Foss came in and packed his stuff up, his arms going around me to offer what assurances he could give. “That was amazing. Remind me to check all your stories. For a minute there, you almost had me believing some of those details.”
I shrugged out of his arms. “Thanks, but I can’t. I’m freaking out, so hugging’s not a great idea right now.”
He looked me over before nodding and picking up my bag. “Come on out when you’re ready. But really, Lucy, well done. A Tribeswoman if ever I saw one.”
Once I was alone, I sunk down on the floor against the bed and hugged my knees, giving myself the space for a proper breakdown. Holding my own against a battalion bent on locking me up when I was so close to Linus was a shock to my system. There would be no more late night drinking games with shots of Gar for the guys until my brother was back where he belonged. I would waste no more time taking chances on the Nøkken.
Tucker came to get me just as I was pulling myself together. “You ready, Domslut? Queen Lucy? Tribeswoman? Most terrifying woman I know? I mean, I’ve seen a fair amount of lies on the fly in my time – told a few myself – but that was incredible!”
“I can’t feel my feet,” I admitted, picking at my shoelaces. “I could’ve gotten us all locked up, you know. We’re lucky it all worked out.”
Tucker knelt down before me with his handsome smile affixed to his face. “You did it. Queen Lucy the Storyteller in action.” His hands wrapped around my ankles, and I felt heat massage the blood flow through my legs, encouraging them to work properly. “And Foss? I haven’t actually been in Fossegrim in decades. I’d forgotten how terrifying a Power can be. Foss is definitely fit for his post.” He paused with a devious smile. “And that was some kiss, Tribeswoman. All for show, I’m sure.”
“Of course it was,” I said with a huff.
Tucker’s voice lowered. “I came back in here halfway through the night to replace your candle with a fresh one so it didn’t burn out. I saw his hands gripping the Land of No Return.”
“Leave it alone, Tuck. He was asleep.” My voice dropped to match his volume. “But thanks for that. I never expect you to be super decent, but checking on the candle was. I needed a solid night of sleep.” I tilted my head at him. “What was that thing you said? ‘We make our peace with it, and blah, blah, blah?’”
Tucker snorted. “Yes, that’s exactly right. We make our peace with it, and move on to better things.”
I took a deep breath before repeating the helpful mantra. “We make our peace with it, and move on to better things.”
In lieu of a saucy retort, he leaned forward and pecked my lips. “I think the others are ready to hit the road. You game?”
I stretched my feet out, testing their commitment to the task of holding me upright. “I’m ready. Don’t tease me about Foss in front of Jens, Tuck. I’ve got enough problems. Let’s just get through this.”
“Okay, Tribeswoman. Up you go.” He stood and pulled me to my feet in a fluid motion.
Jens, Jamie and Foss were standing at the door, but when Olina saw me, she flew at me in a hug that enveloped me in her heady perfume and made me choke. “I knew my Niklas wasn’t a villain! I knew he wouldn’t disgrace us like that! Thank you, Queen Lucy. Thank you for restoring our name.”
I wanted to spout that I hadn’t done it for her, but I knew that part of me had. Nik sacrificed much so his parents could keep their good name. I was kind to them for Nik, who I hoped was in Heaven-Cloud-Angel land with my parents, looking down on me with a peaceful smile at how the whole thing wrapped up.
I touched Linus at my throat and nodded when she released me. “Nik loved you both. Thanks for letting us stay here.”
Foss extended his hand to me, and I took it, feeling guilty at how much Jens looked like he was forcing himself to be cool with the whole arrangement. Foss looked to the blue and white-haired hosts and said, “If you could spread it around that I’m back from the dead, that would be helpful. Tell everyone that Foss is very much alive, and that he and Queen Lucy of the Other Side, his wife, are taking back his territory in Fossegrim.”
Olina nodded as Olin shook Foss’s other hand and bowed to Jamie and me.
We went along on our way, our little Merry Band of Thieves, but this time I set the pace. We walked briskly around the outskirts of the countryside to avoid unnecessary run-ins with the locals or officials. I didn’t want them knowing where to find me if they decided they’d let me go too easily.
It wasn’t until the sun set that Jamie started to complain. “Lucy, we have to stop. We haven’t had lunch or supper at all. Our last meal was when the sun had barely risen. I know you’re hungry and tired. Let’s set up camp.”
I whirled around. “Is anyone else tired? Or do you all want to get the smack outta here and head home?”
When no one voiced an opinion, I gave them all a curt nod. “That’s what I thought. First one to crap out has to set up camp, so move until you absolutely can’t go any further.”
They allowed my mania to drive us forward another hour in the dark, lit only by the red moon, my hands and Tucker’s ball of firelight before we started losing our footing on the beautiful, but uneven terrain. The gorgeous foliage and popping colors I’d seen on my first go-through of Nøkken were still singing to me, but the only song in my heart was Linus – a resounding gong that my brother would soon be by my side.
Jens interrupted the night this time, knowing I would soften for him. “Babe, I’m calling it. We’ve got a few more days of walking through Nøkken before we get to the river. We’ve got to get some sleep. You’ll be useless to Linus when we get there if you haven’t stopped for a little rest.” When I looked like I was going to argue, he pushed out, “I’ll set up camp for everyone. You chill out. You’ve got that Lucy the Destroyer face, like you’re plotting to put hair dye in my shampoo or something.”
I whirled on Jens. “Hey! She deserved that. Mandy Patterson called me a dumb blonde for… It doesn’t matter. See how she liked being the blonde one. And how did you even know that happened? That was well before your time with my family.”
“Linus talks.” Jens smirked, but beneath the levity, I could see the circles under his eyes. “I’m tired, Mox. Take a breather.”
I harrumphed and moved deeper into the forest that had been to our right, judging a spot further back to be a decent place for cover.
I was nervous to sleep out in the open. I wasn’t being a baby; I just didn’t want to give away our location when I inevitably screamed in the dark. The anxiety was welling up in me when Jamie plopped down unexpectedly by my side. “I know you’re worried. It’s alright. Keep your mental door open tonight. Escape into my mind when it gets to be too much.”
His hand on my back was kind, and I started to forgive him for holding back his comfort before. “Thanks, but that’s not how it works for me. I don’t know what the smack’s going on enough to run from it or control it. I don’t know where I am when it hits me. It’s so real.”
“I know.” Jamie offered me water from his canteen.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked, glancing at him sideways over the lip as I took a swig.
He looked around at the other men who were getting ready to sleep. “I’m the nicest one here!”
“You know what I mean. You’re being extra good to me. What gives?”
“Does someone need a reason to be kind to you?”
I didn’t answer. I assumed he didn’t want the truth. “I’m worried I’ll scream tonight, and then if anyone’s looking for us, they’ll know exactly where we are. I don’t want to be the reason I don’t get Linus back. We’re so close. I’d just as soon not go to sleep at all than risk losing him all over again.”
“Would it help if I slept next to you?”
I shrugged. “No clue, so it’s not worth making you feel uncomfortable.” I kept my eyes on my knees that were pulled to my chest. “It’s fine. I see you’re making an effort to be cool not out of guilt. I’m fine. We�
�re fine.”
Jamie cleared away a few rocks and pulled from the ground two prickly weed-like plants. When he patted the earth for me to rest on, my heart opened a little more to let him back in. He knew from poking around in my head that I’d wished Jens did the occasional gentlemanly gesture like that. “Come lie down, syster. Get some sleep.”
“Thanks, but I’ll keep watch tonight. I’m not tired.”
Jamie opened his mouth to protest, but Foss beat him to it. “Maybe that’s best. Any danger that’s after us isn’t going to be stealthy. You’ll see it coming. Plus, if you’re awake, we won’t have to worry about you giving away our location.”
I nodded. “Spot on.”
Jens didn’t like the idea, but I didn’t much care. The guys laid down after I made a few rounds, checking around our area for any signs of danger in the dark.
Let me tell you a little story called keeping watch at night: it’s boring. Like, would watch a marathon of infomercials just to have something to do kind of boring. When I sat down near the camp, Jens crawled over to me and laid at my feet, closing his eyes more easily now that he knew where I was.
I kinda loved him for it.
“Let me know the second you start to get tired, Mox. Wake me in a few hours so we can switch.”
“Will do.” I scraped my nails over his scalp, smiling at his sumptuous moan.
Twenty-Eight.
Froot Loops
I wasn’t actually going to wake Jens up. He’d been through a lot with his total body makeover. He was Jens to the extreme now, which I’m guessing took a fair amount out of him.
When the morning came, the guys woke with the sun, stretching like kittens and yawning as they passed around the pears Olina stuffed my bag full with.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Jens’s eyebrows were knit together. Man, I loved his eyebrows.
“Because I’m awesome.”
“Sure, but now you’re going to be dragging all day.”
I scoffed, standing with the others as we set out on the path. “You couldn’t drag me if I was a dragon.” I snorted. “Get it? Because I’d be a dragon.”
“Oh, jeez. Your jokes are terrible when you get loopy.”
“I’m not loopy,” I protested. “Unless you gave me Froot Loops. Then I’d be loopy. You know, because of the loops.” I paused, leading the way forward at a brisk pace. “And the froots. You know what we need?”
Jens rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you’ll tell me.”
“We need a tin can telephone system for Undraland. I mean, how are you supposed to get ahold of someone if you want to have them over for a tea party or a duel or something? You have to go all the way over there. Then you get to your tea party all sweaty? Not ideal. Or you get to the duel, and you’re super tired before it even starts. Then you for sure lose. I wonder if it’s the person who started the fight that has to make the trek. You know, to even the field a little? Or maybe it just gives him some time to think. That way, when he gets there, he’s not so pissed. Maybe he just turns around and goes home. Back to the tea party.”
“Do you even know what you’re talking about?”
I shrugged, picking up our pace. “Mostly. You know what would be cool?”
Jens looked sideways at me, trying not to be amused. “Earplugs?”
“Earmuffs. Muffs,” I corrected him. “When we get back home, I want to buy some earmuffs. People don’t invest in the important things and make them fashionable. I need earmuffs, but something in an awesome pattern or with a cool design on them. Winter fashion right on your ears. Earmuffs would be the perfect culprit.”
“Culprit? For what?” Jamie asked.
“For robbing a bank,” I answered succinctly.
“What?”
Jens put his hands over his face and let out a muffled scream. “You had to ask, Jamie. When she gets like this, ain’t nothing to cure the insanity. Brace yourselves, fellas.” He glared at me. “For the record, being invisible when you were like this and didn’t know about me? The worst kind of torture. Linus used to egg you on just to drive me crazy.”
“Linus likes cereal. Could eat a whole box in one sitting. Like Froot Loops.” I paused. “Maybe when we get home, we can give him some and see if it makes him loopy. You know, because of the loops.” I scratched my neck. “And the froots.”
Jens inhaled – the calm before the storm. “I can’t take it!” He looked up toward the heavens, his arms spread wide. “What have I done to deserve this?”
I prattled on to keep myself awake and motivated, knowing that each hour I didn’t crap out and go to sleep, it was one hour closer to seeing my brother. My brain was skipping, but my legs were quick, leaving no room for a leisurely stroll through the countryside.
When night began to fall, Jens had long since passed his last nerve. “You’re sleeping!” he ordered. “We’re setting up camp and you’re sleeping. With your mouth closed.”
“Oh! You know what we should try?” I asked, turning toward the men who had faces just as tired as mine.
Jens closed his eyes, praying for patience. “So help me, if she says Froot Loops, I’m going to lose my mind.”
“What, Lucy?” Jamie asked.
I pointed to the village not too far off. “We should rent a room and sleep there. Then we’ll have beds and probably candles. If you’re worried about Foss or me being seen, Jamie or Jens can sneak us in. Probably Jamie, so he’s not seen either.”
Jens’s shoulders deflated with relief that I had something relevant to say. “That’s actually a real good idea. Jamie, could you vanish Lucy and Foss?”
“Sure thing.”
“Maybe they’ll have Froot Loops for breakfast there,” I mumbled.
Jens stiffened, then turned and glared at me. “Let’s hurry. There’s about to be a murder on the Orient Express.”
Jamie held my hand and Foss’s, turning us invisible as we moved toward the Nøkken village. There were a few lanterns lit outside of the houses, so it wasn’t too hard to find our way around to the nearest tavern. Jens slapped down a few coins and asked for two rooms with Tucker by his side.
The innkeeper tilted his chin back as he sized up Jens. “You’re Jens. Jens the Brave here in my tavern. To what do we owe the honor?”
Jens offered half a tired smile to the blue and white-haired man. “Just passing through.”
The man shook his head, his fluffy hair swaying like too much blue cotton candy in a high pile. “Shame about Tonttu. Had to travel there a while back to stock the cellars with the usual preserves, potatoes and seasonings.” He whistled slowly as he handed Jens the key. “Never seen it so run down. Paid for my usual order, mind you, but the crops were so paltry, it hardly seemed worth the trip. Can’t imagine what that’ll do to commerce when the next season of crops comes up. I know I’m not the only business owner who feels that way, either. I mean, our crops never used to be as good as Tonttu’s, so the trek was worth it, but now?” He lowered his voice. “Johannes is running those poor farm folk into the ground.” He held up his hands. “Not my place to say, but I sure hope Jokull’s got a better idea of how to handle things.”
Jens raised his chin. “Actually, Prince Jamie’s thinking of taking the throne. Jokull’s much like his idiot father. Takes from the people without investing in the land. Jamie’s the one I’m putting my money on.” He nodded to the clerk’s raised blue eyebrow. “Tell that to the Nøkken who are wary of doing business with the Tonttu. Let them see what King Jamie does when he’s finally in charge. He loves his people, and works alongside them to make sure the crops are worth a visit.”
The clerk gave Jens an appreciative nod. “Then I look forward to Prince Jamie taking over. They need someone to do something.”
Jamie was gripping my hand so hard, he hurt me – and himself by proxy.
As we trudged up the steps, some of us invisible and others of us not, we all bore the same vacant expressions of exhaustion.
I got the first bath, which was a litt
le uncomfortable, being that the only thing that separated me from a group of dudes was a flimsy partition, but I managed. One by one, we dropped to the mattress and the fur rugs that had been spread out on the floor to make a cozy nest for us, and drifted off to sleep.
Despite my protests that Jamie shouldn’t have to make himself uncomfortable, I wound up sandwiched on the rug between him and Jens. With one pillar of strength at my chest and one at my back, and Tucker lighting a candle that lasted till morning, we all slept soundly, waking slowly and in much better moods.
Jens kissed me awake as slow as the dripping of the candle that Tucker blew out when the sun greeted us. “Let’s go get Linus, baby.”
My intake of breath was swallowed by the sounds of the guys getting dressed and ready for the trek. “I thought we were still another day or more out.”
“We’ll get there by nightfall if we keep up the pace we’ve been going at.” His face shifted into an anticipatory grin that was so charming, I simply had to kiss it. “We’re getting Linus back tonight, Loos! I don’t think I really believed it until Havard, and now that it’s actually here? I’m crazy excited about it. I mean, Linus! I never got to be around Linus while you knew about me. It’ll be the three of us! Isn’t that awesome?”
We were the only ones on the rug still but I didn’t care. Jens without his bite of sarcasm in the full bloom of hope was a beautiful thing. I scraped my fingernails over his scalp. “What sorts of things are we going to do?”
“Off the top of my head? Chicken fried rice eating competition. Sharking people at pool. Soccer. And I feel like we should head somewhere up north when winter hits so we can go skiing.”
Jens pulled us up to standing, yanking a shirt over his head and grinning when I blatantly gaped at his abs that, I swear had grown more chiseled in the last handful of days. I didn’t think it was possible for Jens to get more ripped.
“Yes to any kind of food contests. You know I’ll smoke you at those.” I ignored his scoff. “Yes to soccer if he feels up to it. I’ve only skied once, but I’m up for it again. But no to pool sharking.”
Lucy at Last Page 15