Broken: Book 2 of the ShadowLight Saga Page 5

  I want to find the answers as much as you, Brother, but I resent that she’s inspecting me like a hen who can’t lay eggs.

  Play along, if only because I ask it of you. It will be over soon, and we will be wiser about our role in this land. Our Father once said, it’s by seeing both sides that you learn the truth.

  Fine. I’ll play along. But because I love you.

  She sensed his lips rise and relief spread throughout his forehead.

  I love you, too, Sister.

  Her brother was the only person in the world that she had ever expressed her feelings to—not that she could hide them, considering their bond. But speaking words of affection, even though not aloud, soothed her heart.

  "We’ll try one last approach." Ravenna waved her to follow once more.

  The First conducted Astrid along the stream and through the gardens until they passed under an archway that looked like any other flader bush entwined opening in the Palace.

  Except this arch led them into a cavern. The rock walls glowed amber, lighting their way into a tight corridor, as if sunlight washed inside. They continued downward, working into the bowels of the earth on smooth, steep steps.

  Ravenna remained as dignified as ever as they descended, but the rigid arch of her back chimed an alert in Astrid—as if the woman was a warrior preparing a sneak assault.

  The stairs ended; the tunnel spread into a cavern. Rune stones weaved into the sides of the rock. Ravenna swirled around, her robes twirling with her as she swept her hand over the stones. Her voice thundered a sharp note. All the light emanating from the stone vanished.

  Darkness engulfed them.

  "Put the lights back on," demanded Ravenna.

  What are you playing at?

  Blinded, Astrid’s arms sprang in front of her, instinctively searching for an assault. She wished she hadn’t let Hallad convince her to leave her sword behind.

  "You’re the Svenna. You possess more power than anyone who has ever walked these lands. Turn on the lights!" The woman’s usually placid voice broke with anger.

  Unless you’re ten shades of stupid, you should know I cannot!

  Astrid squinted, trying to adjust to the darkness, but at their depth in the earth no natural light found them. She quieted her breath, listening. Water dripped on rock, echoing in the cavern. Then, to her right, a slight rustle of cloth, and slipper adorned feet sounded against stone. She swung, facing the noise.

  Ravenna’s voice rang out, amplified by the cavern’s size. "Atlaga!"

  A shiver ran the length of Astrid’s spine. Balin’s old training boomed in her head, Never underestimate an opponent’s intentions. Seek to gain the upper hand as soon as you register a threat.

  Rock groaned beneath Astrid—grating, shifting under her feet, coming alive. She hopped to her side, but the undulating stone followed her step. The cavern floor pushed up beneath her boots. Hardness slithered over her foot, wrapping around her ankle. Astrid jerked her hand down, attempting to pull the attacking stone away. Rock curled, crawling around her shins, knees and thighs, pinning her in place. She struggled, but the action was as fruitless as trying to lift a mountain.

  All the while, Astrid sensed the First pacing circles around her.

  "Perhaps, a warrior such as yourself requires less than gentle persuasion."

  Whether this is a test or threat matters not. You’ve broken my patience, woman. More of Balin’s wisdoms played through her memory. Even if you’re outnumbered, outwitted, or out powered, all opponents have a weakness. Seek that weakness and use it against them.

  "I will command the stone to squeeze the words right out of you if you continue to be stubborn enough not to sing."

  She thinks she knows best. She thinks without my sword her power is superior, and she can force me to do as she bids. Even if I cannot.

  Ravenna waited as the stone edged its way up, claiming Astrid’s waist, chest, and arms, squeezing her limbs to her sides.

  "It’s hard to believe that the Svenna would not know the Mother’s songs. Perhaps, your muteness is a front to keep others from knowing how powerful you are. Like the songvaris who have fled the Palace and are hiding out like cowards in the Gap."

  Is that what you think?

  But Astrid couldn’t speak to address the ridiculousness of Ravenna’s accusation. For a woman who acts as if she knows all, the First knew very little. The force against Astrid’s chest compressed her breath from her lungs. She inhaled in short puffs to retain her airflow.

  If I can just…

  Astrid’s skin pinched under the pressure of the stone vines, puckering where the blood stopped in her limbs.

  "It’s as simple as telling them to cease. I’ll even give you the word. Letta. A short, two-syllable word any child could say."

  Astrid ignored the First’s taunt, as her blood pulsed beneath the pressure. It’s not like she hadn’t tried to speak out loud before, though the outcome always remained the same—voiceless. Her skin puckered between the stone vines, aching for flow as she squeezed her arms over the vines with one quick movement. The flesh of her forearms scraped, leaving raw skin in its wake.

  "Or could it be that the Mother locked your voice away until it was needed? And I am here to help you release it?"

  Astrid grabbed the woman’s arm with what little reach she managed to muster. She wrapped her fingers around Ravenna’s wrist.

  "That will do you little good," said Ravenna, but her tone faltered.

  Astrid twisted the First into a wrist lock. Ravenna bent over, spiraling down to the young woman’s waist, squeaking out an intake of breath.

  Then, without warning, Astrid’s head lightened as the sensation of dissolving into the shadowwalk overtook her. She tightened her grip on the First, inspiring another yip from the woman.

  Gray smoke invaded the blackness of the cavern, giving way to the shifting landscape of the in-between world as Astrid pulled Ravenna into the shadowwalk. Once they broke free of the cavern’s vines, Astrid’s voice ignited, ringing throughout the air around them, engulfing them like a chorus in the wind.

  Now, First of Glitner, I’ll play your game, but on my grounds.

  Chapter 9

  "You can speak."

  The First’s voice remained level, but color leeched from her skin, intensifying the blackness of the tattooed raven on her cheek; her eyes widened as the gray landscape morphed from scene to scene until the foreground settled into a wintry meadow.

  The women’s bodies solidified. Their feet sunk into the powdery snow beneath them. The overcast sky dulled the whiteness of the snow and ice to a lifeless gray. Stalks pushed through the frozen earth, but withered with the effort, leaving a spiked field of half-dead sprouts. A dilapidated shack struggled to stay upright at the edge of Astrid’s vision, yet grayness shifted at their periphery like a wall of smoke around their landing point—not quite in the in-between world of the walk, yet not quite outside, either.

  All around, Astrid registered a groan from inside the frozen earth, as if the land withered along with the dying sprouts. A rawness spread through her belly as if she were the land and whatever gnawed at the earth, ate away her insides as well. She nearly doubled over from the pain but refused to let the First see her buckle. She straightened, refusing to flinch.

  Ravenna peered around Astrid’s middle, staring into the distance as if searching for something… or someone. Her eyes twitched back and forth, frantic.

  Astrid released her.

  The First reeled back. She grabbed her wrist and rubbed.

  Astrid thought of her hilt sliding into the palm of her hand and to her surprise, her sword materialized. She hefted the weapon, held her tip outward and trained her point on the First.

  "You would fight me with iron?" Ravenna stiffened. Her gaze switched from searching behind Astrid to settling upon her. She froze—whether from fear, self-control, or the nip in the air, Astrid couldn’t tell. The First’s stillness smoothed her features, returning her temporary worry
lines back to a state of nonexistence.

  Only if you force me. Astrid’s voice rang through the air like a chorus of bells, resounding around them.

  The First gawked. She swiveled side to side, her gracefulness forgotten—she looked like a rabbit cornered by a wolf—but just for a heartbeat. Then fascination replaced her momentary fear, and her mouth spread into a smile.

  "Your words echo all around me and yet…" she gazed back at Astrid, examining her lips. She shook her head, sucking in a quick breath.

  You proclaim yourself protector of Glitner, yet your tactics are cruel, and you subjugate your own people. Each word lilted, taking on a tone. They strung together like a sweet yet bitter song.

  The First swiveled her head around as if to catch each note and memorize it.

  "I’ve never heard anything so beautiful. Not even the Mother herself…"

  Then Ravenna recovered, straightening her stance. Her eyelids flickered as she tightened her jaw.

  "My tactics, as you call them, are necessary," Ravenna stated flatly. "There is more to weigh than individual comfort and in time, you’ll come to understand that. I do what I do, not just to protect our people and yours but to save the Mother from a painful demise. And believe it or not, I understand you more than you think."

  Ravenna jerked her chin, gesturing behind the young woman. "We never shadowwalk without setting the ward."

  Astrid followed her gaze. She spotted blackness oozing in the periphery.

  Algiz! sang Astrid. The sweet melody surrounded them. With her free hand, the young woman reached into the air, drawing a squiggle with her finger. White light streamed from her fingertip, exploding, creating a bubble of brightness around them and pressing back the darkness.

  Ravenna’s jaw swung open, but the First slammed her mouth closed and smoothed her features back to a state of evenness.

  "As I suspected, you can sing to the Mother."

  Only in the walk.

  "How can that be?"

  Why would I lie?

  The women locked eyes, until Ravenna broke the standoff.

  "The Mother’s touch weakens here." The First bent, studying the grass. She ran her fingers over the yellowed blades but jerked her hand back as if struck by lightning. "Where are we?"

  Scandia.

  "So far?" Ravenna’s eyes rimmed with wetness.

  Her emotion startled Astrid. Could the woman possess a heart?

  "Nei wonder I feel as though she withers. Can you feel it, too?" Ravenna asked, turning her dark, wet eyes upon the young woman.

  Astrid could—like the earth crumpled beneath her, sickness slithering through her—but she refused to admit any more to this woman until she understood her better.

  "Where in Scandia are we?"

  An old home of mine in sudr Scandia, below the Wettersea.

  Ravenna swirled around, taking in the scenery: the ice-laden plain, the withering grass, the gray-cast sky.

  "It should be springtime. The snow should have melted, and the grass should be greening."

  The wrongness of the land just about bowled Astrid over, but she remained standing still, facing the First.

  "Why did you bring me here?"

  Astrid didn’t answer—or couldn’t. She hadn’t thought about their destination when she pulled Ravenna into the walk. She hadn’t even meant to pull her into the walk. She only sought to level the field and face Ravenna on her own terms. The length of their journey surprised even her. Before bonding with Hallad, such a journey would have taxed her ability, or worse, locked her in a shadowy prison like before, yet the walk opened as irrepressibly as her thoughts.

  Ravenna’s eyes widened. "You can’t control it, can you?"

  The First straightened up from the ground. Her eyes twitched around the periphery. The raven on her cheek glistened in the golden light of the ward. Then she sought Astrid’s face, switching back and forth between her eyes, studying her.

  "By the strength of the Guardian, you can’t control the shadowwalk!"

  Her mouth formed into an o; she slumped, her shoulders humping. She hung her head and swallowed. She searched the ground as if beseeching answers.

  Astrid didn’t blink as she watched the woman’s actions, but decisively, she lowered her sword.

  Ravenna gathered herself, stretching back up to full height, a head below Astrid. Both her glare and tone returned to her cursory hardness.

  "I’ve seen enough," said Ravenna. "Take me back."

  Return on your own accord.

  "I cannot," admitted Ravenna.

  Try, replied Astrid.

  Ravenna’s brows dipped down, narrowing her eyes. "You know I cannot."

  As you knew I couldn’t speak.

  "I was testing you."

  And I, you.

  Ravenna folded her arms over her chest. "You can’t just leave me here."

  I could.

  "But you wouldn’t."

  Wouldn’t I?

  "We are not enemies, you and I."

  Yet you act as if we are.

  "I act as if! You’re the one with a sword ready to slice me through."

  In response to your cavern trap.

  Ravenna paused. "Fair enough," she said. "But you need to learn to trust me."

  I will.

  "Good."

  If and when you give me a reason to.

  Then Astrid grabbed Ravenna. The First flinched but allowed her grip as Astrid pulled them both back through the shadowwalk.

  Chapter 10

  "Sister?" Hallad turned as Ravenna and Astrid materialized in his chamber. Why are you shadowwalking?

  As soon as they solidified, Ravenna pried the young woman’s fingers from around her wrist and swayed across the chamber, toward Hallad. Returning wasn’t as automatic as propelling them into Scandia, but Astrid refused to let Ravenna see her fail. It was after focusing on her brother that she managed to return them both to Glitner.

  Part of the test, Astrid replied.

  Is that all?

  She raised her brows at her brother and shrugged. Hallad’s gaze drifted to her sword.

  It was an accident, she admitted. The First’s methods prompted some involuntary actions on my part.

  I see. Well, at least she’s in one piece. Are you all right?

  We’ll speak of it later.

  A white-robed Norn, flanked by Guardians, appeared at the doorway. Ravenna gestured toward Astrid.

  "As we agreed, I’ll take your brother into the walk and show him what problems we face. But you must stay here."

  Astrid tipped her chin a smidgen.

  Then Ravenna turned her attention to Hallad. The woman smiled as if nothing unusual had just happened between the two women. She offered her hand, letting her fingers drape in a dancer’s pose.

  "Shall we?" she asked.

  Hallad hesitated, but Ravenna edged her hand downward, and swept her fingers over the fine blonde hair of his forearm. A fleeting hum played in the back of her throat. At least, Astrid thought she heard a tone—it sounded so rapidly—but maybe she’d heard nothing at all.

  Hallad’s stiff shoulders unraveled, and he obliged threading her arm through his.

  "We’ll require a private place to enter the walk."

  I should not be long, Sister.

  Then the First escorted her brother through the doorway while the guardians maneuvered around Astrid and herded her as if she were an unruly goat.

  ***

  After escorting Astrid back to her chambers and situating the young woman in her room, the Norn exited.

  "If you require assistance, rap on the wall, and we will enter." Despite the Norn’s monotonous tone and air of superiority, she tucked her chin and bent at her knee—a movement that seemed to last an eternity since the woman was ancient.

  Then the Norn waved her hand over a rune that was set in the wall. She hummed a tune in the back of her throat. Flader bush branches slithered from the walls, entwining, locking Astrid inside.

  Astrid c
rossed to a bed woven with sweet-smelling vines that sprung up from the floor. She sank down, settling on the mattress clothed with generous blankets in shades of white and silver; a veil of ivory blooms canopied her head. She laid her blade beside her as she tried not to think of Hallad or this morning’s events, but her connection to him alerted her of his whereabouts: he had entered the private hall of the First Walker of the Norns. Astrid sensed her brother's discomfort as the woman shut them inside, telling him she needed to protect their privacy.

  Promise me to stay put and wait for me, Sister. Hallad sounded as if he spoke into her ear although he remained on the other side of the Palace of Glitner.

  Promise me to be careful, Brother.

  Hallad laughed at her response. You’re even more stubborn than Erik.

  I don’t trust that woman.

  I am fully aware of your distrust, Hallad said, still lighthearted.

  She cracked a smile despite her best intentions to keep a straight face.

  As they spoke, an image of Hallad wriggled its way into her consciousness, blooming before her without her volition. She struggled to push the vision back—the idea of shadowwalking without her consent jumbled her nerves.

  Why can’t I control it? she thought.

  She pressed her fingers against her temples as if to force the shadowwalk to subside, but the connection stayed intact, and the scene played before her as if she stood in the same room with her brother.

  Hallad also sat on the edge of a bed wider than the one in Astrid’s room. Both beds swirled with branches, leaves, and flowers made in songvari fashion, but they retained more than fine crafting in common—each had the algiz rune weaved across the headboard.

  But the First’s chambers were unlike Astrid’s windowless prison. Ravenna’s bed sat center of a rounded area flanked by columns of stone and vines. Each column possessed ornately carved runes that glowed, lighting her area while the ceiling opened to the sky.

  Ravenna circled in front of Hallad, her ivory robes fluttering behind her. She stopped in front of him. Once she had him alone, her demeanor shifted—she seemed softer and her smile more ready.