An Ebony Flame

Far

The door locks behind me, sending shock waves rolling along the ground. I must remember to fix the Seeing Horn later. But right now....

Far still lies sprawled on the floor, wrapped in the Jotunn's robes. I rush to his side and drop to my knees.

Sweat beads on his forehead and he shivers so that his teeth chatter. His skin is icy to the touch. I build up the fire and pull his sleeping mat as close to it as I dare.

I roll him onto the mat. He is so heavy. My breath comes in gasps and sweat pours down my forehead. I bend over, hands on my knees, until my heartbeat slows to its normal pace. Then I scrounge together all the blankets and furs in the cave and pile them over him. I must keep him as warm as possible.

I am about to roast. Stripping down to my deerskin tunic, I add my robe to Far's covers.

I kneel at his side and rock back and forth. Stroking the hair from his forehead, I hum under my breath, a Beornskar lullaby that Far used to sing me to sleep with, his voice so deep and growly. I break down with a sob. A cold emptiness clutches me and I feel as if the life is being squeezed out of me. This cannot be happening.

"Far," I whisper, burying my face in his chest. "Far, you will be alright. You will!"

I let the weeping sweep through me.

Hours pass. I must have slept. Far's chest shakes from a ragged, hacking cough. My eyes fly open and I sit up, pushing the tussled hair from my face.

The cave is dark and shadowed with the fire, a pale, red ember glowing in the midst of the blackness.

"Far?" I whisper.

A tremor shakes his body and the coughing subsides.

His eyes are sunken in too deep when he opens them. He stares not quite at me with pupils too large, the black center larger than the thin brown irises. "Ebony?" He mutters.

"I am here." I choke back tears.

"Where...how...?" He gasps from the effort of talking.

I lay a finger against his lips. "Shh. You are safe now. In the cave."

He starts and struggles to sit up. "They are coming," he says.

"If you mean the Jotnir," I say. "They have been here and gone." My hands on his shoulders, I gently force him to lie back on the mat.

He looks at me and the only sound is his hoarse breathing. "What happened?" he whispers.

I lick my lips and swallow. "They tricked me into opening the door." I cannot look him in the eye, ashamed of being so gullible. "But it is as well." I take comfort as the realization hits me. "Otherwise, you might not be here now. Everything will be fine now." My stomach rolls within me, though, for I disbelieve my own words.

"But what of you?" I ask. "What happened?"

In ragged gasps, he explains. The information he had followed was an ambush. He and Hauk walked into a trap and barely escaped with their lives. They had split up in hopes of drawing the Jotnir off the trail.

But they had followed Far here.

"Hauk should arrive soon," Far finishes. "If he had no trouble."

Hauk. A new shiver slices through me. Is he safe?

Far squeezes my hand. "Your turn," he wheezes. "What happened?"

I tell him everything. I watch his glazed eyes, wondering if he really hears me. He looks like he could drop off to sleep any moment. Worn out from telling his story.