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‘No, I need to return a sword.’ Ash knelt down on one knee. ‘A warrior always returns a weapon to its owner. It has been bloodied, Rurik. It has good balance. It is destined to be legendary. Use it wisely.’
‘Truly?’ Rurik’s face broke into a wide smile.
‘Yes, truly.’ Ash put his hand on Rurik’s shoulder. ‘Valdar chose the blade well.’
‘How is he?’
‘A scratch to my wrist and a deeper one to my shoulder,’ the warrior said, coming up. ‘Rurik, why don’t you come with me and see my men? I want to see how badly hurt they are. Your parents can spare you for a little while.’
Valdar led Rurik away, leaving Kara with Ash.
‘Are you hurt anywhere else? Your clothes are bloody.’
‘Most of the blood is other people’s, Kara,’ Ash said.
‘Can I see for myself?’ Kara asked, reaching for his tunic.
‘I’ll live.’ He turned away.
‘You’re worse than Rurik. I want to know you are fine. There is a difference. You fought without a helm or protection.’
Ash took off his shirt and she saw his skin had no fresh cuts.
‘The gods were kind,’ she murmured.
‘I have been in battles before. Other than this scratch, I will have a few bruises. My knee took a battering, but I can still walk. Valdar took a sword cut to his shoulder though. I have bound it up, but he will need to rest it and not ride a horse.’
‘If that is a scratch, I would hate to see what a real wound looked like.’ Kara clenched her fists. There were so many things she wanted to say, but Ash seemed different. More alive and at peace with himself. He enjoyed this, she realised. ‘Your father would have been proud.’
Ash’s face sobered. ‘My father was different from me. I don’t need to seek his approval. I know how to do my job.’ He laced his hand through hers and brought it to his lips. ‘I didn’t think my uncle would attack us here. Just like I didn’t think the lightning would hit the ship all those years ago. I would have insisted you stay in Jaarlshiem. I never meant to put Rurik or you in danger. Will you forgive me?’
‘If Rurik and I hadn’t come, you’d have been without a sword and I would never have forgiven myself for that.’
He tilted his head to one side, assessing her. ‘You say the most unexpected things. I hadn’t looked at it in that way.’
Her heart turned over. With great difficulty she held back the words about loving him. Despite the wound, his entire being radiated happiness and contentment. How could she ever hope to deny him if he wanted to go off and fight more battles? And how could she bear the pain of wondering what was happening to him? But equally she couldn’t bear him only living half a life. ‘It is the truth.’
His eyes assessed her for a long heartbeat. ‘And here I worried you’d be furious with me.’
‘For saving my life and Rurik’s? You must think me very hard. You are the hero of the battle.’
‘No, I am a man who made sure his family was protected. I was not about to lose either of you. You are far too precious for me.’
Kara wrapped her arms about her waist. The full impact of what had nearly happened coursed through her. Ice-cold shivers consumed her. Ash had come too close to death. The world started to turn black. ‘I nearly lost you.’
‘Breathe, Kara. Concentrate on the now, rather than what might have been. Put it from your mind. It is over. We survived.’
‘Your uncle’s men attacked.’
‘Yes.’ Ash shaded his eyes. ‘One or two may have escaped during the fighting. I regret I was otherwise occupied. I was not as good as I should be.’
‘Escaped?’ The full impact of Ash’s word hit Kara. This wasn’t the end move. This was an opening gambit. They were far from safe here. ‘You mean they are on their way to your uncle?’
‘They could be. What my uncle does with them is another question. He hates failure.’
Kara slammed her fists together, coming to a sudden decision. ‘We need to see the king as soon as possible, preferably before your uncle learns of this. We need to keep him off-balance.’
Ash struggled to his feet. ‘I agree with you. We press on. A few hours of daylight remain and there is a moon tonight.’
‘Once my men are seen to,’ Valdar said, coming back with Rurik in tow. ‘We need to wait, Ash.’
‘I collected the fallen warriors’ brooches.’ Rurik held out a number of insignia before Ash could answer. ‘Like you told me, Far. Every warrior should do this—to know who he fought. Can I keep them?’
