The Fourth Realm (Realms Gate)

by Juliet Anderson

  It was not until Damon had his back to the trio that they made their move. A dagger appeared at Damon’s throat. “One move and he dies.”

  Wilhelm turned and glared. “Do you have any idea who you address?”

  “Indeed we do, King Wilhelm. Now lay down your weapon or this man dies. You too, Prince Ulrik.”

  “Do you know who you hold a knife to?” Damon growled.

  “Sorry, but we’re not here to exchange pleasantries.”

  “You know a Viking king never gives up his sword.” Wilhelm took a step towards Damon.

  “Either that or this man dies.”

  Arianna glanced nervously over at Kat. “If I know Damon, he’ll give a burst of blue energy from his entire body, vaporising or at least disabling the man behind him. That will be our cue to hit the other two.”

  “You sure?” Kat sounded doubtful.

  “As Dad said, a Viking never surrenders.”

  A second later they saw blue energy burst from Damon’s body. He barely had time to react before the other two would-be assassins were dead.

  Ulrik, Wilhelm and Damon all spun around, their eyes fixed on the opening above them. “Dare I ask what my daughters are doing here?” Wilhelm’s voice echoed up to them.

  Arianna and Kat stayed out of sight. “He can’t know for sure it was us, can he?” Kat whispered to her sister.

  “No. Sigfried should be here shortly and then I’m sure he’ll forget all about us.”

  It was wishful thinking as Damon appeared in their small hiding space moments later. “I do believe your father wants a word.” His voice was ice cold.

  “Sneak,” Arianna grunted at him. “We did after all save your butt.”

  “I am more than capable of taking care of my own butt,” Damon growled. “I do not need help from you two.”

  “Could have fooled me,” Kat muttered and stalked past him down to her father. “Dad, what a surprise to see you here.”

  “Would you two mind explaining why you are here?” Wilhelm tried to keep his anger in check.

  “As leader of the army, did you really think I would let you ride into a possible trap?” Arianna stood her ground. “After last night’s trouble, it was obvious someone wanted this gateway shut down. And I’m glad to say Kat and I were proved right.”

  “Damon was with me,” Wilhelm refused to yield.

  “And had they wished to run him through with a sword, he would be dead and completely unable to provide any protection.”

  “You are also forgetting, daughter, that I am not totally unskilled with a sword.”

  “Not at all, Father. But as Kat and I have already been through here, we knew where assailants could hide.”

  Arianna did her best not to squirm whilst her father’s eyes bore in to her. Kat had taken the easy route and hidden behind Ulrik. So much for sticking together.

  “You are showing great promise,” Wilhelm admitted begrudgingly. “Now I suggest you leave us before Sigfried arrives.”

  “I would be happier if Kat and I resumed our place above. It could prove beneficial should anyone try anything when Sigfried is here.”

  “Damon is more than capable of taking anyone out quickly.”

  “Whilst Damon does have his uses,” Arianna glanced disparagingly at him. “He cannot see what is happening around the entire room. Being above everyone else gives Kat and I a distinct advantage.”

  She saw the corners of her father’s mouth twitch. “Just keep out of sight.”

  One nil to the Lokranor heir, she smirked as she walked past Damon. It took great willpower not to poke her tongue out at him.

  Ulrik winced as Kat pinched him on the arm. “What was that for?” he murmured.

  “Talking the M word with my father.”

  “He brought it up not me.”

  “You should have said no right away.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Luckily my mother is not into these antiquated Viking traditions of marrying off their daughters before the age of eighteen.”

  “Fine, as long as you’re naked in my bed, I’m not overly bothered about a ceremony.”

  Kat felt her cheeks flush, yes she’d thought about sex with Ulrik but she never expected him to be quite so blunt. “Vikings have no sense of romance,” she retorted before running after her sister.

  “Do you think there’ll be any more trouble?” Kat fidgeted to stop her legs from going to sleep.

  “Somehow I don’t think that was it.” Arianna let out a soft sigh. “There are many people who want this gateway shut.”

  “So much for being a progressive society.”

  “People are afraid of the unknown. They like to stay with what they know.”

  “It’s not as if there are going to be any major changes to their way of life.”

  Eventually they heard the sound of people approaching. Sigfried, Lief, and a couple of other members of the Mallenvaar Council entered the room along with a few guards.

  “Apologies for keeping you waiting,” Sigfried spoke direct to Wilhelm. “We had a snowstorm to contend with.”

  “It is good to see you again. I did say we would find the gateway that connects our two Realms.”

  “The entrance is in Vasmaar, you say?”

  “Yes. Not far from the border with Lokranor. This is why I have brought Damon, ruler of Vasmaar, here with me today.”

  Sigfried nodded in Damon’s direction. “You are most welcome. Well, shall we sit and begin?”

  The girls watched everyone take their seats at the round table. Kat could feel herself start to fall asleep; hell, men liked to talk. Actually, men liked to hear the sound of their own voice. She glanced across at Arianna who seemed equally fed up with waiting for something to happen. Kat was mid-yawn when the hairs on her arms stood on end. Arianna’s sharp intake in breath signalled she felt it too.

  Several men appeared virtually from nowhere on both sides of the room. The guards were dispatched with before anyone registered anything.

  Kat noticed that the one person who did not reach for their sword immediately was Lief. Had he set this up? Either way, no-one was going to get close to her father or Ulrik. Damon didn’t really need protecting. She glanced quickly at Arianna and smiled; that kind of smile when you know you’re about to do something dumb. She leapt through the opening down onto the round table. As she did, she let loose several bursts of fire.

  The thud behind her indicated Arianna had followed.

  “Next time, think about taking the stairs,” her sister hissed.

  “And lose the element of surprise?”

  “Yeah. Far better than busting my ankle.”

  “Moan, moan, moan,” Kat sighed.

  Between the two of them they vaporised many of the assailants but there seemed to be a steady stream of them from all sides. How come they had not noticed the small tunnels that opened up in the walls of the cave?

  “Damon, get my father out of here now,” Arianna’s voice echoed over the noise.

  “I think not, daughter,” her father’s voice reached her.

  “I know,” she sighed. “A Viking King does not shy away from a fight,” she imitated his voice. She had her back to Kat’s so they were protected on the table. Well, as best they could be on a raised platform in the midst of a fight. Whilst she was a superb swordswoman, she’d not had Kat’s experience of using her powers to their most effectiveness. But she was starting to learn fast and killing her assailants with blasts of pure ice.

  Her eyes were everywhere, on her father, Damon and on the men coming at her. Damon actually could look after himself. Soon she could feel her powers fading, it was then down to her sword which she was more than comfortable with. Anyone who got within striking distance was run through.

  The assailants had genuinely underestimated who they were dealing with; obviously warriors from Mallenvaar were not as capable as those from Lokranor. It helped that three of them had something extra to bring to the fight. And Ulrik was much mor
e proficient than he made out.

  Arianna gave a sigh of relief as the numbers had thinned down greatly, soon there just a few left. She smiled as she saw Kat leap off the table and take on one of the remaining attackers. Her sister really looked quite terrifying with a flaming sword. Out the corner of her eye she spotted Kat enter a tunnel to go after her fleeing man.

  “Don’t even think about it, Kat,” she shouted from the table but it was too late, her sister disappeared from view. She had no choice, she had to go after her. Well, she would have done had Damon not picked her off the table and deposited her next to her father.

  “I need to go after Kat,” she snapped.

  “You are my heir,” Wilhelm announced. “I cannot allow you to do anything so rash. Damon will go as everything here is under control.”

  Kat regretted following this man down the narrow, dusty tunnel. At least she could provide light. Slowing her pace, she raised her sword. The bastard must be hiding waiting to catch her unaware. The further she went down the tunnel, the more nervous she felt. If she turned back now she would look a coward. She gave her head a shake; she was turning more Viking every day. She put it down to Ulrik’s influence.

  Up ahead she could see the warm glow of a light. Perhaps her chase was coming to an end. Stopping at the entrance to another small cavern, she cast her eyes around furtively for the man. Finally, she caught the faintest movement. As she made for him, two more came from the other side. Hardly fair, three men against one woman. With her left hand she vaporised the two whilst she clashed swords with the other hooded figure.

  “I have to commend you, Princess Katya. Your fighting skills are excellent.” The voice was recognisable but she could not place him.

  “We have met?” she enquired politely as their swords sparked.

  “A few days ago,” he pushed back his hood.

  “Erland?”

  He nodded.

  “But I thought you wanted nothing more to do with Lief and Oskar’s plans?”

  “I want nothing more than to live in Vasmaar. Lief has promised that if Sigfried and Ulrik are killed, he will guarantee me a place in Vasmaar in return for my services.”

  “Could you not just request a place? Why go to the trouble of setting up this whole scene?”

  “Because we need it to look like dissenters were the cause of their death.”

  “But they are very much alive. So you and Lief have failed.”

  “There will be plenty of other opportunities.”

  “Not if you are behind bars.”

  “And who is going to put me there?” he gave a supercilious smile.

  “Me.”

  “You don’t possess the power.”

  Kat let out a deep growl and charged at him, sword burning brightly. But he was right. With his sorcery, he was far stronger than her. Gradually she could feel her strength being zapped.

  “If you give up now, Katya, I will make your passing swift.” His tone was soft and taunting.

  Kat gave a wry smile. “To quote my father, a Viking never surrenders.”

  Her arms were feeling so very weak, she knew she could not hold out much longer. And she was right. Erland’s sword sliced across the top of her right arm and shoulder. Letting out a high-pitched squeal, she dropped to her knees. She had seen blood from cuts and scrapes as a child, but nothing prepared her for the sight of her own blood seeping alarmingly fast into her clothes. A wave of nausea washed over her.

  “I am so very sorry, Katya. You are truly gifted and will even die like a Viking.” He raised his sword.

  His words started to become a blur, everything was fading, all except for one final flash of bright blue light. Then darkness engulfed her.

  Damon was feeling less than happy chasing after Kat. He knew Arianna would be fine but he wanted to watch her back. And what had possessed Kat to do something so stupid as to follow someone down a corridor? He would smack some sense into her when he caught up with her.

  The air constricted in his lungs as he entered the small cavern and saw the sword raised above a blood-soaked Kat. He shot out a huge burst of blue energy, vaporising the assailant immediately. Rushing forward, he caught Kat before she hit the cavern floor.

  “Speak to me, Kat?” he shouted.

  There was no response. That was hardly surprising, she had lost a lot of blood. Slicing a strip off his cloak, he did his best to try and stem the blood loss before scooping her up and hurrying back along the tunnel. It was slow going as the passage was narrow. He gave a sigh of relief as they re-emerged back in the main room.

  Damon laid her down on the table as Arianna surged forward.

  “Kat?” she whispered.

  “In a bad way,” Damon responded bluntly. In better light, he got a good look at the damage. “We need to get her treatment right away.”

  “How much blood has she lost?” Wilhelm asked.

  “Enough,” Damon grunted.

  “We have to get her home,” Arianna murmured. “She can get a blood transfusion and be patched up in the First Realm.”

  “She could be dead before we get there. You’re forgetting we’re nowhere near a gateway. Besides, it’s a good hour trip to a decent emergency department from Muirhead. And then you have to try and explain how your sister was sliced open by a sword,” Damon continued to add pressure to stop the bleeding but the wound was extensive.

  “Do you have a better solution?” Arianna snapped. She was truly worried for her sister.

  “My hunting lodge is not far. We can make her comfortable there and hope for the best.”

  “I don’t want to rely on hope for my sister,” Arianna bit back.

  “I’ll carry her,” Wilhelm said with authority, scooping up his unconscious daughter.

  Damon saw the pain etched on Wilhelm’s face. He could not even begin to imagine what it must be like to lose a daughter, any child in fact.

  Sigfried caught Ulrik’s arm to detain him. “You are needed here, Son. Katya’s family will want to be with her.”

  Ulrik looked over to Damon. “Please let me know how she does?”

  “We will,” he gave a pained smile.

  Soon he was following Arianna and Wilhelm back down the long tunnel to Vasmaar.

  The ride to his lodge seemed to take much longer than it actually did. No-one spoke, their minds were all focused on Kat. She was white as a sheet and limp.

  “I’ve asked Magnus to bring our local healer over right away. They should be here within the hour. Hopefully the woman can stitch Kat up.”

  Arianna took hold of her sister’s lifeless hand; she knew Kat probably didn’t have an hour, they needed to stop the bleeding quicker. It was kind of ironic that the last time they were in the hunting lodge it was she who was unconscious.

  Then the solution hit her like a freight train. Kat had used her fire to spark life back into her. In return she could use her ice to save her sister.

  “Quick, I need access to her wound,” Arianna barked at Damon.

  “Why?”

  “You’ll see.” Together they cut away her clothes until her torso was virtually bare. Arianna’s hand was shaking like a leaf as she held it a few inches from Kat’s skin. She knew that too strong a burst of ice could vaporise her sister. She only needed enough to freeze the area and temporarily drop her sister’s body temperature so the blood flow would dramatically slow. She was amazed that it actually worked. The area turned rather bluish in colour but the blood had stopped.

  She had just finished cleaning the area when the healer arrived. An hour later she was back beside her sister’s side. Her wound had been extensive and she had a very neat row of stitched across the top of her arm, shoulder and part of her chest. Kat looked almost as white as the sheets that covered her, the only colour was her flaming copper hair. Lying down next to her sister, she held on tight to her hand. “You have to wake up for me, Kat. I can’t do this whole Viking thing without you.”

  A sound in the living room next door broke through
her thoughts. Her mother burst through the door.

  Her hand went instinctively to Kat’s forehead. “She is still very cold.”

  “That might be my fault,” Arianna murmured. “I had to stop the bleeding somehow.”

  Her mother’s blue eyes rested on her for a moment. “That was a clever move.” Erin stroked Kat’s cheek. “How much blood did she lose?”