Viggo and I blanched.
“In the genealogy records I found an ancestor of mine, yours, Asger’s, Gaige’s, Uffe’s, Rab’s, and two other men I knew from the academy. Our ancestors endured tragic or horrific events, and received a permanent state of alertness and focus as a result.”
“Do you mean to tell me that our abilities were triggered by circumstances?” Viggo asked, frowning.
“Events so terrible, so grisly and inhuman, that our bodies needed to become something greater in order to survive,” Bryn said with a raised finger. “And because we possessed the same… physical makeup as our ancestors, we were able to transform as they did.”
“You can prove this?” Viggo asked, tapping the table with his finger. “You can prove that centuries of religious teachings and inscriptions are wrong?”
Bryn shook his head. “Not yet, but I’ll continue searching for ways to prove my theory. I’ll find the truth.”
Viggo’s eyes flickered to my face. “How do you explain Asta’s transformation? She isn’t of Holger.”
“I found a list of warrior monk descendants who migrated to the other nations in the fourth century.” Bryn shrugged. “Her family has to be related to one of those descendants.”
I had mixed feelings about that statement, but Viggo seemed more troubled than I. He scowled stubbornly down at the table, as if refusing to believe his faith in Dotharr was misplaced.
“Perhaps it was Dotharr who awakened these abilities in us,” Bryn said, reaching out to grip his friend’s arm. “Perhaps he means to protect us from these awful situations we find ourselves in, but it doesn’t mean he has chosen us all to be warriors. The permanent abilities we’re given are best used in battle. Centuries ago, the monks who worshiped Dotharr must have realized the value of these abilities and used them to protect their loved ones. As time passed, their teachings were altered into what we believe today; an individual with copper eyes is destined to become a warrior.”
“You and Bryn murdered his mother’s killer,” I said, causing Viggo to shoot me a glare. “Bryn told me. Such an event changed you both drastically, but Bryn is happy where he is and you thrived in warrior academy. It’s obvious you were destined for different paths. Believe what you want of Dotharr and your Heavenly Masters, but Bryn’s explanation makes sense.”
Viggo’s tense shoulders and rigid expression slowly relaxed. A ghost of a smile pulled at his lips. “It appears I’m overruled.”
“Only in this.” Bryn patted his friend’s arm before releasing him. Then he turned a shrewd smile my way. “So, Lady Isa, what are your plans for the future now that you’ve met King Torvald?”
“She’ll be the best Defender Holger has ever seen and bring her family honor,” Viggo said. “It’s the plan she’s always had.” He shot me an incredulous look when I didn’t agree.
I couldn’t meet his gaze.
“Asta.”
“What?” I murmured.
“That is your plan, isn’t it?” Viggo demanded.
Bryn leaned back in his chair and waited.
“When Bryn and I spoke last,” I said slowly. “I intended to murder the king and General Halvar in order to end the Quest for Resources.”
My declaration was met with shocked silence. Then Viggo leapt to his feet, causing the chair to topple over. “Have you taken leave of your senses?”
“You never told him?” Bryn asked, although he didn’t seem too surprised. “Why?”
I sighed. “Would you have the heart to mar his hero’s name?”
“No. I suppose not,” Bryn said after a moment’s consideration. “But surely he’d believe you after what you’ve been through together.”
I gave him a frustrated look. “Did you believe me when I told you?”
He chewed on the question long enough to give me an answer.
“What are you talking about?” Viggo asked, turning from one friend to the other. “What haven’t you told me?”
“General Halvar is not who he says he is,” I said, then proceeded to tell him how I really came to be on Holger.
Viggo sputtered incoherently once I’d finished. “Inconceivable.”
I had braced myself for his disbelief, but still a flare of hurt rushed through me. “Are you calling me a liar?”
“Not you,” Viggo snapped. “The general. The Quest for Resources is too important to risk. Why would he be so quick to make enemies among the mainland natives? Did he think our immigrants would survive on foreign soil by brute force? We need allies! We need diplomatic cooperation.”
A little laugh escaped me. “So you believe me?”
Viggo gave me a look as if I were an imbecile. “What reason have you given me not to trust you?”
In the past, I would have simmered in anger at receiving such a look but not today. Viggo believed me. I had another friend on my side. I drew strength and hope from that thought.
“You’ve changed your mind,” Bryn said, “haven’t you?”
I tore my gaze from Viggo’s face. “In a way. I struggle to believe that the general has so skillfully lied to his king but… there’s something about Torvald’s manner that doesn’t align with the image of a heartless barbarian. I’ll investigate and keep a close eye on him for now. I’ll have opportunities to kill him in the future should I find anything incriminating, but General Halvar must pay for his crimes, both past and present. I can’t let him continue to devastate the other nations. The diplomats the king sent are either dead or too afraid to defy the general. Someone has to take a stand.” I proceeded to tell them about my plans to influence the king to change his mind about the Quest for Resources and bring his men back home.
Viggo righted his chair and sat. “It won’t work. We need resources more desperately than you know and we have to be able to emigrate without fear of oppression or persecution.”
“So Holgarians must do the oppressing and persecuting first?” I asked. “There has to be another way.”
“Maybe there was but, after all the damage the general has done, do you think the other nations will ever willingly work with us?” Bryn asked.
“Whose side are you on?” I snapped.
Bryn raised his hands in surrender. “Neither and both. You have been wronged. You deserve justice, and so does every other citizen of the free world who has suffered a similar fate. But our country is in a desperate situation. Our numbers grow every year but our island isn’t getting any bigger. The general is wrong, but he’s getting good results. Read a newspaper; we’re recieving steady shipments of wool, lumber, and coal every six to eight months, not to mention fresh vegetables and iron ores. It might be harder than you realize to persuade the king and his counselors to consider a different option.”
I took a deep breath and tried to remember whom I was speaking to. “I don’t care how hard it will be. I have to try, Behnam.”
Upon hearing the name his mother had given him, Bryn sighed. “I fear the general is more devious than we imagine. Somehow, he’s managed to fool the king and the counselors into thinking their representatives are succeeding in their mission with very little bloodshed. He’s been doing this for many years. I think it’s safe to assume that he’ll come after you if he has to choose between destroying Dotharr’s Miracle and preserving his good name. But I can see that you have made up your mind, Asta, Isa, Lady Warrior of the Island. Come what may, I’ll support and help you however I can.”
I reached across the table to grip his hand. “Thank you.”
He smiled and gave my hand a squeeze. We both turned expectantly to Viggo.
Our mutual friend rolled his eyes and waved a hand at us. “Yes, yes, you have my support as well. You’re a pair of fools, but you are my fools and I can’t let you attempt this impossible venture on your own.”