Page 266 of The Sun He Buried

“Then I’ll honor the answer you gave.”

She reaches across the space between the chairs.

Baldr looks at her hand before taking it.

He holds it between both of his. Warm, careful, familiar.

Then he lets go.

Solveih cries.

Snowpetal climbs from Baldr’s chest to his shoulder and licks one tear from his jaw.

Her tongue leaves a streak of dried blood.

He stares at her.

“That was Varrik’s man,” Solveih says.

“Thank you.”

“I thought you should know.”

Baldr takes a cloth from the table and wipes his face.

His gaze reaches me over Snowpetal’s horns.

“You used her to punish me,” he says.

“Yes.”

Solveih looks between us.

“At the table,” Baldr continues. “This morning. Every time I saw what you wanted.”

“Yes.”

“Do it again and I’ll break your jaw.”

Snowpetal purrs against his shoulder. “You’ve tried.”

“I was younger.”

“You were larger.”

“I’m still larger.”

“A common burden among cattle.”

Solveih covers her face.

Her laughter comes through the bond before I hear it.

Baldr’s mouth pulls into a real smile.

It disappears quickly.

“I came anyway,” he says.