Seduction of the Bear (Bear Kamp Book 1) by Rachel Robins

Author:Rachel Robins [Robins, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quantum Works Publishing Group
Published: 2017-04-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

That evening, the two of them made their way downstairs for dinner. They sat down across from Magnhild as she ladled out bowls of pottage and mugs of ale. “Do you foretell the future?” Frida blurted out, unable to help herself.

The innkeeper laughed and handed Frida a bowl of soup. “Of course not,” she said. “I only piece together the things that I know.” She frowned and shook her head. “I'm from the north originally, so I know the lore. And I know the prophecies.”

“What prophecy?” Frida asked.

Magnhild shrugged. “That's not for you to know—yet. See, prophecies hold immense power, and if they were to fall into the wrong hands, all hope could be lost. For example, you could be part of this marauding band of magicians from the Borderlands, come to find out about this prophecy and kill the one who is meant to be the savior of Kjota. I wouldn't know any different.”

Frida shook her head, wanting desperately to reveal her true identity to Magnhild. She was sure the woman would tell her the prophecy if she could only see that it was Frida that she was talking to. But there was Daegal's hand on her knee, warning her to be cautious, as though the man knew exactly what she was thinking.

She glanced over at him, but he still had his eyes trained on Magnhild. “We certainly aren't marauders,” he said, a small smile on his lips. “But I understand your caution—and I appreciate it.”

“You're not from Kjota originally,” Magnhild said, peering at the man. “Your complexion is too fair, and your hair is too fiery. Iskandian, if I had to take a guess. But with a healthy mix of Kjotan blood somewhere in there.”

Daegal looked surprised and shook his head. “That's the first accurate diagnosis of my heritage that I've heard in quite some time,” he said. He grinned sharply. “Most people just realize that I'm a fierce barbarian and want nothing more to do with me.”

Magnhild snorted. “As I said, I was raised in the north. There were many of your people who fled there after the wars.”

“Which wars?” Frida asked.

Magnhild blinked at her, looking surprised. But it was Daegal who responded to her question. “It wasn't a plague that destroyed most of the magicians in the Borderlands,” he said grimly. “There was a long battle, with armies from each of the free lands. Kjota's army was, of course, one of the finest that these lands have ever seen, but that's neither here nor there.”

Frida frowned at the two of them. “But growing up, we always learned...“

“Well of course we did,” Daegal said, his lips gone tight. “What kind of adult wants to admit to a bunch of children that, yes, an entire species was almost destroyed because of fear, hatred, and xenophobia? It's much easier to say that the Borderlands is deserted because of the plague, or because of the weather, or because of something else that is out of our control.”

“Huh.” Frida pushed around some of the vegetables in her stew, thinking that over.

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.