Sigyn's Song by Meg Trotter

Author:Meg Trotter [Trotter, Meg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

The sound started low, at the edge of Maera’s hearing. She frowned and buried herself deeper in the furs, in an attempt to sink back into sleep. She was so comfortable. The heat had eased the ache in her legs until it was a barely perceptible twinge. She wanted nothing more than to stay curled up in this sweet absence of pain.

The sound persisted.

More consciousness trickled back to Maera, and she reluctantly opened her eyes. It took a moment of confused blinking before she figured out what felt out of the ordinary. She realized she was on the wrong side of the room. It was then she noticed the slight pressure at her back. She lifted up just enough to glance over her shoulder. Luka was there, still on his back, but sleeping with his hands laced loosely together over his stomach. Her back was pressed up against his side. His face was peaceful. No nightmares tonight, it seemed.

The sound that had woken her drew Maera’s attention, and she cocked her head to try to make sense of it. It sounded like ... something crackling. She looked over at their hearth, thinking maybe the fire had somehow had gotten out of hand. However, she saw it was only embers. This sound came from outside.

Maera had almost decided just to lay back down and ignore it when a clatter and then a scream shook the quiet of the night. Luka shot up into a sitting position so violently that he nearly toppled Maera off the side of the bed. He blinked at her, confused, as if trying to remember how she’d gotten beside him. Another scream shook the last of the drowsiness from both of them. Luka kicked back the furs, and Maera winced at the sharp coldness that enveloped her.

“Something’s going on,” Luka muttered.

Obviously. Maera slipped out of the bed and reached for a piece of twine to pull her tangled hair back away from her face. When she turned and slipped her shoes on, Luka was already cracking open the door, one hand gripping his knife. Maera peered around him. In the distance, fire licked at one of the longhouse roofs. Shadows moved between buildings, where shouts and screams echoed over the hills.

A thud nearby made both Maera and Luka jump. Next to Freydis’ longhouse, two men struggled with each other in the dirt. A third lay a few feet away, splayed on his stomach, with a spear protruding from his back. Luka moved first. He sprinted toward the two struggling men, kicking a dropped dagger in the dirt toward one — Chief Orm, Maera realized with a lurch of fear.

An angry shriek drew Maera’s attention in the opposite direction. Freydis struggled against a brute of a man who had his meaty hand around her wrist and was dragging her away from the home. Despite her thrashing and kicking, he pulled her along as easily as if she were a strip of seaweed. Another man appeared out of the longhouse, carrying an armload of what looked like various fabrics and a few pieces of jewelry.

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