Page 82 of Alliance Bride
He moved to catch up with his father and Erik.
Kian waited at the door and pointed a warning finger at him. “After this, you’re eating. And resting.”
Aevar rolled his eyes. “I’d forgotten how insufferable you and my mother are when you join forces.”
Kian chuckled.
They crossed the village toward the guardhouse, where huskarls stepped aside to let them through. Inside, the prisoner sat in chains, a crusted gash cutting across her forehead. She was young—barely a woman—with raven-dark hair, kohl-smeared eyes, and jagged runes inked across her cheeks. Heida stood before her, speaking Goric in low, firm tones. The girl only sneered in reply.
Fathir gestured at her. “What has she said?”
Heida turned to face them, planting her hands on her hips. “Other than cursing us all? Nothing useful.”
Aevar regarded the woman warily. While he didn’t really believe the curses held any weight, Kalgoran women were feared for a reason. Said to carry the favor of their gods, they were more than warriors; they were vessels. But in the back of his mind, he heard Eadlyn telling him there was only one God, and he found an odd amount of comfort in that.
Fathir stepped forward, looming over the girl. She didn’t flinch. Just stared back, small and furious. But that was what made her so dangerous. The small ones could slip through shadows unnoticed. Quick. Silent. Deadly. And you’d never know it until your blood was soaking the ground.
“Have you asked what their purpose was here in Fjellheim and why they traveled so far south?”
Heida nodded and held the girl’s stare without wavering, reminding Aevar she was one of them. Had she not grown up inNordra, she might have been the one in chains. But no, Heida never would have been caught.
“She refuses to answer. We may get something from her with time, but Kalgorans are as unyielding as Nords.”
Fathir considered the girl for a long moment. “Normally, I’d say keep trying and then get rid of her, but she can carry my message to Drocca.”
Heida’s expression didn’t change. “You want her patched up?”
“Enough to travel. Feed her. Dress her wounds. Give her supplies. I’ll write the warning, and you can translate it.”
“Gladly.”
After painstakingly untangling the crushed flowers from her hair, Eadlyn brushed out the snarls and worked it into a simple braid. Her shoulders ached, and her stomach pinched. Last night’s memories clung to her like cold fog. It was a miracle she’d slept, but even rest hadn’t dulled the exhaustion pressed into her entire being.
She turned to leave the room and paused. The furs where Aevar had slept were rumpled and empty. There had been moments in the darkest stretch of night where she’d almost asked him to join her in bed. Just for his nearness and safety. Yet she’d held back for reasons she couldn’t fully grasp.
She stepped into the hall, and the hush struck her. The air felt wrong. Too quiet. Ranvi and Inga sat by the hearth with Alys and Nesta. Katla pressed in tight against her mother, silent, whileTrygg stacked wooden blocks with Alvir. No usual mischief or uncontained energy. The subdued atmosphere sat heavily on the vibrant hall.
She looked around. “Where is everyone?”
Inga’s face turned solemn. “A wounded Kalgoran was found. They’re questioning her now.”
That news settled uneasily in Eadlyn’s stomach, though not with the sharp fear of last night. Just a deeper kind of wariness.
“How is Aevar?”
Inga sighed. “He should be resting, but stubborn men never do.” She softened the words with a smile. “We’ll see he sits when he returns.”
Before long, voices stirred at the door, and the rest of the household entered, their faces stony. Eadlyn immediately sought Aevar. He was pale this morning, hints of weariness and pain tugging at his taut expression. However, when he met her eyes, his face relaxed, and she sensed his relief at seeing her. The attack last night had surely awakened his fear of loss.
He came straight to her, scanning her face as if daylight might reveal something he’d missed. Once near enough, he reached for her, drawing her close.
“Are you well this morning?”
She would need time to recover a sense of safety and peace, but it would come. “I am. And you?”
“I’m fine.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Eadlyn soaked in the warmth of it, then tipped her chin up in silent invitation. His tired face crinkled in a smile, and he kissed her again, this time on the lips. A quiet assurance that they were both still here.
