“Yes. I sometimes explored the forest caves back home, and this gap is perfectly suitable for someone my size.”
He got that look on his face again. The one that was nearly impossible to read but told me a flurry of thoughts was going through his mind. Eventually, he shook his head and stood.
“All right, but I’m going to hold up this plank, just in case,” he said.
I thought about telling him to tend to his wounds instead, but I knew he’d ignore that as surely as I’d ignore an attempt to talk me out of crawling inside the building. Besides, now was not the time to get into a bickering match with my mark. A rustling sounded from within the house. Helga was clearly panicked and attempting to escape her confinement. If someone didn’t get to her soon, I worried she’d cause the building to collapse even further.
I shrugged off my quiver and piled it on top of the blanket, nodding at Rune to let him know I was ready. Clenching his jaw, he strained against the plank of wood, and the gap into the house slightly widened.
I crawled forward into the shadows. Something sharp pierced my trousers, and a painful scrape went through my left knee. Gritting my teeth, I continued forward, mud smearing across my palms. A beam knocked my head, and I winced. Through the haze, I spotted the flaming red hair of the dwarven woman I’d seen flirting with Valdar last night. She squirmed where she’d been trapped by a ceiling beam.
“Hey there,” I said, inching toward her. She’d gotten pinned into place on her side, her elbow and cheek smashed against the ground. Up close, I could see it was only her foot stuck beneath the beam, though there was a bright, hot pain flickering in her eyes.
She sucked a sharp breath in through her nose, peering up at me. “You’re Rune’s new assistant.”
“That’s right. And I’m going to get you out of here. I just need you to tell me what hurts.”
“My foot. I think it’s broken.”
I nodded and crawled closer to her foot, ignoring another flash of pain in my knee. The sturdy leather boot hit her mid-calf, but it was wide at the top. “I’m going to do something, and you’re probably going to hate me for it.”
“Let me guess,” she said dryly. “You want me to pull my foot out of my boot.”
“I’ll be the one to pull it out of there, but yes. It’s the best way to free you without risking the stability of the house.”
Helga’s laugh was low, rough. “Pretty sure the Elding already took care of the stability of this house.”
“Will you let me do it?” I asked.
She closed her eyes. “I don’t suppose I have another option.”
“What’s your drink of choice?”
“Oh, I love a good sparkling wine from the Kingdom of Edda, especially this time of year when the sun invites the world to lounge beneath its warmth. On a blanket. With a book. Or a good man. Ideally, both, but you can’t be too picky around here. Valdar’s nice, though.” She sighed.
“If you let me free your foot, I’ll make sure you get all those things,” I told her.
“Deal,” she said without hesitating.
“Everything all right in there?” Rune gruffly called from outside.
I raised my voice so he could hear me. “Yes, we’re just sorting out a plan.”
“The plan is to get her out of there as soon as possible. I won’t be able to hold up this plank for much longer.”
Helga snorted, rolling her eyes. “I hope he’s not the man you plan to put on my reading blanket. Because I don’t think that’d be too relaxing, truth be told.”
An unexpected emotion swelled in my chest—an odd combination of protectiveness and…well, it wasn’tjealousy.Because that would be ridiculous. Who was I to care if Rune courted someone while I was here? It had nothing to do with me. He was my mark, and I had to steal a dragon from him.
But I still felt a flicker ofsomething, and it was uncomfortable, like a splinter stuck in my toe.
“He’s definitely not who I had in mind,” I assured her.
“Then the deal’s still on,” she said. “Let’s get this over with.”
I wound my hands around her leg, trying my best to steady my racing heart. “Here we go.”
When Helga and I crawled out of the broken building with mud crusting our clothes, exuberant applause drummed the air, like the beat of an upbeat tavern song. The crowd rushed forward, surrounding Helga and fussing over her broken foot. Soon, they carried her away and lifted her into the air like a queen. Valdar trotted after the procession with relief shining in his eyes.
