Chapter twenty-nine
Fhord
I Will Always Find You
It’snother,Sifa.I cast my thoughts at my little rabbit, desperate for her to understand. It’s dangerous. The Dróttning will catch my words if she’s searching for me, and it’s taking more energy than I can afford to speak to Sifa this way. But I have no other choice. I don’t have time to relay this through the dragons.
Of course it’s her. I feel Sifa’s confusion. Her fear. I’m glad her thoughts are scattered. I wouldn’t have been able to reach her if her shields went up when she saw what she thought was the Dróttning and her guards. But she’ll need to be focused if we have any hope of getting her out. And soon.
Rabbit, listen to me. It’s an illusion. I make sure my voice is calm, soothing.
Trust. Astarot’s message spears out, dropping into my thoughts at the same time as he does Sifa’s. I don’t get anything more than the word and an echo of emotion, but I know what he’s telling her.
He believes Sifa can rely on me. I can almost feel her centering herself before sending her words to me.How do you know it’s an illusion?
I’m connected to her.I will tell her everything but not right now. I’ve already risked too much just by speaking to Sifa this way. The Dróttning gave us a short window when she left the Nest to chase down … me, although she doesn’t know it yet. The guards haven’t been able to find a trace of whoever freed Astarot so the Dróttning headed south to bring the inspiration only she can. Fear is a potent motivator.
There’s no time, so I put off giving Sifa the truth about me. Again.I’ll tell you more when we’re together, I promise her.For now, just take a chance. Trust me. Walk toward them and really look at them. You’ll see it when you do.
I almost laugh with relief when I hear her surprised gasp.How is she doing this?
It doesn’t matter. Go through them. Follow Astarot’s instructions because I won’t be able to speak with you again. He’ll lead you to me. To safety.
Her delight echoes through our bond as she strides down the hall, probably passing right through the spell the Dróttning cast to emerge any time a prisoner stands outside their cage without a guard by their side.
If the Dróttning didn’t know before that Sifa’s escaping, she does now. She’ll have felt the shift in her magic, and I have no doubt she’s already racing back here and sending guards to secure the area. Sifa won’t be alone for long. Astarot knows he needs to move her along quickly.
“Sif-Sif says she’s safe?” Toffer’s staring at me, his legs bouncing beneath him, massive eyebrows drawn together. I think he can speak normally—I sure as fuck hope so—but apparently, when he’s nervous, he does this. Or frightened. Or excited. Basically, any strong emotion has him talking like a gods-damned minstrel. And the little bastard’s been nervous since we left Revalle. Lucky me. “Sifa’s surfacing soon?”
“I had to stop talking to her so we don’t get caught. Astarot’s getting her here,” I assure him. “He’ll let us know if anything goes wrong.”
“Speedy status to your sidekick?”
And fuck if I don’t already understand the troll’s odd questions. I place a hand on his shoulder, trying to instill a confidence I don’t feel as I force my lips into a smile. “I promise you’ll know as soon as I do.”
The next five minutes are the longest of my life. I don’t like being helpless. Waiting. But for this part of the plan to work, I need to be quiet, let Astarot take the lead. So that’s what I do. My skin itches with my need to go kill someone and drag Sifa away with me, but I reel in my emotions. I can’t let myself screw this up because I feel like a heart-broken hatchling.
Toffer’s even worse. I realized when I found him in Sifa’s apartment that he holds a tight leash on his emotions, constantly fighting his baser urges. But he loves Sifa. He’s holding it together for her. The only sign of his impending mania is his constant motion—usually a bouncing leg or fingers tapping through a never-ending rhythm.
I feel her before I see her. Even with both of our shields up, her presence caresses me like a long-lost lover. It’s the most intimate feeling I’ve ever experienced and fills me with a hope I’d nearly lost when I learned the Dróttning tortured her while I was gone.
When she finally rounds a corner, eyes wide as she scans the cavern holding Toffer and me—with another prisoner on her heels—I can barely breathe. Her gaze finds mine, and for a moment I’m not sure what emotion I’ll see. I’m terrified that distrust or hatred will glare back at me. Instead, her eyes soften and the corners of her lips tip up just a bit. She’s giving me a chance, I realize as the breath I’d been holding huffs out.
“Rabbit,” I whisper, stopping myself from striding forward to wrap my arms around her. My savage needs to feel her skin again. To reassure himself she’s real and here. But he needs to calm the fuck down. The only thing that matters is what Sifa needs. And she has to work through this on her own terms. To come to me, if she chooses.
Her lips tip up just a bit more, but she doesn’t respond, turning instead to look at the troll. Now, her smile’s broad and unrestrained. Striding forward, she throws herself into his arms, my guts twisting with an odd kind of jealousy. I understand why. Still, it hurts more than I could have expected to watch her go to him first.
We have to get out of this cavern, but they both need this moment so I wait, forcing myself to count out the half-minute I’m going to give them. When I hit thirty, I grunt. “We need to go.”
Sifa’s arms tighten around Toffer with one hard squeeze before she steps back. “You’re right.” She looks down at the troll, her face still lit up with her joy at seeing him. “Gratitude to my gallant guardian,” she says quietly as one hand caresses his cheek.
“Relief for my rescued roomy,” he responds with a shy grin. “Me missed my mate.” Pausing as a hand reaches up to wipe his wet cheeks, he adds, “Thor, too. Home and hearth hearken.”
“I’ve missed you both so much,” she tells him with a shaky laugh. Turning toward me, she adds in a soft voice, “Thank you for finding me.”
“I will always find you,” I breathe. “I’m sorry it took me so long. That you went through so much while I was gone. I didn’t know.” My hands curl at my sides as anger—at myself, the Dróttning, this whole fucked-up world—rises within me. “I would have stayed. I would have done anything to stop her if I’d known.”
She inhales deeply, her eyes closing as she seems to let my words calm and settle her. “You’re here now, and you brought help.” Finally, she turns toward the male that came with her. “Joralf, this is Fhord and Toffer.” Looking at me again, she adds, “Joralf helped me get through this. He’s coming with us.”
