Page 90 of The Heir
Thor
Despite a three-hour-long flight, I still didn’t have a grand plan of how to persuade Linea to marry me.
I wondered how her family would react to me showing up unannounced close to nine at night. At least it was summer and still light with the sun slowly setting.
The minute Mason’s drone landed, I ran to the windmill and knocked on the door.
My frustration when no one answered made me bang my fist against the wood, but there was still no sign of life.
“Fuck!” I could see Finn’s drone outside and figured they couldn’t have gone far. Maybe someone was in the bathroom.
Then I remembered that this was the Motherlands. Testing the door handle, I was surprised to find the door locked.
Backing up, I shouted, “Is anyone home?”
There was still no answer.
I hadn’t flown three hours to give up. Looking through the downstairs windows revealed that the kitchen and living room were empty, but as I looked up the tall windmill, I saw a window wide open on the top floor.
I wasn’t sure if that was still Linea’s room, but my desperation to talk to her made me look at the sidings, wondering if I should climb the mill.
My experience with climbing vertical walls would make this doable, but it would be risky without safety equipment.
With my hands on my hips and my neck leaned back, I planned the way up in my head while calculating the risks versus the rewards.
If I climbed to her window, surely Linea would see how much she meant to me. It was unlikely that she was in her room, but I could wait for her. I imagined myself sitting in her windowsill as she came home from wherever she had gone. She would be surprised and impressed that I’d risked my life to get to her room.
She’ll probably think you’re an idiot for not waiting by the front door.
I ignored my negative thoughts and ran back to Mason’s drone to search for any sort of equipment that might help me. I was relieved to find a pouch of chalk and a helmet.
Before I began my climb, I took off my shoes and swung my arms to get the blood flowing. Then I applied the chalk to avoid moist hands. Pumped with adrenaline, I reached up on my toes and used my fingertips to get a hold on the top of the brick while taking my feet off the ground and against the wall. Slowly I lifted my right knee to my chest and found an opening for my toes to get a grip. A thrilling sensation filled me as I lifted myself up the wall. I had climbed since I was too young to remember, but always for sports or fun. This time, getting to the top mattered and there was no safety equipment to catch me if I fell.
One step at a time, I moved up the five-story mill, passing windows on each level until I made it to the one that was open.
Grasping onto the windowsill, I hoisted myself up and felt my legs shiver a little bit. Looking down from this height, my feat seemed heroic.
Pulling myself through the opening, I slid down on the floor and lay for a second to catch my breath.
Linea’s room was different from how I remembered it. The last time I’d been in here everything had been pink and blue.
Now, her walls were painted sage green, books were stacked on the floor, and there were plants hanging from the ceiling.
Inhaling deeply, I instantly felt at peace. It was like being close to Linea. Sitting up, I took in the condition of the place. There was a crack in the wall that ran from the floor to the ceiling, the window frame had seen better days, and the floor was scratched. And yet, I could see why Linea loved it here. The three windows offered a beautiful view in each direction and the beams above us added to the cozy atmosphere. Getting up from the floor, I saw Linea’s bag by the door. It looked full, so she hadn’t had time to unpack before she left.
My gaze fell to the bed, which was unmade, with her duvet and pillows in a large pile. Clearly, she wasn’t the tidiest of people. Getting up from the floor, my heart skipped a beat when I spotted a hand sticking out of the pile. Walking around the bed to get a different angle, my hope was confirmed. Linea was in her bed fast asleep.
I squatted down and called her name while touching her hand.
“Linea. Wake up, Linea.”
Her nose with the cute freckles wrinkled up but she kept sleeping.
“Come on, Fairy, wake up.”
When Linea’s eyes flickered open and she saw me there was confusion on her face. “I don’t have a knife,” she said. “I don’t.”
I smiled. “Good to know.”
