Page 105 of Dream Reaper

Ava nodded. “And with sand magic. I don’t exactly know how. They did it while in their dreams. They fought in their dreams.”

The girls exchanged glances.

“Is that why we can’t touch it?” another asked. “When Ylsi was attacked? Because we were awake, and the only way to fight it is in our sleep?”

“Then why are we staying awake?” someone blurted in alarm.

Ava shot a helpless look at Brynja, who cast aside her whittling and jumped to her feet.

“All right, that’s enough. Quiet down. Look here, everyone. The truth is, we don’t know what we’re up against. And we don’t have any magic to fight with, so trying to fight this thing in our sleep would be like serving ourselves up on a platter for a feast.”

Silence fell in the chamber as the girls cast their eyes to the floor.

“Now, Ava’s plan is the best one we have. The dragon rider has gone for help. He’s going to bring back the prince to kill off this thing right and proper.”

“The Gelairan prince is coming here?” Ylsi asked in a horrified whisper. “You’re bringing the elves right to us?”

Ava wanted to bury her face in her hands and melt into the floor. She had hoped she wouldn’t have to answer questions like this until after Prince Haryk had arrived. Then he could have been the one fielding the frightened, angry barrage of questions. But that clearly wasn’t going to happen.

“He isn’t coming because of us. He’s coming because of the monster,” Brynja said, a brittle edge to her words.

A round-cheeked girl with nut-brown hair leaned closer. “But once he’s taken care of that thing, then he will pay attention to us. What if he makes us go back?”

“Then that’s a battle we will fight when the time comes,” Brynja barked, her words sharp and loud and silencing.

Even the children stopped scampering about the room and stood still, looking at her with wide eyes.

“We can’t fight battles on all fronts,” Brynja continued in a milder tone. “We can only fight the battle right in front of us. The first battle we have to face is surviving tonight. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re safe and warm, and more importantly, we’re together. Like we’ve always been.”

Several of the girls, including Ylsi, nodded their heads in agreement.

“Tomorrow we will fight the next battle. And we’ll keep fighting to the bitter end, because that’s what we do. It’s how we will survive.”

A bitter pang pierced Ava’s heart as she looked at these young girls, so frightened and yet filled with determination to survive the brutal hand life had dealt them.

“I’d rather fight a dozen rootwyrms than this thing,” one of the younger girls whispered, her tone raw with honesty. “It puts such terrible ideas into your head.”

“Ah, I don’t know about that,” Finnr said, leaning in the doorway and neglecting his post. “There are tales about the rootwyrms that would chill your blood.”

His low voice carried to all corners of the chamber. The women and children fell silent, clustering around him eagerly. Ava watched them, smiling even as her brow wrinkled. They looked expectant, even Brynja, who gathered up her whittling and reclaimed her seat.

Then Finnr began to hum, a deep and haunting tone that made something ache inside Ava’s chest. She relaxed against the wall and turned her face to him as he started singing in a deep baritone.

In the north, where the fir trees lean,

And the wind walks cold through stone,

A queen wept long for a living child

To sit on the high-seat throne.

She sought the roots where barrows breathe,

Where blind things whisper doom;

She fed the dark her oath-bound blood

In that forbidden gloom.