Page 16 of The Shadow of Polaris

“It was nice meeting you, Rune,” I said, handing him his cloak.

“You too, Ell. Thank you for a most unexpected evening. Maybe our paths will cross again.” He threw his cloak over his broad shoulders and made for the door. Giving him a slight nod, I watched as he stepped into the night and disappeared down the sidewalk, glancing over his shoulder to shoot me one last tipsy smile. I returned to the candlelight of the tavern, clicking the lock. Arcturas peered over at me, her chin resting on her large, black paws.

“Oh, don’t give me that look,” I snapped, blowing out the nearly-melted candles on the bar with a huff. Washing the two chalices and replacing them softly on their shelf, the night replayed in my head. My skin still felt the warmth where our hands had met. Maybe the wine had gotten to me, but judging by his expression, I knew Rune felt that jolt of energy between us too. I crept up the stairs to my bedchamber with Arcturas padding behind me.

Tucked beneath scratchy sheets, the image of his soft, brown eyes flickered through my thoughts as I sank into a hazy sleep.

Chapter 11

I awoke to a sting of pain across my face. Jolting upright, there was Frya standing over me, one hand on her hip, the other now red from the violent slap she’d just sent across my right cheek. Her eyes burned like a furnace of rage and her lips were thin across her leathery mouth.

“What were you thinking?” She pointed a knotted finger towards me.

I sat up, rubbing the now-dull ache off my cheek. Suddenly I was transported back to the tower. To Hela’s whip. Whether it be the jolt from awakening abruptly from a deep sleep or the trauma of memories suddenly rushing in, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

“Someone could have seen you, you stupid girl!” she exclaimed. Her voice was like knives against my pounding head.

“I just needed to get out. Everything was fine. No one saw us.”

“No one saw you? Tell that to the three guards who’re running their mouths around the city this morning that a cloaked woman and her dog attacked them on the street only a few blocks from here!”

Sighing, I tossed the covers aside and swung my legs to the floor. Soreness was spreading from the peak of my neck up to my forehead.

“If they had seen your face! They would’ve taken you back to that tower immediately. Gods know what fate awaited your there! Then they would’ve come for me!” Frya said.

The soreness magnified until it was nearly unbearable.

The barkeep’s words strung together in a continuous, shrill creak as a high-pitched tone rang through my ears. There was a brief pause in her words, waiting for a response. I remained quiet, leaning against the windowsill with my eyes low. The scolding resumed and with it, the pressure in my chest built higher and higher until I felt as if I’d burst. Finally, I snapped.

“You can’t expect me to stay hidden away in here forever. I’ve traded one prison for another!” I cried.

Her jaw dropped open, and a pang of hurt welled beneath her sunken, wrinkled eyes. Snapping my mouth shut, I knew I’d gone too far. I went to speak, but Frya held up her pale hand.

“I have opened my home to you. Fed you. Given you work. Kept you safe. If my hospitality is nothing more than a jail cell to you, then you can go,” she whispered, taking her leave.

The soft click of the door behind her left an airless silence. Back sliding down the rough brick wall, I threw my head in my hands. The throbbing continued to pound in my ears as Arcturas pawed her way over to me, her nails scraping across cold tile. I lifted my head towards her as she nuzzled into me. I needed to fix this, or else Arcturas and I would be back on the street.

When the pain subsided from my head, I found Frya downstairs furiously scrubbing a tabletop opposite the hearth. Grabbing a rag, I joined her, wiping sudsy water away from the withered wood. Without looking up, she placed a small bucket of warm soapy water next to me and we continued to clean. It wasn’t until the space was immaculate did we acknowledge one another. I opened my mouth, starting the apology I rehearsed again and again in my mind as I cleaned.

“I know what you’re going to say,” the barkeep said, dumping the now murky bucket down the drain. “I’m sorry I raised my hand at you. I can understand why you snuck out last night. It’s easy to forget about your demons when you’ve hidden them so well from me.”

“I shouldn’t have said what I did,” I said, wringing out my dishrag.

“It’s alright. I’ve been working you to the bone. It’s the truth. I shouldn’t have hit you.”

Setting the bucket beside her, she looked across the bar at me. I swallowed, uncomfortable by her acknowledgement.

Opening my mouth to speak, I wasn’t sure what to say.

“You don’t have to say anything, Elpis, just hand me that rag. If you’d like to leave, I won’t hold it against you. There are a few other taverns needing some extra hands. I can send word to one of ‘em if you’d like.” She looked down at her hands, still glistening with soap.

I paused for a minute, rubbing a finger across my chin. Somewhere outside, a clock chimed. She could have thrown me into the cold, forgetting the very memory of my stay at her tavern. I had risked not just my life sneaking off to Festival, but also hers. Had the city guards discovered I was staying here, they could have executed her for harboring a fugitive. I shuddered at the thought.

“I’d like to stay.”

Frya stopped her rapid scrubbing and threw down her brush.

“Besides, who would peel your potatoes for you if I left?” I said, smirking.

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