The Beast of Salt (Saga of the Gods #1)

49. Sigvid

49

SIGVID

December 22nd, Year 100, 9th Era

Blackwood Inn, Salt Province

“ H e is coming for her.”

Helga’s words plague Sigvid’s lonely trek along the dirt road from the city to Blackwood. Thrain’s mystery accomplice entered the town a few hours prior. What his brother did not count on are the well over two hundred Drengr awaiting their Lord Commander’s directive.

As soon as the shieldmaiden shared the conversation his brother and fucking Ceowald had with his Avina, the Salt Prince knew it was a matter of time. Thrain would come to claim her, and Sigvid would gut him where he stood.

Sigvid watches his home rise atop the hill shrouded in snow-covered trees and accepts the haunting reality that war is once again on the horizon for him and the Queen of Timber. Only this time, he will not fucking lose.

He is almost to the steps leading to the porch when a crash sounds in the frozen bushes to his left.

What in the fuck?

No one in their right mind would dare break into his home.

A glance around the woods shows the perimeter deserted. Calder ended his watch not long ago, and the replacement Drengr has yet to show.

Sigvid strides toward the disturbance, slowly edging a blackwood axe from the sheath on his leather belt. To think this scum has been anywhere near his little Queen.

Your death will be agonizing when I remove all of your organs while you are still alive.

When he reaches the bushes, he finds them empty except for a smaller set of footprints leading around the back of the house.

He collects his breath and pursues the intruder, keeping up on his toes to avoid crunching the thick, wintery powder.

Whoever he uncovered is sloppy. Do they wish to be apprehended?

A cloaked shadow dives between the tree trunks up ahead, and his feral grin widens at the thought of ripping them apart. His stride lengthens until he can reach out and touch them. Screams emanate from his prey as his fingers curl around the cloak’s hood and slam their back into the nearest blackwood tree with his blade at their neck.

“Avina?” Sigvid recoils, his mind racing to make sense of this.

“Good evening,” she quips as if he interrupted her nightly stroll. Her expression is so full of forced indifference that he is disturbed.

He growls, dropping his axe to the ground, and wraps his hand around her throat. “Do you understand what I do to unannounced intruders?” His hot breath cuts through the icy air, falling over her.

“Are you going to kill me, Sigvid?”

Is she fucking taunting me?

“Avina…” He snarls down at her.

She huffs like this is a lover’s spat and not her risking her damned life in the frigid cold of Salt’s winter. Only when her gaze drops to her feet does he recognize the strap of a burlap sack hung over her shoulder. Sigvid rips the bag from her back and digs inside to find multiple pairs of clothes and food.

“Give that back!” She spits far too late.

He tilts his head, examining her thick trousers and tunic designed for long travel. Even her hair is bound in a golden plait over one shoulder.

Scarlett red flashes over his gaze, and his chest heaves. “You have until I count to ten to explain this, or I will chain you in our bedroom.”

“It is December the twenty-second. The Winter Solstice is over. Our deal, Sigvid, is over.”

He steadies his breathing and grits his response, “And?”

She rolls her shoulders back and meets him with a level stare. “I must return to Timber. I am their Queen and cannot abandon my people. The Manchineel family will have another man in line to replace Samson. Each is as vile as the next, I fear. Please, take care of Nellie while I am gone.” Her fingers twist in knots, and her foot taps nervously.

“What is this really about?” He hooks a finger under her frozen chin, lifting her eyes to his.

She values her role as Queen of Timber. But, she must understand that life ended when I tore her from the Arena.

“I am a disgrace. My people need me, and here I am in Salt .” She shifts under his touch. “Power is addictive to those who should abandon it. Thrain is no different from Rendel, Samson, or my father. If I remain here longer, I put everyone in danger of a war.” Her words falter, leaving only misery.

“Ceowald wants this arrangement with Thrain to succeed, and we both know he will bypass your decisions,” Sigvid adds gently.

Her lips quiver, and he knows she will continue this beratement of every aspect that makes her an exceptional woman, Queen, and lover. She will mentally torment herself over situations beyond her control simply because she finds herself at the center of others’ fuckery.

I will never be this woman’s hero. However, I can be her villain.

“Avina,” he tosses the sack over his broad shoulder and grabs a handful of her curls. “I hate to fucking disappoint the people of Timber, who are oh so understanding, but you are the fucking captive of the Prince of Salt.”

Her eyes widen, and fuck if her fear does not make his cock twitch. He licks the shell of her ear, relishing her trembles.

“We are at the brink of war, and if you think I will graciously step aside to allow my brother to take you as his own, you are gravely fucking mistaken. Besides, you must know who saddles up to my brother tonight.” He gives a hollow chuckle. “Trust me, little Queen, you will need to summon that massive fucking Timber army sooner rather than later.”

She twists against his hold, only leading to her shrieks as he tightens his grip. He digs a hand in her curls and yanks her head back. As she whimpers, he brushes his lips to hers.

“You are mine .” He growls. “I carefully watch every fucking moment of your existence. There is no way you can escape me. Therefore, I forbid you from feeling guilty because you are my prisoner.” He bites into her neck, sucking her soft skin into his mouth while she whimpers.

“I forbid you from feeling guilty for holding a passion for your captor.” He bites the other side of her neck, savoring her rose and lavender scent while his rough hands plunder her curvy body as if she is treasure stolen from the Timber people.

“I forbid you from feeling guilty because you grew fond of Salt.” He thrusts her against the tree, pinning her wrists above her head while he rips her tunic down the center, exposing her bare breasts.

“And I forbid you from feeling guilty for loving me.” He shoves her tit as far into his mouth as he can, lapping at her hardened nipple while she squirms.

She grasps his braid, tugging him closer as he sucks on her heavy breasts while he tightens his hold on her waist.

He sweeps her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as he moves them into Blackwood.

December 23rd, Year 100, 9th Era

South Sea Beach, Salt Province

“ L ittle one?” Sigvid glances over his shoulder once more to ensure no one follows them. “I trust your instincts explicitly. However, are you sure we need to do this now?” He yawns loudly.

Avina does not acknowledge his question and continues to plow onward.

As they approach a stretch of craggy beach along the southwestern edge of Salt, Sigvid wonders again if this is all a dream or perhaps spoiled milk, leading to her unsettling urge to trek across the countryside in the middle of the night. Their thick fur cloaks billow in the biting wind whipping off the South Sea.

Moonlight streams across the water, granting them enough light as they carefully maneuver the dunes.

“Just ahead.” She calls over her shoulder.

After she awoke him from a deep slumber with a franticness he could not ignore, she had hardly spoken two words to him until now.

“I feel the urge! The seidr ’s heartbeat is increasing.” Her giddy voice is far too awake at this time of night.

She leads them along the beach, where boulders menacingly rise out of the calm sea as a natural barrier to the shoreline.

“That one!”

He follows her arm out to the water at the most monstrous rock formation of the bunch. The stone is a faint bluish tint with streaks of reddish orange along the layers. It is also far past their ability to stand in the current.

As recently as last year, he swam these frigid waters and even climbed many of these boulders during the treacherous high tide when the white waves would inhibit any maneuvering of a shipping vessel, let alone a person.

“What are we doing out here? It is too dark to attempt swimming to the boulder.”

Excitement flashes in her eyes, and she nearly bounces on her toes. “We must reach it! My dream is clear: a jagged black crown forming from the Sacred Stones. We must unify them! Sigvid, I can feel their urgings. The gods or the Stones need me to reach that giant rock.”

“Do you have a plan to reach it?” He wraps his muscled arm around her shoulders. “There is no safe way to get out there.”

“Sigvid!” She squeals as the ground vibrates beneath them.

A stone walkway grinds to the water's surface, leading directly to the boulder. A faint yellow light illuminates the path along the rock veins .

“What in the name of the Briny God? I have never seen this in all my years of swimming here.” He steps to the water’s edge for a better look at the path, but the bridge slips beneath the waves. “Shit, we were not fast enough.”

“Hmm?” She considers the ripples forming where the walkway had once been. “It did rise upon our arrival. Perhaps it activates with a word or phrase? What did you say?”

He stands at the water's edge with his palms above his head. In a deep voice, he commands the stone with the words he uttered on their arrival, “How do we reach it?”

Avina wavers at his side. Her hands pressed to her mouth for warmth. When nothing happens, she glances up at him. “That was either the most brilliant thing I have ever seen or the dumbest.”

His arms fall, and he takes her hand. “Well, that was worth a try,” he says with a defeated frown.

Once more, tremors rumble under their feet as the stone path appears in all its glowing glory.

“Stop touching me!” She swats his hand away.

He releases her hand, and they both watch the stone disappear again. “Oh, I see. I adore your beautiful mind.”

She smirks as she takes his right hand and inspects the Timber Stone. “Are you wearing the Salt Stone, too?”

“Yes,” He pulls the nautilus from under his tunic. A crooked smile appears on his face. “Damn, you are brilliant.”

“If we maintain skin-to-skin contact, we can cross. Somehow, the seidr must link through us. I wonder if it’s our Keeper and Guardian abilities or because the gods blessed us as children?” She shakes her head. “Let us move before another barrier arises.”

Sigvid interlaces his fingers with hers, grinning at the size difference. Delicately, they cross the slick stone as water washes across, threatening their footing. As they halt in front of the boulder, a thick wooden door with metal bracers appears in a burst of seawater with a lingering scent of evergreen and campfire.

“Let us see where it leads.” He grabs the handle and shoves it open to reveal a warm hearth.

They gingerly step inside .

The door slams shut behind them, the handle missing. Cooking meat and freshly baked bread makes him salivate. Several tables and chairs sit empty around a roaring fire. He stops by one with a stand full of half-drank mead horns. He sniffs one before sipping the best-tasting honey wine he has ever consumed.

Avina is far more cautious, evaluating every item as if she is preparing for a trial. “Is this another test? Must we pass a series of examinations to unite the stones?”

“You give me far too much credit, Avina Bloodstone Redwood.”

They both startle to find a stranger leaning against the frame of the next room. He is dressed in a fine indigo tunic and pearly white trousers and wears a collection of colorful rope bracelets and armbands. He is also shockingly barefoot. As Sigvid examines his jovial features, matching blue eyes, and warrior build, he realizes he has seen him before as an ethereal form.

“Briny God,” Sigvid breathes, sweeping into a bow that Avina follows at his side.

“Rise, my son.” The Briny God conjures two horns and hands them a drink before reclining in an empty chair at a larger table. “It has been a long time since anyone arrived through this entrance. Please, sit and feast. I always have plenty of food and drink.”

Sigvid guides Avina to an open chair where they sit across from the god and then asks, “How are we here? Is this your hall?”

“Are the Depths the afterlife you have always thought it would be?”

Sigvid gapes as he examines the room, which looks more like the Toftlund longhouse than an afterlife. Or maybe that is the perfect version of an afterlife.

“Did you summon me? Were you the reason for my dreams?” Avina asks, setting her horn in the stand at their table.

“That was me, my dear.” The goddess’ voice rings as clear as it had during the Sacred Stone Ceremony.

“There she is!” The Briny God announces in a sing-song voice. “And here you worried they wouldn’t get the message.”

Maeve wears a long, flowing gown, much like the hideous Timber monstrosities Sigvid loathes. Her dark, thick hair seems to wave in and out of her dress. “Remind me again how I am stuck with you in Treland for eternity?” She plucks a piece of bread from a cutting board and slathers a slab of butter across the top.

“Awe, do not act like that, Maeve! We all thought sharing Treland was the best outcome. I only regretted that decision once.”

What the fuck is he talking about?

Maeve takes a bite and chews with an unamused expression. “Avina,” she changes the subject, “I see you received my message. We cannot force our Keepers, Guardians, and rulers to hear our callings. You have been the first not to allow your selfish desires to interfere in hundreds of years.” Her words may be cold, yet a faint hint of a smirk lingers along her lips.

Avina toys with the sapphire lying outside her tunic. “Is this about uniting the Stones?”

“Yes,” The Briny God blurts out. “I like this girl. She has a good head on her shoulders.”

Maeve levels a glare at him that could sink the continent of the Endless Shore. “Unification must happen to ensure their seidr remains whole again.”

Avina removes the silver cord of the sapphire stone and places it on the table.

Sigvid tosses the Timber ring and places the nautilus necklace beside the sapphire. He looks at Briny. “What else is required to merge them?”

The Briny God scratches the back of his neck, “well, uh…”

“The last Keeper and Guardian to venture to the Depths divided the stone into thirds,” Maeve interjects. “Only a Keeper and Guardian can reunite them. Even Briny and I lack the seidr to intercede on mortal choices.”

Sigvid shoves away from the table to pace while he thinks. Meanwhile, Avina holds the three Stones in her palms. Her brow furrowed as if in deep thought.

“What happened to those who split the Stones?” She asks, interrupting the Briny God’s off-key humming.

Silence lingers for too long in the air as the Briny God busies himself, embedding a dagger in the grains of the table, and Maeve stares intently into the fire.

“They defied the law of the gods. The Stones demanded a sacrifice for their blasphemy.” Maeve does not elaborate any further.

Sigvid’s pacing stops. “What kind of sacrifice? Are we required to kill the other?”

“Their wrath against the Redwood line for misusing seidr exceeded their sense of reverence for us.” The Briny God hangs his head. “Although, the price to fix their mistake will not be your lives.”

“Then what is the fucking price, Briny?” Sigvid’s voice raises.

The Briny God lifts his head. “The ability to continue your bloodline.”

Avina clutches her chest and sharply inhales as if she cannot breathe.

Sigvid rushes to her side. “What is wrong?” he asks the two gods. “What have you done?”

Neither move to aid her or offer any insight.

Fuckers.

He takes her face in his hands and levels his voice. “Avina, little one, I need you to breathe for me.” He steals her hand, pressing it firmly over his heart. “Breathe, my love.” He repeats the words until she inhales steadily and shudders into tears. “Come here,” he gathers her in his arms while she cries.

“Only one sacrifice is required. We shall leave you to discuss.” Maeve vanishes in a puff of violet smoke while Briny bows out in a rush of saltwater.

He grips her shoulders as if she, too, might disappear into the Depths. “Are you well? I worry for you.”

She breathlessly nods as she focuses unblinkingly on the surface of the table. “This sacrifice,” she clutches her stomach, “I will do anything for Treland. I, I cannot do this.” Pain reflects in her gaze like a dagger to his side. She shakes her head. “This is all for naught!”

“No, it is not! I will take the sacrifice. The offering must only come from one of us, and it will be me.”

She frowns as she swallows hard. “Why?”

“I do not want you to sacrifice something you cannot. As your Guardian, I will offer my lineage.” He kisses the top of her head.

“What of your future?” She asks, slightly hysterical. “Is bearing a son not the most important accomplishment?”

“It is not, and those who have told you otherwise are worthless. You are my future,” he tucks a strand of curls over her ear, “as long as my little Queen is by my side, I am complete.”

She shakes her head as she twists a stray curl. “But I thought men never surrendered this-”

“Fuck that!” He waves his hand dismissively, “All I need is you, Avina.” He leaves her at the table and steps to the hearth without a second thought. “Maeve! Briny!” He growls.

Avina leaps to her feet as the gods appear as if they never left.

“Have you two reached a verdict?” The Briny God asks.

Sigvid rolls his shoulders back and steps forward. “It will be me.”

Avina rushes to his side, gripping his forearm. Under her breath, she whispers, “Are you certain?”

“Yes,” he grips her hand, and she squeezes it in return.