A woman’s face blocked my view. Her thin nose and high cheekbones were reminiscent of Heidel’s, though her bright gray eyes and blonde hair were more similar to Kull’s. She smiled as she stretched a blanket over me.
I tried to sit up. When my muscles refused, I attempted to make my voice work. “Where am I?”
“In Danegeld.”
“Where?”
“The Wult fortress.”
I focused on the room around me. A window sat close to my bed. Through the glass, I spied fog-covered mountains surrounding a lake of dark water. Green foliage peeked through gaps in the mist as it weaved slowly over the mountaintops.
A little girl coughed quietly. She stood next to the woman. Her round face peeked from her mother’s skirts.
“I am Kull’s sister. I am called Eugrid,” the woman said. “And this is my daughter, Freydil. How are you feeling?”
My head throbbed, and I tasted blood when I swallowed, though the pain in my side had dulled. I pulled back the blanket to find my abdomen wrapped with bandages. “I am well enough. Did you do this?” I asked her.
“Yes.”
I pressed my fingers to my broken rib. It felt whole again, but how? I was certain I had broken it. “You healed me? Did you use magic?”
“My talent is in healing. Not in magic.” She showed me a wooden bowl with brown flowers inside. I didn’t recognize them. “Although, I have come across certain plants that can be used to speed the healing process.”
The little girl stirred. “Soup, Mother?”
“Yes, I nearly forgot. Can you fetch it for me?”
The girl skipped to a bowl sitting atop a table. She brought it to her mother.
“Thank you,” Eugrid said. She offered me the bowl. “Eat this. It will help.”
I took a small bite. Thick vegetable soup warmed me. The taste was heavenly.
“You are fortunate Heidel found you,” Eugrid said.
“Yes.”
“Kull is too reckless. I tell him he must stop and think before he makes decisions, but I am only his sister. He should never have traveled into the goblin lands. We know so little about them. He could have been killed, and you with him. We are lucky Heidel found you when she did.”
“I agree. Although I wonder how she found us. I thought she’d been captured.”
“Indeed. The goblins captured her, but they made a fine mistake. She escaped and killed the lot of them. Heidel has a talent for evasion. If you ask me, the goblins picked the wrong person to capture.” She placed the bowl with the brown flowers on the table. “Kull will speak with you. But you must rest first.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yes, he recovered quickly. At least, that’s what he claims. He’s hunting now. I couldn’t make him rest.”
That sounded like Kull.
Eugrid handed something to me. “Heidel recovered this from the goblins. She said it was yours.”
I focused through bleary eyes and realized she held my pack. I took it and checked inside. My mirror. I’d thought it was gone for good. But where was the dream catcher I’d found in the temple ruins?
Eugrid must have seen my questioning glance. “If you’re looking for the goblin’s loom, my sister has it. She said it was cursed.”
This wasn’t good. Touching it could bring out the magic. I hoped she had sense enough not to handle it. I had to get it back.
“Where is Heidel?”
“She’s in the library.”
“Library?”
“You’ll find it just out this doorway and down the hall.”
I peered out the open door and spied a long hallway.
“You must rest before leaving your room. You’re most likely suffering from a brain injury. Also, your bones need time to recover. My healing will only help you as long as you keep still. My sister can wait,” Eugrid said.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’ve been through some tough scrapes before.”
“But surely never like this?”
I smiled. “I assure you. I feel fine.”
She sighed. “You sound just like Kull.”
“I have spent the past week with him.”
She patted my hand. “You are called Olive, correct?”
“That’s me.”
The little girl tugged on a strand of my hair to reveal my ears. “They’re pointed!” she whispered.
Her mother pulled her back. “Forgive her. She’s only five.”
“It’s okay. I’ve got a godson. He’s seven.” I exhaled. Bringing Jeremiah up only made me realize how far I was from finding him. At least I’d made it to the tombs. I had Kull to thank for that. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt I needed to defend him.
“Kull isn’t always a fool,” I told Eugrid. “He meant to help me find my godson. He nearly gave his life to do it. Yes, he is stubborn. But he’s also brave. You’re lucky to have a brother like him.”
Eugrid stared at me as if seeing me for the first time. Her eyes narrowed. “You are new to our lands?”
“Yes.”
“And are you familiar with our Wult culture?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then I will speak with honesty. Kull is a Wult. When he gives his word, he follows through, no matter the circumstances, no matter who he gives his word to, be it you or anyone else. You must not mistake his loyalty for something it is not.”
I blinked. “I’m sure I wasn’t.”
She didn’t look convinced. “Rest,” she said, then turned and left the room. Freydil gave my ears one last glance before trotting after her mother.
I laid my head on the pillow. The ceiling spun overhead. Eugrid seemed to know more about me than I did. Just like her brother. How convenient.
I glanced at my room. I’d never been inside a Wult fortress before. Turning my head, I focused on the lake outside the window. Maywelters flitted over the water, leaving streamers of light in their wake. Their rainbow of colors reflected off the water. I’d never seen so many maywelters in one place. My heart gave a tiny flutter at the sight.
After finishing my soup, I climbed out of bed and felt grateful that my mind felt like my own again, though my
