“You must be mistaken, no one would pay ransom for me,” Ingrid said.
“It isn’t ransom; it’s reward. And you are exactly who we’re looking for,” a low, gruff voice said from behind Ingrid. One she recognized. Ingrid turned slowly to face Greer.
She’d expected to find Plintze and had let herself become surrounded. A flash of fear coursed through her but quickly turned to anger. Her lip curled into a snarl. She shrieked and lunged forward.
The smaller man was closer, and she surprised him when she smashed her outstretched hands against his unguarded chest. The tang of magic coated her tongue as he flew several feet away and sprawled on the ground motionless. Ingrid spun before Greer could reach her and bolted back through the undergrowth to the road.
Jorg stumbled into Ingrid, as soon as she emerged, his eyes wide and wild. “You screamed—are you hurt?”
“Greer . . . Druht . . . in the trees,” she huffed the words as her chest heaved with every ragged breath and the buzz of power still coursing through her veins.
Overhearing her words from where he’d come to stand behind Jorg, Bremen spun and shouted orders as he ran toward his men. Ingrid and Jorg followed him, relieved when a trunk full of weapons opened in front of them.
Jorg grabbed Ingrid’s face, squishing her cheeks in his strong fingers. “Fight hard and stay alive.”
The gold in his eyes swirled within the green, and the muscles in his jaw popped as his grip tightened. She nodded, and he whirled around to join the fray. He didn’t command her to stay behind him or to wait on the side, but to join the battle. Finally, he showed a little trust in her.
Ingrid absorbed the mayhem around her. Strangers swarmed among Bremen’s men in the fading light as they scrambled to pull their weapons and return the attack. Thick shadows cloaked the path, and bodies slammed into each other in the narrow space. Ingrid was stunned at the overwhelming numbers of men jumping from the tree line.
Power rose from within her, fighting to be let out again. Act strong, be strong. Ingrid pulled her daggers and rushed into the fray.
A man charged in from Ingrid’s right, and she turned in time to block his hand when he reached out to grab her. She sank a dagger into his arm. Blood spurted over her face as she jerked the weapon free. As he stumbled forward, she drove her other blade into his chest. The sputter of her powers in reaction to the injury made her falter until she shoved it down and kept fighting.
Ingrid slashed against the dagger of another attacker. The metal clanged together and hissed as they slid apart. A wicked sneer crossed the man’s face as he licked his lips and circled around Ingrid.
Careful to turn with him and never letting her eyes leave her target, Ingrid smiled at him only a moment before the tip of Selby’s sword pierced his chest from where she’d thrust it through his back. Shocked, the man stared at the blade before crumbling to the ground.
The girls nodded to each other, before turning to continue the fight. In the distance, Ingrid could make out Jorg slicing through a crowd surrounding him. Near him, a squat figure used a spear to cut through the intruders, and she knew Plintze had returned.
“Is that Plintze?” Selby asked as they charged toward their next victim.
“Yes, but there’s something else, too. What is it?” Concern spiked Ingrid’s words as she watched a colorful light streak through the air near Plintze. Whatever it was, the question deserted her mind when one of her daggers slipped from her chilly hand to the ground.
Short of breath, she scanned around her feet quickly and spied it in time to duck the swing of a man close to her. She picked up the wayward weapon and struck under his ribcage as she rose. He grabbed at Ingrid, his hand wrapping around her braid as he pulled her to the ground with him as he fell.
Air whooshed from Ingrid as the hard earth slammed against her back, and her neck snapped backward with a crack. With strength she didn’t realize she had, she pushed the lifeless body off her and jumped to her feet only to face off with a giant of a man. Ingrid stepped backward while raising her daggers, ready but wary.
Close as they were, the smell of sweat and coppery blood wrapped around them. Ingrid thrust her dagger toward her new opponent, but he lunged out of the way. Her foot slid in mud churned up by all the trampling feet.
Unable to get up when the next blow came at her, she dropped and rolled toward her attacker. A loud scream rang out as she sliced through his thigh. The man fell to his knees, clutching his wound. Ingrid jumped up and drove the dagger down into the side of his neck.
Selby screamed from Ingrid’s left, and she turned in time to see her friend swing an axe into the side of a man twice her size. Blood trickled down her face where she’d suffered a hit, but she snarled with victory and moved closer to the group at the front.
A band of druht fighters outnumbered and surrounded Jorg, Plintze, and several other men, including Bremen. Most of the skirmishes had been settled. The outnumbered druht were either dead, injured, or retreated, and theirs was the final group in a face off.
Ingrid raised her dagger to charge forward, but she froze as a small figure burst from the brush and dove at the crowd.
Screams followed the creature as men grabbed their faces or throats where slashes tore open their flesh. Selby reached Ingrid, and together, they spurred each other ahead when they saw that the only men injured by the small flying beast were the druht.
They struck from the edge, and the beast rushed between. The invaders broke off the assault and fled into the darkness of the brush. Whatever it was that chased them left a spray of sparkling light in its wake.
Ingrid let her arms fall to her sides and released a heavy sigh. A mix of mud and other vile substances coated her face and slipped into her mouth, making her gag as she tried to wipe it clean.
Selby rolled her neck from one shoulder to the other in both directions before wiping her short sword clean against the chest of the nearest fallen druht and returning it to its rightful place on her hip.
16
Exhausted, but oddly refreshed. The frenzy of battle had allowed Ingrid to release her anxiety and fears. Fighting with Selby at her side reminded her of what was at stake and what she never wanted to lose. A quick overview of the men near her found what she sought—Jorg. He met her gaze with equal measure of concern and relief.
Before she could walk toward him, what appeared to be a small child stepped out of the woods to stand in the middle of the road. Gasps and muttered curses sounded behind them when everyone else saw the girl.
Plintze shoved through the crowd and stood defensively at the creature’s side. The pale moonlight rising over the trees shone enough to see that whatever she was, the girl was not human.
She was a beautiful female, a little shorter than the dwarf, who looked like a young child with large, round eyes in a crystalline lilac color. Thick hair flowed around her shoulders, beginning as a pale sky blue shade at the root and turning a deep violet at the ends.
After that, the human-like characteristics ended with light spring green skin that shimmered when the light hit it and two sets of iridescent wings that protruded from between her shoulders. A dress the shade of daffodils wrapped around her body, under her arms, then fell softly past her knee to mid-shin. It fluttered in the breeze like the air itself.
“Plintze, you should introduce us to your friend,” Jorg said.
He’d walked up to stand behind Ingrid. She wanted to lean into him as his grassy scent covered the stench of battle, but she squared her shoulders and maintained composure.
“Are you the one who helped us during the battle?” Bremen asked, standing near Selby in the same protective manner as Jorg. Gavin and the others pressed forward but did not move past them.
“This is Lazuli. She’s an old friend of mine,” Plintze said. Lazuli smiled and clasped her hands in front of her while she twisted back and forth playfully. “She is the sprite I told you of back at my home, Ingrid. The one who helped me after the dragon attack.”
With her head tucked at a coy angle and her shoulders swinging merrily from side to side, she could have looked like a sweet, innocent little girl—except, blood splatters covered her from head to toe. When her smile broadened at Ingrid, jagged teeth showed red to match the smears across her face.
“Plintze spoke often about you. I’m glad that you recovered.” Her voice tinkled into the air like the chimes in a breeze.
“Often?” Ingrid turned to Plintze, which took considerable effort to look away from Lazuli’s effervescence. “How long have you been in contact with each other?”
“I find time when you are busy with those two.” Plintze gestured between Selby and Jorg. “But when these fools turned on us, I needed a place to hide for a while and stayed with Lazuli.”
Selby, Jorg, and Ingrid stared at the dwarf with blank expressions, until Selby finally spoke. “Dwarf, I think I just gained a little respect for you.”
“Humph.”
“Lazuli, I’m sorry we’re so shocked, but Plintze has not talked to us about you at all,” Ingrid said.
“Why would that cause you distress?” Lazuli turned to Plintze. “Humans are funny. Let’s go play now. There are places I still need to show you in the hills that no human has ever seen. We can play without being interrupted by their petty arguments.” Lazuli pulled on Plintze’s sleeve with an excited tone in her voice.
“We can’t, not now,” the dwarf grumbled.
“Why?” The sprite’s bottom lip pushed out, and she looked as if she were about to cry.
His eyes met hers. “We need to stay. The humans still need our help.”
“It will only be for a little while. Let’s play, and then we can come back.” A serious, well-practiced, whine rang in her voice
“I like this girl,” Selby said with a chuckle.
“I’m not a girl. I’m a sprite,” Lazuli said and flew closer to Selby, a mischievous glint in her eye. Bremen stepped to Selby’s side, his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword. “Do you want to go play with me?”
“No!” Bremen and Jorg both yelled at the same time.
Lazuli glared at each man. “You are not nice. I do not want to play with you,” she said with both hands on her hips.
“We need to stay and help the humans to safety. After that, we can go play,” Plintze said in a kind voice that caused all the others to gape once more.
“Promise?”
“Yes.” Plintze turned his focus to Bremen. “Am I going to have any more troubles with your men, or can we clean up from this mess and get going?”
Bremen stared at Lazuli with a thoughtful expression. “Lazuli, will you promise not to hurt any of my men while we offer you hospitality?”
Lazuli peered around Bremen to the men standing behind him, her gaze narrow. “Do they think like the others? Do they want to tie me up or run me through with a sword?” A small grin crossed her face. The invitation to let them try made Ingrid shudder.
Bremen shifted slightly to block Lazuli’s view of the men and bring her focus back to him. “No. You’re safe with us if you will promise safety for them as well. Do we have an agreement?”
Ingrid peeked at Bremen, his voice strong and brave, but she noticed a trickle of sweat slid down next to his ear. Regardless, she couldn’t help but feel a little appreciation for the man who was so willing to accept those he couldn’t possibly understand.
Lazuli stood as tall as her little body allowed, and her lips broke wider across her face. The jagged teeth, outlined in crimson, made Ingrid’s stomach clench, and she heard Jorg make a noise behind her as well.
I wonder if she knows how to smile without showing her teeth?
“Maybe you can tell her it’s a game to play with the men,” Jorg whispered into her ear. Ingrid sucked her lips together to keep quiet.
“I accept your terms,” the little sprite said.
She fluttered her wings to lift herself off the ground and move closer to Bremen, arm jutted out for a handshake. His shoulders stiffened, but he engulfed her small hand with his large one and gently accepted the truce.
Not far away, in the taller grasses next to the churned path, Ingrid’s attention snapped to the sound of a moan. “The wounded need attention.”
Somehow Ingrid didn’t think a truce with a sprite was a trustworthy bargain. But maybe if they could keep her busy, she’d stay out of trouble. Ingrid dragged her gaze over the crowd and spied Selby.
“Lazuli, would it be all right with you if Selby helped you to clean up? You got a lot of blood on your dress.” Ingrid gestured to her friend as she spoke.
At first, Selby’s eyes sprang open, but then she softened and stepped forward. “I’ll wash, too. It’ll be fun.” Her friend picking up on the need to give the worrisome newcomer a new focus.
The sprite buzzed over to hover in front of Ingrid. “You are nice, too.” Lazuli ran her hand over Ingrid’s arm, making it tingle as if her skin danced at the light touch. “We will be friends.” Then, as she hummed a little tune, she zipped back through the air to Selby.
Together, they sauntered down the path. The nervous men parted in silence to allow them passage as they searched for a water barrel.
Shocked from the turn of events, everyone stood rooted to the ground. Bremen turned to the group, breaking the daze. “While Ingrid tends to the injured, let’s prepare to move out. Leave their dead by the side of the road, and we’ll push on to stop in a more defensible area for the night.”
Murmurs floated through the crowd, but everyone hustled to obey. Ingrid roused herself from her thoughts and hurried to those with the worst injuries first. As she moved from person to person, she healed the most severe injuries, but left the milder ones to ensure sufficient energy for everyone.
Jorg followed her, helping with supplies and moving bodies until no one else remained. Two of Bremen’s men died, and six others had serious enough wounds that it would require them to ride in a wagon and rest after Ingrid’s touch. Others resumed their posts along the line, many with a new reverence for the petite healer.
Three of the druht with injuries too intense they couldn’t escape were propped up against each other after Ingrid helped them against their will. Bound by their hands and feet, they could not stop her. Ingrid hoped they would regret their actions when they understood how she could help them, but hatred burned in their eyes even more for it.
“We should have run them through,” Jorg growled, agitated that Ingrid had drained herself for their kind.
“Yes, it’s what they deserve. But maybe they’ll think differently of us now,” she said. Although she knew they wouldn’t, the healer and warrior within her couldn’t reconcile just then.
Jorg huffed and shook his head. Raising an eyebrow, he leaned down and stared into her shining eyes. “We are Norse, and they should be afraid.”
With a roll of her eyes and a small wince of homesickness, she surveyed the rest of those around her to be sure she’d found all the wounded.
Jorg smiled. “It is amazing to watch you heal.”
“It’s getting easier. I’m only a little tired this time. Are my eyes bright again?” she asked, turning her face to his.
Softness filled Jorg’s expression as he nodded. His eyes were wide but filled with awe, not fear. “Your bead only glows while you are in the middle of the healing, then it fades. But not your eyes—they are like turquoise gems glowing in the sun.”
“Hmm.” Ingrid could tell it was meant as a compliment, but she had no explanation for why it happened. She didn’t understand how any of it worked.
No closer to saving her village and binding the veil, another wave of frustration hit that she still
hadn’t found Eir. Or, more likely, the goddess hadn’t found her. What more did she need Ingrid to prove?
“Greer led those men against us,” Jorg said. “He wasn’t among their injured or dead, so he’ll be back.”
Ingrid was exhausted but had finally settled down to eat and rest after they’d found a safer, more defensible area for the night. She glanced over to Plintze, a sense of relief spilling over her that he was back and safe.
“I’m sure he will.” The words were quiet and left to fade into the air. Deciding how to deal with Greer when he came after her again was a conversation for tomorrow.
A peaceful quietness wrapped around the three of them. There was too much silence. Ingrid twisted around searching the other fires with suspicion.
“Where is Selby?”
“I’m sure she’ll show up.” A playful grin tugged on Jorg’s mouth that he tried to hide.
“Humph.”
Before Ingrid could question the two, who seemed to be enjoying a secret, Lazuli zipped through the air and stood in front of Jorg, startling all of them.
“Are you an elf? You kind of look like one,” Lazuli said. Her eyes narrowed, and in a blink of an eye, she was in the air hovering near his ear.
“Whoa!” He leaned back and scowled as he waved her away. “You don’t just fly into someone’s face like that.”
Lazuli closed her eyes and sniffed long, loud, and dramatically before she buzzed back to stand by Plintze. “You smell like an elf. Are you a halfling?”
“Lazuli, that’s terrible manners,” Ingrid said in a polite voice as if speaking to a small child.
“Why?”
“Well . . .”
“Humans worry about ridiculous things like that,” Plintze said.
“Why are you worried? You are a halfling!” Lazuli’s eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands together. “I’ve never met one of those. You would be my first.” Again, she flew over into Jorg’s space and flitted all around him as if she were inspecting a new horse.
Amber Magic (The Viking Maiden series Book 2) Page 12
