Page 46 of A Light So Blinding
In the middle of the night, he moved in his sleep. Restless and murmuring, he was clearly fighting a struggle that he’d never win.
But she was here. He wasn’t alone. So Astrid shifted herself a little closer, just enough that her thigh touched his outstretched hand. She didn’t move, or even breathe, as he hauled himselfcloser in his sleep and wrapped an arm over her hips. His head landed on her thighs as he clutched her close.
And his nightmare abated.
He quieted down, this massive beast with his head in her lap, like he had never been touched so gently in his life. Astrid told herself not to move. She was just doing this because she didn’t want everyone else to wake.
Her hand moved on its own. She stroked her fingers through his hair, clean after he’d found a stream before lying down and falling asleep. It was nearly dry, and she worked through a few tangles as he rested deeply in her arms.
The sun rose on the horizon, and she watched the daylight blossom into something beautiful. The entire realm unfurled in front of her, illuminated bit by bit with the sun. Astrid hadn’t realized how high up they were. The clouds seemed so close over her head, and everything was cast in rays of pinks and light blue as the world seemed to wake.
The surrounding trolls stirred. One of the bigger males rolled onto his feet, seemed startled that she was awake as well, and then sheepishly waved at her before heading off to do his morning business.
Astrid extracted herself from Bjorn’s arms before he opened his eyes. It was probably better he didn’t know that she’d spent the entire night keeping vigil over his nightmares.
She followed the trolls to where they were going, as it seemed like they knew how to get around this wild landscape far better than she did. The other women were quick about their business, so Astrid tried her hardest to look like she wasn’t just copying their movements before returning to the bloodied campsite.
Bjorn was up by then, talking with a few of the tallest figures. As she reached his side, she was surprised to see they were both women. Not men.
The male trolls were watching intently, of course, but it didn’t seem like they were taking part in the conversation at all. They were waiting for thewomento make the decision about what happened next.
Bjorn waved his hand for Astrid to come to his side quicker, and when she reached them, he gestured to the two tall troll women he stood with. They were pillars against the sky, dark figures wearing silk and fur. They were otherworldly to her, but Astrid knew better than to be rude. She inclined her head to both of them.
“They are returning to Trollveggen,” he said. “I have told them why we cannot follow, but they wish to bring a message to your sister.”
It was as if the world ground to a halt. Tears burned in her eyes, and for a second she couldn’t even see. Her sister was not going to be within her grasp, but in a sense, she could still get to her.
“Would you?” she asked, trying to control the emotions in her voice. She knew that most people would use desperation like this to their advantage. They had to understand that she would do anything to get a message to her sister.
Rose was everything to her. Always had been. They’d been inseparable as children, and if Astrid could rush off with these trolls to see her, she would. It was maybe the smartest thing to do. Bjorn was... tolerable. It wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to her if she had to stay bound to him for the rest of her life.
But logically, she knew they couldn’t do that. She wasn’t going to ruin his life as well as her own just to see her sister. If Bjorn was right, then no one would harm Rose until she got there.
The tall troll woman on the right nodded. Her skin was a lovely shade of blue that blended in with the sky, and there wasthe faintest hint of spots on her skin, like a leopard. “We will gladly bring your message to your sister.”
“Bjorn said... I received a letter that stated the trolls had my sister and that they were using her as ransom to get Bjorn back. I want to make sure they are keeping her safe.” Astrid swallowed. “The two of us have been prisoners long enough.”
She wasn’t sure if she was talking about herself and her sister or her and Bjorn.
The troll woman nodded. “They will take good care of her there. The trolls within the mountain are kinder than many of your people give them credit for. I can promise you, your sister is in no pain.”
That was good. That was reassuring.
Nodding, she swallowed hard and said, “Then can you please tell my sister I’m coming for her? I’m keeping my promise. I never stopped looking for her, and I won’t stop looking. Not until I have her in my arms again.”
As though she was hanging on every single word, the troll woman was so focused on her words that Astrid didn’t think she even breathed. She repeated the message, and then nodded. “I have it. I’ll make sure to tell her exactly as you told me.”
Then she headed out. The trolls all gathered together and headed off down the mountain, as though they’d done this a hundred times before. As though they hadn’t just been kidnapped and forced to travel in cages with humans who’d likely planned to sell them to the king. None of them knew what would happen to them if that had occurred. Maybe they didn’t want to think about it.
Once they were gone, it was just her and Bjorn, surrounded by the remnants of last night’s carnage. She watched as he took a deep, relieved sigh and started packing them up as well.
“Why does it seem like you don’t want to go back to the mountain?” she asked, blurting the words out before she could think better of asking them.
He hesitated only briefly before continuing to place all of their items back in the pouches around his waist. “Because I don’t want to go back.”
She blinked. That was oddly easy for him to say, and she had thought it would be more difficult for him to admit it.
“But... why?”
