Page 30 of Kingdom of Embers and Ruin

Maude wasn't sure what to say. She had remembered reliving an old memory, and at the worst part of it, she felt a cold wave of water wash away her dreams and soothe her into a deep sleep. The more she thought about it, the more she remembered kind words and a soft touch on her hair. She had reached for what felt like home and had been lost to sleep.

Maude realized she must have been the one to reach for Herrick’s hand. Her face started to burn from embarrassment, so she quickly opened her mouth to say—what? She didn’t know.

Their door crashed open, and Hakon’s scrambling form entered the room before slamming the door shut again, saving Maude from having to come up with something.

Herrick and Maude both moved at once; Herrick, still shaking off the night's sleep, and Maude, only wrapped in her mother’s shawl, reached for their weapons, taking up defensive positions that were almost identical to each other. Hakon leaned his back against the door while holding himself up on his knees and breathing heavily from his evident sprint up to the room. Herrick quickly dropped his stance and went to his brother, obvious relief in his face.

Maude cautiously circled them both, opening the curtain slightly with her dagger blade to look out beyond the wall of the city while they spoke.

“What happened to you, brother?” Herrick asked, reaching under Hakon’s elbows to help him stand.

“Flame Soldiers,” Hakon huffed, catching his breath. “Followed me and Eydis through the desert. I just left her with Thora downstairs to get cleaned up. We need to leave.”

Maude took a closer look at Hakon. His face, usually a sun-kissed gold, was ashen, his clothes were weathered and sandy, and he looked like fear was eating him alive.

Hakon grabbed onto his brother's shirt. “Now, Herrick.”

Pushing off his brother, Hakon scrambled for any spare clothing in the room to quickly change into. Noticing Maude, he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you for saving my brother’s life in the desert. I owe you a debt.”

Maude, realizing Thora must have told him, only nodded mutely and looked at Herrick, who was studying his brother’s panic with grim understanding.

“Soldiers followed you from the city, and now they are coming to Engate. Hakon, I need you to tell me what happened. Why were you so late?”

“There is no time right now; we have to go. Thora is gathering supplies with Eydis and Gunnar while Liv gets some horses. I can explain once we have put Engate behind us.”

Hakon hastily changed into Herrick’s spare clothing while Maude stripped the shawl from her body and dressed in the slightly damp clothes Thora left last night. The stitches pulled on her collarbone slightly as she shrugged on the sleeveless shirt that had been provided for her. The cut was halfway healed now, hergalderhaving sped up the process as she slept.She’d need to remove the thread at some point today before her skin closed around it.

Strapping her dagger to her thigh after pulling on the slightly damp leggings, Maude gathered her axe, short sword, and quiver after shoving her meager belongings into a pack she had been given at the Green House.

Lastly, she opted to string her bow before attaching it to the hook that was on her quiver in case they came to blows with the soldiers following Hakon.

Maude grabbed Herrick’s forearm as he was lifting his battle axe to strap onto his back and forced him to look at her.

“Once we leave this town and have a moment to slow down, you will tell me about this supposed weapon, or I will turn around and leave you all in the sand,” Maude said to him in an even voice. Herrick looked down to where her hand was on his skin and looked back up to her.

“You will get all the information I have,minn eldr. I hope you decide I am your path to Helvig’s death because I think we could be a force of nature if you let us,” Herrick whispered to her as he leaned into her ear. “I can help you workwithyourgalderinstead of against it. I can show you how to control it soitdoesn't controlyou.”

“Who says I need your help?” Maude asked, swallowing thickly. Herrick ran a finger down her arm, tracing an inked flame from her shoulder down to her wrist and leaving a cool trail of melting ice in his wake.

“Everyone needs help,minn eldr. Just think about it,” he said as he turned to walk out of the door and down the stairs.

Maude only stared for a moment, the chills that had broken out all over her body finally ebbing. Hakon cleared his throat behind her, reminding her that he was still in the room and that he had clearly seen the entire moment between them. Maude didn’t dare face him when she still felt unable to speak, so she only followed Herrickout of the room and down to the tavern where Gunnar and Thora were finishing packing supplies into saddlebags for their hasty departure.

Herrick was speaking with Gunnar, who had shot a few unreadable glances her way. The woman she assumed was Eydis was changing into pants and a linen shirt Thora had provided behind a screen that blocked her from the men’s eyes.

Eydis looked to be in her early twenties, with long silver hair that seemed to glow like moonlight. Her round face enhanced the beauty of her youth, but her caramel eyes were empty. What would typically be honey-tinted skin was pale and lined with grief.

Maude made her way over to the young woman, offering her an awkward smile and a travel cloak to throw over her clothes. Eydis hesitantly took the cloak from her hands and wrapped it around her shoulders, giving Maude a slight nod. She looked at the scar on Maude’s face briefly before averting her eyes and fussing with her bootlaces. Maude tried to reign in her flinch, opting to pull her hood up again.

“Are you staying in the town with your siblings?” Maude asked as she began to sort through her pack to make sure her weapons were all still there after the journey.

“My brothers can pass inconspicuously with the family they are staying with. I need to get away from them before I endanger them more,” Eydis replied softly, her voice like a wind chime blowing gently in a breeze.

Maude looked up at the woman, assessing her a bit more closely.

“You were thevitkithey were looking for.”

Eydis’s eyes widened a fraction before Maude saw her shut down the panic in its tracks. Maude nodded her understanding at wanting to leave those she loved out of the line of fire that led to her. Eydis seemed to want to say something to her, but when she looked over Maude’s shoulder, she visibly relaxed as Hakon appeared, only fierce determination set into hisface. His eyes softened when he found Eydis before he carried on with his preparations. A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she turned away and went to help Thora finish gathering food.

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