Chapter 9

Noora

The rain was pelting onto her back, worsening the unbearable pain of the still open flesh. She tasted blood on her tongue from how hard she bit on it but she did not care.

The only thing her feet could do was run. Run until she lost her breath and slipped into unconsciousness to escape the pain.

Blood ran over her back but she wrapped it as carefully as she could.

Elise tried to talk to her afterward but she ignored her, there was nothing left to say. She betrayed her and the gold was gone, she would never be able to leave Oy Frossen without it.

She would have to watch Freckles stay in the orphanage knowing the matron would choose her to torture, once Noora was gone.

And Noora would be unable to do anything about it. A witch was not allowed to take in another child, even when she came of age.

The forest sang, greeting her lightly as she stepped inside, the storm finally abiding and moving on from their small town.

She didn’t know what she was doing here, she just could not face Lulva and tell her the gold was gone.

At first thought, she wanted to go to the farm, until she remembered that she fought with Lukas, who apparently thought she was not worth it as well. Maybe she should start writing a list.

A guffaw travelled through the dim light of the forest, Noora not flinching at the sound. The familiarity was soothing to her screaming body.

Her steps slowed down as she heard the steady flow of river av Livet.

Stepping through the thicket, the river came into view. She dug her heels into the ground and squatted down, her hand dipping into the water. It felt different. Its usual warmth was gone, not soothing to her blistered skin.

She looked up to the sky to see the moon slowly rising, greeting her softly with the glow of its light.

Soaking it in, Noora closed her eyes to somehow make sense of the chaos in her head.

She needed a new plan. There must be another way for her to leave this damned kingdom when she turned eighteen in a matter of weeks. She may not have the necessary materials to make it a comfortable journey but maybe she could shoot another wolf, and sell it to van Dijk but this time not for gold. She could sneak out with Lulva and have van Dijk bring them onto a ship, where she could work with the crew to gain their stay on it. It would at least bring them away from Oy Frossen.

A scream tore through the evening air.

Noora was on her feet in a matter of seconds, drawing her bow as she turned to see something running towards her, with flailing arms. What in the world?

She drew her arrow tighter, the muscles in her back crying as she watched that something turn into a young man, another panicked scream tearing out of him.

“A BEAR! RUN!”

What?

But Noora had no time to decipher his words and make meaning of them as a raging shadow burst through the forest.

The blood drained from her face.

A grizzly as tall as a small building was running straight at her.

“Hel,” she whispered until her body reacted.

She turned on her heel, breaking out into the sprint of her life. She was already low on her energy but she still burst through the river, soaking her boots until she came onto land again, running for her life.

Why did she not pack her knives? Her bow was nothing against this growling shadow of death.

In no time she reached the man still running, his golden locks flying in the wind.

He was still screeching like a girl until she reached his side and he blanched in fear.

“It’s just me you imbecile. I’d advise you to tone down your damsel in distress screeches so we could outrun this thing!” Her legs burned as she charged beside him. His head turned, his eyes widening.

He stumbled over his feet, his boot catching onto a stray tree root. His body was falling quicker than she could’ve imagined.

A roar of triumph settled from the bear, who was advancing at high speed.

Noora cursed before she clamped her hand around his arm, pulling him back to his feet.

“Move!” she barked at him and they both stumbled together, as a shadow grew over them. Fuck.

Holding her breath, she indicated for him to stay where he was, slowly turning their heads.

She was staring into the soulless eyes of the grizzly, who towered over them. Its teeth gnashing dangerously.

“Do. Not. Move,” she whispered to the boy beside her.

“You think I could move right now?” he bit back.

The bear was watching them, palms raised.

Now it was time to replan.

Noora dug her hand into the boy’s back. “Slowly bend down.”

“What?” he asked, his eyes still on the hovering grizzly.

“Neal,” she snapped, as she slowly bent her torso. She bit her tongue at the pain on her back but it was mostly drowned out by the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

The man finally obliged and bent down beside her, a small hiss leaving his lips. He was hurt.

Noora slowly let her hand wander down her left leg, praying that she left the hammer-sized machete on the side.

Her hand wrapped around the grip, her heart thumping against her ribcage in the beat of a hummingbird’s wings.

She sighed.

The grizzly roared.

She drew the blade and threw it right into the side of the monster, as lightning shot from the side at the bear tackling it to the ground.

“What?” Noora breathed out in surprise, as the grizzly stumbled down the deep hill, crying out in agony. A roaring howl was the answer to it.

She froze at the familiarity of it.

The white fur ball mingled with the black of the bear, as they stumbled and landed somewhere near the river.

The forest lay in silence.

After a moment of hesitation, something climbed up the hill again, and at the sight of it Noora relaxed.

“We are going to die.” Reminded by the stranger beside her, she turned to shoot a quick look at him.

His pale cheeks were flushed in fear, golden locks obstructing half of his view.

She narrowed her eyes at him, catching the glint of the royal coat of arms at his sleeve. Someone from the palace.

She turned her head back when it growled.

The wolf charged at her with alarming speed and before she could dodge him he tackled her to the ground and slid his tongue over her cheek.

“Stop it you monstrous thing!”

The wolf guffawed before sniffing her hair and licking her face again.

Noora pushed gently at his snout, still in shock when she looked at the white wolf.

One scar ran down his eye from when the alpha swiped at it. But even without the familiar trademark, she would recognise it.

“Look who made it,” she said and the wolf looked at her as if to tell her something.

A low whine left its mouth as if he could sense she was in pain.

“Get away from her! Hey!” Both their heads turned to the stranger, who had picked up a branch pointing at the wolf.

His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he advanced on them.

“It’s all right, he is not dangerous.”

“He’s not dangerous?” his voice was pitched high, disbelieving. “He just killed a grizzly!”

“I don’t think it’s dead.” Noora got up to her feet, dusting off her trousers.

She turned away from him and started to walk, the wolf following her happily. She narrowed her eyes at the way his tongue lolled out of his mouth.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the guy shouted after her.

“Far away from you. Before you wake up a whole grizzly campaign with your shrieking.”

“I did not shriek!”

She turned her head slightly, still walking. “Yeah, you’re right. You were squealing,” she paused a second, “like a little girl.”

The wolf guffawed beside her, a low rumble that reminded her of a chuckle.

The stranger sputtered. “How dare you! Do you always talk like that to—“ he stopped himself.

Noora turned to look at him.

“Do I always talk like that to people, who set a grizzly into my path, risking my life? No, usually I kill those people and do not talk at all.”

He blanched for a moment and it seemed like he was taking her in for the first time.

Noora straightened her shoulders, even though it hurt her back as she scanned him as well.

The golden locks sat hazardous on his head, his skin creeping back to a normal colour, instead of the greenish tint it had seconds ago. She assessed his lithe body, it looked like he had defined muscles, even though he didn’t know how to put use to them.

He was clad in a thick uniform. The blue garment was stitched together with silver lining. Noora guessed him to be a guard of the royal family, maybe an officer if she didn’t regard his courage. But even the most courageous guards run from fewer things than grizzlies.

Discarding his clothing, she looked at his straight nose internally mock gasping when she detected a small bump in it, a flaw. His lips parted slightly, his breath turning slower. They were flushed with blood, his cupid bow dipping delicately.

Noora faltered when she lifted her gaze to his eyes.

She was expecting the ice blue, people in Oy Frossen carried, framed by the colour of pale lashes.

But in this case, it was different.

Pale green eyes, the colour of jade assessed her carefully, wisely, like they were picking up on every tick of her body. The way her shoulders were sagging, so she wouldn’t stretch the slashes on her back, the shift of her hips to take the weight off her left ankle, that she probably sprained during their run. His eyes were framed by lashes so dark she was wondering if he dipped them in coal.

The stranger cleared his throat. “I am sorry I put you into the path of danger and officially express my gratitude to you.” He glanced at the wolf. “And your…pet.”

Said pet growled at him.

“Easy.” Noora held a reassuring hand up, turning back to look at the boy.

“What are you doing out here?”

His eyes darkened at her question but nonetheless answered her.

“I was ordered to come and see if the rumors were true. If the lands in Oy Frossen were rotting and turning to death.”

“Ordered by the king?” she questioned. “Well, officially, he is still the prince.”

Noora narrowed her eyes at him. “And why does he send you?”

She gestured towards his clothes and he looked at her as if she called him to be hideous.

“I am of high value to the royal family.” He lifted his chin in what she assumed was supposed to be an intimidating way. “He counts on me.”

“Congratulations.”

He looked at her, confused by her not being impressed, she guessed.She turned again to leave. Why was the royal family sending an inexperienced soldier into the deep woods of town? She haltered and turned back around.

“You should not tell them about the grizzly.”

She blinked when she noticed that he didn’t move an inch, watching her with curiosity.

“Why not?”

“It was not his fault.”

The boy chuckled. “He is dangerous, if it weren’t for you I would be dead.”

“If it weren’t for him,” she points to the wolf still hovering beside her. “You would be dead.”

“But you threw the machete.”

Her mouth opened in surprise. Did he see that?

“Don’t tell them about the grizzly. They are usually living here in peace, you disturbed his natural habitat,“ she told him.

“I am allowed to walk on any grounds the King owns. Including this forest.” Noora narrowed her eyes in disgust at this arrogant man.

“Well, then good luck for the princeling when he sends his soldiers here, who scream at the sight of the bear.”

Fire blazed in his jade eyes, but the rest of his face stayed cool.

“I remember you running too.”

“I wasn’t the one screaming like a girl.”

“I did not—” He took a step forward and she immediately drew her arrow, the wolf growling beside her.

The man raised his arms, fascination glinting in his eyes.

“Why is he loyal to you?”

“That is none of your business,” she hissed, her arrow still pointed at him.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Yes, you did,” she said. “You were deliberately arrogant, not caring about nature and its inhabitants, knowing it would rile me up.” She drew the string tighter.

“The question is why.”

A slow smirk grew on his lips, caught in the act. It pissed her off, so she let go of the arrow.

He didn’t move an inch as it soared past his frame, only inches from his cheek. She drew another one. “The next one won’t miss. Who are you?”

Hands still raised in the air, he took a step forward. The wolf growled and the man faltered.

“My name is Kai.”