Guthrum chose that moment to enter the hall with Kaja flying overhead to perch upon the rafters. He inclined his head. “No signs of pursuit up the Rimstrom, my king,” he said. “By your leave, I would return to the coast so that Kaja might journey across the strait to see what plans our enemy makes against us.”
Harald held up an arm and the bird flapped down to land upon his wrist, claws digging deep enough that it must have hurt. Yet he showed no reaction. Only stroked a gentle finger over her feathers. “Keep a wary eye, Kaja. And show care, for Snorri is no fool and his archers have skill.”
Kaja ruffled her feathers as though the very thought of being caught was foolishness, then took to the air and soared out the open doors. “You show care as well, my friend,” Harald said to Guthrum. Digging into his pocket, he extracted a chain festooned with tiny silver medallions, which he tossed to the man. “The southern merchants bring unbiased gossip, most especially when their cups are kept full.”
Guthrum touched the silver armband above his elbow and nodded. “Yes, my king. I’ll send a message the moment Kaja returns to me.”
He left without another word and Harald moved to sit at a table, pouring himself a cup from the pitcher that sat at its center. “It’s only a matter of time until Snorri confirms you’re here, Freya.”
Sweat broke out on my palms at the reminder. Not just because of the consequences for me or for Nordeland but because Geir and Ingrid were under Snorri’s control. Would he harm them out of spite or attempt to use them against me once again? The clamminess of my palms intensified, icy sweat dripping down my spine because if Snorri sent a direct order for me to return, would I be able to refuse him? Or wouldmy oath bind me to obey him and force me back across the strait whether I wanted to go or not?
I desperately tried to remember the exact words that I’d sworn that night, but my mind was a chaos of anxiety and the phrasing kept mixing up in my head. Dismay was rising on the faces of the Nordelanders as though they, too, had thought we’d have more time. Steinunn’s hands twisted the fabric of her skirts, Skade touched the seax belted at her waist, and Tora stared blankly at the floorboards, tension growing with every passing moment.
Then Steinunn blurted out, “It will be as it was when he was desperate to claim Bjorn. As long as he can muster the men or afford mercenaries, Snorri will never cease trying to claim his destiny, which means doing whatever it takes to get his shield maiden back. How many Nordelanders will die in his attacks as he attempts to reach her?” Steinunn’s voice broke and she coughed to clear it. “Saga, who has seen visions of the future granted to her by the Allfather, said Freya must die to prevent Nordeland from falling to darkness and we have all suffered to achieve that end. Yet Freya stands here as a favored guest. I say we kill her and send Snorri her head so that we might have a chance at a better future.”
“I agree with Steinunn.” Skade’s bow appeared in her hands. “The risks that come with keeping Freya alive are obvious. The advantages much less so. Especially given she has made it clear she will not fight for Nordeland. She is a liability, my king. Put her down.”
“Put her down!” Steinunn cried out.
Bjorn stepped in front of me with his axe in hand, and it reminded me that I was unarmed. Steinunn was no warrior but she had a seax at her belt and unfated as she was, Hel’s magic was no threat to her.
“And you!” Tears flowed down Steinunn’s cheeks, a lock of her light brown hair sticking to the dampness. “You betray us all by defending her. And why? Freya hates you, Bjorn. She has made that clear, yet you trail after her as though you believe that time will make her forgive you. But I assure you, it will not. So you betray us fornothing.How much more must I lose because of you?”
“It was Snorri who killed your family.” Bjorn took a step in Steinunn’s direction only to shift his stance as Skade made to circle around him. My eyes jumped wildly around the hall to fix on a shield mounted on the wall. If I could get to it before Skade shot her arrow, I might have a chance.
“For years you lived in Snorri’s house,” Bjorn continued. “Forfucking years,Steinunn, and I know for a fact he showed no caution or care around you. You could have killed him a hundred times over and did not.” He gestured to me. “You could have put a knife in Freya’s back just as easily but did not. Your tears ring hollow given that you could have achieved all that Ifailed to dobut chose not to because you’re too much of a coward.”
“Then I will do it now!” Tearing her seax free of her belt, Steinunn lunged. My heart lurched. Not out of fear for myself but fear that this burst of bravery would cost the skald her life.
But then Harald was between her and Bjorn. How he’d moved so swiftly, I couldn’t have said. Only that one moment he was seated and the next he had Steinunn by the wrists. Her blade dropped from her hand as he spoke soft words that I couldn’t hear, and then she rested her forehead on his shoulder, sobbing.
“Saga told you herself that death was no revenge on Snorri for he would only find glory in Valhalla,” Harald said, this time loud enough that I could hear. “True revenge can only come from denying him the fate that was foreseen, as then he will fall into a spiral of obscurity and despair that will end in an inglorious death that earns no place at the Allfather’s side. Is this not the revenge you seek, Steinunn?”
“It is,” she choked out. “But Saga said that the only way it would be achieved is with the shield maiden’s death, so why do you protect her?”
“Saga said the only way it could be achieved is if Snorrilost control ofthe shield maiden.” Harald hooked his thumb on his belt, expression thoughtful. “We’ve always interpreted her words as demanding the certainty of death. But what if there is another path?”
My heart galloped in my chest and my body warred between whether it should fight or flee, for my life felt very much in the balance.
Steinunn lifted her head, brow furrowed as she stared into Harald’s eyes. “Are you certain?”
“No,” he answered. “And I will not deny that I am motivated by the thinnest thread of hope in suggesting it, for my son loves this woman and I’ll risk much for his sake.”
Squeezing Steinunn’s shoulders, Harald stepped away from her. “There is but one person who can confirm whether my hope is a strategy to be pursued or a fool’s dream, and that is Saga. If she says the only choice is to kill Freya, then in the name of Odin himself, I swear that I will see it done. But if Saga says there is another path, then I swear that I will stand in the way of any who attempt to do Freya harm. Does this content you, Steinunn?”
The skald wiped at her eyes, then gave a tight nod. “Yes, my king.”
I exhaled the breath I was holding, this exchange not at all what I’d been expecting. Nor did I know what to make of it, only that a spark of hope had bloomed in my heart and it was not dimmed by the knowledge that it hung upon a nuance of phrasing. On there being another way for Snorri to lose control over me other than death. Nor was the spark dimmed by the very real threat to my life if Saga dashed my hopes to dust.
Yet despite the promises that Harald had just given, Bjorn’s axe still burned bright in his hand. “You understand that if my mother demands that Freya must die, you’ll have to kill me first?”
Before my eyes, Harald’s face seemed to grow older and more haggard, as though this admission were draining the very life from him. “I understand, my son.”
Bjorn’s axe flickered out. “I don’t think I should wait for dawn.” His head turned, our eyes locking. “If you are in agreement, Freya, I think we ride out now.”
The tightness in my throat that had been troubling me so long eased and I drew in a breath. “Agreed. But I want my own horse.”
Harald clapped his hands together sharply, and servants appeared. “See that they have everything they need to journey to Saga’s cabin,” he said. “Arrange for my two fastest horses to be saddled.”
