Page 67 of A Light So Blinding
“I’ve been remembering so much since arriving here,” he said as he tugged her through the waving grass. “So many of my memories I kept buried. I didn’t want to remember anything. It was too hard to think of all this when I was locked away in the dark.”
“I don’t think anyone could blame you for that.”
“They could. Many in that dungeon clung to their memories. Even Rabbit claimed it helped keep him out of those dark places.” His brow furrowed, a familiar frown crossing hisfeatures. “They kept trying to stay out of the darkness while I guess I dove headfirst into it.”
No, she didn’t want him to think of all these things when they were here, of all places. He could work through the memories when he needed to, but he’d just made her a dress. He’d been so sweet and hopeful only moments ago.
“Where did you get this fabric?” Astrid asked, plucking at a bit of her waist. The attempt to change the subject seemed to help, at least.
“Orbweavers.”
“Isn’t that a type of spider?”
He snorted. “Bigger than you’re thinking. They’re the size of horses on this side of the mountain. Nasty beasts. They hunt trolls, humans, anything big enough to eat.”
Her mouth dropped open the more he talked until she stammered, “Then how did you get all of this?”
“Carefully,” he replied, with a grin back on his face. “Come on, we’re not far now.”
She had no idea where he was taking her, but she realized she’d follow him anywhere. He reached back for her hand, and she trembled as their fingers interlaced. It was like they were the only people who existed right now. Just her and him, with the sun glinting off his horns.
Finally, he placed his hand on her belly, stopping her from moving and dropping lower into the grass. “There they are. I wanted to show you my very first animal obsession when I was little.”
Obsession? She frowned and glanced around them. “I don’t see anything.”
“First, what do you think they are?”
She hadn’t the faintest idea. “Horses?”
“No.”
“Are they some kind of massive lizard beast that doesn’t live on my side of the mountain?”
He snorted. “Absolutely not.”
“I don’t know then, Bjorn. You’re a warrior. I would imagine it’s some kind of large creature who could tear my head off if I’m too loud.”
The smile never budged from his face. “None of the above. It’s them.”
He allowed her to peek her head up over the grass to see... pigs. Adorable pigs that were vastly unlike any creature she’d seen before. The wiry hair covering their bodies was rather similar to a boar, but that was where the similarities ended. They were reddish in color, with the most massive floppy ears that she had ever seen. Tapered at the end, they looked rather magical the more she stared at them. Their ears were clearly fairy-like, and the small spots that created patterns on their skin were adorable.
“Pigs?” she asked. The word seemed wrong to say. “You were obsessed with pigs?”
“Not just any pigs. Secret keepers.” He reached for her hand again, so comfortable touching her that he didn’t even wait for her to take his hand in return.
And she thought that was rather nice. Everyone who had been around her had been hesitant. People didn’t touch priestesses without permission. But Bjorn didn’t even think of asking her. He just did it because he knew she didn’t mind if he held her hand.
They walked toward the small gathering of pigs. She counted six of them all snuffling about in the grass, although they froze when the two of them approached.
Bjorn lifted his hands, murmuring as a flutter of his magic floated through the air. “Calm, friends. We are not here to harm you, but to share secrets.”
“Secrets?” she whispered as one of the pigs broke away from the others.
“Trolls call them secret keepers for a reason. I don’t need magic to convince them to come to us. They are all very interested in holding what others might not know.”
“I don’t understand,” Astrid replied with a soft laugh.
He leaned down to the pig who approached and whispered into its ear. It took him a little while, but then the pig seemed to... nod. As if it understood the secret he was telling it.
