“My master doesn’t like to be kept waiting,” Ylva said as she reclined on his settee, fingering a small, sharp dagger.
Ulfr glowered at her. She was Lord Jorvikr’s messenger, and though he’d dealt with her before, he never grew accustomed to her complete lack of fear in his presence. She used the tip of the dagger to pick under her nails, her black riding dress and cloak making her pale skin even whiter. Her eyes were a hard amber and her long hair a searing red.
His camp was on one of the smaller islands, one hidden and fortified. It was the one he most frequented between raids. If Lord Jorvikr decided to withdraw his protection, Ulfr might have to flee across the ocean to unknown lands since traversing the breadth of the empire to reach the wildlands to the east was a death sentence. Lord Jorvikr knew most of his places where he laid low. At least there were a few places before he’d entered Jorvikr’s service seven years ago that he didn’t know about.
“It’s unavoidable,” he said through gritted teeth. “Scourge must come first. He’s a danger to us all.”
“You mean he’s a danger to you,” she said, her voice like silk and as cold as a viper. She flicked her hard gaze over him lazily. “Your dog broke his leash and now you cower and wring your hands. Methinks you should have beat him harder.”
He growled.
She smirked.
“He’s no match for me,” Ulfr said proudly. “Never has been. Once I find him—”
“And now we’re back to the waiting game,” she said. “You have a deal with my master. No exceptions. By my count you should have raided five villages by now.”
“Your lord should be more concerned with what my dog will do now that he has freedom.”
“He’s actually more concerned with the fact that you didn’t finish him off when you had the chance,” she snapped. Her eyes glinted as she stood, a tall, robust woman completely loyal to Jorvikr. “Such a failure shows weakness. My master has no use for the weak.”
Ulfr lashed out and gripped her throat. Even as he began to squeeze, he felt a jab at his groin. He froze and took in Ylva’s smug smile. He glanced down at her dagger that was currently pressed against his balls.
“Careful,” she whispered. “I might get a slap for killing you but rest assured my master will shrug off your death and find another warlord to suit his purposes. Or perhaps I’ll leave you mutilated. You won’t be able to play with your children without your cock, will you?”
Cold fear slithered through his veins. He released her and stepped back. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and continued to finger the tip of her dagger.
“You don’t have much time to earn back my master’s approval,” she said. “While I highly doubt your dog is anywhere but rotting in a ditch, I would suggest you confirm his location. Soon. You’re behind schedule.”
Ulfr growled again.
A dull ringing suddenly filled the room and Ylva raised her eyebrows. She pushed aside her cloak, revealing a pouch. She took out a small seer stone and looked around.
“Do you have a bowl and some water?”
Grumbling, Ulfr slammed a wooden bowl on the large table and dropped a sheep’s gut beside it. Ylva filled the bowl before dropping the stone into the water. She waited only a moment before the water shimmered. Having seen this before, Ulfr stepped up beside her despite his desire to be as far away from her as possible.
A nervous older man’s face shone in the water. His eyes were big and he was grimacing.
“My lady, forgive me. I must… is that Ulfr?”
“Yes, my lord, it is. What do you have to tell me? Something worth interrupting me, I hope.”
“I have just heard from a large town in the south of Cairon. They sent a messenger bearing a letter pleading for help. They claim the warlord Ulfr will be coming for them. They give no real specifics, only that there is a warrior in their midst that Ulfr is hunting.”
Ulfr’s heart leapt in delight. He shoved Ylva away and bowed over the bowl.
“Is it Scourge? Tell me!”
“I—I—”
Ylva kicked him in the ribs, sending him crashing to the ground with a shout. She straightened her cloak, eyes aflame. “Never do that again.” She turned to the lord in the water.
“Tell me more.”
“The warlord Ragel went to demand tribute. They refused and a pale man was there and he challenged Ragel. I’ve heard some talk that he fought like a child of Snet. My soldiers have captured a few of Ragel’s men.”
“Did they give any description of him?
“Pale skin, fierce blue eyes, and long blond hair. He wore peasant’s garb. Ragel was about to tell the town something about his identity but the man ran him through.”
“Does that sound like your man?” Ylva asked without looking at Ulfr.
He grunted, itching to get his hands around Lance’s neck.
“What happened to Ragel?” Ylva asked.
“The warrior killed him.” The lord gulped. “Some say that the warrior is… Scourge.”
“Did the letter say if the town was asking for help from anyone else?” Ylva asked.
“I’m sure they also sent a messenger to Lord Semesy. Between he and I, we protect their roads and fields during harvest. But, my lady, Lord Semesy is the cousin to Queen Cleptra. I’m certain he will request backup from her.”
“Then we must move fast. Prepare your lands for extra guests. We will come promptly. We need to visit that town before Lord Semesy and the queens get wind of what is going on.”
“Yes, my lady.”
She removed the stone, breaking the connection. She turned to Ulfr. He bared his teeth at her, rubbing his side.
“Get your warriors ready. We leave within the hour.”
“And how do you purpose we cover thousands of miles in mere days?”
Ylva stared at him, expression as cold as a marble statue. “It is called magic, my dear simpleton. Now, do as I say. The faster we leave, the faster we can clean up your mess.” She spun on her heel and swept out of his tent.
At the first chance I’m going to gut that woman.
He pushed out of his tent and hollered orders. Then he focused once again on packing and anticipated putting Lance in his place. On a funeral pyre. At the hour mark, everyone was ready to leave. Ylva sat on her horse at the edge of the beach where dozens of boats docked. She had two seer stones set far apart while she stood in the center.
“Gather around. Come on, no time to waste.”
Dozens of soldiers along with their horses and gear did as she ordered, with Ulfr at the front. Then she turned her back on them, and Ulfr was hard pressed not to shove a knife into her spine. She spread out her hands and murmured something. He couldn’t hear what it was but it added weight to the air. The space in front of her rippled and sparkled before ripping open. Gasps and curses echoed among the warriors as a rip appeared, showing land from another place, hiding the water everyone should have seen.
Ylva urged her horse to leap through and then spun around to wave at them. “Come on, you cowards!”
Ulfr growled and galloped through the opening, his warriors at his back. They all managed to get through the opening before it closed, knitting together seamlessly.
“This better be worth it, Ulfr!” Ylva said. “That little maneuver cost me two seer stones. Find the dog and put him down.”
Ulfr bellowed out a command, and he followed Ylva down the road, journeying deeper into Cairon, straight to their host, Lord Khepi.