Page 38 of Through Battle and Blades (The Wolf Queen 2)

“Stay like that, lass,” Nordred said, patting my shoulder before pulling away. “They are your power base, literally. They’ll be wanting to pass you around, hold you tight and do whatever it is men and women do to remind themselves that those that they love still breathe. Let them, because it will strengthen you.”

“Pepin…” I gasped, knowing that I needed answers, so many of them, but Nordred just shook his head as he paused in the doorway.

“Plenty of time for that when you’re replenished,” he replied, then stepped aside as the others rushed in.

“She’s…” Weyland could only say that one word, his skin milk pale as he regarded the two of us. He came closer in a series of short little steps, as if he daren’t get any closer. Then he was on the bed, pushing his way into my side until Gael was forced to share me between them.

“She’s weak and needs us to refuel her,” Gael said, settling me down into Weyland’s arms. I felt that same rush of light as he did so, but not as fast or as intense. In some ways that was easier to bear, because this process? It was like moving your leg after sitting still too long. The blood came rushing back in, feeling like pins and needles as it did.

“How…? What do we do, Gael? She was cold as ice and just as stiff when we brought her in here,” Weyland said in a great rush. “She looked…”

“Well, she doesn’t now,” Gael replied. He brushed a thumb against my cheek. “Her colour’s coming back.”

“What happened?” came another sharp voice. “Gods above, Darcy…”

“Touching her seems to be strengthening her,” Gael explained, right before a powerful set of arms wrenched me from Weyland’s grip.

“Then give her here,” Axe growled.

It felt like everything he said, did, vibrated through me, those usual pulses of electrical pleasure different now. They were like the sun beaming down on a field of wheat or blood rushing back to chilled extremities. Slowly but surely, I was coming back to life.

Which begged the question, what had happened?

So I asked.

“You fainted,” Dane said, appearing in my field of vision, trying for calm and failing. “You were cold, stiff, your pulse could barely be felt.” He frowned slightly then. “Whatever you did—”

“What did you do?” Weyland asked. “One minute I’m fighting for my life and the next there was this golden light.”

“I don’t know,” I replied, snuggling down tighter in Axe’s grip. His hand stroked my hair reassuringly.

“We need to work that out. Whatever it was, it was bloody dangerous,” Dane said. “You healed us, but for what? The Reavers attacked again, twice as determined to obliterate us and if Nordred and his troops hadn’t arrived…”

“Nordred’s troops?” My forehead wrinkled at that.

“He didn’t tell you?” Gael said with a smile that made the light in my chest flare brighter. “Your horse master has been out raising an army for you.”

Something we got to see ourselves when I was able to get to my feet. I was still wobbly, so Axe scooped me up again. They did love to carry me around.

“I can walk,” I protested.

“No, you can’t,” Weyland shot back. He stared at me speculatively and it felt like he could see just how tired and weak I felt. “And you won’t, not for some time. Not until you’ve had something to eat and some rest.”

“But Nordred…” I started to say, “and Pepin…”

“These are the troops Nordred brought,” Gael said, throwing out a hand to gesture to the men, so many men, camped out in the fields beyond the manor. “The rear guard we brought is here too.”

“And no one’s seen hide nor hair of Pepin,” Dane said with a shake of his head. “I think she’s alright. She does this sometimes, sneaks off and sees to her own business, but…”

I thought of her words, of her assertion that this was all a test and then wondered if I’d passed it.

“Aramoor is safe for now,” Dane continued in a much more even tone. “And Master Jasper wants to show his appreciation for that. He’s ordered a banquet of sorts. They’ve meat to spare, what with the animals slaughtered by the Reavers and while some is being dried or cured for later, he’s had some prepared for all of the town to share. To celebrate surviving the battle before the clean up of the bodies begins tomorrow.”

As if summoned by his words, I heard the sharp caw of ravens as they no doubt fought over corpses left to rot in the fields. Darkness had fallen, protecting me from the sight, but I knew they were out there. I couldn’t dwell on that, not when I was hit by the rich scents of food cooking as I was brought inside and that’s when an awed quiet fell over the hall. Hundreds of people, soldiers, civilians alike, sitting cheek by jowl on long trestle tables laden with food, they quietened to a man when we entered. Then a man got to his feet, staring at the lot of us before sparing us a nod, then putting his hands together to clap.

At first his hands were just a single percussive sound, filling the hall strangely, but they were soon joined by others. People murmured, chairs scraped across flagstones as they too got to their feet. Axe set me down on my own two feet, but kept a firm hold of me as I wavered in the face of the growing sound. More and more rose and so did the sound, becoming a harsh waterfall of sound that felt like it washed over my skin, making it hard to take a full breath.

I didn’t deserve this, I felt that keenly. Fathers, brothers, husbands, had died today. If Pepin had taught me to use whatever power lurked inside me, if I’d been able to protect people from the start. If I wasn’t left to just blunder my way through—

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