Ragnar nodded, then looked back at Isolda. “We’re leavin’. Now. The ship’s waitin’.”
She stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “Ye cannae possibly?—”
“Aye. I can.”
“After ye just—” her eyes darted to the bodies, then away. “Those men were tryin’ tae kill me and?—”
“They werenae.”
She blinked at him. “What?”
He moved toward the horse. “If they’d wanted ye dead, ye’d be so.”
Her arms wrapped around herself. “Then… whatdidthey want?”
“What d’ye think they wanted?” He kept his tone flat.
She was quiet for a moment, her mind working. “If they’d taken me…” her face went pale. “The King would think ye’d failed tae protect me. The other clans would think?—”
“That the Norsemen cannae keep Scotland’s daughter’s safe.” Freyr’s voice was hard. “That the Pact’s a sham. That peace isnae possible.”
“And then?” Isolda’s voice was barely above a whisper.
Ragnar met her eyes. “Then the raids start. The killin’. The burnin’. Everythin’ the King’s tyrin’ tae prevent with these unions becomes our new reality.”
“So, I’m—” she swallowed. “I’m a weapon? Against peace.”
He held out his hand. “Which is why we’re leavin’. Now.”
“And what happens if ye get yerself killed before we’re wed?”
The question surprised him. Most women would have thought of their own safety first.
“Erik Thorsen. Magnus Haraldson. Ivar Gunnarson. Harald Alvsson.” He named them deliberately. “The four other pact jarls. They’d keep ye safe.”
“Ye trust them?”
“With me life.” He held out his hand, palm up. “And yers.”
She stared at his outstretched hand. At his face. At the bodies cooling in the mud. For a moment, he thought she might refuse, might try to run again.
Then, her hand—small and cold and scraped raw—slipped into his. She didn’t look away when she did it. Didn’t lower her eyes or defer. Just met his gaze straight on.
“Let’s go.” She said quietly.
Ragnar helped her mount, then swung up behind her. As they rode toward the coast, he kept his eyes on the darkness behind and realized with cold certainty that getting her to Uist alive was going to be the easy part.
