Soul of Furies (Book Three)

Chapter 19: Eret

I hate waiting.

Usually, I find that I'm a pretty patient person. Sitting and waiting until the opportune moment has never bothered me before. Now, I act as though every second that passes is another wasted moment of precious time. In many ways, it is.

I'd feel better if I had my necklace back from Alrek, but I have yet to come across my old nemesis. I faintly wonder what he'll think of me, since in this realm I was never a Slayer. Thord and Sigrid never had a little girl to ruin his ultimate plan for domination.

Why must power hungry overlords exist?

"Hey, look," Astrid utters, elbowing me in the ribs. "He's coming."

I purse my lips, not bothering to check for confirmation. "You guys need to go out first and make sure he isn't hostile," I remind them, meeting each of their eyes and getting nods in return. "Alright, go."

I slink backwards, motioning to the dragons to remain still as Astrid steps from behind our hiding spot. She steels herself, watching Eret walk towards his house.

"Eret," she calls, her voice loud yet harsh and breathy like a whisper.

The muscular Viking stops and spins around, not yet seeing Astrid. "Who's there?" he demands, his hand inching towards his weapon.

Astrid comes further out into the grey light of the afternoon, followed closely by the others. Eret tenses up, his eyes going wide as his hand falls from his weapon.

"Hey Eret," Fishlegs greets, waving.

Eret stares for a moment longer before uttering, "Guys?"

"Yeah, it's us," Snotlout says, stretching his arms behind his back and making his shoulders crack.

"We need to talk to you," Astrid says. "Come."

He nods and glances around for a moment before jogging closer to them. I peer out just enough to get a better view of him. He gives another anxious glance around before returning his attention to his friends.

"You shouldn't be here," he warns, his eyes wide with fear that I've rarely seen in his eyes. "I don't want to know what Alrek will do if he finds out that the runaways have come home."

"He won't be a problem soon," Tuffnut almost boasts, crossing his arms over his chest. "We've got someone with the upper hand."

Eret's face slackens with surprise. "Upper hand? With..."

"Overthrowing Alrek and freeing us forever," Ruffnut finishes, flashing a wide grin. "She's got the same magic as Alrek 'cause they're from the same village, plus she's got firepower. She came for revenge."

I grit my teeth and force myself not to interject. My mission is certainly not revenge, although I suppose some of my actions are selfish like that would be.

Eret smiles a little bit. "Really? She could do that?"

"She says she can," Astrid answers. She turns and motions to me. "Come on out, Thora."

I take a deep breath, motioning for the Monstrous Nightmares to stay back. Nightstar slinks to my side as I step out from behind the hiding spot, keeping my expression neutral. Eret gasps at the sight of Nightstar, stepping backwards as his hand flies to the hilt of his knife.

Nightstar lets out a warning growl, but I rest my hand on her shoulder to silence her. My focus remains on Eret.

"No need for the knife, Eret, son of Eret," I say, tone low. "She obeys me and only me."

I feel Nightstar's shoulder quiver with laughter. "Nice one."

Eret hesitantly removes his hand from his weapon. "Night Fury, huh? Haven't seen one of those in years..."

"I'm aware," I respond. "So, think you can help me out? I need to finish this before it gets too late. Alrek will catch on to our presence otherwise." I cross my arms over my chest, noting that his eyes have wavered to the gem hanging around my neck. "Eret?"

He swallows and adjusts his collar. "I...I suppose I could try..." he says, casting more jittery glances around the area. It's like he's constantly worrying about being watched. "I'll see what I can do."

"Meet us near Gothi's old hut," I say. "Don't be long."

He shakes his head in response. "I won't. I promise." A look of utter pain flickers across his face. "But...guys, all of you, please be careful."

Snotlout rests a hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezes it. "We will, man. Don't worry."

Eret doesn't look convinced.