Page 18 of Tree of Ash (The Runic Saga #2)

Money at Midnight

Halla

“Wake up, storyteller . ”

The grit around Halla’s eyes flaked upon their forced opening. She was back in the barrack, back on her bunk. The light filtering in through the skylights was fading. Juni’s bed next to her was empty, and the sight of it nearly rivaled the pain of the burn on Halla’s spine.

“Drink.”

Halla obeyed without hesitation, her parched tongue aching for water. It was only after she had sated her thirst that she realized who held the bottle to her lips.

Kai sat beside her, his black hair pushed away from his face as his gaze hovered over her neck. Halla raised a hand, her fingers briefly brushing against the bandage before her hand was caught away in Kai’s long fingers.

“Don’t touch it. You don’t want it to get infected.”

Her hand lingered in his for a moment. Then Kai returned the bottle to her lips. She took it from him and swallowed several more mouthfuls. There was a distinct fuzziness in her mind, and she couldn’t quite place the time of day.

“How long was I asleep?”

“A full night and day.”

That helped explain the hollow feeling in her stomach.

“You were right.”

“I usually am. What was I right about this time?”

“About getting caught.”

He looked down. “I didn’t want to be.”

Halla sat up, wincing from the pain. The rest of the children in the barrack were crowding around the bags of food that had been thrown in, scrounging about for the most edible items. Yet even in their frenzy, they looked more subdued than before.

Halla clenched the thin blanket beneath her, steadying herself enough to ask, “Where’s Juni?”

“Gone.”

She stopped breathing. “You mean—did they—”

“She’s not dead,” Kai hurried to say. “She got away.”

“What?” Halla’s heart thumped painfully, but beneath the pain, there was joy. “How? Fenris said he knew about the tunnels; he said he used them as bait to make a lesson out of slaves.”

“The thraell were focused on you. In the chaos, she got out.” Kai’s lips twitched. “Fenris wasn’t happy; they sent a search party, but they haven’t found her yet.”

Too stunned to say anything, Halla only nodded.

“I’ll go see if I can find us any food, or what passes as food here.”

Halla watched him go, but she couldn’t quite summon enough energy to care about what food he might bring back.

He returned with a selection of crumbling bread and canned vegetables.

Halla grabbed one at random, flinching again at the pain that laced down her spine.

Fenris had chosen his spot well. Every movement hurt.

Kai munched at the food in his hands, hardly looking in her direction.

Halla forced herself to swallow several spoonfuls of what the can claimed were peas before setting it down. “Why are you helping me?”

“Someone has to.”

“Not for much longer,” Halla whispered. “Tomorrow I’ll go to the Empress.”

“Would it really be so bad?”

“Yes.”

Silence permeated the space between them. “Can you tell me why?”

Halla ran her finger around the edge of the can.

“Who’s Lara?”

Halla flinched, the edge of the can slicing against her finger. She sucked at the small cut, then asked, “What?”

“You called for her while you were . . .” Kai crossed his arms over his chest to indicate Halla’s comatose state.

“She’s my sister.”

Kai’s eyes darted to those around them as though checking on their privacy. He leaned in close to Halla’s ear. “Is she with the Vienám ? ”

Halla jerked away, then whimpered at the pain her sudden movement caused.

“I saw your face when Juni mentioned them. Is that why you can’t go to the Empress?”

Halla pulled her knees into her chest. “I don’t know where she is.”

“Do you know how to find them?”

Though she knew full well who he meant, Halla asked, “Who?”

“The Vienám?” He moved toward her. Halla started at the sudden intensity in Kai’s eyes. “If we could get out of here, could you find them?”

“Oh no, I’m not trying that again. My sister will come for me.”

Kai’s eyes dulled over. The corners of his lips fell. “No one is coming for us, Halla.”

It was the absence of pain in Kai’s voice that made Halla realize just how deeply he felt the truth of his words.

But Halla didn’t feel them, wouldn’t allow herself to believe them.

Vereandi had all but promised Halla she would see Larissa again.

Even though the dream was beginning to fade into her subconsciousness, Halla clung to it.

Pappa always taught Halla that the Norn stood apart from the events of the world, watching, recording, weaving the fates, but remaining outside of it.

Yet Vereandi had spoken to Halla directly.

We’re waiting for you, Halla; we still need you to tell our story.

The Norn needed her? Perhaps it was just a fantasy in her mind after all.

The other children sat quietly in their bunks, gnawing at their rations with fear written in every movement.

They were a reflection of herself: broken.

Halla had lost. Tomorrow she would be shipped to the Empress.

She couldn’t help the Norn, she couldn’t even help herself, but there was one thing she could do.

She glanced over at Kai, who seemed to already know what Halla was thinking.

He jerked his head in their direction. “Looks like they could use a story.”

It took no time for the children to gather once Halla made it clear she was ready to share a story. They needed something hopeful. She needed something hopeful, and she knew just what story to share.

“Once upon a time there was a beautiful goddess named Ieunn. At her fingertips, flowers blossomed, vines grew, trees bore fruit, and the AEsir were granted immortality.” Halla paused for dramatic effect, as her Pappa had done so often when telling this tale.

She wove her words in the air, the images playing out before her eyes.

Lovely Ieunn had been kidnapped by the Trickster Loki for the giant Thjazi, who wished to rob the AEsir of their fruit of immortality.

While she spoke, Halla’s strength returned and fear fled.

Under the soprano of her voice, she could have sworn that she heard Pappa’s baritone leading her through the story, as though he sat beside her.

Halla’s heart hurt her for a moment, thinking of her Pappa, but she pushed it aside and reached for the story instead.

She would make one difference though, a slight rewrite from the original story.

“. . . Freed from his clutches, Ieunn escaped Thrymheim and traveled the nine realms until she returned to her family in Asgard. The Trickster Loki was punished for his weaknesses, and Ieunn remained in her garden of golden apples until the day of Ragnarok .”

At first the children remained, spellbound by Halla’s voice before they realized her story had ended.

Reluctantly, they filed back to their bunks, settling in a peace Halla had not known since she’d arrived.

Only Kai remained, his back against the barrack wall.

His hands rested against his knees. The flickering moonlight caused a shadow to appear like a black stone against his fingers before it shifted and disappeared.

“Nice story, but I was always taught that Ieunn had to be rescued by Loki.”

Halla blushed, not having expected anyone to notice the change she’d made. “Never. Ieunn rescued herself; everyone knows that.”

“If you say so.”

“How do you know all these stories? Who taught you, Kai?”

In the dark, she couldn’t see him well, but she could feel the way he shifted on the bunk before answering. “My mother.”

“Do you miss her?”

He scoffed. “No. She doesn’t miss me; why should I miss her?”

“Your father?”

“Never knew him.”

“An older brother? Sister?”

“Let’s just say no one is looking for me.”

Halla’s mind wandered to Lara, Mamma, and Pappa.

She had taken them for granted. What would it have been to be like Kai, whose family did not care if he lived or died?

She pushed herself back against the wall of the barrack, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Kai.

It was easier to ask her questions when she wasn’t looking at him.

“How did they catch you?”

“Oh, they didn’t,” Kai spat bitterly. “My mother sold me.”

Halla’s jaw dropped open.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

She quickly closed her jaw. Halla nudged his foot with her own. “You’re wrong, you know, about no one coming for us. My sister will come, and when she does, you can come with us too.”

Kai sucked in a quick breath. Halla wasn’t sure what had made her say it, but she couldn’t take it back if she wanted to. Kai had no one else, and everyone deserved to have someone. Halla could have remained there in comfortable silence all night.

The barrack door slammed open. A dozen thraell poured in, lights flashing in their hands as they shouted at the children to stand and present themselves for inspection.

Halla blinked against the lights, her body frozen in fear.

Kai pushed Halla to her feet before falling in line beside his own bunk.

Fenris walked in behind the others, his hands folded behind his back, but he was not the last to enter.

Behind Fenris, a man entered without a light in his hand or a gun at his side.

He was not a thraell or a sentry or anything Halla had ever seen before.

The man wore a long white robe with the hood pushed back to reveal a bald head covered entirely with runes.

The skin exposed at his neck and hands revealed similar runic tattoos as well.

He strode in with a purpose, his eyes scanning the children that trembled before their bunks.

His gaze roved over Halla. She quickly averted her eyes to the ground, but it was too late.

“Her,” he said, his finger outstretched in her direction.

Fenris’ lips curled back in a barely concealed snarl. “She’s not for sale.”

The tattooed man lowered his arm, turning to face Fenris. So quickly that Halla barely noticed it, the man pressed a bundle of money into Fenris’ open hand. He leaned back and smiled. “You would not deny the gods what they have asked for, would you?”

At Fenris’ calculating expression, another thraell moved to whisper in his ear. “You have marked her for the Empress—”

“Find a replacement,” he snapped, shoving the money in his pocket. “Who are we to deny the gods?”

The thraell yanked Halla forward, clasping the metal restraints around her wrists. Her lips trembled, but fear silenced her voice. She had received a reprieve from the Empress, but what on Evrópa did it mean that she had been asked for by the gods?

She turned panicked eyes on Kai, but he was watching the tattooed man who stared at him in return. The man’s head cocked to one side as though he was trying to decide something. “Well, aren’t you a long way from home?” He glanced back toward Fenris. “How much?”

Hope grew like an unwatered weed that perhaps the man would buy Kai too. Perhaps, Halla wouldn’t be alone.

The number Fenris offered was high, too high.

To her surprise, the man withdrew the amount with ease, stuffing it into Fenris’ hand once more. Staring at the money, Fenris opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again as though he had thought better of questioning it.

The thraell clasped restraints around Kai’s wrists and added a chain that connected him to Halla.

The other end of the chain he gave to the tattooed man.

With a firm tug, the man pulled them along with him.

The other children watched, their eyes wide and round.

Halla lifted her chin, knowing it was what Ieunn would do.

She would not appear weak. As she passed by Fenris, the thraell stepped before her.

“Be careful, little girl,” he said with a deep chuckle. “I’ve heard those who upset the gods are offered as sacrifices to the giants.”

Another tug on her wrists compelled Halla forward. She kept her eyes on Kai’s back as they ventured out into the night, bound by their wrists and, perhaps, by fate herself.