Seer of Sevenwaters (36 page)

“Mm-hm,” said Clodagh.

“And that is the story,” Johnny said. “A striking one, as strange as any old tale. I can understand that you might feel some doubt as to its truth, hearing it on its own. But there are Sibeal’s visions, which illuminated certain aspects of it with perfect clarity. There’s the evidence of the rope around Paul’s ankles, which I saw with my own eyes. And folk have been dreaming since the shipwreck, folk who had not heard this tale until last night. Their dreams bear out what Felix has told us. Perhaps the most compelling argument of all is that, after calling that tale a web of lies, Knut has now admitted most aspects of it were true. It seems this man who has become a friend to so many of us during his time here is a bare-faced liar. More than that, he has attempted to murder one who was under our protection, and has both threatened and injured my young kinswoman. For this, any other man would be banished instantly from our shore. For this man, I have other plans.”

The dining hall was hushed; the assembled men and women had hung on every word of Johnny’s speech. He had given a calm, considered account of last night’s events, including a brief version of Felix’s story. The news of what Knut had done had caused an outcry. It was plain that many found it hard to believe him capable of such duplicity. But Johnny had said it, and nobody ever doubted Johnny. Knut had stood stone-faced between Niall and Jouko as his ill deeds were made public. Johnny had not asked him to speak.

“I have faith in Felix, and I believe his story,” Johnny said now. “I see his honesty in his eyes. He has made a request that, if granted, will have weighty consequences for our community. Felix, step up and explain what you’re asking of us, and why it’s so important.”

Felix rose to his feet, waving away Gull’s supporting arm. He came to stand beside Johnny. His mouth was set tight; his eyes were full of determination.

“Some here have called me an ill luck man,” he said quietly. “There may be some truth in that, for my brother perished on this voyage, drowned on the reef out there. He died because he stood up for what was right. Because he would have hindered their flight from the serpent isle, the flight that saw seven men abandoned to their fate, our crew tied Paul’s ankles. I could not unfasten the knots in time, and so he drowned. My brother was a good man. A good man never leaves his friends behind. Sometimes we are faced with terrible choices, heartbreaking choices that make a mockery of right and wrong. But the choice that faced Knut and his companions on the serpent isle was easy. All it required was courage.

“I am compelled to go back, by any means I can, to try to save those men. It is what my brother would do if he were here. I do not know if they are alive or dead. I have no skills in navigation, no experience in sailing a boat. You will think me quite mad. But I am saner than I ever was. The gods call me to do this. Sibeal cast the runes for me; their message was quite plain. I must go, and I will go. Last night I asked Johnny if he would help me. If he cannot, if you will not, then I will find another way to do this.” He glanced at Johnny, who was watching with a little smile on his lips. “That is all I have to say.”

“Thank you, Felix. Sit down, please.” Johnny faced the crowd. “I will give you time to consider this. Before you do, I’ll make my own position clear. This can’t be done without a vessel strong enough to withstand the trip. It can’t be done before
Liadan
returns. We have no reliable guide to the location of this island, since the ship on which Felix and his brother were traveling was swept off course by a freak storm. We don’t know if there are any survivors. We have a sea monster to deal with, a creature that is large, fierce and not kindly disposed toward men. That is a heavy weight of risk. To balance it, we have a group of men abandoned in that place by friends they believed they could trust. A group of comrades struggling to hold on against the odds, scraping an existence in the harshest of conditions, hoping and praying that someone will have the courage to come back for them.” He paused, looking around the hall. The silence was profound. “I don’t believe we have any choice,” he said. “I’ll authorize the use of
Liadan
for this mission. If we can put a crew together, we’ll go ahead.”

Spider rose to his feet. “How do you intend to choose that crew?” he asked.

“I’ll call for volunteers,” Johnny said. “Experienced men to sail
Liadan
; others with specialized skills. You realize what kind of mission this is. I don’t want anyone making a decision without thinking it through. Take some time, talk to your wives, and don’t make light of the immense risk involved. You need a few days, at the very least, to make up your minds. I won’t take volunteers from those involved in training the Connacht men. Our primary work is on Inis Eala, and we must maintain that.”

“The boat may need refurbishment,” someone said. “That could take time. Is the plan to sail off as soon as possible after she returns?”

“Every day counts for those men,” said Johnny soberly. “Work on the boat will start the day she comes in. Provided we have a crew, she’ll sail out as soon as she’s ready. Supplies can be assembled now, while we wait for her return.”

A babble of talk had broken out all around the hall now as the implications began to sink in. I felt the women’s doubt and fear, the pull between pride in their men and terror that those men might be lost on a journey whose heroic intention was equaled by its appalling uncertainty. I felt the inspiration that filled the men’s hearts, the knowledge that here was a mission no true warrior could refuse. There would be volunteers, all right; far more than Johnny needed. I saw the light in their eyes.

“Johnny,” said Gareth, “what happens if you don’t get enough volunteers to make up a crew?” It seemed to me he already knew the answer—there were no secrets between these two—but had seen a need for it to be stated publicly.

“Then the mission cannot go ahead.” The implications were quite plain.

“I’ve got a question,” said Sam, rising to his full, impressive height.

“Ask it, then.”

“What did you mean about Knut? We all know a man who acts as he has is banished immediately from the island. On the other hand, he’s a good fighter and to many of us he’s become a friend. What are these other plans you spoke of?”

Jouko had been translating for Knut. Now Knut released a flow of impassioned words, gesturing toward Johnny. Jouko lifted his brows in question.

“Translate it, please,” Johnny said.

“Knut says he wants only to stay here and earn his place in the community that has welcomed him. He believes his fighting skills could be of great use to you. He swears there will be no repetition of last night’s events.”

“One would certainly hope not,” murmured Gull, who was seated beside me.

“Any more?” Johnny asked, looking at Knut directly.

“And he says,” went on Jouko, translating, “it is his belief that all who were left on the serpent isle must have perished by now. As, indeed, he and his crewmen would have done if they had not sailed away when they did. The monster would have devoured them all. Knut says this is a fool’s errand, the sort of venture only a man such as Felix here would have conceived, for he is a scholar, full of dreams and softness. He is no warrior. Such a man has not the courage to fight.”

Johnny did not speak immediately; he let the poison of these words stand for a while, so that every man and woman present could take it in. Then he said, “Felix, do you wish to respond to this?”

Felix managed a crooked smile. “Few men could match my brother for courage. Now that he is gone, I must be brave enough for two.”

“Well spoken,” said Gull, and I heard others echo the sentiment.

“Knut,” said Johnny, “you are far from understanding the way things are done in this community. Your fighting skills are exceptional, and that has earned you friends among us. We have a rule here that the past can be forgotten, provided a man or woman is ready to start afresh, with the right attitudes and the right intentions. No, don’t speak—I heard what you said before, and I remain unconvinced of your sincerity. Only last night you attempted to kill this man. You put my cousin in danger. That alone should earn you banishment from Inis Eala, as Sam quite correctly pointed out. But there’s the question of Svala. She is not among us this morning—”

He halted, gazing toward the open doorway. I turned my head to see a familiar figure standing there, barefoot, with her damp hair straggling over her shoulders. The look on her face was that of a deer facing a pack of wolves. I rose to my feet, walked over and took her hand, guiding her forward.

Words burst out of Knut, a furious stream of Norse, and he strode across the chamber toward us, taking his guards by surprise. He was three paces from us before Niall seized him by the arms and restrained him. Svala’s hand trembled in mine. Fine, strong woman that she was, she edged behind me as if my slight form might shield her. Her breathing was shallow and quick.

“Bring him back over here,” Johnny said. “Knut, stand still and face me—I’m not finished. We don’t have all of Svala’s story yet, but it appears you may have done her a great wrong, albeit with the best of intentions. I welcome you here, Svala,” a courteous nod, “and I hope we can set matters right for you.”

“Set matters right? What do you mean?” demanded Knut.

“Sibeal believes Svala was taken from the serpent isle against her will,” Johnny said levelly. “If that is shown to be true, then our mission will be not only to bring back the men who were left there, but to deliver Svala safely home.”

A hubbub of talk greeted this. Johnny let it go for a while, then raised his hand for silence. “Knut, you will remain under guard for the foreseeable future. You’ll stay away from Svala. You won’t speak to her unless she requests it. As for your future, believe me, I am sorely tempted to banish you this instant. But I have always believed in giving a man a second chance.”

I held my breath. How could he even think of having Knut on Inis Eala? The man did not know the difference between right and wrong. Or knew, and cared nothing for it.

“When
Liadan
sails for the serpent isle, you will be on board,” Johnny said. “I’m not offering you a choice. If Svala wants to return there, you will take her. You will help our crew navigate. You will assist in the rescue of your abandoned comrades. When you come back from that place, if I see a change in you, a change I can truly believe in, then and only then will I consider your wish to remain among us. You are a good fighter. But we have many good fighters here.”

By the time Jouko reached the end of his translation, Knut was no longer meeting Johnny’s gaze. He looked down at his boots, one hand nervously twisting the leather strip around his neck.
Eolh
was a rune of defense. It could not defend him against a man like Johnny, a man who saw deep inside to the fear, the weakness, the lack of self-belief. It could not keep out the wisdom and compassion that were woven through this harsh decision.

“Sibeal,” Johnny said, turning toward the doorway, “does Svala wish to speak? Can she do so through you?”

Now that Knut had been moved further away, Svala was steadier, but I felt her unease. The four walls, the fire, the press of folk, the sound of voices, everything unnerved her. She had come because she knew it was important. It was taking an immense effort of will for her to stay. It had been hard enough to convey my meaning to her down on the shore with only my sisters present.

“She will be happy with what you’ve decided,” I said. “I will explain it to her in private.” After a moment I added what I sensed to be true. “She thanks you for undertaking the mission. From the bottom of her heart. She has already told me how much she yearns to go back to that place.”

“Are you taking more questions?” someone asked.

“If you need the answer now, yes,” Johnny said.

“It’s not so much a question as a comment.” The speaker stood up and was revealed to be Badger, one of the older men. “I reckon there’s one thing a man would want to know before putting his hand up for this, and that’s whether there’s a chance anyone could still be alive in that place. I understand that we can’t know that. But if we could, it would make the choice a lot easier. If they’re alive, it’s a heroic quest. If they’re all dead, it’s a fool’s errand.”

Cathal stirred. He had stood behind Clodagh throughout the meeting, motionless and silent, his features set grimly. I met his eye, and a kind of recognition passed across his face. Would he break his self-imposed rule and offer to scry for this information? His comrades knew his parentage was somewhat unusual. I doubted that they understood the extent of his abilities, or the risks he faced in using them. Clodagh was frowning. I looked back toward my cousin.

“It’s a fair comment, Badger,” Johnny said. “As you say, we can’t know. We must rely on what these dreams and visions tell us, and on our sense of what is right. No man should feel any compulsion to put his name forward. I will not think badly of any man for not wanting to go.”

One of the younger men stood up, a sturdily built fellow with weathered skin and a head shaven bald as an egg. “I have a question for Felix.”

Felix was tired. His face was waxen pale, but he held his shoulders square. Johnny glanced at him and he nodded.

“I’ve been a crewman on a trading vessel between Dublin and the isles,” said the young warrior. “The voyage you’re talking about would mean days at sea with no scrap of land in sight; uncertain weather; no real means to chart a course. Cramped conditions, little rest, limited supplies. You tell us you’re no sailor, yet you say you’re coming on this trip. I’ll be blunt. This is a venture suited only to the strongest and hardiest of men. You may have done the trip once already, but it wasn’t as a crewman. And haven’t you been confined to the infirmary since the day you got here, under constant supervision, barely able to leave your bed? Scholar, aren’t you? If I were choosing a crew to undertake such a mission, you’d be one of the last men I’d pick.”

“That’s blunt,” I heard Gull murmur.

“I understand your argument,” said Felix, rising to his feet once more. “By the time
Liadan
sets out for the serpent isle, I will be ready.”