Page 32 of Tree of Ash (The Runic Saga #2)

Unnatural

Anara

The trees of the Myrkvier Forest crowded in, blurring everything in Anara’s vision. Even in her wolf form, she could not see the sun, but was lost in shadow. Though the growl started in her chest, when she opened her jaw, nothing came out. She was voiceless.

It was the muteness that alerted Anara to the presence of her dream. Only in dreams could she be silenced.

She prowled through the trees, searching for the child-goddess no doubt behind the mental intrusion.

A flick of flame-like hair flashed from behind the trees.

Anara pounced but found nothing in the deep mud.

A girlish giggle broke the silence of the trees.

Again, Anara opened her mouth, but no sound could be heard.

Loki’s knot, she cursed. Get out of my head.

Just beyond the trees nearest to her, something twinkled from the ground.

A pile of emeralds glared up at her from the dirt.

In the interval between seconds, Vereandi appeared, scooping the gems from the ground and holding them out like an offering for Anara to smell.

The tang of incense flooded her nostrils.

Trust him, Vereandi said. Don’t keep me waiting.

Anara stirred in her bed of hay, allowing the soft, earthy scents to cleanse out the sharp odor of her dream.

She rubbed her temples as though she could chase away the headache the dream had left.

Though her parents had taught her a certain reverence for the gods, Anara silently cursed the smallest of the Norn who’d stolen the peace from her sleep as she rose in search of Darien and Larissa.

She found them asleep in the cabbage field with their hands intertwined and Larissa’s head resting against Darien’s side.

Anara hesitated in waking them, knowing that her presence alone would shatter the solace they’d found in each other.

Not to mention the latest prompting of the Norn, who were clearly running out of patience.

She cleared her throat. “It’s time.”

Their bodies tensed at the sound of her voice. Darien’s eyes went to Larissa, but Larissa sprang to her feet. Instantly alert and focused on Anara, she missed the way Darien clenched the hand that once held hers.

“They’re waiting for us.” Anara gestured toward the farmhouse where she could smell pancakes burning on the stove.

The three crossed the field in the darkness of the early morning. Inside, the farmer and his family sat at a table, upon which lay a meager breakfast. Halvor joined them, though he’d put little on his plate. At the trio’s entrance, the family rose from their seats and bowed.

Larissa paused. “Oh, please don’t do that.”

“Your Highness, we would be honored to share this meal with you before you go.” The farmer pulled out a chair at the head of the table for Larissa.

“We know it isn’t much,” the wife continued. “But you are welcome to everything we have.”

Anara could already hear the protests on Larissa’s and Darien’s lips, but she was never one to turn down a free meal. She sat next to the daughter and slid a pancake onto her plate. After taking a bite, Anara smiled at the girl. “Delicious.”

The girl stood on her chair to smooth Anara’s long strands of black hair. Her tiny fingers reached out to touch the golden ring in Anara’s nose. “It’s so pretty.”

“Benia,” the mother scolded.

Anara took another bite. “She’s alright.”

As if encouraged by her tone, the girl, Benia, sat herself on Anara’s lap, more to Anara’s surprise than anyone else’s.

It had been years, possibly decades, since Anara had experienced the trust of a child.

At least, without the paranoia of parents who feared that Anara might change into a draugr and devour their child whole.

But once the parents realized Anara did not mind Benia’s presence, they turned back to serving up plates for a reluctant Larissa and Darien.

Benia continued to munch on the bread clutched between her small palms.

“The other farmers are on their way as we speak,” Halvor explained. “General Ishaan is leading them here.”

Benia stilled in Anara’s lap. She turned her head to whisper. “Is that the man who wanted to hurt my daddy?”

Anara bent her head so that her whisper would not interrupt the others’ conversation. “I won’t let him hurt your family.”

“Mama says he can change into animals.” There was wonder in the child’s voice, but also fear. “She said he’s unnatural. What does unnatural mean?”

The sweet syrup of the pancake turned bitter. Unnatural . “It means that he doesn’t belong. Now shh, I need to listen.”

Of course, Anara had been listening the whole time, but she feared further questions from Benia.

She wanted to enjoy the current state of acceptance from this farmer and his family, even if it was based in ignorance.

At some point, their small son took up residence at Anara’s feet, playing with some stuffed bear.

Anara grabbed one of the dry pancakes from the table and passed it to the boy below, who smiled in thanks.

“Each of us will hide in produce trucks driven by one of the farmers,” Halvor was saying.

“We’ll have to leave the cargo truck here for the time being.

It would draw too much attention. We must reclaim the Outer Wall without letting any sentries past us to warn the interior levels of the commonwealth.

” Halvor’s eyes carried unspoken meaning.

“We can’t allow news to spread to the wrong people. ”

Calder .

From the corner of her eyes, Anara caught the tightening of Darien’s face and the rigid set of his shoulders.

Though she’d heard what he’d told Torsten, Anara doubted whether Darien would be able to kill his brother if the time came.

Her heartstrings twisted at the thought of Aeron but hardened at the twang of pain that resonated from the scar that stretched across her abdomen.

If Darien couldn’t put Calder down, she would.

The hum of nearby engines grew into a roar, which could only mean the arrival of the other farmers.

Anara’s excitement for battle turned to unease as her ears picked up more than two promised engines.

If these weren’t their promised trucks, they could only be sentries.

She stood, handing Benia back to her mother.

“Halvor, there are more than two trucks coming up the road.”

Understanding sank in as the room’s occupants jumped to their feet.

Anara was at the window, her eyes the strongest of any but stronger still when she used her galdr .

A familiar surge of power redirected toward her eyes.

The world around her crystalized in minute detail.

Down the road, Anara could make out five trucks bumbling down the dirt path, but they were not sentry vehicles as she’d feared.

They were ordinary pickup trucks, packed and ready for Produce Day.

At the front of the line, Haki and Jari leaned out of the back of the truck.

High above them, Anara spotted Ishaan circling.

She breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s alright. It looks like we have more support than we thought.”

A tiny gasp drew her gaze down at Benia, who had sat beneath her and pointed into Anara’s face. “Your eyes are yellow.”

Anara blinked away the transformation, but the damage was done. The mother raced forward, snatching her child and retreating several feet away from Anara, who had not moved. The farmer too grabbed his son, a kitchen knife held tightly in his hand.

Silence reigned in the farmhouse. Benia peeked at Anara from behind her mother’s protective arms. Anara rose slowly for their sake. “I’ll go and greet the others.”

Halvor’s explanations filled the silence even as the screen of the front door slammed behind Anara.

She pounded down the porch steps, steadying her breath.

It wouldn’t matter what explanations he gave.

The family’s fear ran too deep. She heard the door open and close again and the swift footsteps behind her.

By the smell, she knew it was Larissa who laid her hand on Anara’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry.”

Anara exhaled, her breath visible against the cold air. The fear of others was not her responsibility, not her guilt. She would not carry it. She had enough guilt as it was. “I’m fine.”

The screen door opened again. Darien and Halvor joined them as the approaching trucks screeched to a halt.

Down the line, farmers disembarked from their vehicles.

Haki and Jari stood at the front of the line, looking well pleased with themselves, particularly Jari.

Ishaan shifted in the air, landing on his feet.

“We brought a few more men,” he said.

“Yes, I can see that, General,” Anara remarked dryly. “How many of them did you force?”

Thunder clouded Ishaan’s brows. The red of his face contrasted against his graying sideburns. Before he could answer, another man, a farmer, stepped forward.

“Every man here came willingly. We believe in our Princess.” His eyes narrowed on Larissa. He kneeled, mimicked by the dozen of men behind him.

Anara frowned. “Who are you? How do you know she is the Princess?”

“I am Kelby, Highness. I was sent a dream from the gods. They showed me the truth—”

Anara met Larissa’s and Darien’s eyes, knowing they thought the same thing. Norn .

“—and instructed me to find more farmers who would do anything to remove Regent Hammon from Perle. With your guards’ permission, I gathered as many as I could throughout the night. More would have wanted to come.”

“They will have their chance,” Haki said, cracking his knuckles. “When the main force of the Vienám arrives, they can join them.”

At his words, a cheer rose up from amongst the farmers.

Halvor clapped his hands together. “Enough talk. Which trucks have room for stowaways? Princess Lovisa, Prince Darien, Haki, Jari, and myself will need to be hidden.”

“It would be an honor, Your Highness,” Kelby volunteered for Larissa while other farmers spoke up, offering room in their trucks.

“Princess Anara. General Ishaan. I take it you two will remain in the sky and keep watch?” Halvor asked.

Anara smiled. “My wings weren’t meant for small spaces.”

“I follow my Queen,” Ishaan responded.

Though Anara did not want his company, she could see the wisdom in having him in the sky, if only to draw the attention away from herself.

“Then it is settled,” Halvor said.

At his word, farmers scrambled to create hidden crevices in the trucks for their stowaways.

Seeing the looks of discomfort as Larissa and Darien crawled into their hiding places only reminded Anara of how grateful she was for her own wings and the open sky.

Her galdr surged as she burst out of her skin, shedding the shackles of the earth and taking flight into the air.

From the window of the farmhouse, Benia’s mouth fell and her eyes widened at Anara’s transformation, but then Benia was gone and out of sight along with the guilt and regrets that plagued Anara’s human consciousness.

Not even Vereandi’s dreams and demands could catch her in the air.

Her black feathers gleamed in the sunlight, and she cawed in pure ecstasy at the rush of wind beneath her wings.

After decades of hunting and being hunted, Anara was ready for war.