by A. E. Rayne
Runa avoided Morac’s eyes as he marched past. She had been helping to care for Bruno in an attempt to stay away from him. ‘And how is your husband today?’ she asked, smiling at Ayla.
‘Much better,’ Ayla said with a happy sigh. ‘He walked around the hall this morning. His legs are becoming stronger.’
‘I’m glad,’ Runa said. ‘It must have been so hard being without him all that time.’
‘It was, yes,’ Ayla admitted. ‘I sometimes wondered if I would ever be with him again. I did not see a future with him in my dreams.’
‘But you saw Ivaar?’ Isaura asked anxiously, watching out of the corner of her eye as Mads waddled through the mud after a chicken.
‘I did,’ Ayla said quietly. ‘I saw Ivaar as king here for a long time.’
Runa’s eyes widened. ‘And now?’
‘Now, I see fire,’ Ayla breathed. ‘Always fire.’
36
‘No!’ Jaeger was incensed. ‘Why would I let it out of my sight?’
He rounded on Morana who stood by the window, wishing she could run her knife through him and take the book. She sighed impatiently. ‘I need more time with it. Keeping it with me would help.’
Jaeger eyed her suspiciously, shaking his head. ‘First, you tell me you can read the book, then you can’t. Then Yorik tells me he can, but he can’t. And now? Now, I’m supposed to trust you to take the book away, as though somehow taking it out of my chamber will help you understand it better?’ He sucked in a breath, scanning the room. ‘No, you can’t! And where’s Meena?’ he grumbled.
Morana tried not to roll her eyes. ‘Perhaps she’s run away?’
Jaeger looked surprised. ‘Run away to where? She has nowhere to go. She has no one but me.’ He looked at the door.
Now, Morana did roll her eyes. Why was he so obsessed with her hideous niece? ‘Perhaps she prefers the company of your brother?’
Jaeger froze, then turned his head ever so slowly back to Morana. ‘My brother? Berard? You’ve seen them together?’
‘I have,’ Morana smiled. ‘Often. Whenever she is not here, I imagine she goes to find him. They are very close.’
Jaeger looked incredulous. And then, quickly furious.
Morana dropped her smirking face to the floor, hiding behind her hair.
Gleeful.
Aedan, Aron, and Kormac sat around the table, practising the symbol with Entorp. All four of them would be going to the towers to carve it into the walls, before cutting through the ones that were binding the soldiers. And somehow, Jael would have to ensure that every tower was safe for them to work in.
But how? She didn’t want to kill those soldiers without reason. They were bound, innocent, and they needed their help.
‘What about a diversion?’ she suggested, glancing at Beorn who she had brought to the house for a good meal and a long talk to plan their escape. ‘If they think there’s an attack, they’d all head up top, wouldn’t they?’
‘But how would we get outside the gates?’ Beorn mumbled, his mouth full of warm apple cake. ‘We can’t do it inside the fort. We’d just get ourselves in more trouble.’
Jael frowned, sneaking Vella a piece of cake. She turned to Entorp. ‘Can we put them into a deep sleep?’
Edela, back in bed again, smiled. ‘Oh yes, we can do that!’
Jaeger stormed through the castle, checking in every chamber, but he couldn’t find Meena. He did, however, find Berard who was with Karsten and Haegen in the training ring.
‘Where is she?’ Jaeger snarled, bursting through his brothers, ignoring their grumbles, striding towards Berard who was sitting on the stone bench, red-faced, catching his breath.
Berard yelped as Jaeger dragged him to his feet, pushing him against the castle wall. ‘Wh-wh-what?’ he stuttered, dropping his sword to the dirt in fright. Jaeger’s eyes were not registering anything other than the violent desire to kill him. ‘Wh-wh-who?’
Haegen and Karsten were quickly at Jaeger’s side.
‘Whoa, little brother,’ Haegen said with a tight smile. ‘What’s going on?’ He stepped in front of Berard, pushing his chest towards Jaeger who ignored him as he continued to lunge at his cowering brother.
‘This is nothing to do with you, Haegen!’ Jaeger spat, slamming his hands against his chest. ‘Get out of my way!’
Karsten clenched his fists, ready to intervene.
‘I don’t know where Meena is!’ Berard cried. ‘I haven’t seen her since this morning!’ He bit his lip, wanting to stuff the words back into his mouth.
‘This morning?’ Jaeger growled, poking his head around Haegen as he fought to push him out of the way. They were grappling now, arms everywhere. ‘And where were you this morning?’
‘Arrrhhh!’ Berard cried as Jaeger escaped Haegen’s hold and grabbed his neck, digging his nails deep into his skin.
Karsten jumped in to pull Berard away. ‘Why not pick up a sword, Brother?’ he challenged, pushing Berard behind him.
‘Not helping!’ Haegen grunted as he finally shunted Jaeger away. ‘I think it’s best if you leave, don’t you?’ He held out his arms, trying to shepherd Jaeger out of the ring, but Jaeger dropped his shoulder and punched Haegen in the chest. Haegen staggered backwards, trying to suck in a breath.
‘What is going on?’ Bayla called from the edge of the training ring, where she stood with Nicolene and Irenna. ‘What are you all doing?’
Karsten threw himself onto Jaeger’s back before he could catch Berard.
‘What were you doing with Meena?’ Jaeger screamed, trying to shake off his brother. ‘Where is she?’
Irenna hurried towards Haegen, who ignored her, charging after Jaeger. ‘Haegen!’ she implored. ‘No!’
Jaeger threw Karsten to the ground, then turned and grabbed Berard by the throat again. Haegen hooked Jaeger around the neck with his forearm and dragged him backwards. Jaeger ducked out of his hold and turned to punch him again. Karsten took out Jaeger’s legs, smiling as his brother tumbled to the ground, jumping on top of him, trying to keep him down. Catching sight of Nicolene, Karsten punched Jaeger in the mouth, pulling his fist back, ready for more.
But Berard grabbed it. ‘No!’ he shouted. ‘No!’
Nicolene looked unconcerned as she watched the scrambling Dragos brothers rolling around in the red dirt. Three of them fighting for control.
One desperately trying to scramble away.
Bayla strode towards them. ‘You will stop this now!’ she bellowed in her loudest voice. ‘Now!’
Her sons froze, glancing up at their mother as she bent down, pulling at Karsten’s tunic, forcing away Jaeger’s hand. Furious. Upset. Determined to stop them. ‘You will get up!’ she ordered. ‘You are princes here! Princes, embarrassing yourselves! Embarrassing your wives! Embarrassing me!’ And seeing that they had all stopped, at last, she inhaled sharply, spinning around, sweeping her dress behind her as she stalked away.
Her four sons lay sprawled in a red-faced, bloody heap, watching her go.
Deciding that it was best to have fewer distractions for Jael’s dream walk, Kormac took everyone to visit Aedan after supper, leaving Jael, Edela, Biddy, and Entorp behind.
‘What do we do about The Following?’ Biddy wondered as she poked at the fire, trying to resurrect the dying flames. ‘If we manage to destroy the symbols in the towers without getting caught, without the dreamers seeing, how do we stop The Following?’
‘We have to kill them,’ Jael said as she leaned towards the fire, gripping a cup of cold fennel tea. She felt odd. As eager as she was to dream walk to Eadmund, she was starting to wonder what she would find when she did.
Entorp nodded in agreement. ‘Yes, we must kill them. They are too blind to see what is right anymore. Their hearts are black, filled with evil. And they know dark magic. They will not be swayed from their path now. If we do not kill them, they will kill all of us. Everyone that lives. That is what they desire above all things.’
‘Well, then,’ Jae
l said. ‘We have to get into the temple. But those doors...’ She looked at her grandmother, who appeared ready to fall asleep.
‘Those doors have stood for centuries,’ Edela murmured. ‘And they are not going to be opened willingly. We know that.’
‘Unless we can get someone on the inside to open them for us?’ Biddy suggested.
‘But who?’ Entorp wondered as he stretched out his legs until his cold toes almost touched the flames. ‘There is no one in there who could help. They’re all our enemies now.’
‘Maybe not,’ Edela said quietly, closing her eyes which felt far too heavy to keep open any longer. ‘Alaric may know of someone who could help us?’
It was a thought. Not an especially promising one, but still...
‘I’ll go and get him tomorrow,’ Jael said. ‘I’m sure he’d like to come and see you again.’
‘Mmmm,’ Edela yawned. ‘I think I may just have a little sleep, but do wake me up when you’re ready to begin. I don’t want to miss the fun of watching you dream walk!’
Jael cringed. ‘Yes, well no doubt you can point out what I’m doing wrong.’
‘No doubt I can...’ Edela smiled, her voice trailing off to a whisper as her head dropped to one side.
Jaeger rose out of his seat, pushing away Egil who had been trying to press a cold cloth to his mouth. ‘Where have you been?’ he snarled, his bleeding lips curling with anger.
Meena blinked. She had been gone for most of the day, and she knew that Jaeger would be wild. But she had not expected this level of fury. ‘I, I, I,’ she dropped her sack to the floor and with it her head, her eyes chasing the lines around the flagstones, desperately trying to focus on something that wasn’t the fear of what was about to come.
‘Go!’ Jaeger growled at Egil. ‘Leave us!’
Egil scuttled towards the door, glaring at Meena as he passed, furious to have been sent away like a slave.
‘Where have you been?’ Jaeger demanded again, striding towards the shaking mass of hair. ‘All day?’
‘I was washing,’ Meena tried, her voice barely a whisper.
Jaeger shook his head, unsure if he had heard her correctly. ‘Washing? Washing what?’
‘My cloak,’ Meena mumbled. ‘My dress. I only have one of each. I, I had to wait for them to dry.’
Jaeger frowned, looking down at her sack. ‘And what’s in there?’
‘Herbs,’ she said. ‘I’m having trouble sleeping. I remembered something my grandmother used to make to help her sleep. I, I went to the winding gardens after my clothes dried. I’m sorry.’
Jaeger narrowed his gaze, finding it hard to see anything sinister in what she was saying, but still... ‘And what of Berard? Why were you with him?’
Meena swallowed, feeling her legs start to tremble. ‘He, I, he, he came to the stream when I was washing my cloak. I...’ She felt so hot. Uncomfortable. Desperate to tap her head. ‘I don’t know why.’ She looked up, letting him see her eyes. Wondering if that would help or only make it worse.
Jaeger was quiet, feeling his racing heart calm as he peered at her fearful face. Berard was pursuing her. Trying to take her back from him. But Meena was his. It wasn’t her fault that Berard seemed intent on starting a war.
It wasn’t her fault.
Jaeger put his hand under her chin, tilting it towards him. ‘Berard will be gone in a few days, so until then you will stay in here. I will have Egil bring everything you need.’ He leaned forward, pulling her into him. ‘There’s no need to go anywhere now, Meena. You’ll be safe in here with me.’ Jaeger kissed her forcefully, feeling an urgency to claim her as his.
His.
Not Berard’s. Just like the book wasn’t Morana’s.
He needed to feel powerful.
They needed him. Meena needed him.
He was powerful.
Powerful.
After two solid days of arm-breaking stretcher pulling through the forest, they finally made it to the road; to the place where Aleksander hoped that Gant would find them.
Axl was shivering less now. His wounds looked cleaner too, and Amma, who was checking on him regularly, could only hope that it remained that way.
Night was falling, and Aleksander was ready to drop to the ground, but he managed to make a fire, and with Amma’s help, hastily prepared a rudimentary shelter of branches; quickly covering it with their cloaks as the rain came down again.
‘What if they’ve missed us? How long should we wait here? What if Gant’s not even coming? What if Osbert still lives?’ Axl grumbled, not ready for sleep even though he’d been yawning since the sun had set. He shifted his hips, trying to get more comfortable in his dirt and leaf bed, disturbed by the increasing wail of the wind as it wound its way through the tall trees they were sheltering behind. Their fire was flickering in protest, and the rain had brought a bitter chill with it, so they were watching the flames closely.
Aleksander knew that he needed to keep watch, but he was so tired and sore. His hands were blistered, shredded from gripping the stretcher; from dragging it over roots and rocks and pulling it through trees. The strain of carrying Axl had left his shoulders numb, and the worry over whether the wolves or ravens would return remained ever-present. ‘Axl,’ he murmured. ‘It’s too late for that many questions. Get some sleep. We can talk...’ he yawned. ‘We can talk in the morning. Get some sleep.’ Aleksander glanced over at Amma who had been asleep for some time. She had barely spoken since he’d dragged her out of the river, but her eyes revealed her unspoken terror that they would be caught.
That somehow, Jaeger Dragos would capture her and take her back to Hest again.
Aleksander wondered the same thing himself.
With the Book of Darkness in Jaeger’s hands, he didn’t need ships or an army to reach them it seemed.
Not anymore.
Evaine was unsatisfied.
Eadmund had rolled over, apparently uninterested in anything else, but she was not done. Not done at all, and yet he was almost snoring, she could tell as he mumbled and sighed and barely answered her.
Evaine frowned, sniffing loudly, folding her arms across her breasts.
Cold.
Lonely.
It was not how she had imagined it would be. Eadmund’s wife had gone, he was bound to her, and they had a son together. But why wasn’t it enough? Why didn’t she feel secure? Safe? Blissfully happy, as she had always imagined she would.
Evaine pursed her lips, pulling the furs up to her shoulders, grumbling loudly. Adjusting herself in the bed, she lay back, propping up her pillows, flopping onto them, looking over at Eadmund, then quickly away.
But he didn’t move.
And as she listened, his snores grew even louder.
Banging her fists uselessly by her sides, she stared up at the rafters and sighed.
Jael swallowed. She was actually nervous. If she had been holding a sword in her hand, facing an axe-wielding Hestian, she would have felt prepared. Confident.
But pretending to be a dreamer?
Perhaps last time had happened by chance? Merely luck?
‘Go on,’ Edela urged, watching from her bed. ‘You’re ready. You have always been ready for this, Jael. Just close your eyes and grip that ring and think of Eadmund. Don’t let go. Throw the herbs onto the flames. Think of Eadmund. We will be here when you return.’
Jael was on her knees before the fire, holding Eadmund’s wedding band in her hand; the one he had so readily given to Eydis in Saala. She could hear the rain thundering onto the roof; watched it dripping onto the flames; heard the wind, shaking the door.
And she thought of Eadmund, who she had chosen, and then lost.
And she missed him so much that she ached.
‘Do you remember the words?’ Entorp murmured, pounding on his drum.
Jael nodded and picked up the bundle of herbs, throwing them onto the spitting flames. She closed her eyes, listening to the rolling rhythm of the drum as it kept time with her heartbeat
. Rolling like thunder, like waves, like the waterfall in Oss she loved so much.
And she started chanting.
‘Bayla?’
‘You’re alone?’
Haaron had fallen asleep in his chair and was momentarily confused as he opened the door wider and ushered her inside. ‘Yes, come in.’
Bayla looked uncomfortable as she stalked past him, wishing to be anywhere else. ‘It’s about our sons,’ she said as Haaron closed the door and followed her to the fireplace. ‘About our kingdom.’ She glared at him. ‘It’s falling apart.’ Her face remained hard, but her voice wavered.
‘What do you mean?’
Bayla sat down in the chair Haaron had only just left. It felt warm. ‘I found all four of them trying to kill each other today.’
‘Why?’ Haaron sat opposite her, picking up a log and throwing it onto the flames.
‘I don’t know. Everything feels different. Ever since the Furycks were here. Ever since they humiliated us and destroyed our fleet. Ever since...’ she looked towards the fireplace, watching as the wood caught.
‘Ever since what?’
‘Ever since Varna died.’
‘You hated Varna,’ Haaron said wryly.
‘Yes, but,’ Bayla swallowed, not wanting to form her fears into words. ‘Perhaps she helped... keep everything safe. Keep us safe.’
Haaron had thought the same. Without Varna, it felt as though the scales had tipped; as though she had taken his luck with her when she died. There was no proof, nothing to latch onto that was real, but he had not felt right without her.
