Page 113 of A Curse Carved in Bone
“Thank you for rescuing me, Freya. I dare say, I’d not have escaped if it weren’t for your bravery. Never mind that you ruined a lifetime of work, you little bitch.” The last came out as a snarl, and he took a step in my direction, bouncing the rock in his hand.
“You wove your own fate, Harald.” Hate and grief burned in my chest, but I drew the seax Gyda had given me. The knife was the only weapon I had. “By manipulating the lives of everyone around you with no care for the hurt you caused, only for the control you gained. You destroyed lives for nothing more than your own amusement, and if your cabal has turned on you, it is your own doing.”
“I made them powerful.”
“You made them slaves to vengeance.” I circled, desperately wishing I had my sword and shield. “Then used them to further your ownschemes. You might have succeeded for many years longer, but your ambition outreached your skill.”
“The only mistake I made was not killing you when I had the chance,” he hissed. “You ruined everything!”
“It’s a talent.” I readied for the attack. “And I’m not finished yet.”
Harald’s lip curled in a snarl, then he threw his rock. It struck my magic-coated hand and exploded off, landing with a splash in the river.
“Nice attempt—” I broke off, because Harald hadn’t been trying to hit me. He’d been trying to distractme.
While he shape-shifted into a monstrous version of Hati.
Fear filled my chest, and I took one step back. Then another. All while the black wolf prowled closer, lips pulled back in a snarl that revealed cruel fangs.
I held up my hand, Hlin’s magic glowing bright. Wolf or not, if he leaped at me, he’d be thrown back with twice the force.
Then my ankle twisted in the river rocks, pain spiking up my leg. As I fell, my arms went back to brace myself and all I saw was a flash of midnight fur and murderous fangs.
A scream tore from my lips as I tried to move my magic back between me and death. But I was too slow.
Then fire flared above me. It slammed into the wolf and sent it toppling sideways with a yelp of pain. I scrambled to my feet and snatched up a rock, ready to throw myself at the wolf-Harald and beat him to a pulp, but he disappeared into the trees and was gone.
“Freya!”
I turned. “Bjorn?”
He was on the far side of the river, axe once again in hand. Our eyes locked, then he was running. Wading through the rushing water and out the other side, and then I was in his arms. Wrapped in the warmth of him, his familiar scent filling my nose as I buried my face in his neck and wept. “You’re alive,” I sobbed. “You’re alive, you’re alive.”
“I told you that I’d have your back until we step through the gates of Valhalla.” He pressed his face to my hair. “Death was never an option.”
I clung to him, unwilling to let go even as part of me thought that it must be a dream for him to even be here. “How?” The word was choked. “How are you here?”
“Kaja.” Above us, the merlin gave a fierce cry, then soared back to the fortress. Bjorn lowered me so that my feet were again on the ground, though his arms remained wrapped possessively aroundme.
I illuminated my hand, grimacing at the wound in his shoulder. “You’re hurt.”
“Skade’s arrow, so the wound is clean.” He let go of me with obvious reluctance, and I noted that it was in his left hand that his axe appeared.
“I’m going to kill her. I’m going to cut out her heart for doing this to you.”
“You’ll have to bring her back to life.” Bjorn lowered his head to kiss me. “She’s dead. Geir killed her.”
I’d have liked to kill her myself, but it was fitting that it had been my brother who’d delivered vengeance to the one who’d killed our mother. Yet we had more pressing concerns, and my gaze turned to the forest wolf-Harald had disappeared into. “You hit him.”
“It wasn’t a good blow.” Bjorn lifted his axe and took several steps away, revealing a splatter of blood on the rocks. “Injured but not badly enough to kill him. Just badly enough to make him dangerous.”
I glanced at the cliff tops. “Does anyone know you’re here?”
“Guthrum. He’ll bring the others, but if we wait for reinforcements, we’ll lose Harald’s trail and never catch him again. He can become anyone but no matter who he becomes, he’ll never let this go. We need to put an end to him now.”
The only weapon I had was my seax. No shield other than magic on my hand. My Hel power would not harm him, and in this form, Harald was lethal.
But so werewe.
