“I would love to celebrate, but my time was up a while ago,” Vidarr says. He squeezes Shaw’s good shoulder and sweeps his coat around his formidable frame.
“Thank you, brother.” Shaw’s hoarse voice hides a sadness I feel inside my own heart. Bowing deeply to me, Vidarr kneels before Aslaug and kisses her fur before leaving the cabin. I heave the heavy bolt over the door, even though with the bow and the chain, I know we will be safe tonight.
Shaw lets out a ragged breath, filling the quiet space building around us.
“I don’t know what to say,” he finally whispers. I move around the table, threading my arms around his sore ribs and warm skin. Resting my head against his chest, I let my feelings flow unencumbered through the fragile bond we are nurturing.
“You don’t need to say anything,” glancing up at his rich but sorrowful eyes, “it was just one link,” I murmur. He gives in, wrapping me in his arms.
He laughs softly. “That part is why you are incomparable. It wasn’t just one link. I will honor you for your commitment, but sadly, it will have to be a night when we aren’t exhausted.”
He kisses my cheek. I move up to reach his lips, languidly kissinghim as if time no longer exists. There is no point in cleaning, and I have no desire to eat. So we lay in bed, entangled in one another, needing nothing more than to let the flames of our bond continue to grow.
We wakein a fog of magic and desire. Needing space, Shaw slips from bed at the first break of the sun through the window. I lay curled in the blanket, looking at each link in the chain. A small part of me is crestfallen that he left the bed and didn’t touch me beyond our clumsy, sleepy kisses last night. I won’t admit it, but I dreamt of connecting more than the chain.
“We should get ready to go to the Elkthynir Mountains,” Shaw says, standing in the doorway of the bedroom. Pushing the blankets off, I don’t shy away from stretching my naked legs and shaking my messy red hair from my shoulders. I want him to see me after everything that we’ve done together the past month. I don’t want to beg, but I am not above being a temptress. He stays gazing at me but doesn’t move. I want to ask why he’s waiting.
“Do you think we will see Vidarr again?” I ask instead, giving up my game and beginning to dress.
“I do. I think you’ll meet my whole family soon. Can you handle that?” There is a hint of happiness in the question, which makes me grin.
“Sometimes I am not sure I can handle you.”
He breaks and pulls me into him from behind, even though I am wrapping a tunic over my chest. Dipping his nose into the crook of my shoulder, he holds me tight when I push against him.
“I am sure you can handle me just like you handled all that magic last night.” At his deep guttural groan, I melt.
“How are we traveling?” I breathe, trying to keep up the charade between us.
“We will take the two reindeer with us so we can bring them to the herd after we see your clan.”
I spin in his arms. “You want to ask them?” My cheeks hurt from the smile beaming across my face.
“I owe you the opportunity to try to gain their trust and help. So yes, we will ask them,” he says. “Can you ride a reindeer without a saddle? I should have asked you if you’ve ever ridden a horse?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine on the reindeer.” I laugh.
“Don’t make a joke, or I’ll lose all my honorable traits, Rasha.” He looks at me in warning. I glance at the long strain in his pants and giggle to myself. I begin packing extra clothes for our journey into the mountains, making sure I have enough to stop at my clan after.
Working together, we close up the cabin and head deeper into the Sacred Forest. The Elkthynir Mountains on this side are untouched by man, the trees dot the snowy mountainside like the tattoos on Shaw’s arm, and the animals aren’t afraid of how we encroach through the boulders.
The sled would never have made it through the uneven snow and rocks. Riding atop the giant reindeer, I feel like one of the goddesses drawn in our many scrolls, but I don’t have the same confidence. The enormity of our task, coupled with what lies beyond this trip, stirs up fresh apprehension.
When it seems the reindeer won’t fit through the sharp, narrow mountain terrain, we dismount. Shaw opens his palm with a knife and uses his blood to paint runes over the cold rocks.
“Are we going to leave them alone?” I ask as Shaw tucks the reindeer in a small collection of short trees.
“Aslaug will come for us if there is a problem. Don’t look so worried. She’ll be fine.” He kneels to pet her arched spine. She saunters over and bumps her head into my palm as if to encourage me to trust her master.
“Off you go.” I rub my face against her prickly whiskers, then she runs into the trees to scout.
“Hopefully, you’re not afraid of tight spaces,” he teases and leads me through the entrance to the mountain. The huge boulders are covered in ice and snow, and I have no idea how Shaw knows where he’s going.
“After we find ore, there is a special place where the water from inside runs hot into pools.” He walks ahead of me as the space between the rocks narrows. I have to step one foot in front of the other and turn sideways to shimmy through.
Inside the cave, Shaw lights a torch from a mounted iron holder and keeps moving down a long pathway. Every so often, there are other unlit torches and runes. Sometimes tiny rivers of iridescent water flow over the little cracks and crevices.
“Do you come here often?” I ask when we stop to climb a carved set of stairs.
