by A. E. Rayne
‘We can’t come in close!’ Reinar called to Holgar, who nodded, winking at his lord.
‘Don’t worry, they won’t see us! Not in this soup!’
And it was true, Reinar realised with a smile. He’d cursed the gods for the weather, but it would help them slip around Slussfall without being seen. His good mood vanished, though, when he saw Stina standing by herself in the bow, staring out to sea. After all she’d been through, he hoped he could reunite her with Alys. Alys who was trapped with Hakon Vettel.
Reinar shook with fury as well as cold, trying not to imagine what he was doing to her, knowing that he had to stay calm.
If he was going to save Alys, he had to keep hold of his temper.
Alys didn’t want Ivan to leave, though she needed to be alone. Soon Hakon would come back, wanting to know what she’d seen, and with Ivan sitting beside her talking incessantly, trying to distract them both, she stood no chance of seeing anything at all.
Sensing her discomfort, and realising that the afternoon was disappearing, Ivan stood, adding a log to the fire. ‘I should be going. Hakon will probably be stalking the fort looking for me.’
Getting up, Alys followed him to the door. ‘You’re very close to your cousin, I know, yet you’re not Hakon. He makes his own choices, and you must make yours, Ivan.’ Alys wondered if she could get through to him, though, perhaps, like Sigurd, he did not value the insight of a dreamer? ‘The gods will always give good men another chance.’
‘To do what?’
‘Become the hero you see in your dreams. The famed warrior you’ve always wanted to be.’
Ivan’s eyes widened, staring at Alys.
‘Jesper worried for his son. It made sense that he found someone to save Hakon from himself and all those bad choices he was likely to make. To fix his mistakes, take the blame for his failures.’
Now Ivan looked away, eyes back on the flames.
‘But what about what you want? You can’t give yourself so fully to another person and expect to get anything in return. You’re young. Your life lies ahead of you, and Hakon...’
‘Hakon?’
Alys stared at the door, knowing that soon Hakon would come through it. ‘You’re not your cousin, Ivan. It’s never too late to take another path.’
Ivan grabbed the door handle, feeling flustered. ‘You should drink the wine, Alys, it might make the night more bearable.’ He spoke quickly, not wanting to give her another chance to speak.
Afraid of what she would say.
‘The Vilanders will be here soon,’ Alys said softly. ‘You need to be ready.’
Ivan drew his hand away from the door, uncertainty in his eyes, and blinking rapidly, he unsheathed a small knife from its scabbard, offering her the haft.
And turning back to the door, he disappeared outside.
V
Judgement
43
The afternoon darkened as Eddeth sat before the flames beside Vik, Magnus watching her curiously. He was a handsome boy, Eddeth thought, though he didn’t look like Alys, apart from the freckles.
He didn’t smile.
‘Alys told the Vilanders where you were. Reinar knows all about the tunnel.’
It felt odd to Jonas that his granddaughter had chosen to go into Reinar Vilander’s dream; the man who had stolen her, separated her from her children, taken her away from her home. Though his arrival in Ullaberg had brought an end to her violent marriage, so perhaps she was grateful for that? ‘Well, he’ll know how to find it well enough. He’s been in there with his father. His brother too. Likely he’ll remember the caves, though perhaps we should go and meet him?’
‘Not sure it’s the best plan,’ Vik grumbled. ‘Attacking the fort during the day? We’ll be too exposed. It’s clear ground once you’re out of the forest.’
Eddeth smiled at him, ignoring a muttering Falla, who was growing impatient to leave. ‘Alys can’t keep hopping into everyone’s dreams, not without me there to help her anymore. And for now, she’s locked away, so we must go forward. Do as we’ve planned!’
‘And you think Reinar will?’ Ollo put in. He knew the Vilanders too. They all did. Apart from Falla and Magnus and Leonid, all three of them silent. ‘Follow the plan?’
‘To save Alys?’ Eddeth chuckled. ‘He’d climb a wall of fire to save Alys, don’t you worry about that!’
Magnus scowled. Jonas and Vik too.
‘Well then, you’d better get back to the fort, Eddeth, before they come looking for you both,’ Jonas said, standing. He was grateful for the saddlebags full of food that the women had smuggled out of the fort; grateful too for the two swordbelts Falla had found, and Eddeth had wrapped around her waist, replete with swords and knives. They’d been feeling vulnerable with only a few weapons between them, but now, thanks to the women, they had enough to cause a little trouble.
‘And your husband?’ Vik wondered, eyeing Falla. She reminded him of his first wife, who’d been a dark-haired beauty, and he felt oddly nostalgic for a time long gone. ‘Does he know you’re here?’
Falla took his hand, allowing Vik to help her back to her feet. ‘No. He’s a loyal man, an oath keeper, but despite that, I think he’s seen enough. I feel he’s ready to turn.’
‘You do?’ Ollo looked doubtful. ‘Your Lief? Lief Gundersen?’
Falla nodded, biting down on her irritation with Ollo Narp, who kept ogling her, sitting far too close. ‘After what happened in Ottby? Our journey back to Slussfall? He’s seen enough to know what lies ahead if he helps Hakon take the throne. My husband will not stand in your way, I’m sure of it.’
None of the men looked as sure as Falla, and Eddeth saw her trying desperately to convince them that she knew what she was talking about. ‘Falla’s right. There’ll be many reconsidering their oath to their lord after what’s happened. We just need to get you into the fort to kill him. Once he’s dead, there’ll be little appetite for battle.’
Knowing warriors as he did, Vik knew that was likely true, and he nodded at Eddeth, guiding her and Falla back to their horses as the fog intensified.
Magnus went with him.
He’d been a naive child when he left Ullaberg with Lotta, and so much had happened to change him in a short space of time. As desperate as he was to feel his mother’s arms around him again, he was scared that he’d never return to being the boy she had left behind on that beach. Grabbing Eddeth’s hand, he left Vik to walk ahead with Falla. ‘Is my mother safe? Is she alright?’ Tears came quickly as he stared up into Eddeth’s blinking eyes.
She crouched down, grinning broadly. ‘Your mother is a brave woman, Magnus. Braver than you could ever imagine.’ They had not told the men and Magnus everything. There was simply not enough time. ‘She’s safe. In that fort, she’s as safe as she can be. And don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to her. I’ve some dreamer in me, you know. It’s there!’ And tapping her head, Eddeth stood with a groan. ‘Oh, yes it is! I’ll find a way to see what’s coming next. You wait and see!’ She thought of Alys, who would have given anything to be standing in her place, feeling a rush of emotion. ‘You’ll see her soon, Magnus, I promise.’ And placing one hand on his shoulder, she lifted his chin with the other, staring into his eyes. ‘I promise.’
Reinar was close. Alys saw flashes of him standing by Bjarni, black fur cloak billowing in the wind, face wet with rain. Sometimes, he was with his wife. She saw Stina too, with Ilene, who scowled at her. All of it made her frown.
All of it confused and worried her.
She sat in the chair by the fire, eyes closed, trying to shut every distraction away, wishing Winter was on her lap. Stroking his smooth white fur had always soothed her, and helped her too, she realised, knowing that there was something magical about the cat.
Some dreamers knew magic, but usually only those who chose a dark path employed it. Alys fingered Salma’s book, desperate to find a way to open the gates for Reinar. She had little confidence, though, and opening her eyes, she s
ighed, sensing dusk approaching.
Looking over her shoulder, she glanced at the door.
She saw flashes of Hakon too, and that scared her.
He was a desperate man, and desperate men would do anything to cling to power. They needed to survive. Above all things, they needed to survive.
And that made Hakon a very dangerous problem indeed.
Falla stumbled into the hall with pink cheeks.
Lief strode to her side, scowling. ‘Where have you been?’
Looking around in surprise, Falla noted the crowd of well-dressed men and women milling around as though they were enjoying a feast. The hall tables had been pulled out and decorated, extra candles brought in. Even Hakon’s musicians had been put to work, entertaining his guests. She looked down at her muddy boots and her filthy cloak, feeling out of place. ‘What’s going on?’
Lief clenched his jaw. ‘Hakon brought everyone together. He plans to sacrifice to Thenor later. He wants it to be a celebration.’
‘Of what?’
‘Of him.’
Falla saw Karolina out of the corner of her eye, trying to squirm away from her husband, who was roaring with laughter, slapping Ivan on the back. Even Ivan looked as though he didn’t want to be there.
The hall was festive, Falla supposed, though, apart from whatever was amusing Hakon, the mood was somber.
‘Where were you?’ Lief asked again.
‘Helping Eddeth,’ Falla said, kissing him, hoping to distract him. ‘I was showing her where Mother gathered mushrooms. We went into the forest.’
Lief looked angry, despite her eager kisses. ‘You shouldn’t have left the fort, Falla, not in this weather. Jonas Bergstrom might still be out there. Others too. Men are missing. Hakon might not notice or care, but men are missing, maybe slipping away to join Ake?’
Falla blinked, looking bored. ‘Well, no harm was done. We’re both returned safe and sound, and now Eddeth has all the supplies she needs.’
‘For what?’ Lief wondered, slipping an arm around his wife’s waist as he led her towards Hakon.
Falla smiled. ‘No idea, mostly teas, I imagine. She can’t stop talking about them.’ She saw Lief’s attention wander to his lord, barely listening now.
‘And here’s Falla!’ Hakon announced loudly, drunkenly, pushing his wife towards the new arrival. ‘I’m sure Karolina would like to escape the endless talk of arrows and gates and whether we’re going to have enough pitch!’
Karolina eagerly left her husband behind, drawing Falla away from the men, heading for the nearest table, where she poured her a goblet of wine. ‘What happened?’ she whispered. ‘Did you find the men?’
Falla didn’t want to have that conversation. Not in the hall.
She simply nodded.
Ivan watched them. Karolina looked as though she was trembling, though it was particularly cold in the hall, he supposed. Candles burned in circular iron frames, hanging from the rafters, and in towering displays in the centre of each table. The flames in the long fire pits running side by side through the centre of the hall were bright and warm, but so many people were coming and going through the doors that there was a permanent chill in the air.
Or maybe it was him, Ivan realised, barely listening to Hakon, who was regaling some of Erlan Stari’s remaining men with the tale of how they’d captured Slussfall from Sirrus Ahlmann. Though he failed to mention that they’d had Mother’s help. That was the truth of it. The old witch had helped them get in when countless attempts by Jesper had failed.
But who did Reinar Vilander have helping him?
They had his dreamer.
So who was helping the Vilanders?
Despite the lingering odour of the cottage, Eddeth was making herself at home. She was enjoying the silence, letting her thoughts wander, often returning to Vik, or to Magnus, remembering her promise to him.
She had to work fast to get her potion ready, though there was the problem of how to get the guards to drink it. And when?
She suddenly felt muddled, oddly nervous.
And then a knock on the door had Eddeth biting her tongue, cursing the gods. ‘What do you want?’ she barked, finger in her mouth, tasting blood. No one answered, and cocking her head to one side, Eddeth wondered who it could be. She approached the door with caution, twisting her head from side to side, checking to see if she’d left out anything that might get her in trouble. Though, she realised with a shrug, it was unlikely that anyone would even know the names of the plants and mushrooms she’d collected with Falla. Still, she turned back to the table and picked up the bowl of potion, pushing it under the bed, before opening the door to a tall young man with a spotty face and a nervous look in his dull-blue eyes. He was familiar, Eddeth thought, with his slouched shoulders and his miserable face, shuffling his boots in the mud by the doorstep.
‘What do you want?’ Eddeth grumbled, tapping a foot.
‘Mistress Falla sent me.’
‘Oh? Why?’
‘I work in the kitchen. I deliver food and drink to the guards.’
‘Oh! I see!’ Eddeth was delighted that Falla was so motivated by the thought of becoming the Lady of Slussfall. She was working quickly. Expertly. And, Eddeth hoped, discreetly. ‘Come in, come in!’
The boy slumped inside, glancing around. It was the dreamer’s cottage, and he swallowed nervously, eyes running to the table stacked with jars of things he didn’t want to imagine, though he tried not to show any fear.
‘What is your name, boy?’
‘Aldo. Aldo Varnass.’
‘And why do you look so familiar, Aldo Varnass? Have we met before?’ Eddeth peered up at the boy, wondering if she could trust him, hoping that Falla hadn’t made a mistake.
‘Perhaps you met my brother? He was the lord’s steward. Rikkard.’
Eddeth’s eyes widened, and she could see the pain in Aldo’s. ‘Oh. Oh, dear. I’m very sorry about your brother. He was a kind boy, I remember. Such a shame, what happened to him.’ Muttering to herself, she motioned for Aldo to take a stool. As well as grinding powders and potions, Eddeth was also cooking a mushroom soup for supper. She’d made far more than she could eat herself, but Aldo looked like the sort of boy with an enormous appetite, and she hesitated to offer him any.
‘Mistress Falla said I could help, and I want to. The lord murdered my brother, and I want to help you kill him!’
Seeing the glint of hatred in Aldo’s eyes, Eddeth clapped her hands in glee. This boy was set on revenge, and she felt confident that he would do everything in his power to help them. ‘Well, then, Aldo,’ she said, eyeing the cauldron with some reluctance. ‘How about a bowl of soup?’
Ivan had no appetite. He saw how drunk Hakon was becoming, and it had him on edge. Suddenly everything his cousin did had him on edge. Their enemy was about to descend upon the fort, and Ivan feared that the fort was about to descend into chaos.
They had barely put things back together since the riot, and now it was all about to be pulled asunder again.
‘Why so miserable, Cousin?’ Hakon laughed, patting Ivan on the back. He hadn’t felt so relaxed in weeks; months, he was certain. The mark warmed his chest, and he smiled, realising that he’d been looking at it all wrong. Now, he saw it as an opportunity, a chance to prove himself worthy of the gods’ favour.
And he would. Hakon could feel it.
He would.
Ivan tried to smile. He was sure he’d drunk just as much as his cousin, but instead of feeling giddy or gleeful, he’d grown increasingly morbid. ‘Just trying to think through everything we still need to do. We got into their fort. Why can’t they get into ours?’
Lief nodded, worried too.
‘Because we had Mother. Oh, Mother, how I miss you!’ Hakon slurred, slopping wine over Ivan. ‘Never has there been a dreamer like Mother.’ His mind skipped to his new dreamer, who was not skilled in the dark arts at all, and yet she’d managed to kill poor Mother.
He frowned, wondering what Alys could
do. Voices ricocheted around his head: shouting voices, creeping voices, voices he didn’t know. They warned that she was holding things back, not helping him as she could. She was a temptress, a teaser, a liar. A dreamer who knew so much more than she’d ever revealed to him.
A powerful, mysterious woman.
‘Hakon?’ Ivan looked concerned, grabbing his cousin’s arm. Hakon had frozen, cup in mid-air, frowning as though he was listening.
And blinking, voices gone now, Hakon grinned. ‘We may not have Mother, but we have Alys, and she will help us.’
‘You can’t expect much from her, Hakon,’ Ivan warned. ‘Alys barely has dreams.’
‘Is that what she told you? And you believed her?’ Hakon laughed, eyes on Lief. ‘Well, no surprise there, I suppose. You’re hopeless around women, Cousin. Always have been, always will be. Women, I’m sure, will be the death of you one day!’ Leaning in close, he grabbed the neck of Ivan’s dark-blue tunic, yanking him closer. ‘You can stop thinking about Alys, though, for she’s mine. My dreamer. My... mine.’ And saying nothing more, Hakon strode away, ready for something to eat.
Lief tried to change the subject. ‘The fletchers have done well. I’ve never seen them work so quickly.’
But Ivan wasn’t listening. He was watching Hakon, trying to remember a time in his life when everything hadn’t revolved around his cousin. Everything he thought or did, everything he said, all of it was designed to please Hakon. To help Hakon, to support Hakon.
And for what?
So he could unleash a monster on Alekka? A monster cursed by Thenor, interested in only what he could gain for himself?
‘Alys isn’t safe.’ Ivan whispered it, not sure he even wanted Lief to hear him.
Lief frowned, edging closer. ‘He won’t hurt his dreamer. He needs her.’