Fossegrim

by Mary E. Twomey

  I dismounted from the hammock, aching from head to toe. I wondered if this was what it would feel like if I lived to ninety. It was quiet on the main floor, so I tried not to make noise as I unhooked a mostly dry dress from the line and took it down to the bathroom, which consisted of a chamber pot, a steel tub, soap and a small bucket of water. I could hear the others in the galley, eating and recapping about the horrific night. I decided I was not totally ready to be social just yet.

  With much care, I washed myself, surprised to find dried blood over cuts I didn’t remember acquiring. Stupid psychic bond. Then I washed the nightgown that was such a lost cause, I wondered if there was even a point. I had exactly three dresses that fit me and hadn’t been tossed overboard, so I couldn’t afford to lose one, even if it was torn up. I eyed my blue dress from Elvage, hating that I didn’t have access to my jeans and t-shirt because they were stashed somewhere in Jens’s bottomless Mary Poppins bag. I took my time drying my hair and cleaning my various scrapes. The one on my lower back Jamie’d earned us stung the most.

  When someone knocked on the bathroom door, I jumped. Please don’t be Foss. Please don’t be Foss. “What’s up?” I called.

  Jamie answered, “I thought you might want these. Clothes from your world.”

  I cracked the door open, hiding my body behind it. “You’re a mind reader, you beautiful man!” I exclaimed, reaching my hand out and snatching at the familiar fabric.

  He tapped his forehead and kept his eyes on the ceiling to avoid accidentally seeing something too sexy for his own good. “I actually did read your mind. I’m getting better at it. I know you’re running out of clothing.”

  “Thanks, Jamie.” I shut the door and pulled the red Partridge Family t-shirt over my head and slipped on my jeans, loving the feel of comfort that hit me instantaneously. Foss’s ring actually matched the shirt, which made me hate it one degree less. “How’s Britt?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light.

  “Scared. Sad. Grateful to be alive. Grateful for you.”

  “Aw, shucks. You say the nicest things.” I grabbed the chamber pot and the tub, lifted the push-out window and dumped them overboard. I emerged from the room, clean and more awake. Jamie was spotless, and wearing some of the new clothes I’d bought the guys. “How long have I been asleep?”

  “Since Jens found you passed out cleaning the deck.” He gave me a look that had a tease and a scold built in. “You know, when we took turns sleeping, it wasn’t so that you could do all the cleaning. There was hardly anything left for us to do when we got up.”

  “Good. That leaves plenty of time for consoling your fiancée. She was nine kinds of scared last night.”

  “We all were,” Jamie agreed. A private smile graced his thicker lips, making him look handsome. “My fiancée. I rather like the sound of that.”

  “You should. She’s a gem.”

  “But you shouldn’t have done all that. We’re a team. You’re not a servant here.”

  I walked with him up the steps, carrying my ripped nightgown away from my body so I didn’t get wet all over again. “I wanted everyone to rest. It was crazy last night, and I didn’t want you to wake up to chores. We lost Tor. You need the space to deal with that.” I hung my nightgown on the clothesline, which had been cleared off who knows when.

  “And you don’t?”

  I tapped my temple. “I’ve got a total breakdown scheduled for five years from now. I’ll deal with it then.”

  “I can’t imagine that’s healthy.”

  I shrugged. “I’m always one good cry away from full-on psychotic. Best fend it off for now. Not much time for crazy when there’re sea monsters lurking about.”

  Jamie wrapped his arms around me in a hug I tried not to feel. It was too tender, as if I was fragile and might shatter at the slightest breeze. The worst part was that I did feel on the edge of breaking, so I sucked in my breath and endured the sweetness for four whole seconds before gently extracting myself.

  “You saved us last night,” he said. “We’ve been talking about it all day. We wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for your human magic explosions.”

  “Queen Lucy of the Pyrotechnics,” I joked. “If I’d remembered my chemistry lessons sooner, Tor might still be alive.” Voicing my regret pulled me back into Jamie’s arms, as if he thought his embrace might shield me from the public stoning I was sure was coming.

  Jamie kissed the top of my head, and instantly I missed my dad. He spoke into my hair, which for some reason relaxed the guilt that was strangling me. “Jens has been beating himself up for not remembering how to do what you did. He sat through most of your classes, so he knew how to make that explosion, but in the heat of it all, it slipped his mind.”

  “It was a crazy night. I was just talking to Tor about how anxious the sea made him. He liked it better underground.” I swallowed. “How long until we reach Elvage? I’m not too wild about the ocean right now, either.”

  “We’re a day and a half out from the port, and then half a week’s journey inland. The farlig pushed us a bit off-course. We’ll be docking in Bedra.”

  I kissed Jamie’s chest and then pulled away before his kindness could melt me any further. I followed him down the stairs to the hallway that looked completely different in the daylight. There were no traces that the terrifying night even occurred. We went to the end of the hall where everyone was gathered in the galley. I was greeted by the whole group raising their glasses to me. I waved off their toast, red-faced and sat between Jens and Mace as Henry Mancini barked happily at my return to consciousness.

  Uncle Rick stood, his glass raised again. “We’ve not said a proper farewell to Tor or to Nik. I think that should be remedied right now.” We raised our glasses as one, united in our grief and guilt-laced relief at barely surviving the farlig. Uncle Rick’s voice was clear, his ebony fingers gripping his cup like it needed a good choking. “Though we press on, we remember with heavy and full hearts those who fell by the wayside in the name of our cause. Nik the Man of Valor and Torsten the Mighty, you lived as men and died as heroes, steadfast in your convictions as you fought, even unto death. To Tor and Nik.”

  We toasted and drank, allowing a minute of silence for reflection. When conversation began to trickle through the somber mood, I turned to my plate.

  “Morning, baby. Evening, really. Did you sleep well?” Jens asked, giving me a light kiss. It still made me swoon, and the predictable reaction felt right. Reclaiming enough pieces of normal moments to assemble into a whole life was crucial in the wake of such upset. I kissed him twice for sanity’s sake.

  I nodded. “Thanks for putting me in the hammock. I didn’t realize how tired I was until I passed out.”

  Jens motioned to my jeans and t-shirt with his biscuit. “I like you looking like you. Don’t get me wrong, I love our look on you, too. But there’s a charm to your way. I’ve missed it.”

  I displayed my t-shirt to him proudly. “Some hot guy got this for me. Total tool, but super hot.”

  “Hey, now.”

  Jens passed me some food, and I noticed there were no plates or silverware. “Crap. I blew up all the kitchen stuff. Sorry we don’t have anything to eat on, guys.”

  Uncle Rick smiled at me. “We’ll survive. Sacrificing a few creature comforts in exchange for our lives is something you won’t hear any complaints about from us. I’m proud of you, my girl.”

  I blinked up at him in surprise. Heat flooded my cheeks and chest at the sentiment I didn’t think I needed to hear from a parent figure until he said it. I looked down and focused on my biscuit. “You guys fought like superheroes. I was down here blubbering like a baby while you were in the thick of it.”

  Uncle Rick kept his eyes on me. “I’m proud of you, dear.”

  The back of my neck itched, so I scratched it, still keeping my head bent away from the compliment I wished I didn’t crave. “I don’t know how you guys did it, hacking off the tentacles and sliding all over the boat. King Arthur l
evel of awesome.”

  Uncle Rick put down his food and stared me down until everyone else at the table stilled. “Lucy, I’m proud of you.”

  Tiny tears pricked my eyes, and I swiped at them before they could become a problem. “Thanks, Uncle Rick.”

  Mace’s hand was on my back, and before I knew it, I was in his arms. “I was so scared for you!” I admitted into his shoulder. “You saved my life, and then you almost gave yourself an aneurism trying to rescue us. Are you okay?” I touched his ears, examining his face for signs of permanent damage.

  Charles did not pull away from my poking and prodding. Instead he drank me in with those silver-black eyes. “I’m just fine, kära. A little tired still, but I plan on remedying that in a little bit.”

  I kissed his cheeks and pressed my face into his neck. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Don’t ever do that again.”

  “Anything you say,” he agreed, tangling his fingers in my hair and tugging slightly. The stimulation of my scalp felt so good. I closed my eyes, allowing my head to rest on his shoulder and my soul to quiet from its turmoil.

  When my stomach rumbled, I released him, giving Henry Mancini a maternal pat before starting in on my dry biscuit. “Tell me about Bedra,” I requested, chewing the dry, tasteless biscuit that crumbled like sand in my mouth. “I don’t like not knowing anything about where we’re going next.”

  Jens shifted next to me, and I could tell by the tightness of his jaw and the rigid way he held his body that he did not care for this change in plans.

  When no one spoke, Uncle Rick took the lead as if he was about to explain something unpleasant. “Bedra is where the Mare live.”

  “Like horses? That sounds nice.”

  “Not horses. It’s a land run by women and largely populated by them. Men only pass through or make up a very small percentage if they stay.”

  Jens shook his head. “We’ll travel along the shore. We won’t run into any problems with the Mare. No point in talking about it.”

  Foss leaned back on his bench and rested his shoulders on the wall, a sneer mixing with a smile on his face. “And why wouldn’t you want to tell her about the Mare? Seems like you’re, I don’t know, hiding something, Jens.”

  Britta moved her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. “Jens,” she scolded. “I thought you stopped getting your lavender powder from the Mare a couple years ago. I thought you got it from the Fossegrimens the last time.”

  “I do.” He shook his head. “I mean, I did back when I was using more heavily. I got it from the Fossegrimens by way of the Mare.”

  “Oh, Jens.” Britta sounded so disappointed in her brother. “What would Mum say?”

  “I’m hardly the first guy to get lost there. And if Mum wanted to say something, she wouldn’t have left for Be.”

  Foss eyed my discomfort at the secrets Jens was obviously trying to keep from me. “Would you say you’ve enjoyed more of the Mare, or more of Lucy?” he jeered.

  Uncle Rick cleared his throat. “That’s my niece, Foss. She’s done nothing to provoke you.”

  The look of warning Jens gave Foss only made the Grimen’s cockiness grow. Jens snarled at the large man. “I made it out in a week. How many times have you gotten lost there? Your people trade with them most often.”

  Foss linked his fingers behind his head, enjoying the discomfort he was causing. “Oh, I’ve spent my fair share of time taking in the local flavor. But I don’t think my wife cares what I do. You, on the other hand…” Then Foss did something so heinous, my mouth fell open in disgust. He turned and winked at me.

  Jens ran his tongue along the edge of his top row of teeth as he seethed. “Call her your wife one more time. Really, I’d love an excuse to beat your face in again.”

  I scowled at them. I wasn’t totally following the conversation, but I did know I was on whatever side of the argument that was not Foss’s as a general rule. “Quit trying to get a rise out of him. And me, for that matter. I don’t care if he’s had girlfriends before me. It’d be weird if he hadn’t.”

  This did not knock the smile off Foss’s smug face. “Girlfriends, eh? That’s not what I would call them.”

  I bristled and sat straighter. “Could we talk about something that doesn’t make Foss do his evil villain smile? Like Pesta stuffing a soul in a sea monster. That’s worth a discussion. Do you think it was one soul, or a whole crapload just jammed up in there?” I used my hands when I talked, not realizing the crudeness of my gesture until it was complete.

  Uncle Rick was amused at my terminology. “One is all it takes, no matter the size of the being. But yes, it’s troubling that she knew where we were and sent the monster off its usual course to track us.”

  “How’s she finding us?” I asked, hoping for an answer. No one had any idea, which I found unacceptable. “No seriously, guys. How did she find us? In the mountains with that Were, that wasn’t a coincidence. And now the sea monster? She’s getting more aggressive. Are there any other huge monsters in Undra she could throw at us?”

  “Bears,” Charles suggested. “But we already know about those. Sleipnir, but we won’t be near those till we get to Bedra, and they’re pretty rare.”

  I chewed my powdery biscuit. “What are they?”

  “Eight-legged horses that fly. Well, they more like hop really high and far. They couldn’t, say, fly across this ocean or a mountain or anything like that.” Charles mimed with his biscuit as he spoke, flinging crumbs onto the table.

  “Eight-legged horses. Awesome. I really miss normal cats and whatnot from my world.” I shot Jens a look of commiseration, but he did not catch it. He was still too busy hiding whatever shame Foss brought up. “Okay, so let’s stay on the shore, and maybe we’ll steer clear of them altogether.”

  “We’ve already established that,” Foss complained. “Do you ever say anything useful?”

  “How about this one,” I began, gearing up to tell him off. It was not Jens’s hand on my back, but Mace’s that stayed my forthcoming tirade.

  “Now, now, sister. Best not let Foss wind you up. We’re only halfway done with our mission. There’s lots more horrible things he’ll be deserving of a good verbal thrashing for. Best pace yourself.”

  Twenty-Eight.

  Sailing for Bedra

  Foss steered the ship toward a port that Jens was unhappy with. Jens was edgy about me seeing the Mare, so I didn’t pry. It wasn’t his secrecy, it was Jamie and Britta that had me on edge. They were unusually quiet around me with cheery you-can-do-it-buddy smiles.

  Everyone was packing up the crates to ready for docking except for me. They had categorically refused to let me help because of my manic cleaning bout after the farlig fisk. After I had been laying in my hammock for exactly ten minutes, Foss called me lazy and told me I needed to learn how to steer the ship in case he ever wanted to take a break. He’s a real sweetheart. I think just nicely asking didn’t even occur to the lunkhead. That’s how I ended up next to Foss at the helm of the ship, sitting at his feet and snuggling Henry Mancini. I kissed my dog’s fur and rubbed behind his ears, grinning when he ground his head into the touch.

  “How long till we dock?” I asked.

  “Not too long now. Anxious to meet your boyfriend’s little distractions?”

  “I know you’re being nasty.”

  “Give the Guldy a prize.” He looked off into the distance and adjusted the giant steering wheel. “Now what would make you think that?”

  “Because you never talk to me nicely unless your brains get scrambled by fiddle music or you’re secretly being terrible.”

  Foss let a boyish grin sneak out. “Oh, I’m just looking forward to seeing the pedestal you put your boyfriend on get knocked out from under him.”

  “Careful,” I warned. “You almost sound like you care about my relationship. Ipso facto, you care about me. Ouch. That can’t feel good, growing a heart from scratch like that. Be careful. Ovaries are next.”

  He scowled at my joke, so
I knew I’d won. “If Jens gets the moonbeams you see in him taken away, it’ll crush the both of you. Two lovebirds with one stone.”

  I felt small, sitting next to his towering form. He had a way of almost convincing me he could be halfway decent, and then reverting back to his predictable wretched behavior. Foss was an open palm you thought might welcome you, but it always managed to slap you instead. And yet, I fell for it every time. My mom would have called that an admirable quality. Linus would have told it like it was: I’m gullible and can’t believe anyone’s past redemption.

  Henry Mancini licked my face, cheering me up from the funk Foss always put me in. I sat on the wood floor, wondering if I would ever feel the urge to get back on a boat after this trip.

  “Can I ask you something?” Since it was just us, I felt I could voice my concerns.

  “Do you honestly think I could stop you? Go annoy Jamie or his rat.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re mean and scary. I get it.” I rolled my eyes. “Sit down for a second,” I urged, tugging on his pant leg.

  Foss grumbled and shook his leg to rid himself of my essence, but complied and sat on the floor, facing me with his back against the ship. He made a big show of how inconvenient I was making life for him, but I could tell he was happy to be off his feet.

  “What’s the deal with the Mare and Jens?” I asked, rubbing Henry Mancini’s fur. He had jumped off my lap and was whining next to me, sounding all kinds of pitiful as he paced in a circle.

  Foss scoffed, picking at a thread on his beige pants. “You don’t want to hear it. It would ruin the shining image of your precious boyfriend.”

  “Which is exactly why I’m asking you. You like hurting me, and I’m guessing it’s all bad news. So, out with it. Is it an ex? Is that what you were jabbing him about?”

  A smug smile crossed his face as he focused on nothing in particular. When his vision narrowed on me, the smile faded. Suddenly, the outright hatred was gone and we were two allies sharing secrets. It was hard to keep up with Foss’s mood swings.