Page 36 of Storm of Desire
His breath arrested. Jesus. "You're nothelping."
Tormund shot him a grin. "I've got twenty Danish kronerr riding on this. I don't intend tohelp."
Haakon drained his tankard. Nothing Tormund said was a revelation. The same arguments had been ringing in his ears fordays.
But she would have to meet himhalfway.
He wasn't going to waste the next seven years of his life hoping she'd give him the time of day. "It's her choice," he said, slamming the tankard down. "Not mine. Not thistime."
"And if she does come to you before youleave?"
Haakon swallowed the flash of hope that seared his insides. "Then I don't know what I'm going todo."
"I do." Gunnar snorted, leaning on his shoulder as he slung his leg over the bench Haakon was sitting on. "You'll stay. Despite all argument to the contrary. Despite good common fuckingsense."
Tormund hesitated. "Justdon't—"
"Do anything foolish," Haakon promised. "I'm not going to storm thedrekicourtsinglehandedly."
"Wasn't what you were saying a month ago," Gunnar grumbled, slinking down onto the seat on the other side ofhim.
Some of the men had had to restrain him. "I wasn't in the right frame of mind a monthago."
After all, he'd just discovered that the wife he'd feared dead, or worse, had been thedreki. It wasn't his finesthour.
"You have less than twelve hours." Tormund drummed his fingers on thetable.
"Thank you. I hadn'tnoticed."
"Might as well get some sleep. It's going to be a long sail home," Gunnargrunted.
"She'll come," Tormund disagreed, shaking his head. "I'll put money onit."
Gunnar reached out and offered his hand. "Fiftykroner."
"Done." Tormund grinned, clasping hands withhim.
"Do you mind not betting on my future," Haakon muttered. "Where the hell is Bjorn with thebeer?"
"Thought you wanted a clear head?" Gunnarasked.
He'd changed hismind.
"I told you, I'm not the one making the decision. It's been three days. I told her I was leaving. She knows I'm sailing with the dawn. If there's some part of her that still holds a place for me in her heart, then she has one last chance to admit it. I'll wait for her untilmorning."
"And if she's nothere?"
He dragged his gaze toward the window, sighting the harbor. "Then I'll set sail with the rest of you. And neverreturn."
* * *
Árdís had never resentedher mortal form more than she did in thatmoment.
Rain poured from the skies in a steady curtain, as she hauled the donkey Marek sat upon, up the steep slope. At first she'd been grateful, for it would make it harder for anything in the skies to see her, and fewdrekiwould be flying on a night like this, but after almost six hours of being wet and miserable, she was starting to wish for clear skies. And the donkey—stabled near the servant's portal for their use—might have been trained to accept the scent ofdrekling, but it clearly didn't likeher.
How long would it take for her to be missed from court? The portal had cut her journey by days, but the press of time still weighed uponher.
It was doubtful anyone would miss them. Not until dark when the guard's rotation changed, according to Marek. That should give them at least a full day's headstart.
