Page 106 of Storm of Fury
The hall fell quiet.
Even her father turned in surprise.
Solveig's hand dropped to the hilt of her sword. "I invoke the Rite of Erra."
Aslaug and Siv gasped. To pledge her entire life to vengeance was no small decision, but she was so furious, she could barely maintain her composure.
Toy with me? Ruin my cursed life? Then bolt back home with your tail tucked between your legs?
No.
Yet it was the memory of Marduk's taunting farewell that scored the deepest.He laughed at me. At my desire.
Unacceptable.
She was Solveig the Fierce, and this blow to her reputation would not be withstood.
"The prince has played recklessly with my fate," she continued. "It shall not be allowed to stand. I shall return with Marduk's heart—or not at all."
Done.Thunder cracked above them, echoing through the hall as the Great Goddess accepted her pledge.
When the sound finally died down, she found the entire hall ofdrekistaring at her in shock. Including her father.
"Solveig," the king breathed, "What have you done?"
She smiled. "My mate will regret ever crossing my path, I swear it. Send your emissaries to Rurik, but be warned... I travel with them, and my intentions are not as pure."
Twenty
Marduk pacedthe grove of birch trees after they’d finally fled the court. “What do you mean, we can’t go after Ishtar?”
“We need to return home,” Haakon argued. “Árdís was nearly kidnapped yesterday, and there was an attempted coup within the court. Your brother wants you home.”
“My sister is out there alone—”
“You said yourself that you can’t currently sense her,” Haakon told him. “Are we supposed to sit here and twiddle our thumbs while we wait to see if she’s going to return to the mortal plane?”
Tormund watched the back and forth with interest, stretching his legs out before him. Haakon was rarely outmaneuvered, but he was dealing withdrekinow, and it was clear Marduk shared Árdís’s stubborn streak.
“Then we follow her tracks,” Marduk said coldly, pointing to the ground. “Your man here can track her. I’ve watched him do it.”
“Aye. I can find her,” Tormund said, “if her pattern continues as it has done.” He glanced at the shallow prints in the snow, and the heavier tread that echoed her path. “We’re about two days behind her, by the look of it. And the Keepers seem to be half a day behindher.”
So far, Ishtar seemed to making small leaps in the landscape ahead. Though Marduk could sense her trail—and sometimes the princess herself—he wasn’t much use in predicting where she was going. Tormund hadn’t mentioned it yet, but he couldn’t help thinking that Ishtar had a destination in mind. Though she shifted across the landscape in various directions, she always seemed to end up heading north.
And she was moving in a straight direction, as the crow flew.
“I don’t think Ishtar is the one in danger,” Haakon replied. “She can clearly remove herself from… the world, if need be. But we don’t know what is going on at the court. And my wife is there.” His voice grew rough with his unspoken fear. “Sheneedsme. Fly me home, and then you can return.”
“She is mysister!”
“And so is Árdís,” Haakon replied grimly. “My wife can sense Chaos magic, but she can’t figure out where it’s coming from. You can. You can hear its call. You said yourself that you can differentiate between your sisters’ magic and your mother’s. If Amadea’s spirit lingers, then you might be the only one who can find the source.”
Marduk stared at him. “What if I can’t find Ishtar again?” he asked in a broken voice. “What if it’s too late?”
Tormund sighed.Damn it. He raised a hand. “I’ll do it,” he said. “I’ll keep tracking your sister. If those Keepers get near her, I’ll stop them.”
Both men looked sharply at him.
