Inny said nothing for a while as they watched a shooting star flash overhead. “It must have been hard on you,” she said at last.
Surprised by the shift in the conversation, Erik turned to look at her.
“I mean, seeing Milan die. Seeing Ghost heavily wounded.”
“That was terrible. And so was seeing Count Illystivostich again, crawling after us, so desperate for blood that he risked crossing a portal. And Jodocus, betraying us, trying to kill Ghost.”
“We had no idea what going through that portal would lead to.”
“None at all.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t with you for any of that. Strange isn’t it? That we were so close physically, but in our heads, we were in completely different worlds.”
Erik thought about this. “Isn’t life always like that, even now?”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, we share this moment, our bodies side by side. But we’re alone in the way our minds work, in the way we understand the moment.”
“Oh, Erik.” Inny pushed herself up to look into his eyes. “That sounds sad.”
“Not really. Because I know you so well, you’re deep in my mind. Often, during those adventures I thought of you and I knew what you would advise. And much more than that, you’re not just in my mind. You’re in my heart.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Conor Kostick was a designer for the world’s first live fantasy role-playing game (Treasure Trap), based in Peckforton Castle, Cheshire, England. He lives in Dublin, Ireland, where, having completed a PhD on the subject of the crusades, he now teaches medieval history at Trinity College Dublin. In 2009 the Reading Association of Ireland gave Conor their Special Merit Award for his fiction, and in 2010 he was awarded the writer’s residency at Farmleigh, the official Irish State Guest House.
Conor’s history books include The Siege of Jerusalem and, as co-author, The Easter Rising: A Guide to Dublin in 1916. His fiction includes Epic and Saga (the prequels to Edda) and Move.
BOOKS BY CONOR KOSTICK
EPIC
SAGA
EDDA
Edda Page 35