The Apple Throne by Tessa Gratton

Author:Tessa Gratton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tessa Gratton
Published: 2015-01-26T16:00:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

Sune burns out quickly, and Amon takes his limp body in strong arms. We follow Gunn-Elin out the back entrance of the ossuary and into the boarding house of the Sisters of Sif. She leads us down a simple hallway to a guest room that is whitewashed, bright and plain. Three beds in a line, made with blue and cream blankets and layered with quilted pillows. There’s a single window over each bed and hammer-crosses hanging at the headboards. Afternoon light shines through blue curtains.

Amon puts Sune down on one of the beds and removes his shoulder holster. I sink into a wooden chair beside a washbasin with mirror and toiletries. Gunn-Elin says she’ll be back with water and cloths, hurrying out. Amon unbuttons his own gray silk shirt down to the edge of the vest, then says, “Help me get his coat off, too. He sweat through everything.”

We work in silence. Sune’s sprawled limbs are heavy with unconsciousness. It’s easier for Amon to prop his weight and let me work off the coat and shirt. I bite my bottom lip when we move to the boots and pants, but Amon’s right: it all needs to come off. The hunter does not twitch at all; he is not dreaming, but deeply asleep. His breathing, thank the gods, is smooth and deep; his skin warm, but not burning.

Gunn-Elin returns with a bowl of water and a washcloth just as we’ve got him undressed and the quilt pulled up to his stomach. She kneels and gently washes Sune’s face, neck, and chest.

Weary, I study this girl godling. Her hair is a puff of black halo around her face since she removed the handkerchief at some point. She’s only slightly taller than me, a relief after two days with Amon and Sune and the Valkyrie. Her brown cheeks are broad and round, like her mother’s, eyebrows thin and elegant as spread wings, her lashes short and curled so they seem only like thick liner deepening the rich brown of her eyes. That gleaming silver ring at her left brow adds a spark of humor. She must be a year or two younger than me, but exudes a sense of comfort.

Amon stares blankly at her progress from the foot of the bed. His hands are limp on his thighs. From the little wooden chair, I ask him, “Why do you think the bearbane took so long to affect him? Does he have berserking in his family history? Would that matter?”

Amon slowly shakes his head. “I don’t know. I’ve seen it take days to work through a man, though. It’s meant to be burned up by the frenzy, not to languish and swim around in the blood of regular men. I wish I’d had some of my smelling salts on hand to knock him out of it. But he must not have had too much.”

I frown. I know a berserker can use it to make the frenzy last longer or be more under their control, but I’ve only ever personally seen it kill the frenzy.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.