Elvage

by Mary E. Twomey

  Elvage

  Book Four in the Undraland Series

  By

  Mary E. Twomey

  Copyright © 2015 Mary E. Twomey

  Cover Art by Humble Nations

  Author Photo by Lisabeth Photography

  All rights reserved.

  First Edition: June 2015

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  ISBN-13: 978-1514121061

  ISBN-10: 1514121069

  For information:

  http://www.maryetwomey.com

  DEDICATION

  Saxon,

  Take well-calculated risks,

  knowing that your mom, dad, brother and sister

  will always have your back.

  One.

  Stargazing with Foss

  “He’s been gone too many days, Alrik,” Foss complained, leaning back against the boat’s rail. “We should never have sent Jens to Bedra without a chaperone.”

  “Patience, friend,” Alrik answered, his gray beard outlining his tight smile. “I’ve never known Jens to fail. He wouldn’t stand for it. Too stubborn.”

  I’d bitten my nails too often for them to appear ladylike. I’d lost my twin brother, my parents, Nik, Tor and Henry Mancini. And now Jens was taking his sweet time coming back to us. He was supposed to be gone one night, but that was a week ago. Jens had been sent to secure horses for us to travel on, plus more supplies since a lot of ours were washed overboard when the farlig fisk attacked Foss’s ship.

  Well, it was my ship, technically. Since Foss had been declared dead, I inherited all his possessions due to our sham marriage. Foss and I did not agree on much, but we worked together surprisingly well on the boat. He would show me how to fix a leak or clean a part of it, and I pretty much did whatever he asked. While the others lounged and planned, Foss and I worked until we were exhausted at the day’s end. I did anything to occupy my mind so it did not dwell on the very real possibility that Jens was next on the list of people I loved that were now six under.

  “Not like that,” Foss said, correcting the back and forth hand movement I was using to scrub the walls. “You need to go in a circle, or it won’t be even. Everyone knows that.”

  “Sorry. Like this?” I changed my scrubbing accordingly.

  “Is it in a circle?” he asked.

  “Yup.”

  “Then that’s how I want it.”

  If I was new to Foss’s “cheery” nature, his constant negativity and criticism would have been tiresome. But having grown used to his personality, I did not take offense. I was too concerned with Jens’s prolonged disappearance to properly argue with Foss.

  This seemed to be the only thing that softened the brute. That, and my brother Charles Mace had done his freaky Huldra whistle a few more times to strip away bits of the curse that kept Foss the surly jerk he was. That had been a long night of Foss puking overboard while I held him. Since his last stripping two nights ago, he was noticeably less argumentative.

  “Do you want me to start over? I can do it all again with your circle swipes on the deck.” I had maybe three feet left to wash on the entire ship, but it didn’t faze me. I wanted the distraction.

  Foss examined my work and shook his head. “No. Just remember for next time.”

  “Okay.” I finished up and threw my rag in the bucket. I was sweating from head to toe, but didn’t care. It’s not like I was gunning for a beauty pageant or anything. My jeans had seen better days, and my purple tank top had dirt and blood stains on it from our various adventures. I stood and stretched my arms over my head, twisting my waist to get some feeling back in my body. “What’s next, boss?”

  It was rare for me to surprise Foss, but the shirtless hulk of a man looked at me like I’d just started speaking in French. “It’s almost dark.”

  “You can go to sleep, but I’m not tired. What else needs to be done?”

  He looked around, casting for things we’d not tackled. “Nothing really. A few things we’ll need daylight for. Repairing nets is impossible in the dark.”

  “I’ve got good eyes. Show me how,” I demanded. The others were eating in the galley, but I had no interest in socializing or eating more of the stale, powdery biscuits. There was a tin of random-meat jerky left, but honestly, I’d rather chew on the dirty rag I’d just cleaned the boat with.

  “Everyone else is eating,” Foss pointed out.

  “Oh. Go ahead. You must be starving.” I rubbed the back of my neck. Though it had been a couple weeks since my long blonde hair had been lopped off to an inch below my chin, it still felt strange to have the wind touch my neck. “Where are the nets? I’m sure I can figure out how to fix them.”

  “Take a break, little rat.” He mussed my filthy hair with something that almost resembled affection. “Rat” used to be strictly derogatory. After we survived Fossegrim together, there was less hatred in his dealings with me.

  “Nets?” I asked again. If I stopped, everything would come crashing down on me. The deaths, the fear… and Jens.

  To be clear, it wasn’t that I missed my boyfriend, which of course, I did. The thing that kept my hands working was the thought that he would never come back, which was a very real possibility.

  Foss gave me a hard look, and then led the way to one of the rooms below deck. He yanked out giant rope nets that weighed at least triple one soaking wet me. He hauled them up to the deck so we could take advantage of what was left of the dipping sun. Opening the bundle up on the wood floor, he pointed to a frayed edge. “See that? It needs fixing. And this?” He showed me a severed knot. “Retying would do the trick.” He brought up a box filled with supplies I would need. “But it can all wait until tomorrow. I was going to do it anyway. We’re running low on food, so I was planning on taking the boat out a little ways to catch some fish.”

  “You’re giving up on Jens coming back,” I stated flatly, fingering the edge of the net.

  Foss rolled his eyes. “You’re so dramatic. The Mare won’t kill Jens. They’ll just… detain him. He’s fine. Taking his sweet time, but fine. I’m not giving up. I’m catching dinner so we can eat while he wastes our time.”

  “Okay.” I nodded, sitting down on the deck and pulling the net onto my lap. “Go on down and eat something.”

  Foss looked like he wanted to argue, but left anyway. As much as I loved when he was gone, his absence left me alone with my thoughts, and my thoughts these days were pretty grim. I couldn’t shake the memory of my rabid dog snapping to get at me from Jens’s arms, and the awful sound he made when Jens killed him.

  Images of Jens with an arrow through his chest flooded my brain before I could stop them. Jens with a knife in the back. Jens on a guillotine. Jens beaten up and left rotting in a ditch. He was Superman to me. Something about the feel of waiting in angst for your protector to return can make a girl nuts. Nuts enough to clean an entire pirate ship.

  I did a thorough job with the nets, going through each little notch, inspecting it for any signs of weakness, and repairing the parts when I saw fit. It was the perfect task – never-ending.

  The others ate and turned in for the night. Britta and Jamie hugged me, looking only mildly concerned for Jens’s welfare. Jamie treated the whole thing like an annoyance, as if Jens was purposefully being detained. Britta was not as concerned as I thought a sister should be, but I took her gentle strength as a rubric for how freaked out I would allow myself to be on the outsid
e. On the inside, I would go nuts and bolts. To the world, I would quietly tie knots in a fishing net alone in the corner on my dead husband’s ship. Totally emotionally balanced.

  Alrik gave me a kiss on the top of my head, and Charles hugged me before poking me in the side with his prehensile tail to provoke a tease out of me. He earned a simple smile, which he seemed satisfied with, thank goodness.

  With everyone tucked in their hammocks down below, I sat in the red moonlight with the repair kit as I looped and knotted.

  “Would you stop it?!” Foss cried from across the deck. I could see his neck muscles tensed even in the light of Undra’s giant moon.

  I stilled, turning to him. “What?”

  “The rocking you do. It’s deranged! Just go to bed. You’ll send me over the edge if you keep this up.”

  “What rocking?”

  Foss smacked his forehead. “You don’t even know you’re doing it! You were rocking back and forth like a madwoman. Go to sleep, Lucy. We’re docked. There’s no reason for you to work like this.”

  “Am I being loud?” I snapped.

  “No. You barely run your mouth anymore.”

  “Am I in the way over here in the corner, or when I was cleaning the boat with you all day?”

  “No.”

  “Then shut up about it. I’m not hurting anyone. Go to bed. You’re starting to get crabby all over again. Don’t make me call Mace up here to strip that curse off you again.”

  Foss stomped back down the stairs, resurfacing minutes later with a biscuit and bit of beef leather. Delish. He shoved the food scraps at me. “Here. Eat.”

  “Oh. Thanks.” I took the food and eyed him with the signature skepticism we regarded each other with. “Why are you being nice?”

  “I’m not allowed to be nice?”

  “I don’t trust it.” I sniffed the biscuit for signs of poisoning. He rolled his eyes at my skepticism as he sat down a few feet from me. I took in his less than aggressive demeanor and shifted my attitude accordingly. “Aren’t you tired?”

  “Exhausted,” he admitted, surprising both of us with his honesty. “I’m not looking forward to the trek back to Elvage. Circhos roams the forest. He’s more of a pain than you, if you can imagine. I’m not sure how Alrik’s planning on getting close enough to the portal to destroy it. Security was pretty heavy when we left.”

  I thought back on our failed attempt. “I never really worry about the plan when Uncle Rick’s on it. I don’t really need to see how the rabbit comes out of the hat. I just enjoy the show and clap when I’m told.”

  Foss gave a companionable snort. “You know, I think I’m around you too much. I actually understood that.” He leaned against the side of the boat and folded his hands behind his head. “He’s fine, you know.”

  My fingers slipped on the knot I was retying. “Yup.”

  “You should get some sleep. Tomorrow I’ll teach you how to catch fish with the nets. You’ll like it, but you’ll need your strength.”

  I nodded, taking in his big brotherly words curiously. I took a bite of the biscuit and swore off disgusting sand bread as soon as proper food reentered our lives. “Look. This whole you being nice thing is great, but I keep expecting an anvil to fall on my head or something. Why the sudden change?”

  Foss did not look at me as he spoke, but cast his eyes up to the stars that were sparkling next to the giant moon I knew I would never get used to. He sighed. “It’s my ring around your neck.”

  I looked down at the heavy gold ring and giant ruby stone with his crest emblazoned on the sides. “Oh. I told you that you could have it back. I don’t have to wear it if it bothers you.”

  “No. Keep it. It’s one of the few things I’ve done that I’m actually a little proud of.”

  “Huh. I thought you hated me.”

  Foss grinned, scratching his bare chest. “Oh, make no mistake. I wish you were anyone else.”

  I pointed to his heart. “That’s my darling husband.”

  “But you were in a tough spot. I’m glad I stepped up and paid Jens back by speaking for you.”

  “I really hate that term.”

  “Why do you think I keep using it?” He aimed his smile at me, and I could tell there was a tease behind the mean words. Foss was actually being playful. Huh.

  “Well, I appreciate it.”

  He eyed the ring with a faraway expression. “I swore if I ever did marry, I’d treat my wife like a queen.”

  I scoffed. “You hate women. You hate me. What makes you think a ring would magically change all that?”

  “It’s just not how I pictured it. I don’t really know what to do with you.”

  “Nothing. Do nothing with me. I don’t need to be handled. You’re being fine. Teach me how to work our boat.”

  “My boat.”

  “Technically, it’s mine, but I’ll let you think it’s still half yours.”

  “And we’re back to hate,” he joked. “You need to sleep.”

  “I had a dad, and he stopped telling me when to go to sleep at like, seven. I have a boyfriend who treats me like an adult most of the time. Who do you suppose you are that you get to tell me what to do?”

  With a solemn face, he answered, “I’m your husband.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help it. He was just so sincere. My hand tapped my heart to let him know that he touched something tender and cute. “Oh, darling husband, you’re in for such a surprise when we get to my world.”

  “You need to sleep,” he repeated, gently taking the net away from me. “Jens will come back. Punishing yourself like this isn’t going to bring him home any sooner.”

  I had nothing to say to this. He was right, and what was more confusing, he decided to be a decent guy for once. That, coupled with malnutrition and sleeplessness, made for a lapse in my smart retorts. “I, um, I guess you’re right.” I muscled my way through the rest of my biscuit. “Thanks. You know, you’re not a complete tool every now and then.”

  “Thank you?” he said with half a smirk. He tilted his head back and pointed to the charcoal sky. “Sleeping under the stars again?”

  Since he was attempting polite conversation, I decided to take a chance and ride that train. The worst he could do was push me off it. Again. “Yeah. Doesn’t feel right sleeping in the hammock without Jens or Henry Mancini.”

  Foss slid down so he was lying supine on the floor. He jerked his chin to the empty spot next to him. “Come take a break.”

  I eyed the spot warily, checking it for booby traps before settling down next to him. “You know, Jamie’ll feel it if you dump my body overboard. Built-in security detail.”

  He chuckled and pointed to a cluster of stars overhead. “That’s Orwandil. It means bad fortune, and it settled right in the middle of the sea. It’s usually closer to Bedra.” He pulled me closer so our sides were touching. “I should’ve looked at that before we shoved off. Might have given us a decent warning.”

  His skin was cool to the touch, so I rubbed his stomach to warm it, smiling a little when I could tell I’d hit a ticklish spot. “It just looks like a mess of lights to me. How can you tell what’s what?”

  “Years of practice. That one’s my star.” He was singling one out in the sky, but I couldn’t separate the lights. “Everyone in Undra has a star that tells their story. It moves with them.”

  “Seriously? Are you just making this up to see how gullible I am? Because I’m pretty tired and would believe almost anything at this point.”

  He glanced at me as if I was an idiot. “Of course it’s true. There I am, right above us.” He moved his eyes back up to the heavens. “And if you’re tired, you should go to sleep.”

  “Then why would Olaf believe you’re dead? He can just look up and see which star’s yours.”

  Foss cracked a modest smile as he spoke. One of his arms reached over his torso and brushed against my fingers, touching the tips like little kisses as he directed our hands to his navel. “Stars aren’t something educ
ated people put a lot of hope in. Most write it all off as myth, but my mother knew better. She taught me how to find people’s stars and use them for tracking. I can predict the weather, hunting trends, tide flow – lots of things just by looking up at the stars. It’s not always clear, but sometimes the sky speaks to me.”

  “You’re totally serious right now.” I was amazed that he indulged in something so poetic. “You know, if we get over to the Other Side, you have to try this out on a girl. It’s a pretty good line. Very romantic.”

  “It’s not a line. It’s the truth.” He motioned up to a tiny star that kept sparking from dull to super bright. “That one’s you. I noticed the change in the sky the night you crossed over. See how it flickers? The more violent the swing, the worse your state is. It’s how I knew you weren’t doing so well tonight.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Are you serious? That one there? That’s me?” My voice quieted, and I could hear the ocean gently lapping at the boat. “I have my very own star?”

  “You do. No matter where you go, I can always find you using your star.” His other hand wound through my hair, twirling around the curls as if we had no cares in the world at all.

  “That’s… that’s pretty cool, Foss.”

  “Watch that one there. The bright one to the left.”

  I rolled onto my side, and snuggled up next to the meanest man I’d ever been forced to work with, marveling at both the star and the oddity of life’s wild waves. “It’s pretty,” I commented. No sooner had the words escaped me did the star blink and shoot across the sky. “Whoa! Did you see that? How did you know it was going to do that?”

  “Lots of nights on this boat. I told you. My mother taught me well. I’m the only one of the four powers that started off as a slave. The others dismiss the stars, but it’s how I was able to build up my kingdom.”