Chapter 11 – Neve
NEVE
Leaving our suite proved tortuous, but unfortunately, Vale and I had already promised the Fellhelm siblings we’d join them for a morning training session. We did not want to disappoint our gracious hosts, nor appear flaky in our growing friendships.
Not to mention it had been weeks since we’d trained inside, with various weapons at our disposal, and without the threat of the wrong person or persons stumbling upon us.
Our bodies wanted to stay beneath the furs, exploring one another, but we knew to take advantage of the situation.
Once we left Dergia the following morning, we were not out of danger.
Safety wouldn’t come until we reached Riis Tower and reassessed the situation. After that, how would we proceed?
Back in Avaldenn King Magnus would have questions about where we’d been and why.
He already didn’t trust me, and I was sure that this period away had not strengthened that trust. If we did return, I’d first have to seek the king’s forgiveness and then gain allies at court under Magnus’s nose—a difficult and imposing prospect.
Going back to court just might be worth it though, if only to find a lead on the Ice Scepter’s location.
The Hallow had been missing for so very long, and the king had been searching for it for some time.
A part of me thought it preposterous that I could find the Hallow when no one else had.
Another part believed that I’d learned many secrets regarding the Scepter and the realm and that had to be a sign.
Perhaps I was fated to bring it to light once more?
I didn’t know, but with Sassa’s Blade hanging at my side and my mate walking with me, I figured training might clear my head. Perhaps inspire me too.
“We could still return to the bedroom and . . . stay there for hours.”
The raw desire in Vale’s tone made my toes curl in my boots. In the weeks after a mating bond formed, mates had a greater need for each other—physically, mentally, emotionally.
“We should train for a few hours,” I said. “If I’m really going to ally with the dwarves, I need to see how they fight.”
“So you’re considering an official alliance?”
“I would be a fool not to.” I lifted my shoulder. “Plus, think of all the zuprian steel weapons you can try today.”
He mulled that over and nodded down to my blade, which I had not yet named. “I’m curious to see if, now that we know the blade holds shadows within, we can’t draw them out.”
“I have no idea what to expect from it,” I replied. We’d trained often during our journey south and had seen no hint of shadows. Or any magic from the blade at all.
“Has anyone told you that Sassa’s Blade is said to be a Hallow of this land too?” Vale looked at me. “I meant to mention it once we learned the name of the blade, but we’ve been busy since we visited the forges.”
Busy with diplomacy. Then each other.
“Roar introduced me to the idea of the Scepter as a Hallow, but that was all he mentioned.”
“I’m not surprised. That is the one people saw the most. As far as I know, King Harald did not bring Sassa’s Blade out for the public to view.
And I’ve never heard it called a shadow blade.
Maybe that’s why he did not bring it out much, but it’s just as likely that he wished to keep his treasures private.
The third Hallow also rarely saw the light of day. ”
“What’s the third one?”
“The Fr?r Crown.”
I’d heard that King Magnus wanted the Crown. However, that was the extent of my knowledge regarding the Crown.
“What does that do?”
“Only the Falks knew, I fear.” Vale took my hand, kissed it along the line of snowflakes that bonded us. “Are you sure you’re ready to go public? People will see our marks.”
I laughed, and not just at the sudden change of topic, the thinly veiled attempt to get me back into bed.
“I expect everyone aside from Anna and Caelo already thought we were having sex all the time, Vale. The mark doesn’t always appear the first time, anyway.
Or so I’ve read.” I looked at him. “Besides, they’ll be happy for us. ”
And they were. The moment we entered the castle’s training room, Prince Thordur and Princess Bavirra walked over to meet us, with a sly grin on her face. The youngest of the Fellhelms, the triplets, and Prince Balindur, were mid-sparring and did not stop to greet us.
Anna and Caelo were present too, the former learning how to wield a dagger and use her body weight to her advantage as she did so. They paused in their practice, and I waved.
Anna’s eyes bulged as she shrieked. “What’s on your hand?!”
I laughed. My friend was human, and between humans, there was no such thing as a soulmate mark, but I’d spoken of mates often enough for her to recognize the outward signs.
I took Vale’s hand and lifted them together. “Soulmates.”
The next minutes were a flurry of happy congratulations from the royals and our friends.
Anna, unable to contain her joy, gripped Vale’s hand and beamed.
“Now we both have matching marks with Neve.” She pointed to the crescent scar on her collarbone, the one she’d carved into her skin at the age of eleven, so I would not feel so ugly and alone.
The scar matched the one on my temple—the same scar that made Roar suspect who I was the moment he met me.
“Family resemblances,” Vale said, which made Anna’s dark eyes fill with tears.
It warmed me through to hear Vale call her family because that was what they both were to me. Vale and Anna, family of the soul and heart.
Once everyone had examined the marking, Vale and I suggested getting to training.
“Yes, you’ll want to make this quick, I suppose. So you can get back to bed.” Princess Bavirra winked, and my cheeks flamed.
“Sister,” the Heir to Dergia gave a warning, and the princess rolled her eyes. Prince Thordur seemed to have expected such a reaction though, and if anything, his one eye sparked with amusement at his sister’s cheek. “Prince Vale, I had hoped to engage you in sparring today.”
My mate smirked at the dwarf prince, and there was no denying the hint of arrogance in his posturing. “You’re sure?”
Prince Thordur chuckled, all confidence and a touch of bravado that made Vale’s spine straighten. “I need a challenge for once.”
“I’ll give you a challenge you might not be able to handle.” Vale patted Skelda’s hilt, his smirk deepening as his competitive side rose to the surface.
“My roots were formed deep in this formidable earth, Warrior Bear. Trust, I can hold my own.”
“Sword against sword, it is then.” Vale rolled his neck.
“More rightly, sword against battle-axe,” Prince Thordur amended, and strode to a stand upon which two dozen weapons awaited. “The true weapon of my race.”
I gazed at the double-sided axe inlaid with etchings of fire and mountains blooming above the cloud line.
It was a true thing of beauty, and while I’d seen such a weapon before, even watched Luccan Riis and Sian Balik use similar axes during our training sessions at Frostveil, I had the feeling the Heir of Dergia would wield his weapon on a different level.
“This will be interesting.” Princess Bavirra stood by me as the warding dwarf placed a protection over both princes’ skin so that strikes did not maim, and the males faced off.
Elsewhere in the training room, others continued practicing, though I suspected that soon, the prince-on-prince fighting would steal their attention too.
“Your brother has the advantage, having heard about Vale. Do the dwarves of Dergia have a specific fighting style?” I looked at the princess.
The faelights above gleamed against the dark skin of her high cheekbones as she mulled over my question. “From my studies, I believe we do, though never having left the mountain range, I can’t really be sure. There’s much I have not seen.”
“You’ve really never left?”
“Thordur has ventured into the nearest villages, but none of our other siblings have been allowed to leave our territory. It’s why I’m so excited to help him escort you out of our tunnels.”
We were leaving soon. Tomorrow. The royals had assured us we could stay longer, but I was anxious to get back on the road. To find information on the Ice Scepter so I could begin my search.
“I won’t be going anywhere near the closest village,” Bavirra added, “but it will be the farthest I’ve ventured from home.”
I let out a hum, but as the princes began their session, I didn’t continue the conversation.
I was too entranced in watching the warriors size one another up in real time.
They circled, and I knew from his instruction to me that Vale was taking in Thordur’s every move, how he held his weapon, which foot he placed more weight on.
The other sounds in the training room fell away as other sessions ended. They were watching too. Assessing. Waiting to see who won.
Prince Thordur rushed Vale; battle-axe held high. My mate blocked the blow, but the dwarf prince came at him again with shocking speed and the curve of the axe gripped Skelda and hurled the blade to the side of the room.
Thordur let out a whoop, and his face split into a grin. For his part, my mate seemed astonished but also oddly elated. It wasn’t often that someone got the best of him one-on-one.
“Round two?” Vale asked, retrieving Skelda and returning to the one-eyed prince.
“If you can hack it.”
Vale swung Skelda in a wide, impressive arch, showing off if he ever had. “We’ll see, won’t we?”
Hours later, sweat poured down my face as I stretched my limits in the sparring arena.
After watching Vale and Thordur face off half a dozen times, I thought I understood how the dwarves of Dergia fought with their axes, and Princess Bavirra had offered to have a round with me.
I’d accepted gladly, needing to capitalize on every moment. I might have powerful magic that most could not fend off, but my power was not limitless. Nor did I hold perfect control over it yet. So I required other options to ensure my safety and the safety of those I loved.
That’s what I kept telling myself anyway, as Princess Bavirra’s battle-axe swung my way, and I had to dodge for the tenth time this round. We were warded across our skin, preventing serious injury to our bodies, if not our pride.
So far, the axe-wielding princess had beaten me three times, and I’d matched her—though only by a hair on the final round. This time was not looking so good for me.
Bavirra loved the show of the battle as much as the exertion, whereas I merely wanted to win. To prove myself. I felt that, if I did, it would be another signifier that I was on the right path. That I could protect and fight for what I believed in.
Bavirra came at me yet again. Spinning, I deflected her battle-axe. The metal of the axe struck the stone ground of the castle, echoing throughout the otherwise silent chamber. Bavirra recovered masterfully, as she had every other time, and charged again.
Dwarves were powerful, especially when moving quickly over short distances. In truth, they were far quicker than I’d have imagined, and I could imagine quite a lot.
Axe raised, Bavirra struck, and this time, my blade met hers in the air, hooking on the curve and stopping the metal at my pommel. The princess shoved upward. I twisted to the side just in time to avoid the blade hitting the shield in front of my face.
I was at least a head or two taller than her, though in this scenario that meant I had to watch my lower half more than I usually did. A lesson I’d learned by losing the first two sparring matches.
“Did you stay up too late?” Bavirra teased. “Your arm is shaking.”
I’d grown stronger in the weeks I’d been free, but Bavirra trained often—and had worked in the mines, as was her family’s custom. So like her parents and siblings, her arm muscles were something to envy—and for me, something to conquer.
Though in this case, I was feigning weakness. I acted mortified, and Bavirra pressed harder, sensing a win close by. I allowed my arms to shake harder, preparing my wings for the right moment.
On the sidelines, the princes, Caelo, and Anna cheered for one princess or the other. Beyond them, I caught a flash of coin being passed around. Others had taken bets.
I hope they bet on the stranger. I allowed Bavirra to raise her axe again and as she brought it down, my wings snapped out of their protective position. I leapt.
Her body flew forward, her axe slammed into the ground as I flew and flipped.
It was a move I’d seen Sian pull many times and tried once or twice myself—never to the effect Sian did, but today, it felt right.
Like I might be nearing Sian’s natural grace.
I soared over the princess and extended my sword.
It struck the warder’s protection at the base of her neck, the spot lighting up for all to see.
“That’s my wife!” Vale shouted, pride lacing his voice.
The moment my feet hit the ground, he was there, scooping me up and pulling me into a kiss that sent flames through my body.
When we broke apart, I looked up at him and beamed. “I feel like pieces of everything I’ve learned are coming together. Slowly but surely.”
“Excellent progress.” He let out a chuckle. “In truth, I don’t feel that I can call you ‘little beast’ any longer. There’s nothing little about what you’ve done today—or for weeks. I believe that you need another name.”
“How about a force of nature?” Bavirra came up behind us, her voice breathy from the effort of our fight. “Fighting her feels like one. It’s almost impossible to believe that you’ve been training for only a couple of moons.”
“When you have a lot to lose, you learn quickly,” I said. “Not to mention, I’ve been lucky to have varied, skilled, and generous teachers too. People like you.”
She grinned her thanks.
I leaned into Vale and looked up at him. “I think it’s time to retire for a while, though?”
We’d been training for many hours and tomorrow we had a long journey ahead of us. Being tired would not help.
“Agreed, Force.”
I cocked my head.
“Yes? No?” he asked.
The name hadn’t resonated when Bavirra said it. Not until I heard it from my mate’s lips. Although I didn’t think I was quite worthy of it, maybe I could grow into such a powerful name.