Hold the line
A horde arrives
They question wisdom
Truth eludes them
Religion
—Grimlock "Bladebreaker" Ironfist
The wooden bench creaks under Hildr. She shifts from cheek to cheek like it is made from a prickly cactus rather than pine wood.
Happy crosses his thick dwarven arms and arches a hairless brow.
Hildr clears her throat. "Thank you for being my guest. You honor your claim to being reasonable."
He drums his knuckles on his armrest. "Careful. I said 'reasonable' relative to the rest of my band. I am still a hungry wolf ready to press my teeth upon your throat if you won't help my captain."
As his dusty breath swirls in the cramped room, she resists curling her lip and stills a growl. If she is too strong, he will attack. If too weak, he will dominate.
She says, "You must be invaluable to your dread walker boss. Would Jax be lost without you?"
"A threat, oh my. And from an unarmed human female with soft nails and brittle teeth. Not good odds against a stone dwarf berserker. Maybe find a feather to tickle me until I crack with laughter."
"I did not mean—"
"Did you not?" He chuckles. "Let us fantasize and say you somehow manage to kill me. Maybe a needle through my eye or a tricky mystic item?"
She flinches. Stabbing his eye with her cursed hairpin was a passing thought.
Happy taps his chest. "Without reasonable me, what will Captain Jax do? Any guesses?"
What does he want to hear? Hildr chews her lip. Acknowledging Jax's strength would be respectful without submitting to the dwarf.
She says, "Fire and fear."
"Correct. My captain has enough mind left for vengeance. I imagine his ensuing inferno would rival your divine ex-Lady's work. This town of yours would be reduced to ash, stone, and bone."
Hildr stands and bows. A bandmate once told her that if ever facing several different enemies, she should allow them to compete to open a retreat. She reaches under the bench to grab a glass jar.
"Oh, pickled eggs?"
She pulls a couple of eggs out of the jar and tosses them to the dwarf. "Liam, that mouthy fool you hurt, is one of the men I was to fight tonight. He's also Agastache's partner. Do you know her? She is the head druidess here."
He swallows the eggs and grunts. "Plump as a cow with skin dirt brown."
"Agastache converted Apple's workshop into a sanctuary. She has the skill and power to stop you, to stop Jax."
Happy shrugs. "Why would she dare to fight us, when all we want is you? Does she think to collect your weight in silver from the Pales?"
Hildr eats the last two eggs in the jar and goes to the door with the sloshing container.
The dwarf growls. "Where—"
Hildr holds her finger to her lips and yanks the door open. Apple stumbles out of an ease-dropping lean on the other side. His ear flares red, and he stammers. Hildr shushes him and puts the jar in his hands.
She says, "Go get another and anything else you think we need."
Meepsin pops out from under Apple's robe, "Me need, honey!"
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Valkyrie of Desire
काल्पनिकA warrior of seduction with an impossible pregnancy fights for free love despite being haunted by the sins of a past life.
