And then I prepare for both her father and the ring.
32
Runa
THEY SAY EVERY DROP OF WATER FLOWS TOWARD THEsea, but in Havnestad, at this very moment, every person flows toward the sea in a never-ending stream.
Our motorcar is headed against the tide, up the crooked streets as men, women, children, donkeys, goats, and dogs course out of every home and shop and yard in town, ambling down the cobblestones with stunned looks on their faces, running toward the harbor. Toward flames licking the clouds just singed by a fireball.
I tell myself what we just did will save lives, like the ones streaming past us, just somewhere else.
Maybe it will save them too. Will was right when he said war doesn’t know its bounds—neutrality isn’t a shield. It’s simply a statement that can be easy to ignore.
Only when the people stop coming and we’re alonewith the rumble of the car and the open road over Lille Bjerg Pass ahead do I let myself relax.
“Hey,” I say to Will. His arms are braced against the steering wheel now, doing what they can to keep moving in the direction of the road as the wheels navigate the bump and skid of cobblestones meant for boot soles and horse hooves. I hang a hand on the ridge of his upper arm and lean in. When his eyes flit my way, I toss him a full grin. “We did it, William Jensen.”
He smiles back. “We did.”
A quick blush creeps across his cheeks as he checks the road, but then his eyes come back. I want them to always come back.
I lean in farther, drawn to him—warm and true, and flush with the thrill of success.
He’s close enough to kiss. For real. Not just his cheek.
Above the scruff he’s left, his lips are the same pink as his cheeks, and the combination makes his eyes even more blue, like shallow water on summer days and—
“Stop the car, Will! I want to watch. Are you guys seeing this? We have such a great view!”
I yank myself away, and there’s Sofie, wrenching around from where she’s clearly been watching the flames.
“I don’t think that’s a great idea, Sof.” Will’s voice is soft but stern. “Agnata hosed us—the second those men wake up, the one who met her by the safe house is going tolead them straight there. We have to beat them.”
He’s right, though we deserve to watch. I can’t argue with that logic and neither can Sofie, apparently.
“Okay, fine. You’re right. I just want to revel,” Sofie pouts.
“You’re reveling fine from the back seat, I’d say,” Will notes. “How about you be on the lookout for anyone tailing us while you’re at it.”
“Fine, but if you guys kiss, I’m still going to see it even if I’m turned around. I have eyes in the back of my head.”
Cobblestones drop off the road and make way for hard-packed dirt. The wheels churn smoother underneath us. Motorcar-related glee returns to Will’s face and his lips kick up. “Let’s see just how fast this baby can go.”
A few gear shifts and movement of his legs and suddenly we’re going twice as fast, barreling down the hill, wind whipping at our faces. Sofie spins back around, holding on to the sleeping Agnata in her lap as we barrel down the hill and into the valley, green pasture streaming past under the gray sky.
My hand flies to my head, holding my hat in place. Too late, I realize Will’s isn’t safe either, and the wind claims it for its own. Sofie tries to catch it, losing her own in the process, the hats gliding into a pasture dotted with sleeping cows.
We decide to stash the car in a small cave carved by the sea into a cliffside on the beach. Will secures the soft top to the frame and backs away, unhappy.
“Salt water will be hell on her engine.”
“Oh, heavens, Will”—Sofie groans—“tell me you haven’t named the car.”
His cheeks pink and he pulls a frown to cover. “Freyja deserves better than this cave.”
Sofie rolls her eyes. “Where would you like to parkFreyjainstead? On the beach, where someone could easily snag her? Or maybe right in front of Katrine’s house, to give the guards a big, fat Freyja-shaped tip?”
Will frowns, and I grab Sofie’s arm to stop her from responding further. We don’t have time to waste. Sofie obliges, and she and I shoulder the rucksacks and the extra sets of boots for Katrine’s collection, while Will folds Agnata over his farmer’s shoulders. She’s still bound, and we’ve returned her gag, just in case she wakes up and starts screaming.
