Just their mere existence was a threat big enough for most people to fear them.
I’d seen no patches of burned bushes in the forest, nor did I see any char on Rune’s property. Just lots and lots of wood, moss, vines, and flowers. Which meant the dragon was clearly hiding somewhere else. Maybe if I got Rune to trust me, he’d share his dragon secrets with me. It might be my best chance of succeeding on this mission.
And if the more likely scenario were true—if Erik was wrong and there were no dragons—well, I’d worry about that later.
By the time I’d solidified the plan in my head, an awkward silence had descended upon us. Rune hovered inside the doorway. He awkwardly cleared his throat, then shook his head and walked into his cottage with thunderous steps. He looked like he was sorely regretting his invitation for me to dine with him.
Squaring my shoulders, I followed Rune inside. The interior of his cottage was hot, and my gaze was instantly drawn to a blazing hearth-fire. Beside it sat an old rocking chair and a table piled with books whose leather covers were worn and curled. Several shelves held piles of books, scrolls, and hand-whittled carvings of wolves and cats.
The forest seemed to force its way inside. Ivy climbed the walls, and clay pots held enormous plants bursting with life. A worktable sat in the far corner, covered in wood pieces and carving instruments. Above it, the walls held dozens of intricate schematics, the ink scribbled onto yellowed parchment to depict homes, tables, and shelves that Rune planned to build—or had already.
The opposite corner held a dining table, where Rune had already laid out breakfast. Bread, butter, eggs, and fish filled wooden platters, along with a wheel of orange cheese. The smell filled the air, along with the unmistakable scent of wood shavings, vellum, and ink.
The sight and scent of it all carved a hole inside me, then filled it with a haunting ache . A yearning for a home just like this, rather than the sterile gray walls of the guild.
“You have a lovely cottage,” I said, my voice rough. As I shifted on my feet, the floor creaked. “It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. Have a seat.” Oblivious to the painful ache in my chest, Rune motioned to one of the high-backed chairs. Engravings ran along the wooden back posts. They were unfamiliar to me, but they looked like some kind of lettering. Likely orcish.
Still feeling awkward, I crossed the room, the floorboards creaking beneath my steps, and took a seat. The legs scraped loudly against the floor, and I winced. As if immune to the sound, Rune settled into the chair opposite mine and forked some eggs onto his plate. No one said a bloody word.
“Got some chickens?” I asked, desperate to clear the silence.
Frowning, he looked up to meet my gaze. “Sorry, no. Is chicken a standard breakfast food in…wherever you came from?”
So he knew I wasn’t from around here. I’d expected that. On the journey over, Louisa had given me a bit more information about the island. Only a few hundred folk called this place home. A stranger’s face stuck out like a sore thumb.
“Um, no. We don’t have chickens for breakfast,” I answered. “I meant because of the eggs. I saw your mushroom foraging basket outside and thought maybe you had your own chickens, too. For the eggs.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything. Cheeks burning, I grabbed a slice of bread and buttered it with furious focus. I needed to take a different approach here. If he didn’t feel as uncomfortable as I did, I’d eat my shoe. I’d never get him to reveal all his secrets to me unless I could get him to relax. Which meant I needed to relax.
Unfortunately, my shoulders felt like stones had taken up residence inside them.
“I’m really curious about your house,” I said after a moment.
He sat up a bit straighter. “Oh? How so?”
“Well, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It’s almost as if someone built it to be part of the forest.”
“Someone did build it to be part of the forest,” he said gruffly. “That was me.”
“You built this place?” I gazed around. The woodworking was incredible. Every beam was slotted perfectly into place, and the wood had been sanded so smoothly that I bet you could slide your palms across them without finding a splinter. But more than that, there was an artistry to it. Several of the beams ended in elaborate carvings. Some had wolf heads, and others had depictions of twisting branches that seemed to reach toward the thatched roof, as if stretching toward the sky beyond. He must have built these chairs, too. And this table. Gods, what a talent.
“It’s very nice,” I said. “I’m impressed.”
The hint of a smile curved his lips. It was the first time he’d done anything but scowl since he’d found me lurking on his property. But the half-smile was gone just as quickly as it had appeared, almost like he’d realized what he was doing and wanted to stop himself.
My stomach twisted. There’d been suspicion in his eyes earlier, too.
Rune didn’t trust me, and yet he’d invited me to breakfast. I slowed my chewing. The food was delicious, but what if I’d been too hasty in letting down my guard? I never should have eaten the enemy’s food, lest I find it poisoned.
I stabbed a bit of fish with my fork and lifted it toward him. “You don’t have any. Want a bite?”
Rune stilled, then levelled his gaze at me across the table. “This might be the first time I’ve had a visitor offer to feed me, fork to mouth.”
My cheeks heated. “Glad to be of service.”
For a moment, our gazes locked across the table. There was something dark in his expression, something I couldn’t quite read. And I hated that—hated not knowing what he was thinking. What made him tick. When I met someone, I could usually glean the truth of them within a few moments. For example, I’d known Erik was a thieving bastard from the second I’d met him. It was in the twitchy way he moved and the insistence to keep his hands tucked in his pockets, regardless of the situation.
And Erik’s eyes held a darkness. Sometimes when I met his gaze, it felt like there was no one in there—like his soul had abandoned him years ago and left the husk of his body behind. Louisa’s words of warning echoed in my mind. Maybe she was right. Maybe all the kills he’d notched into his belt over the years had ended up killing something in him, too.
Like Erik, Rune held a darkness, but he didn’t feel empty. He felt… real . And I didn’t know what to make of that.
“Hand it over, then,” he finally murmured, breaking through my charged thoughts.
Heart pounding, I leaned across the table until the fish brushed his lips. With his eyes still locked on mine, Rune opened his mouth and tugged the food off the fork with his teeth, his tusks glinting beneath the flickering hearth-light.
A tidal wave of anticipation consumed me. Every inch of my skin prickled, and heat burned my cheeks. I sat back and lowered my fork to my plate, waiting. After a moment, Rune chewed the food, swallowed, and went back to his eggs.
He didn’t twitch. He didn’t gasp or fall over dead, which meant he hadn’t tried to poison me. Well, that was good.
I should feel relieved, but the churning dread remained. Rune was smiling as he tucked some more food into his mouth, looking far too happy with himself. It was like he knew what I’d been thinking, that I’d suspected the food. And now he thought he’d won this silent, fraught battle of wits.
An unsuspecting person wouldn’t be smug about that. Something I’d done must have tipped him off.
That could only mean one thing. Rune had a pretty good idea why I’d come to this island.