The Burning Sea

by A. E. Rayne

  Surprisingly, Evaine had seen Runa’s point. She didn’t know if the binding spell was still working and decided that it was better to wait until she could see Eadmund alone. But knowing that everyone was down on the beach without her had been torturous.

  Morac wrapped his arms around Evaine, pleased for any form of affection after such an arduous journey home. The sea had been choppy, and his body, older and less able to deal with discomfort, was eager to settle and not attempt such a young man’s folly again. ‘How is the boy?’ he asked, releasing her and closing the door behind them. ‘And you? You look well again. Such pink cheeks!’

  Evaine ignored his questions. ‘Eadmund, Father,’ she grumbled, panicking. ‘Where is Eadmund?’

  Morac sighed, admitting defeat. There was obviously no affection on offer from any of his family today. ‘Eadmund,’ he began, watching the fever build in Evaine’s eyes, ‘is in Hest, with his wife.’

  Evaine’s perfectly formed upper lip twitched.

  Gisila stared at Lothar, her entire face frozen in horror.

  He ignored her.

  Amma didn’t know where to look. She caught sight of Axl out of the corner of her eye as he walked towards her and quickly turned to him... Jaeger Dragos.

  ‘Isn’t that good news, Daughter?’ Lothar beamed, trying to cover over the awkwardness of Amma’s continued silence.

  ‘Perhaps Amma needs something to drink?’ Jael suggested as she embraced her cousin. ‘Don’t worry,’ she whispered in her ear, then stood back and smiled at her.

  Amma blinked, looking worried.

  ‘Of course,’ Bayla sighed impatiently. ‘Let us go into the hall. We can take some wine.’ She looked down her long narrow nose at Eydis. ‘What is wrong with her?’ she wondered rudely.

  ‘Her?’ Eadmund snapped.

  Jael took a deep breath and stepped in front of him. ‘Eydis is blind,’ she said shortly, biting down on her own anger.

  Bayla looked momentarily embarrassed, ushering everyone away from the piers, pointing them towards the castle, ignoring both Jael and Eydis entirely.

  Gisila reached out and placed a hand on Lothar’s arm, urging him to remain behind. Lothar smiled at her, turning for a kiss but she stepped back and glared at him instead, too furious to be careful. ‘What were you thinking?’ she whispered hoarsely. ‘You cannot marry a Furyck to a Dragos!’

  Lothar’s lips pursed in annoyance. He stepped closer to his wife, watching everyone depart. Grabbing her arm, he yanked her towards him. ‘You do not understand the situation,’ he hissed. ‘For if you did, you would see that I had little choice in the matter. I needed to negotiate a way out of here for all of us.’

  Gisila grimaced. His grip was hard, and his face was cruel, but she did not back down. ‘But Amma? You are going to leave her here? With them?’ She shook her head in disbelief.

  Lothar narrowed his eyes. ‘It has nothing to do with you, my queen,’ he growled. ‘And you would do well to remember your place. For no decisions are yours, and your opinion about mine matters nothing to me!’ And pulling her off her feet, he hurried her away after their hosts.

  They sat around the table in silence.

  Morac was devouring his second bowl of fish soup, occasionally sighing with utter pleasure. He had missed Respa’s cooking and the comfortable warmth and silence of his own home.

  Runa didn’t want to even look at him, wishing he had never come back, wishing that Fyn sat there instead.

  Evaine didn’t notice anything at all. Her mind was disturbed, wondering what was happening with Eadmund. ‘And you don’t know when they will return?’ she asked again.

  Morac shook his head, his mouth full. He swallowed and took a quick drink of ale. ‘They have to see to a wedding, which will be a few days at least. But I hardly think anyone will want to stay in Hest for long.’

  ‘Wedding?’ Evaine leaned forward.

  ‘Lothar Furyck’s daughter to Haaron’s youngest son,’ Morac muttered, sticking his spoon back into the soup. ‘Making another alliance.’

  Runa looked surprised and worried. ‘Brekka and Hest have made an alliance with each other?’

  ‘And us,’ Morac said. ‘As we have an alliance with Brekka, we are included too. We will have to go to war again to support Lothar’s claim for more land.’

  Neither Runa nor Evaine looked pleased by that thought.

  ‘And what of Eirik?’ Runa asked sadly, still in shock. ‘Who killed him?’

  ‘Well, Eadmund seems to think it was Ivaar.’

  Runa frowned. ‘Ivaar?’ She shook her head. ‘Well, I suppose that is no surprise, is it?’

  ‘No,’ Morac agreed. ‘Not to anyone. I’m sure that Eadmund will avenge his father’s death when he returns.’ He glanced at Evaine, whose eyes lit up at the sound of Eadmund’s name.

  She was desperate to see him.

  Eadmund was getting sick of the sight of Haaron’s hall.

  He stood in a cluster of equally irritated men, watching as Lothar preened himself in front of Haaron; as Osbert hobbled about gleefully next to his father, enjoying the shock on his sister’s face and the anger on Axl’s.

  Axl turned away, certain that he would not be able to stop himself from doing something stupid.

  ‘Here.’ Aleksander offered him a cup of wine. ‘Have a drink.’

  ‘Do you think that’s wise?’ Eadmund asked distractedly, noticing the wild look in Axl’s eye.

  ‘Do you think it’s anything to do with you?’ Aleksander retorted crossly.

  Eadmund frowned and scratched his beard. As irritated as that made him, he was far more concerned with his wife and sister. Jael had taken Eydis away to find her some milk and somewhere quiet to sit down. He couldn’t see where they had gone. ‘I think that, more than anyone, I know what trouble drink can get you into. And no, it’s nothing to do with me, other than the fact that I’m married to his sister, which makes him my brother.’ And with a sigh, he walked away, deciding that searching for Eydis and Jael would get him into less trouble than having to make conversation with a man who looked ready for a fight.

  ‘Are you alright, there?’ Gant wondered with a frown.

  Aleksander shook his head, cross with himself. He nodded and took a drink from a passing servant. ‘It’s not always easy.’

  ‘No,’ Gant murmured, watching Gisila as she stood next to Bayla and her daughters-in-law, looking as though she would rather be anywhere else. ‘No, it’s not. But right now, we just need to get through this. There will be time for thinking when we’re home.’

  Axl sighed and turned to Fyn. ‘I need some air.’

  Fyn blinked in surprise as Axl headed out of the hall. Aleksander nodded at him to follow.

  ‘Don’t let him out of your sight!’ Gant growled, his eyes sharp on Fyn, who gulped and hurried away.

  Thorgils shook his head as he stroked Ido, who had fought his sister for the pleasure of his giant-sized lap. ‘You two have been busy, indeed,’ he smiled, content to sit and let his body come back to earth. He still felt as though he was rolling on the waves and after two large bowls of stew, he was ready for a long sleep.

  ‘Not quite as much as you, however,’ Edela said, relieved to hear that everyone was safe; disturbed though, by the thought of poor Amma and what she was about to endure. ‘I am glad to hear that the sea-fire helped.’

  ‘Helped?’ Thorgils’ eyes bulged. ‘You saved us and destroyed them! It was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen! And we need more of it!’

  Edela squirmed on her chair as Biddy finished tidying up the kitchen and came to join them. ‘Well, I’m not sure about that. But I can certainly show you my recipe. Whether you have all the ingredients here on Oss, I don’t know.’

  ‘Whatever we have to do,’ Thorgils insisted. ‘We must have more of it!’

  Biddy frowned, wanting to talk about more than battles and fire. ‘But how was poor Eydis?’

  ‘She took to Jael’s mother and her cousin very quickly,’ Thorgils said, try
ing to reassure her. ‘They were taking good care of her. She was looking forward to coming back home, to see you both, I know.’

  ‘Well, if only Lothar hadn’t made such a stupid bargain with poor Amma,’ Edela grumbled. ‘As though she meant nothing to him! Which, obviously, she doesn’t.’

  Thorgils looked away. ‘Yes, Jaeger Dragos is...’

  ‘Is what?’ Edela and Biddy glared at him.

  ‘Nobody you would wish to know. Certainly nobody you would wish to marry your daughter to,’ he went on awkwardly. ‘I’m not sure you’d even want your worst enemy married to that beast.’

  Amma hadn’t heard a thing since King Haaron had introduced her to his son. Her face was a serene mask as she looked around the hall, trying to avoid all the inquisitive, new faces as they peered at her, but inside she was screaming for help.

  ‘Nicolene has a dress for you to wear,’ Irenna said kindly. She remembered what it felt like to be thrown into a marriage you didn’t want. But Haegen had made her happy. She’d been lucky. Luckier than Nicolene who had been stuck with Karsten.

  Amma nodded, her eyes brimming with tears that would not fall. ‘Thank you,’ she mumbled.

  Nicolene arched a critical eyebrow in Amma’s direction. ‘Although, you are much wider than me, so perhaps it will not fit?’

  Irenna frowned. ‘She is hardly any wider than you, that I can see.’

  Gisila glared coldly at Nicolene. ‘Amma has a chest of dresses with her. I’m sure that one of those will be more than suitable. As the daughter of a king, her clothes are of the finest quality.’

  Amma wasn’t listening. She was trying to avoid Jaeger’s eyes. He was there, she could see. So large and terrifying. Taller than Axl and so broad and... she shivered, still in shock, wondering what had happened to Axl. Wondering what Jael had meant by, ‘don’t worry’.

  She was worrying, very, very much.

  ‘Perhaps there is somewhere we could go and wash? And change out of these clothes?’ Gisila asked Bayla.

  Bayla looked irritated by the question. ‘Of course,’ she said slowly, her eyes running the length of Amma. ‘I will find a slave to show you to your chambers.’

  Lothar’s smile was cat-like as he turned it on Gisila. ‘Don’t be long,’ he purred.

  Gisila shuddered as she turned away, dreading what the night would mean for her.

  Bayla motioned for them to follow the slave she had found, and Amma and Gisila hurried away, desperate for a moment to inhale the shock of what they had just sailed into. Amma gripped Gisila’s hand, feeling everyone’s eyes on her, ready to run away from them all.

  Meena leaned against the wall, trying to make herself invisible amongst the slaves who were waiting to be called upon, watching as Jaeger’s bride-to-be scurried away. She felt a burst of unexpected rage coursing through her body, sparking in her fingers and toes. Every sinew, every vein pulsed with a passion that was so unfamiliar to her.

  Jaeger was getting married.

  She swallowed repeatedly, desperately searching the room for him. And when she found him, she could see that his eyes were fixed on Amma Furyck, following her as she disappeared from view.

  38

  Thorgils could barely look at Eirik’s empty chair, nor Eydis’ small one that sat next to it. The thought of that night, of his dying face... the pyre. It was so fresh that Thorgils could still smell the ash. Or perhaps that was just the stink of being stuck on Skorro in that burned out shell.

  Sevrin sat opposite him, still shaking his head in shock. ‘You really think Ivaar will come?’

  Thorgils knocked back the last drop of ale in his cup. He wiped his hand over his beard, tired. ‘I think the lords seemed to be on his side for a time, especially Hassi and Frits. But after the battle?’ He smiled. ‘After that, not so much.’

  Sevrin leaned forward and lowered his voice. He was nearly as old as Eirik and Morac, as old as Otto, who sat quietly in a corner with a group of men, drinking to their king. ‘But it would not take much for them to change their minds again.’

  Thorgils nodded. Eirik had trusted Sevrin with the fort, and there was a reason for that. Sevrin had a clear head. Whereas Otto panicked and made poor choices, and Morac was given to being slimy and manipulative, Sevrin saw what needed to be done and got on with it. ‘We will need to work on our defenses. Put new ones in place, all around the island. More lookouts. More arrows.’

  ‘Agreed,’ Sevrin muttered quietly. ‘And perhaps when Jael and Eadmund return, it would be wise to discuss removing some of those Ivaar friendly lords?’

  Thorgils smiled. ‘Well, once there is no Ivaar, I don’t see that we’ll have a problem.’

  Ivaar sat alone by the fire, his chair as close to the flames as he could place it without turning it to ash. He had not been able to get warm since his return from Skorro. It would hardly reinforce his plea of innocence that he had hurried his men away in the dead of night.

  He watched the flames, enjoying the silence, remembering his father’s death, angry that it had not resulted in his ascension to the throne; furious that Jael’s interference had put an end to his plans. He frowned, unable to get Ayla’s words out of his head. She had seen him as King of Oss, so why wasn’t he? And as much as he wanted to blame her, he knew that Eydis had seen the same thing. It was not her dreams that were flawed, then, it was just that the path did not begin where she imagined it would.

  There had to be another way into Oss. Onto that throne. His throne. His crown. His brother would die at his hand.

  Ayla had seen that too.

  Amma sat on the bed and stared at the floor as Gisila hurried out of her damp clothes. Despite all that was going on, she was desperate to change into something that made her feel more like a queen. ‘Jael and Aleksander will think of something,’ she assured Amma in a low voice as she rummaged through her chest, frowning at every crumpled dress. ‘You can be certain of it. And Gant. Axl too. We will not let your father get away with this.’

  At the sound of Axl’s name, Amma lifted her head, suddenly worried. This was Osbert’s doing, she was certain. And she couldn’t let Axl play into Osbert’s hands. ‘I love Axl,’ she said quickly.

  Gisila blinked. ‘What did you say?’ she wondered, turning around.

  Tears ran down Amma’s pale, round cheeks. ‘I love Axl, Gisila. And he loves me. I don’t want him to do something, to risk anything for me. Osbert is hoping he will get himself killed. I know he is!’

  Gisila abandoned her hunt for a dress and came to sit beside Amma. ‘I suppose I knew that you had become very close, but I didn’t realise...’

  Amma clasped Gisila’s ice cold hands in hers. ‘You must keep Axl safe. Get him back to Andala. I don’t want him to get himself hurt. I can stand it here, stand whatever that man will do to me, but I cannot stand to think that something will happen to Axl.’

  Gisila nodded. ‘Yes, I promise, I promise you that. I want the same thing. But, Amma,’ she paused, staring into those big brown eyes which were so full of fear, ‘you must not give up hope.’ Her shoulders slumped as she thought of Lothar and his hot breath and roaming hands. ‘There is a way to survive, a place you can go within yourself where you can be safe, where you can watch as it happens and not be so hurt by it. If you can stay in that place, and lock yourself away, then you can survive. Somehow, all of this will be different,’ she said softly. ‘One day.’

  Amma stared into Gisila’s eyes and saw determination there. She wanted desperately to believe what she was saying, but then she remembered Eydis’ dream and any hope slid away into the darkness.

  Lothar had been looking for a way to broach the subject for a while now, but he couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t abrupt. Haaron’s brooding, sharp-edged face kept him anxious, but Lothar tiptoed towards it anyway. ‘My lord, now that we are allies, at last, I will need my sword back,’ Lothar started with a nervous cough. ‘We all will, of course, but my sword, in particular... it has great value to me, to my family.’

 
; Haaron glared at him, irked by the request. He rolled his tongue around his mouth. ‘Well, as you say, we are allies now,’ he said, albeit reluctantly. ‘And yes, you shall have your sword returned. And those of your close counsel. But the rest of your men?’ he frowned and jutted his jaw forward. ‘It makes no sense for me to have a horde of armed Brekkans roaming my kingdom. Not yet, not while we are still such new allies.’

  Lothar heard little past the fact that his own sword would be returned. ‘That sounds fair,’ he smiled, relieved.

  ‘I shall have the rest of your weapons returned to Andala once you have departed,’ Haaron went on. ‘Your men will need them when we attack Helsabor.’

  Lothar’s moist lips curled happily. ‘I look forward to it. That old man has been so busy keeping everyone out for so long. I cannot wait to tear down his walls!’

  ‘Or perhaps burn them down?’ Haaron suggested, sharing Lothar’s smile as he considered just how beneficial this alliance of theirs might actually be. As distasteful as he found Lothar Furyck, becoming friends with him could be one of the best things he had ever done.

  ‘I’m not hungry,’ Eydis insisted weakly as she pushed away the food Jael offered her. ‘I would rather sleep.’

  ‘I doubt you will sleep much in this strange place, with that gurgling stomach,’ Jael frowned. ‘Eat something, even if it’s small, then we will take you to bed.’

  Eydis sighed, her body limp and defeated. ‘I don’t feel safe here. This is the place I saw in my dreams,’ she whispered. ‘Where Amma was crying.’

  Jael and Eadmund exchanged a worried look.

  ‘She cannot take care of herself like you, Jael,’ Eydis said, gripping Jael’s arm. ‘You must help her.’

  ‘We will, of course we will,’ Jael said softly. ‘But first, we must look after you.’ Her eyes were drawn away to Gisila and Amma who had returned to the hall, both looking fresher in dry, elegant dresses. Jael smiled at Eydis. ‘Here, Amma and Gisila are back. Let’s go and sit with them.’