Raye pasted on a smile and waved back, though her heartbeat thudded too loud again. Why was Kalfr living here? And why had he avoided answering Gaelfr’s question about it, earlier? Did it have something to do with that woman in the portrait?
But there were no answers, and all Raye could do was stand here with Gaelfr, and wait for Svein and Kalfr to come back down. And though Gaelfr’s hand wasn’t touching her now, he still stood close beside her, enough that their arms brushedtogether. The touch still an inexplicable relief, a refuge, amidst all the chaos still swirling Raye’s thoughts.
“That was so good, Mama!” Svein exclaimed, once he and Kalfr had finally reached the ground again. “It’s like a tiny house! Did you see me?”
Raye nodded and smiled back, though she couldn’t help another searching glance toward Kalfr, close behind Svein. But Kalfr was intently gazing away from her, and from Gaelfr, too, as though he couldn’t stand to look at them.
“Can we see Papa’s big house next, Mama?” Svein excitedly asked. “Papa says there are tunnels beneath it! Just like ours!”
Raye managed a nod, and forced her feet to follow Svein and Kalfr back down the path, where they fetched their packs, and then headed toward the cottage. It turned out to be larger than it had first appeared, perhaps due to how it was so cleverly tucked into the trees, and Raye couldn’t help noticing that the glass-paned windows were protected on the outside by bars of iron, and the door itself looked to be made of iron too, slamming shut with a decisiveclangonce they stepped inside.
The house’s interior was even larger than it seemed from the outside, and it was fully furnished, also, with a kitchen, a dining table, and a cozy seating area. At first glance, the layout almost reminded Raye of her own cottage, if it had been multiple times larger, and how had Kalfr ended up here? What was he doing here?
“Have you lived here long?” Raye asked him, her voice harsh. And though Kalfr’s lean body instantly angled toward her, his glinting eyes gazed beyond her, holding to the wall over her shoulder.
“No,” he replied, with a cool, empty smile. “Only a few moons.”
A compulsive quiver wrenched up Raye’s spine, while beside her, Gaelfr shifted, and settled his hand against her back. “Youought not to be here alone,” he told Kalfr, his gaze steady and unflinching on his face. “This is notsafe.”
That refrain sounded excessively familiar, enough that Raye slightly sagged into Gaelfr’s touch. And if Kalfr had been anyone else, she might have been tempted to meet his eyes, or even to smile. To ask,So he does this to you, too?
But Kalfr’s eyes were still carefully blank, and that might have been a low growl, rumbling from his throat. “You ken I am not safe here alone?” he asked, with biting politeness. “Then tell me, where haveyoubeen all these moons, Gael?”
Raye didn’t miss Gaelfr’s twitch beside her, or the spasm of his hand on her back. “I went away,” he hissed, “asyouwished me to do.”
Kalfr scoffed, his eyes suddenly blazing on Gaelfr’s face. “AsI wished?” he echoed. “What about any of this was whatIwished?!”
His voice was harsh and seething, and his eyes swept back toward Raye. Holding hers with sudden, staggering intensity, glittering with more pure, ravenous hatred. And Raye could only stare back, frozen, while flares of ice and heat charged up her spine, and deep down into her belly. And suddenly she wanted to yell at him, to rush at him, to — to —
But then Kalfr’s eyes wrenched away, and back down to Svein. Who was standing close beside him, watching with wide, worried eyes. And Kalfr’s chest shuddered as he inhaled, his eyes briefly closing, his head tipping back. As if he was sending up a silent, fervent prayer to his goddess, begging for peace, for control.
“You must all come, and see the rest of my home,” he said, his voice flat and formal. “Svein, mayhap you can scent the way to the underground tunnel for us?”
Svein’s eyes brightened, and soon he was scampering around the large room, sniffing at furniture and corners. While Rayedragged in deep breaths, and desperately fought to focus her floundering attention on Svein, and on taking a closer look at the house around them. Despite the stone-walled interior, it was surprisingly bright, thanks to the multiple large windows, all framed with heavy wooden shutters that were pinned open on the inside. The kitchen area was well-outfitted, with a large, polished stone counter, a fireplace with a steel grate, and what appeared to be a small stone oven tucked above it. Beside the kitchen was a dining area, with a long wooden table and benches, and nearby, several cozy cushioned chairs and a sofa were clustered around a second, even larger fireplace, nearly as tall as Svein. And though the house seemed to be mostly the one room, Raye could see a small second room, tucked there at the opposite end, while above them, there was an open loft, framed by large windows at each end.
“I can’t find the tunnel!” came Svein’s plaintive voice from across the room. “Papa, I can’t find it!”
Raye twitched toward Svein, because she knew that tone in his voice all too well — he was overtired, overstimulated, and in rapidly increasing need of some quiet time, if not an actual nap. But before she could reach him, Kalfr strode over and knelt before him, clasping both his shoulders, and flashing him a swift, reassuring smile.
“This is only because the tunnel is very well hidden, enough to fool even most full-grown orcs,” he said lightly. “And I did not even give you a hint! I would look for aught like a… hole, mayhap.”
He betrayed a purposeful look sideways, toward the tall fireplace by the sitting area. And once Svein had drifted over toward it, he sniffed hopefully at the arch of rounded stone, and — after glancing down at the wide, swept-clean hearth beneath — he stepped carefully inside the fireplace, frowning toward the left.
“It’s here!” he exclaimed, with a relieved smile back toward them. “It’s not a fireplace at all! It’s a door!”
Raye blinked, but when she and Gaelfr went to look, Svein proved to be correct. The fireplace appeared fully operational, with a sturdy stone chimney, and a steel brazier where fires would be lit. But once you ducked inside, there was an open stone door to the left, and a staircase leading down into darkness.
“It is a working fireplace, also,” Kalfr told Svein. “So if we ever need to hide the tunnel, we only need to light a roaring fire, ach? But most days, we would only light the fire here in this steel hearth, and draw out this barrier. Can you pull here?”
He tapped a stone at the back of the fireplace, where there appeared to be a small handhold — and when Svein tugged it, a stone divider drew out from the wall, separating the fireplace from the tunnel’s entrance. Transforming the fireplace into a normal-sized one instead, with a narrow door to the tunnel beside it.
“Wow!” Svein exclaimed, sliding the divider back into the wall, and out again. “It’s like magic, Papa!”
Kalfr smiled and nodded, while more questions churned through Raye’s thoughts. This apparatus couldn’t have been easy to build, and had Kalfr built it himself? And why had he felt the need to hide his tunnel to begin with?
But Kalfr wasn’t offering any answers, and he waved Svein forward, toward the tunnel. “Now, can you scent the way down, son?” he asked. “Lead, and we shall follow.”
Svein rapidly nodded, beaming up toward Kalfr’s face before scampering down the stairs. And at Gaelfr’s nudging, Raye followed him down into the shadowy stone stairwell, while the questions and unease kept swirling, jangling higher and sharper with every step. What was this place? Why did Kalfr live here?And how much did he hate her, what would he do next, she was doing this for Svein…
