AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her companion stood tall and fierce beside her, one blue eye shining with power, the other concealed with a black patch. He wore dark leather armor and a cloak lined with black fur. His hood was up, obscuring his features in shadow.
Khan's knees buckled when their glances landed on him. He could feel the power radiating from their aura and tasted honey and blood again. They were war gods and pulsed with magic and violence.
They looked away from him and back to Fen, and Khan took a shaky breath.
"A wager, Havi," Freya said, her voice like honey smoke and bedroom soft. "Remove your watchful eye from over her, and we will see how she fares."
"She needs to be watched. You know what runs in her veins, and I would have her be under our influence," Havi replied. He stroked his braided beard. "It would be a shame to lose one with such power."
"She will wander far." Freya's eyes glittered with magic when they rested on Khan. "But that is not the same as lost."
Havi nodded. "Agreed. We will see what side will win out."
With a final look at Fen, the All-Father turned his back on her and walked into the night, wolves at his heels.
Fen's shouts of fury made Khan turn from the shining goddess. Fen was struggling as two men pinned her down. One brought his fist down hard on her face, and she collapsed onto the sand. They bound her hands quickly, and Khan had never seen such rage in all his life as what burned in her eyes.
"Save your strength, little wolf," the goddess said, appearing beside Fen. Freya's hand touched Fen's brow, and she stopped fighting. As the shock settled in, she let herself be dragged to a wooden ship.
"You are not meant to be here," the goddess said, turning to Khan. She went to reach for him, but a great flapping of wings surrounded him, and he was pulled away from her and up into the night sky. Khan screamed, and the golden goddess laughed and laughed.
* * *
Khan crashed back into his body with enough force that his back bowed. He was covered in sweat, his heart racing and mouth tasting of pine smoke and strange magic. His lungs hurt with the effort to get enough air into them.
"Fuck," he panted, his whole body feeling bruised. Soft fingers reached for him, making him jump.
"Khan…" Fen's voice was a raspy crackle. Her golden eyes were open and filled with tears. "Khan."
He let out a sound between a sob and laugh, relief beating back the pain in his body. He brought her fingers to his lips. "Welcome back, my seiðr."
Twenty-Seven
Fen hurt from her neck to her ass. Considering she thought the arrows would kill her, she counted the pain as a blessing and a reminder that she wasn't dead yet. After a kind priestess had helped her bathe and changed her bandages, Fen walked slowly from her rooms and into the temple.
Khan had disappeared not long after she had woken and hadn't returned, so there was no one to scold her that she was up and about. The look on his face when she had woken… Fen had never seen such relief and terror at the same time.
Fen's back twinged with every step she took, so she walked slowly. From what she could tell, they had been housed in the healer's wing of the temple to recover from their wounds. She felt groggy, the fever broken but leaving her drained. She had been having nightmares about the raid as if she was stuck on a loop with them playing over and over.
The dreams, the pain—they were worth it to see Khan alive and smiling at her. They had all survived Hasina's plots and were safe in Atrahasi territory.
Fen opened a set of carved doors, breathing in the warm incense that hung in the air. The hall was lit by a glow coming from tall braziers filled with oil while polished pillars with intricate scenes carved in them shone in the light. A warm whisper of magic tingled along her skin. She knew that power from the first day Khan had bought her.
Inanna.
Fen's breath caught as she stared up at the colossus at the end of the hall. Broad wings stretched from one wall to the next, and the goddess had weapons strapped to her back and a helm on her wild and flowing hair. She held an eight-point star in one hand and a crescent moon in the other. At her feet lay two lions.
Before the statue was an altar covered in candles, wreaths woven from reeds, flowers, food, and weapons. Fen looked about, but she couldn't see anyone praying. She was utterly alone. Using the pillars to support herself, Fen walked down the hall until she was in front of the altar. Taking a candle from a cedar box, she lit it and placed it amongst the others.
"I don't know you, but thank you for watching over Khan, Kemes, and Kashmet," Fen whispered. The presence of the goddess swept against her like the brush of feathers. "I'm honored to meet you, queen of heaven."
Fen sat down on the cedar wood floor and shut her eyes. She didn't pray, just relaxed into the new god's presence and let it calm her pain and confusion. Maybe the gods would welcome her, and it would ease the pain of the All-Father turning his back on her. She dared prod that wound to see if she could feel his presence, but there was only an aching emptiness.
"Fenrys," Khan's voice whispered to her, and she opened her eyes. He was standing beside her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"I'll live, thanks to you," she said, smiling up at him.
"I could say the same thing to you."
