Return of the Ravens (Ulfrik Ormsson's Saga Book 6) (26 page)

The suck of mud behind him alerted Ulfrik to step right, and Erp's blade swished through empty air. The pot-bellied man had slashed as if trying to split a tree in a single strike, and when nothing resisted he stumbled forward.

Ulfrik hacked across Erp's back, but his cloak and fur vest prevented the edge from biting flesh. Instead he collapsed into the mud. Gunnvald struggled to his feet, then pointed his sword at Vilhjalmer. "You little bastard, stop or I'll forget that your worth a ransom."

"I said run!" Ulfrik collared Vilhjalmer and yanked him aside. The boy squealed, but Ulfrik had no time left to consider him. Gunnvald shouted and slashed, striking the mail on his shoulder with a crunch of iron.

The longer the fight lasted, the less chance he had of escaping before others interfered. Determined to finish the fight, he slammed Gunnvald in the head with his left fist. Pain lanced up his arm as Ulfrik's knuckles connected with Gunnvald's temple, but the blow staggered his opponent. He plunged his blade to the hilt through Gunnvald's stomach.

His pox-scarred face went white and his death scream echoed in the night. He took Ulfrik's sword to the ground as he folded forward and collapsed.

Weaponless, he whirled on Erp, who despite everything had not retreated. His fish-like lips were taut with a smile. "Looks like more reward for me."

Vilhjalmer had lost his dagger, and now Erp held it to the boy's throat. Ulfrik straightened himself and snorted. "You're going to kill him? Amand will hang you for that even if I let you live."

"You got no weapon, fool." Erp's smile widened.

"Sure I do. Here's the sword you dropped to grab the boy and the knife. You're a real help, Erp. Couldn't have succeeded without you."

Erp's face dropped and he tried to step on his discarded blade. Ulfrik never intended to grab it. He balled a fist and braced it in his other hand. When Erp stretched to slam his foot on the weapon, Ulfrik hammered with his braced fist on top of Erp's head. It snapped forward into his chest and he lost his grip on Vilhjalmer and his dagger. Ulfrik's knee flew up into his face, smashing his teeth but cutting Ulfrik's skin through his pants. The fat man flipped back and a final shove from Ulfrik sprawled him.

"Now I'll take that sword." He snatched it out of the mud, and just as Erp rose he flicked it across his neck sending him back down with a jet of blood pumping an arm's length into the air.

He threw the blade aside, and took Vilhjalmer by the shoulder. He did not have to look around to know armed men circled them. Four already converged on them with spear points flickering in the moonlight.

"Why didn't you run?"

"A jarl's son does not flee from battle."

Ulfrik stared at him, then at the semicircle of men tightening their distance. "Put up your hands," said one of them. Ulfrik complied.

"That's very noble," Ulfrik said. Vilhjalmer beamed at him. "And quite stupid. Once I return you to your father, I'm going to knock sense into your head."

"You wouldn't dare."

"You'll prefer my lessons to your father's, I can promise you that much."

The first arrivals closed on them. Ulfrik began to concoct excuses, but as another man arrived with a struggling woman in his arms, he realized excuses would not help. The guard shoved the woman toward them, her full and lustrous brown hair flying across her face. When she regained herself, she pushed it back and blazing green eyes glared out at him. She let out a low moan and pointed at Ulfrik.

"At least the gods were kind enough to send a traitor with no tongue." Ulfrik smiled down at Vilhjalmer, who stood with both hands on his hips as if surveying his troops.

"This was a good start, but we'll have to try again."

Ulfrik nodded, then one of the guards drove his spear butt into Ulfrik's gut and he collapsed to the blood-soaked earth.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Runa stood when the hall door opened. Rosy light of early morning filled the square and two figures of perfect black hovered at the center. One was a slender woman, a head shorter than the male figure beside her. She gestured the man inside with a slight bow, and he nodded silently. The woman stepped back and closed the doors, revealing the man.

Light from the smoke hole and the crackling hearth reasserted its claim on the small hall and the shadow of the man revealed Aren standing with a pack slung over his shoulder. The lift of joy Runa experienced flooded away when Aren stepped closer. His wide, square face was lumpy with bruises. Brown scabs surrounded by halos of angry red skin raked across his forehead and cheeks. His lips were livid black, and bags under both eyes were heavy with bruises. Worst still, when he smiled his front tooth was broken in half.

He stopped and let his pack drop, then smiled. "Thank you for calling for me."

She raced to him, sweeping him into her arms, tears plucking at her eyes. He flinched when she touched his face, but she could not help it. Under all this damage was her son, but she could not believe it. "Your father?"

"Konal did this," Aren corrected. "I was at my father's memorial stone. Konal was drunk. I angered him and paid the price."

A tear streaked down her cheek as she examined his face. "I'm so sorry." The words felt thick and stupid but anything more would unleash a flood of tears.

"It's not your fault." He gently pushed her back, reminding Runa how little he cared for displays of emotion. "He is never going to hurt either one of us again."

His eyes brightened with hope and a thin smile stretched his bruised lips. The innocent hope in his expression drew out the tears she had struggled against, and she turned aside to conceal them. She walked toward the back of the small hall that had been a comfortable prison since her arrival. Other than taking meals in Hrolf's magnificent hall, she never left this place.

"You should have told me about Ulfrik. I would have taken you with me and saved you this beating."

Aren gave a quiet laugh. "No, what you would have done is angered Konal enough to beat you bloody and have him prevent either of us from leaving. Besides, at that time I had sworn to Father not reveal his return to anyone, especially you."

Runa's heart fell at the words and she whirled on him, tears cold against her cheeks. "Why? Of all the people he visited, it should have been me. I'm his wife!"

"You're Konal's wife," Aren said. He retrieved his pack from the ground and looked around for a spot to store it while Runa stood without an answer. Her face heated at the obvious statement.

"Not any longer. With you here, when your father returns I will declare myself divorced from Konal. The shame he has caused me is known widely enough. No one will dispute my claim."

Aren placed his bag against the wall and scanned the modest hall. "We'll be sharing a prison until Father returns. I suppose you will sleep behind that partition?"

"Actually, I don't sleep there, but someone you should meet does. I was told you were coming, and asked him to give us a moment of privacy before introductions." She folded her hands at her lap and called toward the rear of the hall. "Finn, you may join us."

Finn emerged from behind the partition screen of deer hide stretched in a light wooden frame. His freckle-splattered face was bright and hopeful, and he had recovered enough from his injuries to stand straight. He faced Aren and raised his hand in greeting. "I'm glad to meet you," he said. "Your father has spoken often of you."

Runa watched as Aren blushed and lowered his head and gave a short nod. Despite his intelligence, Aren had never done well in social situations, and now with a bruised and battered face Runa feared he would withdraw. He turned to his bags while Finn looked to Runa with his hands turned out. She shook her head to dismiss his concern, then went to Aren's side. Lightly touching his shoulder he flinched, but she did not step away.

"I've been helping Finn recover from his wounds, and he has told me all about your father's life in Iceland and his time at with traders. Did you know your father spent an entire winter at Yorvik in England before his ship came here?"

Aren released the sack and faced her. "I want to talk about Konal. He's more important than history now."

She touched the silver amulet of Thor at her chest and searched Aren's eyes. He swallowed hard, then pushed past his mother. He pulled a table from the side of the hall, then dragged benches. Both Runa and Finn waited until he gestured they be seated. All the while Runa wrung her hands and bit her lip.

"When Hrolf's men came to fetch me, they said it was because Mother feared my safety. I expected nothing but rage from Konal, but he allowed me to leave without protest, nor even a word of parting. When I left, men were boarding his ship, putting sails onto the mast, and looking as if they were leaving in haste. They did not have travel gear from what I could see. It means they were not traveling far."

Finn shifted between Aren and Runa, seeming to implore either of them to explain the significance. Runa did not need that help.

"Does Konal know about Ulfrik?" she asked. Aren lowered his head and remained silent. He tucked his face behind a hand, while the other made a fist atop the table. Runa let him take whatever time he needed, yet she knew the response.

"It just came out. He had smashed my face on my father's memorial stone. I was so angered. It was all I could think of to hurt him. I'm sorry, Mother."

She took his fist in her hand and massaged it. "What do you think Konal is doing now? Is he going to see Snorri?"

"I thought he might do that, but after the news he just got drunk for days. Then after Hrolf's men show and take me away, he decides to take journey along the river. Where is he going? If he wanted to appeal to Hrolf, he'd be here by now."

"So he is going to Snorri?" Finn asked.

"Perhaps," Aren said and shrugged. He withdrew his hand from Runa's without looking up. "He might want to learn the details of our meeting with Father. I asked my guards where he went and they all claimed not to know. Of course, their lies were clear to me. They knew, which means he has gone somewhere none of us should know about."

"You think he's going after Ulfrik?" Runa felt a tightness in her chest imagining the damage Konal might cause.

"Maybe," Aren said. "Since my father's visit, I've given much thought to what he said. He told me about Throst's treachery, and that has not sat right with me."

"I was there when Throst died," Finn said. "I've told this to Runa, but Throst said he had help from someone close to Ulfrik. Do you think it could be Konal?"

Runa stared at Aren, and he at last raised his eyes to hers and gave a slow nod. She had not wanted to believe it, but now her head hummed like a nest of wasps. Her eyes fluttered and she felt faint. All those years when Ulfrik left Konal alone with her and her children, he had nursed a desire to be part of a family again. He had made advances even when Ulfrik had been alive, yet she dismissed them with little care. She realized he loved her, or thought he did, and when Ulfrik died everything had flowed naturally to their marriage. A great tragedy had united them again, each lost in a world without family and in need of support. But she never considered he had a part in Ulfrik's death. Now looking at Aren's battered face and feeling the tightness of her own injured cheek, she wondered how she had not suspected it.

"Someone is helping Konal," Aren said. "Wherever he is going, it cannot be good. I believe he wishes my father remain dead."

"But that would risk Hrolf's son," Finn said. "Why would Hrolf let Konal take that risk?"

Aren sighed and rubbed his face. "The help can't be from Hrolf. If he wanted my father dead it would have been done already and without risk to his son. No, Konal must be working with someone in Hrolf's command. Konal may have somehow contacted Throst to betray my father, but I believe there was another involved and that person or group is helping him now."

"We should warn Hrolf," Finn said, standing as if prepared to run to his hall. Runa grabbed his arm.

"Sit down," she said. "We don't know who this person or group is. I am all for action, but only when the time is right. For now, we would do well to watch Hrolf's men and see who might be involved."

Aren nodded agreement. "We should pry for what information we can. I fear whoever arranged for my father's betrayal would have to be highly placed. To rush to conclusions would be dangerous."

"At the least we can let Hrolf know Konal has left with his crew?" Aren spread his hands wide.

"Hrolf wants to speak with me," Aren said. "I was told to be prepared within the hour. I will tell him then. After that, let's see where things lead. We can do nothing here other than alert my father's enemies to our suspicions. We must be eyes and ears for him until he can return to defend himself."

Runa patted Aren's hand. She agreed with her son's assessment, and feared the worst part of his guess was true. Ulfrik had risen high and not without upsetting a number of important men along the way. Any one of Hrolf's jarls could be an enemy waiting to pounce. All she could do now was play the role of a spy, and a poor one at that.

The three of them sat in silence. Runa stood from the table. "I'm going to step outside. You two should get to know each other better."