“That was different. You would’ve been unifying two nations. But this?” Vott raised his eyebrow at me. “Your father never would have approved.”
I cleared my throat. “Actually…” I said. “You’re wrong. He did approve of me right before his passing.”
Vott scrutinized me. “How could you possibly know such a thing?”
“Because I was there, and you weren’t. You would be wise not to bring up the subject of the late king’s passing again in the presence of his son.”
Vott’s mouth gaped, and he huffed before turning away from us. Kull eyed me, a slight smile on his face.
“What?” I asked.
“I can’t believe you spoke to him like that.”
“He had it coming. He shouldn’t be intimidating you.”
“I agree.” He wrapped his arm around my waist. “You’re going to make an excellent queen.”
I wasn’t sure I agreed.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s escape before any of the other nobles decide to chat with us.” He steered me down a hallway and toward a set of broad double doors.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“I thought we’d get some fresh air. Plus, I’ve got something to show you.”
I eyed him. “What is it this time?”
He smiled. “You’ll see.”
We opened the doors and walked outside. Springtime transformed the Wult mountains. Lavender and yellow wildflowers grew along the trail, and white blossoms fluttered in the trees as the river water churned musically in the distance. Slanted rays of amber light painted our path. I recognized this area; he’d taken me this way before.
“Are we going to the old abbey?”
“Yes. Although it’s no longer an abbey. Look for yourself.” We rounded a bend. Up ahead, the trees around the structure had been cleared out. A copper-domed building soared toward the sky, glinting in the evening light. Half the structure was still under construction, with wooden beams and half the walls built of a light-colored stone.
“I’ve been working on this place rather religiously since you left,” Kull said. “It keeps me occupied. Keeps me from thinking about other things.” He squeezed my hand. Looking up at him, I saw the pain in his eyes. He said he didn’t do well while I was gone, and I believed him.
“Come,” Kull said. “I’ll show you the best part.”
After walking toward the building, we entered through a half-built arching structure and stepped onto a wooden platform. Our footsteps echoed over the planks as we climbed a staircase, then stepped inside the domed building.
When we entered through the open doorway, I stopped in shock as I stared overhead.
The skeleton of a T-Rex, a prehistoric dragon, stood over us. I’d forgotten how impressive this thing was.
“You put Kitten on display already?”
“Yes. I couldn’t wait any longer. It seemed wrong to leave her stuffed in boxes in the dungeon, so I made sure we completed this chamber first so I could put her on display immediately.”
I walked toward the ancient dragon, my footsteps echoing through the huge chamber. The T-Rex stood atop a raised platform. Wires connected the bones together. I felt magic in the bones, old and ancient, an almost incomprehensible power. As I rounded the skeleton, I saw something hanging from one of the toes.
I walked closer, finding it was a necklace made of a leather cord, a small bone dangling from the bottom. Stopping, I glanced back at Kull. “What’s this?”
“It’s yours. Take it.”
I approached the necklace and removed it from the giant claw. Red and brown leather had been braided together to form an oval-shaped loop. At the bottom, there was a sliver of bone about the size of a shark’s tooth.
Kull stood behind me as I held the necklace. “There’s a bit of a story behind that. When we were moving the skeleton in here, we dropped one of the bones. That piece broke loose. I’d thought to put it back on the skeleton somehow, but couldn’t find a way to do it. So I decided it would make a nice piece of jewelry.”
Smiling, I rounded to face him. Maybe some women would be turned off by the idea of getting a dinosaur-bone necklace from their Viking warlord fiancé, but it didn’t bother me a bit. In fact, it was what I loved about him.
“What do you think?” he asked.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I think it’s perfect.”
He took my hands, and his warmth on my skin made my heart skip a beat. Gently, he took the necklace from me and fastened it around my neck. He took a step back and inspected me.
“It suits you. You look like a true Wult.”
I touched my pointed ears. “Even with these?”
“It’s the heart that makes the Wult. Not the ears. You’ve always had the heart of a Wult, Olive.”
He took a step closer to me. I inhaled the calming scent of sandalwood. It reminded me of wild forests and campfires. Nerves made my stomach flutter, though I wasn’t sure why. Something about this man made me totally lose my head. His gaze fixated on me—those glacial-blue eyes that had held me spellbound since I’d first met him.
“Olive,” he said, his voice deep and husky. My heart pounded as he cupped my face. “May I kiss you?” he asked quietly.
I held my breath, not sure how to answer him. Since my encounter with Theht in the cave on Dragon Spine’s peak, my mind hadn’t been my own. On Earth, the goddess didn’t seem to have as much control over me, but being here made things different. I feared getting close to Kull with the goddess screwing up my head. Even so, some compulsion had come over me, and I couldn’t push him away any longer.
I ran my fingers over his lips. “It’s okay,” I whispered.
“You’re sure?”
I only nodded. When his lips touched mine, my thoughts evaporated, as if the past four months never existed. His lips were warm and soft, making my heart flutter. Blood rushed to my face. He pulled me closer, holding his hand firmly against my back.
It had been way too long. I wanted him so badly that the need was painful. Wrapping my hands around his waist, I felt his warmth and the calmness of his presence.
When he pulled away, his eyes sparkled. “I’ve been waiting a long time to do that.”
“Me too.”
Footsteps echoed from the forest below us as several elven men approached through the underbrush.
“What are they doing here?” I asked.
Kull kept me close as they climbed the stairs outside the chamber. “They’re helping me.”
I eyed him. “Helping you? I thought you didn’t want the elves anywhere near this place.”
“Not all elves support the queen. The Delestrians have declared they no longer owe allegiance to the queen. We’ve been working together to build the library. One day, I hope this can be a place where all races visit, elves included. So long as they don’t start meddling.”
“You really trust them to be here?”
He nodded. “I do.”
“What does your mom think about this?”
“She hates it, of course.”
Two elven men approached us. They were dressed in typical elven fashion—ornate clothing, long hair, silver buckles, and golden-stitched doublets. Both men fisted their hands over their hearts.
“Welcome,” Kull said before he turned to me. “Olive, this is Enolli and Chalaman of Delestria. They’ve been helping me oversee the construction of the library.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” I said.
The two men nodded. Kull and the elves started talking architecture and construction, and my mind wandered. Kull wasn’t a person to trust anyone unless he had full confidence in them. I was glad he’d found allies in the Delestrians, but I hoped he would still be cautious around them. Although I was half-elven, I’d never trusted elves.
As the conversation continued, I wandered back over to the T-Rex. Circling the skeleton, I lightly brushed my fingers over the bones, feeling the prehistoric m
agic contained within. It made me wonder what sort of magic could have existed at the time of the dinosaurs. It wasn’t Faythander or Earth magic, but perhaps a blend of both, or maybe something we weren’t familiar with at all.
I’d been trying for so long to discover a way to get my Earth and Faythander magics to cooperate, and here, right in front of my face, that feat had been accomplished.
“Olive,” Kull said as he approached from behind me. I rounded to find both elves descending the stairs, leaving me alone with Kull. “Shall we return to the keep? We have a long journey ahead of us. I, for one, would like some rest before we set off.”
“Yes, of course.” I cast one last glance back at the prehistoric dragon before following him to the keep.
Chapter Four
The next morning, I stood in the field near the light-rails accompanied by a small group of Kull’s most trusted warriors. Rolf and Brodnik waited with us, as did Rolf’s new bride. Heidel and Maveryck’s dog Grace also stood with us near the rails.
I’d hardly slept last night. When I had, I’d had nightmares—the same one over and over—of Theht using me to destroy the world. There were different variations, but they all ended with Kull dead.
This is your future. To be alone. To be loved by no one, for that is our way.
Theht’s voice was getting stronger the more time I spent in Faythander. I tried shrugging away the fear as the sun rose over the Wult mountains. I fidgeted with the ring I wore on my finger—my engagement ring—a silver band with three jewels in shades of lavender, blue, and pink. Kull had gotten the stones from a magical plant that grew in the wild lands. As I twisted the ring around my finger, I felt its gentle magic calming me.
Kull squeezed my shoulder, and I turned toward him.
“You’re unusually quiet this morning,” he said.
“Yeah, I guess so. I’m nervous about this quest.”
“We all are. Traveling through Faythander is one thing, but crossing into another world entirely, a place no one knows anything about, is not something we can prepare for. Plus, we’ve got a wedding to plan on top of everything else.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Heidel spoke up. “Mother agreed to plan it for you. I assume you’ll want to invite the entire kingdom? Minus the Northland tribe, of course. Seeing as how we wouldn’t want old exes showing up—Mother’s words. Also, Kull will be singing. Mother knows how much Kull likes to perform his vocal skills in front of the kingdom. Oh—and she’ll make sure you both have a full entourage of servants following you at all times. Wouldn’t want to spoil the wedding night.” She winked.
I groaned inwardly. I’d always pictured having a small wedding with a few close friends and family members. Well, probably not friends. I didn’t have many of those. And probably not family, as I wasn’t close to them either. Mainly, I just wanted to invite Fan’twar. Other than him, there wasn’t anyone else I cared to have at my wedding. But having someone else plan my wedding, with hundreds of guests and servants trailing me, sounded akin to torture.
“I hope you like petticoats, Olive, because Mother is planning to have you wear three sets of them.”
“She’s planning my dress, too?”
“Of course. It’s her hobby. She loves planning weddings. You should be grateful she does, or else she wouldn’t have let this wedding happen.”
I glanced up at Kull. “She’s teasing, right?”
“I’m being truthful,” Heidel answered. “Mother came to me last night after the feast and told me of her plans. She informed me that because Olive doesn’t know of our ways, she’s taking charge of the wedding.”
“She can’t do that,” Kull said.
“Actually, she can.”
“But it’s our wedding,” I said. “Not hers.”
“Do you think she cares?”
Kull clenched his jaw. “She wouldn’t have done this if Father were here.”
“No, but since he’s gone, she feels she’s got to do everything herself. Including planning your wedding.”
“It won’t happen. She will never get me to sing, of all things. I’ll speak to her.”
“When?” Heidel asked. “By the time you return from this quest, she’ll have the invitations sent and everything planned. You might as well go along with it. You know you’ll never talk her out of it.”
Kull sighed and clenched my hand. Wind tousled his hair as he stared out over the mountains. In a perfect world, maybe we could have had the wedding we wanted. But I supposed nothing was ever perfect, not even our relationship, and it hurt more than I cared to admit that I would most likely never have the life I wanted with him—not while he was king and I had a life on Earth.
But there was no point in worrying about stupid things like that, not when we were going on a quest to retrieve a lost sword that had the ability to kill a goddess, and not when going on said quest meant we had to enter a world so dangerous no one returned, and could most likely end in our deaths. Maybe I should be grateful for the wedding drama. At least it kept me from thinking of other things.
In the distance, the carriage appeared as a speck of golden light speeding toward us. Rolf’s new wife, Brynhild, hugged her husband tightly and pressed her tear-soaked face to his chest. I’d never been terribly fond of Rolf—the kid had always had more testosterone than was good for him, and he had a bad habit of sticking his foot in his mouth at the worst possible moments. Still, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for his bride. They’d gotten married only a few short months ago, and now her husband was leaving on a quest that he might never return from.
Rolf stroked her long hair as he held her close, whispering quietly to her. She nodded, managed a smile, then backed away as the carriage arrived.
“Promise you’ll come back to me,” she said.
“I give you my oath.” He attempted to flash his broad, boyish grin. Instead, he only achieved a half-smile. “I love you, Bryn.”
Her eyes clouded with tears as she nodded. “I love you, too,” she managed.
The carriage stopped and the doors slid open.
We entered the light coach. Rolf entered last, leaving Brynhild behind. The doors slid shut and clicked, locking us in, then we sped south toward Dragon Spine’s peak.
The Wults made quiet conversation as we passed through open countryside. I kept to myself, thinking of how I was beginning to hate these quests, wondering if I’d ever be able to settle down and have a normal life, maybe even raise a family. But that future seemed so distant and impossible. I wasn’t sure it would ever happen.
The journey passed uneventfully as the day waned. We stopped only once to stretch our legs and get a bite to eat before continuing onward once again. When evening approached, we finally arrived at the Wult outpost. Rather than staying at the inn, we decided to make it up to Silvestra’s castle.
By now, I shouldn’t have been so terrified of the witch, except that she’d captured Kull and me not long ago, tortured him, and gave me an impossible riddle to open a box that would save him. I’d never solved the lotus cube’s mystery, so she’d retaliated and taken my stepfather prisoner.
That was all old news now. We’d freed my stepfather and brought her what she’d wanted all along—which happened to be her only offspring.
As we climbed the mountain up to her castle, Kull took my hand. He smiled at me, but I saw the pain in his eyes. I knew he wasn’t happy about seeing Silvestra again.
“Will you be okay up there?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Silvestra’s castle is a place I’d never wanted to go again, but I don’t get to be picky when the fate of the world is on the line, do I?”
“I guess not. This is a typical thing in our lives, you know, putting up with crap so we can save everyone else. You think we’ll ever refuse to do this stuff?”
“No,” Heidel interjected. “You’re both too honorable to refuse these quests, and too proud to let someone else do it.”
“You’re on this mission with us, too, Sister. Remember
that.”
She sniffed, and then patted Grace’s head. The wolf trotted along at Heidel’s side the same way she’d followed Maveryck. With Maveryck’s death, the two must have become inseparable.
Rolf and Brodnik walked ahead of us, but stopped as they reached a bridge spanning from one side of the mountain, over a deep gorge, and to the opposite side.
Silvestra stood before us, guarding the bridge.
I panicked for half a second as my eyes met hers. Her magic made my senses tingle. She stood tall, the wind making her silver gown flutter, the waning sunlight turning her skin a deep bronzed brown, almost the shade of teakwood. Silver scales covered her arms and hands. Her fingers ended in long, black claws rather than fingernails. Her bald head was also covered in the same sleek scales, forming a dramatic widow’s peak.
Since we’d returned her stolen offspring to her, the witch had changed. Her magic wasn’t less powerful, but at least she was easier to deal with—and the crazy was missing—which was a very good thing.
“I’ve been expecting you,” she said. Without saying anything else, she turned on her heel and allowed us to cross the narrow footbridge.
What? No bargains? No threats of enslavement? The last time we’d come to this bridge, Kull had to trade the sword of his ancestors just to get across.
The new Silvestra was growing on me.
After crossing the bridge, we followed the witch through a forested path and up a steep slope. As night descended over the world, we approached a shimmering dome.
With a word of whispered magic from the witch, an opening formed in the dome, just large enough for a person to fit through, and we followed her inside.
She sealed the gap closed behind us, and we stood staring overhead at an enormous castle.
I’d never seen the castle from this angle before. Torches lined the steps leading up to the main gates. Moonlight spilled over the towers—some of them covered in moss, as if they were part of the mountain—and others soared into the sky.
Silvestra turned to our group. “Follow me inside. We’ve much to discuss before sunrise. Olive,” she said, turning her gaze on me, “your stepfather awaits.”
Deathbringer Page 4