by S. T. Bende
“Aikar and Vendyr can do it,” Axel said. “Aikar’s my best tracker, and Vendyr never misses a shot. Ever.”
Note to self: steer clear of Vendyr. Whoever he is.
“I want them airborne at dawn.” Erik placed his palms flat on the table. It was impossible not to notice the thrum of tension in the air.
“There’s more?” I guessed.
Erik frowned. “We need to determine the extent of the leak. Birna wasn’t privy to classified information . . . unless you let something slip when you were with her?”
Axel rolled his eyes. “I know how to be discreet, Erik.”
“Given your numbers, I’d sure hope so,” Erik quipped.
At least he hadn’t lost his sense of humor.
“So, Axel didn’t give up any state secrets when he was . . . uh . . .” Heat flooded my neck.
“Booty calling?” Erik offered.
“That’s not how you use it.” I laughed.
“What did he say?” Axel asked.
“Never mind. Obviously, you didn’t give up any secrets,” I continued. “So, we need to figure out the baseline of what she knew. And then figure out if she learned anything beyond that. What was her discipline?”
“She was in her final year of the riding program—on track to graduate this spring,” Axel answered. “As for base-level knowledge, she grew up here so she knew what everyone knows—location, population, security practices. As a rider, she learned the points of entry, and the borders of the älva protections.”
Erik groaned. “That’s not good.”
“But she wouldn’t know of the new protections—the ones you installed following Bjorn’s threat, right?” I prompted.
Axel shook his head. “Not unless she’s working with someone still on the inside.”
Erik leaned forward on his elbows. “Bottom line is, we have no way of knowing what level of information she’s working with. We’ll expect the worst, and be glad if we’re wrong.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Axel stifled a yawn. “Anything else, or can I catch a few hours of sleep before I have to send my boys on a tracking mission?”
“That’s it.” Erik slid his chair back, and stood. I did the same. “Try to choose your next conquest more wisely. Sisters? And vindictive ones? Not smart, kille.”
I wrinkled my nose as Axel grinned, the proverbial canary-eating cat. “I have zero regrets. Though my tastes have definitely changed since then.”
“I hope so,” I muttered.
“And what about you, Saga? No good can come from your being out so late with this guy.” Axel jabbed his thumb at Erik. “Or maybe no good is what he’s hoping for . . .”
I blinked at Erik. “I’m fine with no good if you are.”
Erik glared at Axel. “We’re going back to the academy. Saga has class in the morning.”
“I could skip . . .”
Axel’s cackle filled the room.
“Enough, Axel,” Erik barked. He marched for the door and wrenched it open. “Make sure those riders are gone at dawn. If there’s a leak, we need to plug it immediately.”
“On it.” Axel nodded at me as I moved for the door. “And speaking of on it . . .”
“Shut up, Axel!” I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. “See you tomorrow. Well, today, I guess.”
“Don’t keep Erik up too much longer.” Axel waggled his eyebrows. “We’re going to shoot in our riding lesson tomorrow, and I need you in top form.”
I brought two fingers to my forehead and saluted him before following a still frowning Erik down the hallway.
“Good night, Halvarsson!” Axel called before closing his door.
“Night,” Erik grumbled.
“Hey.” I nudged Erik playfully. “You okay?”
“I’ve been better. There’s a lot going on.”
“I know.” I slipped my arm through his. “But we’ll get through this. And we’ll be all the better for it. Right?”
Erik’s eyes glistened as he looked down at me. “You really are one in a million. You know that?”
“Right back at you. Now, are you sure you want to take me back to the academy? Your room’s right over there . . .” I pointed toward the end of the hallway.
“What I want and what I do are not always in alignment.” Erik bent low to plant a soft kiss on my lips. “Come, Saga. We have a full day ahead of us, and I know you’re exhausted.”
“Fine.” I reluctantly allowed him to lead me back to the academy. I focused on the strength of his hand around mine as we walked, then the warmth of his lips as he kissed me goodnight. It wasn’t until after he’d gone that the knot tightened inside my gut.
Somewhere out there, an army was conspiring to destroy our world. And we had no idea how much ammunition Birna had already handed them.
Chapter 8
SATURDAY MORNING CAME MUCH faster than I’d hoped. Axel’s riders went out, saddled with enough food and weapons to last a solid week. We hoped Aikar and Vendyr would track Birna before then, but if they didn’t, they’d come home to re-evaluate. With the threat of war creeping ever closer, we couldn’t afford to be down riders—or dragons—for too long.
My Thursday and Friday classes passed in a blur, and before I knew it Erik, Axel, Ingrid, and I stood in the Dragehus, hitching our gear to our dragons of choice. Axel and Ingrid were taking a purple Horned Longneck named Fury, while Erik and I were back on Deathknell. I’d ridden her enough that I was confident I’d be able to fly solo if, God forbid, things went south.
Not that things would go south.
While the four of us packed up, Helene wrung her hands together and pelted us with last-minute reminders.
“Don’t forget Bjorn raided some of the northern tribes last summer. They may see you coming and immediately go on the defensive.”
“I know.” Erik shoved our rations into Deathknell’s right net.
“And remember Ragnar invaded some farming tribes in the east—they may attack you too.”
“We’re aware.” Axel stuffed camping gear into Fury’s left net.
“A fatal disease of unknown origins just swept through the coastal region—so make sure you steer clear of the infected area. I marked it on the maps I gave you, so—”
“Helene.” I set my weapons down and reached over to clasp my friend’s hands. “All of this was in our briefing. Katrin included everything you told her in our prep pages. We know about all of the epidemics, the prior attacks, and the emotional climate.” I’d had no idea Vikings were aware of so many things. “We’re good, I promise.”
“You’re sure?” Helene squeezed my fingers. “You’re all very important to me, and I’d never forgive myself if I forgot to tell you something and . . .”
Axel came around the stall to cuff Helene on the shoulder. “You’re not getting rid of us that easily.”
Helene threw her arms around Axel. “Just promise me you’ll be careful. And if you run into trouble, leave and move on to the next tribe.”
Axel ruffled her hair. “Aw, Leeney. You do care.”
She ducked away from his grip, and stuck her tongue out at him. “I know you’ll be fine. You have Ingrid to protect you.”
“Hey,” Axel protested. “I’ll be doing the protecting, thank you.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Ingrid cinched one of Fury’s nets closed. “Left one’s packed. We just need weapons and we’re set.”
“And Katrin’s bribe.” I peered around the stall door. “I wonder where—”
“I’m here! Sorry!” Katrin burst into the Dragehus, her jet-black braid bouncing in her wake. Vidia followed close behind. “The älva keepers had some trouble locking it down, but we finally got the formula right. Here.”
She thrust two sets of identical packages at me. Each contained one small sphere wrapped in a shimmery gauze, and tied with a blue ribbon, and one envelope-sized rectangle tied with a golden bow.
“What are they?” I took the parcels and held them up toward the window. They sp
arkled in the early morning light, earning a curious look from Deathknell.
“The rectangles are communication devices—magic-infused parchment that will transport itself back to us. The orbs are shields—just like the ones we’ve placed around Valkyris.” Katrin nodded at Vidia, who handed identical parcels to Ingrid. “These will be your deal closers. The shields are powerful enough to protect any settlement for seventy-two hours. If Bjorn, or Ragnar, or any other tribe comes to threaten one of your targets, they’ll be able to render themselves invisible long enough to send word back to Valkyris that they need our help. At that point, if they haven’t already agreed to work alongside us to defeat a mutual enemy, I’d imagine the shield will change their minds.”
“Brilliant as always, Katrin.” Axel grinned.
“Thanks. The älva handlers promised they’d have more for us next week.” My friend’s cheeks pinked as she stepped back to stand beside Vidia. I couldn’t help but notice the way the backs of their fingertips brushed together. Katrin had confided that they were still taking things slow, but they’d finally acknowledged their feelings for each other. At least one good thing had come out of these last few weeks.
“Do we give these to every tribe we visit?” Ingrid studied the tiny packages. Each orb was no larger than a golf ball.
“That’s up to you,” Katrin said. “If a group is truly heinous, you may just want to move on. But if you think there’s a chance they might be open to our values, these should tip the scales in your favor. Protection was the biggest bribe I could come up with.”
“It’s what people value the most.” Ingrid’s voice wavered as she pocketed the offering. “Security. Safety for their loved ones. A guarantee they’ll wake up tomorrow without their village being torn to the ground, their family enslaved . . .”
Erik looked up from packing our dragon. “You sure you’re up to this?”
“Up to this?” Ingrid crossed her arms. “I’m about to offer options to people who think they have to trade the freedom of their family for the security of their clan. Vidia and I literally stood where these people are now, and were subjected to the very worst of humanity because of their lack of choices. Trust me—nobody has ever been more up to a task than I am to this one.”
My heart tugged. “I’m sorry for what you both went through.”
“We survived,” Vidia said gently. “And we’re safe. Not everybody can say that, but thanks to this effort, hopefully a few more will.”
“I know, but—”
“Don’t be sorry.” Ingrid reiterated. “We’re stronger because of our experiences. And now, we’re in a position to prevent girls from being put through what we were. Isn’t that why we’re here? To use what we’ve been through to make our world better?””
Axel’s gaze softened. “That is exactly why we’re here.”
Her eyes locked on his, and for the briefest moment, I sensed a connection between them.
And then Ingrid blinked. “Are you going to help me with these weapons or do I have to finish packing the dragon myself?”
Connection gone.
Axel drew his shoulders back and scooped up the blanket laden with axes, swords, and arrows.
“Axel!” Ingrid threw up her hands. “It was laid out so it was organized. We have to wrap them according to category!”
“Why?” Axel’s brows knitted together.
“Because it’ll save time,” Ingrid said slowly.
“Takes more time to wrap them by category,” Axel pointed out.
“On the back end,” Ingrid growled. “In the heat of battle, do you want to pull out an axe when you need your bow?”
“I think I can tell the difference between an axe and a bow,” Axel said testily.
Fury quirked his head. The dragon was no doubt confused by the tension in the normally easygoing Axel’s tone.
“Obviously.” Ingrid rolled her eyes. “But if we’re being chased by an angry mob, don’t you want to save the few seconds it would take to rifle through an unorganized net to actually find your bow?”
Axel eyed her coolly. “If I’m being chased by an angry mob and I don’t have my bow on my back, then I have failed miserably.”
“Ugh.” Ingrid stormed over to Axel and ripped the blanket from his hands. “Never mind, I’ll do it myself.”
I stepped closer to Erik, who was watching the exchange with a mixture of surprise and amusement. “You sure sending them off together is a good idea?”
“Not in the slightest,” he whispered back. “But Axel’s a professional. He’ll do what it takes to get the job done. And Ingrid, well, you heard her. She has her reasons for wanting this to work.”
“True.” I watched as Ingrid angrily sorted weapons, waving away Axel’s offers of help. “But if I’m down two friends at the end of the week, I’m blaming you.”
“Fair enough.” Erik cinched our net and got to his feet. “Well, that’s it for us. We’re set.”
“So are we.” Ingrid hoisted each bundle of weapons into Fury’s net, and tied it tight.
“I could have done that,” Axel muttered.
“But you didn’t,” Ingrid countered.
Helene, Katrin, Vidia, and I swapped looks. It was going to be a long week for the two of them.
“Promise you’ll be safe?” Helene threw her arms around me.
“I promise.” I squeezed her tight.
“Take care of each other.” Katrin hugged Erik.
“I’ll bring Saga back, safe and sound.” Erik vowed.
“You’d better,” Vidia said.
“You too, Ingrid.” Helene released me and crossed to the other stall. “Bring Axel home safe and sound.”
“Hey!” Axel objected. “I’m looking out for her.”
“I’m the enforcer on our team. Remember?” Ingrid rolled her eyes.
“Look out for each other.” Katrin shook her head. “Don’t taunt him, Helene.”
“But it’s so much fun.” Helene grinned.
After one more round of hugs, we led the dragons out to the field. Since Erik would be steering for the first leg of our trip, he climbed onto Deathknell first, and pulled me up after him. By the time I’d settled in the back of the saddle, Ingrid and Axel were already mounted up. Axel sat in the front, reins in hand, while Ingrid clung to his back. Despite her bravado, I knew she was nervous to ride a dragon. It spoke volumes that she was willing to do it in hopes of not only helping Valkyris, but all of the girls who might otherwise become thralls. Ingrid was fierce, for sure.
“Be safe!” Katrin waved from the edge of the field. Beside her, Vidia raised a hand in farewell.
“You too!” I called back.
“Oh! Wait!” Helene cried. “If you see any elderberries, bring them back, okay? I’m working on a remedy for one of my healing classes, and we’re out.”
Erik groaned. “This is a conversion mission. Not a berry-picking mission.”
“Just do it, cousin!” Helene placed one hand on her hip.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“See you in a week,” I shouted as Erik kicked Deathknell’s side, and the dragon took to the sky. A fierce gust of wind blew us sideways, and I held tight to Erik’s chest as he struggled to steady our course. We seemed to have launched into some kind of an airstream, and we hurtled from side to side. My stomach lurched, refusing to settle until we were out of the current. When I finally chanced a look back at the field, Axel was spurring Fury into flight. Ingrid’s face was already a sickly shade of green.
“Ingrid, Axel!” I called down. “Don’t kill each other!”
“No promises,” Ingrid called back weakly.
Erik hung a left, steering us toward the ocean. Before we turned, I caught my friend burying her head in Axel’s back. I hoped the poor thing didn’t throw up before she’d even left Valkyris.
And I hoped a rocky takeoff would be the hardest part of our journey.
Chapter 9
THE FIRST LEG OF our trip was a rough one. The w
ind was relentless for most of our six-hour flight, buffeting us as we flew north. In an effort to avoid detection, we’d decided to fly over the ocean. We couldn’t assume Birna was Bjorn’s only spy, so we’d planned our route mindful that there could be watchful eyes at any turn. By keeping to the ocean, we’d avoid any landlocked scanners, and hopefully be able to pick out those that might come from the sea. The occasional boats were easy enough to avoid, though they did take us out of our way.
And sometimes, they led us straight into a windstorm.
“How much farther?” I shouted as we were pelted for the fifth time by what felt like gale-force winds. We’d flown west to avoid a cluster of boats along the coastline, and the offshore gusts were painfully strong.
“We can head in after another minute or so,” Erik yelled over his shoulder. “But it’s an hour until the stopping point.”
“Great.”
“Hold on tight.” Erik reached up, molding his large hand around my tightly clasped ones. I clung to his chest as he dipped his head and steered Deathknell to the left. A blast of icy wind hit my face, sending goosebumps along my skin and making my teeth chatter.
“Wh-wh-wy are we going f-f-farther out?”
“I see another ship—hopefully it’s the last of this fleet.” Erik righted our dragon, and I glanced over my shoulder. Sure enough, another longboat was visible in the distance.
“Now can we go inland?” I tucked my face against Erik’s back and willed warmth to enter my body.
“Almost.” Erik rubbed my fingertips. “We’ll dress warmer for tomorrow’s journey.”
Right. We got to do this again tomorrow.
Awesome.
My body had reached near-iceberg-level misery when Deathknell hung a sharp right. The dragon’s wings flapped hard against the wind, cutting through the frosty air until we reached the shoreline. I pressed into Erik’s back as he steered left, and soaked in what little warmth he had while we headed up the coast. It was easily another hour before he steered the dragon inland. During that time, I lost feeling in my toes, my calves, and every portion of my upper body that wasn’t touching Erik. The temperature had dropped considerably while we’d been traveling north, and though the spring sun still hung in the sky, it may as well have been the middle of a winter’s night. I was absolutely freezing.