Page 104 of The Seducer
“If Laura wants to do this, we should respect her choice,” Pearl said and sighed when Khan pivoted around and dragged his hands through his hair.
“Laura.” Taking her hand, I looked into her eyes. “You have the strength to do this, but I wonder if you’re doing it for the right reasons.”
“I want to help!” she said.
“Yes, but if you’re trying to prove the point that women are strong, there are better ways.”
The sound of running footsteps had us all looking up the stairs to see Magni return.
The sight of him carrying weapons made me burst out a warning in a high pitch, “He’s going to kill Laura.”
Magni stopped cold, and then his face distorted in a grimace of anger. “What the fuck are you talking about, priestess? I took a vow to protect Laura with my life,” he snarled. “And just for the record, I don’t need no fucking weapons to kill a person.”
He took the last five steps, and with the combination of Magni’s being already huge and his being higher up than us, he looked imposing and intimidating, like an ancient Viking warrior descending to fight us all. On instinct, I moved closer to Finn and he pulled me under his arm in a protective way.
“If you’re determined to chase those motherfuckers, then I’m going with you,” Magni said to Laura.
“That’s impossible,” Pearl exclaimed. “After you crossed the border, unauthorized, twice and kidnapped Athena, you have become public enemy number one. They would never allow you to pass the border.”
“They just did,” Magni argued. “I was at the ceremony when the earth quake happened.”
Khan spoke up. “You have no idea how long it took for Pearl to convince them to let you come. Both she and I had to make solemn promises that we guaranteed you would return with us to the Northlands and that you wouldn’t be trouble while we were there.”
“Public enemy number one, huh!” Magni scrunched up his mouth.
“I understand your frustration, brother, I know it’s against your nature to leave Laura unprotected, but you can’t leave your post now,” Khan said. “There’s too much going on here and I need you to stay.”
Magni groaned and then he turned to Laura. “If I can’t stop you, then at least I can make sure that you’re wearing the right protection, and that you bring solid weapons.” He held out a piece of fabric that looked like nothing I had ever seen before. It had the shape of a small human, but was made in a see-through material. “Remember the video that I made for you?” he asked in a gruff voice. “The one where I promised you that I would teach you to fight if you came home?”
Laura nodded.
“Well, I had this made for you, so you wouldn’t get hurt while training,” Magni said. “There’s no better protective gear than this and you can wear it under your clothes.”
Laura took the one-piece and looked it over. “I’ve seen vests and gloves, but never a full body suit. This must have cost you a fortune.”
“As I said,” Magni mumbled, “I had it especially made for you.”
I softened a little toward Magni. The concern on his face and the thoughtfulness of wanting to protect Laura was touching.
“Thank you,” Laura said and held the suit to her chest.
Magni bit his lip, his brows still drawn close together. “I wish you could wear leather on top, but if you want to blend in, I guess that’s out of the question.” He looked down at the weapons. “You should bring some weapons. They might come in handy for you if those motherfuckers won’t cooperate.”
“Magni,” Khan said and began walking away. “Come join the rest of us in my office when you’re done. The negotiations will begin in half an hour.”
“Understood,” Magni muttered.
“You can take Laura to the border afterwards,” Khan added.
I never heard a reply from Magni, because Finn made sure that we followed Khan and Pearl, and my belly was already in a knot over the magnitude of the negotiations that were about to take place.
I was a peacekeeper by profession, but helping people solve conflicts with colleagues and family members seemed mundane and insignificant compared to the task that I was facing now. If things blew up in that room, war could break out and millions would suffer and possibly die.
“Remember,” Finn whispered to me. “All you need to do is argue that we should be together, can you do that?”
Looking up at him, the edges around my eyes softened. “I’ll argue until I’m blue in my face,” I promised. “If they refuse, I’ll even consider moving here.”
“You would?” Finn stopped me abruptly, letting Pearl and Khan walk ahead, before he whispered with eagerness, “You would do that for me?”
