He shook his head. “I thought I hadn’t seen you because you were too busy searching for the Everstone.”
“I’m not going to find the Everstone.”
“You’ve given up?”
“As unlikely as it seems, I don’t think it’s a fake,” I told him. “And I’ll never win the competition, so why hold out any hope? I need to focus on my life here in Steingard, and that life involves a new cottage.”
“I see,” he replied quietly, almost like he was…disappointed? But that couldn’t be the case.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. I didn’t know what to say now. As soon as he’d appeared, I’d tensed up, readying myself for some kind of fight. He must have specifically come here before the next trial to rile me up—or at least, that was what I’d expected. He wasn’t doing much riling, though.
Suddenly, Yulla poked her head out her open front door. “Hallo! I hate to interrupt, but the children are playing at their friend’s house, and I was just about to sit down for dinner. You care to join me?”
I narrowed my gaze at the laughter dancing in her eyes. I could have throttled her. She’d listened to me complain about Tormund for the past three days. Not that I’d had much to say, of course. Just that he was annoying. Mostly I kept quiet where he was concerned. Because I hadn’t thought about him at all.
He’d rarely crossed my mind.
“I think Tormund was just on his way back to camp,” I said through gritted teeth. “He has a big day tomorrow. What with the competition and all.”
But Tormund’s face brightened considerably as he said, “A home-cooked meal would be a welcome change. I’d love to join.” He pressed his hand to my back. Everything in me tensed. “And for dessert, I have some of that chocolate left. Enough for a square each. What do you say, Astrid? You coming?”
The bastard. I couldn’t say no to chocolate, even if it meant sharing a meal with my mortal enemy.
All right, so he wasn’t exactly mymortal enemy, but I didn’t much like him, and he didn’t much like me. We were bickering competitors after the same bloomin’ object, who begrudgingly spent a day together to hunt for said object. So what exactly did that make us? Not friends or allies, definitely. But not enemies, either. I could never consider someone an enemy who was willing to give me some chocolate.
Heaving a sigh loud enough for him to hear, I started to walk toward Yulla’s house, all too aware of Tormund’s hand still pressed against the small of my back.
“So, Tormund,” Yulla said, spooning some buttered potatoes onto each of the plates, “Astrid tells me you’re from Azraak.”
Tormund shot me a wicked smile, and my stomach turned. “Astrid has been talking about me, has she?”
“She’s had quite a lot to say.” Yulla laughed. “Not all of it was good, mind you.”
“Yulla,” I warned.
She plopped some mushrooms onto my plate and frowned. “What? You told me he knew how much he annoys you.”
I dropped my head into my hands, mostly to obscure how red my cheeks must be. They were flaming hot.
Tormund laughed. “The feeling is mutual, for the most part.”
For the most part? I lifted my head but focused my attention on my very full plate. Yulla had cooked up a feast of potatoes, mushrooms, smoked fish, and moss chips.For the most part, my mind repeated to me. So, I didn’t entirely annoy him? Therewere parts of him that felt a different way? But what parts? And what was the other feeling?
“Azraak is cold and dark, but it can be quite lovely during the winter months,” Tormund began, as if he hadn’t just said something incredibly outlandish about his parts not being annoyed by me. “Visitors love the hot springs in particular.”
Yulla leaned forward, clasping her hands together. “Oh, I would love to visit the hot springs. I bet you use them all the time. I sure would if I lived there.”
“I find them uncomfortable.” Tormund gestured at the shadowy strands curling around his arms. “My body like darkness and shadows, not hot places.”
Yulla nodded. “I’ve heard that. I suppose it must have been quite the journey for you to come here this time of year. It’s still only spring, but it gets hot outside.”
“It was worth it,” he said quietly. “I swore to my brother I’d compete this year, and I’ve yet to break a promise to him.”
She leaned forward and patted his arm. “Good man.”
I narrowed my eyes, an argument on the tip of my tongue. But that argument quickly vanished. As grudging as I was to admit it, Tormund had his merits. He cared for his family. He’d journeyed far to help his brother, devoted to his cause. Yes, he’d antagonized me, but I’d antagonized him right back. So, in reality, he kind of…wasa good man. I’d never tell him that, though.
“Good demon,” he replied, winking at Yulla.
