Page 65

In a small cabin behind the temple, Maude moved stiffly as the Grand Soothsayer hastened them all to sit on the cushions splayed out on the floor surrounding the crackling hearth in the center of the room.

She placed her and Herrick next to her, with Aeric on her other side.

The rest of their friends filled in the cramped space, accepting the mead the Soothsayer poured for them.

Bryn tried to catch her attention, but Maude was frozen in her shock, so she took in the movements of her friends and filed them away to think of later.

Liv sat next to Bryn before whispering something to her while Dahlia was redressing Gunnar's wound again. At the door, Hakon eyed the Soothsayer with distrust heavy in his gaze. The looks didn't last long because as soon as Hildr reached him, she placed a horn of mead in his hand and said harshly,

"Best you sit yourself down on the cushions, Heir of Rivers, before the mead overtakes your remaining good sense.

I have no patience for drunken fools, and if you're going to devolve into a stupor, I'd rather you already be seated so our conversation will not be interrupted by your mindlessness.

Your grief for your lost love can either strengthen you or destroy you; just don't make it everyone else's problem while you decide which man you want to be. "

Hakon's ears turned red as his mouth dropped open before he shut it again, the muscle in his jaw flickering as he stared down the Soothsayer.

After a few tense moments, his anger dissolved into shame as he crumpled into the cushion behind everyone else, his nose deep in his cup by the time everyone had settled.

An ominous silence fell over their group as they waited with bated breath to hear what the Grand Soothsayer would say next once she reached the head of their circle.

Outside, through the cracks in the roughly constructed walls of her small cabin, Maude could see that the sun was beginning to set on this strange day.

The groups of humans and Elven who had been camped up the pathway leading to the temple had quieted down a bit as they all feasted on their prepared meals, the herbs of their spices mixing with the grease of the dead animal's flesh caused Maude's stomach to turn rather than pang with hunger.

Time seemed to slow and speed up as darkness fell while they all sipped on their strong mead, the bitter honey and earth taste of the dry wine causing Maude's head to spin as the Soothsayer's incense burned at the hearth in front of her.

They were far from the comfortable lodgings of Logi and Veter in this northern mountainside, closer to the gods than their enemies.

Thrown back into a more primitive time than Maude was accustomed to, she struggled to remain silent as she became quickly overwhelmed by her roaring senses.

Before, she would have escaped to the fresh air or rooftops of Logi to cool her skin and calm her racing heart.

But in this environment, where stimuli would overwhelm her at every turn, whether it be the smells of cookfires, the densely packed worshippers squatting in this holy ground looking for salvation, or the cacophony of sounds from the forest that lived around them being drowned out by prayers.

It was too much for Maude to bear. So she broke the patient silence that they all had fallen into when the sun finally set behind the trees, casting them in darkness lit only by the crackling embers in front of them.

"Grand Soothsayer, we have come to you to ask—"

"I know why you are here," the Soothsayer said quietly as she pulled her hood back to rest on her shoulders again. "Remember, I read your fate, Daughter of Shadows. I have been waiting for the day you showed up on this mountain."

Maude stiffened at the Soothsayer's words. Daughter of Shadows, the same title the seer at the gate gave her.

Herrick picked up where Maude had been cut off, her voice still hidden beneath her stupor .

"Grand Soothsayer—"

"Call me Hildr."

Herrick paused for a moment before continuing with what he was going to say.

"Hildr, our enemies seemed to have been plotting to overthrow Ahland for some time now.

In our failure, King Helvig has managed to acquire the Bone Dagger, giving him the power to rule over all of Ahland alongside a powerful Elven named Vilde Shadowheart.

So far, we have been unable to do more than escape his clutches, but the people of Ahland suffer under their rule. "

Silence from the Soothsayer.

"Already, those living in Logi and the town beyond its borders are being tormented," Bryn offered when Hildr would not speak.

"My father has increased taxes on the poorer citizens to flush out the vitki who have been gods blessed with galder .

Neighbor turns on neighbor; friend turns on friend.

Soldiers are slaughtering children in the streets. "

Bryn's voice edged toward desperation as Hildr continued to look into the fires. Or rather, face the fire as she held no eyes to see, Maude thought with dark humor.

Gunnar spoke next. " Galder is acting strangely in the Kingdom of Rivers as well. Children born of farmers with the power to manipulate earth find themselves blessed with fire instead."

Hildr did not move an inch from where she sat.

"The god of vengeance slaughtered the town of Amsbrook, their bodies placed in the formation of ansuz . The lives of good people paid for the warning from the Allfather," Liv said desperately.

And still, the Grand Soothsayer did not react.

When no one else offered insight into the state of their continent, Hakon spoke up from his stupor behind everyone else. Maude felt Herrick lean forward at her side, listening intently to what his brother had to say.

"Families have been torn apart for the sake of keeping their abilities a secret," the Heir of Rivers said quietly.

"Parents sacrificing themselves for the lives of their children, siblings leaving behind their younger brothers in order to protect them.

They throw themselves into Tyr's fires of justice for the sake of their loved ones.

Their bravery goes unnoticed, unheeded, because the people are afraid of the reprimand they'd receive from a crooked King of Flame who wants their galder for himself. "

Maude stared at the Heir with wide eyes.

Since Eydis had fallen in the Knotted Caverns, she hadn't heard Hakon so much as speak her name.

But in their plea for help from the most powerful spiritual entity in their land, Hakon spoke up about her family's tragic story, even if he could not name her yet.

Maude's heart shattered all over again for the Rivers Heir; she had faced the question of Herrick's death for only a few days before he was back in her arms. Herrick had lived with the memory of her death for weeks before they freed him from his cell.

They had lived with their grief for a short time, and even then, it had been a slow type of torture.

The only one of them, besides her father, who understood the grief of losing a great love was Bryn.

So, it was no surprise to Maude that her sister was the one who turned to face Hakon in the rawest presentation of his grief and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He looked up to meet Bryn's eyes only to find her grief for Revna blazing brightly.

The two of them remained statues for a single moment, but the sight etched itself into Maude's mind— a premonition of what their continent could be if the rulers were friends, equals in every way that mattered.

Dahlia and Aeric remained quiet in their pleas to Hildr; their familiarity with the Soothsayer was not lost on her.

Maude's silence, however, had gone noticed by the seer as she turned to face her.

Tension thrummed between them, and Maude refused to back down from the woman's acknowledgment.

Though she bore no irises that would take her defiance in, Maude was still sure that the older woman could still see her somehow.

"And you?" Hildr said to Maude. The Soothsayer's chosen silence in the face of all she and her friends had faced in their fight against Helvig fueled her anger.

"What about me?" Maude asked, her voice dripping with the fury that was fueling her at this woman's indifference.

"What is your reason for being here? Your plea for the people of Ahland?"

Maude stilled, taken aback by the phrasing of the Soothsayer's question .

Absolutely nothing jumped out at her from all of the valid reasons for taking down Helvig. The man who had raised her had done treacherous things, all in the name of staying in power, so why couldn't she name one?

The silence grew uncomfortable the longer they stared at each other.

Maude internally warred with herself— speak the truth or what the Soothsayer wanted to hear?

Which road should she take? Not too long ago, she had been standing in front of Odin, begging him for answers, and now that she was being asked the same question…

Maude didn't know what to say. She had always known that she was in this for selfish reasons: her revenge.

But after what happened in Logi, her focus drifted from her rage to avenging Herrick's capture and torture.

Yes, she cared about the people of Ahland.

Yes, she wanted the kingdoms to live in peace.

Yes, the man who raised her was corrupt and sadistic.

But the core reason for her continued pursuit in her father's downfall—Helvig's downfall— was her own satisfaction and need for justice just as much as it was for the liberation of her people.

Just because the right thing to do also aligned with her vendetta didn't mean it still wasn't the right thing to do.