Page 98 of Storm of Desire
"You will be free to go," she continued. "To live your life without guilt, and to live the life I'd hoped you wouldhave."
His heart rebelled.Is there no life where we could betogether?
But he swallowed his pride, and forced himself to ask, "Andyou?"
"I don't know. I haven't thought about my future, beyond these next few days. I'll be safe with Rurik." She colored. "It frustrates me to know I've still been living the life my mother planned forme."
"What sort of life would you desire, if it were yourchoice?"
Their eyesmet.
You, said herexpression.
"I would live a life knowing you were safe," Árdís whispered. "That's all Iwant."
It was all she wouldallow.
He ground his teeth together. Nothing had changed. There was no point arguing withher.
There are other ways, something whispered inside him. He couldn't force her to face herfears.
All he could do was encourageher.
"This way," he said, leading her to a small house at the end of the street that looked little more than a door cut into the side of a grassedhill.
Rapping his knuckles sharply against the door, he waited. Runes had been carved into the timber at some point, and a goat bleated at him from the top of the grassed roof. The tiny village was barely more than a collection of houses atop a windsweptknoll.
"Do you think he's athome?"
"He's at home." Haakon hammered on thedoor.
"All right, all right. I heard you the first time," someone grumbled from within, and the sound of the door being unlockedechoed.
The door jerked open, and a small man blinked up at them. He stood barely four and a half feet tall, with glittering golden eyes that seemed somewhat unnatural. The breadth of his shoulders, however, was wide, and his barrel chest showed a great deal of power. Tormund had challenged Dúrnir to an arm wrestle the last time they'd been here, and Dúrnir hadwon.
"You," thesvartálfarsaid flatly, blinking up at the pair of them. His eyes suddenly widened when he caught a glimpse ofÁrdís.
The door came flying back at them, but Haakon shoved his boot in the gap before it could slamshut.
"Dúrnir, is that any way to treat payingcustomers?"
Dúrnir staggered backward as Haakon pushed through the door, gesturing Árdísinside.
"I don't want your custom!" Dúrnir snapped, bracing himself against a small round table. He stared at Árdís as one would a snake. "Especially from herkind."
"Relax, little man," she drawled. "I've already hadbreakfast."
Dúrnirpaled.
Haakon gave his wife a long, steadylook.
"What?" she asked, her nostrils flaring. "This entire place stinks of bad magic. And the only reason I'm in this predicament is because this evil creature trickedyou."
"I thought it was my fault for being stupid enough to dabble withmagic?"
"You're not entirely forgiven," she said, with asniff.
"You see what you've done," he said to the dwarf. "My wife isn't impressed with the efforts I've gone to in order to win herback."
