Page 70 of Storm of Desire
"I don'tknow."
She pressed the heel of her palm to her temples. "I think I was dreaming. I think something wasinmydreams."
Somedrekicould do that, if they willed, and though she still had the gift of her psychic shields, perhaps they'd weakened with herexhaustion.
Haakon's fingertips brushed her cheek, "You're not hurt, areyou?"
She felt light-headed, after all that pressure, and simply shook her head. The concern in his eyes felt like a lance through the heart. She pressed a quick kiss to his fingers inresponse.
"Get dressed." He moved toward her saddlebags, and tossed them toward her. "I'll see if I can catch another glimpse ofit."
Árdís dressed swiftly, dragging on a shirt and tunic and the leather trousers she wore for sparring practice instead of a gown, just in case they needed to run. The horses were still loaded with the gear, their girths loose. Árdís joined Haakon at the cavemouth.
Mud streamed down the side of the mountain, slick in the rain. It had lessened to a drizzle, but the slope looked treacherous. Nothing moved. Nothing she could see anyway, but Árdís settled down patiently, resting her hand on Haakon'sthigh.
"I cannot see anything," shebreathed.
"Maybe it knows we'rewatching?"
Silence.
"I can definitely feel something out there." Her senses were muted, but an itch prickled down the back of her spine, and herdrekiwas on edge. "A pity," she said with a soft sigh. "I was hoping to wake in your arms. I'd finally gotten younaked."
His eyes cut to hers, dark in the night. "Feeling better, Isee?"
"Our truce only lasts until the sunrises."
"Fair warning. I'll be on my guard." His lips kickedup.
Clearly, his ill temper of the day had been dulled by sleep. Árdís stroked his thigh with her thumb. He'd been pushing himself for two days, snatching a few hours of sleep curled up in his cloak. He should have taken her offer of the bedroll the nightbefore.
A flicker of movement shifted in the corner of her eye. Árdís leaned forward, her grip on his thightightening.
"What is it? Is it He Who Should Not BeWoken?"
She held her breath. A shape shifted. It was big, whatever it was, but it blended into the countryside well. Too well. Another rock shifted behind it, and Árdís nostrils quivered. She could just make out a faint hint of basalt and rotten flesh on thebreeze.
Damnit.
"Trolls."
"Trolls?" he saidincredulously.
Thunder grumbled in thedistance.
"What? You can believe in dragons anddreki, and wyrms and kraken, but you don't think trolls actuallyexist?"
"I just—" He seemed taken aback. "I've neverseen...."
"Well, no. I doubt you would have. They cannot walk under the sun, and they prefer isolated places, rather than those close to mankind. Humans rarely see them, though if a farmer goes missing, or a traveler vanishes on the road, one assumes.... There used to be more of them, but the rise of the church in this land has driven them away. They don't like church bells for somereason."
"What do wedo?"
"They're moving slowly, trying to take us unaware, but they can run fast when they want to."She bit her lip. "Drekiand trolls do not go well together. My people call them Destroyers of the Storm-sun, and they are afraid of lightning, thanks tous."
"So they'll leave usalone?"
"They eat men," she muttered, casting him a look. "And if there are enough of them, they may attempt to attack us, if they see me in my mortalform."
