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She did not argue with him. Her mouth hovered in front of his for one moment longer before she withdrew from his cooling embrace, hearing more footsteps, followed by Gunnar’s voice calling after them. Herrick let out a breath as he pulled away from her. Before the soldiers and Gunnar could reach them, Maude grabbed his hand and pressed a soft kiss to his blood-stained palm.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“For what?” Herrick asked, curiosity peeking through his weariness.

“For still coming after me when I ran,” Maude said and turned to face Gunnar’s arrival.

17

Leaving Veter so quickly after returning was hard for Herrick. Being home came with the responsibilities of his title, both as General and as a son, but Herrick still found it difficult to leave the city he loved behind. There is nothing quite like the feeling of returning home after a long trip and nothing as sweet as the melancholy when one must leave again so soon.

After Gunnar had found him and Maude in the gardens by the palace’s Temple of Odin, they had all quickly decided they needed to leave before morning. Liv had shown up at the end of the conversation, moving to speak with Maude about what had happened, as Herrick and Gunnar ordered the soldiers to gather supplies while they changed.

“You sneaky bitch,” Liv chuckled after Maude told her about the metal plate under the leather bodice she wore.

Maude only gave her a half grin before it faltered slightly. Liv didn’t seem to notice, but Herrick caught the slight change. Maude was caked in dirt and blood, as he was. The gore from his hands was still imprinted on her neck and face where he had grabbed her, thinking she had been cut through with a blade. Her hair was disheveled from her fight, the silver threads all but dull in the moonlight, and her gown had seen better days. Herrick thanked the gods that Maude was paranoid about being hunted and, therefore, dressed for the inevitability of clashing blades.

Herrick stared at Maude in the dim light of her fireball still hovering over them all and took in her stance. Despite being attacked tonight, Maude still stood with her shoulders back and chin straight. She was an imposing sight: her formal wear only enhanced by the blood and dirt smeared into it from her fight, her untamed hair still braided into a crown circling her head, dagger now in hand, and tattooed skin with the runes for patience and strength stretching with her movements.

Feeling his eyes on her, Maude turned to meet his stare. While Herrick could usually decipher what Maude was feeling by looking into her captivating green eyes, now she was unreadable. Frustrated by her refusal to admit her feelings, Herrick moved to speak with her again, damning the company that was present, but Gunnar snagged him first.

“Not now, Herrick. We need to find Hakon and Eydis, then leave,” Gunnar urged him.

Maude turned to Liv and nodded her head at something Liv suggested, and they both quickly headed to the palace. Maude didn’t look back once.

“Hakon. Right,” Herrick agreed.

The two men made it back to the palace, each changing out of their Kingdom of Rivers garb into something more pedestrian.

Herrick instantly felt more comfortable in the navy pants, brown boots, and brown leather vest over his faded linen tunic. He strapped his battle axe to his back, abandoning the short sword he used only in his role as General, and belted on a few more knives before tying the leather band around his head to keep his hair from falling into his eyes.

Gunnar emerged from his room in a similar garb; the green and blue threads in his braids were more evident in this clothing. Herrick noticed that Gunnar was sporting a long cut down the one side of his shaved head, right up against the braids that ran down the middle of his scalp.

“What happened?” Herrick asked, nodding to his friend's new scar as they made their way to Hakon’s room.

“One of the Flame Assassins you had left in your wake of bloodletting snuck up on me when we passed them. It’s nothing.” Gunnar shook him off.

They made it to Hakon’s room and found it empty. Deciding to pack up some clothes and weapons, they sifted through his brother's belongings. Soon, the sound of their friends jogging down the hall to them grew louder. Hakon and Eydis were clutching each other's hands while Liv and Maude were close behind, dressed in their travel clothes. Maude had wrapped her mother’s shawl around her and concealed her hair and face from the world once more, making Herrick’s heart heavy with sorrow.

“What the Hel is going on, Herrick?” Hakon asked quickly, showing Eydis the washroom so she could change into the bundle of clothes she was carrying.

Maude stayed outside the bedroom, keeping herself a healthy distance from Herrick. He tried to ignore the pain in his chest at her action.

“Flame Assassins attacked Maude in the hedges tonight after the ball,” Herrick said, swallowing his discomfort. “They tried to take her.”

“I’m sure they had a rude awakening when they realized Maude isn’t one to go down without a vicious fight,” Hakon said, shooting Maude a sly look as he stripped his formal wear and dressed in the plain travel clothes they all wore.

Maude replied with a fierce grin and winked.

“They took down a few of our soldiers, but our losses were minimal,” Herrick continued, hunting for paper and ink. “We still don’t know how they got through our borders, but I have Svend looking into it now.”

“Then we leave for Ljosa now,” Hakon finished, tying the last of the ties, keeping his leather vest in place. “By horse orby boat?”

Maude whipped her head around.

“Boat?” she asked, curious.

Herrick noted her discomfort and answered, “Sometimes we take a boat down the river that meets with the one that doubles as a border for Veter. It bypasses the bridges and narrow exits, so we keep our departure a secret.”