Page 19 of Soul of Fire

“Thank you, mother.”

“Always.” They smiled unironically and gave me a final pat on the back. “I’ll go to the archives now. I’m not scheduled for patrol until tomorrow evening, so I may as well get started.”

“And I’ll go talk to my reirhold.” I could hear the pride in Viggo’s voice, even though he tried to hide it. “They won’t tell anyone what we’re doing, I swear it.”

I smiled. “I’m happy for you, Viggo. You too, Geir. Arik made the right choice in promoting you.”

“Don’t give him more of an ego than he already has,” Geir groaned, shoving his mate out of the office before him. “The power has gone to his head.”

“We’ll report tomorrow,” Viggo shouted back with a wave and a grin. “Geir will take so many notes!”

I heard Geir grumble something that sounded like an argument, followed by what could only be a playful smack on someone’s rear end.

I rolled my eyes as I turned back to Serrilda. She had already begun sorting the haphazard scrolls and loose papers into orderly piles.

“One of these days, Rev, you’re going to have to let someone in willingly.” She looked up and met my eyes, and while I knew that neither of us still harbored feelings for the other, she still looked sad for some reason. “You can’t always wait for help to arrive with a battering ram.”

“Says the oh so warm and fuzzy woman who once complained that she would be the only one to fold our clothes since only she could do it correctly.” I leaned against the big wooden desk, suddenly feeling utterly exhausted.

Serrilda rolled her eyes, but a smile still played about her lips. “You know what I mean. I know Kindra is determined to wait for her mate, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t letanyonein.”

“I let people in.”

Kindra snorted derisively in my mind.

“You are excellent at taking care of everyone and everything,” Serrilda argued, rising to her feet with a stack of scrolls that somehow sat in a perfect pyramid in her arms. “And terrible about taking care ofyou.”

She placed the scrolls on the wooden desk and turned back to the rest of her piles as I frowned over her words. I wasn’tthatstubborn, was I?

You are.Kindra flicked her tail playfully in my mind, and I batted it away.

“Go on,” she said, nudging my side with her elbow. She was a good six inches shorter than me, but it had never made her seem any less fierce. “I have this. Go report to Arik. Then eat something. And maybe take a nap.”

“Don’t you have patrols—“

The look she gave me could have cracked stone, and I raised my hands in defeat as I left the godsforsaken office.

Chapter six

Eisa

Casualties?IaskedKindraas we settled into our rooms for the night.

My hair was still damp from the bath. I sat before the fire to dry it, braiding it into its usual plait as I glanced at the door to the adjoining bathing room.

The castle was outfitted like Ironholm, with pipes that carried hot water from a cistern heated by stoves all over the building. I could hear Arik splashing around, and it took far more willpower than I cared to admit not to position myself near the door to watch.

A few injuries, Drekadrottning,Kindra’s silky voice replied.Revna wishes you to know that the paperwork will likely kill her before the odemarksdyr do.

I smiled, wishing I could hear Revna’s voice through her dragon. I had a feeling that Kindra had omitted several choice expletives that Revna would want me to know.

There was a pause on the other end of our connection, and I felt her energy hesitate before she finally added,My human wishes for you and the Dragehersker to return to us quickly. The attack today came from the Scar. It is growing.

I sat up straighter as my heart thumped in panic, remembering the darkness that had tried to leak into the world through the Rift. The vision of millions being swept away by an unnamed darkness so terrible that Idunn still refused to speak to me about it.

The voice, one of inky night and terror, that had entered my mind as I pressed my hand to the healed crack in the Rift:You will not stop me.

Idunn growled. I realized that Arik and I hadn’t discussed the vision, though I’d sent it to him. I wasn’t even sure if it was a true vision or just a trick of the Chaos.