The Viking Maiden Box Set

by Kelly N. Jane

  Selby sat on a log next to her and tried to take the cloth, but Ingrid gripped it tighter. At least it was something to hold. A cold, bloody piece of cloth to use as comfort.

  “I’m sorry.” Selby’s words floated into the air, but Ingrid ignored them.

  She had to stay focused on the scene in front of her. Whatever happened next would decide if she’d be able to continue the path that led to her destiny or if she’d doomed herself, and everyone else with her, when she chose this route to find Eir.

  A small group had formed among the men, headed by Greer. A space open between them as Bremen stood in front of the larger crowd. Ingrid was too exhausted to deal with Selby’s guilt and the battle forming in front of her.

  Once again, she pleaded in her mind for Jorg to show himself. The thought of not seeing him again before they hauled her away stole her breath.

  “She has unnatural powers, like the others. We shouldn’t have let them among us,” Greer shouted at Bremen. The ten or so men behind him grumbled their agreement and shuffled their feet as they cast uncomfortable glances in Ingrid’s direction.

  “Martin would be dead now if she hadn’t been here. We owe her our thanks,” Bremen said, raising his voice only enough to be heard, but he kept it controlled and even.

  “Still wonder where the prince is?” Ingrid asked Selby in a low voice, the words bitter in her mouth.

  “There are more men on his side. They’ll listen to him and understand that you’re not a threat.” Selby focused on the arguing men. “If they don’t, we’ll leave. I won’t let them hurt you.”

  Though she felt her strength returning, Ingrid fought back the sting of tears at Selby’s words. If she had to fight her way out of this, she would lose. The darkness in her head oozed forward in lazy agreement.

  “Greer, we have been like brothers, but you need to step aside. We invited Ingrid into our camp as a guest, and she has done us a great service. I will not hear any more of this.” Bremen stepped closer to Greer, and the men behind him pressed in as well, surrounding the smaller group.

  “You are making a mistake and bringing danger to us all,” Greer said, but he no longer shouted. Ingrid had to strain to hear him.

  “It is my mistake to make then. We need to finish breaking camp and be on our way. There will be no more of this dissent, or you can leave my service.”

  The men who had stood with Greer seemed to fade into the larger crowd, leaving he and Bremen in an open area in the center. Greer glanced around and must have accepted he was defeated because he nodded to Bremen but said no more.

  Ingrid stood, her trousers sticking to her legs as the blood on them dried. “Bremen,” she called out, and all heads turned in her direction. Selby rose at her side, staring at her as well. “Where are Jorg and Plintze?”

  Those men knew where they were, she was sure of it, and she needed answers before they went back to their work. Something wasn’t right. Jorg wouldn’t have left her alone this long.

  “Do you know anything about where they have gone?” Bremen asked, his gaze leveled at Greer.

  Most of the men turned their focus toward Greer, but a few stared at the ground and shuffled their feet. The same men who’d stood with him moments earlier.

  Rested and restored to strength after the healing, Ingrid strode forward with Selby on her heels. She shoved through the circle to stand near Bremen, although Ingrid could sense the unease at her presence. None of the men stopped her.

  “Many of us disagreed with allowing an elf and dwarf among us. After hearing all the talk in Mercia, we questioned the appearance of two creatures none of us had ever seen in person. I chose to question them after you retired. As one of your personal guards, it is my duty to keep you safe.” Greer spoke with his head held high as he stared at Bremen.

  Towered over by all the men around her, Ingrid stiffened and stood as tall as her petite frame allowed. She took a step closer to Greer and spoke between clenched teeth, “Where are they?”

  13

  Greer ignored Ingrid and continued to stare over her head at Bremen. If I had my hammer right now, you’d pay attention to me. When he didn’t answer her after several seconds of silence, Ingrid launched herself at him.

  Startled, Greer raised his arms to defend himself and caught her midair. He pushed her away, knocking her off balance as she punched and kicked at him. Ingrid landed with less of a thump on the ground than she might have thanks to both Selby and Bremen stumbling to reach her and break her fall.

  Ingrid recovered quickly and hopped back to her feet. Faster than anyone could grab her, she once again rushed at Greer. This time, he was ready for her and swung his arm, so the back of his hand landed against her cheek, sending her into the dirt.

  While on her hands and knees, blood began to fill her mouth. She ran her tongue over her teeth to check if any were missing. Specks of light, like tiny shooting stars, danced around the edges of her vision from the pain radiating through her jaw.

  With determined effort, she rose to her feet, widened her stance, and stood firm. The flood of her emotions seemed to excite the dark essence, and Ingrid’s body shook as she struggled to control it.

  “Ingrid, please stop.” Selby’s eyes were wide as she took hold of Ingrid’s arms. “Don’t get yourself hurt. He’ll tell us where they are.”

  “Get out of my way!” Ingrid struggled against the hold, trying to free herself.

  Before she could get around Selby, Bremen’s fist landed on Greer’s jaw and sent him backward into the men standing with him. “Tell us where you’ve taken the others.”

  Whether he was defending Ingrid or angry over Greer’s actions, Ingrid didn’t know or care. She relaxed slightly as the throbbing in her jaw caused her to second-guess her attack strategy.

  Those loyal to Greer helped him to stand and then continued to hold him so he didn’t strike back at Bremen. He spat and smiled through bloody teeth. “Find them yourself. You’re so willing to discard those who have been loyal to you. I have nothing more to say to you.”

  “Should I put him in chains or run him through?” a man standing next to Bremen asked.

  “Neither,” Bremen said as he scrubbed his hand over his face and blew out a long exhale. “Greer, you sadden me. It didn’t need to come to this. Just leave. You’re no longer in my service, and those of you who joined him in this, you need to go also.”

  “They should not go free,” the man said again to Bremen.

  “I understand, Gavin, but let them crawl away like the dogs they are.”

  “Where is Jorg? You can’t just let them go before they tell us!” Ingrid screamed at Bremen. Selby continued to hold Ingrid to prevent her from throwing herself at Greer again, but it only made her angrier. “Let me go!”

  “I saw some of these men walking back to camp early this morning from the south. I can go look in that direction,” Gavin said. He turned toward some of the other men and nodded for them to follow.

  “We’ll all go,” Bremen said to Ingrid, then turned back to Greer. “Be gone before I return, or you won’t have the opportunity to walk away again.”

  Seething that Greer was going free, Ingrid jerked her arms away from Selby and turned her back on all of them. Bremen continued giving orders as if her whole world wasn’t crashing around her.

  “Gavin, lead the way. The three of you fan out, and we’ll follow. The rest of you—” Bremen turned and focused on a few individuals but addressed the rest of the men who remained as Greer and his followers slunk away “—continue striking the camp so we can get on our way.”

  “You can’t just let them go! What if we don’t find Jorg and Plintze this way? They just get away with whatever they did to them?” Ingrid hurried to stand in front of Bremen.

  The idea that Jorg and Plintze might need her—need healed—and she didn’t know where they were, hit Ingrid like a blow to the gut. Unsettled, she sliced a glance at Selby, the one person she’d counted on for unwavering support.

  A li
fe without Jorg was incomprehensible. The scraggly dwarf, with all his gruff exterior, was a fierce protector with a heart of gold. Now she stood alone, without any of them.

  They had to find them. Why hadn’t Bremen insisted that Greer show them the way? Maybe he knew where Jorg was already. Maybe he’d been part of whatever they’d done to him. Ingrid tasted the blood in her mouth from the blow she’d taken from Greer.

  If you don’t take me to them, I will gut you. Closing her eyes, she inhaled, surprised by the intensity of her reactions but not afraid of them.

  After Jorg and Plintze returned, there would be time to figure out Bremen’s motives—or not. It wouldn’t matter anyway. Once she was back with those she trusted, they could leave together and put all of this behind them.

  Bremen marched after Gavin with Selby on his heels, but Ingrid stayed a step behind. He’d ignored her questions, and she preferred to keep them in front of her. If this whole situation turned out to be a ruse, she wanted options for fighting her way to freedom.

  She almost chuckled to herself. Jorg would be proud of her warrior mindset, though he’d probably grumble about the need for it. With a jut of her chin, she shook off the thoughts and concentrated on the search. She couldn’t let herself become distracted.

  Beyond the farthest tent, among the trees where there was no underbrush, they came upon two men standing guard. As they approached, Ingrid caught sight of something that made her heart pound, and she struggled to inhale. Someone was lashed to a tree ahead, back against the trunk and arms tied behind. She could only see the hands, but she knew they were Jorg’s. Without hesitation, she ran forward.

  The guards stood between where Jorg leaned, slumped against the rough bark, and Gavin. They argued until Bremen came into view. The men paled, and all voices went silent. No one stopped Ingrid as she slid past them.

  Cuts on Jorg’s cheeks marred the smooth skin of his face, which was smeared with blood. One eye was swollen shut, and his mouth was split in several places. His tunic had tears in it, and blood soaked the thin shreds of fabric that remained. It looked as if it had been slashed by a whip.

  Ingrid stopped several feet from him, while her chest heaved and legs wobbled at the extent of his injuries. What have you suffered because of me?

  Jorg’s dark, angry expression turned to surprise, then concern when he saw Ingrid. She stepped within touching distance, but he grunted and tried to lean harder into the tree, away from her.

  “Don’t.” He flicked the gaze of his good eye over her head at the men before meeting her stare.

  “They already know,” she whispered. A single tear slipped down her cheeks while she roved over the cuts and purple bruises blooming on his face. Pain tore at her heart for what he’d endured. This is all my fault. “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re not responsible for the ignorance of others. Besides, they hit like a bunch of old women. I’ve taken worse from Hagen when we train.” A crooked grin tried to form, but he winced and licked his lip. Red-stained teeth peeked out from his mouth, causing her to swallow hard at the sight.

  “Yeah, but Hagen never broke your nose,” she said, staring at the crook in the center of his face. “And, if I recall, he always yielded.” She closed the gap between them but kept her hands at her side. The heat radiating off them was nearly unbearable.

  Jorg coughed and turned away to spit bloody mucus before he continued. “He’s not like the cowards who kept my hands tied.”

  A small, sad curve touched Ingrid’s mouth but did not spread to the rest of her face as she raised her fingers to Jorg’s jaw. A hiss escaped from between his teeth as he sucked in a deep breath when the heat brushed against his broken flesh.

  Before she could do more than reduce the swelling, someone startled Ingrid by touching her arm. She instinctively spun and struck out with her hand, making contact with the chest of her attacker.

  Although she hadn’t intended it, her power had rushed through her fingers to slam into Gavin. The jolt flung him backward onto the ground. The noises around her were muffled, and dizzying sparks danced around the edge of her vision while the essence in her head swirled. Lightheaded and unsteady, she took several deep breaths.

  The others rushed to Gavin and helped him to his feet. He rubbed at his chest where Ingrid had punched him. With some help, his tunic was unlaced at the neck and exposed an indented patch of skin, puckered and angry, from what looked like a burn. Bremen reached to touch it but quickly recoiled as Gavin flinched.

  Bremen turned to Ingrid. “You’ve injured him.”

  “I will help him . . . after Jorg,” Ingrid said, clamping her lips tight together to stay strong. Though she longed to apologize, she couldn’t appear weak for Jorg’s sake.

  Her mind reeled from what had happened. I had no idea I could do such a thing to someone.

  “I was going to release him for you,” Gavin said through gritted teeth.

  With a heavy sigh, Bremen rubbed his face with both hands. “If you’ll step aside, I’ll do it myself,” he said to Ingrid.

  A weight pressed against her chest, and she couldn’t speak as she stared at Bremen. She only nodded as she took a single step to the side. Part of her knew she hadn’t meant to do any harm, but another part that whispered in the back of her mind suggested something different.

  No.

  She wouldn’t listen—wouldn’t let the darkness slither deeper into her mind. Jarrick’s essence, or whatever it was, was a bother and a headache. Nothing more.

  Bremen moved forward and kept his eyes trained on Ingrid as he stepped around her. When the knots released, Jorg groaned as his arms struggled to function after being held behind him for so long.

  Snapped from her internal battle, Ingrid hurried to Jorg. She let her fingers trail over his jaw and up to his brow, watching as the red, puffy skin returned to its normal shape. Both hazel eyes, bright as they swirled with green and gold, held her gaze.

  Next, she skimmed over his nose. She smiled as best she could with her own swollen jaw when the bridge of his nose straightened. As her fingers slid over his lips, Jorg closed his eyes and kissed them. When she hesitated, a moan only she could hear rumbled from his chest.

  The sound drew her attention to his torso, where she placed both hands over his shredded abdomen. The cracked skin and red, sticky ooze seeped between her fingers until the smooth, sculpted curve of his muscles reappeared.

  Her brows pinched together as she searched beneath the skin to find more damage, but it was hazy. Unlike earlier, when she could see Martin’s bones and tissue as she’d healed him, Jorg’s wounds were murky and left her unable to find the damage.

  “Ingrid,” Jorg’s voice called to her softly. He whispered her name once more, and she raised her chin to meet his eyes. “I’m fine now. Let the rest go before it drains you.”

  “I don’t understand why I can’t see it.”

  “It doesn’t matter, and you’ve done enough. Your eyes look like gemstones.” His dimple flashed as he shook his head slightly. “Gods, you are beautiful.” After a few seconds, or hours, she didn’t know or care, Ingrid let her hands fall to her sides.

  A sharp realization stabbed at her, and her eyes went wide as she spun around. “Where is Plintze?” Panic laced her voice. You fool, how could you forget about him until now!

  “What did you do with the dwarf?” Bremen asked one of the men who had stood guard over Jorg.

  “We kept them apart to question them, but the dwarf escaped before we could ask him anything,” the man answered.

  Ingrid noticed that neither he nor his companion held weapons any longer. The news of Plintze’s possible safety allowed her shoulders to drop in mixture of relief and fatigue. Exhausted from the multitude of emotions and the healing, she swayed and stumbled backward until she leaned against Jorg.

  Jorg grunted with the effort, but he wrapped his arms around her and kept her tight against him. His sweet grassy-pine scent enveloped her, and she sighed. “What happened to your jaw
?” he whispered in her ear.

  There was still a little power flitting through her core, and her hands were still somewhat warm. She placed one against her cheek. She managed to reduce the swelling and ease the pain, but as before, she couldn’t finish the job.

  “How is it that you knew nothing of this?” Selby, who’d been silent since they’d left the camp, stood off to the side.

  Ingrid glanced at her friend, which drew her away from musings about why her own injuries were giving her abilities trouble. A narrow, angry expression was fastened to Bremen as they both waited for his answer.

  “If you are implying that I would torture someone who I’d offered hospitality to—” Bremen clamped his mouth shut and moved three slow steps closer to Selby before he continued “—it can only be excused because you do not know me. If I needed information, I wouldn’t hide among the trees.” He stepped even closer, his eyes pinned on hers. Selby didn’t flinch or waver but stood her ground.

  “I’m to believe that, because you’ve been so open and honest with us, is that it?”

  That stopped Bremen no more than a couple paces away from Selby. He stood completely still as he stared at her, locked in what appeared to be a battle of wills.

  Ingrid felt a nudge of forgiveness toward her friend for forcing her to show her abilities in front of everyone. Selby had always been a warrior, strong and protective. Especially of Ingrid. One slip that saved a man’s life wasn’t worth damaging their friendship.

  If the druht found out who she was because of it, so be it. Jorg would be fine, and they would deal with whatever came their way.

  Selby’s hands twitched at her sides. Ingrid knew her friend well enough to recognize she had a limit for how long she could stand still. It was only slightly longer than she could stay quiet.

  “It was convenient that you knew just which direction to look. You can’t blame any of us for being suspicious,” Ingrid said, stepping out of Jorg’s grasp to stand on her own.

  Selby must have been thinking similarly to the way Ingrid had earlier, and she didn’t need to stand up to the prince by herself.