Return of the Danu

by Kelly Lucille

  Though, Ansgar thought taking in the dark desperate feel of the place and the feel of eyes watching as they came up the road, only the truly desperate would call this hovel welcoming. Elena must have felt the same because she took one look and broke her long silence. “I’d rather take my chances naked in the wild.”

  If that had been the invitation he was imagining at her words he would have gladly taken her up on it, but her posture had not lost the unyielding stiffness in his arms she had somehow managed to hold onto over the long ride. And the disgust in her voice as she looked up at the dilapidated fortress was obvious.

  “I understand from scout reports, that the inside is worse,” he said mildly enough as he swung down from the horse and lifted his hands to help her down. If it was possible, she stiffened even further when he gripped her waist and lifted her down to stand beside him.

  “Wonderful,” she muttered.

  Elena had been quiet since revealing her powers, and Ansgar told himself he was satisfied with that. After all, she had all but verified his suspicions that her people had powers beyond what they had already known. If he was smart, he would not so easily dismiss the notion of her being a spy. But as angry as he had been when he heard her secrets, he had quite a long ride between then and now, and it had not escaped him notice that Elena was right, she was not the only one with secrets to keep.

  He could not deny that she had worked with them in the wilds. When it had come down to their lives, she had given away her secrets easily enough. And she had done nothing since the revelation to try to get back into his good graces. No seduction ploys or attempts to convince him of her innocence and good intentions. No wheedling for information. If she was a spy, he thought, looking down into that mutinous face, she was not a very good one.

  “Consider everyone in this place an enemy unless and until they prove otherwise.”

  She nodded coolly. “Because they could be working with the foreigner?”

  “Yes.” He studied her for a long moment and finally forced the words that were clamoring on his tongue out of his mouth. “I will attempt to include you in all business pertaining to this accord from now on. You are right, we were treating the Danu as vassals in our kingdom, as opposed to a people in your own right that we would have to deal with as equals.”

  He watched the coolness melt from her face and she slumped just a little before she straightened again as if a weight had been lifted. Her relief was palatable. She studied his face and eyes as if she could read deeper.

  Her words when she finally spoke were hesitant, though her eyes remained guarded if hopeful. “I know you have a hard time trusting me, or any magic user, but the Danu cannot afford for this accord to fail, any more than your people can. If we cannot find a way to trust each other I do not believe that either of our people will prosper.” She took a deep breath. “In the interest of that trust I will admit that I am drawn to you, Ansgar the Bloody.” Her eyes on his melted enough that he could see what she so carefully hid behind her walls of serenity. Intelligence, wells of sincerity, and an innocence that belied the womanly curves that were so distracting to him.

  She went on before he could wretch her into his arms and show her just how much he felt the pull himself. “I am not so young that I cannot see you would fan the embers between us into flames as a way of controlling me in another way. But we must work together as equals.” She took a deep breath and raised her chin and lowered her voice, since Beck and Lor were leading their horses, and a man, presumably the Inn keeper toward them. “I think it would be wise if we stopped treating this as a battle to be won between us and started working together, at least until this accord is ironed out and we can both go our separate ways.”

  She said nothing more but turned to face the approaching men as he contemplated what she said. A feeling in his gut telling him as clearly as her eyes had that she was right, and she was wrong. He had the feeling she was dismissing the connection between them as a ploy on his part to control her. And perhaps it had been at first, but somewhere along the way that had changed. And when they were alone and not facing a potential enemy, or surrounded by curious eyes, he would explain just how things had changed and just how closely they would be working together from now on. And just how little he liked the idea of her separate ways. For now, he turned to give hard cold eyes to the man coming toward them between his two oldest friends and warriors. From the look on their faces they were as little impressed with the man as Elena had been with the house.

  Studying the small north man Ansgar had to agree. He was dirty for one thing, and smelled of too close quarters for too long, his hair cut close to his head but ragged, as if he regularly took a kitchen knife to it. His lips were bulbous and his eyes too close together and beady. A dark muddy brown that shined with what Ansgar assumed was his version of welcome. It, like the rest of the man, left a great deal to be desired. His scout, he recalled, had called the man a ferret, and had reported that they would be better served to post their own people at the crossroads here, should they ever expand far enough to make it worth their while. Ansgar had to agree. With the expansion that was soon to take place and the travelers that would be populating the North road should this new town be acceptable, they would need someone to trust in this position, and this man, he knew, was not it.

  “You are the Inn keeper?”

  “I am.” The man said with an unfortunate drawl that managed to wheedle in two words. And then his eyes lit on Elena and widened. He stopped in his tracks and his eyes gleamed with greed and a touch of hunger, right before they settled back on his version of a welcome. But Ansgar had seen it, and by the way Elena stiffened and the all three of the horses shifted as if they would step between her and the man, he knew she felt the same. The horses settled quick enough, but Ansgar saw the reaction and wondered how many times he had missed something similar by just not paying attention. Looking at her face, which was fastened on the innkeeper, her hand caressing the hilt of the knife he just then realized she had commandeered from the battle, he did not think it was done purposefully. More that she had a connection to the horses and they were reacting to her tension. He did not blame them, he wanted to step between her and the man as well. Or pull her to stand at his back. Instead he stared down at the little man, that did not even reach the height of the small woman beside him and let his displeasure show on his face.

  When the man finally scraped his eyes off Elena, he was met with the raptor stare of a predator, and he blanched, looking around him as if only then realizing he was surrounded by warriors, none of which were happy with his interest in the female among them.

  Lor smiled sharply at the man. “See something you like?” he asked. The knife blade gleam of that smile suggested quite strongly that the answer had better be no.

  The man cleared his throat and started blathering quickly. “It has been many years since I have seen a Danu, I did not think there were any left.”

  “Ah,” Beck said. Drawing the man’s eyes to his other side and the warrior flanking him. “So, it is not that you made a deal with the gypsies to turn her over to a foreigner for coin?”

  If it was possible the man went even paler. A touch of color hitting both his cheeks and going down that stout neck while he swallowed hard and tried to look innocent. Not something he was equipped to pull off. But Ansgar would give him credit where it was due. The weasel could wheedle and did, sputtering out his words. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  Ansgar raised a cold brow to the man as he continued to sputter. “We so rarely see people, let alone females, and a female Danu, I did not even know they still existed.” The man backed up a step as if he wanted to run to the inn and lock himself in and them out. “It is a rare sight. If I reacted at all it was that and nothing more. I am a servant of the crown. I serve King Morten. You can ask my sons, they will tell you that no one else is here, and the gypsies only deal with other gypsies. They ride by here yes,” he continued. “But they never stay at the
Inn, and no foreigner has been sighted in these parts since before the burning of the wild.”

  Ansgar gave his men a knowing look and Lor sighed.

  “Stop talking,” Lor said shaking his head at the man. “You are giving me a headache with your ramblings. A simple no would have sufficed.”

  The weasel blinked, his mouth hanging open like a trout before he looked around at all of them and then his brows drew down in confusion, as if he was not sure what reaction he was supposed to produce now.

  Beck spoke finally, his voice dry and his wit cutting, as was his way with fools. “You mention sons, any chance one of you can cook? Since you have not seen anyone recently, I assume you have room for guests?”

  “Yes,” the weasel gasped out as if he was trying to draw in a breath of air at the same time. “Yes, yes of course, you are all most welcome. As all Southern soldiers are.” His eyes went to Ansgar as if he was seeing the purple cape of his office for the first time. If possible, his face fluctuated like a blinking light as fear and desperation fought for supremacy on that ugly face. “The blood prince,” he finally gasped out, going from frightened and uncomfortable to desperate in a moment. It was a look he was used to receiving when people realized who he was. Normally it would not bother him, but somehow with Elena seeing that look on another’s face, it made it somehow…uncomfortable. Foolish he knew, but it made him bare his teeth at the little ferret.

  “One would think,” Elena said with a hint of exasperation and a thread of steal in her voice. “That since I am the dreaded Danu, and we are in the wilds, I would rate more fear than a sword wielding barbarian. All you can do is lop off his head and burn down his house, I,” she said her voice dropping into cool promise. “Can do much worse than that.” Then with a thought the sparse, badly clipped ground behind and around them erupted in shooting vines that formed a wall of deadly Green, and then disappeared back into the ground, dirt settling back to its original flat ground as fast as it had appeared.

  It was a show of strength and a threat all in one fail swoop and it drew the attention of the innkeeper from Ansgar while shouts erupted inside the walls of the Inn.

  Elena stepped forward flanked by taller warriors, she shown with power. Her eyes glowed Danu Green and locked on the little man. The Innkeeper looked ready to faint when she spoke softly and with her usual serenity that did nothing to lessen her threat. “You would do well to remember where you are little man, and who you would not like to make your enemy in these wild lands, far from stone keeps and the safety of Southern warriors at your back.”

  Then she turned away from all of them. All three of the battle horses leaving their warriors and following her like docile lap dogs in her wake.

  There was silence as all of them watched her go. Ansgar admiring the power of her as well as the sway of her smooth womanly hips.

  The Innkeeper finally sputtered something about preparing rooms and nearly ran for the dubious safety of his four walls. Ansgar finally turned and met the eyes of his friends and fellow sword wielding barbarians.

  “It occurs to me more and more frequently that it is good I think,” Beck said finally. “That she is on our side.”

  Lor snorted and then asked incredulously. “You think?”

  Ansgar looked from his men back to the stables where Elena had disappeared into with their horses. Then he smiled. He knew as well as he knew his horse was in good hands, that she had made that little scene for his benefit. Somehow she had sensed his discomfort at the ferret’s reaction to him and distracted him and the little man by showing her own teeth. Really, she had no one to blame but herself for what happened next. As far as he was concerned that little show of strength in his defense was as good as a declaration on her part. It gave him all the permission he needed to take what he was past trying to convince himself he did not want.

  The little Danu thought they would work together and then part ways at the end of this? After that little performance? Well, she was going to find out exactly how a barbarian, as she called him, claimed his woman. And when he did, she would see the error of her ways. Of course, he would wait until they were away from this hovel of an Inn and the enemies he could almost feel lurking close. But he was past fighting what he wanted. She called him a barbarian, she was about to find out how much of a barbarian he could be.

  Chapter Thirteen

  At least the stables were in good condition, if somewhat neglected, Elena thought, fighting the feelings of embarrassment at her own outburst. It was not like her to react so strongly or with such a show of power, but she had not liked the man’s reaction to Ansgar. Or if she was being truthful, she did not like Ansgar's reaction to the Innkeepers reaction. Foolish, she knew to worry about Ansgar the Bloody, as if he had feelings that would be hurt by a little awe and fear.

  Ansgar’s Frendi nudged her from behind, and it was only then that she realized she had called all the horses away from their riders with a thought. Something the barbarians might take exception to. She sighed. Nothing for it now.

  She started removing saddles and began the long relaxing process of preparing three horses for a night’s rest. The saddles were new for her, so it took her a moment to get them figured out and then it was simply work on autopilot, repetitive and soothing, even after the others joined her and silently assisted in the process. She did not look up from her task of brushing Becks horse to acknowledge them and to her utter relief, none of them said a word. They all just pitched in preparing the horses, and three of the six stalls for the night.

  It was only when they were all finished and there was nothing else to do that a younger version of the innkeeper showed up to lead them inside to their rooms. If it was possible this one looked even more like a ferret than his father had. But at least he seemed to be clean, if nervous and furtive with his movements and glances. Elena was sure they would have questioned the man if he had not immediately indicated by hand motions that he could not speak. Clever or coincidental that the Innkeeper would send them a mute as their guide?

  Either way it halted their questioning. Instead Elena studied the Inn as they passed through it. A large tap room seemed to take up most of the first floor. It, like the rest of the place, looked neglected. There was no one about, not even behind the bar were empty shelves proclaimed that the bar was closed and had been for some time.

  Upstairs was a long hallway with four doors running along each side. Rooms for the guests was Elena’s guess when the man opened the first two doors directly across from each other and motioned. He would have opened two more but Ansgar stopped him by saying two would be sufficient for the night.

  The one Elena and Ansgar took was dusty from lack of use, and lack of a good cleaning, but once Ansgar demanded clean bedding they at least had a place to sleep that was, while lumpy, at least clean. Elena would have preferred the comfort of the wilds, but she knew she was the only one. She was not altogether surprised when Ansgar laid out his own things next to hers against the wall. If she were honest, his presence was comforting in the Inn, a place that felt even more hostile from the inside. When the man walked to the window and pointed to another building and mimicked washing, she understood the bath house could be found there. She shuddered at the thought of what that would be like and hoped she would not have to find out.

  The mute man left after looking at them questioning and mimicking eating. Ansgar shook his head turning down the food. Elena was fine with that. She doubted she could eat anything found in this place anyway. Even if the dusty old smell did not put off her appetite, she doubted they knew what to feed a Danu. Even if she was foolish enough to try it.

  “Please tell me we are only staying here tonight,” she said ripping off the old sheets and chucking the dusty things into a corner.

  “We would not be staying here at all if I did not have questions for the rest of the people here. According to the Innkeeper there are no other guests, and there certainly were no signs of them in the stables. But someone here knows where we can find t
he foreign man so interested in the Danu. I want to know what they know before we move closer to the Easter Sea. There are too many unknown places where a boat could dock and wait without detection along the high north east coast.”

  She stopped and turned to study him. Then spoke hesitantly, knowing that it was probably still a sore subject between them but willing to do anything that would get them out of there faster. “I can send out scouts to listen in on the inhabitants here. It would probably be faster than working our way through whoever is hiding from us.”

  Ansgar turned and regarded her without expression before finally speaking. “Do it.” He said it, but he did not look happy about it.

  Elena nearly rolled her eyes at both his tone and clenched jaw. He had barely blinked when she tore up the yard outside the inn but mention her other skills and he acted as if she was suggesting murdering everyone in their sleep.

  Since she refused to act like there was anything wrong with her magic, she did not bother to turn away from him when her eyes started to glow Green with her power. Then her skin began to glow from within and a moment later rats came out of the walls, literally. It might have been overkill calling dozens of them but there was something about that look on his face that made her want to make a point. What point, even she did not know but she refused to be timid because he did not like the idea that she was a magic user, and in his eyes at least, no doubt a spy.

  Elena did not need the dozens of rats that came to her call, so after being sure she had the barbarian’s attention she sent most of them on their way and directed the few she kept without a word uttered.