Darkness envelops me. How far down does this pond go?
I try to scream, but only bubbles leave my mouth. No sound.
Her realm spits me out like a body rejecting poison. A crack echoes through the dark. Ice breaking.
I fall. Soon I will hit the ground. It’s over.
Shocked awake.
Raise myself up on the bed.
I push off the heavy sheepskin covers that are laid over me.
My body is drenched in sweat. I thought I was dead. For good. My chest heaves, like I really was drowning. The Queen’s laughter clings to me like frost on grass.
Someone stands in the room. A flash of lush blonde hair swings with her movements. Unbraided. Loose. I’ve never seen her so relaxed.
It’s my friend. My closest friend. I lie back as she runs to my side. Tears of relief pour from my eyes.
“Eidunn,” I whisper.
CHAPTER 83
“Kilda!”
Eidunn throws her hands around me. I just lie on my back and accept it. Her warmth eases my mind. She is safe. I am safe. But what about…
“Ari?” I whisper.
What if the Queen was right? What if he wants to return, now that his mission is complete? A shiver runs through me. I just hope he’s alive.
“He’s… himself again. He’s healing,” she squeaks. “Ylvin is taking care of him.”
A pit forms in my stomach. Ylvin’s hands? On my Ari? How easy the hairs on my neck rise. What if she’s one of his many lovers?
“Taking care of him?”
I raise myself. The Queen’s threats and promises linger in my mind. My heart races as I picture Ylvin and Ari “healing” privately together.
“Uh… yeah?” says Eidunn, visibly confused. “Him and Elof really took a beating during the battle.”
“So, they’re together?”
“Of course, silly. The men are resting in the other room. Ylvin and I have been sleeping by the hearth.”
I lie back. Good to know. Ylvin is a… voracious woman. And Ari… Ari I just don’t know. I shake my head. I can’t let the Queen’s venom control me. Ylvin wouldn’t, Ari wouldn’t. Surely…
My teacher has done nothing other than help me. Show me the way. My way. Ari too. I refuse to be ruled by that wretch’s lies.
My head is thundering. My lips are cracked. My insides feel dried up, hollow.
“They will be happy you’re awake,” squeals Eidunn, clapping her hands. “You’ve been asleep for… what? Two days?”
“Two days?” I croak.
No wonder I feel like a corpse dragged out of the swamp.
“Oh yeah, I was getting worried.”
