He was prostrate on his back. His eyes stared at the sky, cloudy and unseeing. I watched for several heartbeats, and his chest rose and fell shallowly. It was clear that he was dying.
A jagged piece of the pitchfork handle remained. Without a moment’s hesitation, I staked the Northman through the heart. He made not a single sound as the life left his body. I thought of Aideen, and of Leif’s innocent sister, both slaughtered like animals. A chill of unease spread over me at this new power, but when I looked at Aideen’s abused body, I could only feel relief that her murderer was dead.
Now the deed was done, the energy seemed to leave me all at once, and I swayed on my feet. My body ached as though I’d been trampled by wild horses, but I forced myself back toward the castle. I had to be sure Arin was safe, and Leif would need to be told; the other Northman would have to be dealt with—hang the consequences.
The sounds of minstrels and the smells of roasting boar and freshly baked bread signaled the feast was well under way in the great hall by the time I made my way there. I cracked the door, aware that my gown was torn, dirt and blood had formed a paste on my arms and face, and my hair would be more fitting for a banshee. Every breath was searing pain through my injured throat, but this was no time to rest and recover. At first glance, I couldn’t find Leif in the room full of merrymakers and the bustling Dubhlinn court.
By the grace of God, Arinbjorn walked into my line of sight, and I waved to catch his attention. He hurried to my side. “I’ve been searching for my brother but have only just discovered he is in private conference with the king,” he said in a rush. “Are you unhurt? You look . . .” He winced. “You look relatively whole.”
“I’m sure I look terrible, but at least I’m not dead,” I said, my voice rough with the damage done to my throat. “I won’t be able to enter the great hall looking like this, but we must find the other man who was that monster’s companion. Have you seen him?”
Arinbjorn shook his head. “No. I searched the entire hall for Leif, and I would have noticed that man.”
My stomach dropped at the news. Whose flesh was he feasting on if not the boar’s? “Do you know where Leif and the king are speaking?”
“One of the servants told me. It’s not far.” He strode away, and I followed as best I could, my lungs protesting every breath.
Arin halted in front of a thick wooden door. When he lifted his hand to knock, I stopped him and put my finger to my mouth in a sign of silence. Voices drifted out from the room, both of which were familiar to me.
“I have told you everything I know of the men calling themselves the Bane of Odin,” the king said.
“They aren’t men,” Leif said in a voice full of disgust. “They’re monsters.”
“They are strong fighters whatever they are, though I’ve heard rumors of rather . . . dark appetites. But enough of that. What of the princess you bring to my court?” His tone turned almost gleeful, and I grimaced at the door. “She is a price worth more than gold.”
“She is not for sale.”
The king lowered his voice, so that I was forced to press my ear against the door like an eavesdropping servant. “She’s worth a small army. Men you’re in need of for your cause.” My hands tightened to fists when Leif did not immediately respond. “Hear me out, warrior. The princess is the heir to the throne of Mide, and a legendary warrior in her own right. Once they discover I have her, there’s nothing her clansmen wouldn’t give to get her back. I’m not so proud as to think I can keep her here against her will—I know I lack the power to imprison someone with her abilities—but with your aid, I could hold her for ransom. My own son cost over a thousand head of cattle as ransom, and the princess and heir is worth so much more.”
The king’s words made no sense. Had he not told me earlier that he’d made peace with my father? Why risk his wrath and vengeance by holding me for ransom? Worse, Leif didn’t seem to be arguing with him.
Finally, Leif said, “What do you propose?”
I turned on my heel and stalked away.
“Princess Ciara, wait,” Arinbjorn whispered urgently.
He caught up to me despite my angry strides. “Leave me,” I said.
“You didn’t hear my brother agree, he wouldn’t—”
“I heard more than enough.”
Silenced by a sharp look from me, he still followed me doggedly to my room. He watched as I gathered my few belongings: my sword and the clothes I had arrived with, thoughtfully mended—no doubt by Aideen, who now lay in pieces outside the stables.
“You cannot leave,” he said, his eyes pleading. “What about those men who may be j?tnar? You must explain what you found to Leif. I don’t know how you defeated that monster, but I know my brother will need your help.”
“Why should I stay? You were witness as well as I, and I won’t stay here as a captive.” I was so enraged that I shook all over.
“What of the quest? You would abandon it?”
I stopped, one hand on the door handle. In truth, I hadn’t thought further than my own escape from this castle, and his words stirred an unwelcome twinge of guilt. “What would you have me do? Wait in my room until your brother comes to put me in chains? He has betrayed me.” An aching pain swiftly followed that statement; I was a fool to have ever trusted him. To have ever thought he could be anything but my enemy was the worst kind of mistake.
“You don’t know that for sure,” he said weakly.
“I know enough not to take the risk.”
I opened the door and stepped into a wall of Northman chest. With an angry hiss, I jumped back.
I faced Leif with my weight balanced on both legs, my hand loose at my side, prepared to unsheathe my sword at the slightest provocation.
His eyes swept over my body, seemingly seeing me for the first time. “What has happened, Ciara? Are you injured?” His face darkened. “Did one of my men—”
He reached toward me, but I jerked away.
The sudden concern reflected in his voice and countenance set my teeth on edge. “You dare ask after my well-being after you’ve made such an agreement with the king?”
Leif’s eyes shifted to his brother behind me. “Arin, leave us.”
Arinbjorn’s jaw tightened for a moment, but he nodded stiffly and strode out of the room.
Leif watched him go before turning back to me. “There is no arrangement I’ve made with the king save where I’ll sleep this night. Enough of this. Address me directly. What injury have I done you?”
His obvious confusion had my anger fading, and I grasped for it like a drowning man reached toward the surface of the water. “Do you deny conspiring with the king to hold me for ransom?”
“I absolutely deny it. Why would I agree to an act that would guarantee the loss of alliance between you and me?”
“For more men. For the army you need,” I said, feeling my argument slipping away with every breath. “You can’t deny the conversation even took place; both your brother and I overheard.”
He let out a sharp laugh. “He did agree to lend me more men and ships, but it’s something he is bound by oath to give me. You know this.”
“I know what I heard,” I said, my hands in fists at my side. “You never denounced his plan.”
“Then you didn’t stay long enough. Have I not shown you I can be trusted? I killed one of my own men in defense of your honor.”
I shook my head. “He could have been someone you wanted to kill anyway for insubordination, and I was only the excuse. How am I to know? I barely know you!”
He took a step toward me. “You know me enough to almost kiss me.”
His words snatched away my breath. “Perhaps, but I didn’t.”
“You want to,” he said, and that fire I’d seen before in his eyes lit again. “You want to do more than that.”
Heat scorched my cheeks. “What right do you have to say such things to me?”