Page 47

Maude closed her eyes, her head tilted up to the darkness that had taken over the sky above her.

She ran a hand through her loosened hair, the tension leaving her shoulders as the heavy locks cascaded down her back.

The breeze occasionally picked up a strand, blowing it in her face and tickling the skin on her cheeks or lips, but she ignored it.

The shouts and calls from the Elven sailors died away as Kari, the god of the northern wind, swirled around her, leaving Maude truly alone as his air filled her lungs and cleared some of her tension away.

Or so she thought.

Too soon, the sand-dampened footsteps came from behind her as they made their way to her previously secluded escape. Maude did not open her eyes to the intruder of her solitude as the wind shifted and the familiar scent of petrichor enveloped her.

"It seems I can't get any privacy these days," she mused quietly as she tipped her head forward again and reached for her hair with one hand to wrap around her wrist and pull over her shoulder to hang in front of her. She realized too late that the movement exposed her neck to him.

The moon shone on the wine color, deepening it as she looked up at Herrick.

His golden eyes traced her features slowly as if he were seeing her for the first time.

He only paused a moment before he sat on the sand next to her, his skin warm compared to hers as it brushed against her exposed body, forcing her body to attention.

She had forgone a cloak when she left in her haste, her blood typically able to keep her warm in the frigid winter night.

"The luxury of peace is not known to royalty, as you already know," he finally responded, his voice edging toward irritation.

Tension settled between them again, and only the soft ripple of water breaking over the shore surrounded them.

The energy between them continued to build until Maude was sure that whatever happened next would make or break her.

Her eyes fell onto the rows of burns and scars that peppered Herrick's arms and wrists before they disappeared under his fur-lined cloak, the unnaturally smooth skin of burnt flesh igniting that same wrath in her.

It didn't matter that she suspected Baldr was the spy—she imagined the punishment she would inflict on the General of Flame for the permanent scars and Helvig for ordering the heinous act to begin with.

Herrick noticed her studying his scars but did not speak, allowing her the time to figure out how to say what was so clearly being shown on her face. How to acknowledge the holes in both of their stories, each existing only because they could not find a way to be entirely truthful with each other.

"I hid the truth of who I am from you for too long; that was wrong," Maude finally said quietly, the almost apology breaking through the silence that had built up between them.

"And intervening in your fight with Baldr was wrong, even though I stand by what I did.

I at least owe you an explanation for why I did what I did. "

"Is that an apology, minn eldr ?"

Maude's intense relief that he still used his nickname for her gave her the confidence to tease him, knowing he would understand she yearned for their push and pull to return.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Did I say I was sorry? "

He smirked at her, but the slight tilt of his lips disappeared quickly. Worried she may have said the wrong thing, Maude opened her mouth to speak when Herrick beat her to it.

"There is something you should know," he started slowly. "Liv just confessed that she and all the Elven have been hiding some pretty important information from us."

His voice was bitter as he spoke, but not toward her, she realized. Rather, he was upset about whatever had been revealed. She held her breath as he kept speaking.

"Long story short, it turns out that the Helvig and Kolbeck families had been elected into power before the Elemental War and when it was over, they took their opportunity to solidify their reign permanently.

The treaty was written by them and for all intents and purposes, has been void since its creation. "

Maude absorbed the information as Herrick kept speaking, explaining how vitki were purged from both kingdom's in one fell swoop.

Her stomach turned, but rather than feeling her soul fill up with fury, she felt it empty.

She had no more fury to give, it seemed.

The news was now mixed up with all the other horrendous things that had happened these last few weeks until it all blended together into a shit storm she wasn't sure they would survive anymore.

Aeric knew this history and didn't tell her. It's not like she was owed any explanation, but how could they have a relationship if something this colossal was being hidden from them.

"How glad are you to discover you're the Heir of Shadows and not an Heir of Lies and Deceit?"

She cringed slightly, still unsure of the title despite her weakening barriers against the truth that was so clearly obvious. She swallowed her paralyzed outrage about their continents history so she could discuss the biggest revelation to date— the reason she had been hiding from him.

The title of "Heir" was never something that had settled right with her, both in Logi and now in Nida.

She skimmed the surface of the soft sand she sat on with her hand before grabbing a handful and allowing it to trickle from her palm.

Maude thought of what she should say, but could only summon the truth .

"I don't really know if I've even accepted that yet," she whispered.

"I can sense the truth in the Shadow King's words, can see how he looks at me, but I've spent my entire life harboring this hatred for who I thought was my father.

I grew up with Helvig and was raised in his image.

How can I just look the other way and welcome this new father who I had no idea even existed until a few weeks ago?

Especially after discovering he hid something so pivotal to our continents history that has been wiped away? "

Maude had not meant to say so much, but once the words were out, she could not stop.

"I don't know how to do this, how to be this person who has a father who accepts her and loves her," she continued, the words falling from her mouth like rain in a monsoon.

"I look at him and feel that it's right in my heart, but my mind rejects the idea that my entire life was a lie.

My mother lied to me and let me grow up with a monster.

I could just scream about it all until there is nothing left in this world but me and my rage. "

All the thoughts Maude had about this life-altering news burst through her barriers when she spoke with Herrick about it as if she was unable to hide what she felt from him.

As soon as her confession was out, Maude realized how hiding the truth of her feelings from everyone had been straining her so much.

Rather than answer her, the soft swishing of sand shifting next to her sounded right before Herrick kneeled in front of her. His muscles rippled with the movement as his calloused fingers grasped her chin, forcing her to look up.

The waving blanket of light in the sky above them, casting beams of green and purple, formed a dark halo that flared around Herrick's shrouded form. The gold in his eyes was luminous, even in the shadows of night.

"It probably doesn't feel like it," he started quietly. "But this is a second chance for you. You don't have to accept it right away, but don't turn your back on it. Rage against the hand the gods dealt you; be angry that so many lied to you for so long, but don't throw this chance away."

"I don't know how to do this," she said again, ignoring the feeling of his fingers on her skin after what felt like an eternity without his touch .

"You'll learn," he said softly before letting her chin go.

The absence of his skin left a gaping hole where she thought her heart should be.

"Why are you being so kind now?" Maude asked as Herrick leaned back on his heels before settling next to her again and stretching out to lay on his back.

"I've always been kind," Herrick said, a smirk lifting his lips. "You have always been the one to reject that kindness, unable to let anyone close enough to prove it."

Well then. It seemed that he was done circling the issue. Maude let the anger in her blood boil to the surface, the sands shifting beneath the intensity of her emotion.

"Only because the world taught me otherwise," she shot back, twisting to face him and crouching like she would pounce on him if provoked.

"Bullshit, you run from anything and anyone who reminds you that you are alive," Herrick snapped, his eyes flaring with his annoyance as he sat up to face her again.

"You have had a lot of horrific things happen in your life, Maude, but running isn't always the answer.

Sometimes, you have to face what's coming, even if it's with a sword in your hand and the Valkyries at your shoulders, ready to bring you to Valhalla.

But you ran from your title, you ran from your fate, and you ran from me . "

Maude shot to her feet, the sand blowing out in a blast that created a crater they now stood in, the high walls of the sands blocking them from any prying eyes.

The night air chilled her skin now, her fury heating her flesh beyond the temperature of the small beach enough that she only felt her rage.

Herrick kept his eyes fixed on Maude's as he slowly stood, taking in the darkness that was beginning to creep into her vision.

Would they ever be able to have a conversation without fighting? Were they doomed to always be at odds like this?

"Are you calling me a coward, beast? Because a warrior says what he means, no veiled threats or insults," she said quietly, her voice dark in the growing heat of the new pit they stood in so similar to the one in Logi when their journey began.

Herrick took a few steps toward Maude until their bodies almost touched. One small movement and Maude's chest would graze his. He leaned in until their noses almost touched. Fresh rain on soil gripped her senses, dimming her anger despite how she tried to grasp it .

"And if I am?" he finally asked, the rough fabric of his tunic brushing against Maude's vest. Suddenly, the clothing felt too constricting, the fabric too rough on her sensitive flesh.

Warmth pooled in her lower belly as she became absorbed in Herrick's golden stare, the very center of her melting with heat.

Her breath caught in her chest as a moment of tension passed between them, threads of fate pulsing and pulling them closer together despite how they each fought against their attraction.

Herrick's gaze flickered from her eyes down to her mouth.

Her lips parted briefly as his stare moved lower, noticing how the air in her lungs escaped her faster than she could take it in. Her fingers flexed at her side.

Anticipation thrummed between them and rekindled their wanton physical attraction that had always been easier to manage than words. Their stalemate was coming to a rapid end as Maude and Herrick stood before each other, a silent challenge hanging in the air that thickened between them.

The physical was easy for them, but would it still be enough to bring them back to each other? Maude didn't know, but she found she didn't care as she closed the distance between them.