Kull took my hand as we entered the dining hall. Thankfully, the room wasn’t too crowded yet, with only a few Wults mingling inside. But as we entered, they turned and immediately bowed.
“No need for that nonsense,” Kull called to them.
They stayed on one knee until Kull and I located our spots at the head of one of the tables. Food filled the long rows of tables, from boiled potato-type plants to mounds of thinly sliced meat and mugs filled with ale. My stomach growled as I inhaled the scents of the food.
More people entered the room, one in particular I immediately recognized—Halla, Kull’s mom.
Her eyes widened as she spotted me sitting beside her son. She approached us cautiously. Halla wore a blue dress with artfully placed silver earrings and a silver pendant around her neck. She was a neat, precise woman, in her dress and in her speech, and I had to admit I felt completely awkward in her presence.
“Kull,” she said as she sat beside him. “I see Olive has returned.” She glanced past him to focus on me. “Olive, I hope you are well.”
“Thank you. Yes.” I cleared my throat. “I’m great.”
“I admit I’m surprised to see you here. We all wondered if we’d ever see you again. Earth Kingdom takes up much of your time, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, unfortunately. Sometimes I feel like I’m two different people.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You know, when I married Kull’s father, I left my home and family behind completely and never looked back. I had to make a choice between where I wanted to be and where I belonged.”
I couldn’t mistake the warning in her voice. If I became Kull’s queen, I would be expected to be here at all times. Being the queen of the Wults was a full-time job, one that I felt completely unqualified for.
More people wandered inside and filled the empty seats at the table. When they saw me, I got the usual suspicious glares. Nothing new. By now, I should have been used to it. Kull noticed the looks, too, so he grabbed my hand and held it tightly atop the table for everyone to see. He was going forward with this marriage whether they wanted it or not.
But did I want it?
Of course I wanted to marry him; that was a no-brainer. But did I really want to become the queen of the Wults? Wult traditions and ceremonies confused me. I had no idea what my duties were or what was expected of me. I could learn, I suppose, but if it meant giving up my life on Earth, would I be able to? Did I even want to?
Sighing, I leaned back against the chair’s wooden slats, having wild ideas of eloping with Kull to some faraway deserted island. Or maybe back to Earth. I could get him a memory charm, and he could pick someone else to be king. Assuming he’d ever agree to it, which he wouldn’t. But still, it was a thought. Probably not the best solution, though.
After everyone settled into the dining hall, the queen rose and held up her goblet. She gave a speech about their ancestors and how they always held such a feast before every great quest, how the gods would protect them, and how the swords of their forefathers would guard them, though she glossed over the part about Kull’s sword being destroyed by me.
Destroying Kull’s ancestral sword wasn’t something I was proud of, but it had to be done. If I had to choose between his life and the sword all over again, my decision would be the same. Still, Silvestra, the silverwitch of Dragon Spine Mountain, had felt sure I could have saved Kull using black magic. I still had no clue why she’d thought such a thing.
When Kull’s mom finished her speech, everyone toasted and applauded accordingly, though everyone seemed a bit bored. This gathering wasn’t at all like the other Wult parties I’d been to where there was too much laughter, shouting, and drinking.
Kull stood next. He held up his goblet and continued where his mom left off. It all sounded rote and memorized, like the Wults had heard this speech too many times to count, but at the end of his spiel, Kull paused.
“One final announcement. I’m getting married.” He took my hand and helped me stand.
The room went silent. I swore I heard crickets chirping. Or maybe that was just my thudding heart.
“I hope you’ll all be able to attend the wedding.” We sat, and Kull didn’t say another word. After several seconds of tense silence, someone starting clapping, and then a few more joined in. Some, however, didn’t clap at all. They only sat staring daggers at their king.
After the feast ended, Kull and I finally made it out of the room. A few people stopped and congratulated him. Brodnik appeared in the crowd. He was a large, boisterous man with a protruding middle and rust-colored beard, and he was also one of Kull’s best fighters.
He clasped Kull’s hand. “It’s about time you two made it official. Congratulations to the both of you.”
“Thank you, Brodnik,” Kull said.
“I couldn’t be happier. But Olive,” he said, turning toward me, “what in Odin’s name drove you to agree to marry him? You know he’s nothing but trouble.”
“Trouble?” Kull said. “Says who?”
“Everyone.” Brodnik laughed. “Well, at least you’ll never have any dull moments, will you? You know I’m only jesting. I couldn’t be happier for the two of you. I realize I’m not in the majority when I say this, but you two were meant to be together. I see it sometimes in people. That’s how it was with me and my wife, and that’s how it is with the two of you. Don’t let anyone talk you out of this. That goes for the both of you.” He gave us a stern look.
“We won’t,” I said truthfully. Kull and I had been through way too much to ever let anything come between us again. By this point, we knew we’d never survive without one another. Not long ago, we’d split up, and those had been the worst months of my life. It would never happen again.
Brodnik gave Kull a clap on his shoulder before walking away from us. Another man appeared from the crowd. I’d never seen him before. He wasn’t much taller than me. His long, grizzly beard and clothing made from animal hides and leather made him look like a typical Wult. He wore a golden medallion with the shape of Thor’s hammer etched on its surface. The look of hostility in his eyes made me take a step away from the man as he stopped in front of Kull and me.
“Your Highness.” He gave a quick nod of his head.
“Vott,” Kull said. “I am pleased to see you made it to our gathering.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You know I believe in keeping our traditions. All of them.” He cast a sidelong glance at me.
Kull took my hand. “Vott, I’d like you to meet my future bride. This is Olive.”
The man grunted in my direction, and then he crossed his arms. “I was not pleased when you made the announcement, but I’m sure you know that already. You’re upsetting the balance in our kingdom with this.”
“It was already upset,” Kull said.
“I won’t disagree with you on that.”
“Then at least we agree on something,” Kull said.
“Don’t push it,” Vott said. “You know my feelings on this subject. You’re paying your father a great disrespect by bringing elven blood into the noble line.”
“Yet, Father helped to arrange my marriage with the elven princess, and no one cared one whit about bloodlines then.”
“That was different. You would’ve been unifying two nations. But this?” Vott raised his eyebrow at me. “Your father never would have approved.”
I cleared my throat. “Actually…” I said. “You’re wrong. He did approve of me right before his passing.”
Vott scrutinized me. “How could you possibly know such a thing?”
“Because I was there, and you weren’t. You would be wise not to bring up the subject of the late king’s passing again in the presence of his son.”
Vott’s mouth gaped, and he huffed before turning away from us. Kull eyed me, a slight smile on his face.
“What?” I asked.
“I can’t believe you spoke to him like that.”
“He had it coming. He shouldn’t be intimidating you.”
“I agree.” He wrapped his arm around my waist. “You’re going to make an excellent queen.”
I wasn’t sure I agreed.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s escape before any of the other nobles decide to chat with us.” He steered me down a hallway and toward a set of broad double doors.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“I thought we’d get some fresh air. Plus, I’ve got something to show you.”
I eyed him. “What is it this time?”
He smiled. “You’ll see.”
We opened the doors and walked outside. Springtime transformed the Wult mountains. Lavender and yellow wildflowers grew along the trail, and white blossoms fluttered in the trees as the river water churned musically in the distance. Slanted rays of amber light painted our path. I recognized this area; he’d taken me this way before.
“Are we going to the old abbey?”
“Yes. Although it’s no longer an abbey. Look for yourself.” We rounded a bend. Up ahead, the trees around the structure had been cleared out. A copper-domed building soared toward the sky, glinting in the evening light. Half the structure was still under construction, with wooden beams and half the walls built of a light-colored stone.
“I’ve been working on this place rather religiously since you left,” Kull said. “It keeps me occupied. Keeps me from thinking about other things.” He squeezed my hand. Looking up at him, I saw the pain in his eyes. He said he didn’t do well while I was gone, and I believed him.
“Come,” Kull said. “I’ll show you the best part.”
After walking toward the building, we entered through a half-built arching structure and stepped onto a wooden platform. Our footsteps echoed over the planks as we climbed a staircase, then stepped inside the domed building.
When we entered through the open doorway, I stopped in shock as I stared overhead.
The skeleton of a T-Rex, a prehistoric dragon, stood over us. I’d forgotten how impressive this thing was.
“You put Kitten on display already?”
“Yes. I couldn’t wait any longer. It seemed wrong to leave her stuffed in boxes in the dungeon, so I made sure we completed this chamber first so I could put her on display immediately.”
I walked toward the ancient dragon, my footsteps echoing through the huge chamber. The T-Rex stood atop a raised platform. Wires connected the bones together. I felt magic in the bones, old and ancient, an almost incomprehensible power. As I rounded the skeleton, I saw something hanging from one of the toes.
I walked closer, finding it was a necklace made of a leather cord, a small bone dangling from the bottom. Stopping, I glanced back at Kull. “What’s this?”
“It’s yours. Take it.”
I approached the necklace and removed it from the giant claw. Red and brown leather had been braided together to form an oval-shaped loop. At the bottom, there was a sliver of bone about the size of a shark’s tooth.
Kull stood behind me as I held the necklace. “There’s a bit of a story behind that. When we were moving the skeleton in here, we dropped one of the bones. That piece broke loose. I’d thought to put it back on the skeleton somehow, but couldn’t find a way to do it. So I decided it would make a nice piece of jewelry.”
Smiling, I rounded to face him. Maybe some women would be turned off by the idea of getting a dinosaur-bone necklace from their Viking warlord fiancé, but it didn’t bother me a bit. In fact, it was what I loved about him.
“What do you think?” he asked.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I think it’s perfect.”
He took my hands, and his warmth on my skin made my heart skip a beat. Gently, he took the necklace from me and fastened it around my neck. He took a step back and inspected me.
“It suits you. You look like a true Wult.”
I touched my pointed ears. “Even with these?”
“It’s the heart that makes the Wult. Not the ears. You’ve always had the heart of a Wult, Olive.”
He took a step closer to me. I inhaled the calming scent of sandalwood. It reminded me of wild forests and campfires. Nerves made my stomach flutter, though I wasn’t sure why. Something about this man made me totally lose my head. His gaze fixated on me—those glacial-blue eyes that had held me spellbound since I’d first met him.
“Olive,” he said, his voice deep and husky. My heart pounded as he cupped my face. “May I kiss you?” he asked quietly.
I held my breath, not sure how to answer him. Since my encounter with Theht in the cave on Dragon Spine’s peak, my mind hadn’t been my own. On Earth, the goddess didn’t seem to have as much control over me, but being here made things different. I feared getting close to Kull with the goddess screwing up my head. Even so, some compulsion had come over me, and I couldn’t push him away any longer.
I ran my fingers over his lips. “It’s okay,” I whispered.
“You’re sure?”
I only nodded. When his lips touched mine, my thoughts evaporated, as if the past four months never existed. His lips were warm and soft, making my heart flutter. Blood rushed to my face. He pulled me closer, holding his hand firmly against my back.
It had been way too long. I wanted him so badly that the need was painful. Wrapping my hands around his waist, I felt his warmth and the calmness of his presence.
When he pulled away, his eyes sparkled. “I’ve been waiting a long time to do that.”
“Me too.”
Footsteps echoed from the forest below us as several elven men approached through the underbrush.
“What are they doing here?” I asked.
Kull kept me close as they climbed the stairs outside the chamber. “They’re helping me.”
I eyed him. “Helping you? I thought you didn’t want the elves anywhere near this place.”
“Not all elves support the queen. The Delestrians have declared they no longer owe allegiance to the queen. We’ve been working together to build the library. One day, I hope this can be a place where all races visit, elves included. So long as they don’t start meddling.”
“You really trust them to be here?”
He nodded. “I do.”
“What does your mom think about this?”
“She hates it, of course.”
Two elven men approached us. They were dressed in typical elven fashion—ornate clothing, long hair, silver buckles, and golden-stitched doublets. Both men fisted their hands over their hearts.
“Welcome,” Kull said before he turned to me. “Olive, this is Enolli and Chalaman of Delestria. They’ve been helping me oversee the construction of the library.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” I said.
The two men nodded. Kull and the elves started talking architecture and construction, and my mind wandered. Kull wasn’t a person to trust anyone unless he had full confidence in them. I was glad he’d found allies in the Delestrians, but I hoped he would still be cautious around them. Although I was half-elven, I’d never trusted elves.
As the conversation continued, I wandered back over to the T-Rex. Circling the skeleton, I lightly brushed my fingers over the bones, feeling the prehistoric magic contained within. It made me wonder what sort of magic could have existed at the time of the dinosaurs. It wasn’t Faythander or Earth magic, but perhaps a blend of both, or maybe something we weren’t familiar with at all.
I’d been trying for so long to discover a way to get my Earth and Faythander magics to cooperate, and here, right in front of my face, that feat had been accomplished.
“Olive,” Kull said as he approached from behind me. I rounded to find both elves descending the stairs, leaving me alone with Kull. “Shall we return to the keep? We have a long journey ahead of us. I, for one, would like some rest before we set off.”
“Yes, of course.” I cast one last glance back at the prehistoric dragon before following him to the keep.