KOPA
“What do you mean,lost contact?” Kaptein Ulfar growled.
Jonas shifted in his chair. The Klaernar standing before them was young, with a wispy blond beard that barely concealed his chin.
Immediately, the lad reminded Jonas of Ilías, making his chest clench with grief. Gods, but he missed his brother. Missed the Bloodaxe Crew. Found himself wondering how things had gone this way. But here Jonas was, partnering with the Klaernar to fulfill the oath he’d sworn on Ilías’s burial mound.
Clearing his throat, the younger Klaernar shifted nervously. “It is only that…it is to say…”
“Spit it out, boy,” said the kaptein in a low and dangerous voice.
“All our falcons have returned to us unanswered. We’ve lost contact with the Wolf Feeders.”
A flush crept across Ulfar’s cheeks. “Out,” he told the boy.
As the door closed, the kaptein turned to Jonas. “Kalasgarde,” he spat. “We sent them to Kalasgarde, Svik.” The kaptein pushed to his feet, hands braced on the scarred table. “Do you think me a fool?”
Jonas kept his gaze impassive—he was no stranger to ill-tempered warriors. Yet still, he understood this situation would require careful navigation.
“You’re working with them,” said Hagbard from the farthest corner of the room. The man’s meaty arms were crossed over his chest, his claw-tattooedcheek pulled into a scowl. “You sent the Wolf Feeders to Kalasgarde, right into a trap.”
“I’m not working with them,” muttered Jonas, turning over this latest development in his mind. He knew the Wolf Feeders by reputation—they were not so undisciplined as to ignore orders. “What were your directions, precisely?”
“That’s enough information shared with the likes of him, Kaptein!” exclaimed Hagbard, pushing from the wall and striding toward the table.
Jonas stood, glaring daggers at the black-haired warrior. His anger was growing, a hot restless feeling sliding through him. He needed an outlet—needed to brawl. And oh, how he’d love to rearrange this lout’s face. “I said,” growled Jonas, “I am not working with them.”
“But—”
“If Ihadsent the Wolf Feeders into a trap, why would I wait here for you to discover it, you eelhead?”
Hagbard’s brows drew together as he pondered the question.
Jonas turned his attention back to Ulfar. “What were your instructions?”
Ulfar scowled. “They were told to wait at the burial grounds until the Slátrari appeared. To follow him back to his hideaway and send word at once.”
Jonas stood. Began pacing the room. What had happened in Kalasgarde? He paused. Turned to Ulfar. “Did you instruct them not to attack until they heard from us?”
Ulfar and Hagbard exchanged a look.
Jonas clenched his fists, trying to comprehend the imbeciles before him. “You were to confirm their location, pay my reward, andthenI was to tell you how to defeat them. Did I not tell you he’s no ordinary warrior? Did I not tell you we’d have to becleverto disarm him?”
Ulfar did not reply.
“The Wolf Feeders have not made contact,” Jonas said, trying to grasp this situation. “How many warriors is that?”
Ulfar stared at him hard.
“Do you want to tell the queen, or shall I?”
“Twenty-four,” muttered Ulfar, looking away.
“Twenty-four,” repeated Jonas in disbelief. “Twenty-four seasoned warriors felled by a single man.” A small part of him was proud, but he quickly stomped it down. He scowled at the map pinned to the wall, tracing the mountains surrounding Kalasgarde. “No. Rey is a capable warrior, but twenty-four?—”
“He roasted twenty-one at the gates of Kopa,” Hagbard said.
Jonas stroked his beard, considering this new side of Axe Eyes—a side he’dnever known. “Rey had the element of surprise in Kopa,” said Jonas. “But the Wolf Feeders knew him to be Galdra; they had the advantage in Kalasgarde. You sent them the vials of that—” Jonas tried to recall the name of the parcel which had recently arrived from Sunnavík after some sort of mix-up.
