Herrick nodded, the relief in his bones palpable that his oldest friend was not dead.
Liv left the room, and he sank into the chair by Maude’s side once more, his gaze tracing over her sleeping form. He was staring, and for once, he didn't care if she woke up furious at him for it. For longer than he ought to have, Herrick watched as the delicate pulse point in her neck pounded along with her heartbeat. The same heart that had grown still under his touch.
Herrick tore his gaze from her and dropped his head into his hands. He tried to remember how to breathe and how to slow his heart, but the memories of Maude taking a final breath flashed in his mind. Then, the endless days of torture from Baldrin his cell. The two traumas alternated in his mind until Herrick couldn’t catch his breath anymore, the air in his lungs escaping faster than he could draw more in.
He stood and stumbled to the large window, shoving open the glass so that fresh air flooded the small cabin.
Open air. Salt from the ocean. The dry breeze from the desert.
He was free. He was not under the palace anymore. He had escaped.
It took a few more breaths for Herrick to finally calm down enough to pull his head back into the cabin. The small space began closing in on him again, but it was more manageable this time. When he took his seat next to Maude, the door opened, and Hakon entered with freshly caught fish and some bread.
His brother quickly put the food down and walked over to Herrick, grabbing him and pulling him into a tight hug. He threw his arms around his older brother and held him as he trembled.
“I missed you too,” Herrick said, his voice rough.
Hakon chuckled and pulled back to look at him for a moment before looking at the two unconscious women asleep in the bed.
“Gods, what happened to them?” Hakon asked as they sat at the desk together and tore into the food. It was simple, but after weeks of watery broth and hard bread, Herrick savored every bite.
“I think Bryn got knocked out in an ambush. Liv carried her in,” Herrick said between bites. “And Maude did the impossible and wielded earthgalderto split the ground so the soldiers couldn’t get to us. She burnt herself out pretty badly.”
Hakon’s eyes widened for a second before he controlled his features.
“This is really annoying,” Herrick grumbled. “Just tell me what I missed.”
“I can’t,” Hakon said, keeping his eyes down. “It’s Maude’s story, she'll flay me alive if I tell you before she gets the chance.”
“Trust me, Kolbeck,” a deceptively feminine voice said from behind him. “You’ll want to hear it from her. Mostly because she isn’t all that accepting of the story yet. She’ll want to be the one to tell you.”
Bryn sat up, massaging the side of her head where a nasty bruise was already beginning to spread from her hairline.
“Bryn, glad to see you’re alive,” Hakon said, his voice strained.
She snorted. “That almost sounded believable. Got any water?”
Herrick watched their verbal volley for a moment, unable to decipher why his brother was being such an ass. Hakon tossed a wineskin to Maude’s sister, who caught it easily and took a large gulp before wiping her mouth after she swallowed. Her face quickly turned green as the rocking of the boat increased.
“Fuck, I better go above deck,” she said, taking off for the door. “We’ll catch up later, Herrick!”
She was gone before he could process what he’d just seen. Hakon chuckled at the look on his face.
“She’s not one for the sea,” he said. “She gets sick pretty easily. It helps her to stay above deck and keep an eye on the horizon.”
Herrick couldn’t skirt around the topic anymore despite the almost normal way Hakon was speaking to him.
“What’s going on with you?” His tone was serious enough to make Hakon freeze for a moment before he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“I'm fine,” Hakon responded, averting his eyes.
“I’m being serious,” Herrick said. “You’re different from the last time I saw you. Harder, somehow.”
“I’m fine,” his brother repeated through his teeth.
“I know you are still grieving,” he began, but Hakon cut him off.
“Herrick, just drop it.”
