Their guide turned to Jake, a fist on her hip. “You know our stories.”
Jake stared up into those ice blue eyes. “Some of them.”
She nodded, satisfied. “I am Brunhildr, hearthmistress of Bornholm. Be welcome,” she said a touch more warmly. “Your sister is outside. Follow me.”
But as she turned, a clatter of boots sounded from a stairwell ahead. Two girls leaped out, both black-haired with matching tanned faces. Twins. They had to be no older than Kady.
Brunhildr stopped before them. “How does the Elder fare?” she asked.
One of the girls shook her head. “Elder Ulfsdottir spent all last night at Kalakryss, at her sister’s bedside. Even now, she ignores her bed and spends the morning praying to Odin.”
“And she refuses all meals,” added the second. “But we saw who came to the door and hoped that there was further word about Livia.”
All eyes turned to Jake and the others.
“This is Hrist and her sister, Mist,” Brunhildr said. “They were the ones who carried Huntress Livia all the way back from the shores of Fireweed Swamp.”
Marika stepped forward and spoke softly. “I’m afraid we don’t have glad tidings. My father and Magister Zahur continue to care for Livia with all their skill, but they fear splinters of bloodstone may still remain in her flesh, holding her trapped between this world and the next.”
Hrist and Mist shared a worried look. The one named Mist looked close to tears. Hrist spoke to her sister. “We did all we could.” She then turned to Jake and the others. “Huntress Livia went alone across the swamp in a small raft, leaving us on shore while she spied closer upon the lair of the Skull King. She was gone five nights and returned half dead with a fresh arrow wound and collapsed as soon as she set foot on shore. She said not a word.”
Marika glanced to Jake and shook her head very slightly. Her father had warned them about repeating what he’d heard on the rooftop.
Mist wrung her hands. “She must live.”
“The Magisters are doing their very best,” Marika promised.
Hrist sighed. “We will relate this news to Elder Ulfsdottir.” She collected her sister by the elbow, and the pair ran back up the stairs.
Brunhildr continued across the hall and headed for the sunny courtyard. “These are dire times,” she said through clenched jaws. “I’m sorry your sister comes to Bornholm under such a heavy cloud.”
Jake grew worried. He wondered how Kady was faring with these hard women. As he stepped out into the sunlight, he spotted his sister in the center of the yard—with a pair of swords in her hands!
“No, like this,” Kady said, speaking to the handful of women around her. She wore a green tunic and a pair of knee-high boots.
Kady danced back from the women and swung the short swords in a deadly dance around her body.
What was she doing?
Jake gasped as she tossed one of the swords into the air. It spun, catching the sunlight and sparking brightly—then fell. Kady caught it cleanly by the hilt and swept it out with a flourish and half bow.
Jake suddenly realized where he’d seen this routine before. It was during baton practice with Kady’s cheer squad. His sister had rehearsed the routine so often she could probably do it in her sleep—and apparently with swords.
Claps followed her demonstration.
A bench along the back wall was crowded with men in Viking helmets and cloaks. They laughed and whispered to each other. At the end of the bench, Jake spotted a familiar older boy in a tunic. It seemed Heronidus was enjoying his guard duty. He sat transfixed by Kady, following her every movement. He was certainly keeping a close watch.
“Kady!” Jake called, drawing her attention.
She spotted him and broke into a wider smile. “Jake, there you are! I heard you were coming!”
Kady handed off her swords to another woman, then crossed over to join him. Jake saw she had also braided her hair, as was custom among the huntresses, but she had done hers up in a fancy French braid.
Kady noted his attention and patted her hair. “How does it look? I didn’t want to do that ponytail thing. Too Heidi for me.”
But that wasn’t all. Jake noticed two of the Viking women had their hair French-braided also. He squinted closer. And was one of them wearing eye shadow?
Oh, brother.
And here he’d thought she’d be curled in a ball crying.
“How did you…what are you…?” Jake stammered.
“I’m fine, if that’s what you’re asking. They’ve been taking good care of me. Are you okay?”
Jake didn’t know where to start. His night had involved pain, bloodshed, and rumors of a foul army building out in the jungle. And what had Kady been doing? Braiding her friends’ hair and sharing cosmetic secrets. Did nothing ever change?
Kady laughed. “What? You told me to make friends.”
That was certainly true.
Her voice dropped lower. “What about you? Did you learn anything?”
Jake glanced around at the others. Everyone was staring at them. He dropped his voice to a whisper. “I’ll tell you more later. But for now, I’m still trying to find some way of getting over to that pyramid. There must be some power source over there.”
He touched the silver badge on his safari jacket. “Something to do with the crystals.”
Kady leaned and stared at his pin. “It’s pretty.”
Jake’s cheeks heated up. “It’s not pretty…it…it’s important.”
She straightened and shrugged. “So then if the pyramid is so important, what are you doing here?” Her tone was basically Why are you bothering me?
“Because I wanted to find out how you were doing.”
Kady frowned at his concern, apparently reading between the lines. “I’m not totally helpless, Jake.”
“I never said you were.”
Okay, maybe he had actually thought it….
Still, the conversation was not going the way Jake had hoped. Trying one last time, he waved toward the front of Bornholm. “And I thought maybe you’d want to go check out more of the town with us?”
“With you?” A familiar thread of disdain entered her voice. “Heron was going to take me out to their gaming fields.”
Heron? Since when were Kady and Heronidus so chummy?
Kady continued. “Apparently there’s some sort of big contest in another couple days. A championship between the Romans and some…” She crinkled her nose. “I think Sumo wrestlers, or something like that.”