Ruin=, page 4
“I wouldn’t either. There is so much splendor to behold in every direction.”
“Scotland doesna have the stunning fjords of Norway, but she has her own kind of magnificence.”
Asa smiled as she turned her head to him. “Scotland is your home. She’s in your blood.”
“Is Norway no’ in yours?”
She thought about that as she looked at the spectacular vista before her. “I don’t know. I want to see Liss again, and I wouldn’t mind standing on the cliff near my old home.”
“But?” he urged when she didn’t continue.
“But…I don’t think I have a place there anymore. I don’t have one anywhere.”
“I know the feeling.”
Their eyes met. She saw the man, the warrior who had defied death to find her. She didn’t understand a father who would turn away such a son. Rory had no loyalty to her or Liss, yet he had put his life on the line for them both. Because he thought it was the right thing to do. His father should be proud of him. The laird should be begging Rory’s forgiveness for the betrayal.
And Asa intended to tell the man that very thing once she dealt with Hosvir.
“Abhain has been fed. It’s time we get warm and do the same,” Rory told her as he looked away.
She nodded and followed him to the cottage. He opened the door and motioned her inside. Asa was surprised to find it relatively clean and orderly. There was a stack of wood near the hearth, blankets folded neatly at the end of the bed, and a Sutherland tartan hanging on a hook with only a slight layer of dust. She halted inside and turned to Rory as he closed the door behind them.
“It looks as if you spent a lot of time here.”
“I used to,” Rory admitted. “I trusted one man with this location. Hamish taught me how to wield my sword. He saw firsthand how Da and I clashed. He’s the one who told me about this cottage so I had somewhere to get away. Anytime I left, he made sure to keep it clean and ready for when I returned home. Hamish died four months ago.”
Asa looked around the cottage with new eyes. “I wish I could’ve met him. I would have liked to thank him for being a friend to you.” She swung her head to Rory. “And a father figure.”
“Aye.” Rory said no more as he went to the hearth and started a fire.
She removed the furs from around her shoulders and hung them on a peg near the door. The warmth from the fire was already filling the cottage. She busied herself by readying the bed while trying not to think about sharing it with Rory.
“Game is plentiful. I willna be gone long,” he stated as he grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows from the corner.
Asa glanced at the pot hanging near the hearth. “If you come upon any mushrooms and wild garlic, bring some back.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He opened the door, then paused to look back at her.
She waited to see if he would say something, but he must have decided against it because he left. Once the door closed behind him, Asa moved to the fire. His kilt had helped to shield her from most of the rain, but it had still dampened her gown. She shivered at the cooler air at this altitude.
She chuckled. When she first came to Britain, she had thought England was too warm. It hadn’t taken her long to get used to the climate, though. No doubt she would find her home country harsh and bitter now.
That turned her thoughts to her sister. Would she ever see Liss again? Once Asa defeated this witch with Hosvir, there would be nothing keeping her from returning to Norway. But did she want to go? She didn’t consider it her home anymore. Liss did, however. Otherwise, why would her sister not have told her about her magic? She could’ve come to Britain with Asa.
“Liss, you should’ve told me,” she said.
Asa walked the cottage, needing to stretch her legs after so long a ride. She knew her capabilities, but she didn’t know about the witch coming for her. The leader of the Coven had been removed, and many of the members along with her. But witches were still out there. Would Hosvir’s call to them?
Asa didn’t want to contact any of the remaining Witch Hunters or witches she knew. They had finally gotten their lives back. But there was one close. Synne. She and Lachlan had been training others to fight witches hell-bent on dominating others. Then there was the Varroki at Blackglade. If she dared to contact them, would anyone come?
Especially since she hadn’t been there to fight the Coven. She had wanted to be, but it had taken her longer than expected to secure homes for the children she had helped to flee the sanctuary. Particularly the girls with magic. They couldn’t go to just any family, and few witches willingly showed themselves—or would take responsibility for others when they were trying to survive.
When she thought about what might have happened had she returned to Norway as planned, Asa shuddered. Rory was right. Something had kept her here. She might have missed the battle against the Coven, but one was coming for her now. She only had one option—complete decimation of the witch and Hosvir.
Anything less would mean defeat.
Asa was grateful for the training Edra and Radnar had put her through. They had readied her for what was coming.
She dragged a chair from the kitchen table closer to the fire and sank onto it. This location was a good one. The higher ground gave her an advantage. Yet it wasn’t where she wanted to face the witch. Hosvir didn’t matter, nor did any men he had with him. The only one Asa was worried about was the witch. What she needed was a Witch’s Grove.
There were three nearby. One to the east, one to the northwest, and one to the south. She chose the one to the northwest. Not only was it bigger and older, but it was also the closest to Blackglade, just in case she needed the Varroki. They might not answer if she asked for assistance, but it was a chance she had to take.
The door opened, startling her. Her eyes landed on Rory, who entered with two hares he’d already skinned in one hand and a sack in the other.
“I did happen upon some wild garlic,” he said as she got to her feet. “I also filled the waterskins.”
She took the offerings and motioned for him to sit by the fire. He returned the bow and quiver to the corner, then shrugged out of his furs and unbuckled his sword from his waist. Only then did he sink onto the chair and stare into the flames.
Asa chopped the garlic and rubbed it onto the hares. She was surprised to find a small box of salt she also used for seasoning. Rory set the hares over the fire to cook. Asa pulled the second chair to the hearth, and they sat in companionable silence.
“How difficult is it to kill one of your kind?” Rory asked.
She turned her head to him as he continued staring into the fire. “You can’t unless you have magic. Or a weapon spelled by a witch.”
His gaze met hers. “My sword wouldna do any damage otherwise?”
“Barely.”
“So, I’ll be of no use to you.”
Asa rose and went to where his sword leaned near the door. She pulled it from its sheath. It was heavy, but she was used to brandishing such a weapon, albeit smaller. She looked at Rory to find him watching her. “Edra helped me train for battle with my power. Radnar made me train as if I didn’t have magic.”
“With a sword?”
“Aye. As well as a bow, a lance, a crossbow, an axe, and a mace.”
Rory’s brows shot up. “You can use all of them?”
“Radnar and Edra wanted everyone in the community to know how to defend themselves, regardless of whether we had magic or not. They didn’t care if we were male or female. The children even started young, learning how to escape someone who grabbed them.”
“I’ve never heard of such.”
“Imagine if everyone knew how to defend themselves,” she said as she lifted the weapon to eye level and looked down the flat length of the blade to see it etched with knotwork. “This is a beautiful sword.”
Rory stretched his legs out in front of him. “It belonged to my mother’s brother.”
“If I can’t change your mind about letting me face Hosvir alone—” she began.
“You can no’. You willna,” he stated.
“Then I can spell your blade so it can kill a witch.”
Rory’s dark eyes regarded her for a long moment. “You’re no’ worried I’ll turn my sword on you?”
“You could try,” she said with a smile.
His lips curved into a crooked grin. “Then, aye. I’d verra much appreciate being able to defend myself against the witch coming after you.”
“Or any witch,” she added. “There are more than you know. Most just keep to themselves and never allow anyone to know they have magic.”
“They’re afraid.”
Asa nodded as she lowered the sword toward the floor. “Being hunted and then hanged, drowned, or burned alive tends to do that.”
“You have the ability to hurt anyone, but you doona. Why no’?”
“You could hack off anyone’s head who doesn’t have a weapon, but you don’t. Why?”
He grunted. “Point taken, lass.”
“Some witches wanted to take control. The Coven. Their leader is dead now, but some others are still out there.”
“In other words, they could gather again.”
Asa shrugged. “Maybe. Most were forced into the Coven under threat of death. I doubt you’ll ever hear from any of those.”
“Let’s hope no’.”
She felt Rory’s eyes on her as she held her left palm over the sword. The words of the spell were burned into her brain from her time at the sanctuary. They spilled from her lips as silver magic swirled like wispy ribbons from her hand to twirl around the blade. Asa repeated the spell over and over as she moved her hand up and down the metal until it, too, glowed silver with her magic.
She finished the spell and lowered her hand. Her gaze slid to Rory to find his gaze locked on his sword and the diminishing glow. Asa brought the weapon to him and held it out by the pommel.
He glanced at her before wrapping his fingers around the leather grip. Rory carefully lifted it from her and tested its weight. “It doesna feel any different.”
“It shouldn’t. Only a witch will know. You draw blood with that weapon, and she’ll turn to ash.”
“Ash?” he asked, his gaze snapping to hers.
She nodded. “It’s how we die.”
“That sounds…horrific.”
“It is. But there is always a cost to magic.”
He rose, towering over her so she had to lean back to look at him. “Thank you.”
“That’s what family does, right?” she asked with a grin.
He gave her an enigmatic stare. “So it is.”
6
Rory tore off a portion of the hare and handed it to Asa. She murmured her thanks and began eating. He glanced at his sword that now rested near the bow. Watching the magic move from Asa’s hands to his blade had been as beautiful as it was terrifying. She held such power within her, but she didn’t flaunt it. Neither had Liss.
Hosvir’s witch, on the other hand, wanted everyone to know the authority she commanded.
Rory stared at the meat in his hands and tried to imagine what a battle between Asa and the witch might look like. He suspected it would be just as brutal and intense as any he had been in.
“I saw your tattoo.”
Rory looked at Asa in confusion and then remembered she had removed his clothes to heal him. Of course, she had seen the tattoo on his arm. He couldn’t help but wonder what she had thought when she saw his body. Had it pleased her?
“Yggdrasil. Do you know what it means?” she asked.
Rory mentally shook himself. He had to stop thinking about Asa like that. It didn’t matter if he’d been smitten with her from the instant Liss had shown him her likeness. He was there to help protect Asa and keep her from Hosvir. “The world tree. It’s a giant ash supporting the universe.”
She cut her blue eyes to him and nodded once before licking her fingers and pulling off more meat. “My people choose symbols because they mean something to them.”
“And you want to know why I chose that one?”
“I would. If you want to share it.”
Rory almost gave her the excuse that he had given others. That he simply liked it. Though he did, there was more to it. Something he had never told another soul. “I saw it.”
“Saw it?” Asa repeated, her gaze locked on him.
“I’d say it was a dream, but it felt…more than that.”
“Where? When?”
He saw the excitement and surprise in her eyes and felt a flutter in his stomach. He had known she would understand. “My fourteenth summer. The night of my mother’s burial as I slept beneath the stars because I couldna bear to be in the castle. Then I saw it again when I reached the shores of your homeland. I knew it hadna been a coincidence that I saw it the first time.”
“And the runes mingled in the tree’s roots? Did you see those, too?”
“Nay.”
Asa turned to him, her meal forgotten. “Who decided on those?”
“Liss. Before she left, she told Emrik I’d be coming to him and that he needed to add those runes to the design.”
“Do you know what they mean?”
“There are four. Courage, protection, safe travels, and strength.”
Asa reached out as if she were going to touch his arm, but she stopped herself. “There is a fifth.”
He frowned. “A fifth? I was told four.”
“The roots form the fifth. It’s hidden.”
“What does it mean?”
Her neck bobbed as she swallowed. “Love.”
Rory looked at his right arm and wished he could see through the material of his shirt. He would have Asa show him later. He had to see it now that she’d mentioned it.
“The runes and Yggdrasil are good symbols for you. I would’ve suggested them.”
His head swung back to her. “What do you mean?”
“It’s my talent, if you will. I’ve always been interested in marking others’ bodies, and it wasn’t long before I could see the symbols a person needed. Others come to me and ask what they need, and I tattoo them.”
Suddenly, Rory wanted to know if she had more than those on her hand and fingers. Somehow, he knew she did. And he wanted to find out what they were and where they were located on her body. “Are there more you would suggest for me?”
“Aye,” she said with a small smile.
“Will you tell me?”
“Now isn’t the time.”
He quirked a brow. “Why no’?”
“We need to talk about the battle.”
“That reminds me. I spotted horse tracks no’ far from here. I doona think we can remain for long.”
“I know where we need to go. There’s a forest to the northwest.”
He finished off the meat and reached for more. “The Caledonian Forest? Why there?”
“It’s the closest to Blackglade. I need to reach out to the Varroki and see if they might be willing to help should the need arise. Plus, it has a Witch’s Grove.”
“A what?”
“It’s a special place for witches. It’s consecrated ground.”
He swallowed the bite. “And you think that’s the right place for the battle?”
“It’s the place of my people. It’s where the fight needs to happen.”
Rory was out of his element when it came to magic. But he knew battle well. While Asa would be focused on the witch, he planned to face off against Hosvir. They might have been friends, but what the Norseman planned now erased the camaraderie they had formed.
Rain began pelting the cottage’s roof. Rory glanced upward. “How far away is this forest?”
“A little over a day’s hard ride.”
“Then we should leave at first light.”
Asa rose and tossed the bones into the fire. “I’d like to know if Hosvir has landed. Frida should return by nightfall with a report.”
“Can the witch track you?”
“I don’t know what she can do. But we have to assume she can.”
“Then we shouldna tarry here.”
Asa went to the table and drank deeply from the waterskin before bringing it to Rory. “I need to contact those at Blackglade.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“Through their dreams.”
Rory thought about how easily Liss had slid into his dreams. “You can do that, too?”
“It’s a special spell passed down through my family. Something only those with my blood can do.”
“Then why did Liss no’ warn you herself?”
Asa’s lips twisted in a rueful smile. “It’s a powerful spell, but all magic has a price. For us, it means we can’t go into each other’s dreams.”
“I see. What do you need from me?”
“I need you to watch over me. I’m exposed when I go into someone’s dreams.”
He bowed his head. “No harm will come to you while I’m near.”
She smiled and turned to put away the unused wild garlic. Rory finished eating and saved the leftover food for later. When he finished, Asa had moved the chairs away from the hearth and lowered herself to the floor.
“You doona need to wait until they sleep?” he asked.
She rubbed her hands together and settled with her legs crossed. “Usually. But I’m hoping because it’s the Varroki, I can reach one of them enough for them to know it’s me. Brom might hear. If he’s there. I’d rather speak to Malene or Armir, but I’ll take whoever is listening.”
Rory checked the two windows. They were latched securely. He peered through the slit in the wood and saw the rain drenching the ground. He then cracked the door and stepped a foot outside to check on his horse. Abhain knickered when he spotted Rory. Verifying everything was as it should be, he returned back inside and faced Asa.
At his nod, she turned to the flames and closed her eyes. With her hands pressed together, she moved her lips. He couldn’t hear the spell, but he saw the sparks of silver that flared around her hands and fingers.
Asa reached out to Malene first. Almost immediately, it felt as if she had hit a rock wall. Next, she tried Armir. It wasn’t as easy to slide into someone’s mind when they were awake. It was why she usually did it while they slept. Not that she’d expected Armir’s mind to be easy to enter. No Varroki’s would be.
