He is here. Quest sends, answering my call.
Why did you not tell me immediately? I demand.
There is a moment of silence and I think that he has decided to ignore me, which wouldn’t surprise me when it comes to the fickle beast.
I was blocked. He has only just let the shield down. He senses you. He is pacing, his eyes are red and he has brought three witches with him.
“How?” I gasp aloud.
Turning to look over at Sten, I grunt at the fact that Runa is still down. Inhaling a deep breath, I attempt to calm myself. I cannot go into any battle at all this way. I must have my wits about me, I must suppress the emotions that are flowing through my entire body.
Liv is safe, that is all that matters right now. I must focus on Fiske and his demon. Sten sets Runa down on the ground, propping her up against a tree.
“I hope that she regains her consciousness and her magic before this is all over and done with,” he mutters.
I grunt. “Yes, I hope that as well.”
Lifting my hand to one of the newer soldiers, I order him to guard Runa and bring her close when she is able and awake. He nods his head, grunting as he jerks his chin up and crosses his arms over his chest, his shield and sword at the ready for whatever comes his way.
My men spread out around the outside of the campsite. Just as we would with any battle, we slowly move inward. Each step that we take brings us one step closer to whatever hell awaits us in the middle of the camp.
All is well? I ask Quest.
They are conversing. Fiske is pacing and erratic. The other witches are unsure of him. I do not know if they will fight with him.
I snort to myself. Good.
We continue to move slowly and silently, closing in our circle, until we are finally in the camp. The witches have burned everything down except my tent. Gunnar and Hagen are nowhere to be seen and my heart lurches at the thought that they could have been taken from me.
Seeress? I ask Quest, knowing that he will undoubtedly know where his woman is.
She is safe. He rumbles. She is hiding out in the woods. She probably saw you walk by her. I’ve instructed her to stay still.
Good.
“Hello, bródir,” Fiske’s demon growls.
Jerking my head toward him, I show him no fear, not a single ounce. “Hello, draugr.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
AARIC
Fiske stands in front of me, his arms spread wide, wearing nothing but his hide pants. I snort at the sight of him. He’s lost weight. The demon has been sucking his strength, feeding off of him for too long. It will eventually consume him wholly and then try to find another host.
There is only one way to send it back down to the underworld and that way is going to hurt more than anything I’ve ever experienced. If it were anyone else, I would have already done it, but it’s Fiske and that is why Isolda used him when she couldn’t get to me.
“Your brother is weak,” the demon growls.
I snort. I could have told him that before he entered the man’s body. Fiske has never been mentally strong and physically, he is not as strong as I am.
He grew jealous easily, was envious of others, and did not listen to reason of any kind when he had something he wanted to do. He also always took the easy way out when it came to work, choosing to push his duties onto someone else to avoid strenuous labor.
Fiske was the second brother, not the youngest, but most people thought of him as the baby of the family. He was spoiled and entitled in a way none of my other siblings ever were. Fiske was never right, and now the demon has seized an opportunity to take his physical body over.
“Tell me something that I do not already know, draugr.”
He takes a step toward me and I’m glad that my men have not made themselves visible yet. There is no doubt that this creature knows they’re near, but isn’t saying anything, possibly waiting to see what will happen.
His völvas stand to the side, huddled together and watching our exchange. I think about speaking to them, but decide against it. If there is an issue, Quest will see to them, charring their bodies beyond recognition just like he did to Isolda.
“What is it you truly desire, draugr? What is all of this for?”
“I should be the konungr. Me. Nobody else.”
Shaking my head, I keep my eyes focused on his. They’re glowing red. There is no sign of my brother anywhere inside of him and it makes all of this that much easier. Knowing what I have to do, I reach out to Quest.
Is Liv still okay?
Yes, Aaric. She and the babe are fine.
Seeress?
She too is okay.
The time is here.
Good.
Lifting my sword, I take a step toward the demon. His lips turn up into an evil grin. “Come, Aaric. Show me how much of a man you are.”
He’s goading me. I won’t stand for it. Shifting my gaze to the huddled group of völvas, I jerk my chin. “Are you here to aide or watch?” I demand, barking at them.
Their bodies jerk. “We are here to ensure that our lands do not get burned to a crisp, much like the beach was earlier. The demise of our sister has not gone unnoticed,” one of them announces.
Shaking my head once, I whistle out an order for my men. Without hesitation, they charge. I call out for them to bind the witches. Then, before I realize what’s happened, Runa appears next to me.
She faces the völvas, holding her hands up as she murmurs something and I watch as a sparkling gold rope wraps around them, binding them together. Smirking, I shift my gaze back to meet the demon.
I watch as he takes a step back from me. Now that his völvas are not at his disposal, he is acting as a coward, just like Fiske. Maybe they are more alike than I initially thought. Clearing my throat, I take another step toward him.
“I will end you and your bride,” he growls.
“Já?” I ask. “How?”
Runa murmurs something behind me in a language that I do not understand. More spells, I suspect. The thunder rolls above us, a crack of lightning sounds seconds later nearby.
“You better get to work, draugr. My wife summons the gods to aid in our victory,” I laugh.
The demon’s eyes widen, then he lifts his hands to his mouth before he lets out an ear-piercing scream. Instead of cowering, as I’m sure he expects us to do, my men and I use this as our opportunity to rush him.
Unfortunately, we don’t capture him. He ducks, then moves with incredible speed away from the men, through two of them and toward the beach.
“He cannot get on a ship,” I shout.
I’m not sure if anyone has heard me, but I run after the demon. My feet move as quickly as they can. Calling out to Quest, I ask him to hold Fiske for me, to not allow him entry onto any of the ships that are docked. He grunts, but without a doubt does as I ask. He will do it or he will not have his new bride.
The beach comes into view and I grin as I see Quest in a fighting stance, his wings spread and smoke coming from his nostrils. He snorts as he sees me approach. My men join me, but it is Kjeld and Sten that grab Fiske.
He doesn’t fight, too mesmerized by the gigantic red dragon. Thank you, Quest.
Quest shakes his head, his snout going side to side. He didn’t even try. Although, I should have told you that I can physically paralyze a creature if need be.