“Oy, there’s only one fanny I’m interested in,” Max growled.
“Now,”Alasdair pointed out. “But for hundreds of years… before Grace—”
“You’ll shut yer mouth about Grace.”
We continued along, slowly but steadily. Talking trash and reliving the day’s glories. Each man more exhausted than the one to his right and left. Every one of us had left every ounce of strength we had back on the field of battle, and we were drunk with exhaustion.
Hurry home.
I tried to respond with my assurance we weren’t far, but I felt her presence leave.
I glanced at Kade who froze in place, before whipping his head around. “Something’s wrong.”
“Aye,” echoed a few of the others.
“I feel it too,” I said and ‘called out’ to Isla but got no response.
Arric
AS WE APPROACHED the house, I could see Isla standing in a tight group alongside Samantha, Pepper, Payton, Grace, Charlotte, Abela, and the other women who’d been watching our backyard games. A black SUV was parked near the front entrance and three people stood in front of it. A well-dressed man, a woman, and a hooded figure.
“You expecting company?” I asked Kade.
“No,” he replied sternly, and we picked up our pace as best we could.
As we neared the castle I could see that Isla and the others were standing inside a circle of what looked like luminescent chalk. They looked like they were crying out, but we couldn’t hear a sound they were making.
“What the hell is going on here?” I asked but knew exactly what it was.
A trap.
Turning to face the group of three, Kade looked like he’d seen a ghost. “Father?”
A man who appeared to be in his sixties smiled, but the mirth didn’t meet his eyes. I felt my skin crawl. “Hello, son. How nice it is to see you again.”
“Al,” was all Kade said, but even that was wasted motion as Alasdair was already on the radio to his security team.
“Don’t bother trying to call your guards,” Kade’s father said. “They’re all dead.”
“If that’s true, you’re next,” Alasdair said, taking a step forward.
“I don’t think so,” Kade’s father said, motioning behind us. “Your women are currently being held within a binding circle. If you fail to give me your undivided attention, or attempt any act or aggression, I will raise the internal temperature of the circle and you can watch everyone inside it burn to death.”
“Harm a single one of them, and—”
Kade motioned for Alasdair to be silent. “What do you want, Erik Gunnach?”
“Erik Gunnach was the name I was forced to use while hiding in the God forsaken country. My name is Gunnar Egilson of Icelandia. Seventh king of the Kalt Einn and last rightful ruler of their people.”
“You were never king! You tried to stage a coup to overthrow Kaspar’s father and are a convicted enemy of the people. You have no authority here,” Kade said, in a measured tone.
“I don’t need your authority. I have power,” Erik said, pointing to the circle.
“You are not an oracle,” Haddi said. “You do not possess the magic to create a binding circle.”
“That’s correct, brother. But I do,” the man standing to Erik’s left said, removing his hood to reveal his identity.
“Sindri?” Haddi gasped. “You’re…you’re alive.”
