Ragi collected the box from inside, passed it to Astrid and locked the door. She held the box as tightly as she could as she followed Dag down the mountain, looking back every few minutes for Ragi, worried when she didn’t see him behind them.
‘Where’s Ragi?’ Astrid called out.
‘He’ll be going to his hut till the storms over,’ Dag called back.
For the next twenty minutes they ran as fast as they could. Dag panted heavily but Astrid ran easily, lightly leaping over the ground. The wind picked up until it was almost blowing them backwards. Astrid felt a little like she was flying, and threw herself forward as she ran, the wind holding her up for a few seconds before her feet touched the ground. She smiled, her eyes lighting up, the feeling exhilarating. The snow quickly settled on the ground and their footprints barely had chance to make an imprint before fresh snow covered them.
Reaching the clearing, Dag rushed over to the small hut built into the side of the house to fetch as much wood as he could.
“Get the pony inside!’ he called out through the wind, trudging through the snow with an armful of logs.
Astrid froze, her eyes darting over to the pony at the side of the house.
‘Astrid!’ Dag barked loudly. ‘Put Felix in the stable!’
Shocked that Dag had actually shouted at her, she slowly approached Felix, her hands shaking uncontrollably as her heart began pumping faster and faster.
It’s just a pony! Astrid said to herself, trying to reach out and take it by its long mane to lead it towards the stable, but unable to bring herself to touch it. Her hand stopped in mid-air and the pony stepped forward and pressed its large shoulder against it.
Like a lightning bolt had struck her, Astrid screamed and fell to the ground, revolted that she had touched it. Her hands glowed, the snow around her melted and the grass burst into flames. Her hands clutched the floor and she shivered, her eyes wild and terrified. The sound of loud hooves and of horses whinnying rang in her ears, and she crouched on the floor and screamed at the noises and images in her head.
Dag raced around the side of the house and reached down to help her up as she yelled out, swiping her hand at him. The air around her crackled with magic.
‘Get away!’ she screamed, and Dag stepped back, shaking his head, his arm burning where she had hit him.
Dag quickly led the pony into the stable, climbed the small ladder leading to the rafters and pulled down as much of the straw as he could. With Felix safe, he headed back outside and locked the doors.
The winter storms in the Red Mountains were particularly vicious. A storm like this could last a week, sometimes two, and after the storm had passed the snow was often so deep that they would be trapped in the house for another few weeks until it melted.
Trudging up to Astrid who was still huddled on the floor, Dag knelt down next to her, the wind now so cold it felt like multiple whips biting at his skin.
‘Astrid! You have to get up, goldheart! The storm will hit soon!’
Shivering, Astrid got to her feet holding her hands to her chest, stumbled into the house and climbed the stairs to her room. She padded over to the wooden box that held the jasmine oil, pulled her blanket around her and opened the bottle. She closed her eyes and inhaled, and a lump rose in her throat as old, comforting memories washed away the sound of the hooves in her mind.
‘Please stay downstairs,’ Astrid whispered, hearing Dag walk up into the loft.
‘I’m sorry goldheart,’ Dag muttered, sitting down beside her. ‘I forgot.’
‘Please go downstairs,’ Astrid said again, and Dag nodded, doing as she’d asked.
You forgot? How could you forget? she mentally raged at him. Don’t you think I would like to forget?
Astrid sniffed at the bottle again, replaying the images over and again in her mind. She tried to imagine the warm Aldwood sun on her skin, Sylbil’s voice calling her to come inside the house and Arnbjörg calling back that they would only be a few more minutes. She tried to picture her mother laughing with her, helping her make a small woven basket with the coarse grass which grew near their house.
Rocking back and forth, Astrid hummed one of the songs Sylbil and Arnbjörg would sing to her each night, realising to her horror that she had forgotten some of the words. She sang them under her breath again and again until she got them perfect.
Sleep and be happy, the moon is awake.
There’s light in the darkness.
Smile dear, you’re safe.
Don’t think of the howling,
The wolves are long gone.
No matter your fears, you’re safe, you are strong.
The clouds hide the moonlight,
Don’t worry, don’t fear.
The moon is still there,
Will in time, re-appear
There’s light in the darkness,
Don’t fret, we are here.
No matter what comes,
we love you my dear.
No matter what comes,
we love you my dear.
‘Did you know they wrote that song for you?’ Dag whispered from the doorway. Astrid turned and saw him sitting on the top stair with tears in his eyes. ‘They wrote that the day you were born. I was there. They both loved to sing so much.’
‘You were there?’ Astrid asked, surprised.
‘Yes! I nearly missed it. Sylbil was having trouble; you didn’t want to be born. You were stubborn even then!’ Dag laughed, wiping away the tears from his face, and smiled at the memory. ‘When you were finally born the first thing Sylbil did was start singing! They both looked so happy holding you.’
Astrid closed the bottle and placed it back into the box before turning to look at Dag.
‘Why did they call me Astrid?’ she asked, hoping she could use the moment to coax as much information from him as she could.
‘I don’t know. Arnbjörg wanted to call you Asgöta, or some other horrible name like that. He was sure you were going to be a girl! Sylbil wasn’t sure and was picking boy names for you.’
‘What names?’
‘Asbjorn was one of them. Arnbjörg didn’t like it. Finnvid was another, he hated that name!’ Dag laughed. ‘Oh and then there was Arlen, he quite liked that one, but for some reason he was so sure you were a girl. He was teasing Sylbil for weeks afterwards that her intuition was wrong!’
The wind howled outside and Astrid smiled, remembering the great storm they’d had in the Aldwood when the wind ripped up some of the thatch and the rain poured in. She’d watched from the fireplace as Arnbjörg and Sylbil had quickly tried to patch it up. Sylbil had raced outside and climbed onto the roof whilst Arnbjörg had clambered up into the rafters and tried to patch it up from below, both of them having to shout at each other over the sound of the howling wind. After struggling for a good twenty minutes they had finally managed to make a rough patch to stop the rain from pouring through. Both of them had laughed, completely soaked through.
‘They loved laughing,’ Astrid said.
‘At first it was hard for them. Sylbil found it really hard at first.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘They had to leave everything so suddenly. When it was just them, they were very happy, but when she found out she was carrying you, she was so afraid for you. Arnbjörg kept telling her it would be fine, but she would wake up in the middle of the night screaming. She kept on having nightmares of people hurting you.’
The wind picked up speed and the roof of the house shook for a moment, but Astrid ignored it, hungry for more of Dag’s stories about her parents. He never talked about them, something she wished he would do. Losing them was bad, but not remembering them was worse. At times she wished Dag was more like Ragi, whom would often ask her about them as if he was asking her about the weather, refusing to tread delicately around the topic, and in doing so making it less painful.
‘Arnbjörg started making a game of it. Every time Sylbil thought about what frightened her, she had to say someth
ing she was happy about. At first it was just silly little things like that they had food on the table, but then she started to dream about what it would be like when you were born: the things she would teach you, the songs you would both sing. She started laughing a lot more. She asked me if I would teach you.’
‘Teach me?’
‘Languages, history, calculation. When....when I came last time, I was going to start teaching you,’ Dag said, his voice cracking a little. They both sat silently for a few moments, the mood turning sad again.
‘Why don’t you teach me now?’ Astrid suggested. ‘The storm isn’t going anywhere. They would like that!’
‘Yes, they would,’ Dag said, smiling.
Exposed
Jarl stared up at the ceiling, not sure what to think.
Knud was asleep in his bed and Jarl could smell the Daru wine in the air, the rare drink having a particularly strong aroma. But he’d decided he was not going to mention it or even let Knud know that he knew; he was far more worried about what he had just witnessed.
He slid out of bed, crept outside, and saw Skad and Halvard talking in the courtyard, Skad standing with the help of two crutches, his leg newly bandaged. He strolled over and stood next to Halvard.
‘She’s a half elf,’ he finally said out loud and both of them turned to look at him. ‘You knew didn’t you?’ he asked Skad. Skad’s jaw tightened and he looked up at the stars.
‘How could you recommend a...a Blanda blóð?’ Halvard spat, disgusted.
‘She is the best,’ Skad replied, the words like a bitter taste in his mouth. ‘Astrid mastered everything I taught her within two years. My best student was a damned half-elf!’
‘So you still vouch for her?’ Halvard asked, still slightly shaken by the revelation of Astrid’s heritage.
‘Yes! If Astrid can’t keep you safe, nobody can. She is the best.’
‘I think I’d rather not risk it,’ Halvard grumbled, turning to Jarl, expecting to see a similar sentiment on his face. ‘Jarl?’
‘She’s coming,’ Jarl said firmly, and Halvard growled with frustration. ‘We don’t know the pass. She does. It would be mad to try and risk it ourselves.’
‘She’s a half-elf!’ Halvard spat.
‘And she is half-dwarf too,’ Jarl said straight back. ‘She has done nothing that makes me think she can’t be trusted. Far from it.’
‘Are you mad? Isn’t having elven blood enough?’
‘Don’t be stupid! She can’t help who her parents were any more than you could,’ Jarl snapped.
‘At least my parents were dwarves!’ Halvard shouted, angry.
’I’m not arguing with you about this Halvard,’ Jarl said firmly. ‘If she will still take us, then she is coming.’
‘Then at least pay her now. Anyone who doesn’t take half the payment isn’t to be trusted. Means they have some other way of making money. Maybe selling us out to goblins.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous!’
‘Jarl...pay her half now or I’m going back to Bjargtre.’
Seeing the resolute look on Halvard’s face, Jarl stormed back to the dorm and shuffled through his bag, swearing under his breath.
Astrid didn’t deserve this. She had done nothing but protect them throughout the journey so far. She couldn’t help who her parents were.
After pulling the pouch of money from the bottom of his bag, Jarl stormed out of the dorm, and Halvard watched him as he walked up the stairs to the second floor before turning to look at Skad triumphantly.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Jarl strode over to the two monks who were standing outside the great hall.
‘I’m sorry, I know I’m not meant to be here, but I need to talk to Astrid,’ Jarl said urgently, wanting to get the unpleasant task over and done with as soon as possible. He had no doubt Astrid would be deeply offended, but he had no choice. Halvard had to come with them. If Vígdís did listen to him and send an army back to Bjargtre, he needed someone he knew and trusted to stay with Knud.
‘I’ll find her,’ the first monk said, pushing aside the heavy rug-like curtains that covered the entrance to the great hall. The second monk stood nearby, a scowl on his face, and glared down at Jarl.
‘So, you’re here to pay her off?’ he asked, disgusted.
‘No, just to pay her.’
‘Because nobody could possibly trust a woman who has, I’m guessing, already saved your life a few times,’ the monk replied.
Astrid pushed the curtain aside and stepped out from the great hall, looking at him nervously.
‘Can...can I talk to you alone?’ Jarl asked. The monks glared at him, then shook their heads and walked away, grumbling as they did so. Astrid knotting her hands together nervously. Her hair had come loose during the fight and half of it hung down from the bun she had pinned it in.
Seeing the pouch of money in Jarl’s hands, Astrid looked down, an angry but resigned look on her face. ‘I’m no longer your guide?’
‘Astrid, would you mind if I paid you like you asked, when we arrive at Lǫgberg?’ Jarl said suddenly, and Astrid flinched as he said her name and looked up at him surprised.
‘What?’
‘Halvard said if I didn’t pay you now he would leave, and he needs to come to Lǫgberg with us.’ For a moment Astrid said nothing, her eyes flickering with confusion. ‘I don’t care that you’re a half elf,’ Jarl said firmly, and Astrid felt a little like she had been stabbed in the throat as he said the words. She did her best not to visibly react, even though inside it felt like her stomach was knotting itself up like an ouroboros.
‘Halvard won’t believe you if you lie,’ Astrid said finally, gulping as she said the words. ‘Pay me tomorrow when we leave. I can pretend to get angry and I’ll give it to the monks. He’ll believe that.’ She smiled and Jarl laughed at her suggestion.
‘Yes, that he would believe!’
* * *
Pulling his bag onto his shoulders, Jarl walked out of the dorm, barely able to hide the small grin on his lips. Halvard and Knud walked behind him down the hall listening to the pouch of Fé jingling in his hand.
Seeing Skad in the courtyard as they walked past it, Jarl stopped for a moment, and Halvard and Knud walked on ahead of him towards the gate.
Skad, with a wooden crutch and several new bandages over his splinted leg, looked around expecting to see Astrid nearby.
‘Going then, are you?’ Skad grumbled, shifting a little on his crutch. Jarl nodded. ‘Well then, make sure that mutt doesn’t get you killed!’ He laughed, and Jarl glared at him, repulsed.
‘If you hate her so much, then why did you suggest her to us?’ Jarl asked. Skad shrugged his shoulders.
‘I might have a mutt which is uglier than a pure breed, but if it’s better for hunting I’d take it.’
‘You’re disgusting!’ Jarl spat, turning to walk away. Skad laughed.
‘Astrid’s a sucker for protecting people. It’s her addiction. As long as you play on that you’ll be safe.’
Shaking his head Jarl walked off, not bothering to say goodbye, and stormed through the front gate. Halvard and Knud were waiting for him outside. Astrid was nowhere to be seen.
‘Twenty Fé says she decides not to come!’ Halvard grinned. Several monks waited with them, a few of them unable to hide their disgust at Halvard’s bet.
‘Fifty says she does,’ Jarl retorted.
‘Done!’ Halvard laughed, crossed his arms and smiled gleefully as the seconds ticked by.
Through the open door, with her veil down and wrapped around her neck, Astrid appeared. Halvard’s face dropped as Jarl walked up to her and passed her the money.
‘I thought it was best if we paid you half now,’ Jarl said, doing his best to sound sincere, shocked as a furious look crossed her face. She glared at him.
‘You can pay me when we arrive, as we discussed!’
‘No, we pay you half now,’ Jarl demanded, wondering for a moment if Astrid had forgotten about their plan. H
er reaction was frighteningly convincing.
‘Fine then!’ she hissed, grabbing the pouch from him and turning to toss it over the abbey wall. Several of the monks waiting in the courtyard who had been informed of the plan yelled as they saw it hurtling down towards them. A scuffle ensued as they all leapt up to catch it. One of them yelled out a loud victory roar and danced victoriously. The other monks laughed at him.
‘There! I’ve taken your money and I’ve spent it! We’re leaving!’ Astrid shouted, storming off down the path. A small grin spread across her face as soon as the others were behind her. Jarl stared after her in shock.
‘See? That wasn’t so hard!’ Halvard gloated, and Jarl ignored him, walking quickly after Astrid. When he reached her, he tried to look into her eyes but she still appeared to be angry with him as she glared at the ground.
‘He believed it,’ Jarl whispered.
A broad smile spread across Astrid’s face and her eyes flashed with happiness. Jarl breathed a sigh of relief, trying not to laugh.
‘I thought you were really angry at me for a moment!’
‘I wanted to see your expression,’ she said, grinning. ‘It was worth it!’
* * *
The descent back down the mountain was a lot easier than the climb, and with Skad gone the atmosphere was a lot more relaxed. Miles upon miles of land stretched out below them, the forest tapering out into flat plains of thick, yellow grass. Heavy storm clouds hovered in the distance.
‘It’s going to be hard to find food in that,’ Halvard said.
‘We have enough from the monastery,’ Jarl replied. ‘If we’re careful, we’ll have enough to last till we reach Waidu.’
‘Maybe the elf could use some of her magic and bewitch the animals to come out,’ Halvard said, his tone implying it was an insult. Jarl walked away from him and got into step alongside Knud.
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