Page 23

Reluctant to jostle her awake, Herrick accepted his new sleeping arrangement and relaxed, placing his hand on the bed in front of her before he lowered himself to the floor to get some sleep.

Before he could pull his hand back to rest on his stomach, he felt Maude’s hand grasp his tightly.

He looked up at her, and she still appeared to be fast asleep, but her hand was unyielding in her grip, so he only guided their joined hands down to the floor where he lay.

Sleep found Herrick quickly, but when he dreamt that night, he did not dream of Valkyries and deep red hair. Instead, his dreams were filled with charcoal-stained hair, hard black eyes, and soft curves under his fingertips.

Maude slowly became aware of her hand hanging over the side of the bed as she woke up to the murky early morning light that was streaming through the drawn curtains.

Minute by minute, she took in her surroundings and tried to piece together what had happened.

Her muscles were stiff and aching like she’d been tensing all night.

One arm hung over the side of the bed, her hand wrapped in something warm which was so at odds with the rest of her that shivered from her wet clothes.

What the Hel?

Maude opened her eyes to the brightening room and took in her surroundings. The sheets and mattress beneath her cheek were soaking wet, but she smelled the light, chalky scent of burnt linen underneath the damp new mold settling into the bed beneath her.

Maude pulled her hand back from the edge and felt resistance, so she looked down to the floor and found Herrick asleep, clutching her hand.

He released her hand when she tugged gently, rolling onto his side for a moment before he started breathing deeply with the heaviness of sleep.

She watched him for a moment longer than was probably necessary before she shifted to the other side of the bed and walked into the washroom, still dressed only in the band around her chest and leggings.

She halted when she saw herself in the reflection of the faded mirror.

She was covered in soot, soaked to the bone with cold water, and had puffy eyes and scratch marks running down her cheeks.

The scratches were still pink, which meant that they must have been deep if her galder was still healing her.

Noticing the color in her hair had started to run a bit now that it was wet, she dug out her last piece of rough charcoal and started rubbing it into her hair again to hide the tint beginning to peek through, then pinned it behind her head in her usual style.

In shaky and jerking motions, she cleaned herself up while she tried to figure out what the Hel had happened to her last night.

The water clearly belonged to Herrick, which meant he had been present during whatever fit she’d had.

Feeling a rise of anxiety start to build, she took a few breaths and removed her wet leggings to hang them out of the window.

Realizing she’d left the clean clothes Thora had found her in the bedroom that was now ruined, Maude shook out her mother’s shawl that had been left in the washroom before her fight with Liv and wrapped it around her body, tying it in front of her chest so it hung loosely as a slip would.

Irritation bubbled in her chest, the usual reaction to the anxiety that rose from her gaps in memory.

Storming out of the washroom, Maude attempted to control her tongue in case she lashed out at Herrick while trying to find out what the Hel happened last night that caused her to wake up in such a mess.

She found him sitting upright on the floor, hands scrubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Herrick noticed her appearance, quickly standing from where he had slept, cracking his neck twice before facing her and taking up a wide stance.

A fighting stance, she realized.

Shame washed through her at the sight. She had made him feel he needed to be on the defensive with her again. Her irritation fizzled to nothing.

Having forgotten what she had stormed out here to say, what slipped out was, “Why did I wake up all wet? ”

Herrick failed to conceal his laughter at her statement, which only pissed her off again. Her frustration started feeding into her galder, embers glowing beneath her skin.

“You are so juvenile,” she growled between clenched teeth as she grabbed a small bowl from their breakfast tray and threw it at him.

Herrick ducked, the ceramic bowl crashing and splintering into the wall behind where his head had just been. He quickly put up his hands in surrender as he straightened.

“I only helped put out the fire you had started in your sleep and knew you would’ve ripped me apart if I had moved you when you were unconscious,” he said, his voice placating.

Maude wasn't sure what to say. She had remembered reliving an old memory, and at the worst part of it, she felt a cold wave of water wash away her dreams and soothe her into a deep sleep.

The more she thought about it, the more she remembered kind words and a soft touch on her hair.

She had reached for what felt like home and had been lost to sleep.

Maude realized she must have been the one to reach for Herrick’s hand. Her face started to burn from embarrassment, so she quickly opened her mouth to say—what? She didn’t know.

Their door crashed open, and Hakon’s scrambling form entered the room before slamming the door shut again, saving Maude from having to come up with something.

Herrick and Maude both moved at once; Herrick, still shaking off the night's sleep, and Maude, only wrapped in her mother’s shawl, reached for their weapons, taking up defensive positions that were almost identical to each other.

Hakon leaned his back against the door while holding himself up on his knees and breathing heavily from his evident sprint up to the room.

Herrick quickly dropped his stance and went to his brother, obvious relief in his face .

Maude cautiously circled them both, opening the curtain slightly with her dagger blade to look out beyond the wall of the city while they spoke.

“What happened to you, brother?” Herrick asked, reaching under Hakon’s elbows to help him stand.

“Flame Soldiers,” Hakon huffed, catching his breath. “Followed me and Eydis through the desert. I just left her with Thora downstairs to get cleaned up. We need to leave.”

Maude took a closer look at Hakon. His face, usually a sun-kissed gold, was ashen, his clothes were weathered and sandy, and he looked like fear was eating him alive.

Hakon grabbed onto his brother's shirt. “Now, Herrick.”

Pushing off his brother, Hakon scrambled for any spare clothing in the room to quickly change into. Noticing Maude, he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you for saving my brother’s life in the desert. I owe you a debt.”

Maude, realizing Thora must have told him, only nodded mutely and looked at Herrick, who was studying his brother’s panic with grim understanding.

“Soldiers followed you from the city, and now they are coming to Engate. Hakon, I need you to tell me what happened. Why were you so late?”

“There is no time right now; we have to go. Thora is gathering supplies with Eydis and Gunnar while Liv gets some horses. I can explain once we have put Engate behind us.”

Hakon hastily changed into Herrick’s spare clothing while Maude stripped the shawl from her body and dressed in the slightly damp clothes Thora left last night.

The stitches pulled on her collarbone slightly as she shrugged on the sleeveless shirt that had been provided for her.

The cut was halfway healed now, her galder having sped up the process as she slept.

She’d need to remove the thread at some point today before her skin closed around it.

Strapping her dagger to her thigh after pulling on the slightly damp leggings, Maude gathered her axe, short sword, and quiver after shoving her meager belongings into a pack she had been given at the Green House.

Lastly, she opted to string her bow before attaching it to the hook that was on her quiver in case they came to blows with the soldiers following Hakon.

Maude grabbed Herrick’s forearm as he was lifting his battle axe to strap onto his back and forced him to look at her.

“Once we leave this town and have a moment to slow down, you will tell me about this supposed weapon, or I will turn around and leave you all in the sand,” Maude said to him in an even voice. Herrick looked down to where her hand was on his skin and looked back up to her.

“You will get all the information I have, minn eldr . I hope you decide I am your path to Helvig’s death because I think we could be a force of nature if you let us,” Herrick whispered to her as he leaned into her ear.

“I can help you work with your galder instead of against it.

I can show you how to control it so it doesn't control you .”

“Who says I need your help?” Maude asked, swallowing thickly. Herrick ran a finger down her arm, tracing an inked flame from her shoulder down to her wrist and leaving a cool trail of melting ice in his wake.

“Everyone needs help, minn eldr . Just think about it,” he said as he turned to walk out of the door and down the stairs.

Maude only stared for a moment, the chills that had broken out all over her body finally ebbing.

Hakon cleared his throat behind her, reminding her that he was still in the room and that he had clearly seen the entire moment between them.

Maude didn’t dare face him when she still felt unable to speak, so she only followed Herrick out of the room and down to the tavern where Gunnar and Thora were finishing packing supplies into saddlebags for their hasty departure.

Herrick was speaking with Gunnar, who had shot a few unreadable glances her way. The woman she assumed was Eydis was changing into pants and a linen shirt Thora had provided behind a screen that blocked her from the men’s eyes.