Chapter 32 Rose
While the Iversen sisters joined the commotion on the beach, Marino and his sodden crew walked up and down the shoreline, frowning as they inspected the damage the kraken had done to Marino’s beloved vessel. Rose didn’t know much about merchant ships, but even she could see there was a sizeable hole along the left hull, the mast was splintered and the mainsail had been sheared in two.
‘My ship!’ lamented Marino, as he wrung out his tricorn. ‘How could that wretched kraken do such a terrible thing to my innocent ship?’
Celeste swatted her brother’s arm. ‘Priorities, Marino. We almost died.’
‘Yes, that was also bad,’ he added as an afterthought.
‘And it wasn’t just some angry undead kraken,’ Shen was compelled to add. ‘It was Oonagh’s doing.’
Marino scrubbed a hand across his jaw, making some silent calculation in his head. ‘The damage appears repairable at least … but there’s a day or two of work in it, before we can even think about setting sail again.’
‘We don’t have much time to spare,’ said Rose, anxiously.
‘We will help you. More hands make quick work,’ said Hela, who had been assessing the vessel herself and was now rising to the challenge with the kind of confidence Rose would expect of an Iversen. ‘You’ll need fresh planks and iron nails. A kit for the mainsail.’
Rose smiled at Hela. ‘You certainly sound as if you know your way around a ship.’
‘Only the wrecks,’ she said, with a snort. ‘We’ve had more than our fair share wash up here.’
‘This is no wreck,’ said Marino, with great offence.
‘Sure …’ said Shen. ‘It has merely a scratch.’
Hela rolled up her sleeves. ‘Whatever you want to call it, we’d better get to work.’ She turned to her sisters. ‘Kindra will fetch our tools and some workers from the village. Greta will take the rest of you up to our cabin. Eat and get warm. It will be cold tonight.’
Rose quailed. ‘Colder than this?’
Greta nodded, but didn’t quite meet her eyes. ‘Only when the blizzard sweeps in.’
‘Great,’ muttered Shen.
Kai clapped his hand on Marino’s shoulder. ‘I’m not one for carpentry, boat man, but let me know when you need someone to hoist this ship the right way up again.’ He cracked his knuckles. ‘I’ll have it back on the sea in no time.’
‘Well, thank goodness for overconfident men,’ said Anika, picking up her damp skirts and making to follow Greta. ‘Come along, the rest of you, before we all lose our toes to frostbite.’
Rose tightened the sheath at her waist as she followed Anika, all five of them traipsing after Greta as she led them into the wilds of Carrig. It occurred to her that both she and Wren were with Iversens. She would have to tell Wren that she’d met Tor’s sisters. Oh, she hoped that Wren had safely made it to the Mishnick Mountains and was cured of her own curse. She sent a silent plea up to the sky, a prayer to Eana to keep her sister safe. Even if they were in Gevra now, Rose still believed in the power of Eana, the first witch.
The island of Carrig was covered in snow, marked by pine forests and hills and rugged farmland, and little else as far as Rose could see. Every time she exhaled, her breath clouded in the air. It was the coldest she’d ever been, the chill made worse by the weight of her damp clothes.
Sensing the youngest Iversen girl was uncomfortable in her presence, Rose hurried to walk next to her. ‘You needn’t fear me, Greta,’ she said, gently. ‘It is merely an unfortunate twist of fate that my sister and I look so much like our ancestor.’
Greta huffed a cloudy breath. ‘It is … jarring.’
Rose offered her a rueful smile. ‘I can only imagine what a fright I’ve given you.’
The girl’s lips twisted, deepening the furrow in her brows. ‘We never learned the name of the witch who came here. When she arrived, she came up from the sea like a corpse, bloodless and half dead. With gaping gills slashed into her neck.’ She shuddered, pulling her arms around herself. ‘We fled with the other families and hid in the high mountains.’
‘Her name is Oonagh,’ said Rose. ‘And she is as you say – a cursed, undead thing. Tell me – what did she do here?’
‘She killed the beasts that came to defend us,’ said Greta. ‘In the morning, we found their carcasses at the base of the mountain. Ice bears and snow leopards, wolves and tigers. All of them slain and drained of blood. They died for their bravery.’ She shook her head, a tear slipping free and glistening against the silver scars along her cheek. ‘By nightfall, the bodies were gone. But we still heard their howls, their cries.’
Rose laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. ‘I am sorry for your loss.’
‘That wasn’t even the worst of it.’ Greta came to a stop midway up the hill, turning to a pine forest that clustered around a small graveyard.
‘Don’t tell me that’s what I think it is,’ said Shen, squinting into the gathering mist.
Even from here, they could see the ground was disturbed. Churned up and spat out, ice and snow scattered like glass.
‘Those are grave markers,’ said Anika, pointing to the wooden stakes that jutted from the snowy earth. ‘This is a burial ground for—’ She stopped short.
‘Stars,’ muttered Celeste. ‘She’s not just taking dead beasts.’
‘She took the bones of our ancestors,’ said Greta, in a hollow voice. ‘The bodies of our loved ones.’
The silence stretched, the wind so cold it felt to Rose as if it was chattering through her bones. She only realized she was swaying on her feet when Shen moved closer to steady her. ‘It’s all right,’ he said, but it wasn’t all right. Oonagh was building an army of dead humans. Rose pictured it in her mind’s eye – cursed bones and gaping skulls, the treasured bodies of lost loved ones pulled from their eternal slumber and used like puppets to do Oonagh’s bidding.
Rose remembered the vision Oonagh had given her, and realized with dawning horror that it was already coming to pass.
‘We must stop her,’ she said, with a bolt of defiance. ‘Before she grows any stronger.’
‘Come,’ said Greta, turning from the empty graveyard and ushering them up the hill. ‘We’re almost there.’
Before long, they arrived at a modest log cabin. ‘We don’t have much,’ said Greta, as she showed them inside, where mercifully, a fire was crackling in the hearth. ‘But what we have we’ll share. There’s ginger tea and freshly baked bread, and there’s rabbit stew, too.’ She pulled a face. ‘Though be warned, I’m not much of a cook.’
‘Good thing you’re a looker,’ said Kai, ripping off his sopping shirt. ‘Any whisky?’
Shen punched him in the arm. ‘Behave.’
There were two snow foxes slumbering together by the fire. Greta shooed them into the small kitchen, where a beautiful white owl was perched on the back of a chair, watching them with wide golden eyes.
‘Why do I feel as if we’re being judged?’ said Celeste.
‘Forgive Aya’s curiosity,’ said Greta, scratching the bird on her head. ‘She is not used to the company of men. Apart from my brother, of course.’
‘No one would blame you for preferring the company of beasts,’ said Anika, coming to settle in front of the fire. ‘Frankly, men can be utterly tiresome.’
Kai tossed her a withering look. ‘That is so rude.’
Greta’s eyes sparked with amusement. ‘I would rather stroll with an ice bear any day of the winter.’
‘You know, Greta, I’m something of a desert bear myself,’ said Kai.
‘Please stop,’ said Shen. ‘I beg you.’
Greta bit back her laughter as she hurried up the stairs. ‘I’ll fetch some blankets and dry clothes.’
Rose went to warm herself by the fire and noticed an old grey wolf slumbering underneath the windowsill. Goodness, a wrangler’s home really was full of beasts. She thought of Elske and her heart clenched. At least the wolf was with her sister, and they would be taking care of each other.
When Greta returned with dry clothes, Rose took them eagerly, choosing a fur-lined velvet dress for herself. The men divided a small pile of what appeared to be Tor’s old clothes, leaving their own clothes to dry out by the fire. After, when they were all dressed and warm, they sat around the rickety wooden table, devouring bowls of rabbit stew. Aya watched them eat, her head swivelling every so often as though she was peering at something outside the window.
‘What’s Feathers so nosy about?’ said Kai, between mouthfuls.
‘The weather,’ said Greta. ‘There’s a blizzard blowing in.’
‘Poor Marino,’ said Celeste.
‘And his crew,’ said Rose.
‘Should we go and help?’ Shen asked.
‘Absolutely not,’ said Kai. ‘You do what you like, but I am staying right here where it’s warm.’
After dinner, Greta made a pot of tea. Kai paced back and forth in the small space as if he himself was a trapped Gevran beast, while Celeste and Anika snuggled together under a sheepskin blanket. Rose stared out of the window at the falling snow, wondering where Oonagh could possibly be going next, and just how many more graveyards she planned to disturb on her way.
Would she be appearing in Anadawn sooner than she had promised? Or did she have something even more terrible up her sleeve? It unnerved Rose that she didn’t know. That she couldn’t even guess.
‘I’m afraid we’re running low on firewood,’ said Greta, returning from the store in the kitchen. ‘We’ve not been able to gather any for fear of running into the witch.’
‘I’ll fetch some,’ said Shen, rising to his feet. ‘Kai?’
Kai shook his head. ‘The snow is no place for a desert-born stud like me.’
‘Ever gallant,’ muttered Celeste.
He shot her a blistering look. ‘I don’t see you volunteering, birdwatcher.’
‘I’m busy,’ said Celeste, snuggling up next to Anika.
‘She is warming the princess of Gevra,’ said Anika, primly. ‘Which is a task of equal import.’
‘I’ll go with you,’ said Rose, standing and fetching a cloak from the wall. She passed another to Shen. She was starting to feel antsy inside the little cabin and didn’t mind the thought of the snow outside. Perhaps the outdoors would do her some measure of good, and besides, she was always happy to spend more time alone with Shen.
They ventured into the falling snow, hand in hand, looking for firewood. ‘I have to admit, I think Kai was right about the snow,’ said Shen, shivering violently.
‘Oh, surely you aren’t afraid of a little bad weather?’ Rose teased.
‘I’m not afraid of it,’ he said, gingerly picking his way through a large snowdrift. ‘I just don’t like to lose my footing.’
‘It snows at Anadawn sometimes,’ said Rose, fondly. ‘Not like this. But every couple of winters, the palace will get a light dusting of snow. It makes everything look quite beautiful.’
‘I suppose we can agree on that,’ said Shen, gently brushing the snowflakes from her shoulders. ‘If I have to be out in it, I’m glad I’m with you. We can keep each other warm, at least.’
Rose smiled. ‘I never feel cold when I’m with you.’
They carried on until they reached the edge of the wood, where the spindly trunks looked spectral in the darkening night.
‘I can break off some of these low branches,’ said Shen, circling the nearest tree. ‘They should work for firewood.’
‘I’ll gather the ones on the ground,’ said Rose. A chill that had nothing to do with the weather stole through her as she knelt in the snow. She could almost sense the shadow of her ancestor stalking alongside her, pulling corpses from the frozen earth. The image was so violent, it stole Rose’s breath. She fell back on her heels, gasping for air.
Shen stilled. ‘Rose?’
‘I’m frightened, Shen.’
He was beside her in the next heartbeat. ‘I’m with you. I’m right here.’
She turned, laying her forehead against his, and tried to give voice to the great swell of her fear. ‘I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose anyone.’
‘You won’t,’ said Shen. ‘I promise.’
Rose closed her eyes, wishing she could believe him.
When they returned to the cabin with a large bundle of firewood, Kai greeted them at the door. ‘Welcome back, woodcutters. While you were out smooching in the snow, we came up with a plan.’
‘What kind of plan?’ Rose frowned, looking past him.
‘Do you still have Daybreak?’
Rose went to fetch it. When she removed the sheath, the dagger was still coated in the dark blood of the kraken.
Celeste gingerly took it and inspected the bloodied blade. ‘Since this blade pierced the kraken, and the kraken is linked to Oonagh, Kai thinks we can use it to track her and find out where she’s going next.’
Shen dropped the firewood by the door and came towards Celeste. ‘Do you even know how to blood-scry?’
Celeste set Daybreak down. ‘You never said anything about the blood,’ she said, turning on Kai. ‘You should know I don’t dabble with it. I think we’ve all learned a valuable lesson from what happened to Wren. Blood magic only leads to trouble.’
‘I quite agree,’ said Rose, with rising panic. ‘We can’t afford to make things worse than they are.’
‘Relax, Queenie,’ Kai scoffed. ‘Blood-scrying is not blood magic. My mother was an accomplished seer and she often used to scry this way.’ He picked up the blade and spun it in his hand, catching it by the tip. ‘Even traces of old blood can hold a link to the person they came from.’ He wagged the dagger at Celeste. ‘And since the kraken and Oonagh are linked by blood magic, I reckon we can use this blade to see what your sneaky grave-robbing ancestor is up to.’ At their sudden silence, he gave a self-satisfied smile. ‘I bet you’re all happy you decided to bring me along now, aren’t you?’
Rose turned on Shen. ‘Will that really work?’
‘I’ve heard of blood-scrying, but I’ve never seen it done,’ he admitted.
‘That’s because you spent your childhood holed up in a stuffy palace,’ said Kai. ‘The desert has its own ways.’
‘We might as well try,’ said Celeste. ‘After all, we have nothing to lose.’
‘And it won’t harm Daybreak,’ said Shen.
‘So long as you do it outside,’ interjected Greta, who had been hovering awkwardly on the edge of their conversation and was now mirroring Aya’s look of alarm. ‘Your magic will frighten my beasts.’
Kai glanced at the slumbering grey wolf. Perhaps it was Rose’s imagination, but she thought he looked a little scared. ‘I don’t want to get eaten by that wolf,’ Kai said.
‘If it makes you feel better, Lupo would probably just gnaw on you like a meaty chew bone,’ said Greta, brightly. ‘The poor old thing has lost most of his teeth.’
Kai cleared his throat. ‘Never mind. We’ll make the fire outside. When the blood burns, you’ll read the answers in the smoke, birdwatcher.’
‘How simple you make it sound,’ said Celeste, dryly.
Kai puffed his chest up. ‘Everything is simple when you’re brimming with pure unbridled confidence.’
‘Let’s just get on with it,’ said Celeste, shooing him outside.
‘I’m not missing this!’ said Anika, wrapping herself in a blanket before rushing to join them.
‘Good luck,’ said Greta, before promptly shutting the door after them and sliding the bolt lock into place.
Rose desperately hoped the plan would work, but after almost being devoured by an undead kraken, it was becoming increasingly difficult to remain optimistic.
Anika looked on curiously while Kai, Shen, Celeste and Rose cleared a space in the snow behind the wooden cottage. Kai and Shen combined their tempest magic to block the howling wind while Rose and Celeste struck up a small fire that grew quickly under the guidance of their magic.
Kai came to stand beside Celeste then, guiding her with uncharacteristic helpfulness. ‘Carefully dip the blade into the flames, feeding it as much blood as it will take.’
‘Don’t burn yourself!’ said Anika, watching anxiously from the side.
Shen shot her a warning look, raising his finger to his lips.
Celeste blew out a breath, carefully lowering Daybreak into the flames. ‘Then what?’
‘Then, you know …’ Kai rolled his hand. ‘Do the seer thing.’
Celeste glared sidelong at him. ‘You said you knew how to do this.’
He grinned, sheepishly. ‘I don’t have all the answers, birdwatcher. Just wait for the smoke.’
As the blade heated, the dark blood slickened and slowly dripped into the fire. Then came the smoke, dark and curling and acrid.
Anika began to wheeze. ‘Oh, what an awful smell.’
Shen clapped his hand over his mouth, pinching his nose to keep from gagging. Rose held her breath, watching the smoke so closely her eyes began to stream. But there were no shapes to discern, no clues in the grey plumes, only that terrible stench that made her feel sick.
Celeste was faring better than the rest. She began to sway, her gaze clouding as she watched the smoke. Kai laid a hand on her shoulder to keep her from falling into the fire.
‘I can see,’ she murmured after a moment. ‘I see something.’ The smoke began to shift, the plumes dancing in shades of white and grey, but still Rose struggled to find the images within. ‘There are trees here.’
Shen frowned. ‘Can you be a bit more specific?’
‘Hush,’ hissed Anika. ‘Give her a moment.’
‘Good,’ urged Kai. ‘What else?’
‘Hundreds and hundreds of trees,’ said Celeste, dreamily. ‘With sweeping vines and drooping branches.’ She shook her head, a furrow appearing between her brows. ‘It’s a forest. So vast I can’t see beyond it. It’s not a place I’ve ever been.’ She closed her eyes, her voice quieting. ‘But oh, it’s beautiful. Beautiful and sad.’
‘That sounds like the Weeping Forest,’ murmured Shen. He looked to Rose. ‘If that vision is true, Oonagh is already back in Eana.’
Rose pulled her gaze from the fire. ‘Then we must hurry.’
Once they put out the fire, they returned to the cabin and told Greta what they had found in the smoke. ‘We’ll leave as soon as the ship is repaired,’ said Rose. She spoke brightly, even as she felt a sense of dread at the thought of going back on the boat.
‘In the meantime, you must rest,’ insisted Greta.
After another cup of warm tea, Rose sat by the fire where the floor had been covered in sheepskin blankets and rough pelts. When her lids grew heavy, she lay down between Celeste and Shen, her hand curled inside his as she drifted off. Even in sleep, Rose drew strength from Shen’s nearness, and the sureness of her best friend at her other side. All going well, tomorrow, they would return to Eana and ready their armies to face Oonagh. She would not catch them unawares again.