Chapter 34 #2
“Maybe,” I conceded. “But when I spoke with her about that, she told me she was trying to protect me. I think she’ll join us.”
Astrid nodded stiffly. “We can try to recruit her tomorrow.”
“Why are there so many people here?” I asked as another wave of visitors swarmed through the front doors, all ordering bowls of stew for themselves. “We’re in Roskilde. It isn’t like this is a travel destination.”
Astrid seemed to appreciate the change in subject. She relaxed slightly as she explained, “The innkeeper said a whole caravan of Seeing Ones arrived in town this afternoon. They’re setting up to camp outside for the night—near the edge of the forest.”
My heart skipped several beats. “Seeing Ones.”
Sonja.
I was out the door in an instant, running for the trees.
The moment I broke through the last of the houses in the village, I found myself in the midst of dozens of travelers.
A circle of tents surrounded a blazing fire, the edges of the camp beginning to encroach on the road a bit.
A shopkeeper was having a loud argument with one of the caravan members, a small group worked on preparing a meal around the campfire, and an older person clapped a hand on my shoulder.
I turned to see a wizened face and white hair. “I’ve been looking for you,” the Seeing One said with a wry smile. “Hellbringer.”
A few of the caravan members within hearing distance stilled, gaping. I winced, turning away as if hiding my face would be enough to take their words back. “How do you know who I am?”
They laughed and extended a hand for me to shake. “Valen, friend of your Bloodsinger Queen. But that’s not important. Follow me.”
I didn’t know what else to do, so I obeyed. Is this how things are now? I wondered. Does everyone know the man behind the mask?
The thoughts sent a chill through me. The protection of my anonymity was officially gone. Everyone in Bhorglid’s capital had heard Arne’s declaration that I was the Hellbringer. And here, it seemed Valen—whoever they were—truly didn’t care to protect my secret.
Was I imagining the eyes on me as we walked through the encampment?
Or were they truly as hostile as they felt?
I resisted the urge to pull up the hood of my cloak.
Hiding would be easy, but after I was done listening to whatever this Seeing One had to tell me, I’d begin searching the tents for Sonja.
She could be here. Right now.
The realization sent a jolt through me. Day was turning to dusk in the sky above, orange streaking through gray clouds. The palace spires loomed in the distance, foreboding. And my sister was in the same place as me for the first time in five years.
Valen tapped my shoulder. “You with me, Hellbringer?”
I blinked back to awareness. We now stood in front of a tent, slightly bigger than all the others. Valen pulled back the flap and gestured for me to enter. I frowned. “Why?”
They shook their head, amusement in their eyes. “You’ll see.”
I was still suspicious, but I didn’t think someone like Valen had the capacity to kill me. Even without my Lurae. Still, I kept my guard up as I stepped into the tent.
My eyes adjusted slowly to the dim light.
A few lanterns flickered, and a flap in the top was pinned open so the fading daylight streamed down over a small table.
A slender woman with light brown hair faced away from me, her elbows resting on the table.
“Valen, this map doesn’t make any sense.
What do all the symbols mean?” She waved her left hand exasperatedly, and a small wedding ring glinted from her ring finger.
Heart in my throat, I opened my mouth. No sound came out.
She turned. “Valen, I said—”
We stared at each other. Sonja looked nearly the same as when I last saw her.
Her hair was short now, cut to just above her shoulders, and her cheeks were no longer shaded hollows from being underfed as a prisoner.
Her shock mirrored my own, even in the widening of her gray eyes and the way her jaw trembled almost imperceptibly.
She took a half step forward, her hand lifting toward me. “S?ren?”
“Sonja.” I rushed for her, wrapping her up in an embrace. Tears streamed down my face. “You’re real.”
“Can’t breathe,” she wheezed, and I pulled back immediately, loosening my grip. As soon as I did, her palms came up to frame my face, a watery smile adorning her own. “Look at you. The last time I saw you, you were just a boy.”
“And you,” I choked out. “Married?”
She laughed. “Gods, I’ll have to tell you the whole story sometime. But yes. Her name is Clara. She’s funny and kind and brilliant. You two will get along far too well for my liking, I already know it.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
She wasn’t able to answer before Revna barged into the tent, her hand on the hilt of her sword. Fury shrouded her, and I found myself grinning. Since our activities earlier this afternoon, she’d seemed far more like herself than before. There she is, I thought. That’s the woman I fell in love with.
Revna looked between me and Sonja once. Twice. Her brow furrowed and her mouth opened slightly. Then understanding dawned. “You’re Sonja.”
My sister nodded—wary after Revna’s entrance. “I am. And…who are you?”
“This is Revna,” I said, unable to hide the pride in my voice. I moved over to her and wrapped my arm around her waist. “Queen of Bhorglid. The woman I love.”
“Well,” Sonja said, “it’s lovely to meet you, Revna.”
Valen entered the tent, too. “Now that introductions have been made and siblings are reunited, it’s time for us to make a plan.”
Revna frowned. “Why are you here? It’s nice to see you again, Valen, but there’s a lot going on that you don’t know about.”
Valen laughed. “I highly doubt it. Last month, I began having visions of the future after more than twenty years without. Sonja and I are fully aware of Callum’s revival—in Arraya’s body, no less—and we’ve informed the rest of the caravan that Bhorglid is under new leadership.”
Revna winced. I glared. “You couldn’t have come to Bhorglid to warn us? Instead of reconvening with us here?”
Valen shrugged. “We could have, but it seemed like the better option to avoid Bhorglid rather than risk what Lurae we do have on our side losing their abilities before we decide what to do next. And here I thought you were supposed to be a brilliant war strategist.”
“Valen,” Revna snapped. “We don’t have time for this. I understand you made your choices, but we have a right to ask why you made them.”
“The right to ask, sure,” they said. “The time? You’re running out.
If my visions hold true, then they are going to make moves to begin taking the rest of the Fjordlands in a matter of days.
With the priests on their side, they rule Bhorglid with a fist of fear.
And Kryllian troops are already en route to the seaside ports. ”
Sonja stepped slightly in front of Valen. “We came to bolster your numbers. Defeating Callum and Arraya can’t be done without help. There aren’t many of us, but we’re the best option you have right now.”
A lump formed in my throat and I nodded. “Thank you.”
Sonja’s eyes were loaded with emotion, but as Valen had mentioned, time was of the essence. She and I would have to catch up later.
Revna drummed her fingers against her thigh. “Small numbers are good. We can’t wage a war, not against a full army. We’re better off using stealth to try and gain the upper hand. How many in your caravan are prepared to fight?”
Valen answered. “Thirty-five.”
She nodded. “Perfect. We can send most people in to do a prison break. And then S?ren, you and I can steal the sword and, if we feel the timing is right, strike against Callum and Arraya.”
“A sword?” Sonja frowned. “What sword?”
I held up my hands. “Why don’t we all sit down and discuss everything we know? Then we can strategize with every facet in mind.”
I looked to Revna. She sighed and straightened her shoulders. “You’re right. Let me grab Astrid from the inn and then we can begin.”