Chapter 34 Svenn #2
Silence settles between us. The only sound is Rainer’s strained breathing and the distant hammering from the city below.
Rainer looks at me with those dying eyes and smiles faintly.
“No,” he says. “I don’t expect you to.”
His gaze drifts toward the door Rhianelle left through.
“But I’m glad you hate me for it,” he says softly.
His eyes close for a moment. “I can leave this world knowing she has you. I know you will never stop protecting her, whatever comes.”
A cough tears through him before I can answer. He bends forward as another follows, harder and deeper than the first. His whole body shakes with the force of it, and for several terrible seconds, he cannot draw breath.
I move to the bedside and slide an arm behind his shoulders, helping him sit upright. The cup of water rests on the table beside him. I reach for it and hold it carefully to his lips.
“Thank you,” he whispers.
He drinks slowly, taking only a few small swallows before turning his face away. I lower him against the pillows once more. The effort has exhausted him, leaving his eyes half-closed and his breath uneven.
“Good. Hold onto that anger. That protective fury,” Rainer says. “It’ll serve her well.”
His gaze shifts toward the window. Beyond the glass, the sea glitters beneath the afternoon sun. Two seadragons twist through the water near the harbor, diving beneath the surface before rising again in sprays of silver foam.
Workers crowd the damaged water gates, replacing shattered stone and reinforcing the mechanisms that once protected Volundr. Near them, scaffolding surrounds an enormous monument still taking shape.
Ksatka rises from its center, carved from pale stone with her head lifted proudly toward the sea.
Six other seadragons rise along the shoreline, their colossal stone forms standing watch over Volundr like ancient guardians.
Rainer ordered the monument while he still had the strength to leave this room. It will honor the seadragons who gave their lives to save Volundr.
A healer returns some time later and checks his pulse. Rainer has already drifted into an uneasy sleep, his face turned toward the sea. I leave him in her care and step quietly into the corridor.
I see Blaire leaving the palace.
She moves with her head bowed and her hands folded before her. The Maiden of Arawynn has been spending most of her time at the temples since the war ended, seeking solace.
She notices me watching and nods politely.
I nod back.
I am grateful to her for what she did for Rhianelle during the war. She made herself a target and could have died. I owe her more than I’ve ever said.
Thank you, Blaire. For protecting her when I couldn’t. For being what she needed when I was failing.
Blaire starts to walk past me, but I notice something. A tattoo that catches the light. I’ve seen the water wyrm before.
It was a serpentine dragon that wrapped around her wrist. But it’s not on her wrist anymore. I look again and the tattoo has moved higher. It’s on her forearm now.
That’s... odd.
I remember that Blaire had gone to Astefar before the seal broke to save Rhianelle’s life. She never told us everything that happened there.
Perhaps something found her in that forest.
The things that live in Astefar don’t give help freely. They bargain. They mark. Did Blaire make some kind of bargain to obtain the cure after all? If she did, what did she promise the creatures there in return for saving Rhianelle?
“Blaire,” I call, turning after her.
I walk to the nearest archway and search the courtyard beyond, but she is nowhere among the guards and healers crossing the palace grounds. Somehow, she has already disappeared into the crowd.
I am about to follow Blaire when Rhianelle steps into the courtyard.
“There you are,” she says. “I was looking for you.”
I glance once more toward the empty archway. “Blaire was just here if you want to catch her.”
“That’s all right. I have plans with her tomorrow.” Rhianelle slips her hand into mine. “I want to visit Kiiska and Kae’ko this afternoon, but first I promised Shade I would help him communicate with Lucien.”
Lucien.
That is the wolf’s real name, though I am still getting used to it.
“At Shade’s new home?” I ask.
Rhianelle nods and leads me toward the western district.
Rainer gave most of his fortune to Rhianelle before the poison confined him to bed, but he reserved a considerable inheritance for Shade. He also granted him a small title and a house within Volundr, even though Shade was his brother’s bastard son.
A minor lord.
Shade, the Grimsbane assassin who spent most of his life hiding behind a demonic mask, is now technically part of Aelfheim’s nobility. I almost want to laugh.
It is stranger knowing he is Rhianelle’s half-brother. I suppose there was always something between them. Still, that revelation surprised me more than discovering that the wolf was a cursed elf.
Shade’s house stands near the rebuilt northern wall. It is larger than he needs, though most of the rooms remain nearly empty. There are no paintings, elaborate carpets, or useless ornaments. The furniture is plain and practical, as if he expects to abandon everything at a moment’s notice.
Several stacks of documents cover the table beside the entrance.
Rhianelle picks one up and smiles. “Your writing is getting better.”
“I’ve been practicing,” Shade says without looking up. “Lucien refuses to let me sleep until I’ve filled a page.”
The sentence on the page is uneven, but readable. Funds for the southern infirmary. Another page lists materials for three damaged homes. A third contains the names of families who lost everything during the flood.
Rainer gave Shade enough wealth to live comfortably for the rest of his life. But Shade appears determined to spend most of it rebuilding Volundr and helping people he does not know.
Perhaps he truly is Rhianelle’s brother.
Or perhaps he is simply an idiot.
The wolf lies near the hearth with his dark head resting on his paws. He lifts it when we enter, sapphire eyes moving first to Rhianelle and then to me.
“Good afternoon, Lucien,” Rhianelle says.
His ears twitch at the name.
Shade crouches beside him and scratches beneath the wolf’s chin. Lucien leans into the touch without looking away from us.
Rhianelle has been trying to recreate the negating spell Lilith used inside the palace. Each attempt allows Lucien to remain in his elven body a little longer. The first transformation lasted only a few breaths. Her most recent attempt held for nearly an hour.
I accompany her because when the wolf becomes an elf, he also becomes completely naked.
I do not care what unfortunate curse causes it. No unclothed male is standing beside my wife without me present.
Rhianelle sets her satchel on the floor and begins arranging chalk, powdered herbs, and several small crystals around Lucien. Shade watches her closely, one hand resting on the wolf’s back.
“This should hold longer today,” she says. “I changed the binding sequence and strengthened the negation around the heart.”
Shade takes up a slate and writes carefully.
How long?
“I’m hoping for several hours.”
Lucien releases a doubtful huff.
Rhianelle points at him. “That is more confidence than you showed last time.”
I sense someone beyond the house before she can begin. A familiar presence waits restlessly near the front gate.
Shade notices my attention shift. “What?”
“It is him again,” I say.
The assassin glances toward the door.
Rhianelle looks toward Lucien. “Garrett is outside. Do you want to see him?”
The wolf does not hesitate. He shakes his head once.
Rhianelle and Shade exchange a glance. Neither seems surprised.
I do not know what happened between Garrett and Lucien, but whatever it was left wounds deeper than the curse.
A faint crease forms between Rhianelle’s brows.
“Try not to think about him right now,” she tells Lucien gently. “You need to concentrate for the spell.”
“It’s all right,” I say. “I’ll handle him.”
I dissolve into shadow and reform outside the gate. Garrett jerks backward, one hand flying toward the sword at his hip.
“Must you do that?” he snaps.
“Yes.” I fold my arms. “What are you doing here?”
His gaze moves past me toward the house. He looks exhausted. His golden hair is unbound, and there are dark shadows beneath his eyes.
“Please let me see Wolf.” His jaw tightens. “I mean… Lucien.”
“He does not want to see you,” I say.
Pain flashes across Garrett’s face, quickly hidden. “I am asking you as a friend.”
I lower my head. “My answer is the same.”
“Then I am begging you.” His voice drops. “Please. Let me speak to him.”
He steps toward the gate.
I move into his path. Garrett does not stop. He walks past me as if he intends to storm the house, despite knowing exactly what I am and how easily I could overpower him.
“Do not do this, Garrett,” I warn.
He stops and turns. Fury and desperation war across his face. “You don’t understand—”
“No, I don’t. But I understand that Lucien said no.”
Garrett flinches at the name.
“Do you not think he has been through enough?” I ask. “He is trapped in an animal form. Lucien cannot speak freely. He cannot explain himself or defend his choices. Every day strips another piece of dignity from him.”
Garrett’s face drains of color.
“At least give him this one choice,” I continue. “Let him decide who he sees.”
Garrett looks as though I have driven a blade through him. His mouth opens, but nothing comes out.
For several seconds, he remains frozen outside the gate. Then his shoulders collapse.
“Tell him…” Garrett stops and swallows. “No. Never mind.”
He turns away.
I watch him walk down the road without looking back. He does not attempt to enter the house again.
The victory leaves a foul taste in my mouth.
I know almost nothing about the history between Garrett and the cursed wolf. I do not know who hurt whom or what shattered them so completely. I only know that both of them look destroyed whenever the other is near.