If he were lucky, he might find out more tonight as he slept. Then again, he wouldn’t actually allow himself to go that deep into sleep since he wasn’t sure who his friends or enemies were. At least now, he knew that Runa wasn’t Synne or Malene. He had put one face to a name.
He cocked his head to the side and tried to get a better look at the woman currently speaking with Runa. Brom kept his distance from witches for a great many reasons. Foremost was that he didn’t want to give them any indication that he was a warlock and therefore gain the Coven’s attention.
Brom jerked when the witch’s gaze briefly landed on him. He knew without a doubt that she looked directly at him. Even from a distance, there was no denying it. She knew that he was there. Would she tell Runa? As the seconds ticked by and Runa didn’t turn around to look for him or even appear as if she knew he was around, he began to wonder what the witch was up to.
He got even more curious when he saw a white owl land on the witch’s outstretched arm. She stroked the bird with a familiarity that said the two had known each other for some time. He knew some witches could speak to animals. This woman may be such a witch. That could explain how she knew that he was there. The owl had told her.
Suddenly, the bird of prey stretched out its wings and took to the air—and flew right to him. It landed on a tree, blinking its big eyes. He flattened his lips then turned his attention back to Runa and the witch. They stood in a glen, and he was still at the top of the hill. It gave him a slight advantage, but not much since there were few places for him to hide. He was off to the side, far from the path that Runa had traveled. It had made his progress much slower since he had to traverse through the deep snow, but he had maintained his pace to keep up with her.
Brom looked at the owl as it hooted softly at him. The way it stared at him made him feel as if the bird were sizing him up. Most likely, it was doing exactly that for its mistress. If he had that ability, he would absolutely use it to his advantage. He couldn’t even be upset with the witch. She had no way of knowing whether he was friend or foe.
It wasn’t yet noon, but the gray skies and snow made it feel as if it were much later. Brom could use the weather to his advantage and creep closer to Runa, but he didn’t. He didn’t trust her or the witch, and he would watch his back until he got a better feel for them. Not that he expected to ever trust them. It wasn’t in his nature.
Secrecy had surrounded him since before his birth. Afterward, even more so. He lived alone because he preferred it, but also because no one could ever know who he was. The only way that would change is if he happened to find the Varroki, and he knew that was a remote possibility. They were sequestered for a reason. Because of that, he remained hidden.
“Yet, here I am,” he mumbled.
Brom shook his head. He was on a wild goose chase, that much was clear. He might have found his target, but that was all he’d done. He had learned nothing more than he knew that morning.
You know her name.
“Runa.”
He liked the way it rolled off his tongue. It made him think of the ancient Celts, of the time of the Norse. When magic was embraced, and witches were revered. She would’ve fit right in with either the Celts or the Norse. Runa had a warrior’s soul.
The question was: which side did she fight for?
Brom couldn’t ask her that earlier because she might have pieced together that he was a warlock. It was better for him to pretend ignorance, at least for the moment. The problem was that he’d liked her instantly. There had been a connection that he couldn’t ignore.
That could be because he was attracted to her. His body’s response to seeing her face-to-face had been…thrilling. Such an effect on his body could have resulted in his mind being clouded. Desires of the flesh had a way of hindering a person’s normal thought processes and actions. While he very much wanted to give in to the hunger, he held himself in check.
Suddenly, he frowned, remembering how she had cautioned him about the forest when they had met. Brom wasn’t sure if she had been warning him against bandits or the Gira. He’d run enough nymphs off and away from the area around his home to know that they were lethal creatures, especially to the unsuspecting.
Brom winced as a sharp pain went through his head right before he heard voices.
“…Jarin and the others are waiting,” Armir said.
Malene sighed. “I’m not afraid of war.”
“No one said you were.”
“You question why I don’t send our people out to meet Sybbyl.”
“You are Lady of the Varroki for a reason,” Armir told her. “Look where you have led us. We will follow you anywhere. I will follow you anywhere.”
Malene was quiet for a moment. “I’m waiting on something.”
“What did you see?”
“Nothing,” she told him.
Armir’s voice held a note of insistence when he asked, “What happened?”
“There’s an unknown participant.”
Brom grabbed his head as it began to pound. He turned onto his side as he struggled past the pain to hear the voices again, but they were gone. Several minutes passed before the agony finally ebbed.
He blinked up at the sky as he drew in deep breaths. Nothing like that had ever happened before. Normally, he had to concentrate for a while before he got into a deep enough trance to hear the Varroki. He sighed and sat up, shaking the snow from him. He wasn’t sure how he felt about what had just happened.
On the one hand, he liked that he’d gotten another glimpse of things with the Varroki. But on the other, for it to come out of the blue like that meant that it could be a detriment to him if it happened at a time when he was facing his enemies. They could overtake him easily given the distraction.
Brom wasn’t sure what had alerted him to the fact that he was no longer alone. He glanced up to the limb where the owl sat before he turned his head to find the witch Runa had spoken with. She gave him a welcoming smile that he didn’t return.
“Don’t worry,” she told him in an accent he couldn’t quite place. “Your secret is safe with me.”
He quirked a brow as he looked into her dark blue eyes. “My secret?”
“You’re a warlock.”
“I doona know what you mean.”
She laughed and wrapped her beige cloak tighter around her. “By your face, whatever just happened was a first. Perhaps I can help with that.”
“Why should I tell you anything?”
Her gaze slid away for a moment. “You’re right. You don’t know me.”
Brom looked over his shoulder, searching for Runa, but he couldn’t see her. He looked back at the witch to find her watching him silently. He suspected that whatever he said next would determine whether he discovered where Runa had gone. He shouldn’t care. After all, he’d found her once, he could do it again.
“I came to this land when I was a young girl,” she told him, a note of sadness in her voice. “I came because my path led me here. Because this is my destiny. I knew even then that I would spend my life fighting against the Coven.”
He gazed at her for a long moment. Brom chose not to reply to see if she would say more.
The witch drew in a deep breath and moved a strand of blond hair from her face. Brom saw the markings of a tattoo on her hand and fingers.