The Blood-Tainted Winter (24 page)

Raef kept Fengar close as they rode and neither man made any effort to speak to the other. Fengar stared straight ahead, his gaze on the far horizon, not once looking around to see if they were followed. When they reached the village on Ruderk lands, Fengar was taken off his horse and made to kneel in the snow while Hauk claimed meat and bread from his people. The villagers clustered around as word of the prisoner spread, all eyes eager to catch a glimpse of the would-be king brought low. As Hauk and Leifnar saw to the distribution of the supplies, Raef, pushing the villagers away, went close to Fengar and squatted in front of him. As they had ridden from the forest bowl, a thought had been growing in Raef’s mind, born out of Fengar’s own words, and Raef meant to learn more.

“What do you know of the fight in the northern lands?” Raef kept his voice low and Fengar’s gaze flickered to meet his.

At first, it seemed Fengar would not answer, but, though he kept a tall, straight bearing, the ropes around his wrists had dragged down his spirit. “Nothing more than rumor.”

“Rumors interest me. Tell me of them.”

“All speak to the might of Torrulf Palesword. Lords have answered his call and his force has grown to immense size.”

“And those who resist?”

Fengar almost smiled. “You mean Eirik of Kolhaugen and the rest of the Hammerling’s strength? I heard only that they clashed with the Palesword, but I do not know the outcome. The stories all vary save in one way: they all tell of the strength of the Palesword, that he will not be beaten.”

Raef’s mind made up, he left Fengar and called for Leifnar and Hauk. They joined him at the village center. “We will not return south to the Hammerling. We will ride north.” Raef made this statement in a calm, even voice but beneath his icy exterior he was prepared to fight for this decision.

Leifnar erupted first. “The prisoner must go to the Hammerling. That was our task. We can only go south from here.”

“Exactly as Stefnir of Gornhald will expect us to do. He will not sit idle while his chosen king is in our hands. He will give chase. But more than that, we must learn of the war in the northern lands. Or have you forgotten? We have brothers who fight in the north.”

“Then they must continue to fight on their own. The prisoner goes south.” Leifnar’s face was grim and he crossed his arms over his chest.

“And then what? We are blind. The Hammerling must know the situation before he can make another move. We can give him that. We must give him that.”

Leifnar’s hand went to his sword. “I will take Fengar south myself if I must.”

“You will not. Fengar stays with me.” Raef kept his hands down and away from his weapons.

Hauk broke in, though the tension remained. “Skallagrim speaks wisely.” Raef glanced at him, surprised to be supported. “Stefnir will expect us to bring Fengar to the Hammerling. And we may be of help to Eirik of Kolhaugen if the battle goes ill for him.”

Leifnar’s anger did not abate but he looked from Raef to Hauk and back again, knowing he could not match their authority.

“The Hammerling trusted me with this command, Leifnar,” Raef said. “Will you defy that trust?”

Leifnar, his face stony and his voice a grinding growl, said, “No.” He made the barest of nods and then turned to gather the men for departure.

Raef watched him go and spoke quietly to Hauk. “I thank you for your support. I had thought to face opposition from you both. We will need to watch him well. He may have agreed, but he does not accept it.”

Hauk nodded. “Do you think he would be so foolish as to make off with Fengar in the night?”

“His loyalty is his strength. It could make him rash. I want only men of Vannheim or Ruderk on Fengar’s guard.”

From the Ruderk village, they pushed north. Rather than keep to the open, wild lands, Raef made an effort to pass near enough to villages and farms to get word, any word, of what they might find ahead of them. After two days, Raef made the choice to ride through Freywyn, keeping west of the spine of mountains that split the eastern lands in two. It was a risk, for Freywyn was loyal to Fengar, but Raef judged what the Palesword might have left behind in Ulfgang, to the northeast, the more dangerous, especially when Fengar said Sigholf of Freywyn was missing. The way north was plagued with enemy territory. It was only a matter of choosing the least perilous path.

As they traveled, Leifnar avoided Raef but made no open dispute of his decision. Each day, Raef sent a rider south to backtrack and bring word to the Hammerling of their location. Raef hoped the consistent arrival of information would appease the Hammerling, though he knew he was likely to face displeasure when they reunited.

A large, deserted farm gave them shelter one night in Freywyn lands. Raef had let the men crowd into the buildings to sleep, while he and the remainder chose places under the night sky. A large fire had been built up and Raef warmed himself near it as he listened to the sounds of men drinking and laughing within the wooden walls. Footsteps approached as he stood vigil by the fire and he turned to see Siv nearby. They had not spoken in days and he could not read her expression.

“You told me once I did not frighten you. And yet now you avoid me,” Siv said. “Have I offended you in some way?”

“You know you have not.”

“I know your thoughts weigh heavy on you.”

“As they should. There is much at stake.”

She laughed a little but Raef sensed there was little true mirth in it. “Spoken like a lord.”

“Not all of us can be as free as you, Siv.” Raef wished he had not said it the moment the words left his mouth. The words hung suspended in the starlight.

“Yes, you could call it free, I suppose. I go where I wish. I can defend myself. I live as I see fit. You are right. There is freedom there.” Her voice grew bitter. “Do you not think I have ties that bind me as well? We have forged them on ourselves. It is our nature. But you can choose how tight they are.” She turned to go.

Raef called after her. “Siv, forgive me.” Siv looked over her shoulder. “You have been nothing but a friend, and I have treated you ill of late.”

“Ill, no. But you have ignored me, and this is worse.” Her mouth hinted at a grin and Raef felt relief. Siv approached again, closer this time. “A truce, then.”

Raef’s smile was rueful. “Agreed.”

Siv watched smoke rise up to meet the stars. “What do you think we will find in the north?”

“The only thing I am certain of is blood and battle. If the Palesword’s host is as strong as they say, he will have eyes everywhere, from Danewyll and Darfallow to Norfaem and Hullbern. I fear we have left Eirik of Kolhaugen alone too long.”

“Do not doubt him until we know the truth.” It was said with the certainty that comes with first-hand knowledge.

“You know him?”

“I have fought beside him. He is shrewder than he appears,” Siv said.

“Shrewd enough to know when he is outmatched? Shrewd enough to know when he should hide and conserve his strength?”

Siv grinned. “I did not say subtle. Hiding would not appeal to him. But we will see.”

Raef was going to respond, but a shout drew his attention away from Siv.

“Riders, lord!” A mounted warrior burst into the fire’s light, his breath coming hard and fast after racing in from the perimeter watch Raef had set. “From the south.” The men who had remained outside scrambled to their feet, reaching for shields and swords. One pounded on the farmhouse door and another went to the barn. Soon the warriors within flooded into the night. The horses, responding to the sudden commotion, stamped their feet and snorted hot breath into the air. Raef shouted for a wall to form and took his place within the bristling spears and short swords, Siv next to him.

Raef peered into the darkness but could see little. The hooves that raced toward them slowed slightly and then stopped entirely. Raef called out, “A name, or your blood will flow and your bones will break upon this ground.”

“It is Finnolf, lord.” The voice was weak and weary. Raef broke out of the shield wall and ran forward. Finnolf could barely cling to the horse and Raef helped him to the ground. The captain bled from several wounds and the men who had come with him were little better off.

Raef held Finnolf by the shoulders and asked the necessary question. “Have you been followed?”

Finnolf shook his head. “No, lord.” By then, other men had come forward and the battle-weary men were helped inside the farmhouse. Finnolf sagged against Raef and nearly fell to the ground before Raef and Siv scooped him up and carried him through the threshold. Space was cleared and the injured men were given what comfort there was to offer. Finnolf seemed the worst off and, though Raef wished to know what had transpired, he held off from asking as Finnolf’s wounds were cleaned and wrapped with supplies taken from the village in Ruderk. Finnolf, after downing several swallows of ale, drifted to sleep and Raef left him to rest. There would be time for questions later.

Raef rejoined Siv at the outdoor fire and she passed him a skin of mead. No sooner had he taken a drink then a warrior nearly collided with him. Raef recognized one of his Vannheim men. His eyes were wild.

“Lord, the prisoner is gone.”

Cursing, Raef ran to the smallest of the farm’s building, where he had placed Fengar under guard. It was empty. “Leifnar,” Raef said, for he had not seen the captain since word of the riders had come. Grabbing the nearest horse, Raef pulled himself onto its bare back. Siv followed suit. Hauk of Ruderk, his face registering what had happened, made to do the same, but Raef, already headed south, shouted back at him.

“Send out riders in all directions. He must be caught.” Raef urged the horse to its highest speed. Its mane whipped in the wind and stung his face. Siv raced along next to him.

“Will he have gone south?” She shouted but still her voice barely reached Raef’s ears. “It is the obvious way.”

“He does not have time to elude us by taking a longer route,” Raef called back. “He will keep Fengar tied to his horse and it will slow him.”

Raef thanked the gods for a clear sky. Clouds would have made their task impossible. As it was, the darkness hid any sign of Leifnar from view, even though they rode on open land. Raef had only his instincts and his memory of the terrain they had crossed that day. Recalling some low hills that had sat to their east as they approached the farm, Raef angled his horse that direction. Though treeless like the plains, the hills could offer Leifnar some cover.

As the ground began to roll and rise, Raef pulled his horse up, dismounted, and scanned the ground for any sign of hooves amid the patches of snow.

“Here, Raef,” Siv called from her hands and knees. The tracks were unmistakable and Raef jumped on his horse again. Their pace slowed just enough to keep the tracks visible underneath them. Deep into the hills they went. The horses, though blowing hard, remained eager to run.

They descended into a narrow glen and Raef spotted two horses at the far end of it. Asking his mount for a final burst of speed, Raef closed the gap, approaching Leifnar’s left side. Sensing the pursuit, Leifnar looked back, but Raef, reaching out, grabbed hold of his shoulder and yanked hard. The Hammerling’s captain spun out of the saddle and fell hard on the ground. He rolled but sprang to his feet, his sword coming free of its scabbard. Siv, just a step behind Raef, took hold of Fengar’s horse to prevent further escape.

Wheeling his horse, Raef turned back on Leifnar and charged, his own sword now ready to strike. Leifnar braced himself and at the last moment ducked and jumped out of the way. Prepared for just that, Raef flung himself from his horse’s back, tackling Leifnar’s legs as he fell to the ground. The impact took his breath and both men lost hold of their swords, but Raef held tight to Leifnar’s legs as the other man tried to wriggle away. Clawing his way from ankle to knee to torso, Raef held Leifnar to the ground and pounded his fist into Leifnar’s ribs.

“I do not wish to fight you, Leifnar.”

The captain struggled but Raef held tight. “Then let me go, Skallagrim.”

“You know I will not.” Raef sent another punch into the unprotected organs below Leifnar’s ribcage.

Gasping for air, Leifnar bucked his hips, throwing Raef off balance just long enough for Leifnar to slip his legs free. Rolling away, Leifnar found his sword and tried to get to his knees but Raef was quicker. Drawing the small axe from his belt, Raef threw himself at the captain and buried the axe in his chest.

The captain’s body convulsed for a moment and then was still, his eyes wide and staring. Raef wrenched his axe from bone and flesh and, anger heating every fiber of his body, turned on Fengar. Dragging the prisoner from the horse, Raef flung Fengar to the ground.

“Look what I have done for you!” Raef spat into Fengar’s face. “A good captain dead because of you. I ought to rip your guts from your belly and string them up for the crows.” Raef planted his boot on Fengar’s chest and drove him into the dirt and snow, then forced himself to look away before he delivered a more deadly blow.

Taking deep breaths in an effort to push his rage down into the pit of his stomach, Raef turned back. Fengar was curled on his side and made no move to defend himself as Raef grabbed his hair and pulled him to his feet. “Get on that horse.”

With Siv’s assistance, Fengar climbed into the saddle. Raef collared Leifnar’s horse and removed the rope that had bound both animals to each other. After checking to see that the ropes holding Fengar’s hands were still tight, he tied the spare rope to Fengar’s reins and kept hold of the free end. Mounting his horse again, Raef began to retrace the route back to the farm. Siv followed and the riderless horse fell in behind them.

When they reached the farm, Raef had the watch sound a horn to call back any other pursuers if they were in hearing distance. Hauk took Fengar back to his temporary prison and set a new guard. Raef, ignoring questions about Leifnar’s fate, emptied Siv’s skin of mead and tossed it back to her.

The murmurs around him grew as it became clear that Leifnar would not return. Raef heard anger in some voices and felt his own return.