Lord of the Mountains

by Sabrina Jarema

  “This isn’t your fault. Do you have a cooled fire where the wood is burnt and blackened?”

  He wadded his shirt in his hands. “Yes, mistress. The fire I cooked on last night. It burnt down and I haven’t restarted it yet for tonight.”

  “Bring me as much of the charcoal as you can.”

  He waddled off to his horse and Magnus motioned to two of his men. “It’ll be faster if you go with him. Don’t wait for him. Get back here with it as fast as you can.”

  Leif looked down at the sheep as Silvi knelt by it and stroked it. “Toke?”

  “Any other outcasts would take them to eat.” Magnus grimaced. “Why would he do this? He vowed to destroy what I love. And that’s not sheep.”

  With a wicked glint in his eye, Leif started to speak, but when Magnus shot him a hard look, he glanced at Silvi and shut his mouth.

  “He can’t think this would hurt us financially. We have other pastures, other flocks.”

  “Which we’d better watch.” Leif crossed his arms. “The warriors are going to love this. Guarding sheep.”

  “They’ll do what I tell them to do.”

  “Yew can poison people as well.” Silvi stood. “If Toke tries this with sheep, he could poison the grain stores. Or people in the outlying farmsteads. There’s also the cattle and horses.” She glanced at her own white mare, which one of the men held. It was the mare she’d ridden to her wedding, and Magnus had given it to her afterward. Her blood ran cold. “Don’t let the horses graze here. We don’t know if any of the yew dropped on the ground.”

  She walked to several of the other sheep. What else could she do until the men came with the charcoal?

  “Magnus, can your men pick up the living sheep and bring them all here to one place? It would make it easier and faster to treat them.”

  He spun to his nearest warrior. “Do it.”

  It was all Silvi could do not to smile as the massive, tough fighters gently hefted the sheep under her watchful eye and set them on the ground in a group. When they were finished, Magnus’s other two men returned with the charcoal.

  “I need help to get this done as fast as possible.” She showed them what she wanted. “Break up the pieces as small as you can and shove them down their throats. I don’t know how much, but just keep giving it to them until we run out. That will have to do.”

  Between the cursing of the men and the bleating of some very irate sheep, they finished quickly.

  “I’d feel better if we had more charcoal to give them.” Silvi petted one of the sheep that was trying to stand.

  “When we get to Thorsfjell, we’ll gather all we can from the cooking fires and send others down here with it.” Magnus helped her up. “You can tell them how to give it. Right now, I don’t like being out here in the open with so few of us.”

  “Neither do I,” Leif said. “We should return now.”

  When Silvi mounted her horse, she looked back. Ofeig was seeing to the sheep. They might still lose some of them, but perhaps they’d be fortunate. This time. Their livestock and people were spread out over a large area. Even with the additional warriors Eirik had sent them, there wouldn’t be enough of them to guard everyone everywhere.

  She was no warrior, but it was clear, even to her, that Toke was attacking them on more than one front. What did he hope to gain with this?

  After they dismounted at the longhouse, Silvi searched for her mother. She was with Ingeborg in the healer’s small house, an assortment of herbs spread on the table between them.

  “I don’t know of anything that will keep a child from being born too soon,” Lifa said.

  “I’ve tried a few things on Droplaug, but I’m not certain if they’re helping her.” Ingeborg shook her head. “She still bleeds from time to time. We’ll have to keep a close eye on her. We have several women in the outlying farmsteads who are with child, but no others are having difficulties.” She looked up at Silvi. “Here’s your daughter. Come in, mistress.”

  “Did you enjoy your sail with Magnus?” Lifa indicated a space on the bench beside her. “I remember how beautiful those ships were when your father came home in them. They were his pride.”

  “I know, Mother. But something else has happened. When we returned, we discovered that someone has poisoned the sheep in the valley with yew. Magnus thinks Toke did it. I gave the ones that were alive charcoal from the shepherd’s cook fire. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “You did right.” She looked at Ingeborg. “It doesn’t grow here. Someone must have brought it from the south.”

  The elderly healer frowned. “Any merchant can get any type of substance in the markets, whether it’s herbs or powdered poisonous minerals, even from distant lands. It’s all available for the right price.”

  “And if it’s from far away, we might not recognize it or know the antidote for it.” Lifa sighed, her face set. “Toke’s tactics may have changed from the kind of battle men conduct, to one that we women understand. And in some ways, that’s far more dangerous.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “I had thought to leave in two days, but now I’m not so certain I should.” Eirik stroked his jaw. “Toke is likely out of men, or nearly so, and he may be getting desperate.”

  Magnus had called a meeting between Leif, Eirik, Nuallen and him. They’d gathered in his private chamber, for he didn’t know who might listen and report back to Toke.

  “The sheep weren’t his real target,” Nuallen said. “They’re a means to an end. What that end is, we must figure out. I’m sworn to follow Lifa wherever she goes. If she leaves for Haardvik, then I must go as well. I would rather stay and see this through. You may have need of my, ah, talents.”

  “Which are?” Magnus gave him a hard look.

  “If you need them, you’ll know.”

  Magnus narrowed his eyes but didn’t pursue it. He’d thought the man was an enigma, but that didn’t begin to tell the tale. “Eirik, I have so many men here now—my own, the warriors you’ve lent to me, and Rorik’s. I think you can head back to your holding. You’re just establishing yourself and shouldn’t be gone too long. But if Lifa would consent to stay, it might be for the better. Then I’d have Nuallen’s help. Whatever that is.” He shot him a look. “And we’ll have Lifa’s help as well. Not only her abilities as a healer but also a rune mistress.”

  “Silvi can read the runes just as well as our mother. Only she didn’t study at the temple and she wasn’t initiated into the rank.” Eirik crossed one ankle over his knee as though he was settling in for a long talk.

  “That’s not entirely what I’m referring to.” Magnus took a deep breath. “The Thing will take place in a few weeks at the mouth of the Sognefjorden. The jarls of the region will be there. I want to bring charges against Toke. I need all the weapons I can get, and to have someone of Lifa’s stature there—”

  “Women can’t speak at the Thing,” Eirik said.

  “Lifa’s rank is above all laws, all social positions. Kings step aside for her and give up their seats so she might sit down. Even if she’s not allowed to speak, she’ll stand at my side, and that will make an impression.”

  “It won’t hurt your reputation that you’re married to her daughter,” Leif said.

  “That’s right. I’m also concerned about Silvi. She seems to be adjusting well to this life, but we might be in for rough seas ahead, especially since Toke’s tactics have changed. Having Lifa here could help her.”

  “Silvi’s a woman grown and married,” Eirik said. “She can make her own way.”

  “Yes, and Lifa hasn’t interfered with us in any way, which is as it should be. I respect her for that. I can handle what happens between Silvi and me. But what happens between Silvi and the world may not be so easy. I don’t understand what she sees and hears in the grove, or her link with the gods. She relies on those things, and I can’t walk beside her there. Lifa can. She supports her in ways I cannot.”

  “I think you give my sister too little cred
it.” Eirik uncrossed his ankle and leaned forward. “I’ve told you how strong she must be to hold that link between the gods and her. Believe me, I’ve tasted it myself. It’s not for the weak. Still, if you feel that our mother, and Nuallen, will be a help, and if they choose to stay, I won’t disagree.”

  Magnus looked at the Northumbrian. “Nuallen?”

  “I’ll be glad to remain, as long as Lifa is here. I’ll feel relieved knowing I can keep an eye on Silvi as well.”

  “That’s my right.” Magnus leveled his gaze on him.

  “Of course. But are not more eyes better?”

  “It depends on where those eyes are focused.”

  Leif stood. “I’m up for a game of tafl. Eirik?”

  “Gladly.” He followed Leif out of the room.

  Magnus didn’t look away from Nuallen. “I appreciate that you guarded Silvi over the winter. But that ended on our wedding day.”

  “And if I see a danger to her, shall I not protect her?” He didn’t blink.

  “I don’t intend to leave her alone long enough for it to become a question.”

  Nuallen’s lips curved in a half smile. “Good. Remember though, the greatest danger doesn’t always come from without. You’ve fought all your life with swords and ships and shields. That’s all you know, all you prepare for. As the battlefield changes, so must the strategy. Even if a leader doesn’t know how to wield all the weapons needed, he should have the wisdom to call on those who do, no matter what lies between them. Keep that in mind.”

  Nuallen rose, straightening his tunic. “Speak with Lifa. See if she’s willing to stay. If she is, then for Silvi’s sake, I’ll guard your back. There may be those, even here, who will try to put a blade in it.”

  * * *

  Magnus couldn’t find Silvi anywhere. He’d asked Ingeborg, and she told him Silvi had come by just long enough to give her the myrrh to make into a powder. Egill’s belly wound was no better, so they planned to try the resin on it that night.

  He checked their chamber. It had been a long day and he hoped she was resting. He could always help her relax even more. Only Thyri was there, straightening the room.

  “Thyri, have you seen my wife?”

  The young woman jumped, flushing. Her eyes were red, as though she’d been crying. “Jarl Magnus, the mistress said she was going to the sauna.”

  He smiled to himself. That was even better, provided there were no other women there with her. “My thanks.”

  Thyri nodded, not meeting his eyes. Unlike many of the other serving girls, who’d tried to catch his attention in the past, she’d always avoided him. The woman who’d accompanied her from Bygvik, Mardoll, stayed with Thyri a great deal; perhaps Mardoll was a relative. Thyri never looked happy around her, though. He would have Birgitta look into it. He had other things to worry about. He wouldn’t have noticed, except Thyri’s situation might affect Silvi. With the possible threats to her, he had to be vigilant.

  The next day, Magnus spoke to Birgitta outside, where none would overhear them. “I want you to be very careful and not let on that you’re watching Mardoll and Thyri. I’m not certain they’ve done anything wrong, but someone from this village poisoned those sheep. My men have been watching the perimeter. They’d have no reason to notice anyone going into the valley from here. At least not up to that point. Now, nearly everyone is suspect.”

  Normally, he wouldn’t explain himself to a servant, but she was almost family. She needed to understand the weight of what was happening.

  “I’ll keep an eye out, Jarl Magnus. They spend a lot of time in the cooking rooms, so I can pay attention to what they say. They don’t get along very well, for all that Mardoll stays near her. I know Thyri leaves in the night sometimes, though. I always thought she was seeing someone here. You know.” She blushed.

  That was a good piece of information. Perhaps it would be wise to have Nuallen follow her one night. The man was a shadow.

  “Let me know when she does, even if it’s in the middle of the night. Wake me.”

  “I will, Jarl Magnus.” Her eyes moistened. “First it was the mistress Asa during the winter who was being threatened. Now it might be the mistress Silvi and the whole village. It used to be so quiet here while I was growing up.”

  “I know, Birgitta. And it will be again. Do you know where Lifa is?”

  “Yes, Jarl. She’s in the common room. I think she’s planning to check on Droplaug, the woman who’s having problems with her pregnancy. She’s waiting for some of the men to escort her.”

  “My thanks.” He left Birgitta and went inside. Asa and Silvi spoke together in a corner. What was that all about? Sometimes, it was better not to know. Lifa sat alone at the table where the tafl board was set up, sipping a cup of ale. He walked to her. “May I speak with you?” At her nod, he sat down across from her. The board looked as though Asa and Leif had just finished a game. Pieces lay strewn about like a slaughtered army. Asa had won again.

  “Eirik and Asa will leave this morning. Are you going with them?”

  She sighed. “It will be difficult to leave my daughter, but she must go her own way, with you at her side.”

  “Would you consider staying longer? What you say of Silvi is very true. But there are other matters to consider. I need Nuallen with me. He has ways of fighting unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I could use him in this mess with Toke. I need every advantage, and that includes you.”

  “Oh?”

  He picked up one of the scattered game pieces and set it in its place. “Ingeborg is very old. I wanted her to move in here where it’s warmer in the winters and we can watch over her better. She won’t come. I fear we’ll have need of her services before this is over with Toke. I’m not certain she has the strength for it.”

  “My daughter is very well trained in healing.”

  “I’m aware of that, thank the gods. But your knowledge must be even more extensive, and she still has much to learn from you. We’re fighting a battle I don’t fully understand. It may involve weapons other than swords and ships. I could use a little of the gods beside me.”

  She tilted her head to one side, studying him. “And the Thing is approaching soon. I’ve heard you’re considering bringing charges against Toke for unlawfully attacking you. Twice.”

  “I can only prove the attack on my ships when we returned from the wedding, but I hope to gather more information in the weeks ahead.”

  “And it would help your standings to have me with you.”

  “A rune mistress of your stature would be to my advantage, yes.” She saw too clearly for him to dissimulate. “And I could use your knowledge of the runes.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t believe in such things. The gods don’t touch you.”

  His blood froze. How could she know this? He’d told no one but . . . Silvi. He’d trusted her discretion.

  “I’ve seen it, Magnus. The gods have whispered it to me in the night. Don’t you think that I, who have their ears, wouldn’t know when someone doesn’t hear them? No one else said anything. They didn’t need to.”

  He looked down at the board, at the patterns in the wood. He picked up another piece and set it in its position. “It’s always been this way. Silvi says I’m too steeped in the things of this world, but it’s all I know.”

  “Perhaps it’s not so much that you don’t hear them, as they haven’t deemed you ready. They’ll call to you when they choose to, not before. In a way you’ll understand.”

  Then, perhaps, one day he could walk beside Silvi in the grove and feel what she felt. They could come together finally, completely.

  He looked into her compassionate, pale blue eyes. “Then will you and Nuallen stay for a time? I’ll take you back to Haardvik once I’ve brought Toke to justice. One way or the other.”

  “Will you challenge him?”

  He studied a carved playing piece before placing it on the board. “I’m considering it. Over the winter, Eirik read my runes. He said I hesitat
e too much and that it will cost me someone I love. That’s happened before, and I’ve vowed it won’t happen again. And yet, in this, I need to weigh all considerations. I want to bring my charges against Toke at the Thing and let those assembled hear and vote on them. If they find in my favor, I’ll have more standing to challenge him. They’ll want him to pay restitution, but it will be up to me to collect it. He won’t pay, so I’ll have the right to go after him then.”

  “We can’t just attack our neighbors for no reason, though with all the blood feuds we have in our land, you wouldn’t know it.” Sitting back, she took a breath. “It’s good, then, that I’m not packed, even though the ship is due to leave so soon, isn’t it?”

  He chuckled. “You’re a wicked woman, Lifa.”

  She smiled. “The runes told me to stay. To help as I can. I also want to see where this leads. They’ve spoken to me of a time of darkness and treachery. They’re unclear on many matters, and I want to try to work with them to shape what is to come.”

  His mouth dried. To hide his consternation, he finished setting up the tafl board before he spoke again. “And will you stand with me at the Thing? Even though women can’t testify there?”

  “You’d be surprised what I can do, Magnus. I’ve had kings back down based on my words alone, and avert their eyes. I’ll stand with you. That will speak louder than even the gods themselves. Very few people know of Silvi, or that she’s my daughter, for she never left our lands. It could work to our advantage. Quite often, surprise is the best weapon. And as you said, we must use every one we can.”

  The relief washing over Magnus shocked him. He’d never put much store in anything other than his warrior’s abilities, the weapons he could hold, the strategy and tactics he could form in his mind. He’d always approached warfare in the light of day, on the open seas, with all the subtlety of a war cry. The rules had changed and he needed to change with them. He picked up the tiny king and placed it in the center of the squares.