‘I expected them to avoid me,’ I said. ‘I remind them of a difficult time that’s still fresh and raw. Yet they were very pointed about coming to talk to me. Why?’
‘They are showing the den that they respect you. You helped get Helga justice,’ Robbie said quietly, ‘and they know it too. This is their way of balancing the scales. They’re throwing in their weight with you.’
Ogre politics were more complicated than I’d expected. They had a reputation as being huge brash brutes, yet everything I saw here undermined that. They had their own culture, their own music and songs. It boggled my mind that any of them were actively welcoming me to join it.
‘Talking of justice.’ I yawned. ‘I should go home. I have an early start tomorrow and killers to find.’
‘Killers, plural?’
‘Yeah, I think so. They were working together, the lot of them, in one way or another, but I’ll untangle it.’
‘Of that,’ he kissed my temple, ‘I’ve no doubt. I’m to remain here until the fire banks.’ We both looked at the fire which was sunken but wasn’t yet out. He sighed and kissed my forehead again. ‘I’d rather go with you, but I’m bound here for now. Maktel and Hanlon will drive you home.’
Both of his warriors had stood behind us all night long, silent sentinels while everyone else had eaten, drunk and been merry.
‘Keep Hanlon,’ I urged. ‘You’ve been drinking. I want someone sober on you.’
He laughed. ‘I’m an ogre, Inspector. The alcohol barely touches me, and I have Ivan guarding me too.’ He jerked his head towards an ogre leaning against a tree, half hidden in the shadows. Ivan’s eyes were hard and always moving, never lingering. When they met mine, they paused for a beat. He gave me a fractional nod, and then his eyes moved on. Ivan was on it. That reassured me a little, and it would be far easier to accept a lift home than try to get a taxi from here at this time of night.
‘All right.’ I yawned. ‘I’d best go then.’ I leaned down and kissed him farewell without thinking about it, and he deepened the kiss enough to leave me gasping.
Catcalls broke out, making me flush, though I hoped the descent of night hid it well.
‘See you tomorrow?’ I asked.
‘Undoubtedly,’ he replied, eyes once again ruefully flicking to the brazier and the small fire still burning there.
‘I could blow it out,’ I whispered, making him laugh.
‘Don’t tempt me.’
I gave him another kiss, a chaste one, and then I walked away with Maktel and Hanlon. Loki separated himself from the crows and landed on my shoulder.
‘Did you have fun?’ I asked my avian friend.
‘Like Loki!’ he said triumphantly with a trill. ‘Include me.’
‘Of course they do,’ I agreed. ‘Why wouldn’t they? You’re very loveable.’ In a rude kind of a way.
Loki warbled and snuggled into my neck. ‘Home?’ he asked.
‘Home,’ I agreed.
We slid into the back of the Land Rover while Hanlon and Maktel climbed into the front. Of the two huge men, Maktel was shorter, so I slid in behind him on the driver’s side to give myself a little more leg room. I fastened my seatbelt and Loki rested on the middle headrest, not straying too far from me. He was tired too.
My sunglasses were rubbing the back of my ears, so I tugged them off and hooked them into the front of my shirt instead. I wished now that I’d brought a bag; I hadn’t needed my hands free after all. Well, except for the Edda thing, and I had to hope that the swift lesson Robbie had delivered had ended the matter, though I doubted it. None of my interactions with her suggested she was a bright spark. And yes, maybe I was being catty because she might or might not have shagged Robbie.
I idly looked out of the window and just had time to register a huge truck heading straight for the left side of the car.
‘Brace!’ Maktel shouted urgently.
I didn’t even have time to swear before the world detonated.
Metal screamed. The impact hit like a sledgehammer to my chest, snapping my head to the left, then to the right. The seatbelt bit deep into my shoulder. A roar of twisting steel filled the air as the Land Roverlifted.
For one impossible second, we were weightless.
Then the world turned over.
