“What are you doing here?” A harsh voice bit into my scared state of mind.
Rune. I never thought there would be a day where I would be happy to see him. Beyond happy, I wrapped my arms around his muscular and clearly shocked body. I’d been so terrified in the moment of possibly being attacked by a creature, I turned from one enemy and ran into the arms of another. Once I realized what I did, I jumped back from a wide-eyed Rune.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. There was just something here, and I was happy I wasn’t alone.” Heat warmed my cheeks with embarrassment.
Rune’s eyes hardened, and his slacked jaw turned to granite beneath the light shadow of facial hair and skin. Without a word, he walked to the river with a hand steady on the hilt of his black sword.
“Something hit right there on the wall, and rocks fell. I didn’t see it.” I pointed to the jagged slice in the stones that wasn’t there before. Rune huffed.
“It’s gone now. Don’t go in the woods at this hour without someone. You’re an easy meal.”
Instantly I regretted the vulnerability I’d let him see in me.
“I am an easy meal. I know I’m human. I know I can die easier than you. But I’m here, and I’m trying.” I’d been throwing myself at this one hundred percent. “You know what?” I stood straighter, shifting my head to look off toward the waterfall instead of his unrelenting expression. I wanted to fight. I wanted to feel the pain. I wanted to take out my anger and frustrations. “Let’s just train.” Stomping over to where I left my shoes, I slipped them on and readied myself in a fighter’s stance.
Rune’s fingers quickly removed his sword belt and then removed the knives tucked into his boots. I wanted a fight, and Rune would give it to me without question.
Once the sharp weapons were safely in the grass, his massive frame lunged for me. I dove to the right fast, but not fast enough. His quick hand gripped my ankle and tugged. My body slammed to the ground hard. I didn’t stay there for long, twisting my torso to block him from getting a better hold on my leg. I kicked and tried to get away, but he was smarter. I was pinned underneath his hard body seconds later.
My limbs thrashed and kicked. I used every ounce of strength I had to get out, only he remained strong and unyielding. A snarl ripped from my lungs in anger. He was proving to the little voice in my mind that it was right. I was useless. His icy stare focused on me as I fought with everything I had to create space between us, silently letting me exhaust myself.
It worked; I became tired. All the anger I’d had was gone, and now I felt like crap.
“You’re not trying hard enough,” he growled.
“I’m giving everything.” My voice was louder, more like a scream.
“No. You’re tired, and you’re not thinking about what’s at stake if you fail.”
He thought I wasn’t thinking about the stakes?
That did it.
With strength I didn’t even know I was capable of and a movement I hadn’t known to try, I lifted my hips at the same time I raised my arms above my head and tossed Rune over my body.
“You think I don’t know what’s at stake? Tor is with the Dramens! Your brother is being starved, tortured, and is on his way to the Iron City to be sold, bred, or killed. The man I love and care about is destined to die if I fail. I want to help the Fae. I want to help free Nyx, but I care about getting Tor away from those demons more than her. He’s your brother. Don’t you care about him?” I yelled and threw punches with each word. He dodged and blocked them, so I kept coming, shifting on my feet like I’d been doing this battle dance for ages instead of the few years of moderate practice.
“You know nothing about Tor or me.” He spat blood that was coating his teeth to the grass.
He was bleeding. I stopped fighting instantly. I hadn’t meant to hurt him; I didn’t think I could. Lifting my hands to examine them, then his busted lip, I couldn’t find any regret burning inside me that I’d caused his minor pain.
“I have to save him, Rune. I don’t care if he is supposed to marry Nyx and ends up doing exactly that. I just want him safe.”
“You think you’d be OK watching him marry someone else that isn’t you? It’s not as easy as you think.” He spat more blood to the ground and touched the cut with his fingers. His scarred face shook with disbelief. He knew what it was like to love someone who was promised to another.
“I’ll survive it like I’ve survived the fall of man.” I would do whatever I had to do, even if it hurt my soul. I would figure it out as it happened.
“Now show me how to win in a fight against a Fae.” I was done talking and fighting for the sake of rage. I wanted to push back the feelings of uselessness and learn something to help me toward my destiny to save Tor.
Chapter Eighteen
My mood hadn’t improved the rest of the day. Rune handed my ass to me again and again. I ached and wanted to lay in bed for the rest of the day, except I had a job to do. Today I washed the crystals of the onyx tomb covering the princess. Since I had assumed this job was too important for me to do, I took the opportunity to get a good look at Nyx. The two guards at the door let me in and stood inside to watch me with my rag and bucket of water. Dust had settled over each pointed crystal.
About five minutes into scrubbing, I realized why I got job. It wasn’t because it was important. It was because this job sucked and they all outranked me. The crystals were sharp and hard to clean. Then you were practically staring at an unconscious woman the whole time, which would make anyone uncomfortable.
I’d asked the guards for some gloves so I wouldn’t leave blood streaks on the crystal, and they didn’t move or mutter one word. These silent Fae males were getting on my nerves. I couldn’t get Rune to talk to me without being cruel, and these two were like toy soldiers standing their guard over a sleeping princess. The onyx was solid, and even when I threw my body weight into each scrub on the pointy crystals, it didn’t move an inch.
How the hell was I supposed to free her?
I took a break from scrubbing and sat on the ground. I had to be patient. If I rushed after Tor or tried to break Nyx from this tomb right now, I would fail.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Mariam had taught me long ago how to calm myself when I was angry. Emotions had a way of taking over me when I didn’t keep them in check, consuming my mind.
Instead of thinking about the bigger picture, I focused on the smaller pieces, breaking it down from saving the world to doing one thing at a time. Mariam had said one small act done each day became a large one over time. There was no difference in the end. Everything got done.
Taking one final deep breath, I’d found my mental bearings and stood. According to Tor, Princess Nyx had been placed in this tomb to protect her from the end. What happened at the end? The queen and king must have known—received some warning and hurried to protect their child. The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. The queen’s core was diamond, and this was onyx.
Was the king’s core made of onyx? I needed to learn more about Fae powers and how they correlated with their nature cores. I focused on the princess’s sleeping form. She was beautiful, just like Tor had said: pearl skin, like her mother’s; perfect, pink Cupid’s-bow lips; high cheek bones; regal; and princess-like in every way. Her lavender tresses of hair flowed down gracefully on the altar she lay upon. A crown of purple, crystal flowers sat on her head, and her lilac-colored dress was decorative, yet elegant, showing off her woman’s body.