Chapter 12

DAELLA

My head felt as if it had been sawed in half, like the logs I’d spent all yesterday collecting. Blearily, I cracked open my eyes and squinted up at the ceiling. Wooden beams crisscrossed overhead, illuminated by the orange glow spilling in through the windows. Ouch. The light hurt, too.

Last night…it had been achingly brief, thanks to my drinking a measly two pints too quickly. But my heart swelled when I thought of the market square. All those lanterns filling everyone’s faces with light. The bard and his silly song about Isveig. The taste of Lilia’s brew on my tongue, sweet and intoxicating. And Rivelin…

My heart beat a little faster. He’d carried me home and tucked me into bed, and there, on the bedside table, he’d left water.

The irritable, angry elf who hated everything I was and everything about where I came from. He’d taken care of me. Obviously, it hadn’t been an entirely selfless move. I was his assistant for the Games, and he needed my help to build the boat. If he’d left me there to down a few more pints, I’d be nothing short of useless for the entire day. I’d never been drunk myself, but I’d seen plenty of the castle denizens back in Fafnir vomiting up their lungs after a particularly raucous feast.

It was the only explanation that made sense—he didn’t want me to be a burden when he needed my help. Only hours earlier, he’d trapped me against a tree and put a dagger to my throat. And then he’d decided to carry me.

With a steadying breath, I threw aside the quilt and put my bare feet on the floor. I didn’t remember taking my shoes off last night. Had he done that, too? I blinked at the water on the bedside table, my mind struggling to make sense of the past few days. It all suddenly felt too real—too big to comprehend.

I’d spent so long in captivity or traipsing through the empire doing Isveig’s bidding that freedom always felt like an impossibility—even a brief moment of it. And now I was here in a strange land surrounded by strange people, and I’d never felt more light, like a heavy weight had finally fallen from my shoulders. I hadn’t seen it coming. I’d never even dreamed something like this could happen to me, and since being here, a part of me had tried to avoid thinking about what this could mean.

That there truly was a life outside of Fafnir Castle. That, if I played my cards right, a place like this could be my future, not just a passing dream.

Sighing, I drank the water and then wandered out of the bedroom, following the scent of food. The living room was silent and empty, and there was no sign of Rivelin or Skoll, though the blanket on the sofa had been folded into a neat little square and placed on top of his pillow.

I nibbled on my bottom lip, a guilty twang going through me. Perhaps we should take turns on the sofa. It only seemed fair.

The scent of crispy bacon and fried potatoes led me through the archway into the kitchen. A plate of food had been left on the counter, covered by a cloth. While I’d been sleeping the drink away, Rivelin had been up and at ‘em, cooking me breakfast and getting a head-start on the day.

Perhaps…perhaps I’d been wrong to judge him the way I had. He might not walk around with a smile on his face, but neither did I—at least not a real one. And there might be the scent of dragon in his room, but…well, I couldn’t think of a good explanation for that one. He didn’t act like a Draugr, at least any I’d met. He didn’t have that wildness, that cruelty in his eyes. And his hands, when they touched me…I shivered just thinking of the steam that hissed between us.

In the privacy of my own thoughts, I could admit something about it felt thrilling. Toe-curling, almost.

As I ate, I heard a hammer thudding behind the building. I finished my food, carefully rinsed my plate, and left it to dry on the counter before looking out the window. Rivelin was out back with yesterday’s wood piled around him. He’d lined up the larger of the logs in a row and stood above them, his bare chest glistening in the baking sun.

My stomach flipped as a delicious heat seared me. His broad chest was home to mountainous peaks that spoke of hard-earned strength and power. Fingers tensing, I couldn’t help but wonder what those ridges felt like. Would just one touch be like the spray of the storm-tossed sea? Would those muscles rumble against my hands like thunder?

I blinked and sucked in a breath when I realized the torrid direction of my thoughts. What in fate’s name was wrong with me? It wasn’t as if I’d never seen a man’s bare chest before. In fact, at court, Isveig liked to parade around half-naked with his entourage, making certain every woman in the castle got a glimpse.

“Right.” I wiped my sweaty palms on my trousers, and my palm brushed a splatter of dirt. I was still wearing the same thing I’d worn all day yesterday. Rivelin likely expected me to join him after I bathed, and truth be told I probably owed him that, at least.

And then I remembered.

As soon as I’d stepped inside his blacksmith shop last night, the scent of dragon had been so strong I’d almost gagged. In the haze of the celebration, I’d forgotten all about it. After everything he’d done—and who he was showing himself to be—I didn’t want to think the worst of him. I wanted to trust him, fates be damned. I shouldn’t want it. I really, truly shouldn’t.

Just like I never should have trusted Isveig.

A whistling breath escaped from my throat, and I stole across the floor to the door that led down the stairs and into his blacksmith shop. While he was busy building the boat, I’d just take a quick look around, more to confirm he wasn’t playing with fire than to confirm he was. I didn’t want to find any evidence, but my nose had never lied to me.

I just had to hope there was a good explanation.

The steps creaked as I inched into the shop. I quietly shut the door behind me, and the scent of dragon hit me like a punch. My eyes nearly watered from the force of it, from the all-consuming pull I’d always felt toward that power. As I tiptoed past the anvil—almost as tall as me and twice as wide—I breathed through my mouth to give me some relief from the onslaught.

But my throat burned and my gut twisted and every hair on my arms stood on end.

I shuddered, sweeping my eyes across a collection of hammers and some horseshoes hung along the wooden beam to my right. The truth was as thick and cloying as the scent. I’d wanted to give Rivelin the benefit of the doubt, but there was no mistaking the depths of his involvement with this. He couldn’t have picked this scent up by accident. For it to be this strong, he’d been near a dragon or he’d used their volatile magic himself. Very recently.

If he was using dragon magic, he was a Draugr, and I had to stop him. And the entire village, too, if they were involved. All the kindness he’d shown me, it had been nothing but a lie to get me to trust him, to look the other way.

I stole a glance over my shoulder to make certain he hadn’t wandered back into the house. The heavy thud of his boots would give me enough warning to get out of here, but thankfully, the only answering sound was distant birdsong.

He’d only shown me his shop for the briefest of moments. And he’d been acting oddly, too, likely suspecting I might sniff out the truth. Perhaps he’d hidden some evidence somewhere amidst all the horseshoes and hammers and tongs. If I could find that, I could be certain I was doing the right thing by telling Isveig about this place when I left—if we didn’t win the Midsummer Games, of course. Then I’d have to take care of the dragon magic problem myself. How? I had no idea, but I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.

There were few places in the shop someone might hide something. Inside the forge itself was a possibility. What better way to throw someone off the scent than by burying any contraband beneath a pile of charred coals? Of course, then I likely wouldn’t scent dragon at all. Coal hid smells extremely well.

Rivelin also had some barrels packed full of various tools: axes, long-handled hammers, and a couple of spears. I shoved my face into the barrel and took a long sniff but found no dragon magic there.

That left the closet in the corner. With furtive steps, I crossed the room and reached the back wall with one ear still listening for footsteps. I frowned as I looked at the closet’s door handle. There was no lock.

This felt wrong somehow, but if I didn’t check, I might never confirm the truth.

And so I yanked open the door and looked inside.

Rows upon rows of swords lined the closet walls. Each one was unique and expertly crafted. Designs swirled across the blades, gemstones had been inlaid along the hilts, and some pommels had been carved in the shape of various animals. I was struck by the beauty of it all—the incredible talent needed to create these. Each and every one was like a piece of art.

“Trying to find the perfect weapon to wield against me?” Rivelin said from behind me.

I yelped, my heart leaping into my throat. As I turned to face him, I braced myself for the angry lines that would bracket his mouth, but instead, his eyes roamed across my face, almost...curious.

“I’m sorry, I was just having a look around,” I said. It was close enough to the truth.

“In my weapons closet?”

“Well, I didn’t know it was a weapons closet until I opened it. A pretty impressive one, I’ll admit. Have you made all of these?”

He nodded warily. “I’m a blacksmith. That’s what we do.”

“True. It’s just...you made a big deal about this island and your no-weapons law. I’m surprised to find you have so many swords.”

“I don’t use them, nor do I announce their presence. They’re supposed to be safely hidden away in my closet.”

“There’s no lock on the door,” I pointed out.

“I don’t normally have intruders poking around my shop.”

“I’m offended. I’m not an intruder. I’m a...”

He raised his brow, waiting for the rest of my sentence. Truthfully, I kind of was an intruder, at least to the island at large. I’d been sent here by the enemy emperor to find some people to capture. Maybe not this specific island, but close enough. And I had every intention to keep up my end of the bargain if we didn’t win these Games. Because if I didn’t, I’d never go free.

So Rivelin did have a point.

I decided to change the direction of the conversation. “These aren’t just any swords. The craftsmanship is incredible. The pommel here—is that a dain?”

“I’m surprised you know of dains.”

“I came across some in a forest once when I was...anyway, it is a remarkable resemblance.”

Dain were deer who feasted on a particular type of plant only found in the deepest parts of the forests of Edda. They had elven features with their sharply pointed ears and long lives. Some said they were somehow distantly related, though I’d always thought that story was more myth than truth. Perhaps I’d been wrong.

Rivelin gave me a long, lingering look before he replied. “Thank you, I think. I spent a long time on that one.”

“It looks like you spent ages on all of them. How did you learn to do all this?”

A shutter went over his eyes. “My parents.”

“Are they here on the islands, too, like your sister?”

“No, not here,” he said, his voice clipped. “They’re dead. The emperor’s murks killed them.”

Oh.

I stared at him, my heart thundering, unable to find the right words. I should have known as much with the way Rivelin spoke about Isveig and his mercenaries. His feelings toward the emperor went far deeper than mere dislike. He held a grudge. A big one. And I understood far better than I could ever explain.

Isveig had killed a lot of people. And if he hadn’t done the deed himself, his warriors, his guards, and his mercenaries had done it for him. I had done it for him. Regret wound through me.

Rivelin grabbed a leather satchel from the table beside his anvil and made for the shop’s front door.

“Where are you going?” I asked, my voice hoarse from the conflicting emotions pumping through me.

“Out,” he tossed over his shoulder. “Don’t follow me.”

I frowned. “Don’t we need to work on the boat? The first trial starts tomorrow, doesn’t it?”

“We’ll work on it later. I need some space.” He reached the door and shoved it open.

“Rivelin, wait,” I felt compelled to say, though I didn’t know why. The scent of dragon made it clear he was my enemy. I shouldn’t feel so eager to smooth things over, and yet, the words had come of their own accord.

He paused, one hand on the door. “Close the closet and don’t touch anything in there. I’ll know if you do.”

And then he was gone.