Lord of the Mountains

by Sabrina Jarema

We? She picked up the rune. It still warmed in her hand as she considered its meaning. A disruption of a journey, danger during travel. It also indicated reunions, or detours leading to opportunities. Did it show what had happened to Magnus? Or did it warn of what might happen to them if they left Haardvik?

  * * *

  “Mother, there’s no reason for you and Silvi to go.” Eirik crossed his arms as he stood in the common room. “Asa and I can take my longship. If there’s any danger between there and here, I don’t want you and Silvi exposed to it. Besides, Magnus and Leif were with Rorik. I doubt anyone would dare approach them. If something did happen, Rorik would send word here. Someone has to remain behind.”

  “I’ll stay.” Silvi sat in the shadows on a bench attached to the wall. She had never been farther away from Haardvik than the nearby villages. Never mind that she wanted to travel around Scandinavia to go to Uppsala. She didn’t want to go anywhere now. She’d never even been on a ship.

  They ignored her.

  “Nuallen is very adept at protecting me.” Lifa nodded at the man who stood near her.

  “It is my honor to see you safe in all situations.” He inclined his head to her, a slight smile curling the side of his mouth. He was of an age with Lifa, in his forties, but he was still an imposing man. And during the winter, they had found out how deadly he could be.

  “The danger in Silvi’s vision was to Magnus, not to us.” Lifa’s voice was firm.

  “I said, I’ll stay here.” As they continued to argue, Silvi leaned back. What was the point? No one ever listened to her. If they had, she would already be several years into her studies. Instead, she remained in her mother’s shadow, always the daughter behind the treasured son. Not that her parents hadn’t cherished her. They could not have loved her more.

  Sometimes, that wasn’t enough.

  There was no point in remaining. She had no say about their decision. They’d tell her when they finished debating, but it was obvious what the answer would be. No one could deny her mother, not even Eirik.

  Sighing, she walked outside. She wrapped her shawl around herself, against the coolness of the early spring night. The moon was as it should be, bright, full, and shining. She lifted her face to it.

  The love of her parents and her brother had shone on her all her life, just as the moon’s light did. It was all that stood between her and the pain of living in this world, a pain so overwhelming it bit away at her from within. And now, they wanted to drag her out into that world. The great temple would have shielded her, so the thought of traveling to it had never frightened her. But this, this was different. In this journey she would not only travel through the unknown, but the destination, Thorsfjell itself, was also the unknown.

  Asa had told her about the village. It sounded like no place else she had ever heard of with its windswept tundra in the heights above it, and the deep forests around it. Cool winds played off the glaciers in the distance. All was serene, and one could feel the power in the mountains. The land itself pulsed with the footsteps of the gods. Or so Asa claimed.

  And then, there was Magnus. A few days ago, she’d faltered in her resolve. No longer. Eirik would never force her to marry. Even in the ancient stories, whenever a woman was made to wed, it never ended well. She had that defense, if nothing else. And there was another ultimate type of defense every woman had against a marriage she didn’t want. Divorce. All men knew it.

  The breeze picked up. Strange. The night was so clear, and it had been calm only a moment before. Perhaps it was a sign.

  If she had the nerve, if she could hold on to her dreams hard enough, she could be free. Of brothers, husbands, everyone. She would have the gold she’d need to travel to the temple, and there she’d have the life she’d always wanted. After she studied, and learned, and became what she was destined to be, no one could tell her what to do.

  For once, and forever after that, everyone would have to listen to her.

  Approaching the village of Thorsfjell Lustrafjorden, Sognefjell, Norway

  Now Silvi knew what it was like to fly on the back of a dragon.

  All the way up the coast, they’d flown over the waves in Eirik’s ship, faster than she’d ever thought possible. Eirik told her that the square sail lifted the vessel up and the tiny bubbles of air that became trapped under the overlapped planks on the sides made the sailing smoother. She’d stood on the bow, behind Asa’s carved dragon, and imagined herself truly flying. Bending as much as a hand’s length, the ship slithered through the water like a living thing. It was sublime, and for the first time, she’d felt free. Seabirds soared alongside them, and great black and white fish that breathed air leaped in the distance.

  The ship was open through most of its length. There were only the braces that held the ship together, which the men could sit on to row. But it had a small aft deck for the helmsman to stand on, and Eirik had covered it with a tent of sailcloth for Lifa, Asa, and her to sleep under. He slept outside with his men. On a longship, all were equal. Eirik hoisted sails along with the crew, and rowed when they moved through the tighter areas of the fjords. He ate with them and even gamed alongside them, but no one could doubt that he was the jarl. The respect his men showed him proved it.

  Two years ago, Eirik had commissioned Rorik’s shipbuilders to make the vessel for his father. Ivar had not lived to see it. The marauders killed him when Hakon invaded Haardvik, and now that Eirik was jarl, the ship, The Wind of Njord, was his. It was massive, with twenty pairs of oars, and any ship they’d seen on the seas had given them a wide berth. He’d allowed Silvi to hold the steering board, set on the right side of the stern. The ship had responded to her slightest touch. The feeling of power under her hand stayed with her even after she’d relinquished the helm back to Eirik.

  Silvi wanted to stay outside, even to sleep, not wanting to miss anything. But that wouldn’t be seemly. So she stayed under the tent with Lifa at night. During the day that they were on the ocean, though, she took in the sea, the sun, and the wind that carried them farther north.

  She’d been so afraid of this journey. She’d never dreamt their land was so large. They’d sailed for more than a day between the fjords, and still the coast, and the islands guarding it, continued north into the distance as they’d turned inland. If only they could sail on forever. Who’d have thought she’d love the sea so much? But then, she was Norse and they did have the sea in their blood. Her life had been so limited. What else had she missed? And what else would she never experience if she retreated to the temple to live out her life? She might experience this only once more—when she traveled to Uppsala.

  Now, the journey was almost ended. They lowered their sail as they approached the beach at the end of the fjord. Silvi moved to the bow along with Asa and Eirik. The knörrs were there, on the sand, and looked undamaged. Two longships sat on the beach beside them.

  Eirik nodded toward them. “Those are Rorik’s ships. Kaia commands one of them. That they’re here means something happened. He wouldn’t have parted with them otherwise, when raiding season is upon us.”

  Several men stood beside the vessels, watching, their swords unsheathed.

  Asa stepped in front of him. “Those are Magnus’s men. They don’t know who we are.” She climbed up and hung on to the dragonhead prow piece, waving to them. They stared at her for a moment, then sheathed their swords and raised their arms, yelling a greeting.

  The great ship slid onto the beach and the men took the lines to pull them up farther.

  Eirik and Asa jumped into the shallow water. Magnus’s men pulled a high-wheeled cart alongside the Wind for Silvi and Lifa to disembark on. Nuallen helped Silvi into it, but he picked up a protesting Lifa and carried her.

  “Nuallen, I’m not so old that I cannot climb out of a ship.”

  “You’re not old at all, Lifa. But it’s my duty to guard you, and that includes making certain you don’t drown.” He set her down in the cart.

  She brushed off her gown. “In knee
-deep water?” She was blushing.

  The men rolled the cart up onto the shore and helped the women down. The land rocked under Silvi’s feet and she swayed.

  “Have to get your land legs back,” Asa said as she walked to her brother’s men. “Amund, how are my brothers? And the warriors? Did they get back safely?”

  The red-haired warrior gave her a quizzical look. “Both the jarl and Leif are well, mistress. That whoreson, Toke, attacked us, though. Ambushed us at the outer islands. But it wasn’t any trouble. All of us returned with little more than scratches, though we gave Ran a good time that night with Toke’s drowned men. We’d already beaten them, but Toke turned tail and fled when he saw Rorik returning with his entire fleet. A sight that was, too. At least Toke only had coastal knörrs. If he’d had his longship, he’d have had more men and more speed. We wouldn’t have had time to prepare. Of course, if we’d had warships, he wouldn’t dare even try.”

  Asa let out a breath and Silvi murmured her thanks to the gods.

  Eirik gathered Asa into his arms and kissed the top of her head. She smiled at him, then addressed the men. “Are there any horses at the farmstead?”

  “Yes, mistress. We’ll get them for you.” Two of them ran off toward a small house at the base of the nearest mountain.

  She looked at all of them. “We keep horses here and at the village for traveling back and forth. My family owns this land and most of the valley between here and Thorsfjell, where we do our farming. We’ll follow this stream until we reach the path that takes us up into the mountain.” She pointed to the shallow brook winding into the distance.

  The men brought their belongings off the ship as they waited for the horses. Lifa had had Silvi bring most of her clothing and jewelry. Her runes. Too many of her things, in fact. Just how long were they going to stay here? Asa was to pack her own possessions to bring back to Haardvik, but that shouldn’t take long. Lifa and Eirik had brought many things. Why? It wasn’t as though they were going to visit a king or anyone else. Unless . . .

  Silvi looked out across the fjord waters and gritted her teeth. Her mother and Eirik planned for her to marry Magnus. They would need many fine clothes for the wedding and feasting, and she would need all her most personal things, like her clothing and jewelry. And runes. That was why Eirik had been so insistent that she come with them. She lifted her chin. She had something to say about that.

  A cold wind blew off the mountains, sweeping down through the valley. She closed her eyes and breathed deep. It smelled of ice and trees and something wild. This was far more isolated than Haardvik was. There were always traders and allies coming and going back home.

  A stillness lay on this land, as though no one had ever walked here before. It was like the world was new, and the gods Odin, Vili, and Ve hadn’t created man and woman yet.

  She kept her back to the others as they talked and laughed. Now that they knew Magnus and Leif were well, their mood had lightened with relief. Hers, however, had worsened. She had to keep telling herself Eirik would never force her to wed. Magnus didn’t seem the type of man to take an unwilling woman. But men did strange things when they desired something, whether it was women, gold, or possessions. Magnus desired her. It lay in his beautiful blue eyes as he looked at her. That might not be enough, and it certainly wasn’t enough for marriage. What else could Eirik offer Magnus to entice him to wed her? To keep her from becoming a priestess?

  The men brought back horses. They tied their belongings onto the packhorses and mounted. As Silvi gathered her reins, she glanced into one of the beached knörrs. Dark stains splattered the inside walls of the vessel. They spread over the floor of the front deck as well. Blood. Her stomach dropped.

  The battle hadn’t been so easy after all. What was it the man had said? If Magnus had warships, Toke wouldn’t be a threat anymore with his slow knörrs and single longship.

  She tightened her hands on the reins. Warships were exactly what Eirik could offer him.

  * * *

  The king was dead. As usual.

  Magnus frowned at the tafl board as Leif gave him a triumphant grin. His twin had slaughtered him again. Asa was the only one who could beat Leif, and now, with her gone, he would be insufferable.

  “No.” Magnus grabbed a playing piece away as Leif set it on the board. “I’m not playing you again. Find someone else.”

  “Jarl Magnus!” Sjurd, a young man who worked in the stables, ran in through the open front doors. “It’s the mistress Asa, and Eirik. I saw them coming up the mountain. Also an older woman and man. And many warriors. They’re almost here.”

  He frowned at Leif as they crossed the common room. “They weren’t supposed to be here until later this summer.”

  “Maybe Asa wanted her clothes. You know how women are.”

  They strode into the yard. “More likely she left a weapon or two here. They couldn’t have heard about the attack already.”

  Leif chuckled. “I’ll wager you Silvi or Lifa had a vision about it. What will you bet? Your ivory-handled dagger.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I’m not wagering you anything.” Sjurd had mentioned an older woman, but not a younger one. Could something have happened to Silvi? They would never leave her behind, no matter how well-guarded Haardvik was. Or had she already left for Uppsala? Only a few days had passed, and Eirik had been adamant that she not go. His heart pounding, Magnus lengthened his stride until he came to the head of the path. The group from Haardvik were just rounding the last curve.

  There she was, in the midst of the riders. Sjurd might have missed her, but Magnus never would. His heart slowed with relief. Asa saw him and waved. As they rode into the yard, she swung her leg over her horse’s neck and slid off. She ran to him and nearly laid him flat as she all but leaped on him.

  “Magnus, you’re all right? We were so worried, we had to come.” She clung to him as though she’d never let go.

  Eirik jumped off his horse. “Silvi had a vision. Of a dragon being attacked on the seas. She felt it was you.”

  Leif barked out a laugh. “Your ivory-handled dagger. I’ll get it from you this evening.”

  “I never bet you . . . Oh Hel.” He wrapped his arms around Asa, but drank in Silvi’s beauty. She dismounted with her usual grace, ducking her head, avoiding his gaze. A tint of color touched her pale cheek as she patted her horse’s neck.

  Nuallen helped Lifa down from her horse. He set her on her feet as though she were made of the finest glass. She smiled her thanks.

  Magnus carefully pried Asa off of him and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Come, all of you. Eat and drink. You’ve traveled long.”

  With Asa under his arm, he led the way into the longhouse. The serving girl, Birgitta, was already setting out plates and cups, but when she saw Asa, she came to her, laughing.

  “I heard you married Jarl Eirik, mistress. I always knew you would. I’m so happy for you.” They walked toward the kitchen, arm in arm. The girl had always been more of a friend to Asa than a maid. She would likely follow Asa to Haardvik, and since she and Sjurd were fond of each other, Magnus would probably have to relinquish the young man also. Nuallen hovered over Lifa. Leif had been sniffing around after Kaia and, with as deadly as she was, he would be lucky not to lose an appendage. Of one kind or another.

  Was everyone around here falling in love?

  Silvi wandered the common room and stopped at one of the pillars. A vine spiraled its way up the post, birds and flowers intertwined in it. She ran her hand along the design, her eyes wide.

  Magnus filled a cup and brought it to her. “You must be thirsty. Will you have some ale?”

  “My thanks.” She lowered her gaze at she took the cup. “Did Asa carve this post? It looks like the dragon on Eirik’s ship.”

  “You have a sharp eye, Silvi. She did all the carvings here in the room. Sometimes she got bored during the summer when she was too young to come trading with us. Nothing was safe from her knife.” He leaned his shoulder against t
he pillar. “So you had a vision of me?”

  She colored. “Not exactly you. It was a dragon.”

  “Is that how you see me? As a huge beast? I would never hurt you.”

  She raised her eyes to his. “The dragon is not always evil. It’s strong and powerful. Its beauty is like that of gold and the stars. Nothing can stand against it. It’s—” She looked away. “It’s Asa’s guardian spirit. So perhaps, because you’re her brother, it guards you as well.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  Asa came to them and took Silvi’s arm. “All the food is laid out. Why don’t you sit down and eat? After that, I’ll show you to the chamber you’ll share with your mother, and you can rest if you like.” As they walked away, Asa looked back at Magnus and gave him a sweet smile. The little conniver.

  He pushed off the post but stayed where he was, watching Silvi as Asa introduced her to some of the villagers who had come in. Word had spread that his sister was home, and people trickled in to see her. Soon, there would be a wave. They’d better put out more food and drink. Might as well make it a celebration.

  He went to the table and took a plate to snag some of the food before it all disappeared.

  Eirik joined him. “So when do you want to talk?”

  Magnus speared a sausage with his knife. “Whenever you’re ready. Do you want to rest until tomorrow, or start tonight?”

  Eirik chuckled. “Start? Do you anticipate this taking so long?”

  “Depends on what we talk about. The battle, or a wedding.”

  “Is there a difference?”

  Magnus gave a short laugh. “You have a point.” He looked toward the door as more villagers and a group of his warriors entered, yelling a greeting to Asa. “I have to play host until everyone has drunk themselves into a stupor. After that, we’ll talk in my meeting room.”

  “I’ll watch my own drinking, then. And do you have ale? If I have one more cup of mead . . .” He winced.

  “Honeymoon over already?”

  Eirik ladled mutton stew into a bowl. “Hardly. A woman must have thought of that wretched custom. An entire month of it? Give me good ale or beer any day.”