Lord of the Runes by Sabrina Jarema

Author:Sabrina Jarema [Jarema, Sabrina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2016-07-26T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

“My husband is dead, Jarl Magnus.”

Asa dropped her carving knife and ran to the door of the weaving room. Rakel, a woman who lived on a farmstead nearby, knelt at Magnus’s feet as he sat in his chair upon the dais in the hall. He reached down and drew her up. Several of the women of the household came to support her. She collapsed in their arms, crying. “The outcasts came and took everything. All our livestock and our food. My husband tried to stop them and they cut him down.”

Magnus stood. “Arne, gather the men. We’ll pursue them while the tracks are fresh. This time, we’ll find them.”

Asa rushed into her room and stripped off her gown. The men been hunting the outcasts every day for the past week, but all the traces of them they found were old. Now, with no falling snow to cover their tracks, the criminals would be easy to follow.

The warriors had all gathered in front of the longhouse. Asa set her shield on her back and tied on her skis. Her mind was clear, focused, and she needed to remain that way. Magnus skied over to her.

“Either Leif, Eirik, or I will be beside you at all times. Don’t lose sight of us, no matter what happens.”

Eirik? That was interesting. She smiled. “Ah yes, so I can better protect you all, brother?” She spoke loud enough that the men heard her. They struck their shields in appreciation, laughing.

“I mean it, Asa.” He spoke low. “They have bows, which means they can kill us from afar. We may have to make a shield wall in an instant and you have to be near us. Don’t get separated.”

She sobered. “I won’t. I know what I’m about, Magnus. After all, I had the best instructors.”

“Flatterer.” He raised his voice to his men. “We’ll fan out in our assigned groups. Everyone will move toward the farmstead. Stay sharp. We can be certain we’ll have to mount a defense first. Then we’ll draw them in.”

Eirik had stayed to the side. He poled his way to her and his face was grim. They hadn’t spoken much since the night they’d played tafl, but he’d been gone from the longhouse so often, she’d only seen him late at night. He ate, then went to bed. In the mornings, by the time she rose, he’d already vanished for the day again. He’d gone with the warriors a few times, but not always.

“If your brothers or I tell you to do something, don’t even think. Just do it.” He checked his sword, loosening it in its sheath.

She looked at him. “I have done this before.”

“On the seas. This is different. We can expect an ambush, whereas when you fought, you could see them coming.”

“I know.” A tiny flicker of trepidation spread out within her. She ignored it. It would be as it would be.

Not knowing if the outcasts were nearby, the warriors kept silent as they left the village, reining in their usual banter.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.