Shield of Lies

by Jerry Autieri

  At last he saw her, entering the square from the northern path. Their eyes met, and his stomach burned. She had changed. No longer did she seem a radiant beauty whose every motion was a mystery of womanhood. Her hair no longer shimmered like gold, nor was her face a clear pool of beauty. Now she was a common girl, dressed in plain gray skirts with a smudged overdress. Her smile was a falsehood to conceal her snake's tongue. When she paused in her approach, Gunnar realized his face might have revealed too much of his thoughts. Even as his stomach roiled he schooled his expression and waved to her. Excusing himself from his friends, he met her at the edge of the square.

  "I came as soon as I could," she said and stepped closer. Gunnar stiffened and she hesitated, biting off her next words.

  "Sorry, I am nervous for this journey," he said. "It could be dangerous."

  "I've heard you are leaving with a band of men, and that your father plans to sacrifice three goats to Thor to safeguard your trip. Is that all true?"

  "Of course it is." He swept his hand behind him. "I am leaving right after the dedication of the sacrifice."

  Astra searched his face and he glimpsed the faint squint of her eyes. How often had she appraised him like a sack of grain at market, he wondered, and yet never saw it for all his foolish infatuation. It galled him to realize she was far less skillful than he had thought, and himself far more gullible.

  Her brows knitted in worry and she lowered her voice. "Then do be careful, Gunnar. Who will be traveling with you?"

  "My Uncle Toki and his crew are all we can spare. To be honest, they are not the best fighting men. Farmers from the Faerayjar Islands mostly, and not enough have been in true battle. I guess I fit well with them, but I pray the gods we don't meet trouble on the road."

  Gunnar imagined Astra smiled for a moment, but her concern only deepened. "Then you must demand better men. The land is never safe, but it's so much worse now with Clovis and Throst about."

  "Neither has the guts to fight in the open, even if we were to lay facedown in the grass for them. I'm more concerned for bandits finding us than either of those fools."

  A hint of pink tinged Astra's cheeks and her delay was louder than a shout to Gunnar. Take that back to your lover, he thought.

  "Then I don't suppose you have much to worry about," she said, scanning the people behind Gunnar. "Why are you going overland when a ship would be faster?"

  Now Gunnar paused and her eyes met his with a sudden wickedness he never expected. In truth they traveled overland to lure out their enemies, and travel down the Seine would be more efficient for thirty men in need of haste. Did she see through the ruse?

  "The ships are all dry docked in their boathouses, and we've no time for portage to the Seine. Besides, carrying a ship overland would be a signal to anyone watching for us. Like I said, we don't want to draw attention. Anyway, Hrolf will send us back in ships along with the men we need."

  Astra nodded and the breeze shifted a lock of hair across her face. Only yesterday he would have delighted at the delicate hair playing in the wind, but now he saw only ugly falsehood. Would she have laughed as Throst's men overpowered him and dragged him away, pants down and face bloodied? Would she have taunted him in imprisonment, and watched Clovis chop off his right hand in vengeance? He still could not imagine it, but the truth of her deceit remained.

  "Be careful, my love," she said at last. "Come back to me as soon as you are able. I will want to welcome you home with something special."

  She smiled and leaned into him, pressing her soft breasts on his arm. He stiffened at the venomous touch, witnessing the temptation his father promised she would offer to lead him into doom. It was all true. All of it.

  "It will be a passionate homecoming," he said with a smile that trembled in near collapse. "For now, be well, Astra."

  He pulled away and strode past her, heading north to see what delayed Toki and to escape the pain that threatened to overwhelm him.

  Chapter 33

  "So it is only you and I left behind," Runa said softly. "And all the others who my husband doesn't trust."

  "That bitterness does not fit you," Snorri chided. "The fewer who know the better, and part of the hird must remain in case Clovis sees Ravndal as the better choice."

  Runa and Snorri walked the northern track toward the mead hall. Aren held her hand and listened attentively to all she said. Einar's wife, Bera, went ahead with her girls and bore a torch aloft to light the early evening. Glowing lights from open doors winked out as the tradesmen and their families settled for the night. All the men who had just slipped out the gates under Ulfrik's command had drained Ravndal of activity, leaving behind confused families who had only learned of the departure moments before it happened.

  "Ulfrik assures me Clovis won't be able to resist catching Gunnar in the open," she said as if the words were bile in her mouth. "This is madness, using our own son as a lure for a trap."

  "Not madness, lass. It's daring plans like this that have raised him above others, and your son was willing to do it. It's how he'll learn these tricks for himself. Hold on, my leg. The damned cold makes it stiff."

  She and Aren stopped while Snorri worked his thigh. Bera and her daughters continued to amble ahead and the circle of light went with them. Runa glanced at Aren, who stared pensively into the gloom of nightfall. She wondered what his young mind had made of all the recent events. Then there was the brutal farce Ulfrik had exposed to him. "I tried to get the two of you to leave, but you wouldn't go," Ulfrik had explained. Whatever his intention, he had failed and she believed their son hurt for it.

  "That's better," Snorri announced. "Let's get to a warm fire. Nothing more to do until someone returns."

  Runa smiled but said nothing, and the two walked in companionable silence. Snorri was like a father to her as much as he had been for Ulfrik. He loved her children, though he ignored Aren, and he would serve them with his life. He would never voice it, but she was certain he chaffed at Ulfrik's deceptions and being excluded from the action. She grasped the tactical sense of Ulfrik's plans, and admired how he would beat both Clovis and Throst at their clever games. Yet being fooled into believing he had abandoned hope and surrendered Hakon to fate had injured her. She barely had time to demonstrate how hurt she felt, but she would ensure he knew after his return. However much he would celebrate victory before his men, behind closed doors he would have to work hard to make amends to her.

  At the hall, Bera and her daughters were already ordering servants to stoke the hearth and heat up the stew from dinner. The savory scent made Runa's mouth water, and Snorri expressed her thoughts. "Smell that? No need to go hungry just because the men are on the march."

  As they ate, small talk filled the time. The evening the men left to war was always the strangest. Their faces were still fresh in mind, their voices still clear in memory, and fear of their deaths a passing thought. Yet the men were gone and their protection as well. Those left behind struggled to preserve normalcy that would be dead by the next morning when the women awoke to a cold spot where their husbands should be.

  "Where is Halla living with Toki gone?" Snorri asked. Runa stiffened at the casual mention, knowing well that Snorri was reminding her of a duty to invite Halla into her home while Toki and all his men were away.

  "She has not seen fit to approach me since we last spoke. I assume she has the company of other women."

  Snorri nodded, not looking at her. All conversation ceased. Bera fussed with her youngest daughter, then she excused herself with an embarrassed smile. Runa let her go, seeing the nervousness at the mention of Halla's name. Once she had gone to the far end of the hall, where they made their home in a small room, Runa continued.

  "Well, are you accusing me of being a poor host?" She glared at him, and his eyes widened and shoulders shrugged. "I already tried that and you know what it earned me. Besides, the little witch is plotting something. Don't give me that look. You know it. She has been Loki's right hand from the moment she ste
pped into my hall."

  "I know you've never had any love for her, but for your brother's sake ..."

  "My brother asked nothing of me before he left," Runa snapped. "If he wanted me to comfort his wife he'd have told me. He's such a love-struck fool. How old is he by now, and still the woman has him blinded."

  "I wouldn't say that. I think the two are actually devoted to each other."

  Now Runa's eyes went wide and her mouth bent in a shocked smile. "I expected better judgment from you, Snorri. All your years have imparted no deeper wisdom to you?"

  "Not more about my age." He rolled his eyes. "Look, Toki and Halla are happy together. And as for your fears of her betrayal, that's a bit far-fetched even for you. She has been here barely a month, and after the troubles with Throst. How could she cause all these problems? Lass, it's better for you to quit looking for trouble with her."

  "Not so. Today she left a sign for someone right after Ulfrik left. I saw it. She put out a bucket and ladle in a certain spot. Who was she trying to signal?"

  "Her servants?"

  "Don't mock me."

  "Lass, you are spying on her? Listen to yourself. That's no way for the jarl's wife to behave. You'd shame yourself like that, just to accuse her of putting out a bucket and ladle?"

  "Someone has to watch her." Runa's face grew hot with embarrassment. In the heat of her anger she had revealed too much. With her actions given voice, she heard how foolish they sounded. She had mucked about with chickens and disguised herself with poor clothing for no better reason than to convince herself Halla was at the bottom of her worries. Of course, Throst was the true enemy, but far out of reach.

  Tears began to well in her eyes and her lips pressed tight. She was not helping Hakon, nor her husband or anyone else. She was striking out blindly and making life harder on everyone. Halla was still a witch, and her horrible words at their last meeting were unforgivable, but maybe she had nothing to do with the troubles in Ravndal. Maybe she had just hoped for it, to justify her hatred for the woman.

  "Don't cry, Mother." Aren's small voice was a surprise and he tugged at her sleeve as she wiped a tear away.

  Runa gave a watery laugh, and patted Aren's head. "Don't fret for me. Mother is all right, just realizing that she might have been a fool."

  "Not a fool. Only desperate to lay hands on the enemy," Snorri corrected gently. "No one blames you for wanting that. Just get your hands on the right enemy."

  Runa laughed and dabbed her last tear, not knowing what to do with her hands or where to look. Such humiliation was unfamiliar territory for her, and her sole respite was that only Snorri had to witness it.

  "No, Mother." Aren again tugged at her sleeve. "Halla and Astra are friends, but they don't want to be friends. They're not real friends."

  "What do you mean?" Runa shared a worried glance with Snorri.

  "It's like Astra and Gunnar. Astra is not his real friend. She is pretending."

  Runa's hands grew cold at the simple innocence of Aren's statement. How could he have known when Runa only learned the same from Ulfrik last night? He had roused her from bed, taken her into the hall, and Aren had slept through all of it.

  "What do you mean?" she asked, followed with nervous laughter.

  "Astra is a bad person. She hates me, and she hates Father too. She doesn't make a real smile to Gunnar, or say real words. Gunnar thinks she is his friend, but when he is not looking Astra has a mean face for him."

  Snorri shuddered and turned aside, rubbing his sides as if a cold wind had blown through the hall. Runa also felt the chill, for a child should not be so observant or concerned with nuances of the adult world. Yet, he was always the overlooked presence, and few people understood or expected his acuity. They might carelessly reveal much to his young eyes.

  "So what do you mean about Halla and Astra? I didn't know they were friends."

  "They pretend they can't see each other, but they always meet by accident." Aren emphasized his last word, and again Runa held her breath at the strange maturity of his speech. "They want to be friends, but can't be because you wouldn't like it."

  "No, I wouldn't like it. Why do you think they fear I'd be upset?"

  "They are always looking at you."

  "Enough of this," Snorri said, louder than was reasonable. "The boy wants to please you, lass. Can't you see that? He doesn't even make sense."

  "It makes sense to me. As it is said, birds of a feather most flock together."

  "And it is also said, what people wish they soon believe. So it is with you. Now even the words of a child will sway you."

  Runa bit her lip and stared hard at Snorri, who returned her stare with equal ferocity. Glancing down at Aren, his expression was calm but resolute. His small hand again yanked on her sleeve, but rather than speak he simply raised his brows. He was too young for the games Snorri suggested he played. Children pleased their parents by working hard for their attention and doing their chores, not by subterfuge. For all his uncanny intelligence, Aren was still a child.

  "Al right, Snorri," Runa said with a smile. "Let us see what happens upon Astra's return. Give new instructions to the men you set on watch for her. Tell them to allow Astra to return and see where she goes."

  "She's not going to return, not if she believes what she is reporting to Throst. There's no reason to come back here. She will probably be caught when Konal springs his trap."

  "Nevertheless, will you do what I ask?"

  Snorri stared at her long moments, his tired, drooping eyes searching hers. At last he nodded. "Aye, if it will stop this foolishness, but I can't let it go overlong. I promised Ulfrik to seize her as soon as she returned. If she does not meet with Halla within the day, I will move on her."

  "Fair enough," Runa said. "Now, in the meantime, I think Halla should be invited to my home as you hinted."

  "There's a bad idea." Snorri ran his hands through his hair and sighed. "If you can't make her guilty through Astra, you intend to pick a fight?"

  "I intend to keep my enemy where I can see her. Whatever you think, I believe she's had too much freedom and has used it for ill. I'll take a few men and Bera with me to convince her. First thing tomorrow morning."

  Snorri waved his hands as if surrendering. "I miss the shieldwall more every day. At least you know where the blades are coming from."

  Runa smiled, not at his quip but at her knowing now that she would have Halla under her thumb. She patted Aren's shoulder and he gave a faint smile tinged with wicked satisfaction.

  Chapter 34

  Gunnar strained his vision against the thin light of morning and no longer saw what he had glimpsed on the crest of the hill. He pulled at the collar of his mail coat, the cold chain links catching at the skin of his neck, and scanned the crest again. Toki, also dressed in mail, stood beside him, and to their backs thirty men in various leathers and furs leaned on their spears. Some slung their shields onto their arms, anxious for the battle they expected.

  "It must have been a bird," Gunnar said, blinking to clear his eyes. "Too soon for Clovis to have acted." They had only been awake an hour and set out at the stain of dawn. This was the first full day of travel and Gunnar wanted to distance himself far enough from Ravndal to embolden Clovis.

  "The sooner we mount that hill, the easier I will feel," Toki said. "Low ground is a poor spot for battle. If you have doubts about something beyond that crest, then what should you do?"

  Toki had deferred leadership to Gunnar, and even though it was more ceremony than actual trust in his abilities, it gave him enormous pride. The men following him were near strangers, but he still enjoyed being a part of them. Toki guided his decisions, and Gunnar appreciated the help even if it felt strained. Right now, black dots of birds circled beneath clumps of iron gray clouds high above the ridge, and he could not shake the image of a man crouched atop it. The shape had risen from prone and briefly silhouetted against the morning sky. Or had it?

  "I'll send Eskil to scout the crest before we m
ount it." He gestured for the guide Ulfrik had assigned them to come forward, then dispatched him up the hill. Eskil was the only man who knew the way to Hrolf's settlements near Rouen. As he neared the crest, he went to his belly and crawled the final distance to peer over the side. He sat motionless, pushed himself higher after a time, then finally waved his arm to signal the ground was clear.

  Gunnar smiled in relief, and Toki chuckled beside him. "Caution is right for our situation," Toki said. "We have plenty to fear and being caught without Ulfrik's support would be a disaster."

  They followed the crest line, both to keep watch for danger and to display themselves to Clovis and his allies. They left a clear trail behind them, both for Ulfrik and Clovis to track them. Gunnar slowed their pace, fearful of outstripping his father, but Toki insisted there was nothing to fear. He took heart from his uncle's easy confidence, even if his men appeared as skittish as a herd of foals. Soon the crest led them down to the grasslands that spilled out to the horizon. Eskil advised Rouen was still days away though most of their journey would be through forest paths after they cleared the plain.

  "If we gain the forest, then it will be harder for my father to close the trap, and if we stay on the plains he will be spotted before he can." Gunnar looked at Toki for affirmation, and his uncle nodded slowly but offered no advice. He frowned and gazed across the plains in silence, considering the safest action to take. "But we're not really headed to Rouen. So let's head south, as if we plan to follow the Seine. It will bring us closer to Clovis's borders anyway."

  Again he searched Toki's face, but found nothing but indifference. Making decisions for thirty men was a lot harder than he had thought, even for something as banal as this. If he chose poorly, men could be killed, but if he led them straight he would risk spoiling the trap. Had his father only told him what do, he would have followed. Frustration yielded to shame as he realized his father had entrusted him to figure out how to make the trap work. If he would be a man, he would have to make choices and live with them.