Chapter 83
“Kilda!”
Eidunn throws her hands around me. I just lie on my back and accept it. Her warmth eases my mind. She is safe. I am safe. But what about…
“Ari?” I whisper.
What if the Queen was right? What if he wants to return, now that his mission is complete? A shiver runs through me. I just hope he’s alive.
“He’s… himself again. He’s healing,” she squeaks. “Ylvin is taking care of him.”
A pit forms in my stomach. Ylvin’s hands? On my Ari? How easy the hairs on my neck rise. What if she’s one of his many lovers?
“Taking care of him?”
I raise myself. The Queen’s threats and promises linger in my mind. My heart races as I picture Ylvin and Ari “healing” privately together.
“Uh… yeah?” says Eidunn, visibly confused. “Him and Elof really took a beating during the battle.”
“So, they’re together?”
“Of course, silly. The men are resting in the other room. Ylvin and I have been sleeping by the hearth.”
I lie back. Good to know. Ylvin is a… voracious woman. And Ari… Ari I just don’t know. I shake my head. I can’t let the Queen’s venom control me. Ylvin wouldn’t, Ari wouldn’t. Surely…
My teacher has done nothing other than help me. Show me the way. My way. Ari too. I refuse to be ruled by that wretch’s lies.
My head is thundering. My lips are cracked. My insides feel dried up, hollow.
“They will be happy you’re awake,” squeals Eidunn, clapping her hands. “You’ve been asleep for… what? Two days?”
“Two days?” I croak.
No wonder I feel like a corpse dragged out of the swamp.
“Oh yeah, I was getting worried.”
My stomach rumbles. I realize I’m starving. But I put on a brave face, for Eidunn.
“So, how do you feel?” I ask.
How can I even look her in the eye, after all I’ve done?
How many died in the night because of my mistakes?
Opdal burns. I don’t deserve forgiveness.
I’m surprised she doesn’t attack me again.
Eidunn’s brow furrows and her shoulders sink.
A dark cloud takes shape in her head. Her lips tremble before she forces a smile. A mask I know too well.
“I… I’m good,” she says, her voice cracking.
She’s lying to herself. It hurts to see her pretending. Eidunn is proud. Refuses to show weakness. Her gaze flickers to the doorway, like she’s expecting someone to charge in. Her voice is brave, but her eyes betray her.
“Are you happy?”
She laughs. The dry laugh of a woman with a lot of weight in her chest.
“Other than that—giants are real, wolf-shifters exist, and we’re runaway slaves?”
I snort. It is a lot to take in. If it’s a lot for me, it’s definitely a lot for Eidunn.
“Yeah, other than that.”
“Then I’m just fine.”
“And… and Vidar?” I ask carefully.
Her expression darkens.
“Fuck that bastard.”
“Fuck him. You know, I kicked his teeth in?”
Her face lights up. Like a man getting a mouth full of teeth is cause for celebration.
“You did?”
“His smile will forever be crooked.”
She laughs.
“I hope it’s true,” she says before hesitating. “Kilda, with Njord, I want to say—”
“Don’t,” I interrupt her. “I want to say sorry.”
Her eyes tear up. She nods at me.
“Well, I know someone who is dying to see you.”
“I need water,” I complain, “and food.”
“There’s a bucket by the hearth, and the stew is soon ready,” she says as she wipes her eyes.
“Bless you, Eidunn.”
“I feel blessed, Kilda.”
I rise out of the bed. My legs almost give in. It’s like I’ve been buried and brought back from the dead. Swaying like a child learning to walk, I stumble into the main room.
It’s enormous. There’s a lit hearth. Several beds. Two massive tables. The air, even if filled with the smell of smoke, feels still. Waiting.
“Where are we?” I whisper.
“Some cottage high in the mountains. For travelers, Ylvin says. I had no idea it even existed.”
“It’s huge.”
It feels frozen in time. Like the mountain itself is holding its breath. Safe, that’s how it feels. Safer than any place I’ve been since Groa’s carriage.
“I know. I was quite surprised. There’s even another room like yours.”
My eyes land on the water bucket. I react instantly, stepping forward and dipping the ladle. Lifting it to my mouth, I don’t care if I spill on my thin linen robe. Where did I even get this? It’s finer and whiter than anything I’ve ever owned.
“Careful now…” says Eidunn.
I gasp. Panting after emptying the ladle.
“So good.”
Eidunn laughs at my pleasure. I grin at her, shameless.
“Where is Freyr?” I ask, hoping Ylvin’s gluttonous cat has survived.
“He ran off during the battle, but Ylvin said he always returns when he gets hungry enough.”
I snort, drinking more. Eidunn strokes my shoulder.
“Well, soon we eat. Go say hi.”
The closed door on the other side of the room beckons. It sits tight, needing a firm shove to open it. There he is, in the bed. He turns his head to me and a smile appears on his face. The warmth in his eyes is back. The monster is gone. It’s my man.
“Kilda,” whispers Ari before coughing from the effort.
“Ari!” I scream and storm forward, throwing my hands around his neck. Relief crashes over me with the force of the ocean. My chest loosens. How much tension have I been carrying?
“Ah,” he says, wincing.
“Sorry.”
“Worth the pain.” He grins.
“Will you be okay?”
“Nothing a little troll blood can’t handle, or so Elof tells me.”
“Where is he? Where is Ylvin?”
“They are out, I’m not sure for what. Elof healed fast.”
“I heard…” I falter. “I heard every bone in your body snap.”
He laughs before choking on his breath.
“Yeah, I heard.”
“It was… it was horrible.”
“Sorry you had to see it, my love. But I also heard you’re the one who brought me back. Not bad for a thrall girl.”
I slap his shoulder, forgetting that his entire body is shattered. He winces. I giggle as tears pour down my cheeks. Tears of relief.
“You just wouldn’t listen to reason,” I tease.
“I had no control over—”
“I know.”
“I would never want to hurt—”
“I know.”
He relaxes visibly, laying his head back on the pillow. His eyes flicker, like he’s struggling to keep them open.
“I love you, Kilda,” he whispers.
Heat flares up in my veins. The words settle in me like a seed in spring. A promise the Queen can never touch. Let the Queen choke on her delusions. Let her lies crumble to dust. Her schemes will never come between us.
“I love you too,” I reply.
But he doesn’t hear me. He’s gone. Sleeping. Healing. Still, my spirit soars. I choose him, like he has chosen me.
I sit and stroke his hair, watching his chest softly move with his breath. He has always seen me for what I am. A woman. Never a slave.
Ari is not the Queen’s weapon. He doesn’t long to return. He belongs here, with me. That cursed serpent can claim him all she wants. He’s not hers—he’s free. With me.
Ari isn’t bound to the Queen. He is not a slave. He’s a man.
My man.