“If it wasn’t obvious, I don’t want to compete. I was the only one who chose the bridge.”
“You could have chosen the metal rungs.”
“Too dangerous,” I said. “I’m not strong enough.”
“Astrid Balstad.” Tormund grabbed my arm and tugged me to a stop. When I allowed my feet to slow, he stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “What’s it going to take for you to believe in yourself?”
The intensity of his stare made me swallow. “I’m just being practical.”
He stepped closer, invading my space, and tucked a crooked finger beneath my chin. “Say something like that one more time, and I’ll carry you the rest of the way to the tavern.”
“You’re such a bastard,” I said with a laugh.
“Yes.” He smiled. “And that’s why you like me.”
“Idon’tlike you,” I protested. But he’d already moved away and was halfway down the tunnel now. With a frustrated sigh, I jogged to catch up to him. As if he’d not just threatened to toss me back on his shoulder, he sauntered around the bend and strode right up to the arched doorway leading into The Wet Beard.
All was silent and empty inside.
It was eerie, seeing it like this. Everyone was at the competition, leaving the place full of shadows and cobwebs. It felt unusually dark and dreary without the raucous laughter, the stomping of feet, and the pluck of strings on a bard’s lute.
Tormund frowned and pointed at the dim sunstones. “Aren’t they usually brighter than this?”
“When they’re freshly embedded, yes,” I answered. “But that’s why we have to keep mining sunstones. Their magic doesn’t last forever. We have to replace them every year or so.”
“Right.” Tormund moved down the length of the tavern. I cast a furtive glance at the bar, where no one stood ready and waiting to pour another ale. Balder would be spectating along with everyone else, though he’d likely hurry back now that Jostein had called off the trial. He’d want to be ready when the crowd descended on the place—and they would.
“A bit odd, eh?” Tormund called over his shoulder.
“Yeah, I’ve never been in here when it’s empty like this,” I said, following him to the door that led to the back office, where the Everstone had been stored.
“No, I mean all the sunstones. They’re dimming at the same time.”
I looked around and could have sworn it was darker in the tavern than it had been a moment ago. “Hmm. Well, if all these sunstones were embedded on the same day, it isn’t particularly odd. They’ll run out of magic around the same time.”
“You’re a miner,” he countered. “Were they embedded on the same day?”
“I don’t know. I usually do the bridges.” I frowned. “Why are you hung up on this? The sunstones run out. It’s nothing unusual.”
“Everythingrelated to this stolen gem is unusual.”
“Including you?” I asked.
A smile curled his lips as his palm hit the back door. “Excellent observation.”
Tormund shoved open the door, and we both inched into a small room with a sloped stone ceiling, also embedded with dying sunstones. The dim lighting revealed a small desk, a rack stacked with tankards and wine goblets, and a smashed crate large enough to house the Everstone. Tormund knelt beside the crate and cocked his head, like the very sight of it might give him enough insight into what exactly happened here.
But there wasn’t much to see. It was just an ordinary wooden crate, smashed to bits. But something wriggled in the back of my mind—a thought, something almost too opaque for me to grasp. I had the sudden urge to take a few steps back and look at the door again.
Leaving Tormund beside the crate, I edged into the main part of the tavern. Black char curled around the doorframe. Some of the wooden pieces were even blackened and bent. Like someone had taken flames to it.
Interesting, since Balder didn’t even have a hearth here.
Tormund suddenly tensed and snatched something from the floor, then he slowly looked up and met my gaze through the open door.
“What is that?” I asked in a whisper.
He held it up. A black talon gleamed in the dimming glow of the tavern. It was as large as Tormund’s hand. “This belongs to some kind of creature. One of your spider friends, perhaps?”
