13. Callie

Irolled my shoulders back and tried to shake off the ache I felt across my spine. With little to do while we waited for dark, I’d spent most of the day sparring with Magnar and Julius, and I was beginning to suffer the consequences of letting them use me as a punching bag.

The fire was dying out but there was no point in us building it up again; the sun was almost set and we were getting ready to head off. We had a long way to go, passing by the city filled with vampires before finally making it to the statue Julius had spoken of. I hoped he was right about it being a good place for us to lie low because heading closer to those creatures didn’t feel like the safest option. From there, perhaps we could head south by water and keep sailing until we found a place to call home.

I’d be closer to Fabian soon, and the knowledge made doubt build in my chest. I was managing to keep a lid on most of the urges I felt toward him, but I was worried that closing the distance between us would make it harder to resist the temptation to go to him.

I wondered if Montana was struggling with her bond to Erik too. She’d barely mentioned his name since we’d been reunited, and I was starting to worry that he’d done something to her which she didn’t want to recount. If moving nearer caused the bond to draw her towards him again, would she be able to cope with it? It had been hard enough for me to spend a single day as the Belvederes’ prisoner. How had she managed to survive so long?

I glanced across the fire at her, but she’d fallen into an anxious mood as the sun had started its descent, and I wanted her to have a bit of peace before we had to leave.

I flexed my fingers, inspecting my reddened knuckles which had split in places. My opponents had hard faces rough with stubble and I was quickly finding out what that meant for my fists.

The air stirred as the door opened and closed again downstairs and embers twirled above the fire like a thousand of my tangled thoughts racing away to freedom. I watched their path towards the roof and tried to let my mind empty out as they retreated, but it was no good.

Magnar appeared at the top of the stairs; he’d been out scouting for Familiars in preparation of our departure and he offered a faint shake of his head, letting me know he hadn’t found any. I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. It might mean that they were looking in the wrong place or perhaps had even given up. Then again, it might mean that they were lurking in every direction, waiting for us to make a move so they could report our positions back to their masters.

There was no sign of Julius, so I guessed he was still working on getting us a boat.

I tapped my fingers against my knee to try and expel some of the anxious energy which was building in my limbs.

Magnar moved to sit beside me and took my hand in his, making my heart jerk violently and my eyes snap to his face. I furrowed my brow at him in surprise, making to pull my hand back again but he ignored me, rubbing some green mush over my split knuckles. The cuts tingled as the concoction worked its way into them and I stopped trying to withdraw my hand, letting him rub it into my skin.

“What’s that?” I asked as he released my right hand and took my left, his eyes on his task and not meeting mine.

“Just some mixed herbs to help you heal faster,” he murmured. “You aren’t Clan of War like us; we have an unfair advantage when it comes to healing.”

“Oh yeah, I was thinking that must be the advantage you have over me. The fact that you’re three times my size is irrelevant,” I muttered.

A smile pulled at the corner of Magnar’s mouth, and he looked up at me, my hand still in his.

My heart thundered wildly as I caught his gaze, the intensity of his golden irises burning a path right through me as though he could see straight to the heart of every concern, every fear and feeling of inadequacy I possessed. He saw it all and yet he didn’t look at me like my roiling emotions equalled some failing. He looked at me like every one of them was utterly captivating to him and he wanted nothing more than for me to whisper the truths of my heart to him alone.

I bit my lip as I tried to remember why the hell I’d asked him to give me space. Yes, the bullshit with the rain had left me feeling infuriated and helpless, but my anger with him was really more aimed at the gods who had bound us in this way. I knew he hadn’t wanted to hurt me with his command, and he had kept any such orders from his lips since then.

Magnar’s fingertips shifted across my skin, his gaze never leaving mine as the feather-light touch had me swallowing against a lump in my throat. I turned my hand in his, offering him more access to my flesh. He dragged his fingers over my wrist, his thumb scoring a line against my palm before it brushed against the mark which had been branded there.

I sucked in a sharp breath as heated agony flared through me, the intensity of my bond to Fabian rising, filling my mind with thoughts of him and the vows I’d made to be his. Before I knew what I was doing, I snatched my hand out of Magnar’s grasp and slapped him hard enough to make his head wheel sideways.

“I’m sorry,” I gasped as I sprung to my feet, cradling my traitorous hand to my chest and backing up. That hadn’t been me, it hadn’t been what I’d wanted to do. “I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine, Callie. You were hitting me a lot harder than that this afternoon.” Magnar held my gaze for a moment, reading the truth of what had just happened as easily as if I was pouring my entire heart out to him, then he pushed himself to his feet.

“It’s not fine,” I breathed miserably. Because I didn’t even know myself anymore. I couldn’t even feel my own emotions without others pressing their way into my mind, my body. The gods had infected me with this bond, from the thoughts in my heads to the actions of my flesh.

Montana had sat up straighter but she didn’t interrupt as she watched us, her eyes moving from me to Magnar and back again, her posture telling me that she was ready to step in if she had to.

Magnar moved closer to me so I had to tilt my head back to look up at him. He didn’t try to touch me again though and my heart ached, wishing he would and praying he wouldn’t in equal measures.

“You’ll figure this out,” he said quietly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You shouldn’t have to…deal with this,” I replied in a low voice.

Why should he have to stand for me playing hot and cold with him? Why should he have to endure the knowledge that every time I looked at him, a part of me pined for his enemy? It was fucked up. I was being unfair to him simply by standing before him, but I was utterly helpless to stop it too.

“I’m fairly sure you’re worth it.” He looked at me intently for a moment and heat built in my veins at the promise in his eyes.

He should have been telling me that he couldn’t do this, should have been putting some distance between us, but he wasn’t. He was looking at me in that way which made the blood in my veins burn, refusing to balk at the weight of the curse I now carried.

Magnar finally released me from his golden gaze and handed me the remaining green mixture rolled in a leaf.

“For your sister’s bites,” he murmured before walking away to begin preparing our meal.

I let out a shaky breath, wondering how I was supposed to figure out my own feelings while vows and bonds and dreams kept mixing them up and spitting them out inside my own head. I turned and discovered Montana staring at me with a raised eyebrow.

I moved around the fire to take a seat beside her and rolled my eyes as she continued to give me that probing look. As I passed her the herbs, she began rubbing them onto the bite marks on her neck with a mutter of thanks.

“So when are you going to tell me about the two of you?” she whispered expectantly.

Magnar was on the far side of the room, filling a pot as he made our meal but it was nowhere near far enough away for me to start talking about him.

“He can hear you,” I breathed.

She frowned over at him, looking like she didn’t believe me. “How could he possibly-”

“I can,” Magnar confirmed without turning back to look at us.

Her mouth fell open and a line formed above her brow as if she were annoyed. “You know, living with you guys is a lot like living with Erik. He could hear every little-”

“What do you mean living with Erik?” I asked, catching her arm. “You never... I mean when you were being held there, did he force you to...” My eyes dropped to her stomach instead of saying the words out loud. I knew the Belvederes had said they had a rule about waiting until after the wedding to consummate it, but she’d been there a lot longer than me. And after what that monster had done to Magnar’s people, I couldn’t help but wonder if he wouldn’t have just taken what he wanted from her whenever it suited him. If there was any chance she could be pregnant already, then I didn’t know what we would do to save her.

Montana stared at me in confusion for several seconds then seemed to grasp what I was implying.

“No,” she replied suddenly. “Of course not. He’d never do anything like that to me; he’s not a monster.”

I opened my mouth to argue against her, wondering why the hell she’d defend him but then Fabian entered my mind. I remembered how broken he’d looked when he’d shown me what he’d done to the people of his village...

“It’s okay, Monty. I get it.” I reached for her hand and turned it over so the silver cross was illuminated in the firelight. “This makes it hard to remember what they are.”

She started shaking her head, her eyes glimmering with some deep emotion, and I wondered how much harder this had to be for her. I had my feelings for Magnar to counter the false emotions for Fabian. When I was caught up in the idea of the Belvedere brother, I could search my heart for the place the warrior had taken hostage and find myself again. She was caught adrift in the swirling emotions Idun had forced upon her. How could I expect her to fight them off when I was having so much trouble doing the exact same thing?

I curled her fingers shut, hiding the mark and wrapping my own hands over her fist.

“We’ll find a way to break free of this curse,” I promised.

“But it’s not like that for me,” she replied earnestly. “Erik is-” Her gaze slid across the room to Magnar whose shoulders were tense with anger, and I could tell he didn’t want to hear anything more in defence of the creature who had killed his father.

“What is it?” I pressed, sensing she was holding back on something.

She took a deep breath and shook her head, retrieving her hand from mine. “Nothing. It’s just that so much has happened, the wedding and the mark. It’s a lot. But I’m okay. I promise.”

I opened my mouth to protest, knowing she was still concealing something but she got to her feet before I could convince her to confide in me.

“I need to pee,” she announced.

I watched her as she walked away from me and an ache built in my chest. She was hiding things. I knew it. And it carved a hole in my heart. We’d always shared everything with each other. I couldn’t remember once keeping a secret from her, but now she was running from me instead of admitting to whatever truth burdened her.

I frowned at the mark on my palm and my rage against Idun built once more. Now her vile magic was driving a wedge between me and my sister too. That goddess had a hell of a lot to answer for.

I stared into the fire, losing myself to my thoughts as Magnar cooked our meal.

My mind kept catching on the look in Fabian’s eyes right before he’d bitten me in our dream. I knew I’d done the right thing in forcing him to see why we could never be together, in making him see the truth of us. He had to realise that Idun was just playing with us, toying with our emotions for her own vile amusement. He was a creature of the night. My sworn enemy. My predator... So why did I feel so guilty?

He’s a monster. He doesn’t have feelings, so you didn’t do anything wrong.

But why did that feel like a lie?

I lost myself to the endless cycle of my thoughts once more while Magnar continued cooking in silence.

Eventually, he handed me a bowl of food and I fell on it like a ravenous beast without bothering to look at it. He moved to sit across the fire, and I couldn’t even blame him for the distance between us as disappointment built in my chest. Why would he want to be close to me when all I did was push him away? I was a fucking mess and I wasn’t sure how the hell I was going to fix it. Or if I even could.

Julius reappeared with Montana in tow, and I frowned as I realised she’d been missing for far longer than it took to pee. Now I was being a shit sister too. She looked calmer though, and the weight I’d seen pressing down on her had lifted from her gaze a little. Julius had an amused look on his face and I got the feeling he was the reason for her improved mood. I wondered vaguely if their relationship might be turning into something more than friendship, but I hadn’t seen any real signs to suggest it. It might be what she needed though – a distraction from the bond to Erik Belvedere.

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” I said as Montana moved to sit beside me, accepting her meal from Magnar with a word of thanks.

“It’s not that,” she replied, her eyes on her food.

Silence stretched between us and I shifted uncomfortably.

“You know you can always tell me anything,” I urged gently.

She glanced up at me, her dark hair framing her face. “It’s just hard to explain everything that’s happened properly. I promise I’ll try, but there’s just so much going on at the moment and-”

“And we need to go.” Julius finished for her. “I know you two need time for a whole heart to heart. Probably while braiding each other’s hair...and bathing together...while I may or may not be watching-”

Magnar tossed his bowl at the back of Julius’s head and it connected with a dull thunk before clattering to the floor.

“You’re sick,” I accused, but I couldn’t help but laugh as Julius gave us a wolfish grin.

“Well that last bit may just be a suggestion. But I’m game if you are. And either way, we need to get moving.” He shovelled the last of his meal into his mouth and moved away to finish packing our supplies into the bags.

Montana breathed a laugh, exchanging an amused look with me as she hurried to finish her food too, and I grinned. Julius was right though, whatever was bothering her would have to wait for now. We needed to get the hell away from this place before the bloodsuckers caught up with us.

Magnar walked towards me and handed me Tempest. I offered him a small smile as I accepted the heavy weapon once more. I missed Fury though. That blade had become a part of me somehow and no matter how many times I wielded Tempest, it would always be loyal to Magnar.

Greetings, Dream Walker, Tempest purred through my mind and I smiled as it made an effort with me. I guessed it was weird that I wanted to bond with Magnar’s blades but I had the strangest feeling that he’d care about their opinion of me.

Julius led the way out of the building we’d been using for shelter and I fell into step with Montana as Magnar took up the rear.

We crossed over the protection runes on the threshold and Magnar struck them out, using Venom to carve a line through the stone. I felt the safety they’d been offering fade from my skin and goosebumps rose along my flesh as the cool night air claimed me.

Julius started running and we hurried to keep up as he weaved a path through the ruins towards the river. The sound of the water called us on, making sure we couldn’t lose our way and moonlight glimmered overhead.

I kept my senses tuned in to Tempest’s presence, but I couldn’t detect anything drawing close. It seemed we were alone for now.

We turned a corner and suddenly the river was before us. I stilled, my mouth dropping open as I spied the huge span of water. I’d never seen such a thing before, the rush of the current making my heart somersault inside my chest. Surely Julius didn’t mean for us to try and cross that.

I looked to him for an answer to the roiling terror which was building inside my ribcage, but Julius kept moving towards the waterfront. He looked around cautiously then pulled a thick tarp from a wooden rowing boat which was concealed on the shore.

“No,” I breathed, my voice coming out so faint that none of the others heard me, but I dug my heels in all the same.

Julius shoved the tiny boat towards the river and Magnar tossed his pack into it before helping him.

The boat perched on the water, bobbing up and down precariously in the current as Julius held it in place.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked as Magnar helped Montana to climb in. “That boat is really small and there’s a hell of a lot of water here. What if we fall in?”

I had thought I’d done a fairly good job of concealing my panic as I spoke but one look from Magnar told me he saw right through me.

“Get in the boat,” Magnar commanded, and I was struck with the power which bent me to his will.

If some part of me had thought that he would no longer use that power after the rain bullshit, any such daydreams were shattered as his will wrapped around me and I found myself at the mercy of his words once again.

Anger flashed through me and I glared at him as my body began to move without my consent.

I took a step forward then jammed my heel into the riverbank as I forced myself to stop. Julius’s mouth twitched in a smile as he watched me, and sweat began to bead on my forehead as I focused all of my energy on holding my position, refusing to give in.

The furious words I wanted to spit at Magnar burned my tongue as the seconds ticked by, my limbs trembling with the effort of remaining rooted to the spot.

Magnar’s eyes glittered with fire, and I ground my teeth furiously as my traitorous body took a second step. My fingers grasped the edge of the boat against my will, but I refused to move another inch.

The compulsion pushed at me more forcefully, my body shaking and inching forwards in jerky movements until I finally caved to his hold over me and jumped into the boat.

Montana’s eyes were wide as she watched me and she took my hand as I sat beside her, silently asking me if I was alright.

“Good,” Magnar said, and I couldn’t help the flush of pride at how much I’d managed to fight his command. Though I still threw him a heavy glare as I settled myself in to the seriously unsafe-looking vessel.

I blew out a breath and tried to go over what I’d just managed in my head, fixating on precisely what I’d done when I was resisting him and making sure I remembered it for the next time. I was so over my fate being outside of my control and I was determined to break the ties which held me.

Magnar and Julius pushed the boat out into the water before leaping in beside us, splashing cold droplets over us as they did so and making the boat rock wildly.

“I’ve never seen a novice fight the compulsion like that so soon after taking their vow,” Julius said as he lifted an oar and began rowing. “You must really want to get into my brother’s britches.”

Montana laughed and I muttered irritable refusals of his assessment, despite the heat which crawled over my flesh as Magnar’s penetrating gaze drank me in. I fixed my eyes out over the water instead and refused to look at either of them as we steadily made our way across the river.

Nerves pulled at me as we made it to the centre of the river and the current began to pull us along. I was trying very hard not to focus on the violent bobbing of the boat or the endless expanse of water which spread away beneath me. A cold wind followed us, and I tugged my coat closer around my neck as an icy chill settled into me veins.

Between the current and Magnar and Julius rowing, we made quick progress along the river despite my concerns. Soon, we were leaving the ruins behind and crossing the boundary to the city. My skin prickled uncomfortably as we passed so close to the vampires’ homes. There were plenty of windows overlooking the water, some illuminated, suggesting the residents were home.

I felt exposed despite our quiet passage through the dark. It would only take one set of inquiring eyes to spot us, and if they did, the Belvederes would be quick to respond.

“That’s our destination,” Julius murmured as he pointed up ahead.

I followed the line of his arm and spotted an enormous green statue of a woman holding up a torch in the distance, highlighted by the moon. I hadn’t expected it to be so big and I couldn’t even begin to imagine how such a thing had been created.

A sense of unease twisted my gut and I tightened my grip on Tempest. It was almost as if something was drawing closer, but every time I felt near to telling what it was, the knowledge slipped away from me.

“Elder,” I said quietly, unable to ignore the prickling in my gut any longer. “Something feels...wrong.”

Magnar stilled and pulled the oar across his lap before reaching over his shoulder to grasp Venom. His brow furrowed with confusion and suddenly his head snapped up to scour the sky.

“Shit,” Julius cursed as he drew his bow and aimed at something above our heads.

I held my breath as a huge shadow swept across the stars and Julius loosed his arrow. The owl shrieked, shifting to try and avoid the blow but it exploded into dust as the arrow hit its heart.

A dark shape tumbled towards us, and I shoved Montana aside at the last moment just before a black stone slammed into the wooden seat where she’d been sitting.

I picked it up and the urge to vomit washed over me as I felt a dark power writhing within it, quickly passing it to Magnar.

“That’s pretty fucking clever, I’ve never seen someone cloak a Familiar with one of these before,” Julius cursed as he frowned at the rune stone. “And it damn well worked too. Whoever was linked to that bird knows exactly where we are now.”

“Do you think it was Fabian?” Montana asked with concern, her eyes roaming over the riverbank.

I ignored the thrill I felt at the sound of his name and stared out across the water intently.

“There’s no sign of anyone coming for us,” I said slowly.

“Then we should get out of here before they do.” Magnar dipped his oar back into the water and hurried on through the night.

Tempest was growing warmer in my palm and I looked around, my gaze flicking from place to place, trying to figure out if it was just the city full of vampires which angered the blade, or some closer threat.

The water stirred unnaturally around us and a prickling sensation crawled up my spine. I listened hard for any sounds of approach, but the world was achingly quiet. Even the wind had fallen still.

Something thumped against the base of the boat and my heart lurched into my throat.

I grabbed the wooden seat to steady myself and looked to the others in alarm.

Magnar and Julius stopped rowing, drawing their blades as they searched for the threat too.

My pulse thundered as I gazed into the black water, hoping I was imagining the dark shape moving beneath the surface.

I pointed towards it, a tremor of fear bleeding through me though I didn’t dare to speak. There was something moving in the river.

Montana leaned closer to me as she looked out into the rippling depths, her face pale in the moonlight, her hand gripping my forearm.

I released a shaky breath which spiralled from my lips in a cloud of vapour as the eerie silence pressed closer.

A heavy bang juddered through the boat as something collided with the base of it again. My heart jackhammered in fright as the entire boat rocked so violently that we were nearly thrown from it. I grabbed Montana’s hand and reached for my gifts because I sure as shit couldn’t swim without the aid of my ancestors.

The boat rocked wildly and Tempest burned hot in my palm, the blade screaming at me to ready myself, warning of the attack which I still didn’t understand. I gripped the edge of the boat as something collided with it again, my entire focus honed on the effort it took to remain upright in the tiny vessel.

Adrenaline coursed through my limbs as I fought to keep my balance and Montana’s breaths came quicker, her eyes meeting mine.

“Shit,” Magnar cursed.

“Hold on tight,” Julius directed.

The boat shuddered violently again. I looked to Magnar and Julius as my heart thundered in my ears, but I found no answers in their steely gazes, only a terrifying reality.

"What should we-"

A scream ripped from my throat as something collided with the boat so hard that we were launched into the air.

I tumbled backwards, falling from the vessel with panic consuming me as I clung to Montana. We hit the icy water and the breath was knocked from my lungs in a torrent of bubbles as I sank beneath it.

I flailed desperately, drawing on my ancestors’ knowledge of swimming until I managed to start kicking for the surface, dragging Montana and Tempest with me.

My head breached the water and I sucked down a lungful of air as I pulled Montana up beside me. She started coughing and I stared about wildly while Tempest burned in my hand, urging me to fight. Vampires were drawing closer, but I couldn’t see them anywhere-

A cold hand clamped around my ankle and dragged me back beneath the surface. Terror raced through my bones as fingernails bit into my skin. I released my grip on Montana as I was submerged once more, the darkness beneath the water so complete that I lost all sense of where I was.

I couldn’t see anything in the pressing darkness, and I was dragged further and further away from the promise of oxygen. Panic gripped me as I tried to kick my attacker off, my boot colliding with an arm and a body, but not hard enough to dislodge the beast who had hold of me.

The vampire’s grip moved up my leg and its teeth sank into my thigh so suddenly that my senses were overloaded by the agony for several terrifying heartbeats. I screamed in pain and fury, my thoughts snapping back together as I focused, refusing to allow myself to fall prey to this monster after all I’d survived to get here.

Tightening my grip on Magnar’s blade, I stabbed Tempest through the water, letting it guide my hand as it carved a path towards my attacker.

The blade must have found the vampire’s heart as the bloodsucker’s grip on me vanished while Tempest growled its appreciation over the meal.

I kicked for the surface, desperate to satisfy the aching need in my lungs and find Montana again.

I had to battle the current as I swam but the silvery light of the stars egged me on. I was so close but still painfully far away, my limbs sluggish beneath the water even with the knowledge of my ancestors to help me navigate it.

I ground my teeth in determination and finally made it back to the surface, gasping down air as I whipped around, trying to see over the bobbing water, hunting for the others.

Dark water surrounded me in every direction and I spun around, searching for any sign of my sister.

“Montana!” I bellowed, not caring if every vampire in the vicinity heard me. She couldn’t swim and she had no gifts to help her fight off the freezing touch of the water either.

“Callie!”

I turned at the sound of Julius’s voice and found him swimming towards me.

“Are you alright? Where’s Montana?” I asked desperately.

“Magnar has her. We have to get to shore; the water is full of-” He disappeared beneath the surface, and I yelled in alarm as I started swimming after him.

I dove beneath the water, straining my eyes to try and see anything in the murky depths. Tempest urged me forward and I swam towards a glimmer of metal as fast as I could.

Strike true, the blade commanded and I swept it forward as a body lunged for me. I made out swathes of black hair just before Tempest met with the vampire’s heart, destroying it.

A hand clamped around my elbow and I yelled in fright, releasing a stream of bubbles before realising it was just Julius.

He guided me back to the surface and I followed him quickly, adrenaline saturating my veins.

“Come on!” he yelled as we met with the cold air again. My heart pounded violently at the fear of more vampires lurking beneath us and I clung to the heavy slayer’s blade with all I had.

Julius began swimming away from me and I had no choice but to follow him and hope that Magnar and Montana had already made it to land.

Tempest growled warnings to me as I swam on and more vampires followed beneath my legs. My heart pounded with fear, and I threw all of my effort into powering through the water to escape them. This wasn’t a battlefield I wanted to fight on and certainly not one where I wanted to face the beasts who hunted us.

My knees finally collided with the riverbank and I scrambled upright, taking Julius’s hand as he hauled me away from the water.

I panted heavily, my boots slipping on the stones as I scrambled away from the water’s edge then spun around, searching for any sign of Magnar and my sister.

“Where are they?” I demanded as Julius raised his blade and the first of the vampires rose from the river.

I held Tempest before me as they came at us and a sound carried to me on the wind, spearing panic right through my heart. Montana was screaming and I had no idea where she was.