Page 36 of The Daughter of the Scarred Elf

But—

That wasbeforethose shadowy things sprang out of her body.Beforeher body started healing itself rapidly. Andbeforeher back became insufferably itchy and blood-red.

“I don’t know what to tell you guys.” She shrugged, hoping she came off as nonchalant as Ivar was. She needed to borrow some of that confidence, borderline arrogance. Maybe that would earn her some respect. “Maybe you guys just aren’t up to speed with me?” She shot Herja a gloating look. “Might want to be faster than that, human girl.”

Ivar snorted a laugh and Gunnar joined him, while Herja scowled.

“Hey now, I admit that you’re faster at reacting than me—which in itself should be a big feat for you—but that doesn’t mean you’ve been able to follow through.” Herja cracked her knuckles. “How many of those things have you killed? One?”

Eluf raised a scarred hand, dark eyes set forward. “All of you, quiet.”

Everyone shushed immediately and went on the defensive. After a moment of nothing, he urged his horse onward. “Let’s keep moving and don’t forget that this isn’t a competition.” He gave Herja and Kolfinna a long look over his shoulder, and she had to look away to not feel like a scolded schoolgirl. “Herja, you should know better?—”

“Oh, come on, Eluf. You know what we’re like.” Gunnar pressed his horse forward until it was beside his older brother’s. “When have we ever failed a mission before, huh? We can’t all be glum, ya know? We need some healthy competition from time to time. Know what I’m saying?” He glanced at the others, his dimples indented deep. “It’d be boring if we only shut up and never said anything.”

Herja laughed as she dusted snow off her blazing-red hair. “Yeah, I agree with the village idiot. It’s healthy to talk shi?—”

“Village idiot?” Gunnar’s mouth hung open. “You too, Herja? I’m offended.”

“That’s Blár’s line.” Ivar rolled his eyes.

Herja shrugged. “It’s fitting.”

All at once, Kolfinna felt uncomfortable. Even as Inkeri chuckled and Eluf sighed loudly. As Ivar ducked from Gunnar’s fist, as Herja galloped forward to avoid Gunnar’s ire. It was all too much for Kolfinna in that moment.

They all knew each other. Were friends, even. And then there she was: intruding.

She had to tell herself that she wasn’t here for friends. Actually, she wasn’t even sure why she was here anymore. In the Royal Guards, she had been looking for her own place in the world. She had only come here to save her skin. But what happened now? Was she supposed to just find her place here while being rune-marked and forced to obey Sijur Bernsten for the next fifteen years? Or was she supposed to break from her runes, escape—because Sijur likely wouldn’t keep her around if she broke her bond with him—and then find her place somewhere else?

Her head began to throb at those thoughts. At what she would be throwing away if she decided to destroy the rune marking her and leave the military. Her chance at having a place in society. The ability to change society.

And that wasn’t even including the problems she had with Ragnarök, the heir business, or why her body was going against her—with her hair and her skin—and all the other changes she was going through.

She was confused and as she watched the others clown around her, she realized she had no one to talk to about it.

They arrivedat a cavernous site in the forest about a half mile away from the village Egetrae. Trees hung over the dark gray cave opening and shrouded it in shadows. The opening was only four feet tall and Kolfinna couldn’t imagine squeezing through there to find anything useful, but she could feel the stones connecting below the cave and opening it into a large network in the ground.

Herja stiffened at the sight of the cave opening and then turned to Inkeri with wide eyes. “Are we … going inside that?” she whispered, but Kolfinna could hear it even though they were at least seven feet apart. No one else could, judging by the way they were jumping off their horses and speaking to one another.

Strange. Maybe her hearing had improved?

“You’ll be fine—” Inkeri was saying, her voice low.

“But you know I hate small openings like that.”

“I’ll be right beside you.”

That was also strange. Kolfinna hadn’t expected Herja, who seemed tough and rough and untamed and wild, to be claustrophobic. It almost made her feel bad for eavesdropping, but it wasn’t like she was doing it on purpose, she told herself. They were just speaking … loudly? Quietly? She wasn’t even sure why she could hear them.

“You sure this is where those green-skins are coming from?” Gunnar asked, tying his horse to a tree.

“A soldier from the village reported that when he tracked one of them, this is where it went.” Eluf tied his horse as well. Hismovements were slow and cautious. “They probably have a huge gathering here.”

“And the six of us is enough to take down their whole base?” Ivar raised his eyebrows. “Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a lot of faith in …” He glanced at the party and then shrugged. “Myself, honestly. But a whole base of green-skins? I’m not sure those odds are lookingsuperfavorable.”

Gunnar laughed. “I’ll take care of most of them.”

“Like hell you will.” Ivar rolled his eyes.

---