Page 84 of A Darkness So Sweet

Ragnar nodded. It was a good idea. Bringing her home right now would only put them right back in the same place they’d been before. He needed time away with her so the stories could start about what she’d done to heal the others, and how she’d fought bravely against that human soldier. His people would value her courage, and she would win permanent favor.

It would take time, though. And in that time, he could indulge himself in his bride.

Standing, he headed over to Maia. Some of the other trolls had bundled her up and sat her down in front of a fire. They had thought she was cold, most likely, but now he could see some were realizing it was far more than that. No matter how close she was to the fire or how many layers they put on her, her teeth continued to chatter and her body still shook.

Quite a few helpless glances were sent in his direction as he approached. Few knew what to do with a person in this state.

But there was another troll seated beside her, a warrior he admired quite a bit. Edda had a scar down her face from where a human had tried to end her life, and quite a few more on her body. Her quiet murmur held Maia’s attention more than the fire did.

As he walked a little closer, he overheard what the troll woman was saying.

“It’s a long journey to fight through, but you give him even more power if you let him live inside of you. You fought. You won. These are battles to be proud of.”

At his approach, the warrior cut off what she was saying and stood. With a sharp nod, she left them alone.

Ragnar, in the full sight of all the trolls around him, knelt before her. On his knees before his troll wife.

As it always should be.

He gathered her hands in his, squeezing those shaking fingers. “Will you come somewhere with me, Maia? Or do you want to go home?”

She looked at him with so much hope in those eyes that it made his entire body ache. She trusted him beyond measure, this woman. Even if she shouldn’t.

“I’ll go anywhere with you,” she whispered.

If that didn’t make his heart sing, he didn’t know what would.

Gathering her up in his arms, he held her against his chest and walked into the forest. The rest of the war band watched him, and he could see the relief in their posture. Ragnar was taking her somewhere to piece her back together, and they could rest easy knowing that she wouldn’t be in so much pain anymore. Soon enough, he would see to it that his bride was well.

On the way, he talked to distract her. And partly to bare a part of his soul that still ached.

“When I was young, Gunnar wasn’t the closest person to me. That was another troll.”

Maia’s head tilted against his shoulder to look up at him. “I think Gunnar mentioned something about him once. That you had suffered a loss before.”

“Bjorn was a good man,” he replied, picking through the forest so he could find the entrance into the mountain that was rarely used. He kept his eyes on the trees, though, and listened for any human foolish enough to chase them. “He was another warrior, like me. We trained together when we were young. The warrior who led us made us fight because we hated each other. It was hard to fight him, because he fought just like me. We had the same mind, the same plans. Beating another warrior like that is difficult, because I knew what he was going to do, but he also knew what I was going to do.”

The entrance to the mountain loomed in front of them. He’d chosen a close one, knowing that it might give her more relief to slip between the stones and away from her own people.

The rocks looked like any other jumble of rocks that were all over this mountain. But these hid a tight crevice that he carefully slid them through. He had to turn to the side just to get into it, but he made sure that Maia’s legs and arms were carefully tucked against him before he moved.

Once through, he continued his story. “Bjorn was the first one of us to be welcomed into a war band. He was one of the most talented fighters I’ve ever met in my life, so it wasn’t surprising to any of us. He was quick to battle, but quick to end it, too. He wasn’t the kind of warrior who would draw out a fight for his pride or the pride of another. In an instant, he would have a human pinned beneath him and dead even just with his teeth. But beyond all that fighting power, he was also kind. And a very talented jeweler, if you’d believe that.”

Something in that last bit caught her attention because suddenly, she was looking up at him with a narrow-eyed gaze. “I suppose all warriors have something that makes them seem more personable.”

“That we do.” He walked into the darkness with her. “Are you still frightened of the dark?”

“No. I don’t mind it as much as the first time I came here with you.”

“Good.” He took a deep breath, starting into the painful part of the story that still plagued him to this day. “In one of the raids Bjorn went on, he got injured. I was there with him. The humans had set a trap that caught his leg in it. One moment he was standing, and the next, a bear trap had nearly severed his calf. I was still learning how to use my power, but I was so certain I could heal him. Unfortunately, that caused more issues. I healed him too quickly, and he had a limp for the rest of his life.”

“You couldn’t have known that would happen,” she said, her voice little more than a murmur. “You were trying to help him.”

“But I failed. And he was no longer capable of being a warrior in the way he was before.” He swallowed hard, finally reaching the end of the dark tunnel and stepping out onto a small path that would lead them deeper into the mountain. At the very least, now there were wisps to guide them. “And if I had healed him better, he would still be here today.”

“Ragnar...”

“No, sweet thing. You do not have to make excuses for me. I know the truth of what I did and how I limited him. He went on another war band, against the wishes of many trolls. They didn’t want to tell him what he was capable of, but he knew his own limitations. As such, he was captured by the soldiers there. They took him away, and we don’t know what happened to him. But we know humans well enough. He’s dead, and they killed him in a horrible way. All of that is my fault.”

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