Hollen the Soulless: A Fantasy Romance (Dokiri Brides Book 1)

by Denali Day

  The leather of their wings dragged about the ground as they moved. A few of them turned snakelike necks in her direction, those brilliant eyes sparkling in wary interest. Joselyn held her breath. They turned away in favor of whatever they’d been doing. Sunbathing, as far as Joselyn could tell.

  She was just beginning to relax when Sigvard took her by the hand and pulled her along the edge of the gegatu pack. She hobbled after, despite the sting in her leg glowing bright from their climb. She gritted her teeth, determined not to let on she was in pain.

  They were closer to the wyverns than Joselyn would have liked, though not so close as to draw further attention to themselves. She hovered against Sigvard’s back, careful not to step on his heels. The Dokiri man seemed not at all discomfited to be in the presence of so many monstrous creatures. He whistled a little tune, his wide strides timed to the beat.

  The gegatu pack thinned out. Those that remained seemed more interested in Sigvard and Joselyn. She slowed. Sigvard released her hand.

  “This is where our people come to tame a mount.” He cocked his head in the direction of the attentive wyverns.

  “Why are we here?” Joselyn whispered. She clutched at her elbow, and her eyes skipped to the monsters at his back.

  Sigvard snickered. “There’s no need to whisper, little sister. They won’t bother us if we don’t bother them.”

  Little sister? Though the Dokiri often called other men of the tribe ‘brother,’ she hadn’t heard them refer to any of the women as ‘sister.’ Was Sigvard even any older than she? As the youngest of five brothers, he might be eager to scoot someone beneath him in the sibling hierarchy.

  Seeing that the wyverns were indeed maintaining their distance, Joselyn crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not your sister, and I’m probably not even younger than you.”

  “How old are you?”

  Joselyn was about to answer, then paused. “You first.”

  A corner of Sigvard’s mouth quirked, guile thwarted. “Eighteen.”

  “Same.”

  Sigvard flattened a freckled hand over the top of his head and scanned it out over hers, keeping it at the level of his full height. His hand plummeted dramatically to land atop her red tresses. Joselyn blinked at the soft impact as Sigvard drew the flattened hand in toward his collarbone.

  “The name feels right. ‘Little sister’ it is.” He flashed a devilish grin at her. Joselyn shook her head, hiding her begrudging amusement.

  Unexpected tenderness filled her as she regarded the Dokiri boy, barely a man, who was so willing to induct her into a sibling circle that from what Joselyn had seen, was remarkably close-knit. Growing up, she’d longed for a brother, but it wasn’t to be. Her mother wouldn’t let it be. An old bitterness stirred in Joselyn’s chest. She bit the inside of her cheek, desperate to think of anything else. Nearby, a gray wyvern trilled at one of its nestmates.

  “You still haven’t explained what we’re doing here.” Joselyn eyed the wyverns. She searched the area for an escape should the need arise. There was nothing but the cliff edge behind her and the iron mountain wall a hundred yards past the gegatu.

  Sigvard turned toward the pack and stretched a pointed finger in front of him. He indicated a black wyvern with a shock of white streaking from the spikes at the top of its head, all the way down the center of its back and barbed tail. The bright, yellow eyes of this gegatu were locked upon Sigvard with a great deal of interest.

  “You see that beautiful girl?” Sigvard beamed with pride. “She’s mine.”

  Beautiful? If you say so, Sigvard.

  “You mean, she’s tame?”

  Sigvard shrugged a shoulder as though the question and its answer were inconsequential. “There’s no taming a gegatu. One can only master them, and . . .I’m working on it.”

  Joselyn yanked his pointing finger downward. “Then why are you drawing her attention?”

  Sigvard snorted. “She can’t help herself. She’s drawn to my natural charisma.”

  Joselyn’s eyes widened. “How can you be so calm? Hollen told me not to go near the gegatu.”

  “Hollen should pull the arrow from his ass once in a while. Regna forbid anyone have fun without his supervision.”

  Joselyn flattened her mouth against the urge to laugh. Sigvard’s copper eyes narrowed.

  “Don’t tell me he claimed a hamma as ready to bow down as everyone else around here?” He leaned forward, his voice growing conspiratorial. “That wasn’t the impression you gave the morning after you arrived.”

  Joselyn put a hand on her hip. “Have you seen me bowing to anyone?”

  “No. It’s why I think you and I will get along just fine.”

  Sigvard drew a pound of dried meat from his pocket. The nearby gegatu rose its scaled head into the air and its eyes fixed upon Sigvard’s hand. A forked tongue slid past its fangs to test the air. Sigvard shot Joselyn a bold look before stepping toward the wyvern.

  Panic rushed through Joselyn. “No! Sigvard, don’t!”

  Her hands shot out to catch him, but it was too late. Joselyn sucked in a breath as she clapped a hand over her mouth.

  Sigvard approached the wyvern. He stopped not twenty feet from where the scaly beast crouched, just as it let out a serpentine warning hiss. Its spine tightened, contracting as its wings stretched open. It seemed to triple in size.

  Planting his feet apart, Sigvard straightened to his full height. He waited for the gegatu to settle. Joselyn imagined what she would do when her guide was snapped in half between the wyvern’s monstrous teeth.

  Probably scream as it turns around and does the same to me.

  An image of Ivan’s scarred face flashed through her mind. She should have obeyed Hollen’s order to stay to the common area.

  Finally, the beast calmed. Its back lengthened and wings pulled in at its sides. Its cold eyes blinked, refocusing on Sigvard’s offering.

  Sigvard tossed the meat through the air. The wyvern cracked its skinny neck like a whip, making Joselyn jump. Sigvard backed away.

  “What in all the gods’ names was that about?” Joselyn hissed.

  A dimple showed in the right corner of his mouth. “You wanted to know how the gegatu are mastered.”

  “I don’t see you riding her, Dokiri.”

  “It’s too soon. I have to keep coming back until she’s prepared to be mastered.”

  “And if she attacks you before then?”

  He shrugged. “Then I grapple with her and hope for the best.”

  Joselyn’s mouth fell open in disbelief. The skies is wrong with these savages?

  “Relax.” Sigvard bumped her in the arm. “We survived. And now you know what it takes. Eventually she’ll let me come close enough to grip her. And when she does”—eagerness lit his eyes—“it’s all over.”

  “Grip her? You mean, beneath the jaw?”

  “Yes. The gegatu are led by their sense of touch at key points on their bodies.” He pointed beneath his own jaw, at the back of his neck and at the inner aspects of his thighs.

  “It’s how we direct them. It takes time, but you have to get close enough to garner their curiosity and then their trust.”

  “That’s madness.”

  He scoffed. “It’s hardly the most dangerous thing we do. Claiming a hamma is far more perilous.”

  He was joking. Surely. “I wonder if you’ll say that after your friend here breaks your spine.”

  He shrugged. “Better than my spirit.”

  Joselyn studied him. “Well, that’s easy enough to avoid. Just find a woman willing to have you. What does your lot have against courting, anyway?”

  Sigvard threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, little sister, you’re missing the point. Half the fun is in making the woman have you. When I get my chance, I’m not coming back to Bedmeg until I’ve searched the entire continent. I’ll find the most beautiful woman and then the real challenge can begin.”

  Anger swelled in Joselyn’s gut. “That’s it then? We�
�re chosen for our beauty? To heighten the conquest?”

  Sigvard snorted. “That’s not why Hollen chose you.”

  Joselyn cocked her head. “Oh?”

  A moment passed and Sigvard’s face slackened. He threw up his hands. “No no, I didn’t mean . . .I meant…” His cheeks glowed red. “You’re very pretty.”

  Joselyn laughed. “Easy, Sigvard. I’m not going to start weeping.”

  Sigvard ran a hand through his hair. “I just meant it’s obvious why Hollen chose you.”

  Joselyn sobered. “Do tell.”

  “Let me guess, you were riding a horse when he found you?”

  “Yes . . .”

  “I have to know. What color was the horse?”

  “White.”

  He grinned. “Of course it was. And were you hunting?”

  “No.”

  “Glanshi. That would have been perfect.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “You’re exactly like Mother. Morhageese, a noblewoman, the red hair. You even act a little like her.” He paused, considering. “You don’t curse as much, I guess.”

  “You don’t think it’s strange that your brother’s attracted to a woman who reminds him of his mother?”

  Sigvard grimaced. “It’s not that. Hollen wants to be just like Father. No man ever loved a woman like Father loved Mother. That’s what Hollen wants. To be the best in everything.” Sigvard rolled his eyes and muttered, “Jackass.”

  Hollen wanted to be the best in love? Like his parents? That seemed so . . .what? Noble?

  Joselyn bit her lip. “He loved your parents very much.”

  Sigvard nodded. “And they loved us.”

  Joselyn swallowed over the lump forming in her throat. Oh, to have felt even a sliver of that affection growing up. What would Hollen think of Joselyn’s relationship with her own parents? A man like him would probably balk at what he’d claimed. And why not? What did a woman like her know about affection and intimacy? Love? It was a good thing she didn’t care what Hollen thought of her.

  So why did her neck feel so stiff? She reached a hand back and worked at the tightening muscles.

  Sigvard watched her. “What do you think of Bedmeg?”

  The change in subject caught Joselyn so off guard that she actually stuttered. “I-I think it’s very different from my home.”

  “How so?”

  His question almost made her laugh. Bedmeg was nothing like Fury Keep. Climate, terrain, and even citizens aside, there was something bigger that would always hold the two places apart. There was warmth here, a depth of loyalty so great Joselyn sensed it in each corner of the mountain. It flourished in the Dokiri people. The men, women, and children. This was the sort of place that had inspired the word community. Home.

  “People don’t fly about on dragons for starters.”

  “And Hollen? What do you think of him?”

  She hesitated.

  “Don’t worry.” He winked. “I’ll keep it to myself.”

  Joselyn believed him. “He’s a decent man.”

  “You think so? Even after he…” His gaze fell to Joselyn’s chest.

  She shifted and their eyes met in mutual embarrassment. His gaze darted away, and Joselyn considered his question.

  Had she forgiven Hollen for marking her? No. Did she still think him a savage brute? Sometimes. But she wasn’t angry anymore. Except for the fact that she still had no inkling how she’d explain it to Dante Viridian. Hollen wasn’t a bad person. Him wanting her didn’t make him a bad person.

  “I can’t afford to judge your people by my people’s standards. Else I’d always be terrified.”

  Sigvard regarded her. “And you still want to leave?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “What will he have to do to change your mind?”

  “He can’t change my mind.” Why did that feel like a lie? “I’m needed far too much at home. Your brother should have chosen a different woman.”

  Sigvard nodded, his gaze drifting. “Sometimes I worry the woman I claim will feel the same. Like there’s nothing I can do.”

  Joselyn frowned, thinking of Sigvard being rejected by the woman he’d waited his entire life to claim. The woman that was surely on his mind every day as he scaled the snowy cliffs to risk facing wyverns. Unexpected tenderness nipped at her heart. Then she thought of Hollen, who’d waited far longer. How long had he dreamed of the woman who’d help him lead his people, mother his children, who’d love him? Regret tightened in her gut. Would it pain him when she escaped?

  Sigvard broke the silence with a click of his tongue. “But how could that happen? One look at my handsome face and any woman would be undone. You’d be the same if you weren’t claimed already.” He wiggled his brows suggestively.

  Joselyn narrowed her eyes. I wonder what your brother would say to hear you speaking thusly to his bride. The boy had nerve, that was certain. She tried for reproach but surrendered to laughter. “You’re right. No woman would deny you.”

  Smiling, he turned back toward the staircase. But Joselyn caught the flicker of doubt in his eyes.

  Again they passed the pack of wyverns, who were even less interested than they’d been before. Without a word, Sigvard crouched and started down the ladder-like staircase.

  Joselyn inched toward the drop-off, barely mustering the courage to look down. A wave of vertigo rushed over her and she straightened, pulling away from the edge.

  “Sigvard?” She pressed the tips of her fingers over her wounded thigh.

  He stopped. “What is it?”

  “I’m not certain I can go down that way.” Joselyn swallowed as embarrassment welled.

  Sigvard glanced at the ground below, then back up to Joselyn, incredulous. “It’s the only way down. Unless you’ve a mind to tangle with one of the gegatu?”

  Joselyn bit her lip. She craned her neck forward, trying to look only at where she would put her hands. Sigvard seemed to understand.

  “Come. I’ll stay beneath you. Just put your feet where I say.”

  She didn’t miss the slight puffing of his chest and squaring of his shoulders. At least he was getting something out of this. What had she been thinking coming up here?

  “We’ll go slowly. I won’t let you fall, little sister.” Sigvard’s voice was unusually sober. So, he could mature when the need arose.

  On an inhale, Joselyn turned her back to the open drop and began her descent. True to his word, Sigvard stayed close. So close, in fact, that at one point she accidentally kicked him in the face. Joselyn called out a startled apology. His laughter was so infectious, she gave a thoughtless look downward to meet his grin. It was a mistake.

  Past Sigvard’s smiling face, the ground doubled. They were much too high up. Bile rose into her throat. A haze darkened the periphery of her narrowing vision. Numbness chilled her fingertips and her grip slackened.

  “Joselyn?”

  The cliff face tilted. Her eyelids drooped, heavy with sudden weariness. She sighed.

  “Va Kreesha!”

  The alarmed Dokiri oath was the last thing she heard before her mind plunged into total darkness.

  17

  Stoking Fires

  “Joselyn! Joselyn!”

  White light shone in Joselyn’s face around the silhouette of a man. He hovered above her.

  “Sigvard?” Her voice came out in a croak.

  His eyes rolled back on a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank Helig!”

  “Wha-what happened?” Joselyn turned her head to the side. Her cheek pressed into the damp snow. Her mouth was filled with the taste of something tangy and metallic.

  “You fainted. Has it happened before?”

  The fog was dissipating from her mind. Blinking, she nodded.

  “I forgot about the damned mountain sickness. I’m so sorry! You should have told me.”

  They were sitting on the ground at the base of the stony staircase. Her body tensed and relaxed as Joselyn tested for broken bones.
All seemed well. No pain save for the burning in her thigh. She squinted. “How did we get down here?”

  “I caught you when you started to slide and sort of carried you down the rest of the way.” He clasped her about the wrist and tugged her into a seated position.

  For once, Joselyn found herself thanking the sky god, Regna. Hollen credited him with the creation of the Dokiri race. If Sigvard had been made a smaller man, Joselyn doubted he’d have been able to save her life as he just had.

  She’d forgotten about the mountain sickness too. Apart from her first night with Hollen, she’d suffered no further fainting spells. Joselyn assumed it was because she’d grown stronger over time.

  Too much stress today.

  Again, Hollen had been right to forbid her from leaving the cave. Irritation nipped at her. Sigvard scratched at the back of his head.

  “Hollen will wallop me if he finds out I brought you here.”

  Joselyn regarded him. Maybe she wasn’t the only one grateful for Hollen’s absence. While she’d been spared his witnessing her little near-death experience, Sigvard looked like he was contemplating a near-death experience in his immediate future. A wry smile played at Joselyn’s lips.

  Sigvard frowned. “Promise not to tell him and I’ll tell you a secret about atu hatu.”

  Joselyn had no intention of tattling on her new partner-in-crime. However, her curiosity was pricked. “Fair enough.”

  Sigvard breathed another sigh of relief. All apprehension vanished from his face as his expression took on a conspiratorial edge. “Hollen’s ticklish.”

  Joselyn blinked.

  “I don’t mean a little ticklish, Joselyn.” Sigvard shook his head. “I mean, he’d fall off his mount if someone struck him under the arm at the wrong moment.”