“Shut down the roads out of town!” the Mouthpiece called to his team.
Foss and Jamie exchanged troubled glances. “We can’t wait,” Foss ruled. “They’re going to shut down the docks when they don’t find the rake, and we’ll be stuck here.”
Jamie nodded. “Sure, but what’s our other option?”
Tor said what Jamie could not. “The two portals left ta shut down are the Fossegrimens and humans.”
I pushed Foss’s hand away from my mouth. “And the elves.”
Tor readied his ax. “Right. I’m not needed, so I’ll wait fer tha others and help if I can. I’ll let them know ya’ve gone on.”
My head darted around between the men. “Wait, what? Splitting up wasn’t part of the plan!”
Something caught my eye at the edge of the lake. My intake of breath was just enough warning for Foss to cover my mouth again before I let out a horrified scream.
A body rose to the surface of the water, surrounded by a pool of blood.
“It’s probably not Jens,” Jamie insisted, his voice pinched with anxiety.
Tor shooed us away. “We’ll catch up once tha search dies down. Go! This might be yer only chance ta get ta the Fossegrimens. Maybe ya can find a few sympathizers and gain some allies.” Tor was already shaking Foss’s hand. “We’ll grab tha rake and meet ya there as soon as we can.”
“No!” I argued, my blood cold as my eyes zeroed in on the body. The black shirt was shifting to and fro with the current, but I couldn’t see the victim’s hair. Black or bluish white? Black or bluish white? Come on! I shouted in my head. “We can’t just leave Jens and everyone to fend for themselves!”
Jamie hugged Tor with trembling arms and kissed both his cheeks. “Farewell, Torsten the Mighty. We’ll see you soon.”
“But you’ll be seen!” I pointed out. “Jamie can’t vanish you if we leave.”
Tor shrugged. “What’s the crime in a dwarf visiting tha lovely Nøkken countryside? I certainly don’t have no rake on me. I wouldn’t be suspect ta them anyway. Dwarves don’t swim. Free pass for Torsten the Mighty.” He reached out and gently pried Henry Mancini from my arms, giving me a stern look when I resisted.
Panic built up in me. “But he’s mine! Don’t take my dog! I’ll keep him quiet, I swear!”
“Now, now. Don’t ya worry. I’ll keep watch over him. Ya might have ta sneak off the docks, in which case ya’ll have better luck if yer yap stays with me.”
Henry Mancini licked Tor’s beard and then sneezed, whining at me to question whether I thought this was the best way for him. I ran my hands over my puppy’s fur, trying to put on a brave face underneath my tears. “It’s okay, Henry Mancini. Mommy’s just going on a little trip. I’ll be back to come get you sooner than you think.” I nuzzled the top of his head, my heart breaking as he whined. “I’ll always come back for you.”
“Off ya go, lass.”
“Tor, I don’t like this idea,” I insisted, my heart pounding as I cast around for any excuse they might allow me to stay. “Jens! The body in the lake… It’s… I don’t know if… We can’t leave without Jens!”
Before I knew what was happening, Tor pulled me down to his level, which was only a handful of stooped inches, and kissed my mouth. “Fare thee well, Queen Lucy the Brave.”
Then Jamie all but dragged me away from Tor and Henry Mancini. He took me away from Uncle Rick, my new brother and my new best friend. He led me away from Nik’s ripped and lonely body that would not be laid to rest with any respect, nor with Kirk.
Of all things, he took me away from Jens.
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