Page 75 of Sky in the Deep
I wrapped my arms around him, yanking him back. “Let her go!”
He threw her down and she landed on her back. In the next breath, she was back on her feet, coming after him. I grabbed her by the vest, shoving her toward the tree line. “What are you doing?”
She spoke through her teeth, looking over me to my father. “I’m going to kill him, like we were supposed to!”
“What?” I looked back to my father and his face answered my question. “You were going to betray us?”
“Us?”Mýra’s voice strained.
“We made a deal with him, Mýra.” I pushed her back.
Mýra turned back to my father. “You heard what Espen said.”
Fiske stood on the other side of the fire, listening with his sword readied in his hand.
“That was before I knew about Iri.” My father slid his axe back into its sheath.
“What is wrong with the two of you?” she screamed, looking from me to my father. “They areRiki.They will kill us all the first chance they get!”
“No, they won’t.” I forced the words. I wanted desperately to believe them.
“If we stay in Virki, the Herja won’t find us. We’ll be safe there. We find the Riki village, kill Fiske so he can’t lead them back to us, and go back for the others so we can finish them off,” she sputtered between angry breaths. “That’swhat we agreed. And I don’t care if Iri’s alive. He’s betrayed us all!”
She took another step toward Fiske, raising her axe, and I lifted my knife. “Don’t,” I growled. I would never hurt her. I’d die before I ever let anything happen to Mýra. But I couldn’t let her kill Fiske.
Her eyes widened, boring into mine. “What is this about?” Her voice dropped lower.
“Surviving!” I answered. But it was only half true. It was about so much more.
I watched her think. I knew Mýra too well. I knew what she was going to do before she did it. She pivoted on her heel, spinning around me and going for Fiske. I dove into her and we hit the ground hard, rolling toward the trees. Her axe scraped against my leg, tearing into my pants, and she pinned me down.
Fiske stalked toward us and my father caught him, pulling him back. “Don’t.”
I looked up into Mýra’s face, twisted with madness. It was the look she gave our enemy in battle, and now it fell on me. I rolled, coming on top of her, and slammed the butt of my knife into her wrist, trying to free her grip on the axe. She bucked me off, throwing me to the side.
I didn’t give her the chance to swing it again. I threw my knife, watching it spin in the air past her face before it stuck into the trunk of a tree behind her. She froze, staring at me in shock. Her face flashed back and forth between that of the girl I knew better than anyone and that of the deadly warrior who fought by my side. The glimmer of hot tears shone in her eyes as they narrowed at me. And then she wasrunning. She dropped the axe to the ground and when she reached me, she slammed her fist into the side of my face. My head whipped to the side and I plunged into her, knocking her back down.
I hit her. Hard. “What is wrong with you?” I screamed, hitting her again.
She kicked, fighting me, but it was no use. All the strength and rage bled out of her, giving way to something fragile and weak. It filled her eyes until tears spilled over onto her cheeks and she covered her face with her arms, trembling.
“Mýra.” I pulled at her arms, trying to see her, and she kicked me off.
When she was on her feet again, she stumbled toward the trees, sobbing.
“Mýra!” I reached for her shoulder, trying to turn her around, but she wrenched free, tripping. I took hold of her vest and didn’t let go.
She turned to face me, herkol-rimmed eyes red and swollen. “Are you one of them now too?” she asked, the words broken. “You want to be one of them, like Iri?”
“No!” I met her eyes. “I’m Aska, Mýra. I want our people to survive. That’s all.”
She fell into me, burying her face in my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing. She wept, folding into me, and I held her. My father and Fiske stood as black silhouettes before the fire, watching us.
“I’m alone,” she cried. “You and Aghi are all I have.” Hervoice bent into a whisper. “Please don’t leave. Please,” she begged.
I pulled back to look at her. “You’re not alone,” I said, emotion thick in my throat. “And I’m not leaving. Ever.”
Her weight grew heavy in my arms and when I couldn’t hold her any longer, I slid to the ground and pulled her into my lap.“Elska ykkarr,”I whispered into her hair.“Elska ykkarr.”
