Page 3 of Heart of the Mountain King

"Good, I'm glad that's settled. Now — "

"Easier say goodbye to, too."

"Wait, what?"

"Goodbye, Sten." Rask turned, scanning the clearing for his goats. He cursed to realize the male with the little broken horn had ambled off again, making for the trees. Hopefully, he hadn't gotten far. Rask would need to see the herd safely in their pen before he could go down to the humans’ quarry and talk with the vættir. It couldn't keep all of them from getting out — Broken-Horn and White-Foot, especially. But at least it meant they wouldn't be far from Rask's home when he returned, instead of half a mountain away.

"Hey!" Sten bleated as Rask set out to follow his wayward goat's trail through the tall summer grass.

Rask raised an eyebrow at the little human as he jogged to keep up with the bergsrå's long strides.

"You can't just walk off like that!"

"Why?" Rask asked, curious.

"You've got to help us."

"Why?" Rask repeated, amused at the way the human's face could pinch and pull so quickly.

"Why?" the man sputtered. "Because…because you've got to!"

When Rask glanced back, he caught the man's scowl.

Good. Maybe now he would leave.

"And don't give me that 'Why?' again," the human continued, jogging after Rask to keep up. "There's no one else who can. Which means… you're my only hope."

"Not Rask's problem," Rask muttered, eyeing the horizon. "Go home."

"Not Rask's problem yet," the bold little man argued. "But if you don't help us, I promise it will be."

Rask growled. "Threatening Rask not wise, Man's Son."

"No! No, not a threat," the human scrambled, holding his hands up placatingly. "A warning. Between friends."

"Rask and human not friends."

"But we could be!" the little man said brightly. "We should be. And it's Sten, remember?"

Rask snorted. "Why Rask bother? Human leaving. Goodbye human."

"Wait, I know!" Sten shouted abruptly, startling several of Rask's goats and sending them leaping ahead up the trail. "We could trade. Surely you have a mate or family to protect, to provide for? If you come and help my village, we'd be happy to share whatever we have in payment. Food, wool, stone by the wagonload — "

"No mate," Rask muttered.

"What?" Sten turned on his heel to ask, that cheerful spark lighting up his voice suddenly banked as he considered the bergsrå anew.

"Mate died," Rask replied simply, ignoring the way the human's eyes widened at that. "No children, no family. Just… Rask."

"Oh." Sten said, the pity so thick in that single word Rask regretted not shoving the man off the mountain as soon as he'd arrived. "That must be lonely. Seems like it would be a lot of trouble to live up here in a cave all by yourself."

Rask frowned.

"Where else Rask go? This Rask's mountain; Rask's heart here," Rask shrugged, not even needing to glance behind him and up the cliffs to picture Hjarta's meadow in his mind. "This what bergsrår do. Not Sten's problem."

"It is if it means the difference in getting you to help us."

"Not Rask's — "