Chapter 40
Elva
My ass stung from the captain's last slap, as he dug his fingers into my hips and pounded into me so hard it drove the breath from my lungs. Then, a horrible voice cut through the air, sickeningly sweet and melodic.
“Oh, Siegfried, I’m here to beg your forgiveness.”
What is Coral doing here?
Knowing I was about to be found out, I closed my eyes and allowed just a sliver of my siren to surface, hoping I wouldn’t need to give her full control.
The captain continued his grunting behind me until the curtain was swept aside and Coral burst into view.
Her jaw dropped in surprise. I smirked; now I had hope that Njall would be successful.
Coral looked at the man behind me, and he chuckled.
“Your payment for failing is amazing,” Siegfried groaned, driving his nails painfully into my flesh.
Coral crossed her arms and turned her gaze to me. “He’s terrible at that, isn’t he?”
“What did you say, whore?” The captain shoved me off of him, and I slammed into the ground.
I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. By the time I got to my feet, he’d crossed the room and grabbed Coral by the neck.
Her eyes darkened, and her claws burst from her fingers, but his arms were too long, and she was trapped.
It took me a second to adjust to the light as my eyes switched, and pain ripped through my gums as my teeth lengthened into razor-sharp fangs. My fingers were going to hurt tomorrow, but I stretched my hands out, and when the dagger's sharp talons appeared, I jammed them into the captain’s back.
The scream he released sounded more like a dying cat mixed with a baby than a giant man, but he dropped Coral and spun to face me—his second mistake.
The first had been trying to kill a siren in front of me.
I hadn’t extracted my claws from his body when he turned, so he ended up slicing his flesh open, sending blood spraying all over me.
“Ferflucsing whore,” was all he could mutter as he started choking on his blood and spitting it out toward me before collapsing to his knees. Coral struggled to breathe on the ground, and I went to help her when I heard metal clanging outside.
“Help!” Coral screamed. “The siren killed the captain and tried to strangle me! Stop her.”
I glared at her with contempt. “You always were spineless,” I spat before slashing my claws across her neck, leaving her as a bloody heap on the ground just as the guards burst into the room.
I swallowed back the acid rising from my stomach.
Killing was one thing, but killing my kind sickened me, even if she had been terrible in life.
The curtain flew open, revealing four men.
Standing there covered in their captain's blood, I only had one option: sing. These men had done business with Coral, so I wasn’t sure how adept I’d be at keeping their attention for an extended period, so I needed to move.
It certainly helped that I was naked. The men all froze, and while continuing to sing, I reached back to grab my clothes and stuffed them into a nearby satchel.
To save time, I donned the captain's shirt, and once my boots were on, I plunged my claws into the necks of the men until all four lay bleeding on the ground, gagging and coughing on their blood as it poured into and from the holes my claws left.
Coral lay lifeless beside the captain as I grabbed the sword she had on her hip.
Hearing more men outside, I snatched a dagger from one of the fallen guards and sprinted toward what looked like the back of the tent, slicing open the fabric to make my escape.
A group of about twelve guards was outside the tent.
“Ferflucs,” I cursed. This was too many for me to sing into submission.
My heart pounded in my chest, and my throat burned from all the dust I'd inhaled earlier.
The only advantage I had was their lack of armor, but I was still severely outnumbered.
I turned to run to the side, but three of the guards barricaded my path.
I swallowed hard and opened my mouth to sing despite the odds.
Then, one man at the back collapsed forward, followed by another a second later.
Several of the guards turned to investigate their fallen comrades, only to be struck in the face by flying rocks.
A rock nearly the size of a melon whizzed past me, and I could have wept for relief.
“Elva, go!” Leifur shouted, but before I could move, a guard seized me from behind. I struggled to scratch him with my claws without grazing myself, when he was forcefully ripped away. The abrupt release sent me stumbling backward, but I never hit the ground.
Njall's firm grip steadied me. As Leifur smashed another guard in the face with a rock, I spotted yet another charging toward us from the tent opening.
Time seemed to slow, and without hesitation, I lashed at him, slicing his throat with my talons.
Blood sprayed as he stumbled back, colliding with one of the tent's support beams. As the first beam went down, the force of it took the next one, and soon half the captain’s tent crumpled to the ground.
In the chaos, I took down another guard while Leifur and Njall dispatched the rest. The ground was littered with bloodied bodies as shouts echoed through the clearing.
Leifur took my bag, while Njall grasped my hand, somehow avoiding my still-extended claws.
The three of us sprinted toward the woods.
“Where’s Sindri?” I yelled as we darted into the tree line.
“With our horses,” Njall shouted back, tugging me to the left.
“But Leifur—”
“Your brother is getting his horse from the other side,” Njall said, pulling away before I could argue. “We're heading for the one we hid here.”
“How can we possibly escape on one horse?”
Njall grinned. “Because your twin just freed all the other horses in the camp.”
Clever. I followed him into a small clearing, and my eyes widened in awe. “That's the biggest horse I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s a destrier,” Njall said. “Bred to charge into battle carrying armored knights.”
As shouts rang out behind us, Njall hoisted himself onto the saddle and extended his hand.
I gripped the saddle horn with one arm while he pulled me up by the other, settling me securely in front of him.
He wrapped his arm securely around my waist, took hold of the reins, and urged the massive destrier forward.
“Hang on tight. This is going to be a rough ride.”
Clinging to the saddle horn with one hand, and Njall’s arm with the other, I braced myself as he spurred the horse and we took off.
Calling the ride bumpy was an understatement.
I nearly tumbled off the oversized saddle more than once, but somehow Njall always gripped me tighter before I could fall.
He took us through the woods back to the main road, where Sindri was waiting with Acorn.
Not a minute later, Leifur emerged from the woods on another swift steed.
As I moved to dismount, the prince tightened his hold on me.
“Not yet,” he said. “Your mule is the slowest. She'll be faster with a lighter load.”
Hearing the commotion in the woods behind us, I knew it was better not to argue and stayed put. Sindri had done a great job releasing all the horses. When we finally saw Huestur's men leaving the woods, they were all on foot. We exchanged broad grins and picked up the pace to get away from them.
We rode the horses as long as it was safe before I left Njall's horse and climbed back onto my mule. By the time we crossed the southern stretch of the Bloot River, the sun had dipped below the horizon. We followed the base of the Crimson Mountains, aiming to avoid small towns and settlements for the next week or two until we reached the Forest of Endilaus again. Njall and Sindri were doubtful, but Leifur and I were confident this was the best way to evade not only the Huestur men but also anyone else who might come looking for us to collect the bounty on our heads. Now that I’d killed both a captain of an army and a siren warrior, we’d have to be extra cautious.
Even though Coral had been banished from Konvern, our kind did not take well to one of their own being slain.
We found a secluded mountain offshoot to set up camp and tended to the horses before seeking out a stream.
All of us desperately needed a bath to scrub away the day’s horrors.
My travels with the sirens had taught me that certain parts of the Crimson Mountains contained hot springs, but that day we only found a cold one.
Thankfully, I’d thought ahead and ordered everyone to bring extra clothes.
Njall’s and my clothes weren't in terrible shape, but Leifur and Sindri had been in the same ones since we left the beach, and those were beyond saving.
The spring we discovered was a haven: crystal clear and surrounded by towering trees, bushes, and wildflowers. The faint scent of peppermint and rose hung in the air. Never had I been more grateful to avoid a mountain runoff spring—washing off blood in a Bloot River stream would have been futile.
Sindri was the first of us to strip and leap into the water, tossing his stinky clothes at me with a grin.
Leifur and Njall chuckled, but I quickly shed the oversized shirt I’d stolen from the captain, and after hurling it at Njall, leapt in after my twin.
I moved swiftly to avoid any of them catching sight of the marks on my body after my failed tryst with the captain.
Soon enough, Leifur and Njall joined us, and we spent what felt like an eternity soaking in the glorious water, allowing all the grime to wash away from our bodies.
“Elva, catch!” Sindri yelled as he lobbed the soap my way. I missed it and watched as it sank beneath the surface.
I shot him a narrowed look. “Whoever fetches it doesn’t have to help with dinner,” I called out and dove back into the water.
The cool liquid enveloped me, washing away not just the dirt, but some of the tension that had been clinging to me all day.
Having Leifur and Sindri back by my side, knowing we were all together and on our way to achieve the impossible, felt like a dream come true.
Ripples fanned out across the water as the others broke the surface to search for the soap to claim their prize.
Holding my hair back, I scanned the floor of the spring for it while tiny flecks of dried blood floated away from my arms and chest. A flash of blue caught my eye as Leifur darted down to the muddy bottom.
I hadn’t seen any light colors there, so I turned my attention behind me, hoping the force of Sindri’s throw had sent it that way.
I dove as quickly as I could and scanned the depths for the soap until I spotted a white shape nestled in some algae.
Just as I reached for it, a hand shot out and snatched it before I could grasp it.
Looking up, I expected to see Sindri, but found Njall's smirking face instead.
He pushed off the bottom and disappeared into the depths, leaving me frustrated but amused.
When I resurfaced, the men were already arguing.
“Elva will be on wood and fire duty,” Njall said. “You two cook and clean.”
“I’m telling you now that just means Leifur will be doing all the cooking and cleaning,” I said, swimming over to Njall and snatching the soap from his hand so I could wash my hair.
Leifur motioned for me to join him. I swam closer and handed him the soap, letting my brother-in-law lather my hair and scratch my scalp in a way that felt like pure bliss. When I opened my eyes, neither Sindri nor Njall was around. Both had climbed out of the water, leaving me alone with Leifur.
“Why'd they leave us?” I asked, as I used the soap to scrub the rest of the dried blood from my abdomen and breasts.
“Sindri was worried. How far along are you?”
“Twenty-two days, I think.”
“We’re cutting it close. Are you sure you can last a few more days?” His voice was gentle, and I knew what he was offering.
No. I won't let it come to that.
“I was close today, but it’s just been a lot, and I can’t reign her in like I usually do.”
“That explains it,” he said, tapping my temple gently. I dunked myself into the water, allowing him to work the soap from my hair. “I take it you were interrupted before he could finish.”
I curled my legs up to my chest, wading with my arms to keep myself afloat. “Yes. Ferflucsing Coral was the cause.”
“I hate her. When we see her next time, I’ll—”
“There won’t be a next time,” I whispered, meeting his gaze, and hoping he wouldn't press further. He cocked his head and nodded briefly to let me know he understood.
Coral had been as much a rival as a friend, but being forced to kill her would haunt me more than any of the other times I'd killed.
Finally reaching the edge of the spring, I pulled myself up, letting my hair fall wherever it wanted.
Leifur followed, tossing the soap into the grass before climbing out and offering his hands to help me out.
“Elva?” he whispered, as I swung my arms in circles to dry myself off.
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
I turned back and gave Leifur a peck on the cheek. “And don't worry. I’ll let you know if my urges are going to get me in trouble.”
“I can see them hovering on the surface.”
“Let's hope a hot meal and a good night’s sleep will take the edge off.”
Leifur grinned, holding his hands apart in an exaggerated gesture. “Or perhaps … a certain very well-endowed prince.” I turned to slap him, but he’d already darted away, cackling.