by A. E. Rayne
There was a loud cough, and all eyes snapped to the entrance of the hall where Morana Gallas stooped, waiting.
Bayla sighed. Another strange dreamer to contend with. She couldn’t believe how quickly Haaron had replaced Varna. She’d barely seen him since he’d started skulking around, plotting with that evil-eyed, wild-haired woman.
Bayla didn’t trust her.
‘Morana?’ Haaron put down his cup of milk and narrowed his eyes. ‘What is it?’
Jaeger’s eyebrows were up, his eyes fixed on the creeping figure as she edged towards the high table.
‘My lord,’ Morana croaked, clearing her throat. ‘My lord!’ she said more dramatically. ‘I come with news!’
Bayla rolled her eyes. Just like Varna, she thought irritably, glancing at Haaron who appeared transfixed.
‘What news?’ Haaron asked eagerly.
‘There is a new King of Brekka!’ Morana announced. ‘Osbert Furyck has been murdered!’
That had everyone’s attention. Even the slaves stopped to join in a communal gasp of surprise.
‘Murdered?’ Haaron shook his head in disbelief. He swallowed, glancing at his sons.
‘Who is the King of Brekka now?’ Jaeger asked, his teeth clamped together, certain that he would dislike any answer Morana gave him. ‘Who killed Osbert?’
‘Axl Furyck is king,’ Morana said, trying not to smile. ‘He ordered Osbert’s death, and now he is the King of Brekka, and your wife is beside him. And soon he will come. He wants to make her his wife, but first, he must get rid of you.’
Bayla looked horrified, turning towards her youngest son who suddenly appeared vulnerable. She did not feel confident in his ability to survive another battle, not with the Furycks at least.
‘He wants revenge?’ Jaeger snorted, standing up, ignoring the sudden pain in his ankle. ‘He wants revenge? After he stole my wife?’ He glared down at his brothers and his father who all remained seated. ‘Well, come on! What are you waiting for? We must go and plan what we’re going to do about this! What we’re going to do to destroy Axl Furyck and take back my wife!’ he knocked over his cup, spilling milk across the table.
Berard squirmed. Jaeger’s rage was burning with such intensity that everyone around him froze, uncertain how to react. He looked to reliable, calm Haegen who appeared just as surprised by their brother’s outburst as the rest of them.
‘We’ll get your wife back, don’t worry, Brother,’ Haegen said as he stood and placed his hand on Jaeger’s arm, hoping to cool his fire.
Jaeger shook him off. ‘Don’t worry?’ he growled, screwing up his face in disgust. ‘We have quickly become the joke of Osterland! All of us! Our kingdom will be overrun by our enemies if we do not do something now! Axl Furyck and his sister will come and take everything we have if we don’t do something! Can’t you see? Can’t anyone see!’ he yelled, his eyes bulging. Pushing past Haegen, Jaeger stalked away to the map table in the opposite corner of the hall. ‘We have to do something!’
No one said a word.
Haaron, who was used to having the loudest voice in his hall, was completely unsettled by his son’s explosive outburst.
Morana watched the Dragos’, their faces painted with shock, discomfort, and confusion.
They would turn against each other now.
She had seen that too.
Gant stared into the flames, his elbows on the table, his weight resting heavily on them.
He was unsettled, wondering if he had displeased the gods by murdering Osbert. Would Furia take revenge upon him? Punish him somehow? Then he thought of Gisila and Axl. And Ranuf.
He had done the right thing.
He had put Axl on the throne, at last.
Gant smiled wearily. Axl could be hammered into shape, he was sure.
Over time.
‘Here,’ Rexon grinned, handing him a cup of ale. ‘You might need something to drink after your busy night.’
Gant nodded as he took the cup. His stomach was churning, though, and he had no interest in drinking. ‘I need to get the men organised. We have to head back to Andala. Axl will be waiting for word.’
Rexon shook his head and reached for a flatbread. ‘It’s a real bitch out there this morning. Nothing but storm as far as I can see. You won’t be going anywhere for a while, my friend. Might as well make yourself comfortable. I’m sure you could do with some sleep?’
Rexon wasn’t wrong, Gant thought to himself, and it wasn’t just last night either. Everything had been a disturbed mess for weeks, and now, with Edela to worry about and a kingless kingdom to get his new king to, he didn’t see a lot of sleep coming anyone’s way for a while.
But the quicker he got to Axl, the quicker they could secure Brekka. He was certain that the Dragos’ would be at their door, demanding Amma back before long.
Beorn had beached Sea Bear in a small cove some way from Andala. They did not want to be discovered; not until they knew what had happened with Osbert.
Jael frowned, glancing at the familiar moss-covered cliffs and the black sand beach; listening to the chirping golden plovers circling above them.
It felt strange to be back in Brekka.
It didn’t feel like home. Not anymore. Not to Jael, at least. She missed Oss and couldn’t stop wondering what was happening there without her.
It was hard not to think of Eadmund.
Or Evaine.
‘You’re certain you won’t come ashore with us?’ Axl asked as he wrapped his arm around Amma’s waist.
Jael shook her head. ‘We don’t have time. I want to get to Tuura tomorrow if I can.’ She shivered as she said that, not wanting to get to Tuura at all. Her stomach clenched at the thought of seeing that place again.
Aleksander nodded, glancing up at the sky which remained gloomy, but the worst of the weather had left them as they’d approached the shore. ‘Jael’s right. Edela needs to get off the ship soon.’
Axl hugged Gisila. ‘Take care, Mother. I wish I could go with you.’ He had said goodbye to Edela and was ready to leave now, before he didn’t want to leave at all.
He wondered if he would ever see his grandmother again.
Amma squeezed Axl’s hand, watching his eyes fill with tears. ‘Perhaps you will stop on your way back to Oss?’ she asked. ‘When Edela is well again?’
Gisila started to cry. ‘What if Gant didn’t kill him? What if...’
‘Gisila,’ Aleksander said softly, putting his arm around her shoulders. ‘We’ll know soon enough. And in the meantime, we’ll stay out of sight, well away from Andala, I promise. If all went well, Gant will come as soon as he can. He knows where we’ll be and if not, we’ll come to Tuura and figure out our next move.’
‘They’ll have plenty of food,’ Jael assured her, handing over the sack that Biddy had put together before they left Oss. ‘It will be fine.’ She hoped that she was right. There wasn’t time for anything more than that. ‘Don’t worry, Mother.’
But Gisila couldn’t stop worrying. Her ears still echoed with the terrible noise of Lothar’s headless corpse flopping to the floor; her face and back still ached where he had beaten her.
And more than anything, she did not want to go back to Tuura.
They stood around the long map table, Karsten leaning his weight against it, taking the pressure off his injured knee.
Haaron felt odd. Strangely displaced. Not himself.
This was his chance to fight for Hest.
For his family.
But he couldn’t think at all as he stood there, sensing the eager eyes of his four sons as they waited for him to begin. All he could think about was Morana’s warning that they all wanted him dead. It wasn’t a surprise, of course, but with everything that had happened, Haaron had the uncomfortable feeling that he had simply run out of luck and that it was only a matter of time before he followed Eirik, Lothar, and Osbert onto a pyre.
He lifted one hand to his pock-marked face, certain that he could still smell the smoke on his ski
n from the fire that had destroyed so much.
Impatient with his father’s silence, Jaeger burst into action. ‘We must strike now while Axl Furyck is still finding his feet! He will be in Saala or at least nearby. We can attack them there. We don’t need ships for that. We have the men! We defeated them last time!’ His eyes were frantic as they sought his brothers’ support.
Not even Karsten looked as desperate as he did.
Jaeger caught Nicolene’s eye as she walked out of the hall with Irenna. She glared at him, lifting her nose in the air as she stalked away. He looked back to the table, to his father, who seemed as though he wasn’t there at all.
‘They have their weapons back,’ Haegen tried. ‘They will not let us defeat them so easily again.’
‘Let us?’ Jaeger snorted. ‘What choice will they have? We must attack Saala now! My wife is there! The Furycks are there! King murderers, both of them!’
Haaron had finally had enough of listening to the mindless rantings of his largest son. He banged his fist down onto the map, bouncing the wooden figures over. ‘You will be quiet!’ he bellowed, his lips curling savagely. ‘This is not your kingdom, Jaeger! You are not the king of this land, and you will not stand in my hall, around my table, screaming your orders at me!’
His sons were silenced, and happily so; glad to see their father return with his familiar roar. All, that is, except Jaeger who looked anything but.
‘You want to attack Brekka? Reclaim your wife? Commit my army to support your cause? You? You who lost my fleet? My men? Your wife?’ Haaron growled. ‘And why should anyone help you? Why should anyone follow you anywhere? What have you proven to all of us except how accomplished you are at failing? We are in this position solely because of you!’
Berard gulped and turned from his father to Jaeger, wishing he could just slide away. He would much rather be sitting by his fire, talking to Meena, watching her tidy his chamber. He liked the way she frowned at his messy habits, scolding him with her kind eyes. She didn’t tap her head much when she was busy, taking care of him.
Jaeger twisted his face into an intense scowl and rose up on his toes until he was shadowing his father with rage. ‘You think we should do nothing? Sit here and do nothing?’
Haaron took a deep breath, ignoring the discomfort he felt standing in that threatening shadow. ‘We need to rebuild our kingdom before we go trying to destroy anyone else’s!’ He looked at Haegen who was busy rubbing a hand through his beard, his eyes troubled, showing no sign of support for his father at all. ‘You don’t agree?’ he demanded crossly.
‘Well,’ Haegen began. ‘I think you’re right in that we are weak, but perhaps Jaeger’s right also. Axl Furyck is no king. Not as it stands. He’s barely a man. We could take advantage of that now.’
Berard’s eyes widened. Haegen, siding with Jaeger?
Karsten looked surprised, sensing the rage building in his father. He sought to calm him. ‘Axl Furyck might not be used to being a king, but his sister is there, isn’t she? She must be there,’ he spat. ‘And she certainly has no problem taking charge of things. With the experienced men she has around her? Gant Olborn? Aleksander Lehr? And her husband?’ He shook his head, desperate to sit down. The wound in his side was throbbing, but he was determined not to appear as weak as he felt. ‘I want to gut the bitch and her brother, but I agree with Father. We’re not ready.’
Two against two.
They all turned to Berard, who didn’t know where to look.
‘Calm down, calm down!’ Bram laughed, watching his frantic nephew rush around Ice Breaker, checking that they had enough of everything.
Shields, swords, spears, food.
Furs!
‘We need furs for the children! For Isaura!’ Thorgils exclaimed. ‘Somewhere comfortable for them to sleep, wouldn’t you say?’ He was already striding towards the gunwale, ready to clamber down onto the beach and head back to the fort for the third time. ‘Maybe a pillow or two?’
‘A good idea,’ Bram nodded. ‘I still have a few furs on my ship that I haven’t sold. You can use those.’
Thorgils stopped and turned around, his eyes skipping about frantically. ‘You’re sure?’
‘I am. Now think of anything else quickly because my stomach is telling me that it’s well past time for another breakfast!’
Thorgils laughed, relaxing for a moment. It was his uncle who had taught him about the joys of eating more than one breakfast, much to the horror of his mother who had already been struggling to feed him three giant-sized meals a day. His face fell as he thought of Odda. She looked worse than ever and had not opened her eyes for some time.
Bram reached out and gripped Thorgils’ arm. ‘Your mother would be happy for you.’
Thorgils snorted. ‘It’s been a long time since you were on Oss, Uncle. You have forgotten Odda entirely!’
Bram smiled. ‘Oh no, my memories of your mother are burned into my soul, I’m sure. But I know how much she loves you. As she did your father. She just hides it very well!’
Thorgils laughed, nodding at Torstan who had clambered on board to say his goodbyes.
Torstan glanced around the ship, then back at Thorgils. ‘You need anything else?’
Thorgils shook his head. ‘No, once I get a few furs I think we’ll have everything. Except sea-fire. It would be good to have some of that.’
Bram looked confused. ‘Sea-fire?’
Thorgils winked at Torstan. ‘We’ll tell you all about it some time. Hopefully, when we’re back in the fort, sharing a cup of ale with Isaura.’ He couldn’t believe he was saying that; wondering if he was cursing himself by daring to mention such a thing out loud.
Bram shrugged. ‘Well, I look forward to hearing all about it. Now, if you two ladies don’t mind, I’m going to head up to the fort and grab something hot from Ketil before we leave. Your grandfather always told me that you should never head to battle on an empty stomach!’
They watched him go, skipping across the stones, sprightlier than most men his age.
‘How old do you think he is now?’ Torstan wondered.
Thorgils shrugged, smiling, happy to have his uncle back again, especially now, without Eirik, when everything on Oss seemed to be falling apart. There was comfort to be found in Bram’s experience, and his calm certainty that everything would be alright. ‘I don’t know, but it doesn’t look like he cares if you ask me.’
Torstan peered around the ship. ‘You’re sure you don’t want me to come?’
‘No, I need you here, looking after Eadmund.’
‘And how am I supposed to do that?’ Torstan muttered. ‘Evaine has him all to herself now. She never leaves the hall. There’s no way anyone’s getting near Eadmund.’
Thorgils frowned. It was true. Evaine’s claws were so deep into Eadmund now that he could barely breathe without her rushing to his side, scowling at anyone who tried to talk to him.
But he had to believe that the real Eadmund was still in there somewhere; that there was a chance Jael could help Edela, and together they could break the hold Evaine had on him.
Berard swallowed, unsettled by the deafening silence in the hall.
He couldn’t hear a thing except the sound of his heartbeat throbbing loudly inside his head. His palms felt sweaty as he rested them on the table. ‘I think,’ he said at last. ‘I think that Father and Karsten are right. We must focus on Hest first. We open ourselves up to an attack if we leave for Saala now. We should build up our fleet again. Construct defenses. If we are to attack Brekka, and then hold it for ourselves, we’ll need more than men or horses. We’ll need ships and those ships will need piers.’
Jaeger’s eyes flared, but Berard ignored him as he edged closer to his father.
Haaron was pleased, but not triumphant. It was a finely balanced situation, and he did not intend to tip the scales in Jaeger’s favour by being overconfident. ‘Good,’ he said simply. ‘We will rebuild the fleet. And in the meantime, you will all recover from your inj
uries, and we will construct a plan. We have no allies anymore, so dreams of Helsabor are gone for now. And Aris Viteri is barely on speaking terms with me after the disaster you led him into on the Adrano, Jaeger. So, there will be much to occupy us all for the next few months and little time for thinking about Brekka or Axl Furyck. Not yet, anyway.’ Haaron nodded curtly to his sons, his eyes softening as they lingered briefly on Berard. He gave him a slight smile, then turned and strode out of the hall.
Haegen was not particularly bothered, content to follow his father’s plan, even if it was not his preferred choice of action.
Karsten patted Berard on the back, pleased with his support.
Jaeger simmered furiously.
He had to find Morana.
12
Tig was unsettled. Jael could hear Fyn struggling with him. He’d had quite enough of the sea now.
They all had.
After they’d left Axl, Amma, and Aleksander behind in Brekka and headed up the Nebbar Straights, the wind had picked up again, and their stomachs were desperate for some respite from the constant roll of the waves. But as much as they weren’t enjoying their journey, they were all just as reluctant to be on land.
Because land meant Tuura.
Jael held Edela’s hand and glanced at Entorp, who nodded nervously at her. Biddy had told her about The Following, who Entorp suspected had murdered his wife and children. That was much worse than any nightmare she had to face. Jael smiled encouragingly at him as he approached. ‘Still hanging on,’ she murmured, peering at her grandmother’s ghostly face.
Entorp bent over, squinting in the grey morning light, happy to see that Edela’s fur-wrapped chest was still moving up and down in a steady rhythm. ‘She is. For you.’
Jael blinked. ‘You think it made a difference? The dream walk?’
‘Oh yes,’ Entorp insisted, stumbling as Sea Bear reared up. He reached for the swinging pole that still hung down from the archer’s flaps. ‘She has come back since then. She feels much stronger. Your grandmother would do anything for you. To help you, she will fight.’
