The Unleashing
Page 14

My mentor? Sadly, I think its the redhead. Kera lifted up the blade. Do I really have to use this in a fight?
You dont like it?
Its gorgeous. And should be on a wall . . . for decoration.
Its lethal. He took hold of the second blade, tapped the tip against his own throat. Attack from behind, cut here and here. Orhe pointed the blade at spots under his arms and his inner thighshere and here. But if you want them to suffer for some reason, you can cut them here, he said, dragging the blade across his lower abdomen.
What . . . what are you telling me? Kera asked. Why are you showing me how to gut somebody?
Why do you think?
A cold sweat broke out over Keras body and she suddenly felt light-headed, like when she was about to get a migraine.
Kera closed her eyes, tried hard to control the panic suddenly rampaging through her. Well, actually, panic had begun to rage as soon as Vig started talking about being the hammers of the gods, but now the panic was full-blown and about to take her down.
What are you saying to me, Vig? Kera finally demanded. That Ive been brought back to be some kind of murderer for Viking gods?
Not a murderer. A god-sanctioned killer. Theres a difference.
How is there a difference?
Kera
Look, Im a Marine. I go in, I maintain order, I do damage if necessary.
Itll be necessary.
What does that even mean?
He stepped closer, maybe too close. You need to understand . . . they dont call on the Crows to maintain order. They have other Clans for that. They have the Ravens. They only call on the Crows for one thing, Kera. To kill everyone in the room.
Im sorry . . . what?
For they are the Crows, he intoned solemnly, and they are the harbingers of death.
Erin sat in the tree outside Rundstms workshop. Beneath her hanging legs was Engstrom, whom she kept kicking in the head with the ball of her bare foot. Shed been doing it for a while but so far he hadnt said anything. It clearly bothered him, which was why she was doing it. But she was fascinated by how long she could keep it up before he snapped.
Rolf Landvik, sitting in a branch above her, lightly punched her shoulder.
Stop, he mouthed at her.
No, she mouthed back. Then added, Make me.
Hed just turned away from her, annoyed, when Engstrom reached back, grabbed her bare leg, and flipped her.
Erin had been gripping the branch with her hands, and she treated it like one of the uneven bars shed trained on until she was about eight.Flipping under the branch until she brought her legs under and up, she switched hands. She faced Engstrom and brought her legs back down so that she could ram them into his big chest.
Even though he took a step back, it still felt like shed hit a brick wall. But Erin still managed to flip around again to put her ass back on the branch simply so she could grin down at the big Viking. Much to his annoyance.
His eyes narrowed and he took a step toward her, probably to drag her to the groundor at least trybut the workshop door was yanked open and Kera ran out, Rundstm right behind her.
Kera, wait!
The new girl made it to the trees, where she proceeded to bend over and vomit up whatever she had in her stomach.
Erin jumped down from the tree and stalked over to Rundstm. What did you do? she growled, worried hed scared her to death with his vicious Viking ways.
I told her the truth, he replied. I told her what would be expected of her. Whats expected of all of us.
What did you do that for? Annalisa demanded.
She had to know eventually.
Not yet.
Were not you, Erin patiently explained. Were not born into this shit. Were dragged here from death. And some people, youve gotta ease into it. She needs to be eased. She still thinks shes a Marine.
I am a Marine! Watson barked around all that heaving.
That was in your first life, precious. Now youre a Crow. Fucking deal with it.
She wanted guns, Rundstm told Erin.
Of course she wanted guns. I wanted guns when I first got here. Maeve over there wanted a rocket launcher.
Maeve nodded at that. Im not comfortable being too close to people . . . with all their diseases.
But eventually we learned that we are contract killers for gods who prefer that we use edge weapons rather than more advanced technology. Its not an easy thing to accept, especially for some Goody Two-shoes. But shell get it . . . eventually.
A Goody Two-shoes? Watson asked as she took a tissue that Maeve stretched her arm out to hand her so that they didnt have to touchsince Keras current illness could be anything, not just panic.
How did you die? Annalisa asked.
Watson wiped her mouth, her eyes darting at everyone staring at her before finally admitting, This guy behind the coffee shop was beating up his girlfriend whom hed been pimping out. She wasnt even sixteen and he was trying to take her money. I tried to tell him to stop . . . but he stabbed me in the chest with a butcher knife before I had the chance.