Chapter Forty-Six

After that, they moved me closer to the cave mouth. Crisp air shuttered the grasses, whisked in through the opening, lifted the hair off the back of my neck. I fought against the bindings, bit against the gag. If I could get my hands free, I could work on the leather straps they’d wrapped around my ankles.

Or maybe I should work on my feet.

That actually wasn’t a bad idea. If I got my boots off, I could run. If I made it past the cave entrance, I could hide in the tall grasses until they gave up and stopped looking.

New plan. Better plan.

My fingers tingled from the loss of blood. My jaw ached.

I maneuvered myself so my knuckles grazed the soft leather of my boot, the hard edge of the buckle. I flexed my wrists and pushed, tried to ease my heel out and—

Nothing.

I tried again. The thin rail of metal caught the pad of my thumb. I wiggled my foot up and out, up and—

My heel caught on the spot where the rope had been wrapped.

A few feet away, guards puffed pipes of rosemary and mullein.

“Can’t do Tuesday,” one of them was saying. “Maybe Wednesday?”

“Wednesday’s goat racing,” said the other. “You coming?”

“Of course, I’m coming,” said the first. “When have I ever missed goat racing?”

Smoke tickled my nose, bright and herbal, caught the back of my throat. It mixed with the cold air and made my eyes water, but I could do this. Breathe. Focus. I just needed to wiggle one foot out. One foot.

One.

Foot.

I pressed my thumb against the shoe buckle, holding it in place. I tried to slide my foot out of the boot, my heel raising a fraction of an inch and—

Erik strode in. He had a sword buckled at his hip, and his mouth was hard, eyes smoldering. A cloak billowed behind him, black as shadow, black as smoke, a falling crow emblazoned down the center.

Pieces of conversation filtered back, hazy and round.

For her? He’ll come.

The ship arrives tomorrow.

We could have kept him quiet.

I should have seen it, should have known, but I’d been half drugged and unconscious. Me as bait, and Erik…

And Erik…

I had to get the gag off.

Erik glanced at me, bound and feral, then to Stefan, dried blood crusting under his nose. The corner of his mouth quirked.

I rolled the fabric with my shoulder. Stop being smug, I wanted to say. It’s a trap.

Stefan made a broad sweep of his hands. “Sit. We have drinks. Food.”

Erik slung a bag off his shoulder. It skidded over the ground. “As agreed.”

Stefan waited, his arms outstretched, palm facing up, as if he were a vicar greeting friends.

Erik didn’t move.

“Alright, then.” Stefan scooped the bag up and flicked it open.

A wave of sickness and desire hit me. I needed to scoot forward, to have it, to hold it. But how? Erik had said the boxes would be nearly impossible to steal.

No. Stay focused.

Remove the gag. Warn Erik.

Stefan lifted the Lover’s Boxes out, two of them, cream as paper, cream as bone, identical down to the pink whorls and painted rosettes.

I tucked my arms to my chest to keep myself from moving. My body strained. My muscles ached, and I wanted—

I wanted—

I wanted—

Erik gave a feral grit of the teeth. “Go ahead. Try them out. See how they work.”

“Let’s talk.”

“You have what you asked for.”

Stefan tucked both Lover’s Boxes back into the bag and tossed it to one of the guards. “Does Herleif know you’re here?”

I tried to roll the gag down with my shoulder again. The fabric caught on my tongue, thready and dry.

“That’s none of your business.”

Stefan’s eyes flicked to me. “I heard you bound yourself to him. And to a king like Herleif. Tsk, tsk .”

A pause. The only sound the whoosh of wind beyond the entrance.

I stopped fighting and tried to meet Erik’s gaze.

Look at me. Please tell me you didn’t do that. Please tell me that isn’t true. Please—

Erik’s hand went to the pommel of his sword. He flashed his teeth. “That’s not your concern.”

“It is when you’re readying yourself to attack.”

“Oh. You don’t know.” Erik gave a sharp laugh. “Your king’s been corrupted. You were going to attack us in three years’ time. The sooths saw it.” He glanced at me. The mask slipped and there, on his face, the fear, the desperation, and I knew, knew that he’d done it. Bound himself.

For me.

He slammed the walls back up and turned to Stefan. “Give me what you promised.”

“Here’s my problem.” Stefan stepped forward and pinched my cheek as if I was a dog. “I’m looking for Volgaard’s greatest weapon. And those…” A gesture at the bag with the Lover’s Boxes. “They aren’t it.”

“You’re out of luck, then. Volgaard doesn’t have any special weapons.”

“Oh, I think they do.” Stefan circled like a wolf drawing in for the kill. “She’s been helping me look, you know. She told us so many interesting things about Volgaard. About you. But the most interesting thing was about the ships.”

Erik’s eyes cut to me, confused. “We don’t keep weapons on the ships.”

“No,” Stefan agreed, “you don’t.” He stopped behind me. Placed a hand on my shoulder. Squeezed. “What did you tell me about the map? White stones for Rythja, black stones for the other houses?” He released me. “Sit. We have yogurt. Plum wine. Apricots from last fall’s harvest. A few of Larland’s delicacies.”

Erik didn’t move.

“If you intend to conquer us, you might as well see who we are.”

Stefan turned away, and I went back to trying to shrug the gag down. My cheeks throbbed.

Wouldn’t poison be Stefan’s weapon of choice?

He pulled out a glass bottle and two tumblers.

“I’ll admit,” he said, “at first, I was disappointed. Volgaard didn’t seem to have any advantage we could steal. It would come down to a contest of wills, of brute strength. As the defending army, we have the upper hand. But who knew how many ships you were bringing? With your magic, one of your men might equal five of ours. It wasn’t until Isabel told me about the map that it hit me. Volgaard’s greatest strength, their greatest weapon . The people.” He handed Erik the glass. “You can thank her for that.”

Erik raised the glass to his lips, the contents deep purple, reflecting the light, the world, ribboning the facets.

My fingertips needled, and I needed to warn him.

Stefan leaned his elbow against the cave wall and smirked.

It’s poison, I wanted to shout.

Lashes shaded Erik’s cheek. He took a deep breath and—

With a flick of the wrist, Erik dumped the contents into the dirt. “You think I’d drink anything you handed me?” His eyes gleamed. “I won. I will win every time. Remember that.”

Stefan stared at the wine, a swirl of black and grit. His face faltered, then collapsed into something savage. He fisted my hair and dragged me across the cave. Spots flared at the edges of my vision.

“You still want her? The Lover’s Boxes for your lover? That was the deal, wasn’t it? I have to admit, she did her job well.”

Erik laughed. “I knew Isabel was a spy the moment she waltzed down that beach.”

“Not that job.” Stefan pulled my head back, tipped my chin toward the ceiling.

No. Not the ceiling.

Toward Erik.

“What else did the minister tell you to do?”

The earth seemed to tip, seemed to sway.

That wasn’t supposed to come out like this. That wasn’t supposed to come out at all . I tried to tuck my chin to my chest, tried to squeeze my eyes shut.

Stefan jostled my head. “Look at him, Isabel. I want you to see the moment you break his heart.”

Erik swallowed.

The gag tightened, then loosed, a rush of air.

“You have to understand—” I started. “It wasn’t—”

“He’s waiting,” Stefan interrupted.

“They told me to…but I didn’t. It’s not… Stefan.” I licked my lips. “Please don’t make me do this.” The words were no more than a whisper.

Erik’s brow furrowed. “Make you do what?”

A release of hair. I fell forward, my bound wrists scraping the ground.

Stefan’s voice pitched higher. Mock surprise. “Oh? You didn’t know? She was supposed to seduce you. Get you to fall in love with her. Convince you to tell her secrets using her pretty mouth.”

Erik didn’t respond.

“And she wrapped you so tight around her finger—”

“Shut up,” Erik said.

“You ran as soon as we—”

“I said, shut up!”

The words echoed off the ceiling. Erik’s chest heaved. Sweat gleamed on his brow.

Stefan smirked. “Take her. That is…if you still want her.”

And then he was gone.

I doubled forward, rested my forehead on the cool cave floor.

“Help me with my—”

But there was no movement, no rush to aid. Instead, Erik watched me like I was a swindler, a snake. “You were…using me?” The words were slow, almost as if he didn’t believe them.

“It’s not like that.”

“Oh-ho.” His teeth flashed. “Then tell me, Isabel. What was it?”

I twisted against the bindings. “It’s— I can explain.”

“So, you’re telling me you weren’t explicitly tasked to get to know me? You’re telling me you weren’t explicitly tasked to get me in your bed? You’re saying you weren’t—” His voice broke. Black tendrils spilled off him, snatching at empty air. Snow fell, glittering. It wove into windows, into wolves.

He drew back. “You know, the one thing I could never figure out was why they picked you. But it makes sense. It makes so much fucking sense, and I was so stupid for not seeing it. Somewhere deep down, I knew you were using me, but I wanted—I needed—” He gritted his teeth. “I was so fucking desperate for someone to care, I played right into your trap. I—” He swallowed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I never want to see you again.”

“Erik…it’s not—” My voice cracked. “Let me explain.”

“There is nothing to explain!” Thunder cracked, and it all exploded—the storm, the snow, the wolves. “You could have told me. You had so many opportunities to tell me. Instead, you used me. You fucking used me. Just like everyone else. Did I ever matter, or was I just another job?”

Tears pricked at my eyes. “Why did you bind yourself to him?”

“Because you left . You fucking left, Isabel, and I didn’t have a choice!”

He stalked forward and dropped into a crouch. The smooth press of fingers beneath my jaw. He lifted my chin. Our eyes met and his were a fortress, the bridge drawn up. His next words were dangerously quiet. “You could say a million words and I would never trust you again.”

A whistle cut through the air.

“Goodbye, Isabel.”

“Erik, look—”

Someone grabbed Erik around the waist and dragged him back. One of the guards.

Erik twisted, barreling into the man.

Then suddenly, the guard was on the floor, pinned beneath Erik’s legs as Erik punched him over and over again.

The man let out a cry. Blood streamed from his nose and mouth, and shit. Erik was going to kill this man, was going to kill him right here with his bare hands.

The second guard peeled from the entrance, this one larger, a bald head and thewed shoulders, black coat.

I fought against the rope. “Erik, behind—”

The second man grabbed Erik’s forehead, shoved a rag into his face.

Erik thrashed, elbowing the man in the groin. The man let out an oof . The rag parted from Erik’s face and—

The man pressed it harder.

Erik stilled, then slumped.

Stefan stepped out of the shadows. He clapped once, twice. “Well done.” He spared a single glance at Erik, unconscious on the floor. “Tell me, what should we do with Larland’s new weapon? Should we break him like a stallion? Breed him like a dog? I hear reykr is hereditary. Perhaps he’d pass on his ability to Send.” He smoothed a strand of hair behind my ear. “King Wilhelm was very interested in Volgaard’s magic.”

I tried to bite his fingers.

He pulled them out of reach.

“Ship’s here,” someone called.

“Take him down,” Stefan replied. “Make sure you keep him drugged.”

“And the girl?”

Stefan stepped back, his lips grim. “I’ll take care of her.”

They hauled Erik out of the cave, and it was just me and Stefan. He pulled my knife from his belt, let it dangle between his fingertips. The hilt gleamed the deepest red and burnt-honey brown.

I struggled against the bindings, pulling frantic. “Stefan,” I said. “Please. We’re friends. It doesn’t have to—”

The knife clattered to the floor.

Stefan’s chest heaved. Sweat glistened on his brow and matted his hair.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll go back to your quiet life,” he said. “Become the physician of some tiny town. Forget about him.”

“Stefan!” someone called. “The ship is leaving.”

His lip tugged into a snarl. He stood. “If I see you again, I’ll kill you.”

Then he was gone.