by Savino, Lee
“The Alphas will summon us to check our bond.” Thorsteinn said and motioned me inside. “Here,” he said to Vik, who’d found a torch by the entrance and lit it. “This is as good a place as any.”
“What are you doing?” I asked when they lifted me onto a rock and faced me. The light of the torch surrounded us with flickering shadow. Outside the small sphere of light—darkness. I swallowed.
“Sorrel, do you remember when we said the bond could break a spell?” Vik asked.
“Yes.”
“It’s time to try.” Thorsteinn said, leaning close. Open yourself, little one. Do not be afraid. I startled as his voice echoed in my mind.
“It’s all right,” Vik gathered my hands in his. “This is the way.”
“I can’t—” Where there once was a barrier, a door blocking the way, there was nothing. But there was no light either. Only darkness, and I recoiled from it. “I can’t do this.”
You can, Thorsteinn said from just beyond the door. The darkness shrank and he stepped through.
Show me what happened. Don’t speak. Show me.
Vik’s hands tightened on mine. “Close your eyes, Sorrel.” I stared at him and a smile quirked the corner of his mouth. “For once, do as you’re told.”
Thorsteinn smiled. The flame flickered over his faces, but there was no anger or blame there.
I could do this.
I closed my eyes—
Midnight. The moon was a sliver of light reflecting off leftover patches of snow when Rosalind left the lodge. Moonlight glinting off her bright hair as I followed her. It wasn’t like her to leave.
“Sorrel?” Juliet was outside, huddled in the shadows. She hid out there often because she went into heat. A former nun, she was terrified the berserkers would find out, and force her to mate.
“Did Rosalind come this way?” I asked.
Juliet nodded her face pained. “I should go after her. She’s been acting strangely lately.” Juliet didn’t have to explain. Rosalind had been quieter than usual. At night, she tossed and turned with bad dreams. During the day, no one was spared her sharp tongue, not even her beloved sister Aspen.
“I’ll do it. I’ll see what she’s up to.” I brushed Juliet’s shoulder as I passed.
“Bring her back,” the former nun called after me.
It made no sense, I thought as I tracked Rosalind through the trees. She wore a cloak but didn’t bother to cover her bright head. The moon turned her blonde hair to silver. Why would she leave now? She’d mocked me about my plans to live in the wilderness, but her teasing had a jealous edge. She made no secret of her dislike of the Berserkers and her desire to escape, but I never thought she would act. The Rosalind I knew would never leave her sister behind.
Fog lay across our path. I hurried through the milky mist, trying and failing to catch up with Rosalind. Through the trees, firelight flickered, and men’s voices rose, rough and deep. Our guards enjoying their midnight watch. I slunk in the shadows, hiding behind trees. Rosalind did nothing to hide herself, but still, no warrior looked up or took note. And so, we made our escape off the mountain.
All night we walked, and I kept waiting for Rosalind to hear me and turn. The night was still. No Berserker patrols, no howling wolves, not even a hooting owl. The further we hiked away from the mountain, the more my dread grew. Any minute we might come upon a host of draugr and be captured, but whenever I tried to catch up to Rosalind to warn her, I never could.
It went on for hours, like a dream. The mist grew thick between us. I knew if I didn’t catch up to her now, I never would. So, I ran. And eventually, I caught her.
“Rosalind?” Her eyes were glassy, vacant as a deep pool. Could she be sleep walking? I shook her, but she never woke. Her gaze fixed on some spot in the distance, she marched onward.
Nothing I said or did made her stop walking. She seemed almost asleep—until first light. Dawn struck her face, and she came awake. “Sorrel,” she greeted me. “You’re here. We must find the moonstone.”
“What moonstone?”
“I had a dream of a stone of great power. The Corpse King sought it long ago. It was formed by the magic of the spaewives, the women he took to wife. In his hands it could increase his power, make him unstoppable. But we can stop him, if we find the stone. In the right hands, it can bind him for a thousand years.”
“And you know where to find it?”
“This way,” she said, and hurried on. I did not like it, but I followed. Rosalind was with me when we were captured by the Corpse King. He had spoken to her. Perhaps that is how she knew of the moonstone.
I didn’t realize she was in league with him, until too late.
We walked for another day, maybe a night and a day. The mist surrounded us, and time blurred together. I thought it strange there were no draugr. But perhaps Rosalind was right—she’d had a dream, a vision, and her journey was blessed by the Goddess.
I know now that the Corpse King led her own by the mist and kept his own forces away.
We came to a stream. We followed it until I heard the roar of the waterfall.
“Here. The moonstone is here,” Rosalind said. We walked the mossy bank of the pool, overturning clumps of dead leaves. I kicked over a rock and it rolled, breaking through a screen of leaves and branches of a fallen tree. And there it was: a hint of milky light at the bottom of a great pit.
“Look,” I got to my belly and peered into the pit, deep enough to cover three man standing on each other’s shoulders. The moonstone shone at the bottom. It was the size of my hand and the glow drew the eye...
“You’ll have to climb down,” Rosalind said. “And fetch it.”
“Why me?”
She motioned to the breeches I always wore.
With a sigh, I got a long branch and tried to fish for the stone. The pit was too deep for that, but Rosalind was right. I could climb down. I just didn’t want to. I couldn’t stand the darkness, or the feeling of being closed in.
But the light drew me. Rolling up my breeches, I took the branch and used it to aid my way down. The moonstone pulsed brighter as I grew close. For a moment I thought I heard a chorus of women’s voices whispering in my ear—
“Lift it up,” Rosalind ordered. I was reluctant to release it, but it would be easier to climb without the stone in my hands. It was heavier than I’d imagined, set in silver, with the remnants of a chain. I snagged the chain with a branch and lifted it up to Rosalind. As soon as she grabbed it, she drew back from the pit.
“Help me up,” I called. “Rosalind?”
But she was gone. The walls of the pit closed in. It was like the torture I endured back at the abbey, trapped in a dark space. My palm still tingled where the moonstone had touched it. Closing my eyes, I found new strength to climb up.
When I reached the top, the mist was so thick, I could no longer see the waterfall.
“Rosalind?” I called. Her footsteps led away from the pit. The leaves were turned in such a way, I knew from my lessons in tracking she was in a hurry.
I fought my way through the mist, which seemed as thick as water. I was not surprised when I came upon Rosalind stood gazing up at a tall cloaked figure. I’d seen her in such a position before, when we were first captured by the Corpse King.
Only this time she held the moonstone. In his hands it could increase his power, make him unstoppable.
My hand was on my sling before I could think. I had one shot. After that, the Corpse King would know I was there. I loaded and wound up the sling and aimed for Rosalind.
As soon as the stone struck her temple, she fell. The moonstone hit the ground. I ran forward. There was a flash of light, like balefire, and the tall apparition disappeared.
Before I could reach it, a raven swooped down and grabbed the moonstone, and flew up to a tree branch. The raven also disappeared.
The mist swirled away, and I was surrounded by Berserkers. Rosalind lay there with blood on her head. I had a sling in my hand. The warriors knew
what happened. They pounced on me and tied me up. They told me I’d be put to death. I told them I didn’t want to hurt her, but they didn’t believe me. I was guilty. Guilty…
“Sorrel.” A hand cupped my chin. I startled at its warmth. Thorsteinn looked down at me, sober face creased with intent. “Are you with us?”
“Yes,” I said, and even though I felt sick from remembering, but I felt lighter.
“Good girl,” he murmured, drawing me into his embrace. His arms went around me, and he tucked a pelt around my shoulders. “You did well.”
I shivered, and Vik came closer with the torch. The light danced around us, illuminating the large passage. As caves go, this one was spacious and dry. Someone kept it clean of cobwebs.
“You saw it then?” I asked. “All of it?”
“We did.”
“You’re… you’re not mad at me?”
Thorsteinn drew back. “For what?’
“For all of it. Leaving the mountain. Hurting Rosalind. I had to stop her. She would give away the stone, and all would be lost. Either she was tricked, or she’d sided with the enemy when we first were captured.”
“We know.” he rubbed his stubbled chin against my cheek. “You did nothing wrong. We know that now.”
“We should have trusted you from the first,” Vik muttered. “Sorrel, we failed you.”
“We must tell the Alphas everything. If the Corpse King has the moonstone—”
“What about Rosalind,” I interrupted. “Will she be in trouble?”
“If she did in fact betray us, we must be prepared. She might tell more lies and bring doom upon the whole mountain,” Thorsteinn explained.
I sagged against him. “I don’t want to name her traitor. I know how the Corpse King can trick a mind.”
“So do the Alphas. They will consider this when they hear of her crimes.”
“What is this moonstone, and can it do what Rosalind claims?” Vik stroked his beard.
“I’ve heard stories of the witch using a stone to bind the King long ago,” Thorsteinn said. “But it has not been found. If this is the same stone Rosalind sought, we may have a way to defeat our enemy.”
“Let’s tell the Alphas,” Vik said, and gestured for Thorsteinn and I to precede him through the tunnel.
I held my breath as we walked through the flickering shadows, but even after many paces the air moved cool and sweet against my face. We were not going to run out of air. I relaxed.
At last we came to a dimly lit chamber furnished with a rug and several chairs. Braziers lined the room, their fire casting warmth and light.
“Who made this place?” I asked.
“This? This is one of the Alphas anterooms,” Thorsteinn shrugged. “The head Alpha, Samuel fashions it after the histories he reads.”
I blinked at this, and Vik set down the torch and shoved Thorsteinn. “She means the tunnels. Who caved out the mountain.”
“Oh,” Thorsteinn frowned, glancing around the room. “Dwarves, probably. Long ago.”
I didn’t know such creatures existed, but before I could ask more, a warrior strode into the room.
“Thorsteinn, Vik,” he greeted my warriors. Both bowed their heads slightly in respect, telling me this tall visitor is an Alpha. I peered around Vik, trying to place him. I recognized him from my trial at the standing rocks before Thorsteinn shifted his weight and blocked my view. He and Vik stood squarely between me and the Alpha, their stance respectful but clear: if anyone tried to grab me, they would fight.
“How goes it,” the Alpha asked.
“Well. Sorrel has been obedient. The perfect mate,” Thorsteinn said with such certainty, I almost believed him.
I hid my face behind his broad back before I could betray the truth. Vik reached back to clamp a hand on my shoulder, silencing me.
“You’ve no reason to punish her?” The Alpha’s solemn voice tempered with a slight spark of something as he surveyed the three of us. Amusement at Thorsteinn and Vik’s protectiveness, perhaps.
“Do we need a reason to discipline our mate?” Vik asked, a sliver of humor in his tone to match the Alpha’s. “Sorrel has the sense to submit when she is bested. The struggle to bend her to our will is pure pleasure.”
I started blushing.
The Alpha cleared his throat. “I see,” he ran a hand over his blond beard, a gesture Vik did often when he wanted to hide a smile. “So, the bond has formed?”
“We have reason to believe so, yes.”
“Will it survive a test?” The Alpha continued gravely.
Thorsteinn hesitated. My body went into freefall, tumbling from a great height for every silent second. “In time,” the grey-eyed warrior said finally. “We were given a moon.”
“Yes, but things change.” The Alpha motioned, and slowly, reluctantly, Vik drew me out from behind Thorsteinn and set me before him. His hands rested on my shoulder, I put my own hands up to grip his.
“Rosalind’s awake,” the Alpha addressed me. “She came to last night but was in great pain. The healer gave her a sleeping draught to help the ache in her head, but we believe Rosalind will wake again any moment, and be able to speak clearly.”
“We called you here, Sorrel, to give you another chance tell your side of the story. The pack is calling for your death,” the Alpha reminded me when I pressed my lips together.
“We know what happened,” Thorsteinn said. “None of it was Sorrel’s fault. In fact, she may have saved us all.” Taking a deep breath, Thorsteinn repeated everything I had shown him. Vik gathered me in his arms, and I leaned against his body.
“Is this true?” The Alpha asked when Thorsteinn had finished. I nodded. The Alpha frowned. “This is grave indeed to realize it’s possible for the Corpse King stretch out his hand and bespell our spaewives, breaching the protections we have set around the mountain—”
“Sorrel and Rosalind were captured. Early on, before they came to the mountain. The spell could’ve taken root there. The Corpse King may have cursed Sorrel so she could not speak of his presence. And he may have bespelled Rosalind even further.”
“There are many questions to answer,” The Alpha tugged his beard. “Where is this moonstone? Why would the raven take it? We will send word to the witch who first told us of the moonstone. She will give us more insight. There is much to learn.”
“If Sorrel is right, and Rosalind betrayed the pack, then Sorrel’s actions saved us all,” Thorsteinn said shortly.
“Yes, yes,” the Alpha murmured. “Well done, little warrior,” he said to me. To Thorsteinn and Vik he said, “Take your mate, and continue to work on the bond. “But take a care. There are many who resent that she is walking around free. See that she stays far away from them, on your side of the mountain.”
* * *
Vik
Our little warrior brooded all the way back to the tree lodge. I don’t think she noticed that we took a different route, going the far way around the more populated parts of the mountain. We stayed close to the boundary, going far closer than any other warrior would with their mate. But what we told the Alpha Ragnvald was right: Sorrel is no ordinary mate. She is strong within and without. She was born to put up a fight.
Just as we were born to subdue and protect her. The push and pull between us challenges and soothes the beast. With Sorrel, life won’t ever be calm. We wouldn’t want it any other way.
I started laughing as I realized it. Sorrel shot me a disgusted look.
“I’m glad you’re happy,” she muttered.
“You’re here, we’re here, and free,” I swept my hand around the empty path. “The day is fine. Why shouldn’t I be?”
“Because my friend lies with her head broken—because I broke it,” she hissed. “Because the pack wants me dead. Because I was cursed—” She kept murmuring angrily even as I stopped her mouth with mine. I kissed her until she sunk her teeth in to my lip and drew blood. And then I laughed again.
“I can’t believe… oh…” she snar
led, and ran at me, ducking at the last to strike my body the way I taught her. I twisted and caught her—I showed her the battle move, after all—and threw her over my shoulder.
“Race you,” I mouthed to Thorsteinn, who still looked grim. “And you,” I swatted Sorrel’s backside, “Be quiet. We don’t want to draw attention, do we?”
She wriggled and fought all the way back to the lodge, stilling only long enough for me to climb up into our home. She went so quiet, I knew she was planning something.
Sure enough, once my feet touched the sturdy floorboards, she writhed and slipped away, quick as a fish. She grabbed my knife and came at me, ready to stab me. “My little wolf, armed with one sharp tooth. Do you wish to see me bleed? Do your worst.”
I faced her, and she came at me, again and again. I matched her movements, blocking blows, feinting the opposite way.
In the end she was breathing hard.
“Finished?” I asked.
She nodded.
I wiped the blood off my arm where I let my guard down and she cut me. The gleam of victory in her eyes is worth it. I stripped off my jerkin and was rewarded with a heated rush of scent. “Ready to fuck?”
Eyes locked on my naked torso, she nodded.
“Finally,” Thorsteinn muttered, entering the lodge.
“Our mate is ready, but not subdued,” I told him. “I think it’s time we showed her what we do with mates who will not submit.”
Thorsteinn clamped an arm around Sorrel and drew her back against him.
“I made something for you,” I told her, and unleashed a rope to lower a sturdy frame made of lashed branches.
Her face goes blank. “A cage? You got me a cage?”
“You will like this one,” Thorsteinn promised. Still, it was a fight to get her inside. Between the two of us, we got her naked and trapped inside. She ended up on all fours, still able to contort and move.
“That will not work,” I murmured, so we caught her wrists and lashed them to the bottom rungs as she spat and tried to gnaw at us. Once her front was secure, I tied her legs apart, so her haunches splayed to either corner of the cage, her holes perfectly on display.
