The Viking's Mate Hunt

CHAPTER 169

The vase shattered, and light blue and gold porcelain pieces rained to the floor as I threw it as hard as possible against the wall.

"Untamed... Reckless..."

I stopped in my tracks and turned towards Betty. Her dry, crackled lips gaped as a fish on land.

Struggled to form words and trembled.

I held my breath, and listened in surprise, uncertain of what I heard. A hoarse whisper hissed up her throat, and her lower lip cracked as they moved. A thin line of fresh blood trickled over her chin.

Rushing to her side, I fell to my knees right next to her, lowered my head, and tilted it to the side. My ear was only centimeters from her face, just to hear what she said.

"Not a lady... I never. Managed... to... sculpt you... still no lady..."

She struggled, her entire body tense as a bow, ready to let the deadly little arrow go, and relaxed with each effort, with every breath and word. Her muscles were so tight one moment, pushed to their limit, making her tremble. Then suddenly, all gave up, so suddenly her chin and mouth opened widely. There was no in-between. I rolled my eyes. Still, now inches from the depths of death, she complains. My patience was running out, pouring between my fingers, and I didn't even try to hold it back. This wrinkled old witch was indeed something else! My heart almost jumped up my throat, and a strange quack pressed out between my lips with a shriek of surprise. Her hand tightened around my upper arm, and I didn't even see her move. She never opened her eyes while she spoke; not once did anything but her face move. Her muscle and body spasms looked involuntary. A dying body protesting the only way it could, But just like that, like she wasn't a dying old human in a worn-down body, she caught me off guard. Her nails pressed against my skin, and I could feel her muscles working, almost trembling through her body.

"You are... my failure. Good. A blessing... My death... save her! Bad apple... cruel!"

The lines on my forehead grew deeper, and my eyebrows tightened together. Barely able to speak. Great, just great! When she finally answers, it's nothing but gibberish! Her eyes flew open. My eyes widened as the cold sensation slowly let my heart go again. Shocked, I just stared back, my mouth half open. Her eyes bulged, and a web of red lines spread from her fully dilated pupils. Glossy and blurred, her eyes looked like they were covered in some strange liqueur, but she still stared right at me. Her stare was so wild and intense that I didn't dare to move. She looked through me, pierced my soul, spotted all my secrets, and ensured there was nowhere to hide. She had lost the control she once valued so highly and clenched so hard onto earlier; that much was obvious. But she was a fighter, refused to give up, fought even when her body yielded.

Spit and tiny drops of foaming blood flew out of her mouth and stained her lips. Lifting her head off the floor, her eyes still glued to mine. Wide open, bulging, and red, she looked insane. Her eyes, the look in them, scared me.

Her grip around my arm tightened to the point I winched, but she refused to let me go. The gurgling wet sound in her chest got worse, and a single tear fell from one of her eyelashes while her mouth opened and closed. The back of her throat rumbled, and another tear lost its grip on her lashes. Again, her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she managed to press her words out.

"HELPFUL! Stop... her! Stop him!"

She paused and tried again. Still, half her sentence seemed to be missing, and I didn't understand what she meant. I had no idea if she scolded me, asked me for help, or maybe cursed me out through my next life.

"Stop who? Who is he? And her?"

"Both! Both! Screwed up... Don't deserve... die... TAKE IT!"

Suddenly, she switched to yelling, and I almost jumped to my feet, But Betty's claws still held my arm firmly. She pulled me back down. Blood and spit sprayed my face, but still, she pulled me closer and continued to talk. Or she tried to speak.

Despite feeling sick and wanting to wipe it off my face and pull back, I didn't. I fought the need to pull away, fought my own need to rip this woman's hand off me.

"Break her...him!! Take it... Burn the lady's castle down..."

"What? This castle? What lady? "

That last effort was all she had in her. Betty spat the short sentence in my face before her eyes rolled back in her head. A deep, hissing groan lasted so much longer than it should have. It felt like her soul, the last of her life essence, left her body in one last exhale.

But I needed her to tell me what she meant! It is evident from the intensity in her eyes and her painfully hard grip on my arm. Her last breath, quite literally, was a message she felt was necessary. I nudged the old lady's body, grabbed her shoulders, turned her on her back, and gently shook her.

"Betty!? Who? Who are they? What lady??"

"She's gone, sweety. She's gone."

Drifta's voice filled my head, warm and soft like melting butter; her energy spread in my body. A comforting table, forcing my anxiety and adrenaline down. Betty's fragile shoulders slipped out of my hands, and I slumped back. My feet were flat on the floor, my hands were hanging down on my side, and I sat like a child on the floor and stared. For a while, we sat there. Drifta kept silent and filled me with her presence while I slowly accepted what just happened. She's gone. I should be happy, and should take this as a victory, but nothing about this was a victory. Nothing that happened here was anything to celebrate; Betty didn't deserve this, no matter what I felt about her.

"What is that?"

Confused, I lifted my hand and opened it. I've been fiddling with this little object for a while now, without realizing it. Resting in my palm was a little necklace with a thin, almost glittering silver chain and a little figure.

"Why would she give you that? What did she say?"

Drifta's curiosity perked. She tilted her head from one side to the other, studying the little piece of jewelry in my hand.

"Nothing... I didn't even notice her putting it in my hand. A family heirloom, maybe?"

"Hmpf... Or maybe she knew she was dying and just wanted it to be passed on?"

"Could be."

I lifted the little figure and let the sunlight show me the little sun dangling on the chain.

"Looks like glass... Maybe you are supposed to break it to get what´s inside?"

"Later... Let us first stack up with some food here and leave. I have a feeling someone is coming back for those bodies, and I don't want to be here when they do!"