Page 42 of A Darkness So Sweet

So many mixed emotions ran throughout Ragnar’s head. He shouldn’t have stood up for her like that. Especially not in front of King Egil. Chasing that thought was another that said he should have done more. Some part of him believed he should have postured in front of the king and threatened the man if he were to ever lay a finger on his troll wife and that wasn’t... him.

Ragnar was a healer. He’d never threatened to hurt someone outside of battle, but in that moment, he’d run through every single poison he knew of. He would make the king’s end terrible and swift, and that...

No. He couldn’t.

This was King Egil. He had done nothing but good for their people, and he had led them into a time where there was more reason and thought than there was animalistic desire.

Maia was proof that the humans would never work with the trolls. They weren’t even willing to give King James’s offspring to them, even with the absolute certainty that she would be worshipped by Ragnar. By all laws of his own people, he should let them punish Maia in retribution.

And yet, as he left the castle with her tucked against his side, he was very glad that he hadn’t. Because for all that she had seemed a frightened little thing who couldn’t speak her mind, she never let that break her. She stood tall and strong next to him; her legs moving at a run to keep up with his pace. But he couldn’t slow down, not when there were plenty of trolls behind them who wanted to say their piece.

“Gunnar...” She looked over her shoulder at the castle that was no longer looming over them. “Is he not coming?”

“No.”

“But didn’t you just give your house to him?”

“And he gave it back.”

Her brows furrowed, creating tiny lines on her forehead as she looked up at him. “Is it really that easy to give a house away here?”

“It’s just as easy for humans, fire hair. Let’s not make that comparison.” He ushered her away from the castle and toward his own home. “Keep your eyes down and forward. We don’t want anyone giving you too long of a look right now.”

“Why is that?”

“Because they all want to know if your betrayal is reason enough to kill you, Maia. The king has agreed to let you live for now, but that decree is not permanent by any means. Give the rest of them time and let me hide you so they can give up their hunt.”

His heart thundered in his chest, so distracting that he barely gave himself a second to look at his kingdom through her eyes. It was all lit with the glow from above. His home was always cast in pretty blue light. Giant mushrooms grew the farther they went from the castle. Each one was different, but all the plush caps were held up by thick, sturdy stalks. Maia brushed her fingers over the top of one before she hurried to keep up with him down the blue leaf covered path.

The farther they were from the castle, the more he could breathe. He filled his lungs with the scent of loam and earth, the headier scent of the mushrooms and the crushed leaves that crumpled beneath his feet as he moved. It was all so familiar and yet, with her standing beside him, it wasn’t at all.

Finally, they reached the perimeter of the forest and came out onto the edge of a cliff that dropped ever deeper into the earth. It was then he heard that intake of breath from her again that suggested she was shocked. And why shouldn’t she be? A city unfolded before them in the crevice of a mountain.

Far into the shadows, there were countless homes. Each one of them carved into the very rock face, but it wasn’t just homes. There were streets and markets and twinkling lights that filled the entirety of the cavernous space. Wisps readily roamed, seeking out those who needed a light to guide them places. All of it continued as far as the eye could see until the trolls themselves were tiny dots so far out of sight that they looked like children's toys.

The sound of laughter and the pealing of music rang up throughout the cavern and filled the mountain with the sound of troll joy. It was a beautiful sound, and one he had listened to his entire life. But right now, all he could do was stare at the woman beside him, whose eyes had widened.

“This is Trollveggen?” she asked.

“It is.”

“I didn’t know it would look like the night sky.”

Now it was his turn to frown. “The night sky?”

She gestured to all the lights laid out before them. “It’s like your city is made of stars.”

Then he saw it through her eyes. The twinkling starlight, the faint blue glow that highlighted everything with accents of silver like the moon itself lived in his home. The beauty of it, the way every inch of this place radiated with sound and energy—it all filled his soul with peace. Perhaps she was right. This feeling was the same one he got when he looked at the thousands of stars in the night sky.

“Perhaps it is made of starlight,” he muttered. “The elves designed it, and we all know how much the elves loved the stars.”

She shook her head. “I know very little about the elves, actually. My father had no interest in them, and my mother... Well, I think the meager power I have came from her, you see. So she wouldn’t have been able to teach me anything.”

“Why not?”

“She died.” Maia’s voice had turned quiet and wistful. “Giving birth to me, unfortunately. My father used to say I was bad luck for that.”

Something in him twisted. She’d mentioned her father a few times, and never in a good light. The man had seemed determined to wear her down, and soon enough, Ragnar would get the entire story out of her. Even if it made him hate her kind even more.

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