My jaws scream from the earlier slap as his fingers dig into the throbbing muscle. “I don’t care who you are.”
He tilts his head left and right as he brings it closer to me. His rotten breath ghosts over my lips, and his eyes search mine for any hint of fear. “I’m this country’s savior. The revolted. The exiled. The unwanted. I’m who they come to. I’m the Voided King.”
I lean forward until I’m a breath away from his mouth. “I’ve never heard of you.”
“No, I suppose you have now, though, haven’t you?”
I whimper as his fingers glide down my face like a promised lover. I shrink away the best I can. It feels wrong. I only want Grim. I don’t care that they are brothers. I don’t care if they look alike. Inside, they are nothing alike.
Both are warriors, but Grim is noble. There is no hope for Krane. He is too far gone. There will never be anything noble about this man.
“I can see why the rumors travelled so far. You are truly astonishing. Your beauty knows no bounds.” His thumb ghosts over my lips. “I’ve never seen a woman like you.”
“I believe that. No woman in her right mind would want to be here with you.”
“You have fire, too. A lot of it.”
I gasp when he puts his lips so close to mine, I can feel the tickle of the flesh. I pull back as much as I can. “I can’t wait to put it out.”
“You’ll have to kill me.”
“Oh, I plan on it.” He taps my nose. “Just not yet.” His laughs sends chills down my spine, the hair all over my body stands up, and my eyes water, but I refuse to let any tears fall. It’s hard to control. My lashes are soaked, and I know he can see the fear swelling in my eyes like angry ocean waves.
“You’re an animal!” I shout, ripping my face from his hands.
“You have no idea just how right you are.” He stands, and the hard heels of his shoes click against the floor, reverberating through the wooden boards and up my body, and opens the door. He lifts a key again. This one is smaller, still iron, but not as big as the one that opens the gate in the basement.
He steps outside the door and spins, staring at me with a wicked gleam. “Make yourself at home, Princess.” His laugh echoes foully as the door closes and locks into place.
I glance around the room for any sort of escape and find none. There are no windows, no other doors, nothing but walls enclosing me in this tight space.
This place will never be a home. Not to me. Not ever.
“Home,” I whisper, and the only image that comes to my mind is Grim. I let the tears fall along with the realization, splattering onto the floor like rain.
Chapter Sixteen
Grim
I ride alone in the harsh storm. Snow sticks to the wayward strings of my hair as they whip in the wind. Beast and I trudge through the snow, snow plummeting us more and more every second, burying us deeper every hour. I can sense my ride is getting tired. He may be strong and tall, but still, he must be cold and tired from carrying me through this powder.
The last of the wagon tracks disappeared a few miles back once the snow started to come down in heavy blankets. Another half a day’s ride away, there’s an old abandoned castle. I haven’t heard of anyone living there for decades, but if I remember Krane, that is the kind of place he would want. Out of sight, where no one would pay him any attention.
Plus, that’s where we would go as little boys and play when we could. Sadistic son of a bitch taking her there. I grip the reins tighter from the thought of him doing any harm to her. What if he took her? The images assault me left and right. I’ll never forgive myself if he takes her innocence. It belongs to her. Only her.
It belongs to me, but only after she chooses to give it to me.
I pull the rein to the side, turning left to try to find a cave I used to go to as a boy to escape Father’s harsh hand. Beast needs to rest before trying the rest of the journey, and I need to prepare myself to kill my only brother.
Beasts neighs and I rub the side of his neck. “We’re almost there. I’ll build us a fire to warm us up,” I say, as if he can understand me. I like to think he can, either way.
I let out a breath of relief when the old cave comes to view. It’s nestled in a mountain, away from the heavy drifts of snow. “Thank the goddesses,” I blurt out when I see a tree next to the cave that doesn’t have snow weighing the branches down. I need the wood for the fire. If it is all wet, we will freeze to death.
Leiva was right. I didn’t get more than twenty miles. Impressive.
As I rock on the saddle from his heavy hooves pushing through the snow, I think about the first time I met Sassa. Only a few days ago, and yet so much has changed. She looked so peaceful floating there, alone, naked.
A growl escapes my throat when I think of her silky skin bare for anyone to see. But not everyone did. Only I.
The body that was meant to be mine laid displayed for me in a beautiful pool of water, staring up at the starry sky. She was happy there alone. Guilt stabs me in the gut when I think that I should have left her alone. Maybe she would be better off without my way of life tainting her.
Ever since meeting me, she has had the worst of life thrown at her. Who am I to keep her here with me? I can’t let her go, though. I’m not a better man. I’m a very selfish man who wanted her before I even laid eyes on her. I wanted the most beautiful woman in the country. I wanted the King’s daughter for my own gain, but now, look.
I’ve done the most unexpected thing; I’ve started to fall in love with her. Half the time she is so angry with me. She loves to fight me. And I love it. The fire in her heart stokes the fire in mine to match it.
Nay, I cannot let her go.
I’m not as bad of a man as my brother, but I’m not as good as I should be.
I place my forearm in front of me to block the snow as I dismount my horse. The snow is up to my thigh as I push through and lead us to the cave. Once we are inside, I let the reins go, unclip the lead, and take off the saddle and blanket that lays between. Hopefully I can get a fire started to dry the heavy wool, or I shall have to leave it behind. I can’t put that back on him, cold and wet. He will get sick.
He shakes his entire body when he is free of the saddle. “Aye, wager that felt good, didn’t it?” I pat his neck again. I get a bag of feed from my bag and pour it on the floor for him. It was heavy to carry, but I knew he would need it.
“Alright. I’m going to get some wood for a fire. I’ll be right back.” I also wanted to look around and see if there is a river that isn’t frozen. Then I could bring back some fresh water for us. I take the pot from my bag and start back out into the snow.
It isn’t long before I’m covered by the canopy of trees, though. And grabbing any loose twigs I can find, along with some thick branches, I stuff kindling in my bag and grab a rock to help light the fire. I take a look around and find it hard to believe less than a day’s ride west of here; a battle is about to occur. This place is so beautiful, so quiet.
I’d love to bring Sassa here when we get the chance. I’d make love to her in the cave over and over again, and we wouldn’t leave until she is pregnant with my child.
I break a branch in half, simmering in anger thinking of how Krane took her from me. She and I are supposed to be consummating our marriage. Rolling around in the furs, making love and fucking—because they are two different things—all damn day and night.
I should have thought about him as a threat, but after not hearing a word about him for nearly ten years, I thought he had died. My aloofness will never get the best of me again. I know better now.
My feet are frozen the more I walk around, hoping to hear a slight trickle of water. I need to find it soon, because the sun is starting to go down, and I want to be able to find my way back safely. Time alone isn’t that safe, because that’s when my mind starts to wander just to fill the silence.
I think about Einarr and how I found him. His blood on my hands, his screams ringing in my ear as I pla
ced the hot blade in his wound. I had to do it. It was the only chance he had at survival. If he even survived at all. I swallow a lump in my throat when I think about life without him. Life without my best friend, is that really any kind of life?
He must live. He must.
The sound of rushing water brings me out of my depressing thoughts. And I follow it. When I get to a small stream, I kneel, placing the basin in the water until it fills. Then I fill my leather pouch for my own drinking needs and sling it around my back.
Once I’m back in the cave, I place the basin in front of Beast and sit down to start the fire. After a few failed attempts, I get a great spark, and the fire ignites, licking the ceiling of the cave. Beast gets his fill of water and comes to lay behind me, laying his head on my knee.
I rub my hand down his snout, sighing as I watch the blizzard blast by. “We shall be safe,” I say. “We always are.”
He lifts his head, and his ears prick forward. He grunts and snorts, hoofing the ground until he stands. I reach for my blade and prepare for a fight. I don’t hear anything, but I never ignore an animal’s reaction.
The slush of snow flattens from footsteps. As the wind comes, I see a silhouette approaching the entrance of the cave. I wield my sword higher in the air to prepare for battle.
Only it is Abram, the small Jackal, that stumbles into my space. I throw the weapon to the side and sigh. “Boy, what are you doing here? You could have died!”
“You need me. They will let me through because of my mark. I brought supplies. I can be of use. There is nothing for me in your village right now. Everyone blames me for the attack. Even though I was holed up in a shack.” He drops his bag on the floor and sits.
“How did you get here?”
My question is answered when Tipsy, Beast’s little girlfriend of a horse, stumbles into the cave. Actually stumbles. I never met a horse that can trip over its own feet so much, but then there is Tipsy. “I’m surprised you made it here alive.” I reach into my bag and pull out a piece of jerky.
“It was hard, but we did it.”
“You’re a fool for coming here. I have no use for a child right now.”
“You need someone that knows their every move. I can help you. I can get in, and I can show you the weakest spots where there won’t be guards—”
I hold my hand up to get him to stop speaking. “Is Einarr still alive?”
“Yes, he is alive and awake. In a ton of pain from the wound and the burn. He must be a tough man to handle all that.”
“Toughest I know,” I say. I stare at him, unsure of his intentions, and throw him a piece of jerky.
He scrambles for it and takes a big bite, nearly eating the entire thing while I settle back down by the fire.
I lean back against Beast, his stomach warm and full of the feed. He places his head back in my lap, and I pet his snout again. “I don’t have time for distractions or failures. If you hinder me or lead me into a trap, I’ll kill you.”
“Of that I have no doubt,” he says between swallows. “Krane has Sassa, which means, she is either in the basement or in his chambers. I can help you get there.”
My knuckles crack against my legs when he says she will be in his chamber. “Why would she be there?”
His eyes soften at the ages, telling me my worst fear without even speaking a word. “Krane runs a very… foul kingdom. Women are slaves, essentially. They are there to give pleasure, attend to men’s whims, and to serve. Now, since she is the King’s daughter, I’m wondering if he desires the power now.”
I sit up when a thought occurs to me. My eyes lock on to his through the orange flame, and a sad, obvious chuckle slips from my mouth. “Of course. Why didn’t I ever think of that? He must hate me. I am a warlord, and he has always been nothing. He has detested me ever since we were boys. He isn’t just trying to take her. He is trying to take everything.” A ridiculous sound leaves my throat, and that’s when I realize that I’m laughing. I’m laughing so hard I have to clutch my stomach.
Beast neighs from my fit, and I sigh, wiping my eyes from the audacity. Krane thinks he can actually conquer me. I’ll slit his throat right where he stands.
“Don’t underestimate the Voided King, Warlord.”
“He calls himself a King. Are you mad? He is nothing but a pretender. He has gained nothing.”
“He has gained the respect of hundreds of people who were unwanted from their own homes. He has fooled them all with his words. These are the most vicious people. Don’t think this will be so easy. He probably knows you are coming there to get her. So, we must devise a plan to get you in there without being seen.”
“I plan to just kill every man I see until I find her.”
“That won’t work here.”
I point the blade at myself. “Warlord,” I clarify, and turning the tip of the metal to him, I say, “Child.”
I wait a moment or two, and then…
“Warlord.” I do it again for good measure. “Child.”
“Aye, I get it. I’m young, but I know what I’m talking about.”
“I don’t even know if I can trust you. How do I know you aren’t part of all this?” I swing my sword around the space of the cave, careful not to bump Beast with it.
“Because who would willingly stay in a small shack of a jail compared to actual freedom?” he says with a lift of a brow, rubbing his hands over the fire to warm them.
“I don’t know. Maybe you are doing what you are told.”
He sighs, rubbing a hand over his face with exhaustion. “What will it take for you to believe me?”
The gleam of the fire shines against my sword, and an idea comes to surface. “How about I get rid of that brand on the side of your neck?” I lift the sword over the flame to heat it again, for the second time today.
Without hesitation, he pulls down the collar of his shirt. “Sear it away for all I care. I hope to never see it again.”
“It won’t look good,” I answer.
“It doesn’t look good now. What’s it matter? I don’t ever plan on finding love. It isn’t in the cards for me. Not with my past. So, with or without this scar or another, my future is carved in stone.”
“You’d be surprised how the future can change,” I say in a trance, thinking about how mine has changed more in the last week then it has in twenty-seven years. I flip the sword over to heat the other side, and once I know it is hot enough, I spin it in the air and smile. “This is going to hurt like a son of a bitch.”
“Aye, that I know. Can’t hurt more than having my fingernails pulled out, though.”
The statement makes my smile falter. Has this young boy been tortured? “What?”
“Nothing. Just do it already.” He turns to his side and pulls down the collar of his shirt.
“You sure about this? If you are trying to prove your loyalty to them by doing this…”
“The only loyalty I have is to you,” he insists, his dark eyes set with determination.
I lift the sword and wait another few seconds to see if he will say anything, and when he doesn’t, I press the boiling hot blade against his neck. Smoke sizzles from his skin, and the smell of burning flesh fills the area of the cave.
To my astonishment, he doesn’t make a sound. His fingers curl against his leg until his knuckles match the snow. I pull back, taking my sword off the bubbling flesh. It’s black, red, bleeding, and raw. “I don’t have herb paste with me. It may get infected.”
“I’ll be fine,” he says as he stands. He brushes off the dirt on his pants and walks outside. He grabs a handful of snow and places it on the wound of his neck. “It’s hard to believe, but I’ve had worse.”
“I don’t understand.” I walk outside to dip my own blade in the snow to clean and cool off. “If they treat you so poorly, why be with them?”
“Who says it was them that treated me so poorly?” he answers, grabbing another bunch of snow when the other melts.
“I just assumed it was the
Jackals. They are such a harsh group.”
“Life is harsh, Warlord. Jackals were the first to ever give me a home.”
“So why run from them?” Beast neighs in the background, as if he would like to know as well.
“They changed into something I didn’t want to be part of. I ran from a wicked life to get away from it, not run to it. Your brother is a very evil man.”
“He is not my brother,” I snarl.
“You don’t like that he is your brother, but blood never lies,” he mutters, staring off into the storm.
“It takes more than blood to be family. And he is not my family. My village is. My people are. Krane is nothing I think of but the past I was stuck with.”
“Yes, he seems to agree with you on that.”
“I don’t care what he thinks. I am not going over there to talk to him about what was and what can be. I’m going over there to get my wife back and to kill him, so this isn’t ever an issue again.”
“You’re alright with killing your brother?”
I turn around and walk back over to Beast, peeking over my shoulder, my words come out low and harsh. “He is not my brother.” I take off my fur and drape it over Beast to keep him warm, as well as to have a nice, soft place to lay my head.
Abram decides to sit against the wall of the cave, a good few feet away from me, but close enough to the fire to keep warm. I wonder if I’ve been wrong about Abram this entire time. He is just a boy that has led a terrible life, working with the cards he was dealt. Looks to be a pretty bad hand from what I can see.
Although he is just a boy, there is a strength within him, a hardened determination. He reminds me of Einarr when he was a boy.
Einarr. I hope he recovers soon. He will need strength to take charge of the village, to be the new warlord if I do not survive. I shake the thought from my mind. I will succeed. I will rescue Sassa. I must.
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