‘And how do you think a little woman like yourself will force us to go?’ Ponytail placed his hands on the table and started to rise.
‘Kefla, Kolka,’ she said.
Kefla gave a low growl which Kolka echoed. The entire chamber was filled with an otherworldly sound. The colour drained the men’s faces as they froze. Kefla came up behind them and sniffed, dripping spittle from her fangs on to Ponytail’s boot. The men flinched.
‘I would suggest, gentlemen, you remain seated with your hands on the table until my husband arrives home. He can decide what to do with you as you have abused our hospitality.’
‘And if we don’t?’ Ponytail asked as his friend glanced back at the circling dogs.
Ragn poked the reddened tip of the poker so it skimmed the man’s cheek. He flinched from the heat. ‘You choose which way to die is preferable—dog ripping out your throat or by red-hot poker through your eye. Do I make myself clear?’
* * *
Gunnar knew something was wrong the instant he set foot on shore. Everything was far too quiet. No dogs milling about or Svana throwing rocks into the sea. Or, importantly, Ragn standing on the shoreline with her hand shading her eyes as the breeze pushed her gown against her legs.
He had half-anticipated that Ragn would have come down to the shore as she done in the past few days, unobtrusively taking the fish off him and organising the servants as she chatted about her day. He knew he should not look forward to it, but he’d come to do so. He’d started saving up small stories about his day in order to see her smile. He swallowed his disappointment and heaved the final basket of fish ashore. Tonight, he’d tell her the truth. It had come to him when they were at sea, he was starting to care for her, more than he had for any person.
He spotted Svana curled up in a ball just above the high-tide line. He crossed the sand in three steps. At his approach, she stood up. Her lips were blue as if she had been outside in the rain for a long while. He looked in vain for his dogs and then he started to worry. Ragn was far too over-protective to allow Svana out like that. Something was wrong and he should have been there, instead of out on the sea, telling tales and catching fish. His curse had returned with a vengeance.
‘Where is Ragn?’
Svan opened one eye. ‘Inside. There are two men with her. I need to stay out here and wait for you.’
Gunnar frowned. Ragn had sent Svana outside, on a day like this? Ragn assumed that it was safer in the cold air than inside with...? His breath stopped.
‘And the dogs?’ At his shout, Svan flinched. He swallowed hard and began again. ‘Shouldn’t they be with you? I thought we had made a bargain about you looking after them when I am away.’
‘Ragn needed them. After she had the bad men seated with their hands on the table, she shouted for me to bind their wrists as I am very good with knots. Then she sent me outside again. I was to keep a watch out for you. Have I done well?’ Svana ran her hands down her arms. ‘It is awfully cold. I forgot to take a thick cloak and didn’t dare go back. Ragn wouldn’t have liked that.’
Svana’s words washed over him. Bad men. Ragn was inside and in danger. He shuddered to think what he might find inside. His heart hammered. They were supposed to be safe here. He had not thought anyone would come at this time of year. He wanted to shake Ragn for not immediately hiding, for not taking greater care. Her easy assurance that she was immune from the curse mocked him. Rather than being vanquished as Ragn claimed, it remained. He loved her and he had called the curse down. He hated that he had put her in danger.
He regarded the closed door to the kitchen. He dreaded to think what was behind that. He only prayed that Ragn was safe. That the curse had not had time to work.
‘Are you angry, Gunnar?’ Svana asked when he didn’t respond. ‘Did I do it wrong?’
‘You’ve been very brave, sweetling. I want you to go to your chamber and change out of those wet things. Quickly now.’
She gave him a cheery smile. ‘When everything is well, will you send the dogs for me? They are bound to be wondering where I am.’
‘Of course. They like being with you.’
Svana ran off towards the hall and safety. Gunnar sent two of his men after her.
Gunnar reached for his sword and motioned to his other men to follow him.
When he opened the door, his heart leaped. Ragn was indeed there with both dogs flanking her and a poker in her hand while another rested in the embers. Two men sat at the table with their wrists bound. Gunnar struggled not to let his jaw drop. Ragn was the most capable of women.
‘Ah, Gunnar,’ she said with deceptive sweetness as she made a small curtsy. ‘Do shut the door. We have an interesting situation here. I need your advice on how to resolve it.’
Gunnar glanced between Ragn and the terrified-looking men. It was the complete opposite to what he had expected. ‘My advice?’
‘These men happened to visit while you were out.’ Ragn banged the poker on the table for emphasis, making the men flinch away. ‘They bring greetings from my brother-in-law. I thought you would be interested to hear the greetings before deciding how best to respond to them. As you can well imagine, I am in a quandary about the entire situation. It goes beyond my experience.’
Gunnar quietly assessed the scene while his heart pounded. Ragn appeared calm enough, but her hand gripped the poker with white knuckles. Most importantly she appeared uninjured from the ordeal. He wanted to tear the men limb from limb for frightening her. But instead he contented himself with flexing his hands. From her pointed look, Ragn obviously had some scheme in mind.
‘Vargr, your brother-in-law, sent greetings to you?’ he asked, keeping his voice light. ‘How did he discover your whereabouts so quickly?’
‘Someone must have divulged them. Or he discovered my grandmother’s brooches which I sold for Svana’s passage and made enquiries.’ Ragn’s mouth twisted. ‘It matters little. They intend to follow me anywhere in the world I happen to go, bringing my brother-in-law’s particular form of greeting.’
Ragn tapped the poker in the fire and gave a shrug. Her voice was steady, but the whiteness about her mouth showed her terror at the prospect.
‘Do they indeed?’ A deep-seated primitive anger washed over him.
‘I believe that sentiment goes beyond the realms of acceptable behaviour by a guest.’ The steadiness of her voice amazed him. Ragn was truly calm when most women would have been huddled in a corner, weeping their eyes out. ‘Kolka and Kefla agreed with me and wanted to rip their throats out. However, it is possible we are being overly hasty. They may still have some sort of use. You decide, seeing how you are the lord here and I am merely the wife.’
Gunnar gave thanks to the gods that Ragn had reacted so decisively. Her quick thinking had saved both her and her sister. ‘I’m grateful to you, your quick thinking and your sense of decorum.’
‘Your wife is confused. We meant no harm,’ the one with the ponytail said with a sickly smile, the sort which made Gunnar wish to punch his face in. ‘I look forward to the opportunity to straighten this out. We are strangers here, merely seeking hospitality. Can you call off the dogs?’
‘I do dislike blood being spilled in the kitchen. It gives a certain unsavoury aspect to the place.’ Ragn’s voice remained steady, but he noticed the increasingly pinched look about her mouth. ‘These men have been trying to convince me that I am wrong, but I know anyone coming this far and at this time of year in my brother-in-law’s name wishes me harm.’
‘The lady has no idea what she is on about. There has been a simple misunderstanding.’ Ponytail made a face. ‘You know what women can be like. They must have their little fancies to give a semblance of truth.’
Gunnar struggled to keep his hands down at his sides rather than fastening his hands about the man’s throat.
‘You see. That sort of remark always gets me annoyed,’ Ragn s
aid, tapping the poker against the table. ‘People torturing the truth and considering they will be believed because they are men.’
‘Trust me, gentlemen, you do not want to see my wife when she is annoyed. And to put your minds to rest, Ragnhild is one of the cleverest people I know.’
The smile Ragn gave him warmed his heart, but he knew he did not deserve it. He had tempted fate by falling in love with her, even though he knew how his curse worked.
‘He is as crazy as she is!’
The violence of his feelings towards the men shocked him. Normally when he was in battle, he retained detached and cool. From Dagmar Kolbeinndottar’s experience with her stepmother sending assassins, he knew the assassins would keep coming until the source of the trouble was destroyed. To destroy Vargr, he was going to need Kolbeinn’s support.
‘Possibly crazier,’ he said. ‘I have always found Ragnhild to be the model of decorum and hospitality.’
Ragn returned his smile. ‘That is very sweet of you, Gunnar. It does my heart good to hear your sentiments.’
‘Shall I take over?’
‘I would appreciate it.’
He struggled to think of any woman he knew other than perhaps Dagmar who would be as calm as Ragn. And Dagmar had been a shield maiden whereas he doubted that Ragn knew one end of a sword from the other. He swallowed hard. She would have to learn how to defend herself properly. He could not have her that vulnerable again, not now that he knew the curse still retained its power.
‘Do you come from her brother-in-law?’ he said, putting his sword near Ponytail’s neck.
The man stared back sullenly. ‘My business is not with you. Keep your long nose out.’
‘You invade my home, abuse my wife’s intelligence and expect me not to react?’
Ponytailed smirked.
‘The one with the ponytail has my brother-in-law’s device concealed inside his cloak,’ Ragn said in a quiet but firm voice. ‘I spied it as he sat down at the table. The design is seared on my memory. Svana independently confirmed it. You may check if you doubt my words. He is trying to provoke. My brother-in-law will claim you attacked first and will demand blood money if this piece of filth is harmed.’
‘Would he?’
‘I have seen him ruin men before.’
‘Excellent you stayed your hand as I have seen that particular played before as well.’
This time her smile was less strained. ‘Thank you.’
He stroked his beard. ‘There again, they have abused our hospitality and threatened me. The law would be on my side if I removed their heads from their shoulders for attacking my wife.’ He glanced at the two men. ‘Do you have anything useful to say before I remove your heads from your bodies? Or shall I simply send you back in a barrel?’
‘Vargr the Fleet-Footed did send us,’ the other one said before he gave a sudden yelp as he was kicked under the table. ‘He worries about his sister-in-law and fears men might use her. Since her husband died, she has been prone to strange fantasies.’
‘Use her? To do what? Claim her rightful lands, lands which he has already claimed because she is supposed to be dead?’
‘She swore vengeance for her husband’s death. She might lead some innocent warrior to his doom.’
He nodded towards Ragn and struggled to control his temper. ‘My wife considered those lands lost, but I suspect she was mistaken if her brother-in-law feels the need to send men such as you on a journey across the icy seas.’
He motioned to his men who quickly secured the men’s hands behind their backs. Gunnar relieved them of their swords, three concealed daggers and a vial of something which appeared to be poison. He threw the poison on the fire where it hissed and let out a noxious fume.
As much as he hated staying his hand, everything had to be done properly. He silently vowed that he would end this threat to Ragn and her sister once and for all time. Ragn had been right. It was how he reacted to the curse which was important.
‘You came with peaceful intent?’ he asked in a low voice. ‘How? Where is your ship?’
‘Somewhere safe!’ Ponytail dug his elbow into the other’s side as if to say that they would soon have the upper hand.
Gunnar nodded to his men who forced the miscreants to standing. The pair obviously considered him some sort of simple-minded idiot. ‘I have little time for such games or assassins who carry poison.’
‘There is an explanation!’ Ponytail shouted. ‘You have no idea of the sort of mad creatures you are harbouring! Vargr believes the witch woman’s prophecy. That witch can see the future.’
‘Ragnhild and her sister have done something to Vargr?’
‘Not yet, but they intend to! That woman will stop at nothing to get her lands back!’
Gunnar ground his teeth. One had to admire the man’s pure brazen cheek in the face of certain doom. ‘Vargr’s intentions speak loudly enough without your intervention.’
He gestured to his men who began to drag them from the room.
‘You are making a big mistake,’ the man shouted ‘Do you know what bounty has been placed on their heads? Vargr is not a man to give up lightly. You are only putting yourself in danger. You will lose everything.’
‘One of us will.’
Gunnar turned towards the now white-faced Ragn. Admiration for her surged in his breast, but he hated that this had happened to her.
‘The pair will have to go to Colbhasa to face justice. Let them become Kolbeinn’s problem,’ he said when they were alone in the kitchen.
Ragn remained a statue. He went over, pried the poker from her fingers and threw it beside the hearth. It landed with a great clatter.
‘Your part has ended.’
‘Thank the gods,’ she whispered. ‘It is over. Svana is safe.’
‘You are also safe.’ He put his arms about her, stroked her head until her trembling stopped and silently vowed he’d stop the curse. ‘You did well. I know very few people who would have had the courage to do what you did.’
She laid her head against his chest. ‘I was frightened, but luckily they were stupidly arrogant and didn’t notice the dogs until it was too late.’
‘You took a grave risk,’ he said against her hair. He wanted to shake her and kiss her senseless for being so brave. The depth of his feeling disturbed him. If anything had happened to her, he didn’t know what he’d do. He hated that his love for her had brought this on. The timing of their arrival was far too close to his decision to tell her that he loved her.
‘I had the dogs. I knew you were coming back. Time was on my side, particularly after Svana tied their wrists.’
‘Was it indeed?’
‘Yes, it was. You were always going to return and you have a strong sword arm. Thankfully, those two were far from the brightest and were easily intimidated.’ She stepped back from the circle of his arms.
‘You were lucky...this time.’
She began to pace the floor. ‘I took considerable pains to make Vargr believe we were dead. My sister’s life is more important than any handful of dirt.’
He resisted the temptation to pull her back in his arms. ‘Kolbeinn will have to hear of this. We go there tomorrow with our prisoners.’
‘We—you mean, Svana and I, as well as you?’ Ragn asked as if she didn’t quite believe it.
He gave a small smile. There was little point in telling her that he didn’t dare leave them now. There was every chance her brother-in-law had sent more than one team of assassins. ‘Kolbeinn needs to meet you both, particularly as he sent Maurr. We are simply going slightly earlier than planned.’
She glanced over her shoulder. ‘Will the hall be safe without you being here?’
As if he’d leave her here after what had just happened! He wanted to keep her in his sight. Trust her to be more concerned about physical things than spending time
with him. He knew their relationship was not built on love or mutual admiration, but on the purely practical. ‘My men will look after it until we return. We know the danger now and will not be caught unguarded again.’
‘And then...after you take these men to Kolbeinn, what happens?’
‘I go north once Kolbeinn gives me leave to go.’ He willed her to understand. ‘Vargr attacked people under my protection. He needs to pay a price.’
‘I cannot have other people threatened because of me.’ She hugged her arms about her middle. ‘When is it going to end?’
He drew her back into his arms, kissed her lips and wondered that he had ever considered her weak. Ragn might be slender, but she was made of steel. Most women would have collapsed in a heap. His feelings for her frightened him half to death. It had only been by the gods’ intervention that she remained alive, that he hadn’t had to return to another scene of carnage. He was never going to be good enough for her. He was never going to be able to protect her from his all-too-real curse. ‘Don’t you trust me to look after my own?’
‘I want to be there. You need me there if you are going to confront Vargr. I know what he is like and how he behaves. If you want to have a chance of stopping this, I have to be there.’ She reached up and stroked his cheek. ‘You will let me do that, won’t you?’
He half-turned his face into her palm and stopped. Her words and intonation echoed Dyrfinna’s right before she betrayed him.
An insidious thought crept about his brain. Ragn was not the sort to give up easily. Had she always anticipated that these men would come? Had she used him as a way of exacting her vengeance on Vargr as Vargr’s man had claimed? Why would a woman as accomplished as Ragn be content to be married a warrior like him? She was a woman who always had a plan and she had used him, just as Dyrfinna had tried to use him for her own ends. He truly was a gullible fool. A deep-seated anger filled him, but he struggled to contain it. His heart screamed he should give Ragn a chance to explain.
‘I thought you wanted to keep Svana safe,’ he said, giving her a look that would have sent most men scurrying for cover.
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