I raise my hand slightly. “I have questions. Why am I not in the carriage? Seems like a comfortable, protected place to be.”
“You’re safest with me,” he says gravely. “The wards that guard the passage have never failed us, but I’m not taking any chances. If anything were to happen, if we were to be attacked, everyone in the carriage would be sitting ducks.” He looks at the guests. “No offense.”
“Oh, none taken,” Tapio says through a derisive scoff.
“And why are you taking your double?” Tuonen asks.
Death glances at Kalma, though I can’t see his expression. “I need an extra pair of eyes. I have reason to suspect the leaders of the uprising will be at the Bone Match. Your mother might even make an appearance.”
I shudder. Oh hell no! Louhi might be there?
“But he’s dressed the same as you, people will wonder why there are two of you,” Tapio says, pointing at the Shadow Self like he’s vermin.
“There are other clothes in the carriages. Just trust me, old man. I know what I’m doing.”
At that, we head to the stables. There is a large black carriage pulled by big black horses, Friesians maybe, with long black manes and white eyes. The Forest Gods, Kalma, and the Shadow Self climb inside. Death climbs aboard Sarvi and pulls me up so I’m wedged between his crotch and Sarvi’s neck. He’s right in this does make me feel safe, but after I fell off Alku and all that shit went down, I’m still a little nervous.
We take off for the passage. Sarvi walks half the time, flies half the time. Between Shadow’s End and the Mountains of Vipunen, Sarvi does loops above the convoy, flying high and then back down. Death is silent for most of it, and I know he and Sarvi are scanning the land, but everything seems fine. I don’t think we’d be attacked here and now, but I guess being out in the open is different than being inside Shadow’s End.
Even if Rasmus did make parts of the castle crumble. If he had that power back then, I can’t imagine the kind of power he has right now.
If he’s even alive, I remind myself as Sarvi lands and we resume our walk in front of the horses and carriage. Even though he’s my brother, I have no way of knowing if he’s alive or not, no sixth sense telling me he’s out there. Maybe that means he’s already been corrupted, no longer the person I knew.
If he’s not dead, then he’s been taken over by Louhi. I’m starting to understand Death’s paranoia now. It’s been so quiet these past weeks, with me focused on training, like we’re just waiting for the first shoe to drop.
Something tells me it could drop tonight.
“My queen, you’re nervous,” Death says, his lips at my neck. “I can feel your heart beating.”
“I was already nervous,” I admit. “Before you told me you were bringing your Shadow Self, before you mentioned that we might be attacked, before you said that Louhi might be there. Now I’m petrified.”
“There’s nothing to be worried about,” he says, taking the rim of my ear between his teeth. He runs his hands down across my thighs and starts gathering up the voluminous skirt of my dress.
Not everything can be whisked away through sex, I think.
I beg your pardon? Sarvi asks.
Oh hell.
“I’m just thinking,” I tell Sarvi. “Please turn that part of your brain off.”
Very well, Sarvi says, sounding relieved.
“I need to know your plan,” I say to him, my voice turning husky as his gloved hands find my bare thighs, the cold wind off the mountains giving me gooseflesh.
“I need you to trust me,” he says. I hiss in a breath as his fingers slide along me. “Your body does. Always so drenched.”
“Trust you?” I ask through a stiff jaw, trying to maintain my composure. We’re not in our bedroom, we’re on top of a freaking unicorn for goodness sake. “You don’t even trust me.”
“Little by little,” he says, gliding his finger inside me until my breath hitches. “One doesn’t rush into trust. They earn it, slowly.”
I pant. “Seems the only way I can earn your trust is by spreading my legs.”
Death chuckles against my skin. Sarvi snorts. Of course, he can hear us when we’re talking out loud.
“Fine,” Death says, retreating his hand, making me ache for him. “Tell me how I can assuage your fears.”
“I wanna know your plan. What will you do if Louhi is there?”
“You have your dagger, right?”
I twist around to stare at him, past the mask and into his eyes. “That’s my defense?”
“Vipunen has been training you for a reason,” he says. “In your hands, a selenite knife can hurt Louhi. If it came down to it, you could defend yourself again.” When I still look shocked, his tone softens. “My dear, I will always be by your side. I won’t let anything happen to you. We go in, you’re introduced, we watch the match, we leave. Our appearance, together as King and Queen, will hopefully make people think we’ve united the land.”