Rolf retrieved the arrow and handed it back to me.
I took it from him, deciding that now would be a good time to get some inside information on Ket. He seemed to be in the know about Wult gossip, so I decided to pick his brain a little.
“Rolf,” I tried to ask casually as I lined up the arrow, “what do you know of Lady Kethildr?”
“Ket?” he asked. “Of the Northland tribe?”
“Yes, that’s her.”
He straightened the dummy’s head once again. “Well,” he started, “I know she’s favored by her people and has a reputation as one of their best warriors. Also, her mother, Lady Æsa, is an admired warrior.”
“I’ve heard of her. The king courted her once, I believe.”
“Yes, I don’t know for certain, but that’s quite possible.”
“What else do you know about Ket?”
“She spent some time in Danegeld for her tutoring when she was younger.” He cleared his throat, and his eyes darted from mine. He knew something that he didn’t want to tell me.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“No, that’s as much as I know.”
“I see.” I released the arrow. It flew a few feet and then skittered across the floor.
Rolf fetched it for me. “You’re getting better already,” he said with a smile.
“Yeah,” I answered, “at this rate, I’ll be slaughtering ants like nobody’s business.”
He laughed. “True. But you never know—there may be some very dangerous ants on the outer isles.”
I took the arrow from him. “Rolf, when I asked about Ket, I didn’t really want to know about her professional life, I sort of wanted to know what she’s like informally. You know, what people say about her, that sort of thing.”
“Oh,” he answered, as if that hadn’t occurred to him. “Yes, well…” He cleared his throat. “She’s umm… you know, this is kind of awkward for me, Olive.”
“Awkward why?”
He hesitated. “Menfolk talk, you know, but it’s supposed to be between the men.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think I can handle it.”
“Well,” he hesitated. “All right, but you didn’t hear this from me.”
“Fine.”
“And it’s all just gossip anyway.”
“I know.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And you can’t tell Kull—”
“I got it,” I interrupted him.
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
He sighed. “All right. The truth is, Kull and Ket kind of had a thing when they were younger.”
“A thing?”
“Yes. They trained together all the time. They were inseparable. We caught them in front of the library’s fireplace once. He was supposed to be tutoring her. But, you know… he was—just not in ancient languages.”
“The library in the Northland’s keep?”
“No, in Danegeld. In Kull’s library.”
I cringed. They were by the fireplace? By my fireplace?
“Olive, you really can’t tell Kull that I told you. He’d kill me.”
“I promised, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but your word doesn’t mean much. I know Earthlanders don’t take promises seriously, and it’s not your fault, but… That came out wrong… sorry.” He paused and started again. “What I meant was—”
“No, it’s okay. I’m not Wult. I get it. Besides, they were both young, and I’m sure it wasn’t a serious relationship. I doubt Kull would be upset that you told me.”
He eyed me. “You’re sure?”
I nodded.
“Okay, if you say so. But… aren’t you upset?”
“Why would I be upset?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe you’d be jealous. Ket is a better warrior and all. She’s fairer to look at and more of his type—” He stopped mid-sentence. His face fell. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What I mean is—I do think you’re a very good warrior. I’m sure Kull knows what he’s doing. It’s just that Kull was so attached to Ket. I know he was crushed when they split up so he could get engaged to the elven princess. But now that the engagement’s off, I’m not sure why he didn’t take her back.”
Wow, Rolf. Super tactful today, aren’t we?
“I’m sure he had his reasons,” I said. “Like, maybe he was more interested in someone else.”
“Oh yes,” he agreed too quickly. “I’m sure that’s why.”
The inevitable awkward silence ensued. I pretended to be interested in my bow and arrow as I lined them up. Eyeing the target, I let my newfound aggravation fuel my movements. This time, I knew I would hit the mark without problem. I pulled the string as tight as I could and then released the bow. The arrow went wild. It impaled a crate of bow staffs several feet away from my mark.
Damn it all.
I couldn’t even get a shot off when I was angry.
“Well,” Rolf said with a strained smile, “at least you’ve moved up from killing ants.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I paced the halls of the Sea Ghost. I wasn’t jealous. I wasn’t even angry. I was just… irritated. I shouldn’t have asked about Lady Ket. Who Kull had dated in his younger years wasn’t any of my business.
But she’s easier on the eyes. And more talented.
I tried to put myself in Kull’s place. What if he had met one of my former boyfriends? Would I be concerned? The answer was obviously no. The relationship Kull and I had was nothing compared to my former flings.
I decided to put Ket out of my mind as I had enough to worry about as it was. Finding my way to my cabin, I collapsed on the bed. The other three women were already asleep, but sleep wouldn’t come to me. Despite my vow to forget her, I couldn’t help but glance at Ket.
The lantern from the hallway shone through the crack beneath the door, giving me just enough light to see Ket lying on her bunk opposite mine. She’d unbraided her hair and wore it loose around her face. It fell around her in a golden wave. The ties on her white nightshirt had been unfastened around her neck, exposing her collarbone and the tops of her shapely breasts.
Why was she so attractive? More importantly, why did it bother me so much? Rolling to my side, I stared at the wall instead. Exhaustion finally took over.
I was asleep when I heard the first shouts. Groggy and disoriented, I awoke to find the other women clamoring around the room.
“Hurry!” I heard a voice say, although I wasn’t sure who’d said it.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“There’s a fire above deck,” someone answered.
I hopped out of bed, pulled on my boots, and followed the other women out of the room.
We made our way through the hall and up the narrow stairwell. When we stepped onto the deck, chaos reigned around us.
The captain’s wheelhouse was alight, causing the charred smell of burning wood to fill the ship. Flames reached high into the air against the backdrop of a dark, starlit sky and made the wooden beams split and crack. The fire lit the deck in a smoky, orange glow.
Still in a sleepy haze, I stood motionless on deck until the sea air chilled my face, waking me and bringing me back to reality. Crewmen lowered buckets of water into the sea and then tossed them on the flames. Someone shoved a bucket in my arms, and I didn’t hesitate to tie a rope to the handle and lower it into the ocean.
Cold sea spray splashed my face as I filled the bucket. The sea roiled as the deep, churning water turned orange-gold in the firelight. As soon as I filled the bucket, I raised it over the ledge and raced to the wheelhouse.
Hot embers flitted through the air as I made it to the far corner of the structure. Before tossing the water on the fire, I hesitated. The flames flickered bright gold and then burned gray—the color of goblin magic. I inhaled a sharp breath and backed away.
As I held my hand over the flames, I detected a faint enchantment, indicating the
presence of a spell, when someone came behind me and tossed water on the fire, extinguishing the flames. I rounded to find Heidel standing behind me with an empty bucket.
“Why are you standing around?” she said. “Help us!”
I watched her go, suspicion making my imagination go wild. Jostling bodies made me return to the task at hand, and I worked to extinguish the flames with the rest of the group, though the image of the gray fire stayed with me.
Sweat drenched my shirt as the final blaze was extinguished. I stood with the others as we scanned the remains of the wheelhouse. A few men braved the burned structure and poked around inside, carrying a few boxes and trinkets outside to lay them on the deck. As they worked, I realized the damage could have been worse. The wheel looked intact, as did some of the tables and chairs. The most charred part of the wheelhouse was along the starboard wall.
Captain Tobin appeared. His frame looked extra malnourished as he stood in his thin pajamas. He cursed as he examined the remains of his wheelhouse. “What happened?”
One of his men spoke up. “We aren’t sure yet, sir. It looks as if someone left a candle lit inside and it caught fire.”
“A lit candle?”
The crewman nodded.
“Who was the fool who left a lit candle in a room full of brittle papers?”
The sailor cleared his throat. “We don’t know. It must have been the last person to leave the wheelhouse.”
Captain Tobin threw his skinny arms in the air. “No, no, no! I was the last person to leave the wheelhouse. I locked it up myself.”
“Did you leave the candle burning?”
“Of course I didn’t!” He heaved a frustrated sigh and scrutinized the damage. “How bad is it?”
“The wheel is still intact. The nave plate will have to be repaired, but we should have minimal problems with steerage.”
“What of my maps?”
“We’ve managed to save a few. We’ll have to wait for the ashes to cool a bit before we can salvage the rest.”
The captain shook his head.
The crowd parted as Firro pushed his way through the mass of bodies and limped toward the captain.
“Firro,” the captain shouted. “It’s about time you showed up.”
Firro bobbed his head as he stopped by the captain.
“Don’t just stand there. Organize the cleanup and drop anchor. We’ll not be going anywhere with the wheelhouse damaged.”
Firro turned and barked a few orders.
“—And find the person responsible for leaving a lit candle inside the wheelhouse,” Captain Tobin said, interrupting Firro. “I want his carcass hanging from the top mast at dawn.” He turned on his heel and tromped away.
The crowd dispersed, mumbling quietly to each other. Kull found me in the crowd.
“Hey,” I said.
He wiped a smudge of soot from his forehead. “Quite the evening, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I only hope our luck gets better with the rest of the journey.”
He shrugged. “That was nothing. No journey is complete without a little mishap to get the adrenaline flowing. Besides, I was beginning to get bored.”
I raised an eyebrow. “It sounds to me as if you left the candle burning so you could have some fun.”
He laughed and then wrapped his arm around me. “That’s what I love about you.”
I eyed him. “You love that I accuse you of devious acts?”
“No. I love your sense of humor. If not for you, I would be surrounded by people who want to control me or hassle me or who wish me dead. I count myself blessed that you’re in my life.”
I couldn’t help but smile up at him. “You know, that almost sounds romantic.” My heart gave a little thump as he stared with smiling eyes at me.
He hugged me tight and brushed a kiss on the top of my ear. My face reddened as he pulled away. It seemed that whenever we were together, all my doubts and worries melted away as if they never existed. It made me realize how much I really loved him.
King Herrick appeared as the crowd dispersed. He wore his usual sour frown as he focused on us. “Son,” he barked. “Need I remind you of our conversation?”
“No need. I remember it quite well.”
“Obviously not.”
I didn’t know the specifics of their most recent conversation, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. I was sure it had something to do with me. Why Kull seemed so intent on disrespecting his father’s wishes was a mystery. To be honest, I was sick of the whole situation. Neither man seemed ready to budge. They were both so stubborn I feared their little tiff would result in bloodshed.
I politely removed Kull’s arm from around my waist. “I think I’ll head down to my bunk,” I said quietly and headed away from them.
“I’ll join you,” Kull called behind me.
I glanced back to see King Herrick glaring as his son followed me.
We reached the stairwell and descended the steps. I decided I needed to have a conversation with Kull, though how to make him see sense was beyond me. But I could try.
“Kull,” I said as we reached the lower level. “You know you can’t keep acting this way.”
“Acting in what way?”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
“Oh,” he answered. He drew me to the side and pressed my back to the hallway’s wall. “You mean this.” He kissed my forehead. “And this.” He cupped my chin and kissed my lips. “And this.” He trailed his lips down my neck and kissed my collarbone.
Little sparks of electricity danced through my body. I wanted him to stop. I really did. I just didn’t have the willpower to push him away.
“Kull,” I breathed through his kisses. “Stop.”
“Stop?” He laughed. “You don’t mean that.”
I finally worked up the courage to push him away. Placing my hands on his chest, I moved him back.
He raised an eyebrow. “You really want me to stop?”
“Yes, I do. We need to talk. Not…” I cleared my throat. “…do other things.”
Most women would die for a chance to spend five minutes alone with Kull. He was the Skullsplitter, prince of Wults, seductive in every way possible, utterly masculine in a physical, sexual way. But His Majesty needed to start pondering his future and the consequences of his choices. And I needed to take a deep breath, and possibly a cold shower.
“Kull,” I said. “What did you and your father talk about?”
He shrugged. “More threats, of course. This time he wanted to take away my title as his heir. I reminded him that he had no one better to give it to. My sisters will not accept leadership. My only brother lives with his wife in the Northlands and does not wish to be bothered with politics. My father’s threats do not worry me.”
“But he could take away your title if he wanted to, couldn’t he?”
“Yes, but he wouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve already explained it to you.”
“You said he has no one to replace you with—but what of your cousins, or your extended family, or your sister’s children? What of Rolf? He is young yet, but I suspect it wouldn’t be the first time such a young heir would be named.”
Kull frowned.
“All I’m saying is that I think we need to be more careful and respect his wishes. I’d like to earn his trust, but that’s difficult to do when you’re so close.” I felt like I’d had this talk more times than I could count.
“I see your point. But I still would not worry over my father. I admit that his commands upset me when he first told me of his wishes, but then I realized that he has no power over me. His threats are baseless. He wouldn’t dare follow through. I will not let him worry me any longer.”
“It sounds like you’re calling his bluff.”
“I suppose I am.”
“It’s too risky. If he follows through, where will that leave you?”
“With you,” he said with his devious
smile. He brushed his fingers over my lips. “I shall retire to Earth Kingdom. You can continue your career as a therapist, and I shall find somewhere to hunt. We will have many children and live out our days as common Earthlanders.”
His suggestion almost tempted me. “But what of your family? What of your sisters and nieces and nephews? Not to mention the side effects of the crossing. You’d forget your entire life in Earth Kingdom as soon as you crossed back.”
His face fell. Obviously, he hadn’t pondered the consequences.
But this led me to an even greater question. I had my life on Earth. He had his here. Assuming everything worked out and his father miraculously accepted me, how would we be able to share a life together? Those were questions I would ponder later. For now, I had other problems to deal with—like the fire. And Heidel.
“Kull,” I said, “I felt a strange enchantment as we were putting out the fire. The flames turned gray, and when I detected the enchantment, I felt goblin magic.”
His eyes opened wide. “Goblin magic? How is that possible?”
“Because goblins use potions, which would have been spellcasted before the magic was destroyed.”
“Do you believe it was Geth who used the potion?”
“There’s no way to know for sure. But I’m fairly certain he didn’t follow me through the portal. And if he were here, why would he waste his time burning the wheelhouse?”
“True, unless he meant to burn the ship in a place where there is no hope of rescue.”
“But why waste his time burning the ship?
“Perhaps the fire was not his intention at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said that you felt this enchantment in the fire—but what if the fire was a result of something else—a mishandled potion, perhaps?”
“Yes, that is one possibility.”
“If there is a goblin aboard, it could be anyone and take any form it chooses,” Kull said.
My stomach sank. We were more vulnerable out here than anywhere else. I was beginning to doubt my decision to board the ship. I knew Kull wouldn’t like this next part, but he needed to hear it.
“Heidel extinguished the enchanted flames before I got a better chance to detect their magic.”
Spellweaver Page 20
