Gunnar nodded and chanced a smile. He loathed how he still felt like a child, even at sixteen years of life, but his father's words soothed him and exonerated the shame he placed on himself. Still, he craved a way to demonstrate he could carry himself as a man and make wise decisions. "You say I will save my brother?"
"You will, but more remains to explain." Ulfrik began to pace, as he always did when excited for something. He revealed the trickery he and Konal had plotted in secret, dreamed up in a single afternoon. A surge of shock, relief, and dismay filled Gunnar as his father described the careful setting of place and time for contacting each other.
"I struck him in the face," Gunnar said. "I wanted to kill him."
"A perfect accent to heighten the ruse," Ulfrik said, then smiled thoughtfully. "He richly deserved it as well."
"So is none of it true?"
"All of it is true, except that Konal and his men were not drunk and he is not banished. His men only knew they were forbidden to drink that night and had to follow him no matter what. He had only revealed the details to them moments before he launched into his act. It was well done."
"So Aren is not your son."
"He is not my blood, but he is my adopted son. Konal's return makes no difference, and he has agreed. Time will reveal how wise that choice is, but I trust Hakon's fate to him today."
Gunnar's elation at no longer needing to hate a man he had admired all his life crumbled when he thought of his mother. She had been shamed and embarrassed, and her desperation heightened daily. "Will you tell mother?"
"In time, but for now only you and I will know the truth. Deceiving your mother is a heart-pain unlike any other I have ever felt. Your Uncle Toki will be brought in, as you will see in a moment, but all others must remain ignorant until the moment the twin blades of my trap cut down both Throst and Clovis."
Ulfrik sat on a bench and leaned back against a table, then began to explain how Gunnar would rescue Hakon. As his father relayed the plan, Gunnar sat attentively on a bench across from him, leaning in to absorb the details of the plan.
The plan was based on continuing the ruse Ulfrik and Konal had begun. Gunnar's role was to feed Astra vital information that would ruin Throst's plans while creating an opportunity for him to redeem himself with Clovis. Ulfrik planned to send Gunnar along with Toki and his men to seek aid from Hrolf the Strider. The supposition being Ulfrik needs more men to comb the land for Throst while still defending against Clovis, and that since Ulfrik cannot leave he would send his oldest son to represent him. Gunnar would leave this day, and deny Astra the chance to lead him to danger.
"Once you tell Astra this news," Ulfrik said, his eyes bright with excitement and leaning forward on the bench, "she will head straight to Throst with it. If he doesn't see the opportunity himself, Konal will encourage him to inform Clovis that you are with a small band of inexperienced men. You are the bait in the trap, Gunnar. He'll come for you, and I will lead a force to hit him from behind while you and Toki double-back to catch him between us."
"This seems risky. Won't Clovis know you have left with your army as well? His scouts are as shrewd as ours."
"Night will mask us from scouts. Once I have seen Astra return, she will be captured and I will lead half of my men under the cover of darkness into the woods. Footing is treacherous, but the woods are not far. By sunrise we will be following behind you and Clovis as well. No one will have observed my warband exiting Ravndal, and Clovis's spies will still see men on the ramparts. They will have nothing to report."
"Then what of Hakon?"
"By this time Konal and his men will have either killed or captured Throst. They are an even match to Throst's men, but Konal and his crew are warriors and not witless bandits. They will prevail and bring Hakon home. In two strokes, both of my enemies will be destroyed. Clovis will either surrender to me or I will kill him in battle. His overeagerness to avenge his son will be his undoing. He cannot think clearly when his mind is addled with vengeance."
Gunnar considered everything his father had said, and realized his role in it had been exaggerated. His father sat back with a look of supreme satisfaction, but Gunnar did not share it. "I am merely a piece of cheese to lure out the rats. Where is there glory in this? What if I were to refuse?"
Ulfrik's smile dropped and he wiped his mouth as if to forestall a curse. "Clovis's cavalry is destroyed, and he won't leave his fortress undefended. He'll take just enough men for the battle and no more. You needn't worry about success."
"I'm not worried about success," Gunnar interrupted, nearly as shocked as his father to find his voice raised against him. "You are using the promise of my life to gain an advantage over your enemy, and you are proud of it? Is this why not even Mother can know this plan?"
They stared at each other for long moments and a tremor developed in Gunnar's legs that made him thankful he was already seated. Neither man wavered, and Gunnar knew now more than ever he had to prove that he could stand up for himself or forever remain in his father's shadow.
"Son, the plan has been set and Hakon depends on this."
"No, this has nothing to do with Hakon. I am not a child, Father, no matter how long you want to deny it. I can think with a grown man's mind. You just said Konal will free Hakon on the third day, and that happens whether or not you've shoved me in front of Clovis. You just called me bait."
"Yes!" Ulfrik snapped with such sudden force that Gunnar flinched. "So it is true. I've been charmed by my own plan, and placed it before you."
His father seemed to age before his eyes, slumping deeper into his seat. His golden cloak pin glinted in the reflected light, winking and glittering in contrast to the dull and dispirited man wearing it. He put his rough and scarred hands over his face and exhaled a long and weary breath.
"I know I have made mistakes," Ulfrik said through the cover of his hand. "Too many to count. Perhaps this could have been the worst one of all. I saw a chance that surely the gods themselves must have set before me, and so I grabbed at it like a child does a toy. Every word you have spoken today is the truth, and is a shame on my judgment. You are my son, not bait for a trap. Not even my father would've have spoken so carelessly, and he was a callous man. I am humbled by your courage, son. You knew I was wrong, and you told me so."
Letting his hands drop from his face, he flashed Gunnar a suffering smile. His eyes were red from lack of sleep and circled in black. Gunnar searched his father for something of the man he had known, but found only a face that resembled him. Nothing of the force that had driven him for so many years remained. Had this ordeal with Hakon drained him so, or was there more on his mind yet unspoken?
"Hakon's safe return is our first task," Gunnar said, moving to the bench beside his father. "Clovis is a different matter."
Ulfrik nodded, and slapped Gunnar's knee. He stood and stretched. "Of course, you are right. Wait here a moment," he said, then went to his chambers at the back of the hall.
Gunnar watched him shamble toward the darkness and waited, his foot tapping nervously. As his father disappeared beyond the door, he mulled Ulfrik's plan and grasped the shrewdness of it. Maybe the gods did plan justice for Throst and Astra, for diverting their plots to gain advantage was as satisfying as it was just. Hakon was not in danger with Konal and his crew to watch over him. Indeed, it was a cunning plan and his part, if not glorious, was key to it all.
His father reappeared, and in his hand he carried a sheathed sword. He held it forward to Gunnar. "I was wrong to take this from you. You are a man today and have been longer than I cared to admit. Take this sword, wear it with honor, battle with it for glory, and die with your hand upon it."
Taking it into both hands, Gunnar stood and held his father's eyes. He smiled and the two embraced. Ulfrik hugged him close and whispered softly, "I am sorry, my son. You deserved better from your father."
"These are trying times," Gunnar said, struggling to find the words as the two stepped back from each other. He weighed his s
word in his palm and a smile played on his lips. Raising a brow, he met his father's eye again. "Now we must hurry and inform Toki of your plan. We must act fast if we are to lure out Clovis and send that Frankish bastard to his grave."
Ulfrik's eyes widened in surprise, and then the two of them laughed together.
Chapter 31
Runa's hair spilled from the hood of her cloak and brushed her face in the morning breeze. With a snort of irritation, she stuffed it back inside and lowered her head so none could see her face within. The chicken pen beside the northern hall, where Toki and his crew lodged, was a ramshackle affair that only contained the chickens if they chose to remain within. The girls who tended these feisty hens were in awe when she suggested they leave the feeding to her. Now she took her time with the feed basket, scattering stale bread, grains, and scraps of other food for the noisy birds. Though she undertook the task for another purpose, the scent of the hens and their frantic scramble took her back to a simpler time when this chore might be one of many to occupy her day. Now there was nothing for her but to sit at a loom or give orders to servants.
And too much time to think.
A hen pecked at her foot, impatient with her lazy pace, and she shooed it away with a squawked protest before casting more feed on the cold earth. She continued to watch the doors of the north hall, noting all the visitors and turning her head at any glance spared for her. More people arrived at this hall than expected, but since Ulfrik had closed his hall for some mysterious purpose, hirdmen and tradesmen alike had drifted to the other barracks for their meals. She considered this morning might not have been the ideal time to spy on Halla, particularly when she was not certain what to expect.
Einar and Bera had taken Aren for her without question, as Aren always seemed more at home with Einar's girls than his own brothers. In truth, she probably could have used Aren's keener eyesight, for at her age people in the distance were becoming smudgy and indistinct figures. In fact, Aren seemed to be the sanest of all her family since Hakon's kidnapping and he was merely a child. She could stand some better counsel than what she had in her husband.
"What am I doing out here?" she muttered to herself as she crumbled the last of the feed from her hand. "You've lost your mind, Runa, that's what you've done."
She flung the basket into the corner fence, several hens jumping in protest, and then collapsed onto a tree stump that served as a stool and a collection point for debris. An old bucket filled with scummy water sat next to it, and the morning light reflected on the surface. Runa saw her reflection in it, obscured by the floating junk, and kicked it so that the ripple erased her image. She did not want to look at what she had become. Folding her arms into the plain wool cloak, she tightened against the chill.
Men in fur hats and heavy cloaks arrived at the north hall, greeted at the doors by friends, some with great warmth and others with hardly more than a nod. Many faces were familiar, others complete strangers. Once she had known all the men and women of her hall and the surrounding farms. They had relied on her, looked to her for leadership and protection. Their relationship had true meaning and real benefits. Now here, in this place called Ravndal, she was nothing more than a symbol to the men and mistress to the women. Strangers were the norm, and these strangers guarded her and her family. Hakon relied on these men, men she hardly knew, for rescue.
Then she remembered what she was doing here and her jaw set with purpose.
While Ulfrik shamed her and himself with drunkenness and inaction, she had to do something. None of these strangers cared for her son. None of these men, without an order from their jarl, would step away from their cozy hearths and search for Hakon. Her husband had been enfeebled since his confrontation with Konal. This morning he seemed a different man, but how much time had passed without Throst showing as expected and nothing at all being done to find Hakon? No, her purpose here on this chill and bleak morning was to do whatever she could to bring Hakon home.
She knew, beyond any doubt, that Halla had somehow betrayed them all to Throst.
Peering at the log walls of the barracks, she imagined Halla inside, partaking of hospitality while plotting against her betters. Her brother, however dear he was to her, was a fool and always had been a fool in matters of the heart. He could not see Halla for who she truly was. Maybe now with daughters to care for, he chose to not see. No matter. He had dragged her from those cold and foggy islands at the top of the world and spread her poison here. Runa had to stop it.
"You're searching for someone to fight," Ulfrik had told her after she had confronted Toki. "You can't get to Throst and so imagine Halla is your enemy."
Runa rubbed her nose violently as she scowled at the barracks hall. She wanted to believe him, but Halla always seemed to wear a smug expression since the fire. She wanted to leave these lands, and if she could not then she wanted to hurt those she blamed for keeping her here. She knew something more, and Runa would find out.
The thought repeated on her like a bad stew gurgling up from her bowels, increasing in intensity as the cold of the morning wore on. When she thought to give up, she spotted Ulfrik and Gunnar striding purposefully for the barracks. Her heart leapt. What if he caught her at this? As if catching her fear, the hens clucked and one began to chase another in a circle and sent feathers twirling up. She turned her head aside, not wanting to be humiliated. No matter how important she felt her task, squatting in a shit-strewn pen with hens cavorting at her feet would be a shameful and embarrassing thing to explain.
Both Ulfrik and Gunnar huddled together, her husband's excited animation clear in the way his hands swept at invisible landscapes. Gunnar nodded and inserted his own gestures as the two arrived at the hall. They stopped to be greeted with a curt bow and then vanished inside. Runa sat straighter and wondered if she should try to listen, or if directly joining them was a better idea. Unable to decide, she sat back on her stump and waited. Soon, they emerged out the back door with Toki. The three huddled together like boys planning to prank the serving girls. Whatever they discussed, all three seemed excited and Toki continually looked north as if expecting something. She could not hear them from this distance, and feared to move lest she give herself away. Their meeting lasted longer than it would take Runa to cook a dinner, and she began to lose patience. At last Toki and Ulfrik embraced, followed by Gunnar, and they departed.
Runa covered her head again, as Ulfrik and Gunnar cut around the barracks and passed close to the pen. She overheard scattered words, but none of them were coherent. The tenor of their speech was of excitement and anticipation. She noticed Gunnar wore his sword, and seeing it flapping at his waist nearly drew her to her feet. They passed her, both wrapped in their plans, and returned the way they had come.
"Now what?" she muttered to herself. "Something is happening, but not what I came to learn."
Stubbornness alone saw her wait longer, and only a few men left the hall, hirdmen who picked up shields and spears and tightened their furs against the breeze as they drifted off to their duties.
Then the gods rewarded her persistence.
Halla appeared behind the barracks now. She was alone, wrapped in a gray cloak, but her platinum hair was brilliant even in the shade. She paused and then looked about herself. Runa's heart stopped beating when Halla looked directly at her, but her gaze slid past. As if she might melt, Runa steadied herself on the stump and watched carefully.
Halla disappeared from view as she stepped back to the barracks, but then came out again with an empty bucket and ladle. She walked a short distance to the tree and then placed the bucket in the crook of its roots. With a glance over her shoulder, she carefully arranged the ladle to lean against the bucket and then stepped back from it before returning to the barracks.
Craning her neck higher, Runa wanted to investigate the bucket yet was not certain if Halla had gone inside or if she was just out of sight around the corner. This was a strange thing for anyone to do, and falling right on the heels of Ulfrik's visit on
ly heightened the suspicion. She determined Halla had gone inside, and prepared to approach the tree where the bucket lay.
Then a horn sounded, one long note to summon their hirdmen to the main hall. The reaction was almost instant, though the single note indicated only a summons and no danger. Men were flowing out of the barracks and surrounding building and heading toward the hall. Runa would have to join Ulfrik, or her absence would arouse worry. She glanced at the bucket, but already men were exiting from the back of the hall. Toki would surely join them.
She cursed in frustration at the timing, but she retired from the pen, scattering hens as she left. That bucket was a signal to someone, she knew. If she could not learn now, she would learn without any more delay who Halla wanted to signal. For the moment, she had to answer the call of the horn. But as she took the back path to the hall, she smiled. Halla would be revealed for the traitorous witch she was, and she would know where Hakon was being held. It had been a good morning after all.
Chapter 32
Gunnar constantly touched his sword as if to assure himself it would still be there. Several warriors had congratulated him with a back slap or friendly knock on his head after Ulfrik gathered the hirdmen to announce Gunnar's mission. He burned with pride for it. He was one of them now, even if not yet tested in battle. That would come soon enough, he thought. The day had refused to warm despite the bright sun and his breath curled before him in threadlike wisps as he waited at the center square for Toki to prepare his men. A few of his friends clustered with him and idled in the midmorning cold. They joked about Gunnar presenting himself to Hrolf the Strider on his father's behalf. "You'll have to kneel before him, something you don't know how to do. You should practice with me," one said to the amusement of the others.
Gunnar smiled but his thoughts were far away. His uncle had his own preparations to make for the journey, and so did Gunnar. While Toki was busy arranging supplies for what would normally be a week-long foot journey, Gunnar had to see Astra one last time. He scanned the approaches for her as his friends continued chattering and laughing. She was long overdue by his estimation and should have come for him after the announcement at the hall.
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