Kanin: Crystal Kingdom Part 16

proclamation "That Queen of yours has gone totally mad," Wendy said finally.

"She's no Queen of mine," I replied without thinking, and Bain smiled in approval, causing his blue eyes to light up.

Wendy straightened, but kept her eyes fixed on the scroll. "This just arrived, so it isn't what I'd invited you here to talk about. I only meant to ask you about your plans in Forening. But I know about your past relations.h.i.+p with the Skojare, so I'm sure you'd want to know."

"Know what?" I asked, instantly fearing that something had happened to Linnea Biaelse, or perhaps her husband Mikko or grandmother Lisbet.

The Queen finally looked at us, her dark tawny eyes sad. "The Kanin have declared war on the Skojare."

"What?" Ridley asked, sounding as shocked as I felt.

"Why would Mina do that?" I asked in disbelief. "She'd aligned herself with them to get their..."

And that's when it hit me. Mina had not been working with the Skojare as a wholeshe'd been working with specific people, like the now-dead Kennet Biaelse and the now-exiled head guard Bayle Lundeen.

She had no one to get her the sapphires anymore, so she would have to take them by force.

"It's all here." Wendy motioned to the scroll. "a.s.suming you can make sense of her nonsense."

Ridley went over to read it for himself, but I sat back in the chair, feeling rather light-headed. Besides, it didn't really matter what reasoning Mina gave. I knew the truth.

"She's blaming Evert's death on Kennet, even though Kennet died before Evert did," Ridley said, surmising what he'd read. "She says Kennet had 'empoisoned' the wine he gifted them before he died, which is said to have killed Evert."

"Since she's accused me of killing Kennet, am I exonerated now?" I asked, not that I believed that that would actually happen. Mina would never let me go free.

"No, because you apparently killed Kennet in some sort of lover's spat, and you've been corrupted by the 'aberrations and unfettered debauchery' of Storvatten." Ridley stood up. "She keeps using all these abnormal words like that. I mean, they are words, but not ones that we actually use."

"Her language is odd, even for a proclamation like this," Wendy agreed.

"At the end, it says, when the Kanin are through, 'the ground will be sanguinolent.'" Ridley shook his head. "I don't even know what that means."

"It means 'tinged with blood,'" Bain supplied. "I looked it up."

"It's her British accent all over again." I rested my elbow on the armrest and propped my head up. "She's trying so hard to sound smart and important, because she's really just a spoiled, uneducated princess that got dropped in the middle of nowhere when she was too young to know any better, and n.o.body taught her how to act or grow up. Everything she pretends to be is just copied from Disney and Julie Andrews."

"Does that mean that she won't actually go through with all of this?" Wendy asked hopefully. "That this is all just part of her act?"

"Oh, no, she's definitely going to attack the Skojare. She's a monster," Ridley said, and that hardness had returned to his face, the same hardness that kept me at bay.

"She's going to slaughter them," I realized sadly, and looked over at Bain. "You worked in Storvatten. You know. They have no means of protecting themselves."

He nodded grimly. "Their guard is an absolute joke. The Kanin going after the Skojare will be like shooting fish in a barrel, pardon the pun."

Wendy's dark hair was up in a loose bun, but the silver lock fell over her forehead, and she brushed it back, causing her emerald bracelets to jangle. She walked around the desk, so she was closer to Bain, Ridley, and me, and leaned back against it.

"We want to help the Skojare, but we're in an awful position," Wendy began. "We're allies of both the Kanin and the Skojare, which means that technically we shouldn't get involved. But at the same time, I'm not about to stand by and let an entire tribe be destroyed.

"Mina sent that scroll asking us to rally behind the Kanin's unwarranted attack, which is so ludicrous." Wendy rolled her eyes. "I honestly don't know what she's thinking. But her overzealousness, I think, may be her downfall.

"However, that doesn't mean I can just jump into the fray," she went on. "I need to consult with advisers and talk to the board, and come up with the best possible solution I can."

I stood up. "I appreciate your position, and I know that you will do all that you can. Until then, I'm going to do all that I can."

"Meaning?" Wendy asked.

"I'm going to Storvatten, and I'm going to help prepare them for war."

FORTY.

tavvaujut.i.t "Wait!" Ulla shouted, practically tripping over herself as she ran up the muddy embankment toward me. "Wait!"

I looked back up at the top of the hill, where Ridley, Konstantin, and Tilda were all standing at the SUV, making me feel like I was on the t.i.tanic and they were escaping on the last life raft.

Instead of rus.h.i.+ng up to join them the way I wanted to, I sighed and turned back to face Ulla. When she reached me, she was panting, and tears sparkled in her amber eyes.

"Ulla," I said as gently as I could. "We already discussed this. It's dangerous for you to come with us. Besides, you're a huge help to Mia and Finn. They need you here."

"I know, I know." She tried to shrug it off like it was no big deal, but the hurt was etched into her face. "I just..." Abruptly, she held her arm out, with a leather strap hanging from her fist. "I made you this, and I didn't want you to leave without it."

I held out my hand, and she unceremoniously dropped the necklace into my hand. Tied onto the strap was a piece of ivory. It had been crudely carved into a rabbit, but it was still unmistakable that that's what it was.

"Because Konstantin always calls you white rabbit," Ulla explained. "I thought it must be a nickname or something." She shook her head. "I don't know. It's probably stupid."

"No, it's great. Thank you." I dropped the necklace around my neck and smiled at her.

"Anyway, you should probably get going," Ulla said.

I nodded, and she hugged me gruffly. It was a case of her not knowing her own strength, and she nearly cracked my ribs when she squeezed me. When she let go, she started backing away.

"Tavvaujut.i.t," she said, saying good-bye in Inukt.i.tuttah-vow-voo-teet.

"Tavvaujut.i.t," I said, and she turned and jogged back to Mia and Finn's house.

I continued up the slope to the SUV. Tilda and Konstantin had gotten in the backseat, but Ridley waited outside, leaning against the driver's side. He didn't say anything when I reached him, choosing to just get into the vehicle instead.

Ridley started the SUV and headed down the narrow, winding roads of Forening toward the gate, and I leaned back in my seat.

"Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I won't hurt you if you try anything," Tilda warned Konstantin, and I knew that she meant it.

Despite my a.s.surances that Konstantin was on our side, Tilda was reluctant to trust him. I suppose having her husband killed by someone I'd trusted made her question my judgment, and I couldn't really blame her for that.

"I already told you, I'm not going to try anything," Konstantin said, exasperated. "I should've taken the Mustang."

"It's better if we ride together," Ridley explained to him again. "We'll draw less attention, and the last thing any of us want is to garner attention from either the Kanin or Viktor's men."

Konstantin let out a heavy sigh, and I looked up in the rearview mirror to watch him sulking in the backseat. "This is gonna be a long ride to Storvatten."

Yesterday, after we'd gotten back from the meeting with Wendy and Bain where they explained that the Kanin had declared war on the Skojare, we all sat down and talked about what we were going to do. I had already made up my mind that I was going to Storvatten, and Konstantin quickly volunteered to go with me.

Ridley had slowly warmed to the idea. Even though he wanted to do everything he could to avoid getting captured by the Kanin, he knew that the Skojare needed us, and despite his misgivings, he wasn't about to stand by and do nothing.

I'd wanted Tilda to stay behind in Forening, where she'd be safer, but she insisted on coming with us. She wanted to do something to help stop the people who were indirectly responsible for Kasper's death. And as of late, she'd been working as a captain in the Kanin army, helping train the soldiers. She would be an excellent a.s.set for the Skojare in helping them get their troops in shape.

So we'd headed out to Storvatten that morning with a light drizzle following us everywhere we went. It soon became apparent that the eight-hour drive from Forening to Storvatten was going to be even longer than normal, thanks to the frequent pit stops needed by Tilda.

We weren't even halfway through the trip, and we were on our third break. We were on a relatively empty stretch of highway, so Ridley pulled over and Tilda ran out into the thick brush of the ditch.

I got out with Tilda every time, just in case she might need me. I doubted that she would, but I didn't like the idea of leaving a pregnant woman alone like that. While she ran through the ditch, I got out and waited next to the car.

"I told you this would be a long drive," Konstantin said, climbing out of the backseat.

"Why are you getting out?" I asked.

"I need to stretch my legs." He paced alongside the SUV, unmindful of the fact that the drizzle was getting heavier.

Beyond the ditch was a cold gray fog. We'd been taking back roads to avoid suspicion, and it had been a while since we'd crossed paths with another car. It felt still and eerie on the side of the road, and I was looking forward to getting to our destination.

I s.h.i.+vered and pulled my hooded sweats.h.i.+rt more tightly around me.

Suddenly Konstantin tensed up, looking around like a hunting dog that's found its prey. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he said, "We're not alone."

And then Tilda screamed.

FORTY-ONE.

strike Tilda stood on the other side of the ditch, with brush between us, and her eyes were wide and frantic as she pointed toward us. "Behind you!"

Before I had a chance to look, Konstantin pushed me out of the way, knocking me to the ground, and he lunged at what appeared to be nothingjust empty s.p.a.ce. But when Konstantin's fist collided loudly with his opponent's bare flesh, I saw the mirage-like s.h.i.+mmer of his skin. The chameleon coloring of the stark landscape around us changing to the tanned tones of Kanin skin.

"Get my daggers out of my bag!" Konstantin commanded.

As I scrambled from the ground, the guy Konstantin was fighting had finally s.h.i.+fted back to normal, and I realized that it was Drake Vagn. He'd once been a tracker in Doldastam, but he was more than ten years older than me, so I didn't really know him.

But I do remember the big fit he'd thrown when he'd been forced to retire six years ago. He'd eventually left Doldastam and the entire Kanin kingdom over it, and it had not been on good terms.

"You thought you could switch teams, eh?" Drake asked Konstantin, smirking as he punched him in the face.

Then came the loud sound of crunching metal, and the SUV lurched to the side, slamming into me and knocking me down. I lay perpendicular with the vehicle, squis.h.i.+ng down in the mud as much as I could. For a brief second, the vehicle was actually over methe metal entrails of it mere inches above my face. I'd turned my head to the side, watching as the tires skidded to a stop in the ditch beside me.

As quickly as I could, I crawled out from underneath toward the back of the SUV, and I got to my feet. Peering around, I discovered why it had suddenly lurched to the side.

A ma.s.sive beast of a man was standing next to the driver's door, which had been severely dented in, causing the window to crack into a million pieces. That explained why Ridley hadn't gotten out yetthe angry hulk had punched in the door, momentarily trapping him inside.

Based on the hulk's size alone, I guessed he was Omte. He could easily push in the shattered window and grab Ridley, but he seemed to prefer glaring down at him, smiling like a shark. His dark hair went down his back in a thick ponytail, and he was s.h.i.+rtless, displaying a series of thick tribal tattoos that covered his torso.

Konstantin and Drake had moved their fight to the road, matching each other blow-for-blow, and I registered the insults they were hurling at each other just enough to put together that they'd both been working together for Viktor before Konstantin had defected.

I opened the hatchback and saw that Ridley was crawling across the seats with the aim of getting out of the back pa.s.senger door. I grabbed Konstantin's worn leather satchel and hurriedly started digging through it.

Everywhere he went, Konstantin carried two long, sharp daggers. They had been his gift when he'd become the Queen's personal guard, and they were made with the highest-quality metal with ornate ivory carvings in the handle. They were beautiful, but most importantly, they were deadly.

I just caught sight of one of the blades in the bag when I felt a huge hand crus.h.i.+ng me around my waist. I tried to hang on to the bag, but suddenly I was sailing backward, and I lost my grip. The bag tumbled to the ground, and I heard the daggers clattering against the pavement.

It all happened so quickly, and I was flying through the air before landing painfully against the damp asphalt of the highway. It took me a second to catch my breath, then I pushed myself up onto my elbows to see the giant stomping toward me with that awful toothy grin on his face.

Across his chest, he had the word MNE tattooed in huge black letters, and as he rapidly approachedhe walked slow and deliberately, but he took giant stepsall I could think about was Ulla. She was a fourteen-year-old half-Omte and she'd pushed the two-ton SUV out of the snow. And this guy was at least a foot taller than Ulla, with hands the size of her head and arms thicker than her waist.

He was going to crush me with his bare hands.

As I jumped to my feet, my mind raced, trying to figure out how I could possibly fight someone as strong as this Mne guy. Behind him, I saw Ridley running toward him, wielding a huge chain. Based on the size of it and the hooks on either end, I guessed it was a towing chain that had been in the back of the SUV.

Ridley swung it hard, whipping Mne in the back. That would've been enough to knock a normal man down, but it barely fazed him. He stopped walking and turned to face Ridley, and he growled. Actually growled, like a wolf guarding a bone.

But Ridley didn't back down. He swung the chain again, harder, and this time the hook managed to take hold in the tough flesh of Mne's shoulder. I think Ridley's plan was to pull Mne down and tie him up with the chain.

But that's not what happened. Mne yanked the chain and pulled Ridley toward him, and I knew that I would have to act fast if I didn't want Mne to crush both of us.

I raced past Mne back toward the SUV and grabbed a dagger off the highway. Behind me, I heard Ridley let out a guttural moan that made my blood run cold.

When I turned back I saw that Mne had gotten the chain around Ridley's neck. He stood behind him, pulling the chain taut with his enormous hands, and as Ridley clawed futilely at the chain, his face had begun to turn purple.

I charged at Mne, and holding the dagger with both hands, I drove it into his back. I did it again and again, each time causing more blood to splatter back on me. It took five thrusts of the blade between his shoulders before he finally dropped to his knees. That brought him low enough so I could jab it into his spine, severing his brain stem, and he fell forward onto the road.

Ridley crawled out from underneath him, gasping for breath. His neck was red and raw and bleeding in a few places, but otherwise he looked like he would survive.

"Thank you," he said between breaths.

"Anytime," I said, then turned my attention to the fight between Konstantin and Drake.

It was still going strong, but Konstantin's face was looking more bloodied than Drake's. He was taking a beating.

I moved down the highway toward them. Drake had his back to me, and as soon as Konstantin looked at me, I tossed the dagger to him. He caught it easily just as Drake tried to come at him again. With one quick move, Konstantin sliced Drake's throat, and he collapsed to the ground.

Konstantin wiped the blood from his face, then stepped over Drake's body to walk to where Ridley and I were standing in the middle of the road.