Usually, a compliment results in Avina looking away quickly with a ‘thank you’ that does not reach her heart. Then again, most compliments to her were fed by people who did not mean the words they spoke. But, like everything else with Sigvid, his words strike her with honesty and intention.
Fleeting moments like this make her feel like she’s the only woman alive on the continent. A reminder of the life they could have lived.
“T-thank you.” she internally berates herself for the sad response she gives.
His hold on my emotions is growing dangerous.
He caresses her cheek as if her skin is fragile. “We are close.”
He takes several giant strides away from Avina, placing distance between them as they trudge upward. They are near where the streams merge.
The distance between the trees widens, revealing a grassy clearing with a massive black boulder near the river opposite them.
Is that fur? Oh, my Goddess, it’s breathing!
“Sigvid,” she whispers, her hand tugging on the sleeve of his tunic. “The mass,” she mouths.
He huffs but follows her gaze. His eyes widen for a second before he composes himself. “An Ulv.”
Her heart stops.It cannot be!
She has read about them in ancient books in the Sapphire Palace, assuming they are nothing more than a myth.
According to lore, those needing to protect ‘great treasure’ would summon the Ulv. They are giant wolves the size of a house originating from the Abyss–a minimal existence for those unable to ascend to a better afterlife.
Someone with intimate knowledge of the Abyss would needtremendousseidrto conjure the Ulv. And there is no treasure here but a lonely mountainside.
“Stand back.” Sigvid shoves her away toward the treeline.
“No!” She snatches his wrist. “Ulv are thick, strong creatures with impeccable eyesight. If we work together, we can find out what he is guarding and destroy him without killing ourselves in the process.”
She already has a plan in the back of her mind. She needs him to trust her.
His gaze locks on the sleeping midnight mass of hair. Unlike his usual aggressive manner, his tone is oddly empty of emotion. He is overly controlled, as if he does not want to convey his true feelings.
“Some monstrous person has bound the creature, forcing it to protect whatever it is guarding. We will not kill it.” His voice lowers to a whisper, his shaking fists betraying him. “Damn, whoever forced the Ulv to our plane against its will.”
Her gaze falls on the creature, and she realizes the parallels Sigvid must draw between himself and the Ulv. An ache wrenches in her heart as it dawns on her the powerlessness he must have experienced in the Arena. A beast displayed for the amusement of faceless men.
And it is all her fault.
“Of course. The Ulv will survive.” She lay a hand on his back, wishing she could convey how deeply she regrets his time in the Arena. Had she been stronger against her father and the Council, she could have saved him.
Could that have changed how he perceived me? Would that change how I see him?
It doesn’t matter now, and she will never have an answer. Until the Solstice, she and Sigvid’s fate remain intertwined. Rough sex, an emotional hurricane of confusion, and every moment, he will remind her of how much of a failure she is, of realizing what could have been between them.
Here, on Fjell Mountain, the Timber Queen will earn his forgiveness.
30
AVINA
November 8th, Year 100, 9th Era
Fjell Mountain, Salt Province
“Allow me.” She holds out her hand, palm up.
