"You've suffered nothing from these two, so don't complain. Don't question me, and don't speak about defeat and loss. If we all sailed north and died in battle it would still be glorious. Only if we hide in our homes do we die in shame. I don't know what you are hinting at, but let me clear your mind. We will regroup and we will bring down these cousins. Your hirdmen will stand in the shield wall with mine, and fight for our homes. Anything less makes you and your men oath-breakers."
Only the intermittent snap from the dwindling hearth interrupted the silence. Ulfrik scanned the room, and met every eye that dared to raise to his own. He nodded at each man, assuring them in his confidence and testing their strength. Satisfied, he retook his seat in front of Ingrid, whose eyes fluttered and turned away.
"I did not mean to anger you, Lord Ulfrik. I am merely a worried, old lady. The tidings you brought me today are the worst I've heard in many years. My lands are closer to theirs, and I fear they could return for me one night."
"Be vigilant," Ulfrik offered, glad to be done with conflict. His temples throbbed and his eyes hurt. "I must return home for a short while, but Toki will come to represent your lands. We will devise a plan to keep you and everyone safe through winter. When spring arrives, we will welcome it with a blood sacrifice such that the gods will remember us for all time."
Ingrid inclined her head, then excused herself and Halla to help in cleaning the remains of the meal. As she stepped down, Ulfrik whispered to Toki. "Can I trust her?"
"Yes, but with a wary eye. She's an opportunist."
Ulfrik nodded and watched as people turned back to muted conversation. His own closest hirdmen, Snorri and Einar, along with Ander and several others, continued to watch him. He waved his hand as if shooing a fly. "We'll discuss her later. For now, we rest before returning home."
CHAPTER FIVE
Runa hefted the sword overhead and tightened her grip on the wooden shield. Across the grass, Ulfrik circled with his own blade drawn and shield held in guard to his left. Behind him the usual line of women who came to shake their heads and gossip appeared as a dark blur. This time, she decided, she would tag Ulfrik if it meant cutting him. Sweat rolled into her eyes and down her nose. Ulfrik no longer teased her, instead appeared half-focused on her and looking into another place. You'll learn to pay attention to me, she thought.
Her short sword struck down at Ulfrik's face. He recognized the flashing iron, pulling his shield to defend. A smile played on Runa's face, and she pulled her strike to slash at his exposed leg.
Ulfrik recovered with practiced ease, stepping back from the blade and sweeping his own sword at Runa's head. Reflex took over and she raised her shield to intercept. The thud of the impact shuddered up her arm. A flash of anger bit her, and she saw his exposed forearm. Her heart raced, finally the opening she had been seeking. Yet her cut passed through air, and suddenly Ulfrik had wheeled to her right side with his shield out. He shoved it into her sword arm, the force of it driving her sword onto her own shield and pinning it. A cold pinch at her inner thigh informed her of defeat.
The tip of Ulfrik's blade pushed into her deerskin pants. She cursed and stepped back, dropping her sword and shield to her sides. Ulfrik laughed, pulling away.
"That was a well-done bit of swordplay, Wife." A few claps came from the distant onlookers, and Runa's face grew warm.
"What good is it if you lamed me?"
"Not lamed," Ulfrik corrected as he sheathed his blade. "Such a cut would bleed you to death before you could curse Fate. But don't let it discourage you. You fight against the best. The worms you're likely to face would fight like the farmers they are."
Runa threw her shield in the grass and sheathed her blade. Though she had been practicing with real swords and shields for over a year, the effort still left her shoulders sore and her back aching. She rubbed her shield arm which still tingled from the force of Ulfrik's blow. He drew her close and rubbed it as well, kissing her forehead as he did.
"We have to do this regularly if you expect me to meet farmers in battle. It's not enough to practice every time you fear a raid is coming."
He stopped rubbing and drew her tighter. "Then we will make more time. It's important for you to defend yourself."
They stood in a quiet embrace long enough for Runa to feel shame for chiding him. If anything, she had cajoled him into teaching her proper sword fighting, and he desired assurance she could stand on her own.
"Ulfrik, I am sorry. Finding time to practice is not easy with all the real work I have." She turned to face him, then wrapped her arms around his waist. "And you want more children, yes? We must stay busy with that plan."
He laughed and the two began to walk toward the cliffs. Runa watched him as they strolled, and she read the worry in his face. He had not been himself since his visit to the seidkona. Meeting with Ingrid no doubt worsened matters. The Hag-Queen and Witch-Daughter were Runa's private names for Ingrid and Halla. Unfortunately, after Gerdie's passing, she had only Gunnar to share her bitter complaints. Ulfrik had not revealed what happened at Ingrid's hall, but she surmised the old hag had tested her limits. Runa figured Ingrid should have followed her husband in death and all her lands pass to Ulfrik, but for some reason she was spared. Show a little mercy, she thought, and the world takes you for a fool.
"I must have more gold to raise more men." Ulfrik spoke flatly, searching the rolling hills before them. "We must take revenge and end this threat once and for all."
Runa could not control her sigh, and she pulled away from him. "You've said as much before, and now we have nothing. You spent everything on rebuilding your ships and weapons. Worse yet, you spent gold on rebuilding Ingrid's hall."
"Can we not discuss that again? I told you then, she is sworn to me and that hall is my own."
"Try taking it from her, and you'll see what she thinks. Her men are loyal to her, and somehow think she's a charmed little elf."
Now Ulfrik sighed, and he rubbed the back of his neck. A smile bordering on a grimace stretched across his face, and Runa recognized his effort at restraint. They walked a short distance farther, the salty air cool on her sweat-beaded face. She heard the dull throb of waves crashing on the cliff faces as she drew nearer to them.
"My father would have done more on this island than I have done." He stopped, placing his hands on his hips. He continued to stare into the distance, beyond the edge of the cliffs and fjord. "If he lived today, he would be ashamed that I have not done more for our family."
"You don't know what he would do, so stop raising his ghost to chide you constantly. You have as much success as him, even more." She brushed his arm, hesitant to offer too much comfort. She had learned over the years that he needed to speak his troubles through before clearing his mind. Comforting words tended to slow down the process.
"After the war with Hardar, my progress has stalled. I've not climbed beyond this." He waved a hand over a swath of the horizon. "We deserve better. I am a jarl's son, and you a jarl's daughter. But what do we rule over, except sheep and poor farmers living on a rock at the edge of the world?"
"You sound as if we came from grand estates. I remember Grenner, Ulfrik, and it was not a mighty kingdom."
"My father commanded over a hundred men and three ships. The people respected him, honored him, and his name was known everywhere!" He threw his hands into the air as he proclaimed the greatness of his home. Runa bit her lip, fighting the urge to remind him Grenner was a far more humble land than he remembered. He resumed walking, his stride agitated.