Avina ushers her further onto the porch and closes the door behind her. “Aura has been summoned on a mission to Skalor.” She admits the truth that she has kept from even their advisors.
Eivor’s arms drop to her sides. “When will she return?”
“Is there something I can assist you with?”
The little girl twists her face, considering her request. “Aura said we would work on blocking.”
Avina’s fingers itch to twirl her loose curl as the sensation of drowning in royal duties crashes down upon her. Training Eivor will increase her already extensive responsibilities, alongside those of Sigvid and Thora. At this rate, she is uncertain how to manage the country and province without the girls and Sigvid.
“Bring your weapon and arrive here at the same time in two days.” Avina makes a mental note in her extensive list.
After dismissing Eivor, she climbs the staircase in Blackwood totheir bedroom. Her heart pounds so intensely that she fears it will beat through her chest.
Perhaps it is time to wake him up?
She shudders at the thought of his berserker form.
She understands that the love of her life would never harm her or their children.
After the War for Treland, his sadistic desires have solely resided in the privacy of their bedchamber. Yet, the mound of secrets she has buried from her husband over the past several days constricts her throat as though she cannot breathe.
She hears stirring and groaning from their bedroom and rushes in to see Sigvid struggling through the Azure, his features heavy with sedation.
“Bjorn!” She shrieks. “Bjorn, the Azure!”
She paces at the foot of the bed, gnawing on her bottom lip until she breaks the skin. All the while, her gaze is fixed on Sigvid’s struggles with the haze until her son emerges.
“There is no more.”
The floor spins underneath her feet. “Impossible! I have a month's worth of doses…”
He shakes his head with a wince. “Youhada month of nightly tea doses to calm him, Mum. Not enough to fully sedate him for days at a time.”
How did she allow this to happen? If he awakens, would he dismantle the continent piece by piece?
She twists her fingers through her curls in a futile effort to stop the ground from knocking her over.
“This had to be done.” Bjorn wraps an arm around her shoulders. “Pops will understand that he was trying to berserk for a week.”
She struggles to suppress the guilt tearing her apart inside. “Maeve told me your sisters must be allowed to continue their quest. We must not interfere. If your father wakes, he will summon the Drengr and march on Skalor to kill Calder.”
His brow knits together as he studies her.
She twists the slick, loose curl at her temple so vigorously that she knots it around her finger. “Bjorn, he was only berserking for two days,” she licks her lips, “I dosed him the other three days to protect us all.”
Despite his Sacred Stone ability of foresight, Bjorn’s jaw drops. His hands tangle in his dark locks, mimicking her reaction. Unusually, he stumbles away from her and crashes into a dresser.
“Please, B, do not conceal whatever you’re thinking from me.”
“Oh, Father will rally his forces and march against Calder, especially once he learns something is brewing between him and Aura. However, even Pops cannot withstand the Iss Drengr. Mum, if Father raises his axes against Calder, he will be defeated.”
“My little Queen?” Sigvid slurs his words.
Avina is at his side in the blink of an eye, concern overshadowing the stress as he captures her full attention.
“How do you feel?” She strokes his loose auburn locks, which have a few silver streaks.
“Disoriented. What happened?” His calloused fingertips gently caress her cheek, offering a tenderness she could cherish forever.
