by A. E. Rayne
Thorgils’ eyes widened. ‘Well, I hardly think you’ll find any room in here tonight, my friend. Not unless you plan on cuddling up with me!’ He tried to get Eadmund’s attention but Eadmund continued to stare at his cup.
Jael put her hand on her husband’s knee. ‘Eadmund,’ she urged. ‘Let’s go. You’ve had enough for tonight.’
He looked at her then, his eyes absent of any feeling as they tried to focus on her face. ‘Enough?’ he frowned. ‘No, I don’t think I have.’ And he picked up the cup and drank deeply, not stopping until it was empty.
Wiping his hand across his damp, coppery beard, he stumbled to his feet and without a word, pushed past Thorgils and wandered off in search of more ale.
They watched him go, numb, confused, unable to move. This was different and not in a good way.
Something was terribly wrong with Eadmund.
15
In Amma’s fervent desire to take care of Eydis, she had buried her beneath a mountain of furs. Eydis had not slept well, tossing and turning, waking frequently, confused by the strange sounds coming from outside the bedchamber, and the unfamiliar ones inside it.
She closed her eyes again, stretching her hot feet as far as she could towards the end of the bed. Her legs wouldn’t stay still, though; they twitched constantly. Eydis sighed and let her head fall back into the pillow, imagining herself sinking. That was something Ayla had taught her: the idea of sinking back into the clouds; falling into their comforting softness, into the dreams that awaited her.
Eydis’ breathing slowed, her chest rising high and falling deep, her body finally unwinding, her legs still. And then, in the darkness, she saw it: Ivaar’s face. And she gasped.
For he was smiling.
‘Evaine!’ Runa called impatiently as she tried to burp Sigmund over her shoulder. ‘Where are you going?’
‘I told you,’ Evaine grumbled, wrapping a fur around her shoulders. It had snowed lightly during the night, and she shivered as she dressed. ‘I must see Sigynn about getting a new cloak made for summer.’
‘In this weather?’
‘I have nothing to wear!’ Evaine exclaimed as she slipped on her gloves and hurried to open the door. ‘Nothing that isn’t worn through and if I am to be...’ her voice trailed away.
‘If you are to be what?’ Runa frowned, unsettled. ‘Leaving soon?’
Evaine spun around. ‘Is that what you want? To throw me out? Send me back to that place, with that woman?’
Runa rubbed Sigmund’s tiny back. ‘Me? None of this has anything to do with me, Evaine. But surely it does have something to do with your son, who I don’t believe you have even looked at today.’
Evaine huffed her way back over to the baby as he gave a loud burp, rivers of milk streaming from his mouth. She grimaced. ‘I need to get my strength back,’ she insisted. ‘And you have so much more experience than me. He needs your care more than mine right now, wouldn’t you say?’
Runa couldn’t argue with that. It was obvious to her that Evaine saw motherhood as simply a way to claw her hooks back into Eadmund’s heart. If they had ever been there at all. ‘Well,’ she said tightly, ‘perhaps you are right.’ She didn’t want to stand in the way of Evaine leaving the house. It was all she desired. And Sigmund was far better company.
Evaine smiled triumphantly and turned back to the door. She stopped, smiling to herself as she reached for the handle. ‘And you needn’t worry. I won’t be leaving Oss. Neither of us will.’
Eadmund rolled over. His head was aching.
He frowned, annoyed with himself. He couldn’t remember the last time he had lost himself in drink. Not since before the tincture. He couldn’t understand what had happened.
Why had he lost control? Why now?
He tried to open his eyes, but the sharp pains in his head closed them quickly. The narrow bed he had managed to secure for himself creaked as he shuffled around, trying to find a more comfortable position. It seemed like an impossible quest, though. He groaned instead and tried to swallow.
The cold hall was coming to life around him, but he was not ready to be awake yet. He was half asleep, still thinking of Evaine. His dream of her had felt so intense, as though it had actually happened. Eadmund grimaced, feeling an unsettling mix of desire and guilt. He had forgotten how beautiful she was. Those lips...
‘Had a nice sleep?’ Thorgils grumbled as he shoved Eadmund over and sat down, squeezing his wide rump onto the edge of the tiny bed. ‘Better than most in here I would say, by the look on your face. Must have been all that ale you had?’
Eadmund grunted and tried to sit up. ‘You’re getting more like Odda each day,’ he croaked moodily. ‘No wonder your father spent all his time trying to divorce her.’
‘Oh, that’s a nice greeting for your best friend,’ Thorgils muttered. ‘And here’s me, bringing you a cup of water. I may as well drink it myself.’ He lifted the wooden cup up to his great frothing beard.
‘No, no!’ Eadmund leaned over and snatched it out of Thorgils’ hand. ‘I’ll take it.’ He drained the cup quickly, cleared his throat and tried to smile, ignoring the thunderous pounding between his eyes. ‘Thank you. I needed that.’
‘Well, you see, that’s what being a friend is... thinking of others,’ Thorgils murmured. ‘Looks like you’re going to have to start remembering that. Being a friend... being a husband.’ He leaned in, watching as the servants brought the large fire in the centre of the hall to life. ‘There are not a lot around here impressed with your wife, you know. Ivaar is weaving all sorts of doubts into their minds, helped along by Otto, of course. I think Jael could do with all the friends she could get right now.’
Eadmund swallowed, wishing there was more water. His shoulders sagged; he didn’t want to think about Jael. ‘Well, perhaps you and I need to work our way through the Islanders? Make sure their loyalties are intact before we leave.’ He eased his way to the edge of the bed. ‘We can’t have their heads being turned before the battle.’
Thorgils looked pleased. ‘Well, that’s the most sense you’ve made in a while!’ He stood up and searched for Eadmund’s cloak and sword belt. ‘Come on, then. It’ll be some time before there’s anything for us to eat, by the look of it. Let’s go and see who we can find.’ He glanced around, lowering his voice. ‘I’m not about to let Ivaar defeat Jael, or us.’
Eadmund threw his cloak around his shoulders and tried to blink himself into the moment but all he could see was Evaine’s eager, naked body as it writhed beneath him.
The house was not warm. And as for the bed...
Jael shook her head at how soft she had become as she stretched her arms and yawned. It was not so long ago that she had been squeezed into that tiny, breezy little cottage in Andala with Biddy and Aleksander. But now she couldn’t stop her mind from wandering back to the house on Oss and the bed she had shared with Eadmund. And the puppies. She sighed and rolled over.
There were so many things that Jael needed to organise, but all she could think about was what was wrong with Eadmund. Was it because of Aleksander? Or his son? Had the tincture suddenly stopped working?
Was it Evaine?
‘Jael?’ Eydis whispered as she felt her way around the dark room.
Light was seeping under the door, and it helped Jael to see, but for Eydis, it was always night. She smiled sadly. ‘I’m here, Eydis,’ Jael whispered back. ‘Follow my voice.’
Eydis found the bed and Jael grabbed her hand. She felt warm. ‘Are you feeling unwell? You’re very hot.’
‘I had too many furs,’ Eydis murmured as she sat down, not wanting Amma to hear.
‘Ahhh, so that’s where they all went,’ Jael laughed, noticing that both her mother and Amma were awake and talking now. ‘No wonder I was so cold!’
‘Well, I didn’t want Eydis to freeze,’ Amma said sleepily. ‘It is not a very warm room.’
‘No, it isn’t, but we could be in a tent with Axl and Fyn,’ Jael pointed out. ‘I’m sure they would ha
ppily change places!’
‘And why are you here?’ Gisila wondered as she wrapped her cloak around her nightdress and walked over to poke the thoroughly dead embers in the brazier. ‘I thought you would be with your husband?’
Jael’s face fell, but she tried to smile. ‘And miss listening to you snore all night, Mother?’
Eydis frowned. ‘What has happened?’ she asked softly. ‘Something’s wrong, isn’t it? I feel it.’
‘In your dreams?’ Jael wondered as she grabbed a fur and pulled it around their shoulders.
‘I see Ivaar in my dreams,’ Eydis whispered. ‘He is so happy. Smiling.’
‘Ivaar?’
Gisila had gone out into the main room of the house, looking for Gunni. Amma was hurriedly dressing.
‘I am worried, Jael,’ Eydis said, her bottom lip quivering. ‘I don’t want anything to happen to you. Or Eadmund.’
‘Eydis,’ Jael said gently. ‘I must certainly survive this battle if I’m worthy of having a prophecy written about me. There must be something important I’m supposed to do, and I don’t imagine this is it.’ She squeezed Eydis’ hand. ‘And you know that I will do everything in my power to keep everyone safe, including Fyn.’
‘Fyn?’ Eydis blushed.
Jael smiled as she held her close. ‘Well, that is good news.’
‘What?’
‘Your father is thinking of betrothing you to Fyn, so I’m glad to see that it wouldn’t be such an unwanted thing.’
‘Fyn?’ Eydis’ mouth fell open.
Jael laughed. ‘Come on then, close your mouth and let’s find your clothes. I want some breakfast before Lothar and Thorgils eat it all! There’s plenty of time to talk about Fyn later.’ She smiled and stood up, reaching down for Eydis’ hand as she sat there, horrified, still too shocked to close her mouth.
Meena woke up sobbing, her pillow soaked in tears. She shivered as she lay there, pulling her thin blanket up to her face, rocking back and forth, terrified. Her little bed felt so lonely, tucked into the corner of Varna’s dark chamber. She thought of her father, who had been dead for so many years now; her mother who she couldn’t even remember. Now there was only her grandmother.
And Meena was terrified of her.
But she had to do something. She couldn’t take another night terrorised by those nightmares.
Biddy was not about to let Edela go wandering off by herself. Not after the surprise dump of snow overnight. Well, not really a dump, she supposed as they shuffled across the square together. More a generous sprinkling.
Ido and Vella were happy with it, though, sniffing the freezing white powder as they raced around the two women, urging them to hurry up.
‘Could we not go any faster?’ Edela grumbled. ‘I am not a toddler learning how to walk!’
‘It’s slippery,’ Biddy said sternly. ‘So no, I don’t think that would be a good idea.’
‘At this rate, we will be at Entorp’s for supper!’ Edela huffed and tried to speed up but Biddy had a firm grip on her arm, and, being nearly 20 years younger, had a good deal more strength on her side.
They tussled as they walked, until Edela finally sighed and gave in and Biddy laughed. Her face froze quickly, though, as she spied Evaine walking towards them, her long, white cloak swishing across the snow-touched ground.
‘Hello, again!’ Edela called out, already pulling a reluctant Biddy in Evaine’s direction. The puppies, seemingly on Edela’s side, raced towards Evaine, their tails wagging as they jumped up at her cloak.
Evaine stopped, cringing, trying to push their dirty paws away.
‘Ido! Vella!’ Biddy cried.
The puppies completely ignored her, then both suddenly sat back on their haunches, low growls building in their bellies. Evaine jumped back, surprised.
Biddy smiled, leaving them to it, much to Evaine’s displeasure.
‘Those are Jael’s dogs, aren’t they?’ she asked, trying to mask her irritation.
‘Jael’s and Eadmund’s.’
Evaine ignored the disdain on Biddy’s face. ‘They don’t seem to like me very much, do they?’ she laughed nervously.
‘No, well dogs have a good sense about people,’ Biddy said coldly. ‘They can tell a lot more than we can about somebody’s true intentions.’
The smile froze on Evaine’s face, and she turned her eyes quickly away from Biddy. ‘And how are you feeling, Edela?’ she wondered, trying her best to appear concerned. ‘You look much better than when I last saw you.’
‘Thank you,’ Edela said cheerfully. ‘I am much improved. And ready to do what I came here for.’
Biddy gripped Edela’s arm tightly, but Edela refused to move or even look her way. She wanted to warn the girl, to show her that she was not unopposed here on Oss; that her plans for hurting Jael stood no chance for success.
‘And what is that?’ Evaine asked carefully, wary under the strengthening stare of the old woman.
‘I am here to stop you,’ Edela said firmly, staring into Evaine’s eyes, ignoring Biddy’s surprised gasp. She smiled confidently. ‘You may flutter your pretty eyelashes at anyone you please, but know that we know what you are doing. More of us than you might think. We are watching you, and neither you, nor your mother will succeed.’
Evaine backed away, too shocked to speak.
The puppies’ growls reached the back of their teeth.
‘I, I,’ Evaine stammered, backing up slowly. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I must be going. I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ And she hurried to turn around, walking away as quickly as her delicate feet would carry her.
Edela’s knees almost gave way as Ido and Vella bounded back to her side.
Biddy grasped her arm to steady her, swallowing repeatedly, speechless.
‘Well, come on then,’ Edela said, clearing her throat, trying to find her voice again as she straightened her spine. ‘We don’t want to keep Entorp waiting, do we? There is much we need to discuss!’
Evaine slammed the door and rushed up the stairs without removing her cloak and boots. She didn’t even acknowledge Runa who was still sitting by the fire, Sigmund asleep in her arms.
She hurried to the far side of the mezzanine where her double-sized bed stood, piled luxuriously high with furs and pillows. Sitting down, she tried to breathe, tried to think, but she was too panicked to see anything clearly.
What did Edela know? What could she know?
‘Evaine?’ Runa called up to her. ‘Has something happened?’
Evaine shook her head, frantically trying to clear Edela out of it. She had no time to be distracted by an old woman’s ramblings.
She would have to work fast.
Fyn sat down next to Jael and Eydis, yawning.
‘Didn’t sleep much?’ Jael wondered, swallowing a lump of warm porridge and honey.
‘Your brother snores,’ Fyn groaned, rubbing at his swollen eyes which were already considering the food before him.
‘Must run in the family,’ Jael smiled. ‘Perhaps I should swap places with Axl tonight? That way we can both sleep!’
Fyn grabbed a flatbread and a slice of cheese. ‘What about Eadmund?’ he mumbled, shovelling everything into his mouth with speed. He nodded towards Eadmund who was talking with Thorgils and Eirik on the opposite side of the hall.
Jael ignored his question and changed the subject. ‘You should grab as much food as you can before it’s all gone!’ she grinned, noticing the influx of Islanders and Brekkans as they bustled in through the doors, their bulky frames and booming voices suddenly filling the hall with noise and earthy odours.
Fyn eyed the men and hurried to grab some fruit and cheese from the tray in front of them. ‘What is the plan for the day, then?’ he asked, popping a handful of berries into his mouth.
‘Today, we prepare and talk. A lot.’ She looked at Eirik who motioned her over. ‘Best keep yourself busy with Axl, sharpening everything you’ve got. Perhaps you could take Eydis with you?
See if you can find my cousin, Amma. Axl will help you find her. She will look after you, Eydis.’
Both Eydis and Fyn appeared ready to protest, but Jael left too quickly for either one to even form the words. They sat silently next to each other, neither one knowing what to say.
Jael smiled to herself and wandered over to Eirik.
‘Did you sleep well?’ Eirik wondered brightly.
‘Not really,’ she sighed, glancing at Eadmund, who appeared to look right through her. ‘Nothing could compare to my bed on Oss.’
Eirik was pleased to hear it.
‘Well, at least you had a bed,’ Thorgils grumbled, his hair standing up wildly as he shook his hand through it. ‘I had the floor, and not much else.’
‘These are hard times,’ Eirik said, trying not to laugh. ‘And where is your uncle?’ he wondered, nodding at Rexon and Gant who joined them.
‘Lothar is just up,’ Gant said. ‘He will be here shortly, I’m sure.’
Eirik was relieved to hear it. He felt a rush today. He had slept well and did not feel too ill, which was surprising given how much wine and ale he’d consumed. He was so pleased to be preparing for battle that he happily ignored his familiar old-man aches and pains.
The sky was hidden behind iron-grey clouds, but there was blue lurking just behind them, and he was looking forward to a productive day. They would set sail the day after tomorrow, and he couldn’t wait.
‘We will hold a ritual tomorrow night,’ Rexon announced, nodding at some of Eirik’s lords as they made their way into the hall, looking very much the worse for wear. ‘I have spoken about it to Lothar.’ He tried his best not to let the scorn from his tongue show on his face. ‘He is not very interested, but I know that my men and their women will appreciate the blessing of Furia before we depart.’
‘Well, I will take any luck we can get!’ Eirik agreed. ‘But along with luck, we need a solid plan. So, as soon as Lothar and Osbert are here, we must begin the arguing and compromising.’ He rolled his eyes, glancing at his six lords, and Ivaar. He knew how these things went. ‘You have a map?’