Chapter 35
Their mate. Their mate.
Raye looked at Kalfr for a hushed, jolting instant, her heart skipping. Despite Gaelfr’s many claims about this, Kalfr hadn’t once called her his mate since they’d reunited, had he? Let alone their mate?
But now, here he was publicly announcing it. Endorsing it, for his clanmates to hear.
Our mate. The mother of our son. Ours.
A quivery thrill shot through Raye’s chest, followed by a whisper of uncertainty, or even suspicion. She was still supposed to be earning Kalfr’s forgiveness, and proving this to him. So… was he just saying this for Svein’s sake? Or maybe just to show a united front before his people?
But Kalfr’s eyes were flinty, intent, even as his hand dropped from Raye’s back, while on her other side, Gaelfr curtly nodded too, and drew her closer into his side.
“Ach, Raye is our mate,” he said firmly.
“She has been a brave, faithful mother to our son, and now we wish to welcome her to our mountain, together.”
More warmth thrilled through Raye’s body, even though — Gaelfr couldn’t mean all that either, right? Surely he was also just pretending, for Svein?
Even so, Raye couldn’t help a grateful smile up toward Gaelfr, and toward Kalfr, too. But Kalfr was still looking toward this Iyolf, waiting, demanding, until finally Eyolf cleared his throat, and meaningfully gripped at Iyolf’s arm.
“This is most wondrous to hear, brothers!” Eyolf said, with a too-bright smile toward Kalfr’s face. “You shall wish your mate and son to have a proper tour, then, ach? If you shall come in, and only wait a moment, we shall arrange this for you!”
With that, he tugged Iyolf backwards, and after one more narrow look at Raye, Iyolf nodded, and jogged off after Eyolf to the mountain’s waiting black entrance. Leaving Raye still feeling flushed and uncertain, until Gaelfr’s hand nudged her forward, toward the mountain.
“Be at peace, woman,” he murmured. “You are safe with us, and welcome here.”
Welcome here. At Orc Mountain. It felt impossible, even more absurd than Kalfr publicly calling her their mate — but Gaelfr looked very certain, and on Raye’s other side, Kalfr curtly nodded, and guided Svein forward, too.
And it was enough to slightly steady Raye’s pounding heartbeat, and she accordingly went, walking straight toward Orc Mountain. She could do this. Orc Mountain.
“Ooooh!” came Svein’s excited voice, once they’d all stepped beneath the mountain’s arched stone opening, into the waiting darkness beneath. “Look at it, Mama!”
Raye took a bracing breath, and obligingly blinked around her, toward…
the corridor? Yes, they were now standing in a broad, open corridor, with flat floors, smooth stone walls, and lovely wrought-iron lamps studded between the occasional doorway cut into the stone.
It didn’t look at all like the cramped dark hovel she’d expected, but more like an inn, or even a large, well-maintained home.
Gaelfr was looking around too, his expression both surprised and intrigued, and he tapped his claw against the nearest lamp. “These are new, ach?” he asked toward Kalfr. “Were you part of this, ástin mín?”
Kalfr shrugged and waved it away, suggesting that perhaps yes, he had been — but he was glancing up the corridor, toward where two new people were sprinting toward them. Two new women, both dressed in highly unusual ensembles, and both wearing pleased grins on their faces.
“Kalfr!” one of them exclaimed — the shorter one, who was blonde and pert-looking, and wearing a belted knee-length tunic. “It’s true, then?! You’ve finally brought your son! And your —”
Her voice faltered, her wide eyes darting between Raye and Gaelfr, and back to Kalfr again, in a clear silent demand. And for a hanging, horrible instant, Raye was certain Kalfr would entirely forget what he’d said outside, and would respond with something dismissive, something safe.
But then he squared his shoulders, and took a deep breath. “Ach, this is my son Svein, and Gaelfr, my bond-brother,” he said. “And this is Raye, our mate.”
He said it easily this time, without a whisper of reluctance or hesitation, and it fully swallowed Raye’s breath, and swarmed more confusion through her thoughts. Why was he saying this? There was no way he meant it, right?
The two new women both looked confused too, as if they also knew every detail of Raye’s miserable history, everything she’d done to keep Kalfr and Svein apart.
But the women didn’t immediately speak, and when Kalfr angled a glance toward Raye, it looked…
defiant. Challenging. As if daring her to argue with him, or question him.
And as if maybe — awareness flooded through her — maybe this was part of the test. Part of her atonement. Showing him. Proving this.
So Raye drew herself straighter, and pulled her mouth into what she hoped was a genuine smile. “Yes, I’m so glad we’ve all been reunited again,” she told the new women. “It’s been… a gift from the goddess.”
There was a beat of silence, in which everyone present stared at Raye — even Svein, his eyes unnervingly narrow and intent.
So she forced a swallow, and smiled again, though perhaps it wavered this time.
“But I know — it should have been sooner,” she added thickly.
“I’ve had… a lot of learning to do, these past years. ”
Her face felt flushed and hot, her sweaty hands wiping at her shabby dress, and she was deeply grateful when the blonde woman smiled at her, with a distinct glimmer of apology in her eyes.
“Honestly, haven’t we all?” she replied.
“But learning is just so crucial, and it’s wonderful that you’re here now!
I’m Rosa of Clan Ka-esh, the official communications lead here in the mountain, and this is my sister Daisy, who’s our official artist. We’re so glad to have you, aren’t we, Daisy? ”
This Daisy was taller than Rosa, with coppery hair, and she was dressed in trousers and a cropped sleeveless tunic, which showed off multiple illegible black tattoos across her pale skin.
But her smile was soft and genuine, and she nodded, and reached out to firmly shake Raye’s hand.
“It’s so lovely to finally meet you,” she said.
“I’d love to see some of your work sometime.
Kalfr’s spoken so highly of you and your weaving skill. ”
Wait, he had? Raye blinked at this Daisy, and then at Kalfr. Had he really praised her and her work to these people? Despite everything that had happened between them?
But he wasn’t denying it, only looking past this Daisy’s shoulder, and Raye smiled and nodded back at Daisy, and managed to thank her, too. She could prove this. She would.
“So now,” Rosa said brightly, clapping her hands together, “let’s begin your tour! I have a pre-planned itinerary available, The Orc Mountain New Mate Experience, but since we have this very special guest” — she bent forward and beamed toward Svein — “perhaps he’d like to choose what to see first?”
Svein looked understandably overwhelmed by this onslaught of information, but he eased closer into Kalfr’s side, and gave a cautious smile toward Rosa’s expectant face.
“I want to see the places from the Orc Mountain book,” he shyly replied.
“Like the forges, and the mushrooms. And the Bautul fighting-pit.”
Rosa instantly straightened, and a look of almost feral glee flashed across her face. “Oh, you read the book!” she crowed. “Did you know Daisy and I made it together, and printed it here? Now come, come, and see everything in person! And tell us what all your favourite pages were, too!”
Svein’s smile widened, and soon they were all following Rosa and Daisy through the mountain’s twisty lamplit corridors, listening to Rosa’s cheerful chatter, and peeking into various rooms as they passed.
Orc Mountain boasted an astonishing quantity of clever rooms and passages, connected in seemingly random ways, and all with varying purposes — bedrooms, meeting rooms, latrines, common-rooms, and several brightly lit forges, with bulky smiling orcs creating everything from swords to pickaxes to fine jewelry.
“Look, Mama!” Svein exclaimed again and again, clutching at Kalfr’s hand, and pointing his claw toward whatever had caught his eye. “Look at that! It’s just like in the book!”
His delight was contagious, and Raye didn’t need to pretend to gasp and marvel along with him as they saw one room after another, each more surprising than the next.
A warm, well-appointed sickroom. A large, bustling kitchen, full of fragrant scents, and multiple friendly cooks, several of them women.
A huge room with several deep steaming baths cut into the smooth stone floor.
And finally, the promised mushroom garden, which was more stunning than Raye had thought possible, with rare and delightful varieties sprouting from almost every surface, and some even glowing pale and greenish in the dark.
“You really helped to make this?” Raye breathlessly asked Kalfr, and she’d reflexively gripped at his arm, his skin warm and smooth beneath her fingers. “It’s spectacular.”
Kalfr shrugged and murmured something about his brother Joarr doing most of the work, but he hadn’t moved his arm away from hers, and Gaelfr came up behind them, and hooked his arm around Kalfr’s neck.
“Ach, this is good work, ástin mín,” he said firmly.
“We ought to build one of these out at our byrgi, also.”
Kalfr didn’t reply, but Raye didn’t miss the flicker of surprise in his eyes, and perhaps the glimmer of interest, too.
As if he might welcome that. As if it might even be something else that would encourage him to stay.
And once they’d all trooped out of the mushroom garden again, Raye found herself exchanging a satisfied glance with Gaelfr beside her. They would do this, together.