Page 38 of A Dawn Of Blood

She doesn’t reply, she just goes straight back to eating, chewing slowly with a blissful look on her face. “Gods in heavens, do you know how long it’s been since I had any actual food?” she mumbles once she’s almost done with the bread.

What the hell am I supposed to remember?

The old woman lets out a content sigh, and almost immediately, there’s this spark in her eyes again. “You know, I’ve always wondered,” she starts a little pensively, “why is it that the gods deemed it necessary for us to need food. It’s delicious,butneedingit is sort of troublesome. And then there’s all that weirdness with ingesting it only to have to expel some of it. Don’t you find that weird?”

And I’m staring at her, but it’s not her words I’m focusing on. It’s this image that’s flashing through my mind as my eyes roam her face. “There was this lake,” I whisper.

She turns serious, then gives me a little smile. “I don’t know what you’re referring to, but yes, even now, there must be at leastonelake somewhere out there.”

“I don’t know what I’m referring to either. I only know there’s this image in my head of you coming out of it, a long, long time ago.”

“Yes?” she nudges me to go on.

I strain my mind, the image turning more complex. “There was a ceremony, you looked as if you didn’t really want to participate in it, but the people were insistent.”

“What about you?” she asks softly, her eyes narrowing at me.

The question takes me by surprise. “Me?” I ask with a frown.

Then something strange happens. The vision I had, it’s like I take a step out of it.

And when I do, I findmyselfstill standing there. I was a part of it. The realization takes my breath away.

“I…” I break off, powerful emotions flooding me when I remember. “I told you to quit whining.”

For one long moment, we just look at each other.

The smile she gives me then is so sad and so familiar all at once. “So you did.” Slowly, she turns in the bed and swings her legs over so she’s facing me. “Back then, you were blonde, taller, with more muscle and a scar right across your nose. I loved that scar. You hated it, but I loved it.” She pauses for a second before she adds, “Freya.”

My eyes widen. “Nimueh,” I mutter, “but it’s the Lady of the Lake that they called you.”

“They did,” she replies with a sad little chuckle, “though I always thought the lady part carried a touch of mockery.”

“No,” I insist with a vigorous shake of my head, “there was reverence in the name.” I get up and take a step back without taking my eyes off her. “After all, you were one of the seven. When the war broke out, it wasyouI called for help, and you forged the sword I used to kill him.”

Chapter 27

No one wanting to waste any time, we have Dryden do a couple more check-ups on Nimueh as we let Alaric take us somewhere more suitable for a meeting.

It’s this grand hall he takes us to, a large table with dozens of chairs dominating the space.

“Did you ever spend any time here?” I hear Raven ask as we take our seats.

He raises his eyebrows. “In this room?” he asks, sounding a little deflective. “Not really.”

“I meant in the home in general.”

He clears his throat in discomfort and looks around. “Should we bring out some more food?” he asks, directing the question to no one in particular. “The old lady seems to have a pretty healthy appetite.”

It’s at that very moment that Dryden joins us with Nimueh.

“Why don’t we have the meeting first?” Nuala suggests when she spots them.

She’s impatient. So am I. And so is everyone else.

“So, everyone,” she starts as soon as they take their seats as well, “it seems we have an entirely new objective — to have Nimueh here help us find the sword Anna used to kill Baldur the last time he waged war.”

Nimueh lets out a clear, joyful chuckle. “You won’t be able tofindit, no.”

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