It was over.
The two former lovers pulled apart, Vana smearing tears from her cheeks.She fumbled for the silver torque around her neck.
“No,” Hróarr murmured softly.
“It was your mother’s,” Vana protested.
“Keep it.”Hróarr brushed the tears from her face, hands lingering as if to memorize the shape of her features.“It always suited you.”
Low words passed between them before Vana walked away and Hróarr threw himself back into the work of loading the ship.
All the while, Ovrek ignored the exchange.He wouldn’t steal Vana, but he wouldn’t object to her choosing him, either.
Cenric rested his hand on Brynn’s lower back for just a moment.These past few days had been a whirlwind of madness.He still wasn’t sure how they had come through it alive, but he was glad to have Brynn.She was like bedrock surrounded by silt, a guiding constellation in an endless expanse of night-dark sea.Her wise counsel, loyalty, and unwavering faith in him made him…more.He was more a warrior, more an alderman, and more a man than he had ever been before her.Partly because she made him better, but also because she made him believe he could be.
Brynn had known and lived with great men all her life.Surely, if she saw the seeds of greatness in Cenric, they must be there.
He thought of her uncle Aelgar then.The current king of Hylden had gifted him Brynn to start with.Certainly, Aelgar would not be pleased by their dealings with the Valdari.
Brynn shared some of Cenric’s concerns, but they had made no oaths that Aelgar could find troubling.If he questioned them sending tributes to Ovrek, they would tell him the truth—that it was to prevent raids.
The whole arrangement was far better than Cenric would have dared hope for, but it was delicate, a precise balancing of the scales.
Ovrek had been weakened.What would happen when he was once again strong?
Brynn peered up at him, offering a slight smile.“We’ll deal with it when the time comes.”It was as if she had read his mind.
Cenric brushed back a loose tendril of hair from her cheek.“I know.”
“Don’t fret.”Brynn squeezed his arm.“I promise I fret enough for both of us.”
Cenric kissed her, her mouth soft and giving in response.There didn’t seem to be anything more to say.
25
Brynn
“HaveyoutoldLordCenric yet?”Esa did her best to keep her voice down.
Brynn offered a wan smile.“Not yet.You’re sure?”
“Everything appears as it should to me.”Esa shrugged awkwardly.“But you are more experienced than me.”
“It can be a challenge to sensekain our own bodies sometimes.”Brynn exhaled a long breath.“Thank you for confirming, Esa.That is a relief.”
“Lady?”Lena approached them, head angled carefully toward her feet and shoulders bowed.
Esa scrambled away from Brynn as if she’d been caught doing something wrong.
“Lady, the jarl wants to know if you would sleep in his tent tonight.”Lena frowned.“He says he’s tired of Snapper trying to steal his woman.”
Brynn laughed at that.
Lena shifted, seeming deeply troubled.
“Snapper is his dog,” Brynn explained.“He likes to climb into bed with me.He’s been doing it since our wedding night.”
Lena’s face remained grave, not understanding the humor of the situation.The girl remained perpetually on edge, like a fox trapped in a longhouse.She constantly seemed to be on guard watching for a threat.
