Chapter Six
Sven
Sven leaned back against the recliner that had become his bed.
Morning light was just beginning to glow through his windows.
He needed sleep. Exhaustion pressed down heavier than the bandages that wrapped his torso.
Despite the healing that had occurred, the wound still ached enough to drive him mad.
He had fought battles before and even been injured. But this one was different. Sloppy on his part. Desperate on theirs. And much, much, too close for comfort. It didn’t help that with his dragon, wounds didn’t normally exist the following day.
Every breath caught on the edge of pain and reminded him of his carelessness, though he had mastered the art of keeping it from showing.
Lars had enough to worry about without watching him flinch, and Sven had avoided any contact with the other guards.
Outward strength meant survival for the royal family, and while he trusted his men, there was always an enemy around just searching for a moment of weakness.
It wasn’t just the assassination attempt that prevented him from sleeping. It was her. The mystery woman. The one who had been able to heal him when his own dragon could not.
He gently touched his chest. Well, start the healing process anyhow. Did she even know that he was a dragon? If so, how? The questions haunted him.
Sven tried to recall her face again. Her calm and steady voice.
Her soft touch. Every detail about her. He remembered her brushing his forehead.
He shifted in his chair. That’s part of what bothered him.
Most healers he had experienced clearly touched the wound to heal it.
Each had their own specific methods. But this woman.
She hadn’t acted like she was even trying to heal him but yet had accomplished the impossible.
She had simply leaned over him as a complete stranger in the chaos.
He remembered her eyes. Instead of fear, he had seen determination.
Had she even known that she was blocking the archer from killing him? He thought of the ring he had tucked away in his office. Did that have anything to do with her abilities?
“Who are you?” he asked in silence. His voice echoed in the quiet recesses of his chamber.
A soft knock on the door and Lars peeking in. “Sven. Doctor’s here.”
Sven let out a slow breath. “Send him in.”
The door opened, and Martin entered with his satchel at his side. The doctor’s thinning gray hair was neatly brushed back and his glasses perched on his nose. “How’s my suicidal patient doing today?”
Sven groaned. “Is that what people think?”
“That’s what I think, and I’m the one who matters,” Martin asked in that friendly but no-holds-barred tone that Sven normally appreciated. “You did go off on your own against the advice of your own captain of the guard.”
“Alive.” Sven answered the original question dryly as he ignored the jab. Acknowledging it would just egg Martin on.
“That’s a start.”
Martin opened his satchel and pulled on gloves. “Let’s have a look.”
Sven spread his arms wide even though the motion made him wince. The bandages showed blood where the stab still seeped. Martin peeled the gauze away and exposed the raw wound beneath. His flesh looked redder than Sven liked to admit.
Martin’s brows furrowed together. “I have to admit. I’m not sure what to do. We still don’t know what the toxin is, and whatever your little voodoo lady did is wearing off.”
“Voodoo lady? Really?” Sven muttered.
Martin ignored him and stood. “Until we know who she is, or what she is, voodoo lady is it. We need to find her.” He pulled out a syringe and removed the cap.
“No shit. What’s that?” Sven asked.
“Broad-spectrum antibiotic. I have no way of knowing if it will work, but until we have better options, I have to do something to keep your ass alive.” He grinned as he jabbed it into Sven’s arm. “Don’t worry. Even if it doesn’t do anything helpful, it’s nothing that will hurt you.”
Martin rebandaged the wound with efficient movements. “Stay still and rest until we know more. Don’t play the hero.”
Sven almost smiled at that. “That’s Lars’s line.”
Lars, who had hovered near the door, adjusted his ear piece. “Sven. Coben is here to see you.”
“Finally.” Sven pointed to his wardrobe. “Martin, help me get a shirt on. I don’t want to deal with the director half naked or with my bandages out for anyone to see.”
Once the buttons were in place, Sven nodded to Lars. “Bring him in.”
“Let me know when you find her,” Martin ordered. “Until then, I’ll be in my office.”
The door opened as Martin headed out and Coben stepped inside.
The man’s presence always reminded Sven of a bear.
Vital and strong, perhaps a bit thick around the middle, and with a look that seemed inviting but would bite at any given chance.
His uniform was missing his tie and jacket and overall, he looked very casual.
As if reading his mind, Coben grinned. “It’s too early for formality and I haven’t had my coffee yet. But if I know you, the waiting wasn’t going to last much longer.”
Lars snorted as he closed the door firmly behind Martin.
“You’re looking well for someone who was almost killed,” Coben said, “Your Majesty,” he added quickly.
Sven smirked faintly. “No need for formality, Coben. You know that. What do you have for me?”
Coben sat in a chair close to Sven and cleared his throat. “I figured you would want to know about the woman.”
Sven sat straighter despite the pain the movement caused. “Go on.”
“Name’s Bryn Matsen. She checked into the Silver Snow Mountain Lodge, alone.
She flew here, also alone, from Alabama to au pair for a newly established family here in Stagholt.
They were expecting her on Monday, but apparently Bryn came a couple days early to sight see.
One of my officers discreetly checked through her luggage, nothing out of the ordinary and not more than one person would need.
Her cell phone will only work off of Wi-Fi and she’s not made any calls.
Family background is unremarkable, if not a bit sad, but she doesn’t seem tied to anyone or any groups that would be alarming. ”
Bryn. The name twisted through him like a warm breeze. Lars stared intently at him so he kept his expression blank.
“Au pair, huh?” Sven asked, his voice low. “You believe her?” He wanted to hear it from an official source even though Lars had already given him the information.
Coben lifted a shoulder. “Doesn’t strike me as the type to lie, and the Padusky family checks out. But my crystal ball is broken, so I can’t know everything. Everyone’s got secrets.”
Sven nodded. Everyone did, himself included. Coben was a trusted associate but even he wasn’t privy to the royal family secret.
“You want me to keep an eye on her?”
“Do you think she was involved with the assassin?” Lars asked from his post.
Another shrug. Coben shook his head. “No. I think she just happened to be there as she stated. The fact that she blocked Sven from the archer assassin was not planned as far as I can tell. I have nothing that states otherwise nor do I have any reason to question anything. My investigation continues, of course, but she’s not even on my list to question again. ”
Sven thought it over. He didn’t want Bryn spooked, not until he understood his need to see her again. There was something unseen, and as of yet unknown, about the woman.
“Nothing seemed off about her?” Sven couldn’t directly ask about the healing powers.
Coben didn’t seem to think the question was anything but random. “No. She was pretty shook up but held herself together until we called a rideshare to take her to the hotel.”
“Did she say anything about a ring?” Sven left the question purposely vague.
“Actually, yes.” The answer surprised him. Coben crossed his arms. “She was upset that she lost her ring somewhere in the encounter and I had an officer look, but we couldn’t locate it for her. Why do you ask?”
“I have it,” Sven answered. “It must have slipped off her hand while she was assisting me. Did she say why it was important?”
“No, but I got the sense it was more sentimental value than anything. Do you want me to take it to her?”
“No, I’ll be sure she gets it back.”
Coben pursed his lips together. “I can always pick her up and question her some more if you think it’s warranted.”
“No,” Sven answered firmly. “I’ll handle it. Any news on my brother?”
Coben gave a curt nod. “Nothing. If he was on the plane, it’s like he just disappeared. No one noticed anything unusual until you were hit. We’ve had no demands for ransom if the Skelvarns took him nor have we…” His voice trailed off.
“Nor have you found any bodies,” Sven finished for him. He exchanged a glance with Lars. They both knew that a dragon body would never be found if Erik had been murdered.
Coben half-bowed. “I will let you know when I have something else. In the meantime, coffee awaits and I have to get to work.”
“Thanks for stopping by.” Sven didn’t want to reveal how important it was to him to have a name for the mystery woman. Now Martin wouldn’t have to call her the voodoo lady.
Sven sat in silence for a moment before he turned to Lars. “Bring me Eva.”
“Your mother’s assistant?”
He nodded. “She’ll be perfect to convince Bryn to come to the castle.”
Lars stepped closer, tense and obviously not happy. “I understand that we need to know how she healed you, but perhaps I can handle that part.”
“She will come here to me and I will get to the bottom of it.”
“That’s not wise, Sven, and you know it. Alitta…”
“Alitta is not here yet and we still have a few days before the ritual.” Annoyance flared. “Do you think I don’t understand my duties as king?”
“I understand women. Alitta will not approve of your involvement with this human.”
“Is she, Lars? Is Bryn human? Because last I knew, humans could not heal dragons.” Sven didn’t bother to hide his sarcasm. He was going to deal with Bryn himself come hell or high water.
“If she’s not human,” Lars growled, “then we may have a bigger problem.” With that, he spun on his heel and slammed the door behind him.
Moments later, Eva knocked on the door. She stared at him with huge eyes as he beckoned her forward. She curtsied and almost whispered. “How may I help you, your Majesty?”
“I need you to go to the Silver Snow Mountain Lodge and find a woman named Bryn. She checked in yesterday and is a visitor. Bring her here to me but use discretion. And don’t scare her.”
Eva nodded. “I would be happy to. I’ll be certain not to attract attention.”
Sven watched her go. No one would suspect a young girl in town, even if they knew she was from the castle. Sending a guard would absolutely attract attention.
He signed and slumped in the chair. Soon he’d have answers.
Sven almost jumped when Lars burst into the room without knocking. His dark eyes were serious, more so than usual.
“We’ve got a situation.”
Sven let out bark that sounded nothing like a laugh. “Don’t we always?”
“First off, Alitta has arrived unexpectedly early. And the guards are reporting a woman creeping around the gate. She’s alone, and she’s an outsider who keeps moving in and out of the blind spots of our surveillance cameras, like she knows where they are.”
“Bryn?” Sven’s heartbeat spiked, but he forced his expression to remain neutral.
Lars shrugged. “That’s my guess.” He helped Sven out of the chair despite a stringent protest and led him to the surveillance room. Lars rewound one of the cameras and pointed at a shadow that slipped along the tree line.
And then she looked straight up into the camera, just for a moment.
Sven’s breath caught.
Bryn.
Even in the somewhat grainy footage, he recognized her instantly. The curve of her face, the loose strands of hair falling across her cheek.
“It’s her,” Sven said quietly. “Bryn.”
Lars’ jaw tightened. “I’ll have the guards bring her in.” He pointed at Sven. “I told you not to trust her. She’s showing her true colors now, showing up here, creeping around like she’s trying to break in.”
Sven shook his head, though doubt flickered through him for just a moment. “If that’s the case, why didn’t she just kill me when she had the chance?” But why hadn’t she just walked to the gate and knocked?
Lars headed for the door.
“I want her brought to me,” Sven said firmly.
Lars’s eyes narrowed. “With all due respect, that’s a risk.”
“She’s not a threat.” Somewhere in his heart, he knew that to be true.
“What about Alitta? She’s already demanded a meeting with you.”
Sven cussed. “I forgot about her. Have my mother entertain her while we deal with this.”
Lars rolled his eyes. “I’ll have her escorted to your mother’s apartment.”
As he watched the monitor, Bryn moved closer to the gate and hesitated, very indecisive like she was torn between courage and fear.
Sven watched her as Lars disappeared into the hallway. Every instinct screamed she wasn’t here to hurt him. Fate had just decided their paths weren’t done crossing.
When she disappeared from the screen, he made his way out the door and headed toward his meeting chamber. Lars would automatically bring her there, and Sven wanted to be waiting.
He sat on his throne and made himself as comfortable as he could. Lars entered the chamber first and shot him a dirty look.
“This is a mistake,” he muttered. “Mark me on it.”
Sven didn’t answer and looked beyond Lars. Two guards entered with Bryn between them. She stumbled as she saw him but the guards pulled her along.
She stopped in front of him and their eyes locked. Finally, the woman who dominated his thoughts.
Face to face.