Winter's Fury

by A. E. Rayne

  ‘He needs our help,’ Biddy urged her.

  ‘I know he does,’ Jael sighed crossly. ‘I know what we’re trying to do. It was my idea in the first place! Why does everyone think I’m going to fall under Ivaar’s spell?’ She grabbed her cloak out of Biddy’s hands and wrapped it around herself, pinning it to one shoulder. ‘Can you go and open the door now? And please, stop fretting.’

  Biddy gave her one last fretting look and disappeared back through the house. Jael shook her head. How was it that her friends thought her so easily manipulated? Did they truly think she was so weak?

  There was nothing that Ivaar could say or do to lure her over to his side. Not one thing.

  ‘Don’t you think it’s time for a drink,’ Eadmund panted, his body heaving as he bent over.

  ‘You look like a drink is the last thing you need right now,’ Thorgils suggested. ‘Let’s sit down for a bit. Then we can go again.’

  Eadmund straightened up and winced. There wasn’t one part of him that didn’t hurt. He was right back at the beginning again and was doubting the wisdom of even trying. What was the point anyway? He wouldn’t be able to keep it going.

  Thorgils strode over to him, smiling encouragingly. ‘Come on, don’t give up. Let’s just sit for a while. I’ll go easier on you, I promise.’

  ‘You’re wasting your time,’ Eadmund snapped, throwing his sword away in frustration. ‘I’m wasting your time! There’s no point to any of this,’ he sighed, rubbing his neck. ‘All I’m thinking about is where I can get a drink from. I need some ale! I know I should care about swords, and fighting, and Ivaar, but I just don’t, not right now, not while I don’t have a cup in my hand. It’s all I can think about, Thorgils.’ He looked up at his friend imploringly. ‘So there’s no point in doing any of this because,’ he hung his head, ‘I’m always going to ruin it. I can’t see any way out of this feeling. It never leaves. I can’t stop!’ Eadmund gritted his teeth anxiously, his eyes wild with despair.

  Thorgils noticed that some of the training sessions had paused and more than a few faces were watching on with interest. ‘Come on, let’s get you that drink,’ he said kindly. ‘We don’t have to do any more of this today.’ He picked up Eadmund’s sword and took it to the training shed with his own. ‘But don’t ever think you’re wasting my time. You’re my friend. We swore a blood oath to each other, don’t you remember? How old were we when we made that? Eight? Nine?’ he smiled wistfully. ‘Sometimes I could punch you in the head, but most of the time, I just want to help you be alright again. It’s been such a long time, but I don’t think it’s as far away as you do. Truly, I don’t. You have everything you need now. It’s just about getting your head right.’

  As they walked off towards the hall, Thorgils realised he was going to have to go and have words with Jael; peace-making words. He had to get help for Eadmund, and if that meant swallowing his pride and apologising, he could try that. Surely it wouldn’t be too hard?

  They dismounted by a giant, frozen waterfall. It was the first one Jael had seen on Oss, and it was breathtaking; a mountainous burst of glimmering, icy shards, hanging from the cliff, waiting to be released again.

  ‘This is one of my favourite places,’ Ivaar smiled as he walked towards the edge of the cliff. ‘There’s something so powerful about these falls. Dangerous. Free. Exhilarating. But even they are no match for winter!’ He turned to look at Jael, and his eyes were full of more than just waterfalls.

  She had been distracted on their ride, her thoughts bouncing between Eadmund and Aleksander; she had barely noticed Ivaar at all. But now, here he was, moving too close to her once again. She heard Thorgils’ voice, promising her that she would end up in a tangle, but she had no intention of letting him be right. She turned away from Ivaar, stroking Tig’s face, slipping him a carrot.

  Ivaar stepped even closer to her then. ‘Have you thought about what will happen when Eirik dies, and I become king?’

  Jael was never one for stepping back, but she also didn’t like physical closeness with anyone she didn’t have plans to be physically close with; so far that had been everyone she had ever met, apart from Aleksander. It seemed that Ivaar was intent on doing everything he could to challenge that. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I can break the alliance with Lothar, grant you a divorce from Eadmund, give you an army to help you take back the Brekkan throne, for you or your brother.’

  Jael was stunned. He had spoken so casually, and almost quietly, that she wondered if she had heard him correctly. ‘What?’ She screwed her face up. ‘Why would you do that?’

  Ivaar leaned in, his lips almost touching her ear, his breath hot on her neck. ‘Why wouldn’t I? It’s what you want, isn’t it? To be back in Brekka? To be rid of Lothar? I can do that for you.’

  Jael moved her head away to look at him. ‘And you want to make an enemy of Lothar as soon as you become King of Oss?’

  ‘No, I want to make a friend of you,’ Ivaar murmured, staring into her eyes. She was uncomfortable, he could tell, and he enjoyed the feeling of power he had over her at that moment. Ivaar smiled to himself. He wanted her, desperately, to hurt Eadmund, of course, but also to satisfy his own burning need. She was beautiful, confident, strong, and everything about her excited him.

  Jael’s thoughts tangled themselves up inside her head, just as Thorgils had predicted. She blinked, trying to regain control of herself. Ivaar had unsettled her so quickly by his closeness, and now he was promising her everything she had wanted so desperately, and more. But what did he want in return?

  ‘Well, those are nice words,’ she said bluntly, ‘but it might take you years to become king, and by then I will be old, and my house will be filled with Eadmund’s children. What use is your offer to me, really?’ Ivaar’s eyes told Jael that he knew more than she did and she hated that. She had an overwhelming urge to punch him in the eye just to make him stop squinting at her in that knowing way. The thought of that made her smile, but it only served to encourage Ivaar, and he stepped forward, his face bending towards hers. It was very clear what he wanted from her in return.

  ‘My father will not live long,’ he breathed.

  ‘Why? Are you planning on adding another victim to your collection?’

  ‘Ha! You make me smile,’ he laughed. ‘I’m not sure I have smiled this much in years. At least seven of them.’ And he leaned in to kiss her.

  Jael had no choice then but to back away. Abruptly. ‘No! No, that is not a good idea!’

  Ivaar looked puzzled, but not deterred, as he glanced around. ‘Why? We’re completely alone out here. Unless,’ he narrowed his gaze, ‘you have feelings for Eadmund. Do you?’

  Jael had to think fast. ‘No, not Eadmund,’ she laughed. ‘Someone else. Why do you think I’ve worked so hard to stay away from your brother? I have someone in Brekka. He is waiting for me.’

  ‘I see,’ Ivaar frowned; annoyed and curious. ‘What is his name?’

  ‘His name?’ Jael squirmed, wondering how far she was going to walk down this icy road. But then again, she knew Aleksander; he would be able to protect himself, no matter what trouble she unwittingly sent his way. ‘His name is Aleksander Lehr.’ Her eyes filled with a sadness that was genuine; she had not spoken his name aloud in such a long time.

  ‘I see.’ Ivaar’s voice was clipped now. ‘I have heard of him. The two of you used to fight together, didn’t you?’

  Tig shook his head impatiently, hitting Jael’s shoulder and bumping her towards Ivaar. ‘We did, yes. We grew up together, trained together. We were inseparable until your father brought me here.’

  ‘You’re very loyal,’ Ivaar said tightly, his mind whirring. She was not to be moved, not yet it seemed. He would have to find another way to get her to succumb.

  ‘Of course,’ Jael insisted strongly, although inside she felt anything but. ‘We made an oath to each other. We love each other. We should have married but saw no need, which was our downfall of course, when Lothar and your f
ather decided to make peace. I am only here until I can figure out a way to get home, back to Aleksander.’ The words felt so strange on her tongue that she wondered if she believed them anymore. She hoped her face looked more convincing.

  Ivaar considered her quietly. He backed away and threw Leada’s reins onto her back, climbing into the saddle. ‘My offer stands, Jael,’ he decided at last. ‘As I said, my father will not live long. And when he dies, I will grant you a divorce, set you free from Eadmund, and you can go back to Brekka to be with this Aleksander. Lothar Furyck is an idiot from what I hear, so I would much rather have an alliance with you than him, or his son, who appears to be an even bigger fool.’

  Jael was unsettled. She threw herself up into Tig’s saddle and gathered the reins into her hands, a sharp crease forming between her eyebrows. ‘Why do you think your father will die soon?’ she wondered as Tig skittered about underneath her. ‘Who has told you that?’

  Ivaar turned Leada around and brought her alongside Jael. ‘I have a dreamer,’ he said quietly. ‘She saw us coming back here, and she has seen Eirik’s death quite clearly. He will die soon.’

  37

  Aleksander had waited. Patiently. But now his curiosity was itching so loudly inside his head that he couldn’t give her any more time; he simply had to find out what had happened.

  ‘Edela! Wait!’ Aleksander raced to catch up with her as she hurried down the street. A storm was brewing, and he could taste it on his lips. Soon there would be rain, and perhaps thunder and lightning. He looked up, and the sky looked angrily back down at him, its threatening clouds dropping lower and lower over Tuura’s high reaching walls.

  Edela turned around and sighed as she saw Aleksander rushing towards her; she had hoped for some more time alone. Her talk with Neva had unsettled her so greatly that she was afraid of saying anything to anyone. She had not breathed a word, despite all the expectant looks she had been plagued with since returning from the temple. Edela knew that she could trust Branwyn and Kormac, and certainly Aleksander, but still, what little Neva had revealed to her would worry him. He would want to head back to Andala immediately and find a way to Oss, but there wasn’t, and she knew that, so they would have to wait; wait and know that Jael was in danger and they could do nothing to stop it from happening. Not yet. Edela frowned in frustration. She felt as though she was always reaching for more information; she never seemed to have quite enough.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Aleksander slid to a stop beside her, his trousers wet to the knee.

  Edela looked uneasy. ‘I thought I would visit my friend, Alaric again,’ she muttered. ‘He seems very lonely. I thought he might like some company.’

  Aleksander stared at her, wanting her to look at him, to notice he was there. She had seemed so far away since her visit to the temple, as though she didn’t hear or see him anymore. He reached out and touched her arm. ‘We need to talk, don’t we? About what happened? I’ve been as patient as I can, but Edela... I need to know.’

  Edela paused before she spoke. She wasn’t afraid of Neva or the elders; she hadn’t avoided Aleksander for that reason. It was just that every step they took together seemed to take him further away from Jael, and he blamed her for all of it. She didn’t know how she could hurt him again.

  There was a loud rumble in the sky then, not too far away, and they both looked up anxiously.

  ‘Let’s stand over there. You can tell me quickly before the rain comes.’ Aleksander grabbed Edela’s elbow and guided her across the street, wading through the snow and around a flock of sheep that was being quickly shepherded home. ‘We can’t go back to the house. It’s full of people.’

  ‘I know, why do you think I left!’ Edela grumbled.

  ‘What did you find out that you’re afraid to say?’ he implored as they huddled beneath the drooping porch of a small cottage. ‘You have me thinking every sort of dark thing imaginable.’

  ‘I didn’t find out enough,’ Edela said, frowning, cross with herself. ‘But hopefully, there is more to learn soon.’

  Aleksander glanced around as lightning streaked through the darkening sky. ‘Did you find out about the sword or the prophecy?’

  Edela shook her head sadly. ‘They don’t want me to know about either of those things. We didn’t speak of them, not really.’ She took a deep breath and braved those sad, brown eyes. ‘They knew about Eadmund, told me that he was meant to be with Jael, just as the sword was meant to be with her. That it was important they were together.’

  Aleksander froze. How could he have expected anything else? Everyone wanted to take her away from him, it seemed. There wasn’t one single soul on his side, apart from the Widow, he supposed, unless she had just been playing a game with him. ‘I see. Well, that’s not a surprise, is it?’ he smiled wistfully, shutting away the feelings that were fluttering inside his chest. ‘Can he help keep her safe?’

  Edela looked extremely doubtful, her mouth opening and closing while she thought on it. ‘Well, that depends on whether Jael has managed to get the tincture into him. He certainly couldn’t help her if he’s in the state he was when I was there. But I don’t know if she would want to help him, and if that’s the case, no, he will be of no use to her.’

  The clouds opened and rain teamed down, suddenly and violently. More thunder followed. They were under the slightest of ledges, and icy shards of rain found them quickly.

  ‘We should go!’ Aleksander called over the noise, grabbing Edela’s hand.

  ‘No, wait, listen to me,’ she said urgently. ‘Jael needs our help. That is what I learned above all things. She is in danger. The girl I saw, she is trying to kill Jael. Will try to kill her. Her mother knows dark magic. We have to get to Oss as soon as the Thaw comes.’

  Aleksander frowned, his body tensing. ‘But will that be enough time? What if something happens before then? Spring is months away.’

  Edela shook her head. ‘The elder, Neva, she said that the girl was not on Oss, would not be back for a while. We have time.’

  The rain was soaking them now, and Aleksander could see Edela’s body shaking in the glare of another bolt of lightening. ‘Come on, let’s get back to the house. You can go and visit your friend tomorrow.’

  She nodded, cringing beneath the fury of the storm. Aleksander pulled her along as fast as he could, trying to ignore the tightness in his chest. The elders were confident that there was enough time for them to get to Oss but what if they were wrong?

  Jael grumbled to herself as she hurried to get undressed for the second time. She was colder than ever and more unsettled. Her limbs shook, and her head was a mess. She hadn’t said a word to Biddy about any of it since she’d been back; she was in no mood for a lecture. Her mind had been solely focused on getting into the hot water as quickly as possible, hoping its soothing warmth would clear her mind. She wished she could talk to Edela; to have her peer into the future and forge a clear path for her. At the moment everything was suddenly fog-heavy.

  Jael hopped up on the stool, dipping one foot into the water. Biddy had managed to keep it warm! She smiled and sunk her whole foot in, hopping over the side and standing in the water, letting her body acclimatise; it was so used to being permanently frozen that the heat came as a shock to her numb limbs. She sat down and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the back of the tub, enjoying the sensation of the water as it lapped around her neck.

  There was a knock at the door.

  Jael’s eyes flew open in a burst of furious rage. Who was it now?!

  Biddy popped her head in, her eyebrows raised. ‘Who could that be?’

  ‘Well, whoever it is, you can talk to them. I’m not getting out!’ And Jael slipped further under the water, letting its wet warmth wrap around every part of her. She kept one ear out, though, wondering who their visitor was. She hoped it wasn’t Ivaar; she had had enough of him and his hot breath for one day.

  ‘Hello, Biddy.’

  Jael sat up immediately. She knew that voice. It was
Thorgils.

  Eydis looked forlorn as she wandered through the square, her long stick disappearing into the snow as she walked, her ears soaking up all the sounds around her. It was a quiet day in the fort, it seemed. Nothing stood out as interesting or unusual. Warriors were training in the Pit, smoky, cooking smells blew towards her from Ketil’s fire, and she could hear the general hum of the villagers working steadily away at their daily tasks. But still, Eydis could sense an uneasiness, or perhaps that was just within her?

  She had not spoken to Eadmund for days, and every time she was around Jael, Ivaar seemed to be there too. She could hear how intrigued he was by her and that worried Eydis. More so because of the dreams she had been having about Ivaar and Jael recently. What would that mean for Eadmund and Oss?

  She stilled suddenly, hearing footsteps close behind her, smelling an unfamiliar, feminine scent. She turned around quickly, anxiously. ‘Who’s there?’ she called, her eyes blinking with fear.

  ‘My name is Ayla,’ the woman smiled as she came towards her. ‘I thought I would seek you out, Eydis. Your brother, Ivaar, told me about you. I am a dreamer, like you. I’m his dreamer. There are not many of us that I know of, on any of the islands,’ she said sadly. ‘It would be nice to speak to you, I think, perhaps for both of us?’

  Eydis stilled, her face clouded with uncertainty. Ayla’s voice did not disturb her greatly, and she heard no threat in it, but she was Ivaar’s dreamer, and that was enough to put Eydis on edge. Still, she had not met many dreamers in her life, and her desire for more knowledge piqued her curiosity. ‘Yes, alright,’ Eydis said cautiously. It was so hard when she couldn’t look people in the eye and assess their true intentions. She could tell much by a voice and by the sounds a body made when it spoke, but she was always filled with longing to stare into someone’s eyes, to see into their soul. ‘I have not spoken with many dreamers before.’