“That might be a long time from now. Like you said, they need a certain type of person to pull it off,” she argued.
“They can’t send someone with the intention of targeting Rune, but they couldcertainlysend someone to search for a missing daughter. Andthatperson might be a lot more difficult to deal with than Frida.” Ragnar cocked his brow. “But I have an idea. You probably won’t like it, though, darling.”
“Oh, lovely. I always enjoy when you say things like that.” Lilia shot him a flat stare.
Ragnar grinned, motioning both of us closer. “What if we simply use Erik’s tricks against him?”
After Lilia and Ragnar returned to the inn for the night, I settled into my rocking chair with Moira curled in my lap. I absentmindedly stroked her fur, my mind spinning. Ragnar’s plan was…well, it was fucking ridiculous. There was no other way to say it. It was as likely to succeed as I was to invite a hundred people into my house to make a mess of it.
A gust of wind barrelled against the house. It slipped through the cracks, bringing a chill to the air, despite the hearth-fire. Frowning, I stood, lifted Moira into my arms, and moved over to the window. The world outside had vanished, replaced by an impenetrable black wall.
My gut churned. The Elding was coming back, and Frida was out there in the thick of it.
I owed her nothing. Even if she hadn’t realized it when she’d boarded that ship, she’d come here to kill me. And if Erik hadn’t lied to her, she likely would have shot an arrow at my head on that very first night. She only hesitated now because I was no longer a faceless mark to her. She’d gotten to know me. She’d helped me save a woman’s life.
Clenching my jaw, I grabbed my cloak from the hook beside the door and took off into the night. The temperature had dropped, and the harsh wind tunnelled through my garden. A fallen branch scraped along the ground, its leaves shuddering with a desperation to break free.
Stumbling forward, I hunted down the path I’d watched Frida take earlier and broke out into a run. The world was so dark, I struggled forward, but I knew these woods so well that I managed to stick to the path.
I had a feeling I knew where I’d find Frida. By this point, she’d have realized the storm was returning, and she would have sought the only shelter of which she was aware. That tree hollow might seem like a decent enough protection against a storm, but the Elding was no normal storm. The persistent wind and rain would force their way inside until it stole all her breath away.
“Frida!” I called out when I thought I was near enough to the tree for her to hear me. Everything was so dark. Only the vague shape of trunks and wild brush surrounded me, the darkness smudging everything else. “FRIDA!”
With the wind howling around me, I held myself still and listened for any sound that might indicate her direction. But would she even answer if she heard my voice? If I were her, I likely wouldn’t.
If I were her, I’d be afraid of me.
I was an orc and a former member of a guild full of murderous assholes. I’d caught her in a lie, and she’d fled to get away from me. And now I was stalking around the woods, shouting for her with an axe strapped to my back. She’d probably think I’d come out here to stop her from returning to the guild.
The wind rustled the leaves by my feet, bringing with it a soft sound. “Rune?”
I whirled toward her voice and felt my way down the path. My outstretched hands met the rough bark of a redwood tree. Fingers wrapped around my ankle, tugging me down.
I knelt. Frida’s hand slid up my side until it paused on my shoulder. “Rune, why are you here?”
“The storm’s coming back,” I said gruffly. “Didn’t you realize?”
“Well, yes. That’s why I’m inside the tree.”
“It’s not safe enough. I’m taking you back to the cottage.”
A long moment of silence stretched between us, then she said, “You want me to come back?”
“I know you probably think I’m mad, but I can’t let you stay out here during the storm. It’s not right, no matter why you came here,” I said.
Her hand stiffened on my shoulder. “I came here to steal your dragon. The other thing is inconsequential.”
“Inconsequential?” I barked a laugh. “I daresay Erik won’t agree when you return without my head.”
“It’s about time Erik learned he can’t always have what he wants,” she snapped.
A blast of wind hit me in the back, nearly knocking me into the tree. Bracing myself, I reached inside the hollow and found Frida’s other hand. “We’ll argue about this later. Right now, I need you to come with me.”
“Rune,” she whispered, tugging her hand away from me.
“Don’t be so stubborn, Frida. If you stay out here, you could—”
“You shouldn’t be helping me,” she said, her voice a little louder—a little stronger—now. “I’m your enemy. My people, the guild—”
