Lord of the Mountains

by Sabrina Jarema

  “I would be with you this night.” Magnus put his arms around her from behind as soon as they walked into their tent.

  She ducked her head and gave a dry smile. “In case this is our last?”

  He kissed the back of her neck, then turned her around to face him. “You know better than that. Lifa said the gods followed us, and for the first time, I believe it. I want to affirm that you’re mine, to show them I won’t allow anything to come between us.”

  She leaned against him, drawing from his strength. “They have a habit of not listening to us at times. But this night, let there be no doubt.” Even though she would go to Uppsala if they were victorious, the gods would know that, while she served them as promised, her heart would always be reserved for Magnus alone.

  He smiled. With gentle hands, he took down her hair and combed it through his fingers. She shuddered at his touch, the hairs on her body lifting. The noise and laughter outside faded away until only they existed.

  He slipped off her gown and shift, and she helped him with his clothing. They sank onto the pile of furs and he drew her under him. His face was grim as he looked down at her. Trying to smile at him, she studied every angle of his eyes, his mouth, his body. To remember him. For if they lost, she’d brought with her the strange powder Thyri had at Thorsfjell, and she’d take it. She could not allow him to waste his life for her. And if they were victorious, then she had to keep her word and go to Uppsala.

  Either way, this might well be their last night. Her eyes filling, she clung to him and urged him into her. She needed him inside her, to feel his strength around her. But he held back.

  “You need to be ready for me, Silvi.”

  “I am, Magnus. Please.”

  He kissed her, his body joining with hers. Grasping him with her legs, she tilted her hips to meet him, burying her face in his chest. His scent, the iron of his body, the warmth of his skin, all this she would have to take with her—wherever she was after this, with Freya at Folkvang or with the priestesses at Uppsala. Either way, the gods would take her from Magnus. From the only love she would ever know. Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and he pulled back to look at her.

  He touched her face. “Why?”

  She shook her head. “There are no words for what I feel. Just make love to me.”

  “Always, Silvi. Always.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Silvi had dressed in her finest gown. It was blue, Odin’s color, and she wore the necklace of stones and crystals Magnus had given her after their wedding. More crystals and amber beads hung from her broaches, and Thyri had done her hair in dozens of intricate, coiled braids. She’d hidden the tiny bag of poison-stone powder in her belt pouch. If she were found guilty, she’d swallow it before anyone could stop her. She didn’t know how much would be lethal, but if she took all of it, it would solve that problem.

  The area where the assembly conducted business was roped off, but all the free men who voted stood around the outside. A storm threatened overhead, but it had held off for the past days as though even the gods would not interfere. All morning the assembly had heard complaints, feuds, and accusations, and had rendered their verdicts in the traditional way, by brandishing their weapons to indicate assent.

  Lifa stood with a group of other rune mistresses and masters. They all bore their staffs and regalia, watching the proceedings with dispassion. Silvi and Magnus remained with Eirik, Asa, Leif, and Nuallen. Late in the night, the free men of Thorsfjell had arrived in Magnus’s remaining knörr, among them Knud and Droplaug. Testimony of craftsmen, farmers, and huntsmen wouldn’t have the same weight as that of higher ranking men, but they would be heard and could still vote. That vote was equal to any, even a king’s. They all stood behind Magnus’s group, along with his warriors.

  The Law-Sayer, Yrian, stepped into the center of the area. He was, perhaps, in his thirties, tall and red-haired. “We will hear the accusations of Toke Gudrodson against Jarl Magnus Sigrundson.”

  Magnus kissed her, long and deep, then walked to the Law-Giver. Her head swam with her husband’s kiss and his power. He was splendid, dressed in a brown tunic, light-colored shirt, and black trousers. His heavy gold torc lay around his neck and he wore matching twisted-wire wrist cuffs. Silvi’s heart swelled with pride, for he looked every inch a jarl. He raised his head with disdain as Toke approached. An older man, Toke had a grizzled beard, unwashed hair, and his clothing was worn. As he stopped before the Law-Sayer, he glared at Magnus with hatred.

  “Ketill is the only one who stands with Toke, except for a few of his poor villagers.” Eirik pointed with his chin.

  “Of course,” Leif said. “All his allies are outcasts. They certainly can’t come here.”

  Yrian tapped his staff against the ground and all quieted. “Three things are at issue in this matter. First we will hear the accusation Toke Gudrodson makes that Jarl Sigrundson killed his son, who was heir to his property. Gudrodson, give to us your testimony.”

  “In the spring, I was returning from a trading journey at the time of the Ostaramoon, in my two knörrs. I was just within the islands at the mouth of the Sognefjorden when Jarl Sigrundson attacked me with his two boats. He killed my only son. He did so with his shield, striking him. The dark powers of his wife, no doubt, had entered into the shield, and my son was struck dead instantly.”

  “What say you to this, Jarl?”

  “It is true that I killed his son, but it was in a battle Gudrodson initiated. We were returning from my sister’s wedding to Jarl Eirik Ivarson in Hordaland. We had been following Rorik of Vargfjell up the coast, under his protection, for he is now family to me through marriage.”

  “Good to make that point,” Eirik said, as men around the circle murmured. “It shows the power he has behind him.”

  “Toke waited until Rorik’s ships were well away from us to attack from behind the islands. We moved until our backs were to the sun and Gudrodson would be blinded by it. If we wanted to destroy Toke’s ships, would we not have used Rorik’s fleet to do so instead of engaging Toke in our knörrs?”

  Again, all the men surrounding them spoke among themselves, nodding.

  Magnus waited for the discussion to subside. He stood calm and patient while Toke fidgeted. “The battle was nearly done, with our victory assured, when my brother, Leif, called out from my other ship. We’ve fought so often together in the past, I knew what he was warning me about. I ducked and brought up my shield, using the wind to catch it and strengthen my blocking move. It hit the boy before I even looked at him. He went over the side. I realized how young he was and tried to reach in to save him.”

  Yrian held up his hand. “You would save the son of your enemy?”

  “I did not know who he was. Only that he was not even in his first beard yet. He wore mail, which dragged him under.”

  “You lie.” Toke clenched his fists. “I saw you lean over the side and hold him under so he would drown.”

  Yrian frowned. “Which story is it, Gudrodson?”

  Toke froze. “I don’t understand what you mean, Law-Sayer.”

  “First, you told us that your son died when Jarl Sigrundson’s shield touched him because of a dark spell his wife placed on it. Now you say he held him under the waters so that he drowned. It cannot be both.”

  As Toke stammered, Magnus spoke. “I was not yet married to my wife and had only just met her before the wedding. She barely knew me at all, and in fact, did not think much of me.” The men in the crowd laughed. “I need no spells to give me victory, or to kill an opponent. The gods smile on the brave, not cowards.”

  “I have the right to challenge you for that.” Toke’s face turned red.

  “Yes, but you won’t. Instead you use others to do your fighting for you. Your son was on my ship, fighting, but you were still on your own vessel, moving away from the fray. You were foolish enough to allow him to wear mail for a sea battle. That is what killed him. Ran pulled him under. When she desires a man, no one can gai
nsay her.”

  Magnus crossed his arms. “Gudrodson says he was returning from a trading journey, but that would have still been too early in the year. He was lying in wait for any ship to come into the fjord, as is his habit. He hid until Rorik’s fleet passed, then struck. He, alone, is to blame for his son’s death. At least the boy will enter Valhalla, unlike his sire.”

  Toke cursed, spraying spittle, but Yrian stepped between them. “Gudrodson, do you bring with you any witnesses?”

  He stepped back. “No, Law-Sayer. All the men who were with me are out trading.”

  “All the men who were with him are outcasts.” Magnus chuckled. “They cannot come here, of course, or their lives are forfeit.”

  Yrian nodded. “And do you bring with you any witnesses, Jarl Sigrundson?”

  “Yes. I bring my brother, and all the men who were with me in my two ships.”

  “Let them come forward.”

  They came into the area and stood behind Magnus. Their hair was washed and combed and they were all dressed in their finest clothing and jewelry, as the law demanded, making an impressive showing. One by one, they gave the same testimony while the winds from the coming storm rose.

  Then Leif stepped forward and Yrian looked from him to Magnus. “I did not know you had a twin.”

  “I am Leif Sigrundson. I need not repeat what the others have told you except to say that I had to stop my brother from going into the waters after the boy. He searched so deep, his head was almost beneath the waves. I had to grab his belt and haul him back to make certain Ran did not see him and take him for herself. She had more than enough dead men to choose from that day. Toke’s men. She did not need another.

  “Our father taught us to use our surroundings to our advantage in battle. Positioning ourselves so that the sun shines in the eyes of our enemy, using the high ground to strengthen our charges, and using the wind behind our shields to augment our strikes—all these things we have learned. My brother only used what we were taught, and that is why we have always been victorious in battle. Few pirates on the seas will engage us. They are too wise, but it would appear Toke is not.”

  The crowd yelled their approval, banging their fists on their scabbards.

  Yrian raised his hands. “We have heard the testimony of this matter. What say you all? Do we find that Toke Gudrodson’s accusations have merit in this case?”

  No one called out. Toke stared at Thyri’s father and the other villagers. They hung back, looking down, but Ketill stood with his arms crossed, silent. Toke narrowed his eyes at him, but he only raised his head and met his glare.

  “Or do you find that Jarl Sigrundson was within his rights when he killed Gudrodson’s heir?”

  The men in the crowd all raised their swords, axes, knives, and spears, brandishing them with a great shout. Silvi sagged against Eirik, weak with relief. They’d found for Magnus. Her heart could pump again.

  He smiled at her. She acknowledged it as Asa embraced her. The men all filed out of the center of the circle, to join the crowd again, but Magnus remained behind.

  Yrian called for silence. “Jarl Sigrundson, the assembly has found that you are held blameless in this matter and therefore you and your relatives do not owe him any wergeld. Do you wish to make any charges concerning his attack on you?”

  “No, Law-Sayer. I have other charges pending against him that are far more onerous. It is true that I lost men. However, it was in battle. I have no doubt I will receive my due from him after this is concluded.”

  “Well spoken. Then we will continue.” He addressed the assembly. “We will now hear the accusations of sorcery Toke Gudrodson makes against Silvi Ivarsdottir, the wife of Jarl Sigrundson. Let her come forward.”

  She tried to walk, but her legs wouldn’t move. Everyone stared at her. She looked at her mother across the area and Lifa inclined her head to her with a slight smile. Then she raised it, her pride blazing from her as lightning flashed against the mountains in the distance. Silvi swallowed and took a deep breath. She was her mother’s daughter. And her father’s, who had been a great jarl and warrior. She’d made a promise to the gods and they had answered her. They would not have accepted her vow if she were going to die this day. Strength poured into her body as she straightened.

  Magnus came to her and held out his hand, his eyes shining as he gave her an encouraging smile. She placed her hand in his and walked with him to the Law-Sayer. When she stopped, she turned to Toke. No man had ever been able to look into her eyes except Magnus and Eirik. Toke glanced at her, then backed away.

  “She tries to curse me with her strange silver eyes.”

  “Silence.” Yrian studied her, but she stood strong. “You will remain with your wife, Jarl Sigrundson?”

  “Of course, Law-Sayer. She cannot testify on her own behalf. She is my responsibility and my love. I will stand with her always.”

  His love? It felt as though the lightning in the distance shot through her. She stared at him, but he didn’t look at her. Shaking, she observed all the men around her. They were silent, weighing everything that happened. She tried to calm herself, but her heart still pounded. She wanted to be sick.

  Magnus had not let go of her hand and he pressed it. She gripped his fingers as the world wavered. For a moment, she was going under the waves. He was reaching down to her from the light and air. She shook the vision away and focused hard on her surroundings. Now was not the time for it.

  “Toke Gudrodson has brought a charge that Silvi Ivarsdottir has practiced the dark arts, and in doing so has wrought havoc and death on her village and his.”

  What lies would he tell now? Some of his villagers were with him. Would they testify falsely for him? How could she counter that?

  The crowd murmured around her. Her cheeks heated, but she pressed her lips together.

  “Present your case, Gudrodson.”

  “Yes, Law-Sayer.” Kneading his shirt, he spoke to the assembly. “Jarl Sigrundson has long been stealing away the women of my village for the use of his own men. Some of them have managed to return to me and they have told me that his new wife, this woman, is a sorceress and has brought great disaster to our valleys.”

  She looked up at Magnus, but he didn’t react to this slander. He just watched Toke, his face calm, as though he listened to him discussing the weather.

  “List the offenses she is said to have committed,” Yrian said.

  “The dark powers surrounding her have struck down livestock in the valleys. Many sheep have died for unknown reasons, both ours and theirs. This was no natural occurrence since there were no marks upon their bodies. My villagers will testify to this.”

  “In the right time,” Yrian said. “Continue with the facts.”

  “A child died when she touched it as it was being born. Two other infants who were born at nearly the same time have lived and are thriving. She was seen the day after that, sitting on the grave of the dead child, mouthing a spell.”

  Silvi gasped, the pain of the child’s death still fresh. She had tried so hard. How could he twist it like this?

  “We all know that sorcerers move the earth by sitting on graves. The next day, an avalanche took the lives of a man and woman who lived in our valley. Also, many people in both villages have become ill from drinking the water in their wells, and it is feared that she has tainted them.”

  She fought back her tears. Unable to take any more, she tapped Magnus’s arm and he leaned down so she could whisper to him. “Why aren’t you saying anything? How can you let him lie like this?”

  His lips just brushed her cheek before he spoke. “It’s not the right time. I’m letting him dig his own grave deeper and deeper with every word he says. Then I’ll push him into it.”

  That calmed her a bit, but she still had to stand and listen to his lies. Magnus caressed the palm of her hand with his thumb.

  “Her powers have caused buildings to catch fire and strange creatures have been sighted in the mountains near our villages.
All these things have happened since she came here and married the jarl.”

  Yrian tilted his head to one side in question. “Why would she do this? She married a wealthy jarl, and that is her home now. Why would she try to destroy it?”

  “For revenge, Law-Sayer. It was well known in Thorsfjell that she did not want to marry the jarl. She was most unhappy about it, but her family forced her into it to align themselves with Jarl Sigrundson, a very successful merchant.”

  In the crowd, Leif gave a short laugh.

  Toke’s jaw tightened, but he continued. “To hear the woman I spoke to tell it, the jarl’s wife wanted to go to Uppsala instead, to be a priestess with all the prestige and rank that entails. And yet, she was forced to become only a wife.”

  Yrian considered Magnus. “I see no great hardship for any woman to marry such a man. So then, Gudrodson, tell us which of the priestesses practices the dark arts at Uppsala—the völur? The seith-kona? The blótgythiur or the hóvgythiur?”

  “I—I don’t understand, Law-Sayer.”

  “It becomes apparent that you don’t understand much, Gudrodson.” Many of the men around them laughed. Yrian addressed Magnus. “It this true? Did she want to go to Uppsala rather than marry?”

  “Yes, Law-Sayer. Since she was very young.”

  She caught her breath. Why did Magnus say that? It gave credence to Toke’s accusation and made it sound much worse.

  “I see.” Yrian pondered this. “It seems to me, if she is a sorceress, the last place she would want to go would be to the temple. She would be slain if they discovered she practices such destruction as you say. Who there would welcome her, Gudrodson? Who do you accuse of being immersed in the dark arts at the temple?”

  “I—I know not of such things, Law-Sayer.” He turned red again.

  “I thought not. In any event, bring forward your witnesses to your words.”

  Toke turned to Ketill and the villagers of Bygvik, but they stood where they were. He motioned to them. “Come here, Ketill, and give your testimony about the poisonings, the illnesses and deaths, and the creatures you have seen.”