“We have heard,” Kjeld murmurs.
“Do you know who Gunnar sent to find her sister?” They both shake their heads. “He said that he found the sister, she is the queen of Bunafi,” I murmur. “Liv grew ill the moment he arrived. They have not been able to locate him since.”
“Bunafi?” Sten asks.
Nodding my head, I cannot think straight. I have heard of this land, naturally. Heard of the traitorous king who once ruled there, but I cannot even picture it in my head or where it is located.
“Do you have an atlas in your af-hús?” Sten asks.
“Yes.”
Without a word, the three of us walk toward my af-hús. I make my way toward my atlas as Sten places the lock block in place as I open the sheaf of papers to the correct map. Kjeld leans over my desk, one of his finger’s points toward Attleview, the other is on Bunafi.
“He could not have traveled there and back here in the length of time that he has been on his mission,” he explains.
“What are you saying?”
“I am saying that either he is some sort of völva or another draugr.”
Pausing for a moment, I turn around and make my way toward the small window and stare outside. “Why are the gods testing me this way?” I ask.
“It is what they do, Aaric,” Sten rasps.
“How do we find him?”
They are both silent and I find that it angers me, but at the same time, I have no suggestions either. Looking back over my shoulder at them, I slowly turn around completely. “Runa will find them, if she cannot, I will commission more völvas until they are strong enough to find him.”
“What about Quest? Can he do something?”
Nodding my head once, I grin. “He can tell me if my child has indeed been lost. He can also travel to Bunafi and between him and the seeress they can find out if this man was actually there or not.”
With a renewed energy, I close my eyes and reach out to Quest. It takes a few times, and he sounds extremely irritated with me, but he does answer my demands.
LIV
My eyes flutter open. It’s dark in this room. I inhale a deep breath and the scent of sea salt and lavender surround me. It smells a little like my apartment.
My eyes fly open completely and my heart starts to race as I wildly look around. When my gaze lands on the fireplace, a low fire burning, I let out a sigh.
I’m not back in New York, I’m still home. Something makes a noise in the corner of the room. Sitting up, I gasp, shifting my gaze over to see Aaric slumped down in a chair. He’s here. I want to go to him, jump in his lap and kiss him a million times, but I don’t.
As if he can sense me watching him, his eyes slowly open and his blue gaze locks in on mine. He doesn’t hesitate to stand to his feet or walk toward me. Sinking down on the edge of the bed, he takes my hands in his.
“Liv,” he rasps.
“I don’t know what happened,” I whimper through trembling lips.
Everything feels like a blur. The last thing that I remember, I was in Aaric’s office talking to the man who claimed to have found Sybilla. Then, nothing. There are hazy bits and pieces, moments where Runa and Sylvi both beg me to eat, to drink, but I don’t remember if I ever followed through with the actions.
“The man who came to see you? To talk to you about your sister?” he asks.
Nodding my head, I look into his eyes. “I remember him coming, talking to me, but nothing else. Runa got a bad feeling from him, but that’s all I can recall.”
He clears his throat, his gaze finding mine. I watch as his eyes darken right before my own. Something has happened, something is going to happen, I can see it behind his gaze. Lifting my hand, I touch my palm to his talisman on his chest.
“Aaric, tell me,” I breathe.
“The baby survives,” he rasps.
Shaking my head, I frown. “The baby? Why wouldn’t the baby be okay?”
He grunts, shifting slightly as his gaze flicks down, then lifts to meet mine. “You bled. Runa said she was worried. I reached out to Quest. He was able to sense its presence still within you.”
Letting out a shaky breath, I don’t know whether to cheer or cry. I’m so confused. The talisman starts to glow a soft blue glow. It doesn’t spark like it has when we’ve made love, it’s just a soft glow, almost loving and warm.
“The man?” I ask.
“A völva of some kind. I am unsure who sent him. Runa did not sense his magic when he was here. We must go to your sister, she could be in danger.”
“What about the man who actually went to find her? How do you know this wasn’t him?” I demand.
Aaric smiles softly, releasing my hand as he lifts his arm and cups my cheek with his palm. “He could not have traveled to Bunafi and back in the time that he’s been gone. It didn’t make sense. Not unless there was magic at play.”
“Is my sister okay?” I snap.
Aaric’s lips curve up into a grin. “I do not know, sváss. I feel that we must go to her, just to be sure.”
“But who will protect Wolfjour Ail?”
He jerks his head in obvious surprise at my concern for his country. I watch as he licks his lips, his gaze flicking from my eyes, to my lips, then back to meet my own gaze. I hold my breath, waiting to see what he will say next.
“I am going to have a bath brought in for you and food.”
“Aaric,” I warn.
His lips twitch into a grin. “Let me handle Wolfjour Ail, já?”
“What about Sylvi? Can she be in charge?”
His eyes widen at my suggestion, he releases me and stands to his feet. My hands automatically fall from his body when he does, and I find that I miss the warmth of his skin against my fingers. Aaric tilts his head to the side as he looks down at me.
“Sylvi?”
Shifting my legs over the side of the bed, I look up at him. “She is competent. She is strong and able. With a guard at her back, she can run and protect Wolfjour Ail without fail.”
I think that he’s going to say absolutely not. This is such a male-dominant place, but he doesn’t speak right away. Hope blooms in my chest that he may actually allow a woman to run this country in his absence.
“I will think on this, víf. For now, let me have a bath brought to you and some food to feed my child. You have been in and out of your sleep for well over a week, your body needs proper nutrients.”
Without another word, he turns his back to me, tugging the door open, and I hear his voice bellow for a bath and food from the kitchens.
He stands in the corner of the room while his slaves hurry to do his bidding, I hate every second of watching them, but before they leave, he dips his chin in a silent thanks and closes the door, barring it so that we’re alone again.
Aaric walks over to the side of the bed and silently strips me out of my undergarment dress. Then he picks me up and carries me over to the tub. Slowly, he lowers me inside. I let out a moan as the warm water touches all of my achy muscles.
Silently, Aaric strips out of his own clothes and he climbs in behind me, his legs on either side of me, tugging my back against his front. He slips his hands around my middle, touching my belly as his chin rests against my shoulder.