Her Mythical Warriors (Book Two)
Chapter Thirty-One: Fossegrimen

Akira stared at the girl’s fingers as the Fossegrimen strummed them across the fiddle. Blood dripped down the instrument as the Fossegrimen strummed her fingers. Akira still wanted to throw up but held it in. She needed to find a way to stop him. How bad could the girl have wanted to learn to play the fiddle?

The music was beautiful, but the sight was terrifying. Akira tried to think of what she could offer the water spirit to set the girl free. But she didn’t have a goat—or anything else that may interest the water spirit. Akira wondered what the girl offered the creature to get him to teach her to play the fiddle. What would make her so desperate she would take lessons from a Fossegrimen?

They are horrible creatures who live off others’ pain. Why else would their lesson lead to the student’s fingers bleeding?

“Please,” the girl cried, “I have learned enough. Please, no more.”

Akira watched the water spirit grin as he pressed her fingers harder onto the instrument, making her fingers bleed more.

“Stop!” Akira shouted before she could stop herself.

The water spirit stopped and looked up at the interruption. Akira held her breath as the creature looked at her, an annoyed look in his eyes. Without a word, he started strumming the girl’s fingers across the fiddle again. The girl cried out in pain.

“Please, stop,” Akira begged. She couldn’t stand to watch the girl suffer.

The beautiful music continued as the Fossegrimen spoke. “She paid her due, and I will continue with my lessons.”

Akira watched the girl. She was close to passing out. What can she do to stop this madness?

“I will take her place.” Akira almost placed her hand over her mouth. Did she seriously just offer herself up to a water spirit? Fuck, her warriors are going to be pissed.

The Fossegrimen stopped and looked at Akira’s hands. Akira held them at her sides, waiting for the water spirit to decide whether it was an even trade. The Fossegrimen tossed the girl aside and motioned for Akira to take her place.

Akira closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She hoped her warriors woke soon and discovered she was missing.

~⚔~

Wolfric pulled Akira closer. Something didn’t feel right—she was lumpy in all the wrong places… Wolfric’s eyes shot open. He looked into his best friend’s face and grunted.

“Malique,” he growled.

Malique’s eyes opened, and he stared up at Wolfric, then batted his eyes and puckered his lips.

“Didn’t know you loved me this much,” Malique jested, blowing kisses at Wolfric.

Wolfric grunted and pushed the vampire away. “Where’s Akira?” he wondered aloud.

Malique looked around, still groggy. “Bathroom?”

The two men tumbled out of bed, waking the other three warriors.

“What’s going on?” Darius asked, his voice deep with sleep.

“Akira’s missing,” Wolfric fumed as he returned from the bathroom.

All warriors were out of bed and alert.

“Check the front porch. Maybe she needed some fresh air,” Zelious suggested.

The five warriors tossed their clothes on and marched to the porch, ready to carry their Havent back to bed and punish her for scaring them.

But Akira wasn’t on the porch. Nor was she anywhere in, around, or near the cabin.

Something is wrong, and they will find their Havent if they have to tear the forest apart.

~⚔~

Akira held back her tears as her fingers started bleeding again. The water spirit looked happy to see the blood, but when Akira healed her fingers—for the fourth time—his face crumpled as if he didn’t understand what was happening. Which was good. She needed to keep this going for as long as she could—before passing out from exhaustion.

She looked over at the girl. She was huddled against another rock, her hands clutched to her chest as she cried—still in pain. Akira needed to keep herself sane for the girl. Because once Akira is out, the water spirit will use the girl again.

The Fossegrimen pressed Akira’s fingers harder into the fiddle, and Akira cried out when the fingernail on her left pointer popped off and flew into the water. It took longer for Akira to heal it because she had to force her fingernail to grow again. She fixed her fingers and concentrated on not passing out.

“Why do you heal so fast? What are you?” the Fossegrimen asked.

Akira ignored the water spirit and concentrated on keeping herself conscious and aware—while she waited to be rescued.

~⚔~

“Did you hear that?”

Stella looked at her brother. “Hear what?”

“I thought I heard Akira cry out.”

Stella stopped spinning her sword and listened. When she heard the princess’s cry, she took off toward the pond just outside the Centaur’s shield.

“There,” Fin whispered, pointing to a rock.

Stella growled when she saw the water spirit strumming her princess’s fingers across a fiddle. How could he have gotten hold of her? She spotted another girl huddled against a rock and knew. Akira sacrificed herself to release the girl, who was stupid enough to bargain with the evil creature.

“How did he get hold of Akira?” Fin hissed.

“She gave herself up for the girl because she can heal herself,” Stella said, pointing to the girl off to the side, crying.

Fin shook his head. “She won’t last long without the herbs.”

Stella nodded, “that’s why we’re saving her.”

~⚔~

Akira whimpered when her fingers started bleeding for what felt like the hundredth time. She’s running out of energy. If she’s not rescued soon, she’s afraid she’ll pass out before they get to her. She healed her fingers and almost sighed with relief when the pain subsided.

A noise in the waters had Akira turning her head. Hoping beyond hope, her warriors found her. When she saw Fin and Stella, she almost burst into laughter. Of course, her troll friends would find her first.

“Let our princess go!” Stella ordered the Fossegrimen.

The water spirit laughed, “she and I have a deal.”

Akira watched Stella point her sword at the Fossegrimen.

“Let her go, or face your death,” Stella stated.

Akira blinked. She knew Stella was a tough cookie, but damn…

The water spirit grinned. “I will let her go when I am finished with her.”

Fin placed his hand on his sister’s shoulder and pulled her back; Stella hissed at her brother. Fin shook his head and turned to the Fossegrimen.

“It is not us you need to worry about,” Fin said.

The water spirit smirked. “Oh? And who shall I worry….”

“She’s a Havent,” Fin interrupted the Fossegrimen. “And her warriors will be here soon to tear your head off.”

Akira closed her eyes, knowing that was exactly what her warriors would do.

The Fossegrimen stopped strumming Akira’s fingers across the fiddle and looked at her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” he demanded.

Akira shrugged. “No one ever believes me, anyway.”

The water spirit shrieked and tossed Akira off his rock and into the water. Akira landed on her ass in the shallow water and glared up at the Fossegrimen.

Stella moved past Fin and stood at Akira’s side.

“You better go before her warriors get here,” Fin warned the creature.

The Fossegrimen bared his teeth and hissed. “Not without my pick,” he said, looking at the girl Akira had saved.

“You made a deal with me. You can’t go back on it,” Akira hissed.

The water spirit looked at her and sneered, “you didn’t tell me you were protected by the Gods.”

Akira smiled. “I was hoping my warriors would get here to save us before you figured it out.”

“You will pay for this,” the creature threatened.

Akira glared the creature down. “A deal is a deal.”

“I don’t see or hear any warriors coming to your rescue. And I don’t smell any power within you. Your eyes have no spark of life. You don’t even have a soul. You are an empty….”

“Don’t say it,” Akira growled. It had been so long since anyone called her an empty vessel. She’d almost forgotten how much it hurt—almost.

The water spirit smirked. “Empty vessel.”

Akira shrieked and moved to go after the creature. Stella placed her hand on Akira’s shoulder and held her down.

“Now, come finish what we started. No warriors are coming to your rescue.”

As the Fossegrimen spoke his words, water could be heard splashing toward them. Akira held back a smile. Her warriors have found her. Just like she knew they would.

The water spirit’s head snapped up when five large men stomped into his area. He hissed as he stood, his fiddle in his left hand.

“Akira!” her warriors shouted.

Akira turned to her warriors and waved. She didn’t know what else to do.

Wolfric looked from her to the trolls, then at the water spirit, and growled.

“What did he do to you?” her Wolfie demanded.

Akira sighed, her heart and body full of love for her wolf. She told them what she had come upon and what she foolishly did. Her warriors looked at the girl. She was still bleeding and staring at the five powerful men, then looked at Akira.

“Seriously?” Zelious asked, watching Akira.

“You can’t stay out of trouble, can you, little one?” Malique asked with a chuckle.

Akira sighed and shrugged.

“Well, looks like we have a sentence to dish out,” Wolfric growled, glaring at the water spirit.

The Fossegrimen looked at the five warriors, at Akira, then the girl still hovering beside a rock, and back at the warriors. He laughed when the five men headed toward him, then disappeared.

“I knew he was going to do that,” Stella growled. “You should have been faster.” She looked at the five warriors and gave them the stink eye.

All five men chuckled and shook their heads.

“Will he be back?” Akira asked.

“He got what he came here for,” Niall said.

Akira looked at her newest warrior. “What was that?”

Niall pointed at the girl. “Whatever she gave him for the lessons. The strumming of the instrument is just for fun.”

“You mean he enjoys watching people bleed?” Akira asked, not entirely shocked at her Centaur Warrior’s words.

Niall nodded.

The girl whimpered, and Akira moved to stand. Stella pushed Akira back down.

Akira looked at the troll. “The girl needs me,” she said.

Stella nodded and pulled a ball of herbs from her pouch, handing a piece to Akira.

“Replenish your energy.”

Akira smiled at the troll. “Thank you,” she whispered as she took the herb from Stella.

Akira popped the herb into her mouth and made a face as she chewed. Once she swallowed the herb, she felt her strength and magic replenish and moved to stand again. This time, Stella didn’t stop her, but Wolfric did.

Akira looked up into her wolf’s beautiful blue and brown eyes.

“You scared us,” he said, looking into her eyes.

Akira frowned. Are her warriors angry with her?

“You’re going to pay for it,” he growled as he lifted her into his arms and stood.

Akira squealed and felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. She knew what her warriors wanted for payment. Her.

Wolfric carried her to the girl and set her on the rock, barely out of the water. The girl moved back from them, and Akira smiled.

“It’s okay. These are my warriors. They won’t hurt you any more than they would hurt me,” Akira assured the girl.

The girl looked Akira in the eyes and nodded.

“May I see your hands?” Akira asked, holding her hands out for the girl to place her fingers into Akira’s palms.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then Akira saw understanding register in the girl’s eyes. She understood now how Akira lasted so long with the Fossegrimen. The girl placed her hands into Akira’s, and Akira closed her eyes.

She heard the girl’s intake of breath and smiled as she healed the girl’s bleeding fingers.

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