Lord of the Mountains

by Sabrina Jarema

  Last night, in bed, she’d needed to hear his heartbeat, so she’d rested her head on his chest, her arm over him. He’d stroked her hair and it had reminded her of better times with him. Sensual times. She’d finally slept through the night for the first time since this nightmare had begun.

  Now, he gazed down at her, his eyes filled with hope, and held out his hand to her. She placed her palm in his.

  Near the mouth of the Sognefjorden, western Norway

  The Thing at the south side of the Sognfjorden represented the territories of Sogn, Rogaland, Hordaland, and all the fjords from Stad in the north to Egersund in the south. So Silvi was not surprised to see Eirik’s magnificent ship beached there. Her heart filled with relief to know he’d be with her.

  A storm had followed them down the fjord, as though the gods were urging them along. Whether that was a good omen or not, Lifa wouldn’t say. She’d only contemplated the clouds with a thoughtful expression. With the wind at their backs, Magnus pulled their ships onto the shore beside Eirik’s huge vessel. Magnus had brought only the Sea Eagle and the Fire Serpent, though Kaia had followed with both of the ships and crew Rorik had lent them. A show of force and splendor never hurt. For Magnus to bring four warships and the warriors to crew them would send a message to everyone there, especially Toke.

  “How are we going to find Eirik in all this?” Magnus shielded his eyes with his hand as he peered out over the land.

  As far as Silvi could see, tents and booths had sprung up everywhere and crowds of people milled about. People were negotiating marriages, making treaties, conducting business, and settling feuds. Everyone wanted to make a good showing. They built booths for their groups and wares, each one more splendid than the last.

  “I’ll find my brother.” Silvi hadn’t reached for her abilities in some time, but this was as natural to her as calling out to him. She closed her eyes. Eirik and she had connected over the distance since they were children, and it gave her a feeling of home, safe and welcome. Her visions, however, she avoided. She didn’t want to know what they would tell her. Unlike this, visions came from the gods, and she wanted nothing to do with that now. Perhaps never again.

  Warmth touched her mind and she smiled in relief. “He knows we’re here and he’ll come.”

  Magnus said nothing about it. He directed the men as they unloaded the ships. She’d brought all her finest clothing and jewelry, including the necklace Magnus had given her after their wedding day. She was a jarl’s wife and had to appear and conduct herself like one. She was also Lifa’s daughter, though few knew that yet. She would go before the assembly with her head high, even if her spirit was huddled in a darkened corner, bloody and weeping.

  She watched the crowds and saw her brother striding toward them. She ran to him and he caught her up, enfolding her in his arms. His scent, so much like home, enveloped her. Drawing back from him, she watched Magnus as he approached them. Eirik and he grasped each other’s forearms.

  Eirik’s face was grim. “I’ve heard rumors since I’ve been here.”

  “Yes. We need to talk.”

  Nuallen lifted Lifa off the ship and set her on the shore. She was dressed in her full regalia, and as she walked to Eirik, the people who had gathered to see the vessels drew back to allow her to pass. A breeze whipped her fur cloak aside, showing the gems covering her blue gown.

  “Mother.” Eirik inclined his head to her. In the presence of so many, it would not be wise to show too much familiarity. “How are you?”

  “Angry. Very angry.” A stronger gust hit them all. She raised her voice and pointed east. “And the gods have followed us here.”

  The crowd gasped and retreated. Silvi hid a smile. Of course her mother couldn’t control the weather, but she knew how to make a good show of it. Then again, one could never be quite certain where Lifa was concerned. Still, a rune mistress of her stature had disembarked from Magnus’s ships, and word would soon spread throughout the Thing.

  “Come with me,” Eirik said. “Asa’s waiting at our camp and we’ve saved a place for all of you.”

  Even though they’d left Thorsfjell before light that morning, with the clouds overhead it was nearly dark by the time they’d sailed all the way down the fjord. With everyone working together, they set up their camp and tents before night fell.

  Silvi stared into the fire as Magnus sat down beside her and put his arm around her. Eirik, Asa, Nuallen, Lifa, and Leif joined them. Their men patrolled the perimeter so no one could come close enough to listen to them.

  She blinked away tears as Magnus told Eirik and Asa what had happened since they’d returned to Haardvik. Hearing it all again brought back the pain in her stomach. She trembled, her muscles taut to the point of discomfort. Magnus stroked her back as he spoke and she leaned into him. While it was true that if he hadn’t married her, her life wouldn’t be threatened, it was Toke who had done this. Not Magnus. She saw this now. He was her one chance. At life, and at love.

  “I’ve considered our options.” They all turned their attention to Nuallen. “I swore to protect and guard Lifa, and through her, Silvi. I don’t hold to your legal system. If Silvi is found guilty, then Magnus, I ask that I may use one of your ships and take her from here to my homeland. I have allies there who would harbor her and keep her safe. No one could touch her there.”

  “A Norse woman would be welcome there?” Leif shook his head. “We’re not exactly well liked in your land.”

  “I have a great deal of power and influence there. It will be so, if I wish it.”

  Magnus tensed next to her and held up his hand. “Three things. First, she will not be found guilty. Second, we know nothing about you. To us, you are but a freed slave with unusual talents. You have no reason to love us.”

  “At least not most of us.” Leif glanced at Lifa. She blushed.

  Nuallen’s expression didn’t change. “My hatred is aimed toward Rorik. I have told you that. He’s the one who attacked my lands and wounded me. If I harbored any hatred toward you, I think you’ve seen I could have wreaked my revenge all too easily, many times over. I have not. Lifa saved me, and so did you, Eirik, after a fashion. When Rorik would have thrown me overboard because I was dying and wasting provisions, you stepped in and stopped him.”

  “It wasn’t so altruistic. I saw you as a strong man who might make a good slave. And then the sun turned black when we were at sea. The gods stopped us.”

  “How do you know it wasn’t my God who did so? Besides, you’ve told me that in the Far East, they’ve learned it’s only the moon passing in front of the sun. To answer your other concern about me, in Northumbria I have the title of earl, equivalent to your own jarls. I have vast holdings and lands, and many men fought for me. I have two sons and a daughter, all of your own ages. My wife died many years ago giving birth to my daughter.”

  They all stared at him. Silvi met his green gaze. “Then why haven’t you returned there? Eirik offered to send you back.”

  “I hope my children have taken my place, since I must be thought dead and they would inherit. But we have many greedy and envious neighbors, and I fear they may cause trouble eventually. I’ll have to return sometime to see to my affairs. It might well be, though, that I’ll choose to live among you after all is settled at home.”

  Of course. Silvi smiled to herself. Her mother could never live in Northumbria. They were Christian there and she would be accounted evil, according to their beliefs. She would never give up their gods or try to be anything other than what she was. If Nuallen wanted to be with her, he would have to remain here. By the same token, she, herself, might be reviled if he took her there. Did she have no place to belong in this world?

  “I’ll be able to retrieve some of my wealth, which I hid from Rorik. With it, I can establish myself among you. I would no longer be beholden to you. I have many allies, men I’ve fought beside, and for. They’ll give Silvi shelter, should she need it. I have but to ask.”

  He took a drink of a
le. “Now, you said there were three considerations why I couldn’t take her to safety. I hope it’s not a reason so foolish as jealousy. Or, God forbid, honor. That has killed far too many people in all lands.”

  “We have no morals such as you Christians believe in,” Magnus said. “We know neither good nor evil, nor do our gods. But we do have honor and word-fame. Both live on after us, and it’s all we leave behind for men to remember us by. As jarl, I’m responsible for taking care of my people. As a husband, it’s my duty to protect and care for my wife. I am also accountable for everything she does, according to our laws. And that is why, if the gods withdraw from us and she’s found guilty, I will take on her punishment in her place. I will be drowned so she might live.”

  Pain knifed through Silvi. In shock, she wrenched away from him with a cry that tore from her heart. She rose on shaking legs as the others all spoke at once. She didn’t listen to them.

  “You won’t do that, Magnus. I won’t allow it. You’ve done nothing wrong.” Tears choked her and she could say nothing more.

  He stood and took her in his arms. “You haven’t done anything wrong either, Silvi. It makes just as much sense for me to die as it does for you.”

  She tried to push away from him, but he was too strong. “It’s because of how I am. I’ll walk into the bog myself, Magnus, rather than let you do this. How can you think I’d be able to live without you, knowing you died because of me?”

  “I would have died because of Toke’s lies. Not you. If I went into battle and was killed defending Thorsfjell, and thus you, would it be any different?”

  “You know it would be.”

  Leif cleared his throat. “Since I don’t want to be jarl, I think we’d better win. When we plan a battle, we plan for success, not defeat. We believe we’re already victorious. The time has simply not yet come to claim it.”

  “So that’s why all of you are mad on the battlefield.” Nuallen took another drink. “No one here will die. Leif’s right. We need to plan. Now.”

  Magnus let go of her, but only to urge her to sit beside him again. Asa moved among them, pouring more ale.

  No matter what their laws said, he didn’t have to sacrifice himself for her sake. Unless he loved her. She covered her mouth and bowed her head as she tried not to sob again. Surely the gods wouldn’t be so capricious. She’d always done what they wanted, always loved and served them. Except recently. And they’d let her know their displeasure.

  She had to find a way to appease them, cajole them. Staring into the fire, she nodded. Of course. A sacrifice. When one desired something from the gods, one gave a sacrifice. She’d never been able to offer up animals to them. What else could she give? There was gold, treasure, many other things one could use. What would be worth as much as their lives?

  She caught her breath. Herself. What greater offering could she give? She’d promise to give herself to the temple and serve the gods the rest of her days in exchange for Magnus’s safety and her own life. She’d have to divorce him, though. And it would break her heart.

  How ironic. That which she had once planned because she so desired it, would become a sacrifice of last resort. If it saved Magnus, it was worth it.

  Let nothing happen to Magnus. For if we are victorious, I will give him up and serve you, as you always wanted. Just let him live.

  A calm settled over her, as though the gods heard her and approved. It was done. Closing her eyes, she leaned into him, to feel his warmth, his strength. Soon, she would never feel them again.

  Magnus drew her closer. “We have only tomorrow, for the trials will take place the next day. Thyri needs to go through the area near Toke’s camp and try to find her father. She’ll have to wear a hooded cloak so no one will recognize her. She’ll point him out to me, and Kjeld will speak to him, for no one here knows Kjeld. He’ll let her father know that she and Rollo are safe. If we can get him to testify as to what Toke has been doing, it should go a long way toward discrediting him. Rollo can also testify. Thyri, unfortunately, can’t since she’s a woman, but I think with all the other witnesses we have, and Thyri’s father, it should be enough.”

  What other witnesses? He’d brought the men who had been with him in the sea battle. They had come to testify as to what had happened when Toke attacked them in the islands off the coast. But what others?

  For the first time in over a week, the pain in her stomach subsided, another sign from the gods they were pleased with her decision. She relaxed, drinking in the calm certainty that filled her. Sometimes the gods brought one back around to the path one had originally followed. Her life would be no different, after all, from what she had always dreamt.

  Except now, she dreamed of Magnus.

  * * *

  Silvi walked through the collection of booths with Nuallen. Lifa was with several other rune mistresses, and no one would dare threaten them, so he’d felt it was safe to leave her. Kjeld, Eirik’s most trusted warrior, walked ahead of them. He’d been raiding with Eirik for many years, but had been away from Haardvik when Hakon had taken over. Thyri, wearing a hooded cloak, led the way through the crowd.

  Neither Magnus nor Leif could make contact with Thyri’s father, Ketill. He was probably being watched. However, no one from Toke’s village knew Kjeld. He’d come to Thorsfjell with Eirik and Asa, but he’d stayed down on the beach with the ships. Even Mardoll hadn’t seen him. And what could she have said about him if she had? That he was tall, had long blond hair and blue eyes and was quite handsome? That would describe so many of their men. He was the best choice to speak with Thyri’s father.

  They followed Thyri as she wandered from booth to booth. People sold all manner of goods—herbs, carvings, fine weapons, household items, weavings, cloth, and many things from far away. Poets told their kennings and the audiences tried to figure out what their flowery phrases meant. Harpists played music, and skalds told tales. There was much food, more drink, and brawls erupted everywhere.

  It was her first Thing. If only she could enjoy it all. But the dread of the trials the next day kept her on edge. Even if they were victorious, first she had to stand before all the free men, undergoing their scrutiny. It would be a disgrace, a nightmare she might never forget.

  Thyri slowed until Kjeld caught up with her. They spoke, then she moved off, browsing the tables of wares. Silvi and Nuallen did the same. Kjeld approached an older man with Thyri’s wavy brown hair. He had dark circles under his eyes and stood bowed over, as though he had a great weight on him. He was looking at leather work, and Kjeld stopped beside him and picked up a belt. They spoke together, as though discussing the piece. Thyri’s father stilled, but gave no other indication of what Kjeld had said. He nodded, then shifted as though to look at something else on the table.

  Thyri lifted her head just enough for the light to shine inside the hood. Her father looked away, but not before Silvi saw the brief flash of joy on his face. Kjeld paid for the belt. He left, walking back toward them, but as he passed, he nodded.

  “Good,” Nuallen said. “He’ll help us.”

  Silvi frowned. “Just because Kjeld nodded to us, doesn’t mean that for certain.”

  “Look at Thyri’s father.” He stepped in front of her so it wouldn’t be so obvious, and she peeked around him.

  Ketill was watching as his daughter returned to their camp. His eyes were bright, as though he tried not to weep. Then he walked off in the other direction. He had a spring in his step and a straightness to his back.

  “Let’s get back to the camp and see what he had to say.”

  When they returned, Thyri had disappeared inside one of the tents with her brother. Magnus was pouring ale for Kjeld, Leif, and himself, and when he saw Nuallen and her, he filled more cups.

  “He’ll testify.” Magnus handed them their drinks.

  Kjeld swallowed the ale. “I asked him if he wanted revenge against Toke, and explained that we have Rollo and Thyri and they are safe. It wasn’t until he saw her that he agreed. He’s ve
ry wary, which is understandable. In fact, he wondered if we were holding them to force him to testify, however I said that wasn’t our way, but Toke’s. His concern was the safety of his children, and he said he would testify only if we gave them sanctuary. I told him that was a given, so he agreed. He already knew about the charges against you. I don’t know, though, what he plans to say. There wasn’t time to find out.”

  Magnus poured him more ale. “All we need is for him to testify that Toke made unprovoked attacks on us, harbored outcasts, and forced Thyri to poison the sheep and try to contaminate the water to make it look like sorcery. The first two are enough to make him outcast, and the other things should help exonerate Silvi. It shows he had this planned.”

  “But what of the stillborn child?” Silvi swirled her ale in the cup. Milk would have been better, but it was in short supply there. And ale, at least, was more of a food than beer, so she’d get some nourishment from it. She still couldn’t eat.

  “Knud is coming in one of the knörrs today to testify to his wife’s problems in childbirth, and to explain that this all began years ago. Ingeborg told him months ago that the child likely would be born dead like the others. She can’t testify, but he can.”

  Magnus set down his cup and went to Silvi. Enveloping her in his arms, he looked down at her. “It will be all right, Silvi. I promise. We’re innocent. The gods have given you to me for a reason, and I have a feeling they’re standing with us.”

  She pressed her cheek to his chest. “So do I, Magnus.” But not for the reason he thought. For what the gods gave, they also took away.

  * * *