Her Heart's Desire (18 page)

She squinted through the darkness, nearly blind from the bright fire consuming the huts. In the middle of the village, Eoghann unhorsed the man he fought. He lifted his sword, then prepared to thrust it down, but the other man rolled away.

He sprang to his feet, knife in hand. “Come down and fight me like a man, Saxon coward.”

Eoghann bared his teeth. Blood coated his face—whether his or someone else's, she couldn't guess. “Redtalon, you dare trespass on the sacred lands of my father. You slaughter innocent people to satisfied your blood lust.”

“I want the Queen of Solstad, the bastard she bore, and the heads of any man who ever called Hella Ingvasson friend or neighbor.” The man spit blood into the snow. “I will kill them all. His name will be forgotten, and I will take my place as loyal jarl to the true king of Northumbria.”

Eoghann leaped from the horse's back. He landed on his feet, sword up, and ready. “I call Hella brother. It is a privilege to fight under his banner.”

Redtalon screamed and ran at Eoghann. His shoulder hit Eoghann as he stepped out of the way and they both lost their balance. Together they tumbled into the crimson snow.

Idunna lifted her skirt to run toward them.

Aethelred, laying in the snow, a great pool of blood spread around him, grabbed her hem. “No, milady. Do nae distract him.”

She dropped beside him. It took less than a second to realize Aethelred would not rise from the pool of blood steaming around him. Tears blurred her vision. “Shh. Ah, brave Aethelred. What have they done to you?”

“Sent me tae meet my ancestors. Remind Hild...I love her and the children?” The redheaded man closed his eyes. His breath rattled in his chest.

“Of course. Go in peace. May the gods find you a high place at the feast among the dead, my friend.” She cupped his face. “You were a good man.”

She took her hem free of his hand.

Redtalon's sword collided with Eoghann's. Her husband grunted as he attempted to push the other's blade back toward him. His neck muscles tightened as he strained.

Idunna hefted Bloodseeker. If she cut Redtalon's legs from him, Eoghann could finish the fight with one blow.

Sharp pain pierced her right hand. Bloodseeker fell at her feet. Her fingers failed to cooperate and dizziness hit her when she realized an arrow punctured through her left palm. She spun to find the source.

A warrior on horseback bore down on her, knife raised for a killing blow.

“No!” Eoghann pushed Redtalon away from him. He sprinted toward her.

Idunna crouched as the rider veered closer.

A spear arced through the air and took the rider from the saddle. He skidded, then came to stop before her. The horse bolted past. Its rider stared blankly at the dark sky as blood ran from his mouth.

She whimpered as she lifted her throbbing hand to inspect the wound.

“Idunna!” Eoghann slipped across the messy ground to her side.

“Come back, you filthy Saxon cur.” Redtalon approached, his sword glowing in the firelight. He swung it from the shoulders, narrowly missing Eoghann.

Again, the two blades met. But off center, Eoghann stumbled as he defended himself. He dropped to one knee.

“Perhaps you'll meet your brother again in Hel.” Redtalon sneered. He lifted his blade overhead.

“No.” Idunna stretched out her uninjured hand. Without the strength to lift Bloodseeker, she had no power.

From the darkness, an axe flew through the air, then sank into Redtalon's back. He twisted, face full of surprise and pain. A feral snarl formed on his mouth. He took two steps, sword at shoulder-height.

Eoghann grunted as he pushed his blade beneath the Norseman's ribcage.

Blood poured from Redtalon's mouth. He shuddered and his sword fell from his grasp. His eyes widened and he grasped weakly at Eoghann's arm.

Eoghann jerked his blade free.

Redtalon swayed, then collapsed, twitching into the snow.

Men in furs, armed and shouting, rode into sight.

From the backs of great horses, Hella and Erik looked down at Eoghann and Idunna.

Erik spat on Redtalon's corpse. “If anyone is going to kill the Saxon, it should be my task.” He dismounted, then retrieved the axe.

The fire cast shadows on Hella's face. He looked every inch a warlord with Almáttigr in his hand. “Where is my wife?”

Eoghann, panting, found his feet. “Beneath the old hall with others. Erland, Birgir, and Fulla too. Many more women who live at Suibhne.” He took Idunna's wrist, held it straight. “You need my sister's attention.”

In the distance, a man screamed. Filled with terror, it made the hair on Idunna's arms rise. Her knees shook, threatening to collapse.

“There are few of Redtalon's men left. Erik and the others will take care of them. A few survivors gather around the remains of Dawerk. I advised them to come here. One Maigread said she would pray for your safety.” Hella swung down from his horse. “Now take me to Ealasaid.”

Lightheaded, Idunna allowed Eoghann to led her away from the carnage.

Hella stopped one of his men. “I want the head of Redtalen taken from his body and placed on a pike. There will be no mercy given to any man who continues to slay my people.” He turned to Eoghann. “Our debts are settled. You saved my wife from certain death. I have saved your life.”

“Of course, Your Grace.” Eoghann inclined his head. “Your arrival could not have come at a better moment. Though we expected you sooner.”

“And we hoped to arrive sooner.” Hella strode toward the old hall. “Ealasaid and the boy fare well?”

“It was a difficult journey. Ealasaid took ill for a time, but she is mostly recovered.” Eoghann's hand shook as he cupped Idunna's. “I did my best to make sure they remained safe while they waited here.”

“I shall see for myself.”

“It's there on the end, the door that opens to the hidden room.” Idunna gestured with her uninjured hand. Her thoughts came sluggishly. “We're saved now, Eoghann. Though we lost many.” She leaned against him. “You are unharmed?”

“Quiet, wife. Don't fret.” He swept her into his arms. “I have you.”

“I am fine.” She cradled her hand to her chest.

“And the sun is made of gold. Ealasaid will tend you. In a few days, you won't know you were injured.” His expression hardened. “What in Christos' name made you come out there?”

“I couldn't leave you.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “Couldn't allow you to die.” A sob broke her voice. “Aethelred is dead. I watched him pass.”

Eoghann closed his eyes. “Pity. I admired him. In spirit and in strength. It is never easy to lose good men. Hild will be heartbroken.”

Ealasaid emerged from the hole in the wall. She cried out when she saw Hella, then threw herself into his arms. She sobbed as she held him.

He grasped her close and kissed her.

“The battle is over, but blood hangs heavy in the air. Many souls have departed this night.” Blanid's voice cut like glass. “Suibhne is naught but a bunch of old people and women. What will we do now?”

“Mourn your dead, honor them, then rebuild. For Suibhne's people are a hardy breed. You do so with help from Hella Ingvasson if you want it. You showed my wife and son kindness. You sheltered my brother and his wife. If you wish to stay, to rebuild, then what it is ours is yours.” Hella held Ealasaid close as he made the announcement.

Birgir burst from the hidden room. He ran for his father. “Da! You finally came.”

“I will always come for you.” Hella lifted his son in his arms. “For you and your mother.”

“Idunna is wounded.” Ealasaid gingerly touched the arrow protruding from Idunna's hand. “We must get her someplace warm. I need water and my herbs. Others will need tending as well.” She paused and looked at Eoghann. “I tried to get her to remain with us.”

“She is stubborn, my beautiful Idunna.” A tense smile curled his mouth. “You can heal her?”

“I believe so. We must get the wound clean so I can inspect it. Come with me.” She set off across the stained ground.

Idunna closed her eyes. She shivered, and Eoghann held her closer.

“She will make you better. Soon you will be resting. The peace we crave is on the horizon, my love,” Eoghann whispered. “Hella will see to it.”

She snuggled tighter to his shoulder. “I'm very tired, Eoghann. Erland's sword is a heavy thing.”

“And you, a fierce warrior in a small body. You still surprise me, though you shouldn't. What if I had lost you, wife?”

“I did what I had to. Though if Hella hadn't come when he did...” Her throat clogged with tears. She'd come close to losing Eoghann.

“Don't cry.” He carried her into one of the undamaged huts. “Soon everything shall be right again.”

“Don't leave me.” She clung to him when he lowered her to a pile of blankets.

“Not for a moment.” He smoothed hair back from her face. “I am with you, always.”

Ealasaid's face pinched as she cleaned and examined the wound. “The pair of you must stop getting pierced by arrows. This is becoming frighteningly common.”

Idunna gritted her teeth, unable to smile at her friend's attempt to calm them. She'd watched Ealasaid remove the arrow stuck in Eoghann's shoulder, but the idea of experiencing the same made her stomach churn worse than ever.

“It will be over in a moment, love.” Eoghann held her free hand.

Anything else he said was lost as she screamed when Ealasaid snapped the shaft. The hut swirled around her, then merciful blackness took her.

Chapter Twenty

While others claimed the dead or raided the bodies of invaders, Eoghann cleaned blood from his body. The sleeves of his tunic were soaked through. His chainmail and sword needed to be cleaned. Exhaustion and sore muscles threatened to leave him limping, though nothing more serious than bruises and scratches marred his body.

He cast a glance over his shoulder.

Idunna slept by the fire, bound hand laid across her chest. Ealasaid had wiped the worst of the blood from her, but his wife looked far from peaceful. Pale and tiny against the blankets, she hardly looked capable of lifting Erland's Bloodseeker or killing a man with it. If Eoghann hadn't witnessed it, he would not have believed her capable.

Erik had returned the sword to his son, who sat propped against the wall, half asleep. Birgir and Fulla were cuddled together nearby, the former snoring loudly.

Hella and his men were among those outside, making plans to help rebuild Suibhne while Ealasaid helped with the wounded. Hild...he couldn't fathom where she might be, though weeping over Aethelred's body was the likely answer.

A sharp pang struck him. The man had been nothing but helpful and friendly once he realized who Eoghann and Ealasaid were. If only the same could have been said of his son. The boy would blame Eoghann for his father's death. He would have done the same in Leofric's place.

He blamed himself now for the deaths that had occurred. He couldn't have faced Redtalon alone, but he should have led the Norsemen away instead of allowing them to come here. Dressed in fresh clothing, he moved to the hut door.

“Going somewhere, Eoghann?” Erland sat up straighter.

“To see if I can be of any help to the others. Watch over them?” He nodded at his family.

“Of course.” The corner of Erland's mouth lifted. “Did my father really throw the axe that disabled Redtalon?”

“He helped end Redtalon. I suppose I owe him a debt for that.” Erik would never let him live it down. No matter. He was grateful enough for the intervention.

The wind had died, but the frost remained on the air. Under the bright moon, darkness stained the ground. Blood of good men, including Aethelred's. Blood of vengeful men, like Redtalon.

Hella and Erik wrapped a body in a blanket, then lifted it from the ground.

“One of ours?” Whoever lay beneath the blanket likely dined in Valhalla, where all good Norsemen longed to spend eternity.

“Stuck with arrows. Redtalon's bowmen were skilled.” Erik's lip curled. “May he rot.”

“How did Redtalon know where to find us? How could he have us followed?”

Hella met Eoghann's gaze. “A traitor in our midst.” He kept his voice low. “I have an idea of who.”

“And you've done nothing?” Unbelievable. “What are you waiting for?”

“The traitor who led Redtalon's men from the Scot village. If not for him, we would not have arrived so soon. There's a short path through the woods leading directly here. Either he is dead, or he will approach one of our numbers for help.”

“If we are attacked again?” Icy fear sped through Eoghann's veins. “We are ill prepared for such an action from within our own people.”

“There are eyes on our sly friend. Do not fret.” Hella led the way to the corpses laid out for burial.

Weeping women and children kneeled at the bodies of their lost husbands and fathers.

Eoghann lowered his gaze. Hild, squeezing Cyneburg, rocked back and forth as she wailed next to Aethelred.

He approached them, then kneeled at her side. “I greatly regret the loss of your husband. He was my friend. There are no words to ease your pain, though I wish I could lift it from you.”

Hild wiped her eyes. “He would have followed ye anywhere, Kentigern.”

“He fought with honor.” He rested his hand on Hild's head. “May you find peace despite your loss.”

“Thank you, my lord,” she whispered.

“Where is your son?”

She looked at Cyneburg. “I have nae seen him since this afternoon when his father told him tae help with the weapons.” Fear made her voice high.

“I will find him for you.”
In one piece, I hope.
Although he would rather converse with Erik, he made it his duty to track Leofric. He asked each person he saw, though none seemed to know the boy's whereabouts.

“Eoghann!”

He spun at his name. Near the hut where his family rested, Erland grasped Leofric by the hair. His wounded arm wrapped around the boy. A knife pressed against Leofric's throat.

Eoghann ran for them. “What are you doing?”

“Slitting his throat if I have my way.” Erland bared his teeth. “The git tried to stab Birgir.” He shoved Leofric to his knees. “I'll kill him for attempting to harm the king's son.”

“No, please, my lord. Spare him. I'm sure it's a mistake.” Hild swept across the snow. “He's my only son.”

Idunna stumbled into the night. “What is happening, Eoghann?”

He moved to her side while keeping Leofric in his sight. “You should have stayed inside.”

Erland's wicked blade glimmered at the younger boy's throat. “Fetch Hella, for he'll want to know what this little bastard tried to do to his son.”

“Is there something else, Erland?” Eoghann dreaded the next words.

Erland snarled.  “He gave us away to Redtalon.”

Idunna's skin turned ashen.

“Explain. Tell my wife, our people why you made such a choice.” Eoghann glared at the shaking boy.

Survivors and Norsemen gathered near.

“One of them caught me in the woods a while ago. Demanded to know where Ealasaid and her brats were. He said if I took him to them, he would let my family live. He insisted they must die because they attempted to overthrow the real king of Northumbria. I care nothing for the politics of Norse mongrels, but I led them here. A path shorter than the river way exists, so we came through the forest.” Leofric looked up at Erland. “Kill me if you like, you arrogant
vikingr
bastard. There are others who want to see your king and queen slain as badly.”

“Leofric, why?” Hild shook violently. “Your father taught you better ways.”

“I wouldn't see you die because of the false chief and his foolish sister. How dare they come here and bring this on us?” Leofric spat at Eoghann. “We were well enough without you here.”

“May I kill him now, Eoghann?” Erland pulled Leofric's head back. “I will be gentler than my father would.”

Idunna clutched Eoghann harder.

Eoghann held up his hand. “Who, boy? Who here wants Ealasaid and Birgir dead?”

Leofric pressed his lips together.

“He doesn't know. We're wasting time.” Erland's knife hand twitched enough to bring a bead of blood to Leofric's pale throat.

Eoghann shook his head. “Take the knife from his flesh. He's frightened. Can't you see?”

“Not of you,” Leofric hissed.

“Kill him. Kill anyone who dares stand in the way of Hella Ingvasson.” Jarl Nefr pushed through the crowd. “He's a troublemaker. There will be no rest while he breathes.”

Hella stood at Nefr's back, Erik and Bjorn beside him.

“He's one young boy. Hardly worth the trouble of dirtying a blade,” Bjorn said.

“What say you, Erik? Should we spill more blood on Suibhne's land this evening?” Hella eyed the boy with his cool gaze.

“I never mind bloodshed.” Erik's thumb traced the butt of his sword. “I would do it myself if Erland stepped aside.”

“Please,” Hild whispered. “He does not understand what he's doing.”

“You cannot take that boy from his grieving mother,” Idunna said.

“Eoghann.” Hella raised his gaze. “Suibhne was once your home. You have tried to maintain peace here. You protected my wife, my son, our charge. In doing so, you've earned the right to say what becomes of Suibhne's sons. Life, or death?”

Silent tears dripped from Hild's face. Christo, the woman had already lost her husband. Did he dare execute her son as well?

Who told Redtalon where to find us?

Someone in their midst, now. Someone who had witnessed the events at Ofan. He cast a look at the men gathered around the hut. Hella, Erik, Bjorn. The king's most trusted. Tyrfingr, Nefr, Falgierr, jarls from the surrounding settlements. Or any one of the dozens who'd followed Hella's call to battle.

Hella knew the traitor's identity.

Sweat beaded Eoghann's forehead. “He lives. As you once showed me mercy, I would ask for it on Leofric's behalf.”

Idunna sighed with relief as Hild cried out her thanks.

Erland released Leofric. “I pray you live long enough to realize the suffering you've caused here tonight, Saxon filth.” He shoved Leofric away.

“Quiet, Erland. I have more to say.” Eoghann faced Hella. “Though I ask for the boy's freedom, I have another in mind to take his place as the accused.”

Hella arched a brow. “Who?”

“Nefr. A traitor to Solstad and to you, Your Grace.”

“Me?” Nefr, hand on his sword, took a step back. “How dare you accuse me of betraying the king's trust?”

“Your village is closest to Ofan. You talked Ofbradh into rebelling. But you had no plans to bow down to Amlaíb Cuarán. Not when you could take Hella's throne yourself.”

Nefr paled. “This is a lie. The Saxon has clearly taken leave of his mind.”

“Ofbradh was dying. Perhaps mere hours from passing, yet you killed him.” Eoghann's hand tightened on his sword hilt. “Pierced him on your blade before he could say anything that might point toward your involvement in a plan to overthrow Hella. You were the first jarl to agree to an attack on Ofan. The first to support Hella's plan. How easily you made it seem that you were on his side. What a perfect excuse to finish the task you started when you poisoned Ofbradh.”

Nefr whipped out his sword and backed away. “Damn you straight to Hel, Saxon.”

Erik swung Skrípi through the air. The blade bit down on Nefr's sword arm.

A splash of blood and the old jarl screamed. He fell to his knees.

“You guessed well, brother.” Hella kicked Nefr's sword and hand away.

The man's screams rang out across the empty night.

Eoghann resisted the urge to gag at the fresh blood. “How did he poison Ofbradh?”

“Mushrooms. A gift sent to Ofbradh and his family. They all grew ill. When Nefr visited to witness what his vile plan had done, he planted the seeds of betrayal in Ofbradh's mind.” Hella flicked his wrist at Nefr. “I want his head. Leave the rest for the animals.”

“No, no. Please.” Nefr wept as Erik and Bjorn dragged him away. “I would never!”

“Nefr's men?” Surely they were among the others watching.

“His closest are watched, even now. Should they attempt anything, the others will execute them.” Hella glanced at Hild, who held Leofric close. “We must do something about the boy. He deserves punishment. You know this.”

Eoghann nodded. “Indeed, but I would not see him killed for it. He was protecting his family.”

“He must be brought up to respect the ways of the Danelaw. We are here. We are staying, and as of this moment, I claim Suibhne as a village under my protection. I would have the widows marry into our clan after the proper time has passed. The young boys promised to our girls. Strong ties. Blood ties.” Hella clapped his hand on Eoghann's shoulder. “This place will need a jarl. A...kentigern. If it pleases you, I will appoint you, brother.”

Eoghann blinked. “Me?”

“There is no other man I would trust more to set Suibhne to rights. It has long belonged to your people. May it be stronger for forging with ours.”

Him. The kentigern of Suibhne. It hadn't been his place, not when he was a boy, or a warrior following Diarmaid across Northumbria. Fate, the fickle bitch, carried strange surprises.

“What say you?” Hella squeezed his shoulder.

Idunna smiled, then gave a small nod.

With his wife by his side, Eoghann could conquer near anything. “I would be honored, Your Grace.”