They slept aboard the ship with the sail drawn over for cover. Each man would take watch. They had all drank too much and Halla expected they would fall asleep. She thought Einar looked the most hopeful, and he had the second watch after Toki.
She lay curled on the deck as if asleep, Dana next to her. Halla marveled that her slave had actually fallen asleep. It seemed hours before Toki slipped aboard the ship and roused Einar for his turn. Halla waited longer still, then nudged Dana awake.
They slipped off the ship one at a time. A bright moon filled the sky, spilling light onto the beach and the path leading back to Isleif's home. They lingered a moment, in case anyone heard them leaving. Only muffled snoring and the lapping of waves on the beach made any sound. Einar, as expected, lay asleep by a dying fire. The women slipped past him like two elves fleeing into the woods. Halla turned back once, staring at the covered ship. She felt her hand start to raise as if to say good-bye, and her eyes began to mist. Dana hissed at her, having gone ahead, and Halla spun around and followed her away.
They found the track that the women of Isleif's home had promised. It was well-traveled and coiled through the purple gloom of the woods. Halla clung to Dana, who did not appear any braver than herself. But the two kept moving down the track, pausing at every hooting owl or snapping branch in the underbrush. Despite their delays, they found the outskirts of a large village before sunrise.
The moonlight revealed silver rooftops of long houses and squat buildings. The track led straight into the heart of it, though Halla could not see where it ended. She guessed it must lead to the mead hall that poked above the other buildings. Deciding a nighttime arrival would invite trouble, Halla planned to wait until dawn before presenting herself to the jarl.
They settled into the darkness beside the road. Halla felt crowded and overpowered by so many trees. Their branches looked like ugly claws and the pungent scent of them assailed her nostrils. She and Dana huddled together in silence, listening to crickets.
"Lady Halla, what are you going to tell the jarl of this place?"
"The truth. I am a jarl's daughter taken here against my will. I am fleeing those who took me here."
Cricket song filled the gap. Halla looked at Dana, who was barely visible now that they were out of the moonlight. She could see a faint gleam on her forehead.
"Did you bring any silver?"
"Just a few of my rings. We can cut those down to trade for what we need."
Again Dana nodded and fell quiet. Halla shifted around to square off with her. She was looking into the middle distance and seemed worried.
"Tell me what you're thinking."
Dana smiled and shook her head. "We're not really running away, are we? You just want to get back at Lord Toki."
Halla slammed the damp earth with her fist. Her voice was raspy low. "Of course we are running away. We have to start over somewhere else. If we stayed tonight, then we'd be stuck on that awful ship tomorrow. What else could we do?"
Dana nodded, and it did nothing to satisfy Halla. "Well, I asked you a question. What else could we do?"
"We could have taken silver, planned a little more, then fled when we reached those other lands."
"Well, I suppose that's true." Halla twisted away from Dana again, folding her arms. "But I could never be sure if a chance would come, unlike tonight. So this is better."
They sat for a long time, watching the sky turn deep blue with the first hints of sunrise. Halla stewed on Dana's presumption. She was only a slave, after all, and could not be expected to understand the nuances involved in this situation. That is what Halla told herself. But eventually the silence overwhelmed her.
"You don't think we'll get away?" Dana shook her head. "Then what do you think? We've been together forever. Just tell me everything you're thinking."
Dana chuckled. "Lady Halla, you've never wanted to hear truth. Why start now?"
Halla sucked her breath. "You're horrible!"
"I'm sorry. I was wrong to say that. But I'm not worried about getting away. I'm worried about the jarl and the people of this place."
"What for? The jarl has a good reputation."
"A good reputation among strangers. What do we really know? We're two girls walking into a foreign place, no silver, no weapons, no one to protect us. Lady Halla, you will make a terrible slave."
Halla put her hands to her neck, as if a slave collar had already been clamped around it. "But look at this place. It's civilized. Why would I be made a slave? I've done nothing wrong."
"Neither did I," Dana whispered. "But men from a village just like this killed my family and dragged me across the ocean for no other reason than that they could."
Halla suddenly felt cold and her stomach tightened. From within the village a cock crowed and she jolted at the sound. The sun was rising and already from the edge of the tree line Halla could see people emerging from their homes.
"Do you think we should go back, then?"
Dana nodded.
They carefully emerged from their hiding spot, stepped out onto the path while watching the village behind them. Then they turned and faced a man standing in the path. Halla screamed and the man jumped back, drawing a knife.
Dana immediately leapt in front of her, dropping into a crouch and throwing her hands wide. The man regained himself, smiled and lowered his knife. He was tall but thin, a fringe of hair circling his bony head. His gap-tooth smile was friendly, even silly. He held up his other hand in peace.
"I thought you were elves come to kill me or worse. What are two strange women doing on the road at dawn?"
"Stay away from us," Halla warned. She ducked behind Dana. Her heart throbbed, feeling like it would burst out her throat. "Get off the road and let us pass."
The balding man laughed, dry and hollow. "I'll not be hearing orders from you two. You look like you rolled up with the tide." He started to approach. Halla heard sounds coming from behind. The man's knife glinted in the thin light. "Where are …"
"Go, Dana!" Halla shoved Dana forward. She pounced on the man, her fist colliding with his face before Halla could start to run. The man yelled in surprise and pain. Dana left no time for the man to react. She swept him at his left knee, yanking him to the ground with both hands. Then she stamped on the man's crotch.
The man shrieked now. His hand sought the knife he had dropped. But Halla swooped past, scooping the knife as she ran. She did not look back, but heard Dana pounding the track behind her. "Keep running, Lady Halla!"
Dana caught up to her, nearly passed her, but slowed to keep pace. Halla ran with all her strength. The man's screaming was already fading into the distance. I don't want to become a slave, the thoughts poured through her mind. I should have never done this. I was a fool.
They sprinted away into the ever-brightening distance. She hoped Toki was ready to sail when they returned. She hoped the man would leave them alone. But in the distance she heard an angry, frustrated roar.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The six ships fled across the emerald waves, harsh voices booming across the water, struggling to rise over the splash and swish of oars.
"Row or die, you dogs!" Kjotve growled from the stern. "Those ships are headed straight for our hearts!"
Ulfrik wished he could row. Anything was preferable to remaining tied to the mast. Every stroke of the oars jarred the ship and his bindings bit deeper. His knees ached from remaining locked. His back tingled with strange sensations, like ants crawling over and biting his skin. Kjotve had ignored him on the mast for three days. He loosened Ulfrik's bindings so his hands and feet did not die. But Ulfrik could not sleep except when exhaustion swept him into dreamless black.