Page 64 of Vow of the Undead
“It looks like the Gods spilled paint right in the middle of your eyes, and it’s still spilling. Looking at you gives me the creeps, but then you say something amusing like ‘will you come with me to Skaldir’ and I remember you’re my friend. But who would ever want to go to the coldest village with the least amount of food? Honestly, you did not do a great job staying sane in Mara’s Keep.”
I rolled my eyes but at the same time, the hint of a smile lifted my tired face. Stasia said exactly what she thought of me, and even if it was rude, I preferred that to whispers and secrets.
“You’ve never spoken of the Gods before,” I said.
Another shrug. “I don’t care for them, but I suspect you do. Anyone who is as well versed in Draugr, and believes in them before even seeing them, that’s a person who still listens to the sagas.”
“You’re right.”
“Clearly.”
I eyed her as she chewed at the dried bit of meat. “You never said where you’re going.”
She didn’t bother to swallow before she spoke around the lump in her cheek. “Once you’re not totally helpless?” She lifted her brows and raked her gaze over me. Coming from her, I knew this was her way of showing she cared. She’d betrayed a damn vampire king to help me escape when she could have slipped away herself without the weight of my slow pace dragging her down. “I’m going to The Sea of Skalds.”
“What?”
She laughed and nudged me with her elbow. “When you ask a question, Silver, listen to the answer.”
I shook my head. “I heard you, but why would you go where it storms the most? Don’t you know the only food at seais fish, fish, and more fish?”
She smiled. “You’re funny, and a little offensive. Teasing is my way of coping with this life, don’t copy me. And clearly, I know that I’ll only be eating fish, but even food isn’t enough to keep me away.”
“From?”
She spit out a particularly tough piece of meat and sighed. I didn’t know if it was for the lost food or what she was about to say. Throwing her loose waves over her shoulder, she straightened and met my gaze. “From an executioner.”
I merely blinked at her. Why would she chase after a member of the Grimward?
“Don’t look at me like I’ve gone mad.” She wagged her finger at me as if I were a child she was scolding. Lifting her chin, the moonlight bathed her face in a bluish glow. Her postural confidence drove me to sit up a little straighter. “I’m going to find him. Half of the Grimward has been sent to move the Exiles to the shore at The Sea of Skalds in preparation to set sail. First, I’m headed to the wasteland, but if I can’t find him there, I’ll wait at The Sea of Skalds. I suspect he’s still at the wasteland because I haven’t heard of the exiles being moved across Einnland and Mara yet.”
“You’re in love with an executioner?” I said, the words slipping out bluntly. I didn’t even know if it was the truth, but the way Stasia’s eyes lit up when she spoke of this mysterious man, I felt the love within her.
She eyed me, a smirk curling her lips again. I knew I was in for it and I couldn’t help but return the smile, until a pang of sadness struck through my chest and tightened my throat. The playful teasing and Stasia’s rough way of speaking was akin to my friendship with Ragna. They were both women I admired. I loved Ragna as if she were my sister, and apparently Stasia and I bickered like sisters, too.
My smile vanished.
Thoughts of sisters were not something my ragged emotions could handle right now.
“Maybe I am in love with anexecutioner,” she said, her tone playfully mocking the way I’d said it. “And maybe you should shut your damn mouth and stop judging me. Don’t you know that when you love someone, you don’t care what they’ve done?”
Why King Drakkar flickered into my mind, I didn’t want to know. I’d been too drawn to him. I’d killed, and so did he.
One in the same.
Two monsters giving in to our selfish needs.
There was no love between us, of course, but he’d seen me—the real me, and still wanted me. Even when he found out about Freya’s visions and Loki’s voice in my head. But in the end, he’d demanded I give those up.
The memory of his mouth dripping with blood turned my stomach and when Stasia offered me another cut of dried meat, I frowned and waved it away.
“You take the first watch,” Stasia said, cutting through the bloody memory.
“What?”
She snapped her fingers and then clapped her hands together. “Wake up, girl. Are you already asleep? The king will be looking for us—especially you. Until we’re out of Mara, we must be on guard.” I was always on guard. After a lifetime of being followed, I could spot the movement of figures in the darkness and feel the prickle of eyes on my back. “And I need my rest,” she continued. “Do you think this beauty comes without effort?” Though she was slim, not quite full with thick thighs and wide curves like the most beautiful women from Skaldir, she radiated a certain warmth that still made me want to call her an angel. I crooked a smile at her contagious confidence. “And don’t worry, I know you need to rest. But I’ve become aware of the signs of your sickness.”
She pointed at my fingers. They were pink since the highand energy of our escape still flowed through me. It wouldn’t be long until they tinted blue again, but we both needed rest, and Stasia was the one who’d mapped and guided our entire escape. I could manage a little longer while she slept and she knew it.
