Chapter 56

Louisawalked without looking, without purpose. Just letting her feet follow her old familiar path through her lands, up and down hills, over logs and rocks and roots.

She'ddone the right thing. She'd done what was best for Sune. She'd done what was best for Killik and Ulfarr. She'd done what was best — she drew in a shaky breath — for herself.

Becauseyes, she could admit, she still loved Ulfarr. She still even loved Killik, even if that snake didn't deserve it, even if he didn't care about her. Even if it had all been a lie, all this time.

And— another breath, an angry swipe of her hand at her prickling eyes — she still loved Sune, too. It had been such a privilege getting to know him, spending all that time with him. Helping him build, teaching him to ride, sparring with him, learning flyting beside him. He was such a good, clever, hardworking boy, and Killik and Ulfarr really were so lucky to have him, and she would miss him so damned much.

Butit still settled Louisa's certainty deeper, tight in her set jaw, her clenched fists. She'd done the right thing. She wouldn't have been able to live with herself, knowing she'd broken up their family. She couldn't have borne the prospect of being Killik's — replacement, in Ulfarr and Sune's lives. Killik's ultimate sacrifice, on the altar of Ulfarr's happiness.

Andworst of all, she couldn't have borne the truth about Ulfarr wanting that son. Even if she'd wanted it too, she still couldn't have borne that weight, that constant pressure to produce an outcome that was fully beyond her control. It would have felt like LordScall all over again, like a failure forever hovering over her, demeaning her, grinding her down into hopeless, helpless misery.

No. She wouldn't. She'd borne it once, and never again. LordScall was dead. Dead.

Butthen — Louisa jolted. Froze in the middle of the path. Because there, standing before her in the late afternoon sun, was —

LordScall.

Big, frowning, hulking. With his hunched shoulders, his beady little eyes, his wild dark hair. Even his favourite gem-encrusted longsword, dangling at his side…

Theforest flickered and whirled, slid sharp and sideways, as a shrill distant howl echoed through Louisa's skull. LordScall was… here. LordScall was… alive?!

"There you are," he snarled, deep and menacing. "Finally free of your orcs, are you?"

Louisastumbled, staggered backwards, rubbed her trembling hand at her frantically blinking eyes. No. No. LordScall was dead. Dead…

"They haven't let you walk alone in weeks," his deep voice continued, his dark eyes glittering with strange, gleeful relish. "Ever since they took you off to that cursed camp!"

Thecamp. Thecamp. And wait, wait, LordScall couldn't know about the camp, LordScall was dead, dead, dead. She'd seen the blood, she'd seen the life fading from those beady little eyes, and…

Itwas Rikard. FuckingRikard.

Therelief shot through Louisa's quaking body in a furious careening crash, squeezing her eyes shut, swaying her on her feet. It was Rikard. OnlyRikard.

"What the hell do you want," she said, in a faint, wavering voice that didn't sound at all like hers. "This is my property, Rikard."

Butat that, Rikard — laughed. Laughed, loud and uproarious, as he lurched a step closer toward her. "No, Louisa," he shot back. "This property ought to be mine. Most of all now that you've thoroughly defiled it with those thieving, bloodthirsty beasts, and marched half the town through it today! You've turned my uncle's prized lands into a mockery! A freak show!"

A freak show. It brought up a bizarre, sudden vision of Killik, and somehow Louisa gripped her knife, found her breath again. "This property is mine, Rikard," she replied, a little steadier. "It is mine, by law, and I'll decide what I do with it! And right now" — she drew in another shaky breath — "you're trespassing, and I want you to go the hell away! Now!"

Buther heart was hammering, now, her thoughts flashing back to what Killik had told her, only moments ago. This man has been hunting you for many days now. Seeking to bring you harm. AndKillik had sent the patrol away too, leaving her alone here, no…

Louisa'sthroat convulsed, and before her, Rikard only laughed again, and came a jerky step closer. So close Louisa could see the spittle on his lips, the whites around his eyes…

"You can't control me, Louisa," Rikard said, in a light, sing-song voice. "AndI warned you again and again about those foul orcs. I warned you what would happen next, if you didn't send them away."

Louisatwitched, her breath stopped in her throat, and Rikard kept coming closer, closer. Forcing her to stumble sideways, backwards, away from his wild eyes, his smile, his hot, ale-tainted breath. Smelling so much like Scall had, too, raising the bile in her throat, no, no, run, escape, forget…

"BecauseIknow, Louisa," Rikard crooned at her. "Iknow what you did."

Louisastaggered backwards again, shaking her head, no. Rikard was manic, he was a weak, vile vermin, he didn't know, he couldn't…

"You're imagining things, Rikard," Louisa said, though her voice was trembling. "I have no conception what you're talking about!"

ButRikard just kept pushing her backwards, off the path, further and further toward the trees. And too late, Louisa shot a desperate glance around her, at the near-impenetrable wall of brush to the left, and the deep swampy bog to the right. The same bog Killik had led her through, and it wasn't safe to walk into, Rikard had trapped her here, damn it, damn it —

"Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Rikard drawled, as he drew Scall's longsword from his belt. "Don't you, Louisa? Especially" — he gave a wide wave at the forest around them — "especially here."

Here. Louisa's heart skipped, her breaths now rapid and shallow, her eyes again darting at the brush, the bog — and then, curse it, at Killik's white property marker, fluttering before her in the brush. Because no, no, they'd crossed onto Rikard's land now — and this was the only swampy, impassable section he had left. But it was still far too familiar, a place Louisa knew far too well, and…

Thefear trickled up Louisa's spine, numb and clammy and cold, and she dragged for air, jolted another step backwards. Her hand gripping tighter at her knife, her eyes sweeping over the brush, the ground, the bog, that long gleaming sword in Rikard's hand. At the way he was holding it out, much too far to the front, leaving his side exposed…

"I know you did it," Rikard hissed, frenzied, triumphant. "I know you did it here. And now, you're finally going to face justice for your crimes!"

Louisa'sterror jolted higher, but she forced herself to hold still, to keep watching, keep waiting. Keep breathing, draw up the earth, remember all Killik's lessons, wait, quiet, listen, breathe…

"You murdered my uncle, Louisa," came Rikard's voice, deep and terrible. "You killed LordScall!"

Itthudded through Louisa like a drum, like a scream, like a quiet ringing certainty. Like all her deepest, darkest secrets finally lain bare, hurled out into the open. Face this, face this, truth, truth…

Truth.I fear you not.

"Yes," Louisa whispered, as she clutched her knife close to her chest. "I did. And now" — her mouth pulled into something like a smile — "now I'm going to kill you."

Andwith one last, desperate breath, she lunged, and struck her knife for his throat.