by A. E. Rayne
Thorgils was ready to protest, but he didn’t. It was a heavy sword, and he doubted Jael could do much with it, but he didn’t say a word as he handed it to her.
Gripping both swords and feeling herself tip slightly to one side, Jael held them out as the barsk charged. ‘Get the book and take it inside to Edela! Quick! We need her to stop this!’
Rollo fell onto his face, the book dropping out of his hand.
Thorgils ran to scoop it up, shutting all thoughts of the red-eyed dogs out of his mind as he ran up Edela’s path, into the cottage.
There had been two barsk waiting in the hall for Bram.
One went down quickly, his hind legs almost severed by the axe’s sharp blade. The other was bigger, angrier. It ran towards Bram, its jaw snapping, spittle flying. The hulking black dog had the taste of blood, and it wanted more. Bram kept the axe close, trying to think. His chest was burning, full of fire.
He couldn’t stop seeing Runa’s face.
Swinging as the barsk charged, Bram felt the axe’s blade nick the dog’s skin as it skidded past him, spinning quickly, its growling a threatening rumble now.
Angry. Pawing the floor.
‘Bram! Move!’
Bram looked up to see Fyn standing in the doorway.
So did the barsk. It spun, low on its haunches, red eyes trained on Fyn, ready to pounce.
Fyn drew back his arm, trying to keep himself steady as he threw the spear.
The running barsk yelped, collapsing in a heap, the spear straight through one of its red eyes.
Fyn was too shocked to move. He glanced around the hall at the bodies and the blood, then hurried to Bram, seeing the pain on his face as he stumbled, leaning on the axe. ‘Are you alright?’
Bram opened his mouth, looking into his son’s eyes.
And slowly shook his head.
Axl clenched his teeth as he swung his sword, slicing back and forth, trying to fend off the snapping black dogs, feeling his leg weaken, trying not to think about the wolves that had nearly killed him.
The barsk were bigger than any wolves.
And they could almost fly it seemed as more and more were scaling the western wall, throwing themselves over the stakes and the ditch and into the fort. Axl heard a shout as Karsten went down, a barsk’s fangs piercing his ankle, another jumping on his back, knocking him to the ground.
‘Karsten!’ And charging towards the man who had tormented him in Hest, Axl hacked into one barsk’s neck before turning to face the next one, who released Karsten’s ankle and jumped up at him.
Gant threw his knife at the giant, black dog, but his hand was slippery with blood, and it barely grazed its black fur as it clattered to the ground. ‘Shit.’ He drew out his sword and ran for it, but Karsten got there first; limping, chopping his axe down, straight across the dog’s middle, cutting it in two.
Aleksander ran towards them, blood pouring down his arm. He’d been up on the ramparts, checking the valley. ‘More and more of them are coming!’ he cried. ‘Where’s Jael?’
All three men shrugged at him.
Aleksander didn’t want to panic, but he never felt right when Jael wasn’t beside him.
‘Watch out!’ Axl yelled as two more barsk sailed over the wall.
Thorgils was running back down the path from Edela’s cottage to Jael who looked ready to fall down and just as he thought it, she did.
‘Jael!’ he cried, skittering down the slippery path, trying not to fall over himself.
The two barsk charged for Jael who straightened out her legs, listening to the thudding of paws, wishing her arms felt stronger as she brought both swords up at once, skewering the jumping red-eyed dogs straight through their bellies. ‘Aarrghh!’ she screamed feeling the weight of them as she quickly released her hold on the swords, letting them drop to the ground.
The yelping barsk tried to move, but they were impaled on her swords, and it was Jael who quickly wriggled away from them.
‘Not sure you really needed my help,’ Thorgils panted, looking at Rollo’s corpse and the two barsk who were skewered, staggering, collapsing.
‘Has Edela got the book?’
Thorgils nodded.
Jael drew Toothpick out of one dead dog, bending over, trying to breathe. ‘Good... stay with them... guard them. I have to go and see what’s happening!’
And she ran into the dark night.
Thorgils watched her go, kicked both black dogs to make sure they were dead, then headed back up the path to the cottage.
‘I have to go,’ Fyn insisted as Bram sat him down. He panicked, suddenly thinking about his mother. ‘Can’t you hear it? I have to go!’ He swallowed, not liking the look in Bram’s eyes; the blood all over his chest.
Fyn’s eyes were drawn away to the bodies lying motionless around the hall.
He stood. ‘I have to go!’
Bram grabbed him. ‘It’s your mother.’ Tears were quickly in his eyes, but he was struggling to get out any words. ‘She’s... dead.’
Fyn jerked away from him. ‘No!’ Limping towards the doors, he shook his head. His eyes were up, not wanting to recognise a body. ‘No!’
Bram was after him, but Fyn already had one hand on the door, pulling it open.
‘Fyn!’
His son disappeared, and though Bram knew that he needed to get back to Biddy and Gisila, he couldn’t let him go. ‘Fyn!’ And he pulled open the door, ready to run after him, but Fyn was still standing on the steps, not moving. He turned back to Bram, tears in his eyes. ‘No!’ he sobbed, falling into Bram’s arms. ‘Please! No!’
48
With the Book of Aurea back in her hands, Edela quickly found her way to the spell, but she could barely see through her tears. She needed to though. She needed to get rid of the barsk quickly.
‘Edela?’ Eydis could feel her pain, and it worried her.
‘I’ve found the words, Eydis,’ Edela said quietly, trying to still her body; wanting to leave the cottage, but knowing she couldn’t yet.
‘Edela?’ Thorgils was just as worried as he bent down, a hand on her shoulder.
Edela looked up at him. ‘Find Derwa, please. You know where she lives?’
Thorgils nodded.
‘Take her to the hall! Hurry, please! We will come as soon as we’re finished here.’ And taking a deep breath, Edela placed her hand over the symbol and started chanting.
Draguta stood.
Vibrating with anger.
She glared at Eadmund who could not focus on her at all. He was struggling to pull himself out of his own trance, confused as to where he was; not sure what he had seen; what was real and what he’d hallucinated.
Surely most of it?
‘Your wife will die!’ Draguta spat. ‘Know that. And you will kill her!’ She turned to glare at Brill who sat by Morac in a haze of smoke; both of them clueless as to what had just happened. Whatever it was had not gone well, and Brill shivered as she struggled to her feet, hurrying after Draguta.
The barsk collapsed on the ground like a dark wave as Jael ran back to the western wall. One by one their bodies dropped, jaws releasing, red eyes fading.
Everything was suddenly quiet.
Jael felt relief loosen her aching body, but as she scanned the scattered piles of gouged bodies, and screaming men and women, her shoulders tightened right back up. She saw Gant, Axl, Aleksander. All still standing. Beorn, Karsten, Berard. Ivaar, Torstan. Aedan and Rork.
No Fyn.
‘Where’s Fyn?’ Jael yelled. ‘Fyn!’
‘He went to the hall,’ Axl said, gripping his sister’s arm as he stumbled. ‘I saw him go to the hall.’
Jael was suddenly cold all over. She stared into Axl’s eyes, then turned slowly towards the hall, watching Fyr who sat on the steps staring at her.
The raven cawed loudly and flew away.
And Jael ran.
Axl had seen the look in his sister’s eyes before she turned, and he hobbled after her, Gant and Aleksander behind him
.
Jael threw open the doors, running past the bodies, her eyes on the grey curtain. ‘Mother!’ she called. ‘Mother!’
There was blood everywhere.
‘Mother!’
Axl was behind her. ‘Amma?’
Jael saw Fyn and Bram embracing; blood all over the ground.
And then Runa’s body, lying on the floor. ‘Runa!’ Her heart broke, but she couldn’t think about that yet. ‘Mother!’ And Jael threw open Gisila’s chamber door.
Gant could hear Jael, and he wanted to stop and not see. Every part of him froze apart from his legs which kept moving him forward. Images of kissing Gisila rushed to the front of his mind as he ran.
Biddy turned as they all raced in. ‘She’s alive,’ she assured them quickly, holding up her hands which were covered in blood. ‘I need Derwa, though. Entorp too. More light. I have to stop the bleeding.’
Aleksander nodded. ‘I’ll get them!’
Axl’s mouth was open, and he couldn’t think. His mother’s eyes were closed. There was blood all over her. He couldn’t think.
And where was Amma?
Jael was at Gisila’s bedside, holding her hand. ‘Mother?’
She heard Axl calling Amma’s name, and she frowned, looking up at Gant. ‘Sit with her.’ And Jael ran after Axl, to where Fyn and Bram had gathered by Runa’s body.
Fyn was sobbing, dropping to his knees. ‘Mother!’
‘Amma!’ Axl was panicking. ‘Amma!’ Panicking and running into the kitchen, then back out into the hall.
Jael checked in Sigmund’s chamber. There was no Amma. No baby in the basket. She ran into the corridor, her eyes full of sympathy for Fyn and Bram, spinning around, looking for Axl.
‘Where’s Amma?’ her brother screamed, his eyes full of terror, his chest thumping.
‘Sigmund’s gone,’ Jael said, pushing her way through the curtain as the pieces of the puzzle all came tumbling together. ‘That man! He had more men! His crew! They took them!’ And she ran through the hall.
‘Who?’
‘The man who tried to take the book. He broke into Edela’s cottage. I killed him. He had a crew with him. That giant! He said he knew Draguta! We have to get to the cove!’
Axl was quickly at the doors, running out into the night after Jael.
They were away. To who knew where.
Dragmall had not asked a lot of questions when he’d found the helmsman in the tavern that afternoon. The man had let it be known that he was leaving, happy to take on a few passengers for a fist-full of silver coins.
Dragmall wasn’t sure it was the best way to spend his savings, but he knew that it was the path he had decided to walk down, and he was not the sort of man to change his mind. And now that he had decided to help Morana stop Draguta, he needed to make sure they could disappear.
And quickly.
Morana was shivering as she sat next to Else, her mind skipping from one thought to another, trying to find an answer to what she knew was the grave danger they now faced. As soon as Draguta discovered they had gone, she would do anything to stop them.
But now that she was out of her prison, Morana felt confident that she could do something to stop her. She glared at Else who was sniffing next to her, still moping about leaving Meena behind in Draguta’s clutches.
Meena who would be blamed for everything.
Morana smiled, feeling no gratitude to her niece; closing her eyes as she tried to find a symbol to protect them.
Thorgils helped Derwa into the hall, his heart sinking with every step. He saw the dead black dogs, the bodies of some men and women he vaguely recognised. He could smell death, and as he approached the curtain, he could hear sobbing.
Derwa gripped his arm, sensing his reluctance to go any further. ‘We can’t help anyone from out here,’ she said quietly, feeling a sense of trepidation grip her own body.
Thorgils nodded and pulled back the curtain, ushering Derwa ahead of him.
He needed to find Isaura. Needed to know that she was safe.
The doors were open as he passed the chambers, and Derwa left him, moving down the corridor to where she could hear Biddy. Thorgils turned slowly to his right, blood slick under his boots. He saw Fyn and Bram leaning over a body.
Bram looked up, sensing that someone was there.
Fyn turned, sobbing uncontrollably, and Thorgils stepped forward, taking him into his arms. He saw Bram over Fyn’s shoulder, holding Runa’s hand.
And he saw Runa.
‘Ssshhh,’ Thorgils murmured, closing his eyes, Fyn’s tears dripping onto his shoulder. ‘Ssshhh.’
Jael and Axl ran out through the open harbour gates, Aleksander just behind them. The guards were dead, throats slit, and Jael could feel her throat tightening. She yelled at men to join them. Islanders followed her. Ivaar and Beorn. Rork too.
The moon was out now; watching them, guiding them.
Jael hoped the men would be in the cove. They were traders, Bram had said.
They must have come in a ship.
Despite the determination of the moon, it grew dark as they ran through the trees, and Jael stumbled into a hole, righting herself quickly, Axl passing her, ignoring his bleeding leg.
They had to get back to the hall. To Gisila.
But he had to save Amma. He had to save Amma!
They came to the cove, out of breath. The long stretch of sand was lined with beached ships; more ships anchored in the calm water.
‘Amma!’ Axl screamed, running down to the shore, wading into the water. ‘Amma!’
There was no movement amongst the ships. Nothing out at sea. The moon looked down on the water, shimmering a path, but there were no ships out there.
Axl ran back to Beorn who had staggered to a stop beside Jael, hands on his thighs, blood dripping from his gouged forearms. ‘We have to launch a ship! Now!’
Jael held out her hand. ‘No!’
‘We have to go after them!’
‘They’ve gone! They’re not here, Axl. They’ve gone!’
Beorn nodded. ‘If we took to sea, where would we go?’
‘Hest!’ Axl yelled, looking at Aleksander who shook his head.
‘We don’t know they went there,’ Aleksander tried, though he doubted that was true.
‘Draguta would kill us at sea,’ Jael warned. ‘And you’d never get Amma back. Stop and think!’
‘How can I think?’ Axl roared, running back into the water. ‘Amma! Amma!’
Aleksander gripped Jael’s arm. ‘Go back to the hall. Be with Gisila. I’ll bring him.’
Jael tried to catch her breath.
More than anything she hoped they were taking Amma to Hest. She hoped they were taking Sigmund to his father. That Draguta hadn’t taken them for some other reason.
Her thoughts raced quickly back to Gisila. To Runa and Fyn and Bram.
And with one last look at her distraught brother, she turned back to the path.
Gant held Gisila’s hand as Derwa looked her over, turning at the gasp in the doorway.
‘Gisila!’ Edela sobbed, hurrying to her daughter, all thoughts of trying to remain calm swept away in a flood of tears as Gant stood to let her through.
Biddy put her arm around Eydis’ shoulder, quietly explaining what was happening, though she wasn’t really sure what was happening herself.
Eydis felt strange, feeling pulled in many different directions. ‘I need to see Fyn,’ she whispered. ‘He’s crying. I can hear him. Please, Biddy. Take me to him.’
Biddy nodded, watching Gant put his arm around Edela, who leaned into his chest, sobbing as Derwa worked on Gisila. She had sent Branwyn for thread and a needle.
They needed to sew her up fast.
Jael didn’t speak as she hurried back to the hall, past the bodies of the barsk, who no longer had red eyes. They were black now; dull like their coats. Reaching the hall steps, she turned. ‘Ivaar, see to the Islanders. Rork, take your men. Go through the houses, look for wounded. Beorn, check
the stables. See that the horses are safe...’ Jael couldn’t think as she saw her cousin limping towards them. ‘Aedan, we need to burn the dogs quickly.’ She thought of her own dogs, hoping they were alright. ‘Out in the valley. Organise crews. The sooner we burn them, the sooner they’re not a threat.’
They all nodded, but Jael didn’t notice as she headed up the steps, hoping she wasn’t too late.
Hoping her mother was still alive.
Edela and Branwyn were sitting on one side of Gisila while Biddy assisted Derwa, who was bent over, sewing up Gisila’s stomach wound.
No one spoke when Jael arrived, but Edela turned to her, holding out a shaking hand, and Jael came to her grandmother, kneeling down beside her.
‘Where’s Axl?’ Edela wondered.
‘Aleksander’s bringing him. Amma and Sigmund are gone. Axl wants to go after them. Aleksander’s trying to calm him down.’
‘Draguta won’t hurt Amma,’ Edela murmured distractedly. ‘She won’t hurt her.’
Jael stared at her grandmother, wondering why she was so certain.
Edela didn’t notice. She was attempting to gather herself into something resembling a dreamer. Closing her eyes, she gripped Jael’s hand and tried to release her fears for her daughter. They were unhelpful, and would not serve anyone. Instead, she tried to hear the calm voice of Lydea; imagining her dreams flowing towards her like clouds; trying to see a vision of Gisila where she was healed and happy again. Breathing in and out, slowing her breathing down, Edela found herself drifting away.
Sensing that her grandmother had disappeared, Jael stood. ‘I’ll be back soon. I need to see Fyn.’
They had walked back to the castle in silence: Meena, Eadmund, and Morac.
Meena didn’t want to go inside, but Jaeger would be waiting for her, she knew, eager to hear what had happened. She trudged up the steps, leaving Morac to walk Eadmund back to his house.