by A. E. Rayne
‘What is this madness?’ Hakon screamed from his horse, eyes bulging in anger, sword drawn. ‘Get this place in order! Put out those flames!’ He turned to Ivan and the twenty men who’d accompanied them, all trying to get inside the fort. ‘Kill those who have a weapon! Anyone who stands in your way! And close the gates! I don’t want anyone escaping!’ Eyes on the hall, he kicked his horse forward, into and over the close press of bodies, who all suddenly tried to turn out of his path, many of them tumbling, stumbling, falling onto each other, desperate to save themselves.
Some were too late.
Jonas threw away his sword, but kept the knife he’d picked up, tucking it down his trousers. He wanted to get rid of his helmet too, not wanting to stand out, but then someone would likely recognise him.
If he could just get around the horses, he could get them all through the gates before they closed. Head swivelling, he tried to find Vik.
Hakon turned to Alys. ‘Follow me!’ And he urged his horse on.
Alys felt a deep reluctance to move her horse, not wanting to hurt anyone, though Haski was quickly unsettled by the noise and the smoke and he started to panic. She felt as though she was being pulled in so many different directions. It was as though someone had hold of each limb and she couldn’t move.
There were people everywhere.
Hakon turned back, irritated that she hadn’t followed him. ‘Alys!’ he barked.
Jonas’ head went up, and seeing his granddaughter, his mouth dropped open.
Sensing it, Alys turned to him before quickly looking away. She didn’t want to draw any attention to her grandfather. Magnus was close – she could feel him – but Lotta... where was Lotta?
Nodding at Hakon, wanting to give her grandfather a chance to escape, she nudged Haski on, looking straight ahead, heart pounding.
Magnus saw her, eyes popping open. And then a hand clamped over his mouth, Jonas bending to his ear.
‘Say nothing, my boy. She saw me. Say nothing now, Magnus.’
Magnus nodded, tears in his eyes, waiting as the hand was taken away. ‘But what can we do?’
It was a good question, and only one answer came to mind. One he hoped Vik was thinking as well.
Run.
33
Alys sat astride Haski like a statue, body stiff, shoulders frozen. She barely even blinked as she nudged him after Hakon.
Realising who had arrived started to turn the tide.
Hakon’s slashing sword had an impact as well.
Men previously trying to kill each other, fell away, trying to protect themselves. Hakon showed no mercy, sword slamming down on every man within reach. He barely stopped himself from stabbing a crying woman.
‘Hakon!’ Ivan called, desperate to curb his cousin’s violence. The skirmishes were being put down quickly now that the lord had returned, although the fires were another problem altogether.
‘I need to see Karolina!’ Hakon called back, not wanting to be stopped by his cousin.
Frustrated, Ivan spurred his horse forward, grabbing hold of Alys’ arm. ‘It’s not safe!’ he growled, letting Hakon go ahead. ‘Stay with me till it all dies down!’
Alys nodded, head held high, not wanting to see her grandfather again; knowing that her son was in the crowd; worrying why her daughter wasn’t. ‘Ivan, you must open the gates! People are getting crushed! The rest of the men won’t be able to get through when they arrive!’ Ivan was a pliable man, eager to please her, but she saw reluctance in his eyes, not wanting to go against his cousin. She could hear his doubts as he debated whether it was the right thing to do.
Blinking suddenly, Ivan twisted in the saddle, spying one of his men. ‘Jiri! Get the gates open quickly! Let the people out! The fire could get out of control, so let’s ease the pressure in here! Where’s Baldur?’ He looked around, wanting to find the head of the garrison, or, at least, the master of the square. There had to be someone in charge.
‘He’s burned. Badly injured!’ came the cry.
‘Alys, come with me!’ Ivan ordered, grabbing hold of Haski’s bridle. The horse was becoming skittish, increasingly bothered by the noise and the sparking flames, trying to skip sideways.
‘But Hakon...’
‘He needs to make sure his wife is safe. His son too.’
Alys nodded as Ivan motioned for her to stay close, heading for the gates, conscious of the mess on the ground. Bodies of the dead and injured lay in their path; weapons, broken furniture, rocks, food, bloody slush. Even a dead dog.
‘Get those gates open!’
Jonas watched his granddaughter, trying not to become distracted. He felt dizzy, ears ringing, remembering that he too was injured, though he felt little pain.
And then Alys’ voice in his head, urging him to escape.
The gates were opening now, slowly, but to leave her?
‘Go!’ came her booming voice, and blinking, Jonas hunched over, making himself smaller, Magnus beside him, Leonid on his other side.
Where was Vik?
He couldn’t risk looking around.
Vik and Ollo were trapped near the back of the crowd, looking after Haegel. Once the gates had been closed, they’d searched for somewhere to hide, but now they could see the gates creaking open again, and they saw a chance to escape.
Ollo laid his hand on Vik’s arm. ‘I can’t. The guards will see me.’
There was fear in Ollo’s eyes when Vik turned to him. ‘Course you can. Change your cloak, cover your hair. We can help Haegel between us. Come on!’
Ollo looked uncertain. His instinct for self-preservation was sharply honed, and he was debating how best to save his hide. Swinging around, he saw the dead bodies of some of his friends, and he sighed. ‘Well, I may as well go out in glory!’
Vik grinned, feeling worried himself. They had to hurry. Once Hakon caught wind of what his cousin was doing, he’d slam those gates shut. ‘Hurry, then! We have to hurry!’
Karolina wasn’t happy to see her husband, though she smiled as if she was.
She’d grown increasingly panicked by the violence in the square, worried by the fires and the unrest, but she felt little comfort in Hakon’s return.
He was relieved to see her, though, and almost running across the hall, he flung his arms around her trembling body, pulling her close. ‘Karolina!’ He squeezed her, his chest burning, wanting to pull away, but the relief that she was safe overwhelmed him. The journey to Ottby and back had been horrific. His wound, the nightmares in the forest, the threat of The Hunter.
The mark.
Karolina squirmed, feeling crushed by his powerful arms.
‘Anders? Where is he?’ Hakon glanced around the hall, seeing no one, not even a slave.
‘With Britta.’
‘I need to see him.’ Hakon felt an urgency to surround himself with his family. Deep in his heart, he feared what the mark meant. He feared what the gods would do to him.
He needed the reassurance of those he loved.
Hakon sounded strange, Karolina thought, following him through the hall, heading for the curtain. He was almost dragging her, his hand holding hers in a vice-like grip. She felt even more terrified, smelling the smoke.
Afraid of what would come next.
After a murky start, it was now the finest day in weeks, the wind barely a breeze.
Ivan glanced up at the sky, willing a cloud to appear. The buildings inside the fort were a mix of stone, wattle-and-daub, and timber; most with thatched roofs. Packed in tightly as they were, surrounding the square, it only took a hint of wind for one building to set its neighbour alight.
The violence in the square had quietened down with the arrival of their lord, and Ivan’s presence on his horse, pointing his sword at everyone, threatening punishment for those who didn’t disperse. Most slipped away, some back to their cottages, worried about the fire; others looked to head through the gates before someone pointed a finger in their direction.
Ivan glanced back at the hall, seein
g no sign of his cousin, and sighing in frustration, he started bellowing orders. ‘Water! We need more water!’ Seeing that the open gates had released the pressure inside the square, he turned to Alys. ‘Stay with me! I have to try and stop the fire before it spreads!’
Alys had thought about riding through the gates, seeing her grandfather edging closer to them, knowing that Magnus was with him, but she couldn’t leave her daughter. Her sense of Lotta was blurry, though, and she glanced around, trying to see her. Surely she was here somewhere? But if she was, why didn’t Jonas have her?
‘Alys!’ Ivan grabbed her arm, drawing her attention away from the open gates and the throng of people trying to escape the smoking fort.
Vik’s head was up, hearing that name, and seeing the familiar figure sitting astride a grey horse, he blinked in surprise, stopping, Ollo banging into him. He was wearing a different cloak now, old and torn, making him look less like the master of the square and more like a beggar. Haegel was slumped against him, barely able to hold up his own weight. Vik had taken a quick look at his belly wound as he bandaged it, and experience told him that there was little hope for the man. But still, they couldn’t leave him behind.
‘We should leave Haegel behind!’ Ollo decided, eyes on the guards who were shepherding them through the gates, feeling his friend become even heavier. ‘He won’t make it.’
‘Shut up. He wouldn’t leave you.’
That was true, Ollo knew. ‘But what are we going to say?’
‘Hopefully, nothing!’
Eyes on Jonas in the distance, Vik held his breath as they edged forward.
‘Come on!’ Magnus called, seeing the people moving ahead of them.
Jonas stumbled, almost toppling over his great-grandson, who had stopped right in front of him. He knocked into a man, who turned around with an angry glare. The man narrowed his eyes, first on Magnus, then on Jonas, and his mouth opened, readying a shout. Pushing Magnus aside, Jonas stepped forward, stabbing his knife into the man’s belly. The shock rendered his victim silent, and holding the man close, Jonas stabbed him again, easing him down to the ground, leaving him there, lost amongst the crowd. And grabbing Magnus’ hand, they moved quickly through the gates, heads low, Leonid beside them, leaving the fortress behind.
Karolina kept glancing at the open door as Hakon held his son to his chest. Anders had been growing restless, disturbed by the noise and the smoke, and his father’s return had him red-faced and sobbing.
‘He’s missed me,’ Hakon smiled, turning to Karolina. ‘I think he’s missed me!’
Karolina’s dark eyelashes fluttered with speed. ‘Yes, he has, but, Hakon, the fire. You must go. The smoke!’ Eyes darting back and forth, she checked on her son, watching her nervous servant, who appeared ready to run through the door. ‘What if we can’t escape?’
Hakon ignored Karolina’s worries as he handed the baby back to her. ‘He’s so much bigger. So strong already!’ He could see his son wriggling, trying to climb out of his mother’s arms, and it made Hakon more determined to fight, for his life, for his future, for the throne. ‘Ivan is out there. He’ll have it all under control, don’t worry.’ And arms out, he urged Karolina to come to him, holding his family close.
Clouds swept in from out of nowhere, buffeted by a strengthening breeze, and the fire spread.
Panic intensified as those who weren’t looking to escape ran about trying to save their homes.
Ivan was swinging his horse around, pointing his sword in every direction, ordering his men to save the cottages, to protect the hall, to put the fire out. Hakon’s household guards were battered and bruised after the riot, but weapons down now, they ran across the scarred square, carrying buckets of water. ‘More water!’ Ivan shouted, coughing, checking on Alys, who remained by his side.
They both heard a horn, and Ivan scowled, knowing that Lief was close. ‘Oskar!’ he called. ‘Take the horses out of the fort.’ And dismounting, he slid to the ground, reaching for Alys’ hand. ‘Come on, we need to move quickly.’
Alys glanced at the man in the red tunic, hoping she could trust him with her horse. And slipping her boots out of Haski’s stirrups, she threw her leg over his back, dropping down to the ground. ‘Please tie him securely,’ she pleaded as Ivan drew her away.
The man nodded, relieved to be given a task that took him out of the burning fort. And grabbing both sets of reins, he headed across the square, towards the gates, where Lief was riding in astride his giant black horse, mouth hanging open in horror as he took in the smoky carnage.
Falla panicked, following after her husband. ‘Lief! You must get Borg. Hurry!’ She could see flames dancing across the roofs of the cottages nearest the hall, yet there was no sign of Eggi and her son. ‘Lief!’
‘Wait there!’ And Lief nudged his horse around the injured, and the dead bodies, leaving him in front of the hall steps. ‘Karl!’ he bellowed, dropping to the ground, eyes on the man who was following him. ‘Take my horse! Wait here!’ He couldn’t see Hakon anywhere, but he saw Ivan with Alys, ordering their men to put out the fire. And eyes stinging with smoke, Lief slipped down the alley that led to his cottage.
Karolina needed Hakon to do something, but he wasn’t moving, wasn’t speaking. He wouldn’t let them go. Anders was getting so upset now that she worried he would start vomiting. ‘The smoke,’ she tried again, wanting to escape Hakon’s arms, but he held them both so tightly. ‘We need to leave!’
The sharpness of his wife’s voice cut through the haze in Hakon’s mind, and he could feel the heat of the mark again, reminding him of how much he needed to prove to the gods. So grabbing her hand, he pulled her out of the bedchamber, into the hall, suddenly aware of just how intense the smoke was.
Ivan burst in through the doors. ‘Fire’s spreading! You need to get them out!’
Hakon could hear the panic in his cousin’s voice. It woke him up further. Karolina’s servant had hurried after them, and he turned to her. ‘Britta, take my wife and son outside the fort. Wait there for me. Understood?’
The woman nodded, relieved to be leaving, and quickly following Karolina to the doors, they all disappeared outside.
Hakon hurried to Ivan. ‘We’re not going to lose the fort!’
Ivan nodded. ‘The army’s here now. We can put the fire out, don’t worry, we just need to work quickly.’ He started coughing again, smoke trapped in his throat, and glancing around the hall, spying a jug, he tipped wine into his mouth, swilling it around, swallowing it down.
Looking up, he started to say something to Hakon, only to discover that his cousin had gone.
People were milling outside the gates.
Warriors, servants, and traders and those who had been fighting in the fort, mingled with the returning army, merging together into one big mass of people.
Jonas moved through them slowly, trying not to attract any attention, worried that he’d be recognised before he could get Magnus and Leonid safely into the forest.
He hoped Alys would keep herself safe.
He’d no idea what had happened to Lotta.
‘Keep moving,’ he whispered to Magnus. ‘Hands to yourself, eyes low, keep moving.’
And they slipped through the coughing crowd like snakes, curling right, then left, letting Jonas take the lead. He was tall enough to see where they were going; conscious of how many warriors flanked them now; worried by how far away the trees were.
Eddeth sat on Wilf, who did not like the crowd or the smoke. And hearing a bang from the fort as the fire caught something, he jerked in fright, rearing up, throwing Eddeth to the ground with a thump. She landed on Ollo, who dropped Haegel, who fell onto Vik, who lost his balance entirely, sprawling on the ground, one hand on his tight-fitting helmet which remained firmly wedged on his head.
Vik jumped back to his feet quickly, hand out to the strange-looking woman.
Eddeth shook her head, which clanged loudly, shocked to be down on the ground, immediately worried for Wilf, who ha
d charged away. ‘My horse! My horse!’ And struggling back to her feet, she tried to see where Wilf had gone.
Vik saw an opportunity to get away quickly, and touching Eddeth’s arm, he ushered her forward. ‘We’ll help you find your horse.’
Eddeth peered at the man, whose face she could barely see, hidden beneath the helmet. Her eyes skipped past him to the big-bellied man with the thick braids and his ashen-faced friend. ‘That man is badly wounded. You can’t carry him around like a sack of grain. Lay him down. I can tend to him once we find my horse.’
Vik froze. ‘We can’t. We can’t stay here. We need to get into the forest.’ He eyed the woman closely, hoping he could trust her.
Eddeth twitched all over, sensing danger and intrigue. ‘Well, then, what are we waiting for?’ And spinning around, ensuring that no one was looking her way, Eddeth hurried after Vik.
34
Having caught up with Wilf, who had quickly run out of steam and wandered into the forest looking for something to eat, Vik and Ollo stopped, laying Haegel on the ground, shocked to discover that he was dead.
Not really shocked, Vik supposed, surprised that Haegel had lasted as long as he had.
‘Well, that’s unfortunate,’ Eddeth frowned, wishing she’d told the men to stop sooner, though, with a belly wound like that, the poor man had stood little chance.
Ollo bent over, hacking cough wracking his body, eyes full of tears. He didn’t quite believe anything that had happened.
‘What are your plans?’ Eddeth wondered quickly, keeping a firm hold on Wilf, who looked as placid as a sleeping baby now that he was far from all the noise. ‘You’re escaping, yes? Running away?’
Ollo eyed the woman suspiciously. ‘And you?’
‘I’m a prisoner, I am. Taken by the Lord of Slussfall himself!’ Eddeth glanced back through the trees, seeing the mass of people still gathered outside the fort. ‘I’m looking to escape for sure, though I won’t. Not yet.’