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Bryn slid under Maude's swinging blade, the muted surface of the leifr Hela swallowing the light from the setting sun as well as the blood of the Flame Soldier that had been on her heels.

She didn't like the blade or that Maude had to be the one to wield it.

Her sister's temper was infamous, but even Bryn had noticed Maude's recent odd behavior when she got too invested in the bloodshed.

Before they had decided to capture the sergeant— one Bryn was not familiar with— Maude had been lost to Hela until Dahlia helped bring her back.

Herrick and the others were acting as if this was an unknown evil that was afflicting Maude, but Bryn had heard what Hildr had said when she revealed the blade.

Maude was under Hela's thrall.

That didn't mean she wasn't in control of her actions, but it was becoming evident that the goddess of Hel had her claws deeper into her sister than the others understood.

As she rose to her feet, Bryn sliced her axe upward to catch another soldier in the belly before dragging her knife across his throat and moving along to the next soldier.

Herrick covered her and Maude, his sword brutal and deadly in his hand, even though he seemed out of sorts using the blade.

Ahead of her, Hakon and Dahlia were just crossing the bridge that led them into Veter, the now unconscious sergeant slung over Hakon's shoulder after Bryn had dealt him a blow to the back of his head to shut him up when he was shouting for the Flame Soldiers to rescue him .

Moron , Bryn thought, the annoyance in the word not enough to convey just how irritating the sergeant was.

Though she was excited to be in this hidden kingdom— her curiosity was always something that could overwhelm her— Bryn tried to focus on the fight at hand.

Since their first collision with the soldiers, they had encountered two more groups, both smaller than the first. She and Herrick handled each skirmish quickly and efficiently.

Her growing respect for the General of Rivers started to outweigh any ill favor she might have had for the man who ensnared her sister's heart.

It was her job as a sibling and future General of Flame to protect Maude from anything that might have hurt her.

That's what Bryn told herself anyway. Surely, it had nothing to do with the fierce protectiveness she felt for her sister because she loved her so much and wasn't quite ready to let her go yet.

This was the third group they'd crossed paths with and would hopefully be the final one, as it was twice as large as the first encounter.

"Cross the bridge!" Hakon shouted from across the canyon that held the roaring river thirty feet below them as he dumped the sergeant onto the grass unceremoniously. "We need to destroy it!"

Fuck.

"Did I hear him right?" Bryn panted as she backed up into the small circle she, Maude, and Herrick had formed.

Even with their backs to each other, Bryn could sense how exhausted they were.

"You did," Herrick said between clenched teeth. "We spoke about this a few hours ago, after the second attack."

He shot forward, his sword thrusting through the chest plate and into the ribs of a soldier who had come too close to their circle.

Maude finished them off with a quick stab of her borrowed dagger into the soldier's temple.

The dalkr Hela remained at her thigh as if Maude could not bear to use the knife she had carried for so long anymore.

"We will protect our city at any cost," Herrick continued. "Even if it means destroying one of the only ways to get in or out of the kingdom safely. "

Maude swiped away sweat from her brow, a smear of crimson staining her skin instead. "Wouldn't they be able to cross the river if they have air galder ? I could propel myself across with little effort."

As soon as the words left her mouth, a twang sounded from far away moments before an arrow flew past them and pierced the throat of a soldier attempting to cross the bridge.

They all turned to face who had shot the arrow and found Dahlia on the other side with Maude's bow aimed at any other soldier who would attempt the same.

The Elven healer inclined her head slightly as she caught their eye, a smirk on her lips.

"They can try," Herrick said, grinning at the Elven.

Maude laughed. "Fair enough, let's blow the damn thing."

Bryn chuckled as she turned and sprinted for the bridge, calling out to the Elven soldiers around them to head their way.

One by one, the soldiers Aeric sent with them ran past her, each of them coated in various amounts of gore until only Bryn, Maude, and Herrick remained.

Beneath her feet, the stone bridge started to shift.

She glanced over her shoulder to find Hakon had taken over the bow while Dahlia crouched on the ground, one hand on the stone with her eyes closed. Her mouth moved quickly and furiously.

She was already starting to dissolve the earth between the stones keeping the bridge sturdy. They were out of time.

"Come on!" Bryn shouted to them as she turned to cross into Veter.

She could hear her sister's boots behind her.

They had almost reached the vibrant green grass of the rolling fields that would lead them to Veter when Bryn heard a deep shout of surprise followed by the clashing of metal.

Before she could turn and stop her sister, Maude skidded to a stop and launched herself back toward Herrick as he fought off two soldiers while lying on his back.

Try as she might, Bryn could not slow her momentum as she crashed into Hakon's open arms. He clamped down on her shoulders as she tried to throw herself back down the bridge to help them .

Through her thrashing, Hakon managed to say, "The bridge is too unsteady now; they have to fight this on their own. If we go out there, the bridge could collapse and take us all with it."

"Then stop ," Bryn shouted to Dahlia, but the Elven was too far gone in the process of disintegrating the integrity of the structure.

"We can't," Hakon responded, his voice grim as he kept his gaze on his brother. "It's up to them."

Herrick rolled to his side as one of the soldiers slashed the tip of their sword over him, aiming for his exposed chest. The metal screeched against the stone, the sound almost deafening if it weren't for the grinding stone beneath him ringing in his ears.

"Beast!" Maude shouted from further across the bridge.

He glanced up in time to watch as she stopped halfway to him and shot her hands out, shadows flying from her palms in long ropes.

They wrapped around the throats of the soldiers attacking him, slowing their movements as their faces started to turn purple.

He took the opportunity to slice his knife across the tendon in their ankles, severing the connection.

The soldiers tried to scream as they started to bleed profusely, but Herrick didn't stick around to watch.

Maude had been throwing her galder out at everyone all afternoon; she was beginning to waiver.

Though she seemed to have inherited her father's ability to pull on the world around her to build her strength, the shadows she preferred were in short supply when the evening sun blared on them.

Sweat mixed with blood on her face as he sprinted toward her, the scar that made her more savagely beautiful than she realized was stark against her paling skin. He didn't know if Elven ever burnt out, but Maude was still half-human.

Already, he could feel the stone giving away beneath him as his brother shouted for him across the way. He was so close to her now, just another few feet…

Herrick didn't break his speed as he scooped Maude up in his arms and threw her over his shoulder.

He heard the small breath she released in surprise a moment before she pounded on his back, screaming to release her.

But they were almost to the edge of the bridge now.

Behind him, the stone was starting to fall into the river below them where he had been fighting with those soldiers.

A chill ran down his spine at how close he was to being consumed by the rivers he'd grown up with.

They weren't going to make it over in time.

"I could use a little help," he gritted out.

Maude's hands stopped beating against his spine as she lifted them, pushing the air around them so he moved faster. Soon, the only thing he could hear was the cedar smoke tasting wind that rushed over his ears.

Just… a little… farther…

Suddenly, the stone shifted beneath his feet, and he felt it give away underneath him.

For one eternal second, Herrick and Maude were suspended above the river that begged for their blood. They fell and fell and fell until vines wrapped around them, stopping their trajectory just inches above the water.

Maude swung beside him, her moss eyes wide as they met his. Water sprayed over their faces from the mist that hung low over the surface, washing away the stains from their fight. He chuckled once…

Full laughter burst from him as Maude continued to swing beside him, her hands gripping the greenery so hard he worried the vines would snap under the pressure.

She only stared at him for a moment before her annoyance dissipated, and she joined him, her bell-like laughter mixing with his deep rumble.

He reached across and grabbed the rope of earth holding her from her death before pulling her toward him, silencing her laughter with his mouth as he swallowed the sound.

"Do you two want to join us up here any time soon?" Bryn called from the lip of the canyon's edge.

Maude smiled against his lips, the smokey taste of her making his head spin before she muttered, "Not really. "

"Let's go, minn eldr ," Herrick chuckled as he pulled away. "It's time to go see my mother."

"Oh, goody," Maude deadpanned before following his lead and climbing out of the canyon, leaving their laughter and whatever Flame Soldiers were on the bridge to the raging waters protecting the Kingdom of Rivers.