Page 6 of A Light So Blinding
“Speak nothing of what you know,” he snarled. It was a warning that she needed to adhere to.
The people in this room would kill her if they thought for even a second that she was working with the trolls who had escaped. Bjorn was chained up. He could do nothing to help her if they all turned on this priestess, who was far too brave for her own good.
But she merely smiled at him, the barest ghost of a smile, before turning back to the men behind her. She said nothing, but her “lord,” as she called him, turned to Harwick and said, “What was it you wished for her to do? Calm the beast? He seems very calm now, Harwick.”
Harwick snorted. “Yes, it is rather easy for a pretty woman to do that. Especially a priestess of her breeding. Come, Tolly. There is much for us to talk about, and I don’t wish to do it here.”
Bjorn watched them walk away, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the woman decorated in pearls. She was so beautiful. So light in this dark place. What was she doing here?
Another woman approached him, this one done up in fabric that had far too many colors. Her face looked... odd. As thoughthere were a layer of something on top of it, garishly painting her features with vivid colors.
“Keep your eyes away from that one, troll. The king doesn’t take kindly to anyone looking at his priestesses, let alone one such as yourself.”
He blinked, words coming back to him as naturally as they had with the priestess. “Who are the priestesses to the king?”
“Mimics of his daughter. Women who would be as powerful as her, stolen right out of their beds as children. They are pitiful things with more power in their right pinky than most of us have.” The woman sniffed. “Decorated dolls, used as secret keepers for the rich and famous of our kingdom. Sad to see, really. They have no life, no future, just the knowledge that they must serve. But don’t stare at them. No one can even speak to them except their master and others like themselves. They’ll take your eyes and tongue for such a thing.”
They could do that, but he didn’t think they would. Bjorn was their strongest warrior, and the king had use for him. Besides, no one had said a word when he’d spoken to her just moments ago.
He kept his gaze on her regardless, watching as she walked across the room and through a door. He was left alone, facing these women and men as they crowded him once more.
The priestess might have left, but the calmness she had brought to him stayed.
Three
Astrid
Her heart had never thundered like that before. Astrid could deal with intimidating men. She’d done that her entire life. But that troll had been massive.
She’d stared up at him, shocked and awed by the sheer power that had been forced into submission before her. It had made something inside of her ache. She’d never questioned what her people were doing before, especially the king. He was charged with keeping their people safe, and he had promised that he would always do that, but something about this felt wrong.
The trolls were talked about as if they were another species. Her people believed they were creatures who had refused to serve the elves and therefore must’ve been evil. Elves were the only reason why so many of the humans had magic, and why so much of their lives had become easier. Magic made living simple. The elves were the saviors of the humans, and yet...
That troll had spoken to her. Not in the black tongue, but in her own language. He had seemed reasonable, warned heragainst talking about the trolls who wanted him safe, and there was something odd about that.
He shouldn’t care about her at all, or even have the ability to do so. And he certainly wasn’t supposed to protect someone he had every reason to hate. It was confusing. Very, very confusing.
She followed Lord Tolly into the back room, her mind whirling with the possibilities of what her conversation had meant. She shouldn’t even be thinking about this. Trolls were beyond her worries. She needed to focus on the here and now.
A rival had the lord she served in a back room in the labyrinth, and all she could think about was the troll tied up in the room beyond. Saving him wasn’t her job. Her job was to keep her own people safe. The priestesses and acolytes who lived with Lord Tolly at her request were real people, ones she had vowed to serve as well. The town that relied on its lord to keep them safe was her task to keep running.
And yet... That letter had mentioned getting a troll out of this labyrinth who looked an awful lot like the troll who had been angry at Harwick.
“Did you see his horns?” Harwick said as they entered the sitting area. “I have never seen the likes of them on another. The creature is clearly more animal than man. No wonder they call him the Bull. I’ve never been so close to him, but I always know to bet on that fighter before any others.”
Lord Tolly chuckled. “I have bet against him myself, and I know how foolish that was now. He is an impressive creature, absolutely.”
The room was filled with food and drink. She didn’t know why they thought this would be a private place to talk. Anyone could walk in here during their conversation. Surely one of them was concerned about that?
“Lord Tolly,” she murmured, stepping closer to him. “I believe there are observation rooms that are more private than this.”
He hummed low under his breath, then loudly declared, “What observation room are we going to, Harwick?”
“Oh, we’re having our conversation in here, old friend. It shouldn’t take very long.”
She prided herself on always knowing what was going to happen in meetings like this. Astrid had spent the past week preparing for every possible outcome. Harwick would not trap her with any of his foolish plans, because he simply was not as smart as she was. Nor did he have her connections. She’d spent far too long ensuring every detail was perfect. She knew what he was going to say.
And it wasn’t, “Your debts have not been paid in a very long time, Tolly. Unfortunately, it is time to pay up.”
