507 DVII. I'm Here Now

"My wolf warriors will never agree to ally with the Jotunns... this is probably going to trigger a riot that I'm not sure I can contain" the Packmaster replied, who suddenly seemed to have lost his confidence.

"Even my warriors won't be happy about it, but I'm their commander and it's up to me to make such difficult decisions. It's the hard task of us leaders... no matter how risky a gesture is if it will benefit the people" Kranus said, who tried to imagine what would happen when he gave the news to his army, comforted that Atran and Kron would support him, making everything easier. 

After puffing, Thyrius looked at Dag again, trying to get deep into his soul with those supernatural red eyes. 

"Where did you come from, boy?" he asked, in a peaceful tone.

The question astonished both Freydis, who did not expect such a submissive tone from that cruel man and Dag, for the same reason.

"What do you mean? I'm just a normal warrior with precise objectives. I like not only to think with the steel of my weapons but also with the brain" Dag replied, trying to use that moment to forge a first peaceful bond with Thyrius, who seemed willing to talk about it. 

"I don't mean this... if that old mage fears you so much so that he will leave you the power to condition his choices, it means that you are really strong..." the Packmaster replied, who in reality continued to think sneakily, convinced that under that agreement a catch could be hidden.

Before Dag could respond in other neutral words, which would keep the tone of the conversation on the same level, Kranus preceded him by saying: "Believe me, Thyrius... he is that strong."

After that decisive answer, the head of the wolves put a hand on his eyes and rubbed his forehead, as if that speech had tired him and after a few seconds of absolute silence, during which he continued to reflect on all the possible consequences that that alliance could provoke, he nodded with his hand towards his henchman.

"Free the girl, we don't need her anymore" he ordered as if Claire's life was worth less than that of a wild boar to cook on the grill. 

Suddenly, Dag felt a knot in his stomach and all the tension he had accumulated during those interminable minutes, was released in the form of a sigh.

Freydis's hand touched his shoulder and when he turned to her, he noticed that his woman was smiling at him.

"See? We were able to free her without resorting to violence... only with words. Go get her, Dag... let's get her out of this place" the red-haired Shieldmaiden said, urging her man to do the right thing.

He took off his fur coat and gently touched Claire's body, lifting her neck and grabbing her legs.

Trying to move slowly and not cause further pain to the young girl, he pulled her injured and bloodied body out of the cage, wrapping it in his cloak and trying to warm it up, being as cold as a piece of ice, because of his powers.

The temperature of the room was still very cold, but when he touched Claire, Dag's body began to relax and the icy aura that enveloped him gradually disappeared.

"Dag... where are you... Dag?" she whispered, without even opening her eyes as if she was dreaming. 

"I'm here now. Don't worry, you're safe, no one's going to hurt you anymore" he replied, holding her and standing up, looking intently at her face. 

Claire's pupils kept moving under her eyelids and the nightmare she was experiencing seemed not to subside until her eyes quickly widened and they saw Dag, who was smiling. 

A tear of joy fell down her face and it inadvertently slid on Claire's split lips, who immediately pulled out her tongue and touched the teardrop, finally realizing that Dag was right in front of her, in flesh and blood. 

After that discovery, her pupils returned to normal size, widening to the sight of what she loved most in the world and her face resumed its original color. 

"Sorry... I'm so sorry... I didn't tell him anything, but..." 

"Hey, be quiet now. You don't have to explain anything to me. We should never have let you into that tunnel alone. We knew it was dangerous, but we still let you try. You have no idea how guilty I felt... I thought I'd lose you forever, never being able to talk to you again. But luckily you're safe... I'm going to bring you away from here, to a safe place" Dag said, continuing to smile and trying not to look at the bleeding wound she had on her left eye. 

After listening to his comforting words, unable to smile due to the pain caused by her injuries, Claire closed her eyes again, resting her head on Dag's arm, still under her neck. 

"What a moving scene, very touching! This is not the time to cry for a slave, we were discussing business!" Thyrius interrupted, looking at Dag and Claire with contempt. 

Dag turned around, almost as if ignoring his words, and put Claire's body in front of Freydis' feet, asking her to look after the girl until the meeting was over. 

Soon after, he walked again towards Thyrius, but this time he did not stop next to Kranus, keeping the safe distance: he stopped right in front of the head of the Claws Of Fenrir, a few inches from his face.