The Dark Throne, page 46
“Don’t look at me to contradict the greatness of the most legendary Glasidhe assassin of her time,” said the red-haired Seelie with a puckish grin.
“I’m just going to start assuming that every single fairy tale I’ve ever heard is real,” said Duke in his Southern accent, shaking his head as he swung his axe through the air with a practiced hand.
“Most of them probably have some truth to them,” Wisp agreed.
I untied the silk pouch from my belt and held it out to Luca. “While the kids discuss fairy tales, take a look at what Vell gave me.”
“Ah. So that is why she specifically needed you to Walk,” Luca said, carefully revealing the silver ring and glass orb. The objects looked even smaller in the center of his big hand.
“I have the apparently enviable skill of being able to transport solid objects while I’m Walking,” I explained in an undertone to Liam.
My brother stared at the glass orb and silver ring, his eyes unfocused, a strangely distant expression on his face. “A portal. A portal to the Dark Throne.” He breathed heavily for a moment, and then shuddered and blinked. “That was a particularly messy one.”
“What did you See?” I asked, curiosity sharpening my voice.
“There are so many choices and possibilities, and that was only the first glimpse,” Liam said, rubbing his hand over his eyes. “As different choices narrow down the outcomes, I should be able to See a little clearer. The visions come in waves. If it’s an important event, I’ll usually get the first hint of it a few days out. The first ones are always blurry and difficult to read.”
“Are you all right?” I asked him in concern, putting a hand out to steady him as he swayed.
“Just nauseous,” he grunted, swallowing hard.
I turned back to Luca. “Vell called back the other two vanguards a fortnight ago. Did you know that?”
Luca frowned. “No. It was discussed as a possibility, before we left…if the Arrisyn located the Seer, that the Queen might call back those vanguards that were not headed in the right direction.”
“I know it’s within Vell’s authority. She’s the Queen. I just…thought she would tell us.” I shrugged.
“Would knowing the other vanguards’ journeys were ending have made ours any different?” Luca asked.
“You’re right. It wouldn’t have made a difference. If anything, it would have made me more determined.” I hooked one finger through the pendant at my throat.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” commented Luca.
Liam chuckled then grimaced as the movement apparently brought on another wave of nausea. He put his hands on his knees, and I reached over and rubbed his back absently.
“Hey, Luck, we’re starting without you,” called Quinn.
Liam gave a thumb’s-up. Then he leaned away from me and retched very quickly and quietly. I had a sneaking suspicion that he had a lot of practice at throwing up with minimal interruption to his activities.
“Who’s the delicate little flower now?” Duke asked, grinning. My brother traded his thumb for another choice finger, and his teammates laughed as they turned back to their partners. The clash of their blades filled the air around us.
“So the plan,” I said quietly to Luca.
“These objects open a pathway to travel back to the vyldgard,” said the ulfdrengr, watching the runes move slowly across the surface of the silver ring.
“Yes.” I nodded. “Vell said to be ready tonight.”
“And then, once we have rejoined the army?”
“Malravenar has built his fortress in the Deadlands, where the Great Gate once was,” I said. “We knew his forces were on the move many weeks ago. Merrick saw them in his scrying stone. But the plan is that the Army of the Three Queens will engage the Dark Army, and once they’ve joined in battle, the three queens and their Three will use another ring to strike into the Dark Keep.”
Luca said nothing, waiting for me to continue. Liam was listening now, too, wiping his mouth on his sleeve as he straightened.
“Tonight, when the army makes camp, Vell will activate her orb, which will signal us by activating our orb. A short time after the orb starts glowing, the ring will create the portal, which I’ll keep open with my power.” I took a breath. “Vell said that I have to go through. But she also said that others could travel through it as well. It just takes more power. I just don’t know how much power it will take with each additional person. I’ve never really held a physical pathway open.”
“There are others here with their own taebramh, even if they have not bothered to learn how to use it.” Niamh had silently appeared on Luca’s other side. I wondered how long the commander of the Valkyrie had been listening. “Even if we started our journey now, and rested only when the faehal absolutely needed it, we still wouldn’t be able to reach the Queens’ Army before the battle is joined. I speak for all the Valkyrie when I say we would rather follow you into the dragon’s lair than be left in the mountains to wonder about the fate of our world.”
“It’s always better to be in the thick of things than on the sidelines,” Liam said in agreement.
“Look, I appreciate the fact that everyone wants to come with me. I really do.” I couldn’t keep my rising frustration from coloring my voice. “But I don’t know how to do this. I don’t understand how it works and I’ll be lucky if I just manage to get myself through this portal when Vell signals.”
“We won’t let you go alone,” said Niamh. “We will link our power to yours and you will use that to get us through.” She raised her chin, her pale hair glimmering in the sunlight filtering down through the branches of the forest. “Even if one of us must stay behind.”
“If by ‘stay behind,’ you mean die, I won’t do it,” I snapped. My voice caught. “I already killed one friend by drawing from their power. I won’t do it again.”
“Murtagh made his own choice,” Luca said gently, slipping the orb and ring back into the pouch. He held it out to me. I took a deep breath and tied it to my belt again, my hands shaking slightly.
“Once the battle is joined, and the queens use the second portal into the Dark Keep,” I said in a quieter voice, “the queens will bind Malravenar’s spirit within four of the river-stones.” At Liam’s questioning look, I pulled one of the smooth dark stones from my belt-pouch. “Right when I became the Bearer, Malravenar created a trap with shards of iron. He used the iron to create a kind of fence around the company. After we won the battle, the Sword transformed the shards of iron into these stones.” I rubbed my thumb over the stone’s gleaming surface. “I’ve carried them with me ever since, and I’ve used them more than once to focus my power. Mostly to create protections.”
“You have gone through some serious stuff,” murmured my brother, brushing the stone with one finger. To my surprise, the stone hummed a little at Liam’s touch.
“Apparently it likes you,” I said dryly.
“I’m flattered,” my brother replied.
“I guess our family has a certain connection with magical inanimate objects.” I slipped the stone back into my belt-pouch.
Liam grinned. “If I didn’t have my own run-ins with weird mojo, I’d ask you to repeat that sentence.”
“Just wait,” I told him. “To get the full experience, you need to have a conscious object rattling around in your head.” I tapped the hilt of the Sword.
“I already have visions rattling around in my head, and that’s confusing enough.” Liam rubbed his eyes again.
“What did you See about the portal into the Dark Keep?” I asked him in a quiet voice. Luca and Niamh were speaking in a low voice about the watches for the night.
My brother shook his head. “No.”
“You couldn’t See clearly, or you just don’t want to tell me what you Saw?” I pressed.
Liam didn’t answer.
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have to protect me,” I said quietly.
He smiled a little at that. “Even when you have more scars than me, Bug, you’ll always be my little sister.”
I touched his arm. “I know. I get that. You’ll always be my big brother.” I smiled. “But what I’m trying to say is that if you saw something, please tell me. I’d rather know.”
“Would you really rather know, Tess?” Liam shook his head. I dropped the hand that I’d laid on his arm. “It’s not certain. Things can change. These are all just possibilities. I’m not going to tell you what I saw in a vision so that you can obsess over it.”
“I think you’re not really giving me enough credit,” I said, trying to keep my voice reasonable.
Liam gave a mirthless smile. “No, I’m speaking from experience here, Tess. I can tell when a vision is shaky. There’s no use driving yourself crazy over it.” He shifted his gaze to his teammates. “It took me a while to figure out how to pick out the ones that were reliable. And this world seems to have knocked my senses out of balance.”
I gazed up at the trees around us, trying to see Faeortalam through new eyes. My memories of forests in the mortal world seemed pale and puny compared to the majesty of these mountains. The trees were not as tall as those in the Seelie forest, nor were there the close-woven shadows of the Royal Wood in Mab’s kingdom; but an undercurrent of wildness in the air made the wind sharper, the light brighter, the colors of the tender-green leaves and night-dark soil more intense.
“It’s strange,” I said. “Sometimes I forget this isn’t really my world.”
“It may not be the world you were born in, but it sounds like it’s the world you were born for,” replied Liam.
“I guess you could say that.”
Niamh glided past us toward the sentries. I didn’t miss the look of frank feminine curiosity she gave to Liam, but I did look away in time to miss my brother’s response. The last thing I needed right now was to deal with Liam romancing all the Sidhe ladies, I thought grumpily.
Perhaps you are being a bit…hypocritical, the Caedbranr purred in my mind.
I don’t need your opinion on my brother’s conduct, or mine, I thought in irritation.
“Tess,” said Luca, “would you like to join the practice session?”
A strange little jolt of energy hit me when Luca said my name, and I drew my plain blade with a grin.
Case in point, the Sword whispered wickedly. I felt its power circling sinuously behind my ribs. Would it be so terrible to live fully in the face of death?
Are you saying that I’m going to die? I asked as I followed Luca into the practice ring. The four men ran through drills with their Sidhe partners, the movements still slow enough to be deliberate but with a speed and confidence that I hadn’t gained until I’d practiced with my blade for long hours in my room at Darkhill. I knew that their years of training had conditioned them to pay attention to detail and pick up new skills uncommonly well, but I was still jealous.
As your brother has said, the future is not a certainty, the Caedbranr replied evasively, vibrating slightly in my hands as I laid it beside Kianryk at the foot of the closest tree. I also untied the pouch from my belt and placed it next to the Sword. “Make sure nothing happens to that,” I told the golden wolf, who yawned in reply but shifted his great forepaws to rest on either side of the silken purse.
Luca and I took up our stances a few paces away from Liam and his sparring partner. For the first time, my awareness of my brother and his teammates faded away as we ran through a few drills to warm up our muscles. I focused solely on the feel of my sword in my hand, my boots treading lightly on the fallen leaves, my eyes following the flash and turn of Luca’s blade. As we finished our drills, most of the warriors had concluded their sparring sessions, other than the four mortal men and their partners. Luca sidestepped into the large open space, raising his eyebrows at me in silent question. I swayed from side to side, giving my legs a last quick stretch; and then I grinned at him and we leapt toward each other with raised blades.
As in our previous sparring sessions, I tried to use my speed to my advantage as we danced through the dappled shadows of the trees, forcing Luca to follow me as I circled him and darted in for quick, probing little attacks. He blocked my blade with ease, but I wasn’t trying to pierce his defenses right away. He launched a few of his own offenses, but I forced him to move quickly to reach me, and spun away after countering his attacks. In my peripheral vision, I noticed that we had more room around us; without sparing the thought as to the reason, I made good use of the space, feeling sweat roll down my back even with the chill in the air as I kept my footwork light and my blade fast. I lost track of time, my focus narrowing to our flashing swords and the sting of my scars against the leather of my hilt’s grip.
Finally Luca caught me, feinting a low attack and then swinging his blade in a half-crescent arc, catching my high block and bearing down on me with a grin. I tightened my entire body, straining up against his sword with every fiber of my being. The muscles in Luca’s shoulders and arms stood out against his sweat-dampened shirt as he doubled the pressure grinding down on my blade; I gritted my teeth against the almost unbearable sensation. And then, in the moment right before he overpowered me, when he thought momentum and strength had gained him victory, I threw myself to the side, my blade sliding against his with a screech. He stumbled off balance but still managed to wrap his sword about mine, wrenching it from my grasp. But I didn’t need my sword for my next move—I whirled, all this taking just an instant, and swept his supporting foot neatly, following him to the ground and snaking my arm about his throat even as he tried to tuck his chin to defend against my movement. With a flash of triumph, I hooked my heels around his inner thighs and locked in the chokehold, squeezing my forearm toward my bicep with all the strength I could muster. He rolled and I grunted at his weight on top of me—I couldn’t see around his broad shoulders, and I had to fight the sense of panic that automatically surged within me at the crushing sensation. A lance of pain flashed through my still-sore ribs. But I doggedly held on, and his huge hands couldn’t find even the barest separation between his neck and my arm. Dimly I heard cheers and yells—of encouragement for Luca or me, I didn’t know—and I waited for the ulfdrengr to tap my arm in submission. It was a universal signal, even here in the Fae world. But he suddenly went limp, and a few things happened at once: Kianryk growled loudly in my ear, wolfish breath washing over my face; I let go of Luca; and several pairs of hands separated us. I saw a pair of boots interposed between the big wolf and me, who stopped growling the instant that I released Luca.
I scrambled to my knees, and Luca was already sitting up with a cough and a rueful grin, rubbing his throat with one hand. I looked up to find Liam, Jess and Duke staring down me with varying expressions of bemusement.
“I thought you were going to tap out,” I said to Luca by way of apology.
“I don’t think he knows what that means,” said Duke with a grin at Luca’s expression. “A man after my own heart.”
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Luca asked me instead, his voice slightly hoarse.
I laughed, leaning back on my hands. “No. Ribs are still sore, but I brought it on myself.” I grinned at him.
“I should probably take you seriously when we spar now,” the big ulfdrengr said, rubbing the back of his neck. I hit his shoulder teasingly.
“So you’re implying that you weren’t taking me seriously this whole time?” I arched one eyebrow in mock offense.
“I was still sparring you as a master spars with a student,” Luca replied.
“You’ve certainly learned a lot since I had you throwing right hooks in the backyard,” Liam said to me, offering a hand. I accepted it and he hauled me to my feet. He brushed the dirt and leaves from my shoulders. “And hell, you’re all muscle now.”
I spread my hands. “Riding every day and fighting with a sword are better workouts than anything I could dream up on my own.”
“She climbed a cliff once as well,” Luca said, grinning unapologetically when I shot him a look of reproach. “To escape sirens,” he added.
I sighed. “I might have left out the details of the cliff-climbing when I told you the condensed version of our journey.”
Liam shrugged. “You’re here and you’re whole, so why would I feel any kind of way about it, Bug? Sounds like you’ve held your own and then some.”
“So there’s beautiful warrior women—and men—on winged horses,” said Duke, adding the acknowledgement of the male Valkyrie when Robin raised his eyebrows, “and there’s sirens. Any other dangerous creatures that could seduce us that we should know about?”
“The Valkyrie are hardly in the same category as the sirens,” said Niamh, her voice like cool silk. “I would say our capabilities in both warfare and seduction are far superior.” She flashed a mischievous smile at Duke. “And we don’t need a poisoned kiss to convince our partners.”
Quinn slung one brown, tattooed arm about Duke’s shoulders. “Brother, you’re blushing.”
Niamh’s smile widened into a predatory grin. I almost felt bad for the mortal men; it seemed a bit unfair to let the Seelie women unleash their considerable charms upon them. But Quinn patted Duke’s face teasingly, said in a low voice, “She’s too tall for you anyway,” and then returned Niamh’s grin with a look of his own. The Valkyrie commander raised one eyebrow in consideration, her blue eyes traveling over Quinn’s well-muscled body. The mortal men had a different look than the Sidhe or the ulfdrengr: they displayed a raw physical power, unsoftened by Sidhe elegance or the ulfdrengr’s wolf-like sinuous grace. The four of them were different, Liam with his height and Jess with his broad shoulders, Quinn with his solid frame and Duke with his slim but muscled form—but they had all honed their bodies for the singular purpose of war. And just as I saw the Sidhe and the Northern warriors as otherworldly, so too must we as mortals seem to them, I realized. I hadn’t had much occasion to think about it in recent weeks.
“We will break camp an hour before dusk,” Luca said, putting an end to my musings.
“I’ll gather the Valkyrie,” said Niamh.
“I’m just going to start assuming that every single fairy tale I’ve ever heard is real,” said Duke in his Southern accent, shaking his head as he swung his axe through the air with a practiced hand.
“Most of them probably have some truth to them,” Wisp agreed.
I untied the silk pouch from my belt and held it out to Luca. “While the kids discuss fairy tales, take a look at what Vell gave me.”
“Ah. So that is why she specifically needed you to Walk,” Luca said, carefully revealing the silver ring and glass orb. The objects looked even smaller in the center of his big hand.
“I have the apparently enviable skill of being able to transport solid objects while I’m Walking,” I explained in an undertone to Liam.
My brother stared at the glass orb and silver ring, his eyes unfocused, a strangely distant expression on his face. “A portal. A portal to the Dark Throne.” He breathed heavily for a moment, and then shuddered and blinked. “That was a particularly messy one.”
“What did you See?” I asked, curiosity sharpening my voice.
“There are so many choices and possibilities, and that was only the first glimpse,” Liam said, rubbing his hand over his eyes. “As different choices narrow down the outcomes, I should be able to See a little clearer. The visions come in waves. If it’s an important event, I’ll usually get the first hint of it a few days out. The first ones are always blurry and difficult to read.”
“Are you all right?” I asked him in concern, putting a hand out to steady him as he swayed.
“Just nauseous,” he grunted, swallowing hard.
I turned back to Luca. “Vell called back the other two vanguards a fortnight ago. Did you know that?”
Luca frowned. “No. It was discussed as a possibility, before we left…if the Arrisyn located the Seer, that the Queen might call back those vanguards that were not headed in the right direction.”
“I know it’s within Vell’s authority. She’s the Queen. I just…thought she would tell us.” I shrugged.
“Would knowing the other vanguards’ journeys were ending have made ours any different?” Luca asked.
“You’re right. It wouldn’t have made a difference. If anything, it would have made me more determined.” I hooked one finger through the pendant at my throat.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” commented Luca.
Liam chuckled then grimaced as the movement apparently brought on another wave of nausea. He put his hands on his knees, and I reached over and rubbed his back absently.
“Hey, Luck, we’re starting without you,” called Quinn.
Liam gave a thumb’s-up. Then he leaned away from me and retched very quickly and quietly. I had a sneaking suspicion that he had a lot of practice at throwing up with minimal interruption to his activities.
“Who’s the delicate little flower now?” Duke asked, grinning. My brother traded his thumb for another choice finger, and his teammates laughed as they turned back to their partners. The clash of their blades filled the air around us.
“So the plan,” I said quietly to Luca.
“These objects open a pathway to travel back to the vyldgard,” said the ulfdrengr, watching the runes move slowly across the surface of the silver ring.
“Yes.” I nodded. “Vell said to be ready tonight.”
“And then, once we have rejoined the army?”
“Malravenar has built his fortress in the Deadlands, where the Great Gate once was,” I said. “We knew his forces were on the move many weeks ago. Merrick saw them in his scrying stone. But the plan is that the Army of the Three Queens will engage the Dark Army, and once they’ve joined in battle, the three queens and their Three will use another ring to strike into the Dark Keep.”
Luca said nothing, waiting for me to continue. Liam was listening now, too, wiping his mouth on his sleeve as he straightened.
“Tonight, when the army makes camp, Vell will activate her orb, which will signal us by activating our orb. A short time after the orb starts glowing, the ring will create the portal, which I’ll keep open with my power.” I took a breath. “Vell said that I have to go through. But she also said that others could travel through it as well. It just takes more power. I just don’t know how much power it will take with each additional person. I’ve never really held a physical pathway open.”
“There are others here with their own taebramh, even if they have not bothered to learn how to use it.” Niamh had silently appeared on Luca’s other side. I wondered how long the commander of the Valkyrie had been listening. “Even if we started our journey now, and rested only when the faehal absolutely needed it, we still wouldn’t be able to reach the Queens’ Army before the battle is joined. I speak for all the Valkyrie when I say we would rather follow you into the dragon’s lair than be left in the mountains to wonder about the fate of our world.”
“It’s always better to be in the thick of things than on the sidelines,” Liam said in agreement.
“Look, I appreciate the fact that everyone wants to come with me. I really do.” I couldn’t keep my rising frustration from coloring my voice. “But I don’t know how to do this. I don’t understand how it works and I’ll be lucky if I just manage to get myself through this portal when Vell signals.”
“We won’t let you go alone,” said Niamh. “We will link our power to yours and you will use that to get us through.” She raised her chin, her pale hair glimmering in the sunlight filtering down through the branches of the forest. “Even if one of us must stay behind.”
“If by ‘stay behind,’ you mean die, I won’t do it,” I snapped. My voice caught. “I already killed one friend by drawing from their power. I won’t do it again.”
“Murtagh made his own choice,” Luca said gently, slipping the orb and ring back into the pouch. He held it out to me. I took a deep breath and tied it to my belt again, my hands shaking slightly.
“Once the battle is joined, and the queens use the second portal into the Dark Keep,” I said in a quieter voice, “the queens will bind Malravenar’s spirit within four of the river-stones.” At Liam’s questioning look, I pulled one of the smooth dark stones from my belt-pouch. “Right when I became the Bearer, Malravenar created a trap with shards of iron. He used the iron to create a kind of fence around the company. After we won the battle, the Sword transformed the shards of iron into these stones.” I rubbed my thumb over the stone’s gleaming surface. “I’ve carried them with me ever since, and I’ve used them more than once to focus my power. Mostly to create protections.”
“You have gone through some serious stuff,” murmured my brother, brushing the stone with one finger. To my surprise, the stone hummed a little at Liam’s touch.
“Apparently it likes you,” I said dryly.
“I’m flattered,” my brother replied.
“I guess our family has a certain connection with magical inanimate objects.” I slipped the stone back into my belt-pouch.
Liam grinned. “If I didn’t have my own run-ins with weird mojo, I’d ask you to repeat that sentence.”
“Just wait,” I told him. “To get the full experience, you need to have a conscious object rattling around in your head.” I tapped the hilt of the Sword.
“I already have visions rattling around in my head, and that’s confusing enough.” Liam rubbed his eyes again.
“What did you See about the portal into the Dark Keep?” I asked him in a quiet voice. Luca and Niamh were speaking in a low voice about the watches for the night.
My brother shook his head. “No.”
“You couldn’t See clearly, or you just don’t want to tell me what you Saw?” I pressed.
Liam didn’t answer.
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have to protect me,” I said quietly.
He smiled a little at that. “Even when you have more scars than me, Bug, you’ll always be my little sister.”
I touched his arm. “I know. I get that. You’ll always be my big brother.” I smiled. “But what I’m trying to say is that if you saw something, please tell me. I’d rather know.”
“Would you really rather know, Tess?” Liam shook his head. I dropped the hand that I’d laid on his arm. “It’s not certain. Things can change. These are all just possibilities. I’m not going to tell you what I saw in a vision so that you can obsess over it.”
“I think you’re not really giving me enough credit,” I said, trying to keep my voice reasonable.
Liam gave a mirthless smile. “No, I’m speaking from experience here, Tess. I can tell when a vision is shaky. There’s no use driving yourself crazy over it.” He shifted his gaze to his teammates. “It took me a while to figure out how to pick out the ones that were reliable. And this world seems to have knocked my senses out of balance.”
I gazed up at the trees around us, trying to see Faeortalam through new eyes. My memories of forests in the mortal world seemed pale and puny compared to the majesty of these mountains. The trees were not as tall as those in the Seelie forest, nor were there the close-woven shadows of the Royal Wood in Mab’s kingdom; but an undercurrent of wildness in the air made the wind sharper, the light brighter, the colors of the tender-green leaves and night-dark soil more intense.
“It’s strange,” I said. “Sometimes I forget this isn’t really my world.”
“It may not be the world you were born in, but it sounds like it’s the world you were born for,” replied Liam.
“I guess you could say that.”
Niamh glided past us toward the sentries. I didn’t miss the look of frank feminine curiosity she gave to Liam, but I did look away in time to miss my brother’s response. The last thing I needed right now was to deal with Liam romancing all the Sidhe ladies, I thought grumpily.
Perhaps you are being a bit…hypocritical, the Caedbranr purred in my mind.
I don’t need your opinion on my brother’s conduct, or mine, I thought in irritation.
“Tess,” said Luca, “would you like to join the practice session?”
A strange little jolt of energy hit me when Luca said my name, and I drew my plain blade with a grin.
Case in point, the Sword whispered wickedly. I felt its power circling sinuously behind my ribs. Would it be so terrible to live fully in the face of death?
Are you saying that I’m going to die? I asked as I followed Luca into the practice ring. The four men ran through drills with their Sidhe partners, the movements still slow enough to be deliberate but with a speed and confidence that I hadn’t gained until I’d practiced with my blade for long hours in my room at Darkhill. I knew that their years of training had conditioned them to pay attention to detail and pick up new skills uncommonly well, but I was still jealous.
As your brother has said, the future is not a certainty, the Caedbranr replied evasively, vibrating slightly in my hands as I laid it beside Kianryk at the foot of the closest tree. I also untied the pouch from my belt and placed it next to the Sword. “Make sure nothing happens to that,” I told the golden wolf, who yawned in reply but shifted his great forepaws to rest on either side of the silken purse.
Luca and I took up our stances a few paces away from Liam and his sparring partner. For the first time, my awareness of my brother and his teammates faded away as we ran through a few drills to warm up our muscles. I focused solely on the feel of my sword in my hand, my boots treading lightly on the fallen leaves, my eyes following the flash and turn of Luca’s blade. As we finished our drills, most of the warriors had concluded their sparring sessions, other than the four mortal men and their partners. Luca sidestepped into the large open space, raising his eyebrows at me in silent question. I swayed from side to side, giving my legs a last quick stretch; and then I grinned at him and we leapt toward each other with raised blades.
As in our previous sparring sessions, I tried to use my speed to my advantage as we danced through the dappled shadows of the trees, forcing Luca to follow me as I circled him and darted in for quick, probing little attacks. He blocked my blade with ease, but I wasn’t trying to pierce his defenses right away. He launched a few of his own offenses, but I forced him to move quickly to reach me, and spun away after countering his attacks. In my peripheral vision, I noticed that we had more room around us; without sparing the thought as to the reason, I made good use of the space, feeling sweat roll down my back even with the chill in the air as I kept my footwork light and my blade fast. I lost track of time, my focus narrowing to our flashing swords and the sting of my scars against the leather of my hilt’s grip.
Finally Luca caught me, feinting a low attack and then swinging his blade in a half-crescent arc, catching my high block and bearing down on me with a grin. I tightened my entire body, straining up against his sword with every fiber of my being. The muscles in Luca’s shoulders and arms stood out against his sweat-dampened shirt as he doubled the pressure grinding down on my blade; I gritted my teeth against the almost unbearable sensation. And then, in the moment right before he overpowered me, when he thought momentum and strength had gained him victory, I threw myself to the side, my blade sliding against his with a screech. He stumbled off balance but still managed to wrap his sword about mine, wrenching it from my grasp. But I didn’t need my sword for my next move—I whirled, all this taking just an instant, and swept his supporting foot neatly, following him to the ground and snaking my arm about his throat even as he tried to tuck his chin to defend against my movement. With a flash of triumph, I hooked my heels around his inner thighs and locked in the chokehold, squeezing my forearm toward my bicep with all the strength I could muster. He rolled and I grunted at his weight on top of me—I couldn’t see around his broad shoulders, and I had to fight the sense of panic that automatically surged within me at the crushing sensation. A lance of pain flashed through my still-sore ribs. But I doggedly held on, and his huge hands couldn’t find even the barest separation between his neck and my arm. Dimly I heard cheers and yells—of encouragement for Luca or me, I didn’t know—and I waited for the ulfdrengr to tap my arm in submission. It was a universal signal, even here in the Fae world. But he suddenly went limp, and a few things happened at once: Kianryk growled loudly in my ear, wolfish breath washing over my face; I let go of Luca; and several pairs of hands separated us. I saw a pair of boots interposed between the big wolf and me, who stopped growling the instant that I released Luca.
I scrambled to my knees, and Luca was already sitting up with a cough and a rueful grin, rubbing his throat with one hand. I looked up to find Liam, Jess and Duke staring down me with varying expressions of bemusement.
“I thought you were going to tap out,” I said to Luca by way of apology.
“I don’t think he knows what that means,” said Duke with a grin at Luca’s expression. “A man after my own heart.”
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Luca asked me instead, his voice slightly hoarse.
I laughed, leaning back on my hands. “No. Ribs are still sore, but I brought it on myself.” I grinned at him.
“I should probably take you seriously when we spar now,” the big ulfdrengr said, rubbing the back of his neck. I hit his shoulder teasingly.
“So you’re implying that you weren’t taking me seriously this whole time?” I arched one eyebrow in mock offense.
“I was still sparring you as a master spars with a student,” Luca replied.
“You’ve certainly learned a lot since I had you throwing right hooks in the backyard,” Liam said to me, offering a hand. I accepted it and he hauled me to my feet. He brushed the dirt and leaves from my shoulders. “And hell, you’re all muscle now.”
I spread my hands. “Riding every day and fighting with a sword are better workouts than anything I could dream up on my own.”
“She climbed a cliff once as well,” Luca said, grinning unapologetically when I shot him a look of reproach. “To escape sirens,” he added.
I sighed. “I might have left out the details of the cliff-climbing when I told you the condensed version of our journey.”
Liam shrugged. “You’re here and you’re whole, so why would I feel any kind of way about it, Bug? Sounds like you’ve held your own and then some.”
“So there’s beautiful warrior women—and men—on winged horses,” said Duke, adding the acknowledgement of the male Valkyrie when Robin raised his eyebrows, “and there’s sirens. Any other dangerous creatures that could seduce us that we should know about?”
“The Valkyrie are hardly in the same category as the sirens,” said Niamh, her voice like cool silk. “I would say our capabilities in both warfare and seduction are far superior.” She flashed a mischievous smile at Duke. “And we don’t need a poisoned kiss to convince our partners.”
Quinn slung one brown, tattooed arm about Duke’s shoulders. “Brother, you’re blushing.”
Niamh’s smile widened into a predatory grin. I almost felt bad for the mortal men; it seemed a bit unfair to let the Seelie women unleash their considerable charms upon them. But Quinn patted Duke’s face teasingly, said in a low voice, “She’s too tall for you anyway,” and then returned Niamh’s grin with a look of his own. The Valkyrie commander raised one eyebrow in consideration, her blue eyes traveling over Quinn’s well-muscled body. The mortal men had a different look than the Sidhe or the ulfdrengr: they displayed a raw physical power, unsoftened by Sidhe elegance or the ulfdrengr’s wolf-like sinuous grace. The four of them were different, Liam with his height and Jess with his broad shoulders, Quinn with his solid frame and Duke with his slim but muscled form—but they had all honed their bodies for the singular purpose of war. And just as I saw the Sidhe and the Northern warriors as otherworldly, so too must we as mortals seem to them, I realized. I hadn’t had much occasion to think about it in recent weeks.
“We will break camp an hour before dusk,” Luca said, putting an end to my musings.
“I’ll gather the Valkyrie,” said Niamh.
