Now that she was on her way, she realized that she had no idea how exactly she was supposed to save him. She had no plan. No weapons. No inkling of a way to fight dragons. Iron swords and knight’s armor popped into her head, but she was a little too late for thinking of props.
Her hand bumped against her pocket. “My phone. I have my phone.” She yanked her gloves off and pulled it out. She didn’t even remember tucking it into her jacket. She pushed a button and it glowed one bar. It wasn’t going to work for long.
Hannah was the only one she could think of to call. Google spun and spun without giving her a number, and she almost threw the phone. Finally a screen popped up with Treks’ phone number, but it froze so she couldn’t just click the link.
She growled in frustration as she read the phone number over and over. She switched over to make a call and typed the number in while still chanting it like a mantra. At first, she got nothing.
“Come on, come on.”
Finally, it rang. Hannah answered and started with the store’s greeting, but Bryn cut her off.
“Hannah, you need to call the castle and send the guards to the deep. Send the entire army. They have Sven.”
“Bryn? Is that you?” Her voice was grainy and sketchy.
“YES!” Bryn shouted. “Call the castle. Sven is at the deep. I’m going to get him.”
“Bryn, I can’t hear you. Where are you?”
“I’M GOING TO THE DEEP TO GET SVEN!”
The train went around a curve and the phone went dead. Bryn sank down onto a seat and held her head. She had no idea if Hannah had heard anything.
She didn’t have much time to cry over it because the train’s audio system announced that their next stop was coming up.
The door slid open as soon as the train stopped in the middle of nowhere. She stepped out but there were no signs of anyone. Every fiber in her being wanted to get back in the train and hide, but Sven was out there somewhere.
He needed her.
A light off in the distance blinked. It was all she had to go on so she sucked in a breath and started toward it. She expected the door to close and the train to continue on its way, but it stayed still as she walked away.
The wind howled as she made her way across the frozen landscape. She moved out of fear and determination, but each step made her angrier. They had the man she loved and Sven needed her.He needed her.
The deep landscape stretched endlessly before her, a vast expanse of frozen earth. Her instincts screamed at her to turn back, to retreat to the safety of the train, but she ignored them.
She heard the rustle of movement but had no time to react before figures emerged from the darkness. Shadowed figureswhose faces were hidden beneath hoods. She could see their hot breath billow around them as they moved closer.
She cursed under her breath, but before she could make a move, one of them lunged and grabbed her wrist with a vice-like grip. They had been waiting for her.
"You played your part well,Lady Bryn," the man who held her arm taunted.
“Let me guess. You’re Skelvarns. The scum of Stagholt.”
He slapped her across the face. "Keep your mouth shut while we wait for him to show up."
His words struck a panic deep inside her chest. Sven was already here, wasn’t he? “What do you mean, wait?”
“You’re nothing but bait, you twit.”
Realization hit her like a truck. Sven had never been here. But she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
With a swift motion, Bryn twisted her body. She brought her knee up and caught him in the gut. The man doubled over in pain and loosened his hold just long enough for her to break free. She spun on her heel and started to run back toward the train. She couldn’t see it, but she knew it was there somewhere.
The other men chased her and one tackled her to the ground. She struggled but he had her pinned in a way that her limbs were useless.
“Feisty one, ain’t ya?”
He stood and yanked her up. She stomped on his foot and he lost his grip on her. Before she could regain her balance, the other Skelvarn grabbed her around the waist. She tried to kick him in the groin, but she didn’t have the range of motion to make the connection. He threw her down and backhanded her across the face.
