Page 78 of Lord of Fire and Ice

Then there was a loud, whooshing sound, and when Katla looked up, flames licked at the thatch over their heads.

That settled the argument. The girls turned as one, shrieking and pounding on the barred door.

Katla stripped off her outer tunic and plunged it into the bucket of scummy water by the smoldering central fire pit. Then she ran back to Aldis and her child and covered them with the wet fabric.

“Come,” Katla urged, holding a hand over her nose and mouth against the billowing smoke. “We must find a way out. Is there a bolt hole? A root cellar?”

“There is only the one door, and he’s barred it.” Aldis clutched her babe to her chest, and the child wailed, sensing its mother’s anguish. “One way in. One way out.”

Burning ash began to fall around them.

“Katla, hold on.” Brandr’s voice had a serrated edge of panic.

Aldis was wrong, Katla realized, her whole being dead calm as her fate scrolled before her. There was another way out. Once the burning thatch collapsed on them, their souls would fly to the stars through the open roof.

Good-bye, Brandr, she thought with fervor, hoping he could hear her. At least I’ll leave this world knowing a good man loved me with a mighty passion.

She wished she’d returned it with more grace.

Chapter 27

In a melee, a man dare not look further than the tip of his own blade. Brandr’s attention was divided between three adversaries, the little wiry fellow, the big man, and the fire quickly engulfing the sethus.

Any one of them, he was sure he could best.

All together, he had his doubts. The other men took turns fighting, snatching bits of rest Brandr was denied. His sword arm grew heavier with each pass.

The women’s screams from the burning house pierced his chest sharper than a blade. He pivoted, slashing with his broadsword, trying to get close enough to lift the bar on the door and free Katla.

The little man sneaked in under his guard while he whacked away at the big fellow. Pain screamed up his leg. He twirled and caught the wiry man across the throat. Blood spurted like a red fountain as he sank to his knees in the dirt.

“Guess he won’t be here when the Bloodaxe comes,” Brandr said as he sliced the other fellow across the chest. The man’s hardened leather breastplate took the brunt of the blow and left him unscathed. “What’s your friend going to miss?”

A wicked smile stretched unpleasantly across the big man’s face. “The return of the Old Ones and the Old Ways. And death to those who think to stop us.”

The man shrieked a battle cry and launched a flurry of blows.

Brandr could think only as far as the next parry. The coppery scent of blood filled the air, mingling with the reek of smoke and his unwashed enemy. Sticky warmth streamed down Brandr’s thigh, but he couldn’t let it slow him down. His wound was a small matter now.

Keep moving. Only the dead deserve rest.

Part of the sethus roof collapsed near the back wall. A fresh chorus of wails pierced the night. The women’s screams were joined by a baby’s cry. Brandr tried to send an order to still the flames, but he was too distracted by his remaining combatant to focus his thoughts adequately. The big man began circling again, thrusting and jabbing.

The fire roared in triumph.

“Don’t be thinking you’ve done anything praiseworthy, Ulfson. You’ve killed only a pus-filled worm,” the big man said, kicking his friend’s body out of the way. He crouched into a defensive posture and beckoned with one upraised hand. “Come now and try to kill a man.”

“I would if there was one to hand,” Brandr said through clenched teeth. “I’ll settle for killing you instead.”

He sucked in a deep breath then loosed his rage in a fierce berserkr howl before he charged. His blade sang a death song as it flashed in glittering arcs. His strength waned. This blistering attack would be his last.

Only death would stop him.

***

Katla pried Aldis and her child from the corner mere heartbeats before that part of the roof would have caved in on them. Sparks filled the air, and the woman collapsed in a coughing fit as the black smoke grew thicker.

“Come,” Katla urged, crouching down. “Stay low. The air is better here. We must get to the door.”