“I’ve got it,” she said in an eager whisper. “Get her involved with Midsummer. Make her some kind of deal. You won’t just give her a free room. She’ll have to work with you at your blacksmith shop, either helping out during the festivities or helpingyouwin the Games if your name gets chosen. Of course, we’ll need to get her some clothes. Tilda’s about her size, and she has plenty.”
My hands fisted. The last thing I wanted was for my enemy to help me win the Midsummer Games and everything that came with it. But there was a strange sense of irony, I had to admit. Because if I won, I knew how I’d use my winnings. I would make certain this island and its people would never again be threatened by the crown, which includedher.
Plus, I did need an assistant, and I hadn’t known who to ask. Everyone else had already paired up. I was a strong contender, but Haldor was right. I was known as the village’s recluse.
“What about Gregor?” I asked. “The murk’s a new woman on the island. He’ll probably try to claim the island sent her to him.”
Odel scowled, an expression I rarely saw from her. “I wouldn’t wish Gregor on my worst enemy, and Daella might very well be that. We’re not sending her to him. And if he tries anything, we’ll just remind him that his request was outside the boundaries of the island’s rules.”
With that, I agreed. “Still, he might be a problem.”
“Unfortunately for him, you’re the best damn fighter on this island,” Haldor said with a chuckle. “And knowing how Isveig trains his murks, I’m sure the half-orc is more than capable of standing up for herself.”
I couldn’t believe I was agreeing to this. Only hours ago, I’d been hopeful for the summer. My name had never been drawn for the Midsummer Games, and I felt my time had come. I would finally take part, and I would win. It would mean Isveig would never find this place.His peoplewould never find this place.
But it seemed fate had another plan in mind.
If I were to take part this year, it would be with my enemy by my side. At least, at the end of it all, I would be able to protect this place fromher, too. She would likely never even make it back to the mainland.
Thunder boomed in the distance. The rains would be here soon. With a heavy sigh, I resigned myself to six weeks of living Hel.
“Fine,” I said. “Six weeks. Then we send her off on the first ship we can. But you two have to play a part in this, too. Make her believe this place is paradise and that it’s worth protecting. Shouldn’t be hard, because it’s the truth.”
5
DAELLA
Iwandered through the village as the strong winds whipped up leaves and dirt. The place was bigger than I’d first assumed—closer to a town than a tiny hamlet home to only a few families. Cottages and shops crawled along the hills, all engulfed in vines and blossoming flowers. The scent of it was almost staggering—so sweet, soearthen. Back in Fafnir, most of the greenery had been replaced with stone and steel.
The sky cracked with thunder, and I flinched. I couldn’t bring myself to start knocking on strangers’ doors and begging for a place to stay. I already knew what they’d say when they caught sight of me. To the people of this village, I was the enemy.
I spotted stables at the corner of the dirt road, so I headed that way. Animals were often better company than people, anyway. When I reached the door I tried the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. I should have expected as much. Sighing, I looked up at the small overhang just over the door. It wasn’t particularly wide, but it might keep away some of the rain.
I settled onto the dirt and pulled my knees up to my chest. My clothes were still soaked through, and my feet felt like mush. The wind was whipping faster now, chilling my clothes. Most of the time, I ran hot, but even I wasn’t immune to the cold. Shivering, I dropped my chin onto my knees and tried to focus on the positives.
At least I was alive. Deep down, I knew Thuri and the others might not have survived. The Elding had taken out dozens of ships over the years, and most of the time, no one ever came back. Their bodies were lost to the Boundless Sea forever. I was lucky to even be here.
I was cold and wet and soon I would be in terrible pain, but I was no longer trapped inside that damn tower. I was out in the elements now, where I belonged. The dirt beneath me felt grounding, comforting. Orcs had never been meant to spend their lives indoors.
The sound of footsteps snapped my attention away from my thoughts. The thudding grew closer, and I steeled myself. Perhaps the owner of the stables had seen me squatting out here, and they’d come to chase me away. I’d have to find somewhere else to wait out the storm. Perhaps I’d be better off returning to the woods, where the trees would provide a little shelter.
A tall, muscular elf strode into view, and my stomach dropped. For fuck’s sake. It was that damn Rivelin again.
He swept his gaze across me, his expression hard. Was fate working against me somehow? If these stables were his, I hoped the ground would swallow me whole.
“You look cold,” he said, coming to a stop only a few feet away.
“What an excellent observation.”
“Why are you here?”
“I told you. I lost all my coin in the sea. Seems free room and board isn’t a thing here.”
“And so you decided to sit outside the stables.”
“I didn’t see any other inns, so unless they’re invisible it seems I’m out of luck.”
“Another inn wouldn’t offer you a room, either. That’sifwe had one, which we don’t. Wyndale is a small, peaceful village. We don’t get many visitors when it’s not Midsummer, let alone murks.”
