The Arctic Ch. 05

Nicholas paced the tent while Tyrst and a few other trusted men were all huddled over a map, all arguing over their next plan of attack. He hadn't wanted to split up, when Tyrst had brought it up he had laughed the idea off. But the more he thought about it, the better it sounded.

"You sure you saw them get away safely?" he asked again. Tyrst sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"I would have never sent the two of them away if I did not believe they would return to us, Nicholas. I have been training Astrid since she could stand on her own two feet." Nicholas let out a shaky breath.

"They were supposed to arrive three days ago," he protested. He had finally gotten Eira back into his life, he couldn't stomach the thought of her suddenly ripped away from him again. He felt like he was going crazy as multiple scenarios ran through his head. She had already been hurt by his people once. Eira had been right in that sense, he was a fool; a damn fool. He had been arrogant to think he could simply show up, married to the very Royal they had ordered him to kill.

It had been no coincidence that Arlen and Bard had found their way into his room. Nicholas may be a fool, but he was not an idiot. His fists clenched as he remembered the sight of her bound to the ground, covered in wolfblood; her clothes torn, face bruised. She had looked so broken. He had promised her she would be safe among them, and they had made him a liar.

"They will be here, have faith that the Gods are on our side." Nicholas nodded as he turned his attention back to the maps. A row of rocks marked the location of the barrier; the only thing that kept their land free from Ogres and Giants. The dark colored rocks represented where the weak spots were, the places they had been positioning themselves and fighting back any of the monsters that managed to get through. They were a dwindling clan, they had tried requesting more help but Olaf had refused to and insisted that every wolf he sent personally to investigate had come back telling him there was nothing wrong.

Suddenly the tent flap burst open and someone stuck their head in, breathless from having to run to deliver the message.

"Sir, we have a situation." Nicholas's heart pounded in his chest as he turned to face the young wolf.

"Well, what is it?" He glanced between them, only making Nichlas grow more nervous by the second.

"Astrid and the Queen have arrived, but..." Nicholas was on him within seconds, shaking the man.

"Spit it out!"

"They are both covered in blood. Queen Eira was unconscious...they are with the healers now." Nicholas took off before he was able to finish his sentence and he took off, nose raised in the air as hunted for her.

His primal instincts took over and he tracked her down, pushing past others; there were no manners, no excuses, just a growl as a warning to move or be moved. When he finally found her she was sprawled across a long table, smears of dried blood everywhere, her hair was short and darker than he remembered. A small blonde woman stood beside her, hands stretched out, hovering above Eira as beautiful golden light shone brightly from underneath. Nicholas froze at the sight, a wide range of emotions ran through him. Astrid stood beside her mother, Thora, a hand on the smaller woman's shoulders. Astrid turned, instantly alert, a small dagger in one hand before she realized who it was and relaxed.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Can we wait for my father? I really do not want to have to repeat it." But she didn't need a verbal reply, the look on his face told her all she needed to know.

"The White Skulls, they found us after we left the city. I managed to kill a few before challenging Ash to a duel and she..well...she incinerated them." It wasn't that he didn't quite understand the word itself, it was more that the concept didn't seem to make any sense.

"She...she did what now?"

"She incinerated them all...including Ash."

"But she wears the collar of a slave," he argued. His mind refusing to comprehend that such a thing was even possible. He had seen the most powerful of Elves taken down by the collars, having relied on their magic for so many centuries.

"I am aware of that, and yet she somehow managed the feat."

"It would help if she wasn't wearing this atrocity," Thora snapped. Nicholas reached into the small pouch on his belt and pulled out a small glass vial, pulling the cork with his teeth.

"I can fix that." Her chest rose and fell in slow shallow breaths, if she hadn't been covered in blood it would almost appear as though she was sleeping.

"But you need the blood of the one who sealed it," Astrid objected. Had that been why Nicholas had been elsewhere during their escape? They had put their lives on the line for is Queen, and he had been nowhere in sight.

"I am aware of that," Nicholas growled. He dipped his finger into the blood, writing the Rune of Cen, the Rune of openings and as the blood magic made the metal glow brightly, it just as quickly faded and popped open. Nicholas was gentle as he lifted her head and removed the collar. He tossed it aside as he brushed the hair from her face. Thora approached, hands spread out again as she got back to work. Tyrst joined them only moments later, pausing in the doorway. Relief washed over his face when his saw Astrid alive, wiping the sweat from her mother's brow. She was covered in blood, but Tyrst could tell from the smell that none of it belonged to her.

"You're late!" he barked at his second.

"The White Skulls caught up with us after we left the city. They must have rode ahead and waited for us. All those conflicting smells they could have stood next to us and I wouldn't have smelled them."

"Well, I see that you held your own." She looked away, a strange look passing her eyes but she instead nodded to Eira.

"She's the one who saved us; Ash would have killed me." He could tell the ordeal had shaken her a little, she was so used to being the best, and the strongest of so many that she had underestimated Ash's power and skill.

"What's wrong with her?"

"The burst of uncontrolled power, plus fighting through the blood magic...if Astrid hadn't been there, I'm not sure she would have made it back. I am going to need more magic," Thora confessed. Astrid wiped her mother's brow one last time and took off out the tent to fetch a few more healers. Nicholas leaned in, and kissed Eira's forehead. It had been close...too close.

"The Gods do not get to claim you quite yet, snowflake. You must come back to me." He pulled off his shirt, and pulled the dagger from his belt. In one swift motion he stabbed a third of the blades tip deep into his left shoulder blade, roaring in pain as he grit his teeth, blood pouring down freely. He slowly dragged it over the Rune of Isa that had been burned into his flesh many years ago.

Nicholas felt the connection break, his magic sliding back into him, filling him an electric chill he'd long tried to forget. There was no point in hiding anymore; he had known the moment he left the Thing and helped Eira to escape there could be no going back for him; any of them. Once he pulled the blade out the wound began to slowly knit itself back together, leaving nothing but trails of blood down his backside. Nicholas stood and rested his hand on Thora's shoulder, and she shivered beneath his icy cool touch.

"Go ahead, take as much as you need."

~~~~~~~

She was weightless.Floating somewhere between existing and not existing. She could feel something tugging on the edge of her consciousness. She resisted the pull, not wanting to leave the warm bliss. She didn't have to think, she could simply be. But the tugging got stronger, more insistent. Eira tried to shake free but it spread, consuming her, pulling her away from paradise. Then the pain started, it was only a taste at first; but soon sharp pins and needles seemed to be stabbing from every direction and she screamed. The sound causing fresh pain to ripple through her. Hands restrained her, the pins and needles got sharper and her back arched as the healers struggled to hold her down.

By the time she finished, Thora nearly collapsed, drained and exhausted. Nicholas stumbled, but leaned against the table for support as he took Eira's hands into his own. Tyrst scooped Thora into his arms, evaluating her state before nodding to Nicholas and heading out to get his wife some rest and food. Tyrst had first captured his wife on his way home from a raid. She too, had been branded. But anyone could see the love on their faces when they looked at one another now. Nicholas still didn't know the whole story, but the there was nothing that could be changed about the past. They had to look to the future, to the things they did have control over changing.

He looked back down at Eira as he brought the wet cloth to her face and began to gently scrub away the dried blood. There was so much left to be said between them, and he wasn't sure if any of it was going to make a difference. The way she had looked at him in that dining hall, her eyes so empty and defeated; so broken. He wondered which version would greet him when she opened her eyes.

Eira groaned, her entire body was heavy and lethargic, her body throbbed with a persistent dull ache and when she finally opened her eyes she felt immediately dizzy.

"Whoa, just lay back down Eira. You are in no condition to be getting up quite yet." She felt someone tip the edge of a wooden cup to her lips and she took a tentative sip of what turned out to be cold refreshing water.

"Thank you," she managed to rasp. She tried opening her eyes again, more slowly this time and she found herself staring into his grey-blue eyes. She studied him, he had bags beneath his eyes that told her he hadn't been sleeping well. And she realized he was shirtless, his tan muscles tense as he watched her.

"What...what happened?" she asked softly, adjusting to the sight of the room she was now in. It was a tent, she was resting on top of the bed, still wearing the clothes she had been given by Astrid.

"What do you last remember?" She closed her eyes a moment to concentrate, flashes of memories coming to her all at once and she winced.

"Not alot," she admitted.

"According to Astrid, you managed to use your magic through the Rune and stopped Ash from killing her." She frowned as she could suddenly hear the sound of swords, the smell of blood. A final scream.

"How?" she demanded, although she already suspected the answer.

"You incinerated them." More lives gone because of her; she looked away as tears rolled down her face.

"It wasn't your fault Eira, you were protecting Astrid and yourself. How could you possibly know that you could use magic through the Rune?" She jerked her hand free from his and glared. He didn't understand, she had been filled with such anger and hate that she had wanted them dead. And the Gods answered her prayers.

"They were going to hurt you," he argued. But he could tell in the stubborn way she set her chin that she was not going to see it from his point of view no matter how much he argued with her. No matter how ridiculous she was being.

"When did the collar come off?" She had felt the familiar thrum of magic swirling deep within her before she opened her eyes.

"Minutes after you arrived."

"How did you take it off?" She asked as she studied him, waiting for an answer and he knew she was watching to see if he was going to tell her the truth or not.

"I used Arlen's blood." The truth, but not all of it. And she stared into his pale grey-blue eyes and it dawned on her.

"That means he's dead, doesn't it?" Nicholas did not look away, he had nothing to feel guilty for and he wasn't going to allow her to try and argue about Arlen's death too.

"He hurt you." Three simple words he spoke, as though they explained everything; and for Nicholas, they did. That was all the reason he needed; word would spread and other wolves would think twice before even looking at his wife.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Yes, Arlen is dead. Much too quickly if you ask me. I wanted to take my time with him..." his voice dropped low and she shivered, his eyes turned dark and cold. A thin layer of frost spread across the comforter closest to his hands and she gasped, bringing his attention back to the present.

"He said...he said that you gave him the key." A brisk cold swept the room and she could see her breath forming clouds before her. Suddenly his hands were grabbing her face, palms so cold they almost burned and he made her look into his eyes.

"Please tell me you did not believe him." He pleaded. Eira looked away but not before he saw the look in her eyes, a look that told him everything he needed to know. Even though it had only been briefly, the thought had passed her mind that he quite possibly had given them the keys.

"I do not understand why you sound so offended; what else would you have me believe? I had never once thought you were capable of a lot of things, but you have proven over these last few weeks that you are efficient in doing a lot of repulsive things." The pain of her words faded into anger as he leaned close.

"And now, my Queen, so have you." Without another word he turned and left the tent before he said another word he'd regret. How did she always manage to make his blood boil? His pulse raced and the ground crunched beneath his boots. He took a minute to reign his power in, having gone so many years without it, it was almost overwhelming to have it back again. When he finally felt back in control he continued walking without so much as a backwards glance.

~~~~~~~

She had been cruel, had chosen the words carefully that she knew would get the biggest reaction. But Eira had not expected his retort and was even more angry that he had a point. What right did she have to judge when she had killed several men in less than a week? Astrid cleared her throat as she entered the doorway and Eira found herself actually glad to see the girl.

"I see you are finally awake. I tried telling them you just wanted the extra nap, but nobody would believe me."

"I see you fared much better than I did."

"I also didn't try to summon the power of the Sun."

"That is true. I am just glad that you are alright." Eira admitted. If something had happened to Astrid because of her she was sure she'd never be able to forgive herself.

"My mother is one hell of a healer." As if summoned by the very mention of her name, Thora entered the room. She was maybe a few inches shorter than Astrid, petite, long blonde hair she wore braided and pinned up. She had on the traditional robes from the Temple of Eir, gold and white, although Thora's looked to have been specially designed with several pockets.

"I am Thora, wife of Tyrst, Alpha of the Northstar Clan; it was I and a few others who healed you."

"I am in your debt, could you please thank the others?" Thora and Astrid exchanged glances.

"What?"

"It was Nicholas who offered his power that helped to heal you." Thora replied. Of course it was, Eira thought to herself.

"I will have to think him, but surely you can thank the others?" Astrid nodded and Thora approached, her short height making her seem younger than her eyes said she was.

"How are you feeling? Anymore pain? Weakness? Nausea?"

"My head hurts a little, but I will be alright otherwise. I am rather hungry though." Thora nodded and promised to be right back once. Eira turned her attention back to Astrid

"So...you are half Elf..." Astrid glared.

"My mother is an Elf; I am Wolf. It is the side I chose."

"What do you mean the side you chose?"

"We do not fully become Wolf until we complete the Trial of Divine Ruin. And only then can we accept the Wolf's Spirit into ourselves and become one."

When Astrid saw that she had no clue what she was talking about she pulled a chair up and made herself comfortable.

"There are 12 clans among the Wolves, as I am sure you counted at the Thing. Well 5 clans are descendants of Hati, another 5 are the descendants of Skoll, and the last two clans are descendants of Fenrir himself. You already met the White Skulls, the other Fenrir clan is the Crimson Jackal Clan. Each Wolf God has a different trial that must be completed before we are worthy of accepting the Wolf's Spirit. The clans of Hati complete the Trial of Divine Ruin. We must prove we are clever, strong and courageous enough to deserve being blessed through a series of tasks."

"And if you don't complete the Trial?"

"I was unaware there had ever been another option." Astrid confessed. For her, there hadn't been; she had trained her whole life for that Trial. It would have been unacceptable to lose. "It was my choice to let my grandfather cut my ears and brand me with the Rune of Isa. It was the only way he would allow me to compete and claim my birthright. He did not think I would pass." Her smile was genuine, because it was obvious she had succeeded, considering her father was now the Alpha and she was his second.

"What about your magic?"

"The brands were very effective for their time, but my mother discovered if you cut deep enough, you can simply disrupt the Rune and our magic comes right back. Its why they use those collars mixed with blood magic now." Eira hands reached for a collar that was no longer there and she hugged herself.

"What happens if you can't get the blood of the person who activated it?"

"You use the blood of their Kin, but only wolf magic activates the runes; it was made to discourage the slaves from killing their owners and risk losing their magic forever. Just enough hope to keep them from giving up." Her words sounded bitter at the end but before Eira could ask her anything further, Thora entered, a tray of good in her hands and Eira's stomach growled in response to the sight and smell of it. Once the tray was in her lap, manners were quickly forgotten as she dug into the food, not even bothering with utensils. Thora had brought her some bread, salted pork and fruit. She shoveled the food down, doing her best to pace herself but all she could think about was how hungry she was. When she finished Astrid took the tray back, leaving Eira and Thora alone. It was the first time she had been alone with the healer.

"I am going to help you walk around a little, get some of those muscles moving again." Eira nodded and together they managed to get her onto her feet and balancing. Pain radiated up her legs as she took a few steps, Thora holding onto her as she did. Despite her small size the woman was impressively strong, supporting nearly half of Eira's weight as she took a few more tentative steps around the tent. Thora declared them finished after a while and helped Eira settle back into bed where she dozed off once more.

~~~~~~~

Eira took her time as continued walking through the small village, only a few dozen homes, rest of it consisted of tents. As she passed more and more people she noticed it truly was a mixed clan. It was strange to see Wolves and Elves live among one another, eat together, fight together, even to see their children play together. It was unheard of. Until Nicholas, Eira had never even known that Elves could have children with wolves. Her father had always spoke of them as if they were demons, but here she was seeing it with her own two eyes.

"Where are you off to?" She scowled as she turned to face Nicholas. He had been smart and kept his distance since their last conversation. But she should have known that wouldn't last forever.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"I already have what I want," he replied as he stared her down. Even if she wanted a divorce she would never be granted one. Their vows were magically binding, that is why Elves did not enter into the bonds of marriage so lightly. Why they had such extensive contracts between families.