Fantasyland 04 Broken Dove (48 page)

And the castle (it had to be a castle, no other building had that shape) was set high into what appeared from the dark peaks that stood black against the starry midnight blue of the sky, to be a rather impressive mountain range. And in this world that didn’t have motorized cranes or excavators, it was set surprisingly
high
into the face of those mountains in a way that it seemed to watch over the village below (also named Brunskar), and that way was not a good one.

It must be said I did
not
get a happy feel from the place. This was weird since I wasn’t superstitious and I’d never felt that way about anywhere I’d been before except, say, when I was walking into a room Pol was in. But that was learned behavior. This wasn’t the same.

I just didn’t like it there.

And worse, I didn’t have a good feeling about how things were going to go down there.

One thing Apollo did share during pillow talk was the fact that Frey was not Head of the Drakkar House, although he should have been, even if his father still lived. He just didn’t want to be and I could understand that.

He had his hands full. He commanded elves and dragons, was a raider on the high seas (in other words, kind of like a pirate…well, actually a lot like a pirate, it was just that Apollo told me Frey’s kind was the “good” kind, however that would go) and was married to a princess.

Alas, Apollo also shared that after the war that reunited Lunwyn and Middleland, Eirik, Frey’s father, had been relieved by Frey of his responsibilities as Head of the House. Frey had then given these to his brother, Calder.

This had not made Eirik or Frey’s mother, Valeria happy.

And intelligence had come to Apollo that one, the other, both or another member of the Drakkar family were in cahoots with the evil Minerva, her malevolent witch sidekicks, Edith and Helda, and the dastardly Baldur.

Therefore, Apollo reversed his decision not to attend their gale as he had been doing, but only since Calder and his wife Melba took over the House. He packed us all up and here we were.

And I didn’t have a good feeling about it.

Any of it.

Especially that castle.

What I did have was Apollo as well as Draven, Hans, Alek, Remi, Gaston and Laures, not to mention Quincy and Balthazar, and they were armed to the teeth. I’d seen what lay under the green tarps in the back of the sleigh Loretta, Meeta and Bella were in so I knew they understood the dangers and were not messing around.

Luckily, the kids didn’t notice this but I was thinking even if they did, they wouldn’t care. This was because Apollo had clearly created a close relationship between his men and his children and it was obvious the trust the kids shared with Apollo’s boys was absolute.

They were a family, a familiar, caring, teasing, loving family.

This was another thing that made the journey good. I’d never had anything like it, never experienced anything so beautiful, not even on the long trip up from Fleuridia, though that was close. But the addition of the kids and my friends made it even better.

And I loved every second of it.

“Maddie.” I heard Draven call and I looked his way.

He was standing by my sleigh, offering his hand.

I threw the furs off me, got up, reached out and took it.

Draven helped me out of the sleigh and tucked me close with my hand curved around his elbow as he walked me to the door of the inn.

“Are you all right?” he asked as we moved through the packed snow. “You seem preoccupied.”

“That castle is freaking me out,” I admitted.

“Good instincts,” he murmured, reaching out to open the door for us.

But I stopped and looked up at him.

“What do you mean?” I asked, and he looked down at me.

“The Drakkars”—he shook his head—“except for Frey, Calder and their other brother Garik, den of vipers. Every last one.”

Fabulous.

He drew me inside, saying, “You have no worries, my sweet. They’re vipers but they’re far from stupid.”

Well, that was good, I guess.

But with the feel of that place, I had to know for sure.

So I asked, “Okay, what does that mean?”

He stopped at the foot of the wooden stairs and looked down at me.

“That means tomorrow you walk into their gale on the arm of Apollo Ulfr and nothing but that matters. Lo is not a man to cross and they know it. And if anything is done or said to upset you, he would not hesitate to let his displeasure be known in ways they would not like.”

Oh boy.

“Okay, now what does
that
mean?” I mostly repeated.

“It means, Maddie,” he started quietly and bent close, “you look like Ilsa.”

Oh shit.

I forgot.

How could I forget?

“Right,” I whispered.

“This will be your first event amongst the Houses, love. It has been spread far that the resemblance between you and her is uncanny. I still don’t think that will prepare many for what they’ll see. Most will be well-mannered. The Drakkars, however, don’t often concern themselves with manners.”

Great. Just great.

“It isn’t like you haven’t been confronted with this very thing, repeatedly,” he reminded me gently.

I turned us back to the stairs. “You’re right. I have.”

He stopped us again and I looked up at him.

“There are people who it matters what they think. And then there are those who it does not. I can tell you now, in the case of the Drakkars and anyone who might say or do something that would upset you, they do not matter.”

“I see you feel in the mood to be a soldier philosopher,” I remarked and he grinned.

“I’m always at your service to impart wisdom,” he offered.

“I know and sometimes it’s annoying,” I teasingly returned. “But this time, it’s just plain scary.”

He burst out laughing and moved us up the stairs.

I smiled and leaned into him as we made our ascent.

But inside I was thinking about that creepy castle, the not-so-nice family who claimed it and the fact that my first gale was probably going to suck.

No, I didn’t like it here.

Not at all.

* * * * *

“I do not think good thoughts about this place,” Loretta declared.

I’d had my bath and, even though I could do it, she was brushing my hair. Meeta was across the room, arranging my clothes for the next day.

“I do not either,” Meeta agreed and I looked to her in surprise at her words. She was supposed to be my Spock—level-headed, not irrational. “There’s a chill coming down from that mountain,” she went on and I felt a chill slide across my skin when she did. Her eyes came to mine. “And it is not the normal chill of this icy place.”

“It’s all going to be fine,” I lied, and I did this because I was Captain Kirk. I was supposed to be confident and reassuring, even if I was totally full of shit.

“It will be for you in about ten minutes when Ulfr strides through that door,” Loretta noted, putting down the brush and arranging my hair on my shoulders.

I watched Meeta’s foreboding expression change to a knowing one. A small smile lit her face as she threw the dress I was to wear tomorrow over a chair and did this still smiling.

I had no response because this was true, when Apollo walked through my door, everything would be fine. At least for me.

Loretta scooted her chair around to face the one I was in and remarked, “He has not had maid or cook or wench from the village.”

This confirmation of what Apollo told me was good to know. Even so, I had no clue where she was going with it.

Then she gave me a clue where she was going with it.

“So what’s he like?” she asked.

“Do not answer that,” Meeta demanded. “I have not had a lover in months, my hand is getting tired and I share a bed with you.” She pinpointed her gaze on Loretta. “Therefore, that won’t even be of use until we’re home.”

This was not good news. Not that Meeta couldn’t engage in certain activities. No, that coupled with the fact she hadn’t gotten herself any in months and a bevy of Apollo’s boys was around, she was gorgeous, and they were active.

“I won’t answer,” I stated and aimed a smile at Loretta. “I’m sorry, honey, but that’s private.”

Her head tipped to the side. “Private?”

“As in, none of your business,” Meeta clarified.

“I know what it means,” Loretta retorted. “I just don’t know why she thinks it is.”

“Because she thinks it is,” Meeta returned.

“But that’s mad,” Loretta shot back. “Everyone talks about what they get up to under the duvet.”

“I think you may have noticed, doe, Miss Maddie is not everyone,” Meeta replied.

Well, that was nice.

Loretta looked at me, now grinning. “That’s the gods truth. If you were, Ulfr would not be striding in here at any moment.”

“He has good taste,” Meeta murmured and I started feeling squishy because that was
really
nice.

“Thanks, honey.” I said softly and she looked at me.

“You’re gentle. You’re kind. And you’re amusing. A woman who looks like you is rarely any of these things, much less all of them.”

“And that’s the gods truth, too,” Loretta agreed. “They’re usually vain and smug.”

“And demanding,” Meeta added.

“And attention-seeking,” Loretta put in.

“But you’re none of that,” Meeta concluded.

“Which makes you grand,” Loretta finished on a big smile directed at me.

Now they were both being nice.

“Uh…not sure you two have looked in the mirror lately, but you’re both all those and neither of you are hard to look at,” I pointed out.

“Hans seems not to think so. It seems he finds me very hard to look at,” Loretta murmured.

I could see that still stung, worse now since we were traveling with him and she had to deal with him ignoring her for hours on end day after day.

And truth be told, I didn’t get why Hans didn’t think Loretta was the bomb and go back for more. Or simply just go back to stay.

She was very curvy, quite petite, had lovely light brown hair and beautiful bright blue eyes. She was funny. She was sweet. She held an excitement for life that was almost akin to Élan’s. And, last, she was loyal to the core. I knew this because I knew she felt this for me, even if we hadn’t known each other for very long.

Hans could do worse, but I didn’t know how he could do better.

On these thoughts, I reached out and grabbed her hand. “Then why don’t
you
look elsewhere, maybe to someone who’ll see all that’s you. But not one of Apollo’s men,” I hastened to add. “None of them seem quite ready to settle down…yet. And I think you are.”

“She has great beauty, is gentle, kind, amusing
and
wise,” Meeta decreed, coming our way and grabbing Loretta’s other hand to pull her out of the chair, her meaning clear.

I let Loretta go as she stood.

“You guys get some rest,” I called as they moved to the door.

Meeta arched her long elegant neck toward me.

Loretta waved.

“And, as usual, thanks for everything,” I finished as they disappeared out the door.

All except Meeta’s head, which she dipped my way before she closed the door.

I got out of my chair and pulled my soft wool robe tighter around me as I walked to the window.

We were at an inn on the nicer spectrum. It was clean, well-decorated and had its own restaurant downstairs. And the rooms had thick rugs on the floors so the cold couldn’t seep through and heavy draperies so the chill couldn’t come through the windows.

Still, I braved it to pull a curtain back and look out at Brunskar.

Yep.

Still creepy.

Totally.

“Maddie, dove, drop the draperies. You’re letting in a draught.”

I dropped the draperies at Apollo’s voice and turned away from the window to see him in my room. No cloak, hair a mess (but in a good way) and hot.

My belly fluttered.

“Hey,” I greeted.

“Come here and say that in my arms,” he returned.

I smiled a small smile and did as he bid, walking to him and putting my arms around him as he did the same to me.

“Hey,” I repeated a lot softer this time.

“Hey,” he replied, also soft, and sweet, and that got a belly flutter too.

He bent his head to touch his mouth to mine.

Usually, this led direct to other things, including me taking his clothes off, him divesting me of my robe, nightgown and panties, and the fun didn’t stop there.

But after he brushed his lips against mine, he lifted them to kiss my nose, let me go and moved to the bed.