The Burning Sea

by A. E. Rayne

  Biddy swallowed rapidly, watching her go. As soon as Evaine was out of sight, she turned, hitched up her dress and ran in the other direction.

  ‘Does she suspect anything?’ Jaeger wondered, trying to read any lies in Meena’s eyes as she fidgeted on the bed next to him. ‘About the book?’

  Meena stared at him. He had lost weight, she thought. His cheekbones appeared sharper. His eyes looked bruised, more intense. Angrier. She couldn’t look away. ‘No,’ she lied, trying not to blink. ‘But I have seen more of that writing,’ she mumbled into her chest.

  ‘You have?’ Jaeger grimaced as he sat up, edging closer to her. ‘Where?’

  ‘She, she has a... visitor,’ Meena blurted out suddenly.

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Her daughter.’

  ‘She has a daughter?’ Jaeger’s eyes bulged. ‘Varna?’ He scratched his head, surprised. She had been a steady presence in his life since he could remember. Where had this daughter been? ‘And she’s here? Where? Who is she?’

  Meena started tapping her right foot on the fur rug.

  Egil frowned at her as he brought his master a cup of ale.

  ‘Her name is Morana. She is in Varna’s chamber. Hiding there.’

  ‘Hiding? Why?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Meena said, surprised by that herself.

  ‘Is she a dreamer?’

  Meena hesitated. Jaeger reached out and placed his hand on her leg to stop it jerking about. He moved even closer until she could feel the warmth of his arm against hers.

  ‘Yes.’

  Jaeger frowned as he stared into Meena’s fluttering eyes.

  Varna knew about the book.

  Biddy came stumbling around the corner, her breath completely gone. She had not run since she was a child, and even then, barely. ‘Edela!’ she panted, waving her arms madly, leaning over, pain stabbing into her side. ‘Quick!’

  Edela was facing the opposite direction, but her hearing worked well enough for her to spin around and catch the panic on Biddy’s exhausted face. She hurried up from the table and made her way quickly to the house, her eyes darting up and down the street. She knocked on the door once, paused, then knocked again, scurrying away before anyone saw her.

  Entorp was still in there. She would need to try and cut Evaine off before she arrived.

  Lothar inhaled the seductive scent of white jasmine flowers curling around the stone arches of the first-floor balcony. The late afternoon was warm, the sky a hazy golden blue. It was an impressive location, and an equally impressive castle, he admitted to himself, his eyes lingering on the horizon, wondering if he spied a hint of the Fire Lands in the distance. Those rich, exotic countries overflowed with golden palaces and wealth greater than any kingdom in Osterland possessed.

  Lothar’s lips were moist with possibilities. He would take Gisila there, to Silura and Kalmera, one day; dress her in the finest silks, drape her in the biggest jewels. He sighed, missing his wife and the feel of her soft, milky body.

  ‘My lord?’ Gant asked cautiously as he stepped out onto the balcony.

  ‘Gant,’ Lothar smiled, blinking himself away from fantasies of Gisila. ‘Have you seen to everything?’

  ‘Yes, lord,’ Gant nodded as he stopped beside his king. ‘Haaron has agreed to move you all to more suitable chambers.’

  Lothar sighed with relief. He had grown tired of being marginalised by his host and had no intention of allowing his queen to sleep in such miserly accommodation when she arrived. ‘And where are these new chambers? I should like to see them right away,’ he smiled cheerfully.

  ‘On the ground floor, my lord. To the rear of the castle. There is an entire wing, with many chambers. Rooms for everyone.’

  ‘Excellent!’ Lothar beamed, following Gant back into the room. ‘I would like to give Amma some privacy and comfort before she has to marry that man.’ He shuddered, surprised by a surge of guilt.

  Gant saw it in his eyes and stopped. ‘It will be very hard on Amma,’ he said plainly. ‘The things his brother said Jaeger has done...’

  Lothar’s face turned crimson in a flash. He poked a finger at Gant’s chest. ‘I will thank you not to lecture me on the choice of husband I make for my daughter,’ he growled, his voice low and threatening. ‘She is not your family, any more than Gisila or her children are. You are my man, Gant, and nothing more. And you will remember that, do you understand me?’

  Gant’s jaw worked away, clamping down on anything he might have wanted to throw at his king at that moment. There was no point. It would only make things worse. If he lost his place by Lothar’s side, he would not be able to help anyone.

  ‘Ahhh, just the person I was hoping to see!’ Edela called breathlessly as she rushed out in front of Evaine.

  Evaine froze as she was about to turn the corner towards the house. ‘What do you want with me?’ she asked suspiciously, her eyebrows knitting together as she peered at the panting old woman.

  ‘Oh, I have had a dream,’ Edela gasped. ‘About you. I thought that you would like to know. Well, I suppose it is not actually about you, but it does concern you, and your son there... or at least his father.’

  Evaine’s eyes narrowed. She did not wish to discuss such personal things in public view. ‘Well then, perhaps you need to come to the house? Surely it is something we are better to speak of in private?’

  ‘Oh no, nothing as secret as that,’ Edela assured her. ‘I just thought it best to warn you before they came home... Jael and Eadmund.’

  Evaine was growing more and more unsettled. ‘Well, what is it then?’ she snapped. ‘I have to get my baby fed, so I don’t have time to stand around here waiting for you to catch your breath.’

  ‘I had a dream that Jael was pregnant,’ Edela said quickly. ‘It seems that Eadmund is about to become a father again, so your little boy there will soon have a brother or sister.’

  Evaine’s mouth gaped open. She felt as though someone had just punched all the air out of her.

  Jael didn’t know where to go, but she certainly didn’t want to go into the hall and face another meal knee to knee with the Dragos family. It was getting late though; stripes of warm red clouds stretched above her head, and Jael knew that she had to return to the castle before everyone wondered where she was.

  ‘Where have you been all afternoon?’ Eadmund smiled as he walked down the pier.

  Jael frowned, squinting. It was growing dark, and she doubted herself entirely for a moment, but the closer Eadmund got, the more she was convinced that something had changed. ‘Are you alright?’ she asked as he stopped and reached for her hands.

  Eadmund bent his head and kissed her, slowly and deeply. ‘I’ve missed you,’ he said to her lips. ‘And no, I’m not alright, but I am better. More myself again, I think.’

  And looking into his eyes, she believed him.

  36

  ‘Your new bride will arrive tomorrow,’ Haaron announced, sniffing at the meat on the end of his knife. It was coated in so much rich sauce that he was having a hard time tasting what it actually was.

  ‘So, I hear,’ Jaeger muttered, trying not to frown. Lothar Furyck sat next to him eagerly stuffing a large egg into his tiny little mouth. It made no sense to make his situation worse, not yet. In time his father would be dead, and he would stab a spear through Lothar’s heart, before claiming the Brekkan throne for himself.

  As impatient as Jaeger was by nature, there was no point in rushing. Not when the book was yet to reveal its secrets. He smiled, enjoying the absence of pain in his ankles for a moment, soothed by his third goblet of excellent wine.

  There was no Varna tonight, he noticed, glancing around the hall. No Meena either. He wondered what that meant.

  ‘Go on,’ Varna hissed, jabbing Meena in the back with her sharpest fingernail. ‘Go in!’

  Meena shook with fear. Of all the people whose chamber she did not wish to break into and steal from, Jael Furyck was at the top of her list. ‘And what should I take?’ she whis
pered loudly.

  ‘Ssshhh!’ Varna groaned, putting that sharp fingernail to her hairy lips. ‘Lower your voice, girl! Take something small, something she won’t notice, like a comb or a sock. Anything that she will not miss. If you find some of her hair, grab that!’

  Meena swallowed and allowed herself to be shoved into the chamber like a reluctant dog.

  Varna watched her go, then closed the door and spun around, eager to ensure that there was no one about. The passageway was empty, though. Down here, in the western wing of the castle, where Haaron had placed the Furycks, there were not many people.

  Varna smiled, happy that the king had listened to her suggestion.

  ‘And did she believe you?’ Biddy wondered.

  ‘Who knows?’ Edela chuckled as she ladled another spoon of hot soup into her mouth, her body relaxing more with every helping. It had been a tense afternoon, but they had finally gathered in front of the fire at the house, sharing a collective sense of relief at a job well done.

  ‘But is it true?’ Entorp wondered, dipping a piece of bread into his soup. ‘Is she actually carrying Eadmund’s child?’

  Edela smiled. ‘I couldn’t say,’ she said cheerfully. ‘But I certainly didn’t dream it. It was all I could think of at the time!’

  ‘I can imagine her face when you told her,’ Biddy laughed. ‘How can such a pretty thing have such an ugly heart? How could Eadmund not see through her in the first place?’

  ‘Well, men can be rather dumb,’ Edela said sweetly, winking at Entorp. ‘Especially around a pretty girl.’

  Entorp nodded, smiling. ‘I can’t deny that.’

  ‘I hope she doesn’t move her rugs around and find the symbol,’ Biddy mumbled, suddenly anxious again. ‘Imagine what she’d do then?’

  ‘Oh, I think that Evaine will have more things on her mind than rugs,’ Edela chortled. ‘Don’t you?’

  ‘You’re not eating?’ Eadmund wondered, looking worried. ‘That’s not like you.’

  ‘I feel like I’m still at sea,’ Jael muttered, distracted, her eyes on Axl and Fyn, who had their heads together, talking with Aleksander. ‘I’m sure I’ll feel better tomorrow.’ She pushed her plate away and didn’t even look at her wine.

  She felt unsettled and knew that Gisila and Amma’s arrival would make things worse. If only Lothar had told Rexon about the wedding, perhaps he would have sent Amma far away. But then there was Eydis, and Jael was eager to see Eydis.

  ‘You dislike your meal, Cousin?’ Osbert wondered from her right.

  Jael sighed and turned to him. He looked terrible and deserved to. From what Axl had told her, it appeared that Osbert had been the one to suggest Amma’s marriage to Lothar. She still hadn’t gotten over him grabbing her when she was running to save Eirik that night. It had barely been any time at all, but suddenly, now, in this strange new world, it felt like a lifetime ago. ‘No, just your company,’ she said tartly.

  ‘Well, perhaps it’s better to avoid eating in strange places,’ Osbert warned. ‘You wouldn’t want to end up like Eirik Skalleson.’

  Eadmund glared at Osbert and Jael could feel his body tighten as he leaned behind her to jab Osbert in the arm. ‘Being that you’re not a king, I would think it best you keep your mouth shut when talking to a queen, especially one who knows how to use a sword as well as my wife,’ he snapped. ‘Besides, your father doesn’t appear especially loyal to his children, so I wouldn’t consider yourself safe.’

  He sat back down and pushed his own plate away, thoughts of his father removing his appetite entirely.

  ‘Well, we’re not going to be invited back, are we?’ Jael said lightly.

  Eadmund leaned towards her. ‘That would make me very happy indeed,’ he whispered. ‘I want to go home more than anything.’

  ‘Mmmm,’ she whispered back, her whole body relaxing at the warmth in his voice and the familiar look in his eye. He had come back to her. Sad and broken, yes, but hers again. She didn’t want to stop to think why or how. Not just yet. ‘Well, as soon as we have Eydis and can get through this wedding, we’ll be able to leave. Hopefully, Thorgils can keep everything under control in the meantime.’ Her mind drifted back to Oss, and to Evaine, who was waiting there for them. She shook her head, not wanting that girl in it anymore.

  Perhaps Edela could come up with something to help them get rid of her? Maybe she already had, she thought to herself as Eadmund nudged his knee into hers and smiled.

  Evaine had not spoken a word since Runa had returned with Tanja. Sigmund had been asleep and not needing milk at all, but Tanja had stayed, at Runa’s insistence, and taken Sigmund away from Evaine, who had sat and stared at the fire as its flames ebbed and flowed and the day turned to night.

  ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t like anything to eat?’ Runa asked again as Respa cleared the table.

  Evaine didn’t reply. Something was wrong. Edela was gleeful. Because of the pregnancy, of course, but there was something more, and she couldn’t see what it was. She felt a powerful sense of loss, the loss of Eadmund. It felt as though he had slipped from her grasp, but how could that be when she was reciting the spell even more than before?

  What had happened?

  ‘How can you tell me not to give up hope? What hope do you have with Jael anymore? Nothing is the same for you,’ Axl insisted as he followed Aleksander’s eyes towards Jael. She hadn’t noticed anyone but Eadmund all evening.

  Aleksander blinked any feeling from his face as he turned back to Axl. ‘No, it’s not, but I hardly think Amma is going to fall in love with Jaeger Dragos, is she?’

  Axl shrugged. ‘He’s handsome, powerful...’

  ‘And evil,’ Gant put in. ‘Eadmund was a drunk, that’s different. You can stop drinking, but you can’t change your heart if it’s as black as that monster’s.’

  Aleksander looked at Axl’s anxious face. ‘I’m not sure that’s helping,’ he suggested bluntly.

  Gant tipped back the last of his ale. ‘All I’m saying is that you don’t need to worry about Amma. The best thing you can do for her is to stay calm.’ He leaned in closely, his voice a rough whisper. ‘Think what your father would do. He was a passionate man, but he was always in control. It gave him time to think.’

  Axl knew they were right, but he had very little confidence in his ability to control himself. Not when Amma arrived. Not when she found out what her father had planned for her.

  It was quiet now.

  Quiet and calm. They were not moving with much speed, but the sail was mostly full, and the men were able to lie about, curled into the sides of the ship, snoring.

  Amma couldn’t sleep, though, as she watched the moon, fascinated by its brightness as it stared back down at her. Gisila was snuffling lightly next to her, Eydis sleeping on her other side. Amma hoped that she was dreaming, looking for answers, clues as to what those dark dreams had meant.

  She wasn’t sure that she wanted to know.

  The sky Ayla walked towards was bleak.

  Eydis could feel her emptiness as she strode along the beach. She saw the pain filling her heart, overwhelming her spirit.

  She had lost hope.

  Eydis wanted to run after her, to help her, hold her hand, make her realise that something was going to change. She could feel it.

  Ayla turned, walking back towards her. ‘Why have you come, Eydis?’ she said without smiling. ‘You do not need to dream of me.’

  Eydis didn’t know what to say; her tongue tangled inside her mouth. ‘I.. I... wanted to know if Ivaar killed my father,’ she said, at last, her voice almost lost in the wind.

  Ayla’s face changed then, softening as she walked closer.

  ‘You showed me what would happen,’ Eydis continued, trying not to cry. ‘You must have seen him do it?’

  Ayla stopped and smiled sadly. ‘I wish I had, Eydis, but no, I did not see who did it.’

  Eydis could hear the gentle rush of waves as they crashed onto the beach, the steady beat of her heart. ‘But he m
ust have. He must have. He wanted to be king!’

  ‘But he is not,’ Ayla murmured. ‘Is he?’

  ‘No,’ Eydis sighed.

  ‘So, perhaps Ivaar did not do it at all?’ Ayla said, shaking her head. ‘All I know for certain is that he will not stop until he gets what he wants,’ she warned. ‘He will not rest until he is King of Oss. Until Eadmund and Jael are dead, and he wears your father’s crown.’

  ‘And will you help him?’ Eydis asked breathlessly. ‘Will you help him take the crown?’

  Ayla’s eyes widened then closed, and everything went dark.

  Morana could barely contain herself.

  Eadmund was there.

  Jael was there.

  Downstairs, within reach. They didn’t have time to be arguing like this.

  ‘It is enough,’ Varna rasped insistently. ‘More than enough! I do not know why you must be so particular. We can bind her with this.’ She lifted up the filthy grey tunic that Meena had stuffed up her dress and secreted out of Jael and Eadmund’s chamber.

  ‘If that is all you wish to do,’ Morana sneered, ignoring Meena’s wide eyes flicking back and forth as she tapped her head. ‘If you think that it would work?’

  ‘You think it wouldn’t? That she is protected somehow because she is Furia’s daughter?’ Varna asked, frowning.

  ‘I think that she has the sword, but she has no knowledge of what she is meant to do with it. If she did, she would have used it already.,’

  ‘But we can stop her from ever using it.’

  ‘You still want to kill her?’ Varna asked carefully, jumping as the fire popped.

  Morana just smiled.

  ‘I have considered it, of course, but it is a bad idea,’ Varna sighed, rolling her eyes. ‘You have lived far too long on that island by yourself,’ she grumbled. ‘It has rotted your mind, so that you only see in dark and light, but there are shadows that we must weave our way through if we are to be victorious.’