“It will take time.I would have to find a vessel and some rowers?—”
“What about the one we arrived on?”
“It is Arik’s.We could steal it, but not by ourselves, so I would have to convince others to help, and that would not be so easy because people do not like displeasing Arik—it would also be wise to wait until well into spring, when it is not so cold at sea… I would like you to be alive when I am done helping, ifskaelwill allow it.”
I accepted the reasoning.I also wanted to be alive when I got home.I could wait a month or two to ensure that.By then, King Arik might be happy to send me home anyway, and I wouldn’t have to rely on the absurd man standing before me.
What man looks like he looks?I thought.Stands as he stands?Arrives so suddenly in a life and then departs and arrives again without proper warning?
He was still smiling a little.
I thought,I’ll have none of this,which was somewhat terrifying as that was what my mother always said when one of the children was misbehaving.
“I am sorry,” he said.“For my many—” There was a word I didn’t understand.“—that brought you here.”His eyes were so softened as he spoke that I couldn’t doubt his sincerity.He truly was sorry.
“Good,” I said.
He laughed.
“Nothing about that is funny.”
“No, not that.Or… your faceisa little funny, but I laugh because I thought when you summoned me that maybe it was a trick.Maybe you would strike me with lightning?—”
“Stop speaking like this,” I said.“I have summoned no one.”
He was still smiling, and it made me feel like there were mice scurrying around in my stomach.
I sighed.“The moon is shy, do you not have some daring thing to do?”
He grinned wider.Brutally.Devastatingly.“Who says I am not doing it?”
My mind broke a little at that.I said, “Please leave.”
“As you wish.If there is something you need, you can request it.I will see what I am able to do.”I could hear him humming to himself as he wandered away.
I shut the door and let out a long breath.Even though my cheeks felt as hot as coals and my chest as frail as cinders, I smoothed my skirt and said to myself—out loud, like a mad person—“You handled that very well.”
Twenty-Two
It was the day after the shy moon, and I was enjoying juniper berry sauce—it was meant to pair with fish, but I was exhausted by fish, as the Norsern ate so much of it.The sauce, however, I could eat for days.I hadn’t seen Dania in an evening or two, so I was hoping she would show up for supper with her boys.I wanted to talk to her about Fell, or more truthfully, I wanted to casually bring him up and let her talk about him.If she didn’t arrive—because sometimes the boys were, as she put it, “too cuddly” to leave their home—I would join the many bards who were employed by King Arik and have a musical evening.I knew a handful of Norsern songs, and enough of their musical patterns that I could jump in and play parts of tunes I wasn’t familiar with.
My evening plans were dashed quickly.
Fell arrived in the hall.
He managed but three paces before someone charged into him from the side.It took me a moment to see who because they were rolling at such a speed on the floor.It was one of the travellers who’s reading with Jorn had been delayed weeks by my refusal to finish my own reading (and my inability to understand I could simply tell Jorn I didn’t want my reading).I had eventually figured it out and told Jorn my preference.He’d obliged, but the travellers were still furious because they’d had to wait as long as they had.
“Oh dear, no,” I said under my breath, scampering up just as it seemed they were to roll into a brazier upon which a boar was roasting on a spit.One of them—I couldn’t say for certain which—sensed the impeding burn and kicked against the brazier’s edge with a boot, sending their tangle of limbs away from the coals.
I let out a breath.
Naturally, people crowded around to watch the fight, and this made me particularly nervous as I’d seen outsiders join brawls when they agreed with one party or the other.I didn’t want everyone I’d annoyed to attack Fell at the same time.Dania was my only friend who would possibly come to his aid on my behalf, and she wasn’t present.Even if she were, I wouldn’t want her getting hurt for the sake of Fell.
Fell seemed to be faring fine enough, writhing and wrapping around his attacker’s arm, holding it in a way that had me wincing even though it wasn’t my arm trapped in the grip.There was some blood in the mix—his lip had split.How I hated the sight of blood, especially blood in the mouth.It reminded me of leeches.
I looked away, but I couldn’t bear not knowing, so I looked back.
They were still entangled but had slowed, speaking to one another—hopefully coming to a quick resolution.I’d seen this happen at court before, too.A brawl could turn into a heartfelt conversation, drinks, and sometimes even hugs.I was terrified for a moment that the traveller might convince Fell I’d done something terrible and then Fell—the only person allowed to see me punished—would order something cruel to take place.
