command me to leave. My
eyes narrowed and, my jaw clenched tight, I pulled a deep breath
through my nose as I drew my sword and...
Both. With one
swing.
I shuddered.
"Are you alright, Frey?"
Ruby's voice was gentle. I tried to give her a convincing nod. She
pulled the blanket up tighter to me. I wasn't cold; it was actually
too warm. I had an irrational urge to throw the covers off, tear
everything away.
I decided to speak instead.
"Ruby?"
She smiled.
"Yes?"
"How do they find
us?"
She looked back at me,
confused.
"Junnie...
Fannie."
"Oh," she answered, and
then hesitated. "Frey, I know you're worried about Fannie, but
don't be. We have you covered."
I tried to look assured. "I
know. I only mean, Junnie just pops up sometimes."
She didn't answer right
away so I waited, working to seem patient. She saw I wasn't giving
up. "I suppose the same way you found the wolves... and the
girl."
I drew in a sharp breath
but Ruby must have thought it was because she'd mentioned the
human. It wasn't. Junnie . She must have had the same
abilities. The same as I, the same as Fannie... and surely the same
as our mother. I had a thousand questions now, I struggled to not
sound too anxious. "Ruby, if Fannie was... unique... why would
Asher not want her? Just for her looks?"
"I don't know, Frey. I
wasn't around then." I saw her eyes inadvertently flick to Anvil
before they were back on me. "And your mother was not exactly clear
on everything that happened."
No, she wasn't. And there
was one particular part that I was exceedingly curious about now. I
pushed the blankets off to find my pack but Ruby was faster. She
grinned as she handed it to me and gracefully stood to leave,
knowing what I'd wanted.
"Thanks, Ruby."
Her departing smile was
enchanting.
As soon as she'd turned, I
hurriedly flipped through the pages to the back of the diary,
finding the passage I was after.
“ You’re back.” His voice
was trembling, feeble. It was my Noble, young no more. He had been
waiting here for my return. An outcast of the village; no one
believed his tales of magic, the mysterious woman he claimed to
meet here. He confessed to spending years trying to find me. He’d
thought I was angry with him and that was why I’d not returned. He
was afraid to leave this spot, if I were to change my mind… forgive
him for whatever he’d done.
I pushed the guilt aside
when I recalled why I'd had to come here. For my Freya, to save
her. What my father did to me, to my mother, I would not let him do
to her. I knew what I must do, the only way. I approached the
grieving man and reached out to him. As I held his hands, I closed
my eyes. I could not watch as I snapped his neck, the way I had
with the small boar as my first show of magic to him so long ago. I
placated myself by remembering that he would soon be gone, his life
so short. I held him until he began to stiffen, and then carried
his lifeless body into the village. Proof that they would be
attacked and killed, proof that they must fight the elves. It was
not hard to incite a riot. They were fearful creatures. I convinced
them to raid the castle, gave them direction.
All that had happened and
it was still hard to read. But I'd found what I was looking
for, gave them direction. She had done it, my mother had impressed upon the
humans to find the castle and attack. She must have kept it a
secret from her father. She would have known the danger.
I thought of my dream
again, how I had run to her. I could recall the emotions, the
betrayal yes, but there was more. I had thought her ridiculous,
hadn't stood by her as Asher condemned her. And she had been right.
I'd run to her, slain her guards and... and what?
I tried to force the memory
but pain seared through my head. So instead I focused on what I did
have. Asher. He was still alive, and was somehow connected to this
group... my guard.
Comprehension came suddenly
and forcefully. I knew, not just from reading the diary, but I
eyes narrowed and, my jaw clenched tight, I pulled a deep breath
through my nose as I drew my sword and...
Both. With one
swing.
I shuddered.
"Are you alright, Frey?"
Ruby's voice was gentle. I tried to give her a convincing nod. She
pulled the blanket up tighter to me. I wasn't cold; it was actually
too warm. I had an irrational urge to throw the covers off, tear
everything away.
I decided to speak instead.
"Ruby?"
She smiled.
"Yes?"
"How do they find
us?"
She looked back at me,
confused.
"Junnie...
Fannie."
"Oh," she answered, and
then hesitated. "Frey, I know you're worried about Fannie, but
don't be. We have you covered."
I tried to look assured. "I
know. I only mean, Junnie just pops up sometimes."
She didn't answer right
away so I waited, working to seem patient. She saw I wasn't giving
up. "I suppose the same way you found the wolves... and the
girl."
I drew in a sharp breath
but Ruby must have thought it was because she'd mentioned the
human. It wasn't. Junnie . She must have had the same
abilities. The same as I, the same as Fannie... and surely the same
as our mother. I had a thousand questions now, I struggled to not
sound too anxious. "Ruby, if Fannie was... unique... why would
Asher not want her? Just for her looks?"
"I don't know, Frey. I
wasn't around then." I saw her eyes inadvertently flick to Anvil
before they were back on me. "And your mother was not exactly clear
on everything that happened."
No, she wasn't. And there
was one particular part that I was exceedingly curious about now. I
pushed the blankets off to find my pack but Ruby was faster. She
grinned as she handed it to me and gracefully stood to leave,
knowing what I'd wanted.
"Thanks, Ruby."
Her departing smile was
enchanting.
As soon as she'd turned, I
hurriedly flipped through the pages to the back of the diary,
finding the passage I was after.
“ You’re back.” His voice
was trembling, feeble. It was my Noble, young no more. He had been
waiting here for my return. An outcast of the village; no one
believed his tales of magic, the mysterious woman he claimed to
meet here. He confessed to spending years trying to find me. He’d
thought I was angry with him and that was why I’d not returned. He
was afraid to leave this spot, if I were to change my mind… forgive
him for whatever he’d done.
I pushed the guilt aside
when I recalled why I'd had to come here. For my Freya, to save
her. What my father did to me, to my mother, I would not let him do
to her. I knew what I must do, the only way. I approached the
grieving man and reached out to him. As I held his hands, I closed
my eyes. I could not watch as I snapped his neck, the way I had
with the small boar as my first show of magic to him so long ago. I
placated myself by remembering that he would soon be gone, his life
so short. I held him until he began to stiffen, and then carried
his lifeless body into the village. Proof that they would be
attacked and killed, proof that they must fight the elves. It was
not hard to incite a riot. They were fearful creatures. I convinced
them to raid the castle, gave them direction.
All that had happened and
it was still hard to read. But I'd found what I was looking
for, gave them direction. She had done it, my mother had impressed upon the
humans to find the castle and attack. She must have kept it a
secret from her father. She would have known the danger.
I thought of my dream
again, how I had run to her. I could recall the emotions, the
betrayal yes, but there was more. I had thought her ridiculous,
hadn't stood by her as Asher condemned her. And she had been right.
I'd run to her, slain her guards and... and what?
I tried to force the memory
but pain seared through my head. So instead I focused on what I did
have. Asher. He was still alive, and was somehow connected to this
group... my guard.
Comprehension came suddenly
and forcefully. I knew, not just from reading the diary, but I
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