by A. E. Rayne
Axl strode off, his head in the air, his body awkwardly trying to catch up with it. He had a purpose, Aleksander thought, but little direction. And that lack of direction, coupled with his bad taste in friends was likely to make things difficult for all of them.
It was just Eadmund and Thorgils now. The snow had gotten too much for Torstan, and he’d abandoned them for a hot fire and a plump woman he’d been keeping company with of late.
Eadmund was nearly done, though. Every part of his body, every single part, was throbbing in shock at what he’d put it through. He had not moved this purposefully in years. Thorgils had shown him no sympathy at all, relishing the opportunity to beat the shit out of Eadmund for the first time in memory, sending him into the slush, time after time.
‘You must be ready to wave your little white banner now, Eadmund Skalleson?’ Thorgils mocked merrily, his red beard white with snow. ‘If not, I think I shall wave mine. My snow banner! For it’s snowing too fucking much to see you! Let’s get to the hall and watch Torstan make a fool of himself while we melt by the fire.’
Eadmund couldn’t deny that it sounded a much better plan than freezing to death, face down in slop. He was sure that if Thorgils had knocked him down one more time, he would not have been able to get up. ‘Alright, let’s wave the banner and be gone! I’ve had enough of watching you enjoy yourself at my expense. I’d forgotten what a smug bastard you were in a fight. No wonder I stopped fighting you!’ he smiled, then grimaced; even his cheeks hurt.
They stored their swords inside the small shed where the training weapons were kept and headed for the hall.
‘You never said,’ Thorgils started, then stopped to sneeze loudly. ‘How were things with your wife last night?’
Eadmund looked puzzled. ‘Things?’
‘You left the hall together, you idiot, don’t you remember?’ Thorgils laughed. ‘I assumed that things occurred... of a marital nature.’ He gave Eadmund a hearty dig in his aching ribs.
‘Ha!’ Eadmund scoffed, grimacing as he paused outside the doors of the hall. He dropped his voice, peering around. ‘The only marital things that occurred were a nagging wife and a bored husband, who went their separate ways very quickly. No need to nudge me about that.’ He pulled on one of the hall’s enormous doors and disappeared inside, desperate for a drink.
‘Oh,’ Thorgils sighed, catching the door just before it closed. He had hoped Eadmund’s sudden turnaround was because things with Jael had entered a very necessary phase.
‘Do you need some help there, old man?’ Jael wondered, walking up to Thorgils as he dawdled in front of the open door, Ido and Vella impatiently jumping up his legs.
Smiling in surprise, he ushered Jael and the puppies inside. ‘So, you abandoned me for our ride today?’ Thorgils attempted to look hurt as he followed her through the hall, brushing the snow out of his beard. ‘Poor Leada. Poor me! I was left having to train with those useless fools all morning.’ He nodded towards Eadmund and Torstan, who were standing in front of a well-stoked fire, laughing with a few other men.
‘Who?’ she wondered, only half listening, distracted by thoughts of finding Eydis. ‘You don’t mean, Eadmund?’
‘I do, actually,’ Thorgils murmured. ‘He picked up a sword. First time in, I think, maybe five years. Maybe longer.’
‘He did?’ Jael stared at Eadmund in surprise. He certainly did look brighter, somehow; his face appeared flushed with something other than ale. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that; annoyed probably. Most of her was still hoping he would die and set her free quickly, but still, there was a small, very small part of her that felt sorry for him, and that very small part smiled.
‘He did!’ Thorgils laughed happily as he squatted down to give some attention to the wiggling puppies. ‘I never thought I’d see that again.’
‘Well, maybe he’s been inspired to enter the contest,’ she grinned half-heartedly. ‘That might ruin your plans for defeating certain people.’ She glanced around, but there was no sign of Tarak. ‘Ido, Vella, come, come,’ Jael clicked her tongue, and the puppies ignored her completely.
There were a few chortles from the fireside group. Jael shot them a stern, silencing look.
Thorgils, though, wasn’t so shy. ‘How long has it been since you had a dog?’ he wondered.
‘Why?’
‘Well, you have to command their respect, show them that you’re the leader of their pack, not one of their pack.’ He stood up, wincing at the aches in his well-worked muscles. ‘So far, I think, they like you, but they’re not following you, so you need to show them that you’re in charge.’
Jael didn’t want to stand about discussing the best way to train puppies; she wanted to find Eydis. ‘Well, how about you come and help me do that tomorrow? Show me all your dog skills before we go for a ride. Not too early, though. Mid-morning will be fine.’ And with that she stalked off, the puppies deciding, at last, to follow her.
Thorgils laughed as he watched her go. She was like a bolt of lightning, that one, he thought to himself; it was very hard not to admire her spirit.
Jael wandered to the end of the hall, peering about, wondering if Eydis was lurking in the dark shadows somewhere. She was just about to head through to the bedchambers, which were curtained off from the main part of the hall, when Morac stepped in front of her.
‘Are you looking for someone?’ he asked coolly, his voice sliding down her spine like a sliver of ice.
Vella sat back on her heels, growling low and menacingly. Jael was surprised by that. Pleased too; she didn’t stop her. ‘I was looking for Eydis,’ she replied, with an even smile. ‘I’ve brought the puppies to visit her.’
Morac eyed Vella crossly. ‘Eydis is in her room, I believe. Do you know the way?’
‘I do, thank you,’ Jael smiled again, hoping to unsettle the uptight man. She slipped past him, behind the thick, green curtain.
Eydis was sitting on her bed, playing with a collection of wooden dolls, when Jael knocked. She could hear and smell the puppies. ‘Come in, Jael!’ she called happily.
Ido and Vella raced in, pouncing on their old friend, Eydis, whose smell they knew well. They were just as pleased to see her as she was them.
‘I’m so glad you’ve come!’ Eydis’ eyes sparkled merrily. ‘I’ve been hoping you would bring the puppies to visit. I’ve missed them terribly.’
Jael grabbed a small stool from a corner of the room and came to sit in front of the bed. ‘I’m happy to bring them whenever you like,’ she said softly. ‘You can even look after them for me when they are getting under my feet too much, or, I should say, under Biddy’s feet.’
‘Who’s Biddy?’ Eydis wondered, lifting each puppy onto the bed in turn.
‘My servant,’ Jael said. ‘She came with me from Brekka. I suppose she is my friend too. She’s been taking care of me since I was born.’
‘And you only suppose she’s your friend?’ Eydis laughed with scolding eyes.
‘I’m not one for friends,’ Jael said slowly, thinking deeper on that. ‘I’ve only ever really had one friend.’
‘Well, that’s not so bad, as long as she is a good friend, then your life is richer, for sure. I don’t think I have any real friends at all, apart from Eadmund that is. Not many children want to play with a blind girl, even if she is the king’s daughter.’
Jael watched Eydis’ eyes fill with sadness. ‘Well, they sound like idiots if that is the case,’ she reassured her. ‘And no one needs an idiot for a friend.’
‘True,’ Eydis laughed as Ido nuzzled her cheek. ‘I’m very glad you brought me such wonderful company, but I think there is more on your mind than pleasing me.’
‘You do?’ Jael squirmed, still trying to decide how to approach a young girl with such a serious problem.
‘I may be blind, but I see many things, and I hear a lot too. So what is wrong? Is it Eadmund?’
Jael couldn’t help but laugh. ‘No, no, that’s another conversation entirely. No, t
his is something that you may be able to help me with. I hope you can help me with it.’ She leaned forward, conscious of keeping her voice low in case Morac had decided to stay and listen outside the door.
Jael told Eydis all about Edela’s warning, Evaine’s face, the symbols, everything she could remember from her dream. Eydis’ eyes were wide as she listened, her body still, her hands tense in her lap.
‘Oh,’ was all she could say when Jael had finished. A long sigh escaped her small body. ‘Oh.’
Jael frowned, worried that she had upset her. ‘Are you alright, Eydis?’
‘Yes, yes, I’m fine,’ she insisted, shaking her head. ‘I’m just cross that I hadn’t seen those things myself. Eadmund has been following Evaine around for the last year or so, I know that. I always thought something about her was so troubling. Now I know I was right, but why didn’t I see the truth of it?’ She was deeply puzzled.
‘You’re only young,’ Jael insisted. ‘Your gift will grow as your body does. I’m no expert, but it may be that you are only shown those things you can do something about. And if what Edela saw is true, there was nothing you could do, not on your own. Not without someone here to help you.’
‘Perhaps,’ Eydis murmured thoughtfully. ‘But I could have spoken with my father. Had her removed from Oss.’
Jael looked doubtful. ‘You may have had a hard job convincing him of that, with her father being his friend. And at least this way we can get rid of her together, if that is what we need to do.’
‘It sounds as though that is most definitely what we need to do,’ Eydis said firmly, her body shaking with determination. ‘I am going to put my mind to it tonight. I’m going to tell myself to dream on it. It may work.’
‘Well, good, you should certainly do that, but we must try to find those symbols Edela wanted me tattooed with. Perhaps you should have them as well, if your father would allow it?’
‘There’s no need for that,’ Eydis smiled as she pulled back the sleeve of her yellow, woollen dress. It was loose and rolled easily, all the way up to her shoulder, revealing a small, blue tattoo.
Jael recognised it immediately, her eyes gleaming. ‘That’s it! One of the symbols from my dream!’ She was incredulous. ‘And do you have the other?’
‘Yes, I do!’ And a triumphant Eydis rolled up her other sleeve.
It was, without question, the other symbol from the painted stones.
‘Why do you have them? Who put them on you?’ Jael wondered, distractedly picking up Vella, who was trying to jump off the bed.
Eydis’ eyes were momentarily troubled. ‘My mother. She was from Tuura. She saw her death coming. She knew that she would leave me, so she made my father promise her two things. That when I was 10-years-old, he would have the symbols tattooed on me. She gave him two stones, with the symbols painted on them, just like in your dream, for him to keep safe. And on my tenth birthday, my father did as he promised. He wanted to keep me safe. He didn’t want to lose me as he had lost her, so he went along with it.’
‘And what was the other thing?’ Jael wondered.
‘He was to send me to Tuura, two years later, to start my training. So that I could learn more about my dreams, how to truly be a dreamer, like your grandmother. Father promised he would, but then he changed his mind. The loss of her was too much for him, I suppose,’ she sighed. ‘Every woman that he has loved, you see, has died, has been taken from him too soon. Even his own mother. So he won’t lose me. He doesn’t trust Tuurans. He won’t take me there.’
Jael shuddered. Memories of her last visit to Tuura flittered briefly past her eyes; she blinked them away. ‘Well then, we need to find someone to tattoo me,’ Jael said, plonking Vella down on the furs and standing up.
‘Entorp can do it,’ Eydis suggested, but Jael looked at her blankly. ‘Entorp! He married you and Eadmund, don’t you remember? He’s from Tuura. He left to come here with my mother. He was her friend,’ she smiled. ‘He did mine. I will take you!’ Eydis hopped off the bed and felt her way over to the door, where her cloak was hanging.
‘The snow is quite heavy out there now,’ Jael warned.
‘I’ve lived on Oss my whole life, Jael. It’s usually snowing quite heavily!’ And smiling sweetly, Eydis slipped her fur neckwarmer over her cloak, pulled on her gloves and stood ready to go.
Jael could see the determination shining out of that sweet, little face, and realised that there was not much she could do to dissuade her. She had invited Eydis into her confidence, and now it was her job to ensure that she remained safe.
Runa sat by the fire, a pale blue, woollen dress draped over her knees; thread and needle in hand. She was alone, apart from their house servant, embroidering delicate white flowers onto the dress. The dress was for Evaine, who had insisted the flowers be added; not that she needed another dress, Runa thought irritably. But Morac liked to indulge her and would regularly buy bolts of luxurious cloth from the merchants who travelled around the islands, to be made into equally luxurious garments. Not for Runa; there never seemed to be enough cloth left over for her. She frowned, a rare show of resentment clouding her sad face; there were many reasons to despise the girl.
‘It’s so heavy out there!’ Evaine exclaimed as she rushed into the room, covered in melting snow. ‘There will certainly be a storm tonight. The wind is getting so loud!’
Runa looked up briefly, trying to wish away the dark feeling that settled in her chest every time her daughter was near. If only Morac saw the wisdom in marrying Evaine off. Now that Eadmund was married, it was something that she would have to raise again.
‘Mother?’ Evaine looked annoyed by the lack of attention. Her mother had quickly returned to her embroidery, barely acknowledging her arrival. ‘Didn’t you hear me?’
‘I heard you, of course,’ Runa sighed. ‘And I agree. I’ve been listening to the wind picking up for a while now. I shall have to ask Alfar to check on the house, make sure everything is secure before nightfall.’
Evaine looked resolved to suffer her mother’s lack of interest as she removed her wet cloak and furs, and handed them to the servant.
‘Where’s Father?’ she asked coldly, coming to sit by the fire.
‘Still at the hall as far as I’m aware.’ Runa didn’t look up.
‘Is he now...?’ Evaine mused, staring at her mother’s greying head. ‘Perhaps I should go and get him, make sure he is back before the storm strikes? He should look over the house, too. We can’t trust Alfar to do it alone. He’s so old now. I’d be surprised if he can even see out there.’
Runa looked up, suspicion creasing the corners of her gentle blue eyes. ‘Why should you need to get your father?’ she wondered, peering at Evaine’s scheming face. ‘I’m sure he will come when he is ready. Perhaps he will stay the night in the hall? You know how Eirik likes his company.’
‘And leave us to the storm?’ Evaine stood up. ‘No, I think I should go and fetch him home.’
‘Evaine,’ Runa said firmly, and placing her needle on top of the dress and moving it to one side, she rose. ‘If you go to the hall you will put your father in a very awkward position. Do you wish to be banished, as Fyn was?’ She looked ready to cry at just the sound of her poor boy’s name.
‘Fyn?’ Evaine snorted. ‘How is me going to the hall anything like Fyn? How is it something to be banished for?’
‘Because Eirik has threatened your father. He knows of your friendship with Eadmund, and he has promised to get rid of you if he even sees you near him. That would shame your father greatly. To have both his children banished by the king? I’m not sure how he could continue here. He would be humiliated.’ Runa looked at her daughter pleadingly, hoping that some sense would enter her Eadmund-addled mind. ‘And I for one believe him. After all, look at what he did to Fyn.’
Evaine screwed up her nose, pushing her hands tightly into the sides of her green, woollen dress. Her body twitched distractedly, her eyes darkening with a slowly brewing storm. ‘Fine.’ She sa
t down, squeezing her fingers together repeatedly, staring at the floor, thoughts racing desperately around her head. Being banished would not help her get rid of Jael. Being taken away from Eadmund would only open the door for him to fall in love with her. And no matter what her aunt had warned her, she was not going to let that happen.
It turned out that the ritual of Tuuran tattooing was as much about the ink, and the position of the moon, as it was about the symbols themselves. Entorp had eagerly enlightened her on that point when Eydis had explained Jael’s situation. He had not looked well, though, plagued as he was with a bone-rattling cough. She hoped he would still be alive in 14 days time, when apparently all factors would come together to create the most portentous time. It really was a very bad cough, and it was a long time to wait, Jael thought. She would have to make sure she remained alert.
The storm that had been threatening all day had finally descended upon Oss, and after taking Eydis back to the hall, Jael was keen to get home before it blew her away. She had a puppy tucked under each arm to avoid losing them in the blizzard, and neither of them were enjoying the containment. Her cloak was streaming so far behind her in the wind that she worried it would detach itself entirely. She couldn’t see anything at all, just a white wall that was blowing itself horizontally into her face.
Her first clue that someone was approaching was the rumbling of Vella’s furry belly. Jael stopped and waited, watching a shadow emerge from the whiteness. Her sword hung at her waist, and she wanted to allow herself enough time to drop the puppies safely and unsheath it before the threat was upon her. She waited, and the shadow took shape as it came forwards. Vella’s growl moved from her belly to her throat now, and Ido joined in.
