Chapter Twenty-One #2
Finally, it rang. Hannah answered and started with the store’s greeting, but Bryn cut her off.
“Hannah, you need to call the castle and send the guards to the deep. Send the entire army. They have Sven.”
“Bryn? Is that you?” Her voice was grainy and sketchy.
“YES!” Bryn shouted. “Call the castle. Sven is at the deep. I’m going to get him.”
“Bryn, I can’t hear you. Where are you?”
“I’M GOING TO THE DEEP TO GET SVEN!”
The train went around a curve and the phone went dead. Bryn sank down onto a seat and held her head. She had no idea if Hannah had heard anything.
She didn’t have much time to cry over it because the train’s audio system announced that their next stop was coming up.
The door slid open as soon as the train stopped in the middle of nowhere. She stepped out but there were no signs of anyone. Every fiber in her being wanted to get back in the train and hide, but Sven was out there somewhere.
He needed her.
A light off in the distance blinked. It was all she had to go on so she sucked in a breath and started toward it. She expected the door to close and the train to continue on its way, but it stayed still as she walked away.
The wind howled as she made her way across the frozen landscape. She moved out of fear and determination, but each step made her angrier. They had the man she loved and Sven needed her. He needed her.
The deep landscape stretched endlessly before her, a vast expanse of frozen earth. Her instincts screamed at her to turn back, to retreat to the safety of the train, but she ignored them.
She heard the rustle of movement but had no time to react before figures emerged from the darkness. Shadowed figures whose faces were hidden beneath hoods. She could see their hot breath billow around them as they moved closer.
She cursed under her breath, but before she could make a move, one of them lunged and grabbed her wrist with a vice-like grip. They had been waiting for her.
"You played your part well, Lady Bryn," the man who held her arm taunted.
“Let me guess. You’re Skelvarns. The scum of Stagholt.”
He slapped her across the face. "Keep your mouth shut while we wait for him to show up."
His words struck a panic deep inside her chest. Sven was already here, wasn’t he? “What do you mean, wait?”
“You’re nothing but bait, you twit.”
Realization hit her like a truck. Sven had never been here. But she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
With a swift motion, Bryn twisted her body.
She brought her knee up and caught him in the gut.
The man doubled over in pain and loosened his hold just long enough for her to break free.
She spun on her heel and started to run back toward the train.
She couldn’t see it, but she knew it was there somewhere.
The other men chased her and one tackled her to the ground. She struggled but he had her pinned in a way that her limbs were useless.
“Feisty one, ain’t ya?”
He stood and yanked her up. She stomped on his foot and he lost his grip on her.
Before she could regain her balance, the other Skelvarn grabbed her around the waist. She tried to kick him in the groin, but she didn’t have the range of motion to make the connection.
He threw her down and backhanded her across the face.
“That’s enough.” He called the first guy. “Grab some rope. This little trouble maker needs to be restrained.”
She sat on the cold ground and sized them both up, but before she could even determine her next move, a roar rumbled through the air. It sounded like thunder and lightning all at the same time as it rolled across the sky.
Everyone looked up. One of the men instantly ran.
“Aww, shit,” she heard before the others tried to scatter.
Her heart skipped a beat when a beast flew by and knocked the Skelvarns to the ground.
Its body shimmered even in the dark with a pearlesque glow.
Silvery white scales covered its body and it reminded her of the mountain tops covered in snow.
The wings were like sails on pirate ships and its eyes glittered like diamonds as it turned to stare at her.
Sven.
Her breath caught in her throat as the dragon, her dragon, landed and positioned his body to shield her.
His massive frame curled around her and his tail lashed and knocked two of the men aside.
With another roar that she felt vibrate in her feet, he unleashed a torrent of flame. The Skelvarns scattered.
Are you okay?
She heard the words in her head as Sven turned to look at her.
She could hardly tear her eyes away from his massive head so far above her. This was Sven?
Before she could answer, he let out a pained cry. She moved around him to see an arrow stuck in his shoulder, deep in his scaled hide. His massive form staggered and the glitter in his eyes faded.
No. Not like this. Our story does not end here.
She grabbed him and hugged her body to him. I can heal you, remember? Let me heal you. She reached up and yanked out the arrow. You need to fly us away before they shoot you again.
She yanked off her gloves and opened her jacket so more of her could touch him. She centered all of her thoughts on healing energy.
Hang on. His voice was weaker in her mind, but determined.
She stepped on his wing and climbed up onto his back where she clung to his neck.
With a surge of energy, Sven lifted them off the ground and rose into the night sky. Bryn clung to him and stayed focused on healing.