I made sure to keep a good distance behind Bolthur as he made his way through the forest. Maybe I hadn't noticed up until now, or maybe I'd just been stubbornly ignoring it, but my sight wasn't as good as it should have been. I was used to being able to see in the dark, all jotun could. But the forest around me was dimmer than it should have been.
Dim and cold. I shivered and rubbed at my arms, trying to tread as quietly as I could. My night vision may have faded, but something else had taken over. In the stillness, without daylight to distract me, I realized I could sense the water in the trees around me. It was nothing like the amount of water humans or jotuns had inside them, but enough so that I could make my way through the forest and know exactly where each tree was. And Bolthur might as well have been glowing, I could sense him so clearly.
His footfalls were light, crunching on the packed snow. He moved like a tracker, and occasionally he would glance back over his shoulder. I ducked behind a tree each time, heart pounding in my chest.
This was not the behavior of a man who was going out to relieve himself. He was too jumpy, acting too cautious. Almost like he expected someone to be following him. Not to mention, he was going way too far into the forest. But what on earth was out here for him?
Finally Bolthur reached a small clear patch and stopped. I hung back, pressing my back against the trunk of the nearest tree. I didn't have to see him to know he was standing still. What was he doing?
The wind started to pick up, whipping my hair in front of my face, chilling me through the thin sweatshirt I was wearing. A faint crackling noise reached me from downwind, and this time I had to peer around the tree trunk. Whatever it was sounded...electronic. That was highly unusual, since jotun usually avoided human technology at all costs, unless it was absolutely necessary. During times of war for long distance communication, perhaps.
The thought made my gut churn.
In the clearing I could make out his silhouette, crouched down in the middle of the clearing. He had something in one hand, a box-shaped thing with a glowing red light on top.
Another burst of static made Bolthur's head snap up. His voice drifted through the clearing. "Come in Echo base, are you there?"
What was echo base? The churning in my gut intensified. Whatever this was, it couldn't be good.
More static, and then a tinny voice projected from the box in Bolthur's hand. "We're here. Report."
A click, and then he spoke again. "I tried to contact you yesterday, where were you?" He sounded irritated.
"We were tied up with the search for that damned wolf, we told you that. Now report, Bolthur. Don't keep him waiting."
My blood felt like ice. That wolf. They had to be talking about Fiske. Which meant the man that Bolthur was talking to was back on the island with the humans. He was working for them. My nails bit into the palms of my hands, and I clenched my teeth together. I wanted nothing more than to launch myself at him.
Technically from here I could rip the water out of his body. But would Gunny and Ake believe me when I told them he was a traitor, or would they haul me in as a murderer? It wasn't like they knew me well enough to vouch for me. And I'd obviously made it clear I hated Bolthur. Best to wait and see how this played out.
"She's convinced my commander to take her to the king and queen. She's got an audience with them tomorrow."
"Will they take her seriously?"
"Hard to say."
"Not good enough." The voice on the other end was curt. "You wait until she's alone and you take her out."
Bolthur shifted in the snow, and I tensed, pulling back against the tree. He spoke again. "I still don't see why I can't just do it now." He sounded sullen, like a child pouting about having his snack taken away. It sent a shudder of horror through me.
"We've been over this, Bolthur," the other voice snapped. "You take her out with others around, you raise suspicions. You make sure you're alone, and that it looks like an accident."
"An accident with my sword."
"Don't half-ass this, jotun. We'll know."
Bolthur grumbled. "Fine."
"Report again after you take her out. And don't screw this up. There's no way we can allow her to get in front of the king and queen."
"Fine." Bolthur shifted again, snow crunching under his feet. "I'll talk to you later."
Another buzz of static, and then the radio went silent. Bolthur moved, I could sense him climbing to his feet. Then he began to walk back the way he'd come, which was directly towards me. Holding my breath, I waited until he was almost across from me, no more than a hundred yards away. Then I slid around the tree trunk, making sure to keep out of his line of sight.
Bolthur didn't seem to care about concealing his tracks or being cautious on the way back. He trampled through the snow loudly and huffed to himself, swearing under his breath about something. Probably about the fact that he couldn't just run me through with his sword.
Again I trailed him, fists clenched at my sides. It would be so easy to rip the water out of his body and end him then and there. And it would get rid of the threat that was hanging over my head now. He was just waiting to kill me.
But it didn't change the fact that if I killed him, I would look like the bad guy. Ake and Gunny hadn't overheard what he was saying, so there was no way of proving that he was a traitor. I could find his radio transmitter of course, but that wouldn't necessarily prove anything.
Mind working furiously, I tracked him as quietly as I could. A million ideas popped into my head, and I discarded them just as fast. I could tell Ake what had happened. There was no guarantee he'd believe me. It was just my word against Bolthur. The other option was running, going to the palace by myself. But that would make me look crazy and ruin my credibility when I actually got to speak to the king and queen.
There was only one other option and I didn't like it. But it seemed like I would have to wait and see if Bolthur made a move.
I waited until Bolthur slipped back into his tent. Thankfully he didn't check the other tent to see if I was inside. After I was sure he wasn't getting up again, I slipped back inside the tent. Gunny was still snoring gently, one arm thrown up over her head. She didn't even stir when I crawled into the tent and slid under the blankets.
It was going to be a long day tomorrow. We were going to travel for hours, so I should get my sleep. But it was impossible to drift off when my mind was buzzing, thoughts flickering past so fast I couldn't keep up with them. Picturing Bolthur crouched in the snow, remembering the sound of the radio crackling. Knowing that at some point he was going to try to get me alone, and then he would try to kill me.
It was going to be a long night.
The next morning we had breakfast fast, eating as we were packing up. My job was to strap the saddle bags back onto each horse, and I couldn't help peering over the back of the horse as I worked, staring at Bolthur.
He was kicking dirt over the fire, expression sullen. When he looked up I made eye contact accidentally and then glanced away. There was no way I could let him know that I knew. If I let on, he might try to speed up the process.
There had to be a way to coax him into it in the right place, at the right time. To prove he was a traitor. I just had to think of a way. But in the meantime, getting to the palace alive was my top priority.
When Ake stopped by my horse to check on me, I wanted to tell him. In fact, I was so jittery I nearly blurted it out. I had to tell myself he didn't know me, not really. And he had sworn earlier that he was a good soldier. It didn't seem to matter that he was a complete jerk. So why would he believe me if I told him that Bolthur was a traitor?
"Ready to go?" He patted the horse on the flank, and then glanced up at me. "Should be there by tonight if we make good time."
I cleared my throat. "Yeah. Uh, are we going to be traveling in the dark do you think?" If we were there might be problems, especially if we paused for a rest at any point. The minute Bolthur could get me alone he would make him move.
"Probably for the last half of the journey, but we'll have makeshift torches, and the treaty with Fenrir still holds, so no need to worry about the wildlife."
Not the kind of wildlife I was worried about.
So we were going to be travelling in the dark, which meant I had to stick to the group until we got to the palace. Unless...unless I wanted him to try something. I had the advantage, since I was expecting an attack, and I could sense him coming at me if I was looking for it.
So I'd be able to stop him. Maybe even prove he was trying to kill me.
"Are you okay?" Ake was staring at me, frowning, and I sat upright in the saddle and forced a smile.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just...nervous about the audience." It was only half a lie. My stomach was churning, and it felt like I might lose my breakfast. I had never liked confrontation, and it was unnerving not to be able to tell anyone. For the first time since we'd left I felt a pang of longing in my stomach. If Eli was here I would have been able to tell him about this. He would have helped me, or had some kind of suggestion, a plan even.
But it was just me, and I turned my horse around and followed the others as we began the slow, steady journey through the forest. We probably had about ten hours before nightfall, so I'd better think of something before then.