Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
There was something hypnotic and exhilarating about the storm. Katla stood at the window gazing out, watching the rain fall so hard and fast she couldn’t see anything else. Only for the storm to taper off. It was a tease, though, because there was another dowsing a few minutes later.
Katla had never paid that much attention to rainfall in her previous life. That’s what she called the time before the invaders came. And before she turned into a monster. This was the after.
Before , her life had been simple. Now , it was complicated and uncertain.
“ What did you do in your village?” Merrill asked.
They had sat in silence for so long, and she had been so immersed in her thoughts that his voice startled her. She shifted to the side to look at him. He had returned to his position on the floor, leaning against the wall. He could create large tubs of steaming water and shields over the windows to block out the wind and rain, but he didn’t use magic to fashion a chair for himself.
Katla wondered if he would’ve covered the windows had he been the only one here. She rather thought he wouldn’t have. Everything he had done, had been to ease and comfort her. But not him. It said a lot about the man he was.
She raised her brows and asked, “ What do you mean?”
“ Did you have a skill?”
“ I was sought out for medicinal remedies. Many knew what plants could be beneficial, as well as which ones were harmful, but few knew how to mix them properly.”
Surprise flashed over his face. “ Interesting .”
“ How so?”
“ Tell me more about your village. What was your religion?”
Katla turned to put her back against the wall as she thought back to those days. “ We prayed to many gods and goddesses, but the moon guided us. It was our focal point. Above all, nature was divine. We worked in harmony with it.”
“ And you considered all things interconnected. You also believed trees to be sacred.”
She blinked in surprise. “ We did, indeed. How did you know that?”
“ Because Druids on Earth believe the same. Among other things.”
“ Like what?” she pressed, eager to learn more. It was shocking—and thrilling—to have that connection between their worlds, yet she had never heard the word Druid until recently.
Merrill thought for a moment before answering. “ Ancestors are honored because it is believed they impart information from beyond the grave. Druids also believe that once someone dies, their souls are reincarnated to live again.”
“ Amazing ,” she murmured.
“ There are eight main holy days. Imbolc , the spring equinox, Beltane , the summer solstice, Lughnasadh , the autumn equinox?—”
“ Samhain and Yule ,” Katla finished. “ We had the same.”
One side of his lips curved slightly. “ You were a practicing Druid and didna know it.”
“ It seems impossible, but the more I learn, the more it seems it isn’t.” She looked to the side, recalling bits of memories from those holy days. “ I wonder if those who survived the attack continued our faith.”
“ You could find out.”
She immediately shook her head as she glanced at him. “ I couldn’t.”
“ Why no’? No one will know who you are.”
“ I shouldn’t.”
Merrill twisted his lips. “ Think on it. You doona need to decide now.”
“ I’d rather consider what direction we head in next.”
“ Any way you want,” he answered.
Katla blew out a breath and pushed away from the wall to walk to the fire. She wasn’t chilled, but she still held her hands out to the flames to let the warmth touch her anyway. The tub was gone. Probably a good thing. She hadn’t wanted to leave it. Had even fantasized about Merrill in the water with her.
“ I have nothing guiding me. I never left the valley before now. I can’t even fathom how big the realm might be, or how long it would take to traverse it.”
“ Well over a year,” he replied.
She turned her head to him. “ Where do you think we should go?”
“ There’s only one place I know that means anything to Villette .”
“ Stonemore .”
He dipped his chin to his chest. “ That doesna mean I recommend returning there.”
“ Then how else are we to find her? We could walk this realm many times over and never locate Villette .”
“ Verra true.”
A bubble of irritation filled her as she faced Merrill . “ I want to find her, not walk around searching for an enemy I probably won’t find.”
Merrill didn’t react to her outburst. His deep blue eyes never looked away from her. “ And after you’ve brought Villette to justice?”
“ What ?” she snapped, her voice raised louder than she intended.
“ Have you thought about after?”
She dropped her arms and looked away. “ I doubt I’ll survive.”
“ Ah .”
Her head swung back to him. “ What about you? Have you thought about after?”
“ I’ve faced many foes over many millennia. There were times when my brethren and I were nearly defeated, but we always managed to come out on top. I’d like to believe this will have the same outcome.”
Which meant he expected a future. She wondered what that would look like for him. What if she survived? What then? It wasn’t as if she had a home to go to. There was no one waiting for her out there.
Merrill climbed to his feet in one smooth movement. “ I’ll return to the other Kings . We might get a few weeks of peace, but Villette stirred hatred among others too deep for it to dissipate so easily. The priests at Stonemore will need to be addressed. And quickly. As will the religion as a whole. Above all, the innocents must be protected. That isna even considering all those with magic who remain in hiding. There is much to do. You would be an asset.”
“ Me ?” she asked in astonishment.
“ You’re a survivor. Doona give up so easily when there is much more of life to be lived. There’s a place for you.”
She wanted to believe him. But she couldn’t. “ I’m not sure there should be.”
His shoulders lifted as he drew in a breath. In a soft voice, he said, “ I know well the need to thrash myself because of my actions and decisions. There is much shame for what I did, and I intend to make up for it somehow. I do it for myself because I doona wish to be the person who allows anger to consume me so that I turn my back on my family. It willna be easy to let go of all of that, but I want to. Perhaps you should consider doing the same.”
Katla was never prepared when Merrill bared his soul. For such a strong man to reveal his innermost demons and conflicts was as astonishing as it was unexpected. Yet , by doing so, he compelled her to ponder alternatives.
As she considered things, he walked outside. It was only then that she noticed the rainstorm had passed. She followed him, her feet moving of their own volition. Cold air slammed into her. She wrapped her arms around herself since her thin shirt did little to help with warmth. Water dripped from the roof to splatter against the drenched ground. Soft sunlight spilled through the dense clouds, moving rapidly. She hadn’t thought about the weather when she headed in this direction, but it would factor into where they went next.
Merrill stood a few feet away, scrutinizing the sky. She used the time to study him. He had a quiet, relaxed manner about him, but beneath it was inconceivable power. He reminded her of a mountain. Strong and imposing against any storms, but unmovable. Unyielding . Or perhaps a lake that might ripple against the elements but then steady, the depths as mysterious as they were dangerous.
“ The storm has passed,” he confirmed. He turned to face her. “ Where shall we go?”
She licked her lips and considered her options. “ If Stonemore is where she’ll return to, then perhaps we should go back to that area.”
“ If we leave now, we could cover a considerable distance by nightfall.”
“ All right,” she replied as she stepped toward him. Then she remembered the fire. “ We need to douse the flames.”
Merrill held out his hand. Hanging on his finger was a long, black coat. “ Already done. You’ll find this will help with the chill.”
“ Thank you.” Katla slipped her arms into the white-fur-lined coat that fell to her shins. She buttoned it up and slipped her hands into the soft pockets.
Their gazes locked, held. Something in his eyes made her stomach flutter with excitement. But it vanished as quickly as it came. She was inexplicably drawn to him, even taking a step forward. Katla searched his gaze for another peek at what she had glimpsed, but it wasn’t there. Or maybe she imagined it.
“ Walk beside me this time,” she said.
He inclined his head and swept his arm to the side, waiting for her to begin. She inhaled deeply, and as she released it, set out. He fell into step with her, their boots squishing in the saturated ground. The clouds were dissipating, allowing the sun to shine upon more areas.
They were halfway through the settlement when Merrill suddenly stopped. Katla paused to see what had caught his attention. His gaze was on the ground, and she soon realized why when she spotted the boot tracks. Alarm thundered through her. Merrill squatted beside a track and ran his finger along the indentation. Then he looked at her. Someone was near. She looked around as he straightened and slowly turned in a circle.
“ Are they still here?” she whispered.
He said nothing as his eyes swept the area.
Katla swiveled her head to him. “ Perhaps we should leave.”
“ Or we can follow the tracks and see where they lead.”
Katla nodded when his gaze met hers. Merrill led, staying on one side of the tracks as he followed them across the road and around some ruins. A few tracks were easy to see, but she lost sight of most. Merrill , however, didn’t have that issue. She followed behind him as the trail led them to the edge of the settlement and the shelter they had used.
“ They stood here for some time,” Merrill said. He crouched and pointed to the track midway in the road. “ You can see that by how deep it is compared to when they walked.”
“ Man or woman?”
“ By the size and depth of the track, I estimate it to be a male. Although …” he said, trailing off.
Katla waited for him to finish. Instead , Merrill lifted his head and peered into the distance. “ Although what?” she finally asked.
“ It could be an Amazon ,” he replied as he straightened.
“ A what?” How many more varieties of beings were out there that she had never heard of?
“ Amazons are fierce, female warriors known for their strength, agility, and art of combat.” Merrill glanced at her as he paused. Then he said, “ You can come out now.”
Katla was surprised when a woman with a blond braid walked out from behind the ruins. She was nearly as tall as Merrill , and her brown eyes locked on him before sliding to Katla . The warrior wore a simple, short-sleeved, tan tunic with a metal breastplate over her torso. She didn’t wear trousers but a leather skirt cut into strips that fell to just above her knees. Greaves covered her shins, and she held a sword in her right hand.
Merrill turned his head to look past Katla . She looked over her shoulder and saw another woman, her black hair in braids, dressed in similar attire. Katla’s magic surged into her hands, and sparks began to shoot from her fingertips.
“ Easy ,” Merrill murmured.
Katla looked between the two warriors. By Merrill’s description, she assumed they were Amazons . Both women looked ready for battle.
Merrill focused on the blonde. “ We were wondering what happened to you, Jenefer .”
“ How do you know my name?” she demanded as she took a step closer and raised her sword so the tip pointed at the sky.
Katla put up her hands on instinct. Merrill gently took her hand in his and gave her a pointed look. Katla lowered her other arm to her side and curled her hand into a fist, remembering his advice about reacting.
“ We met briefly,” Merrill said as he returned his attention to the Amazon . “ At Iron Hall . I’m one of Cullen’s friends. My name is Merrill .”
Jenefer stared at him with narrowed eyes before slowly lowering her sword. “ I remember you. What are you doing up here?”
“ It’s a long story. One shared another time. Sian will be delighted by your return.”
The tension left Jenefer’s body as she sheathed her sword at her back, leaving the hilt to peek over her right shoulder. “ It’s been a difficult journey. Unfortunately , it didn’t work out as I had hoped. I found Narin , but no others.”
“ I can get you back to Iron Hall immediately,” Merrill offered as he shot a quick look at Narin .
Jenefer shook her head. “ We can’t go yet. We’ve been tracking a young girl. We believe she could be one of us.”
“ We need to find her,” Narin said. “ Most of our race has been annihilated.”
Katla looked from one warrior to the other as they spoke.
Merrill’s face was lined with concern. “ We can help.”
“ Thank you, but it’s better if we do it ourselves,” Jenefer said. “ If the young one is an Amazon , she won’t trust anyone but us.”
“ If she trusts us,” Narin murmured, her dark gaze looking east.
Katla’s magic eased back. She should probably pull her hand out of Merrill’s , but she enjoyed his touch too much to move.
Merrill dipped his head to Jenefer . “ I understand. I’ll pass on that I spoke to you.”
“ How is Sian ?” Jenefer asked.
“ She’s good. Missing you.”
Jenefer’s lips softened into a smile. “ I’ve missed her. As soon as we locate the young girl, we’re heading to the canyon.”
“ Then we will leave you to it.”
“ There’s something around here,” Jenefer warned. “ I don’t know what it is. We’ve not been able to see it, but we’ve felt it.”
Merrill’s fingers tightened on Katla’s hand. “ Find the lass quick,” he urged the Amazons . “ Then get to Iron Hall .”
“ You know what it is,” Jenefer said.
“ It’s invisible and began attacking us. But it’s gone after others. Be grateful it left you alone,” Merrill said.
Jenefer looked at Narin . The warrior nodded and slipped away. Jenefer’s brown eyes slid to Merrill before she, too, turned and vanished into the grass.