Fuckers.
He takes her face in his hands and levels his voice. “Avina, little one, I need you to breathe for me.” He steals her hand, pressing it firmly over his heart. “Breathe, my love.” He repeats the words until she inhales steadily and shudders into tears. “Come here,” he gathers her in his arms while she cries.
“Only one sacrifice is required. We shall leave you to discuss.” Maeve vanishes in a puff of violet smoke while Briny bows out in a rush of saltwater.
He grips her shoulders as if she, too, might disappear into the Depths. “Are you well? I worry for you.”
She breathlessly nods as she focuses unblinkingly on the surface of the table. “This sacrifice,” she clutches her stomach, “I will do anything for Treland. I, I cannot do this.” Pain reflects in her gaze like a dagger to his side. She shakes her head. “This is all for naught!”
“No, it is not! I will take the sacrifice. The offering must only come from one of us, and it will be me.”
She frowns as she swallows hard. “Why?”
“I do not want you to sacrifice something you cannot. As your Guardian, I will offer my lineage.” He kissesthe top of her head.
“What of your future?” She asks, slightly hysterical. “Is bearing a son not the most important accomplishment?”
“It is not, and those who have told you otherwise are worthless. You are my future,” he tucks a strand of curls over her ear, “as long as my little Queen is by my side, I am complete.”
She shakes her head as she twists a stray curl. “But I thought men never surrendered this-”
“Fuck that!” He waves his hand dismissively, “All I need is you, Avina.” He leaves her at the table and steps to the hearth without a second thought. “Maeve! Briny!” He growls.
Avina leaps to her feet as the gods appear as if they never left.
“Have you two reached a verdict?” The Briny God asks.
Sigvid rolls his shoulders back and steps forward. “It will be me.”
Avina rushes to his side, gripping his forearm. Under her breath, she whispers, “Are you certain?”
“Yes,” he grips her hand, and she squeezes it in return.
50
SIGVID
December 23rd, Year 100, 9th Era
Blackwood Inn, Salt Province
Sigvid reclines naked on his bed while he watches Avina dress. His mind still dwells on the Depths and the sacrifice to fuse the Sacred Stones into one.
She often stops her daily actions to clutch the nautilus shell hung on a silver chain. Unlike the previous Salt Stone, the unified stone has streaks of glowing sapphire and redwood.
Surrendering his chance of children is hardly a thought. He spent half his life questioning whether he would survive long enough to produce an heir and the other half despising the idea of children.
Since they left the Depths with the merged Stones, he wonders what the future holds once she becomes Queen of Treland. He is pleased with Thora as an heir.
Will that be enough for Avina?
A pounding at the front door shakes the entire inn. Nellie shoots across the floor in a blur of black. Muffled shouting outside sinks his stomach.
He throws on his tunic and trousers before sauntering to the window. In a fury, he nearly tears the curtain from the hook.
A battalion of soldiers circles the lodge in the moonlight. Half the men wear the nautilus shell of Salt sewn on their cuirasses, while the other half bears the emblem of a gem circling a crown.
The Ridge Province.So King Ceowald is Thrain’s mysterious guest.
