Chapter 12

Noora

“This is what you wanted to save.” Noora threw a lazy hand gesture over to the man—Kai—who had slumped in on himself, still unconscious.

His side was now wrapped securely with gauze, she managed to clean the wound entirely and stitch it up evenly. She had to stitch herself up countless times when she just started to hunt in the forest. She didn’t know where to step, stumbling over roots and slashing her skin against sharp stones in the river av Livet.

She still had the scar running down her right calf, when she accidentally woke up a small lynx family as she stumbled over their cave, searching for mushrooms.

It was barely noticeable now, her skin so pale that it blended with the scar. Lulva said it made her look brave, though Noora knew it was only another chip in her well-built wall.

The wolf sprawled closer, carefully poking his nose against the gloved hand of Kai. He turned his head to her as if to ask her why he was still unconscious.

“How should I know? If he can’t even handle getting his wound disinfected, I’m of no help.”

The wolf huffed.

She sighed, grabbing the satchel filled with a needle and thread and other things to help someone in need.

“Let’s go, if we’re lucky he wakes up hours after we’re gone.” Noora turned to go, already trying to make up a plan on how to keep on going.

All her gold was gone.

It would take her ages to save up the amount of Gulls she had.

Even if she would sell a wolf every day—which was highly unlikely—it would not be enough.

She did not like the default plan she had come up with a few hours ago, there were too many risks, even if the reward of her success would be more than satisfying.

First, she needed to get out of Lukas’s farm before his family returned.

Taking a step towards the entrance she heard a familiar growl.

“What?” She snapped, turning around.

The wolf showed his teeth at her in disdain, his snout pulling backward and revealing his monstrous nature.

“What do you want me to do? I stitched him up, and he is fine. I don’t want to spend any more time in the presence of a guard from the palace. He might look harmless but you heard how he talks about people like me.”

The animal huffed before it nudged Kai’s hand again. This time the light caught onto something glinting on his finger.

Dropping the satchel back to the ground, she quickly walked over to the unconscious man.

She was right.

A silver ring was sitting snugly on his finger, acting as a cage for a large Aventurine.

“Do you know how much that is worth?” she unnecessarily asked the wolf. Casting a glance up at the man to make sure he was still asleep, she went to slip the ring off his finger. Her gaze snapped to his jacket lying discarded on the ground.

She snatched it quickly and her hands dove through all pockets, two on the outside, three on the inside.

She closed her hand around three coins in the last pocket, pulling them out.

She almost choked on her saliva.

“Kronen.”

The golden coins winked back at her, the intricate design of the royal court carved into the metal. Only the royal family and guards were allowed that kind of gold, it was so much more worth than gulls and they were Noora’s way out.

She stalked back to look at the man for a moment. His breathing had returned to normal, his skin still flushed, probably from an incoming fever, caused by the inflammation of the wound.

His lashes were starkly black like they were dipped in ink, fluttering against the high of his cheeks. His nose was slightly crooked, Noora knew it had to be broken sometime in the past to carry that shape.

His hair was long for a guard, his curls defined and always dancing before his eyes. His skin was slightly tan, even though the sun rarely came out in Oy Frossen. And though he was only a guard at the palace, Noora had a hunch, that this sickly weak man was of great importance.

Whoever he was, he was the solution.

Noora slipped a dagger out of her boot, nodding at the wolf.

“Wake him up.”

He let out a happy yip and drove his tongue over Kai’s cheek.

A devilish grin spread on her lips as she imagined the way the posh guard would react to wolf saliva.

The wolf licked again before Kai slowly stirred.

His lashes fluttered against his cheeks, his lids moving restlessly until his eyes blinked open, revealing the jade green of them.

His gaze jumped around, disoriented for a moment.

“What…ugh.” He wiped at his cheek with the sleeve of his shirt, while the wolf put his big snout into his lap.

“What happened?” Kai asked, absently stroking the wolf’s head.

“You passed out,” Noora said slowly,pointing at his side with her dagger.

“Check the wound.”

He lifted his shirt, revealing the toned lines of his abdomen and the wide gauze wrapped around where three angry slashes sat minutes ago.

A relieved sigh left his lips. Noora still watched him carefully.

“Now that you are all stitched up, you can leave. Of course, after you paid me.”

His eyes narrowed. “Paid you?”

“Yes.” She nodded, hardening her grip around the dagger. She wouldn’t even need the blade. She knew she could knock him out in a matter of seconds.

To her surprise, Kai threw his head back, breaking out into rumbling laughter. She narrowed her gaze at him as he kept on laughing, wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye.

They shone at her in amusement, funneling the anger inside her.

“Why, in the great heavens, would I pay you?”

She dove forward in a second, the wolf scrambling away with a whine as she held up the blade against his neck.

His eyes widened, as his body froze in fear.

“Because your idiocy put both of us in danger and not only did I have to save you arrogant, ungrateful bastard but I had to take you to a place that is sacred to me, stitch you up while you passed out. I used utils on you, wasted them on you, and they are expensive.”

“You’re calling this place sacred?” His brows raised in disbelief, and his eyes flickered around the barn.

Once it was sacred. She didn’t know how she felt about it now. But he didn’t need to know that.

“A royal guard can afford to pay a little, can’t he?”

“What do you think, I am some kind of rich man? I’m new to the royal guard, I barely have anything saved up!”

Liar.

She pressed the blade further into his skin.

“Should we see if your fresh blood is also black? Maybe I could sell your body on the market and get my fair share for the troubles you made me go through.”

He held up his hands in defense. “Are you crazy?” His voice shook before he went on. “Listen, I am most grateful for your service but I don’t have any gold, despite you thinking I have. I am but a mere guard, low on order. If I had anything to spare I would give you something.”

Greedy Bastard.

He could even spare her one of the Kronen; it would be enough for her.

“I see.” She backed off, narrowing her eyes at him. An uneven breath left his lips. His eyes rove over her for a moment. Noora felt like she saw something hiding beneath those watercolour eyes, a hint of something but before she could grasp onto the unknown, his lips parted.

“I don’t have any gold. But I may know how you could get a pretty good sum.”

Noora crossed her arms in front of her, making sure that he saw the blade of the dagger resting close to her.

“I’m listening.”

She wondered what he would come up with. She would lull him into safety and maybe follow him up to his house.

It wouldn’t matter if she stole from the rich, despite what he was saying, she knew he had gold. She would not take much, just enough for her and Lulva. She saved his life, he owed her that much.

“This is exclusive information, from the royal palace.”

“No need to glamorize it, just get to the point,” she said, drawing an impatient breath. A glare was his answer but still, he kept on going.

“The royal family has planned to throw a tournament, with a prize of 100,000 Gulls for the winner.”

“One hundred thousand?” The words slipped past her tongue incredulously. Only the royal family could come up with a careless idea and spend that much gold on nothing. She could imagine it; how the prince was lounging on his throne, ordering around servants, declaring that he was bored and he wanted to throw a tournament.

“The king wants to gift his subjects some spark and joy—”

“And he thinks the best way to do that is to gift 100,000 Gulls to one person? How would that help the subjects?”she asked.

Kai’s gaze darkened and satisfaction immediately fled her body. “Not so clever, is he, your king?”

The man was up in an instant as if never injured. Noora almost stumbled as he advanced on her but she caught herself quickly, throwing up the dagger and pointing it right at his abdomen. Kai hesitated but he was clearly close enough for his rage to waft off of him, clouding their surroundings.

“The king is doing everything he can and I will not tolerate you talking down on him, not knowing what he is willing to do for his kingdom.”

Noora narrowed her eyes at him, the audacity this man had was incredible.

“Well, certainly he has not been doing enough. Because soon your king will no longer have any subjects. The water is beginning to spoil, the harvests are growing smaller with every day. The land is rotting and he has nothing better to do than throw a stupid tournament.”

Kai scoffed, still not moving away from the dagger. If possible he leaned even closer, making Noora catch a few green sparks flying in the depth of the dark irises of his eyes.

“You were interested in the silly tournament a few moments ago. Don’t pretend like you care about the lands just because you’re a witch. You’re greedy, caring only about your survival.”

“How dare you, question my intentions? Is it dishonourable to make sure one stays alive? I may care more about the land than your glorious king does! He is merely a child who is so lost that he does not know what he is doing!”

Kai froze. Their chests heaving, both of them stared each other down. One with fiery rage, the other with icy indifference. Noora could see she hit a nerve and she desperately wanted him to keep going. She needed to fight, to somehow blame this whole mess on anyone else than herself. But she knew it was hers. She should’ve known that she didn’t have that much luck. It was her damn fault, for not thinking further and hiding the gold somewhere else.

Kai turned abruptly, walking over to grab his jacket off the floor. Noora could see him wincing when he leaned down, with his sudden movements the stitching would fly open in no time.

Yet he stashed the pain away and stalked over to her still furious.

He stretched out a gloved hand, palm up, seeming to wait for something.

“What?” she spat out, trying her dearest to hold in the tears. She was not going to cry in front of him. Please do not let her cry in front of him.

“My Kronen.” His clipped voice made her look at him in surprise. How could he know?

He raised a light brow, something wicked twisting his smile. “What, you think I don’t know when someone has gone through my stuff? Give me the gold, little thief.”

“I don’t know whatever you are talking about.” She went for nonchalant.

Kai sighed. “Listen, either you hand me over what belongs to me or we can talk about this in the palace. I heard the dungeons are rather cosy, you won’t be alone with all those spiders and cockroaches.”

She narrowed her gaze at him. Did he really think she feared insects? Though Noora did want to avoid getting thrown into captivity, it would be a rather inconvenient turn of events.

With a last ounce of dignity, she pulled out the heavy coins, letting them drop into his hand. The coins clinked against each other, a sound so soft like raindrops hitting the earth.

There went her last hope.

“I can’t believe I thought you were her,” he mumbled, suddenly looking wistful.

Noora decided not to give him the satisfaction of asking him who he was talking about. “The next time a bear comes across you, I’ll wish it a delightful meal.”

Kai clenched his jaw and she watched his shoulders lock up before he burst past her.

A low whine came from the corner and she saw that the white wolf still lingered.

“What do you want now? Because of you I got into this situation, wasting my time with an injured idiot. Just piss off!”

The words echoed around the barn.

The wolf looked at her for another moment, before bursting through the doors, probably following Kai.

Outraged with everything, Noora’s knuckles turned white around the grip of her dagger.

She threw it at one of the dusty windows, the blade embedding into the glass.

The dagger stuck there unmoving, only the grip vibrating from the force of her throw. Nothing happened for a moment. Then she heard it. The telltale sound of the glass splitting. Thin spiderwebbed lines ran away from the blade, racing each other to reach the frame of the window. The lines spread until there was nowhere else to go and the glass broke with a burst, tiny pieces of glass raining down onto the ground right where Kai’s jacket was lying seconds ago.

A few dark specks littered the floor, soaking into the hay lying all around.