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The woman’s pale eyes returned to Lilja. “You didn’t tell them your true name?” she said with a tilt of her head. “You still insist on that silly one. Rosa, was it?”
“My name’s Lilja,” Lilja said with a lift of her chin. “I’m no longer Eivor.”
The woman’s laugh was hard as flint, tenfold as cold as the wind that still pelted us through the open door. “You always were a defiant little fool, Eivor.” Her gaze fell to the amber heart around Lilja’s neck. “You found it, then, and after all these years.”
“Who are you?” I said, stepping in front of Lilja.
The woman turned those ice-like eyes on me, tilting her head to the other side. “I’m Alfrun, and Eivor belongs to me.”
“How so?” Helena demanded.
“She’s my prisoner.”
“She’s not.”
“Leave,” I said, taking a step toward her, axe still raised. “This is my house.”
The woman—Alfrun—didn’t flinch. “Not without Eivor.”
I took another step closer. “I’m not letting you take her.”
Alfrun’s smile made me want to swipe the axe at her, but she hadn’t actually hurt any of us. Not yet. Helena didn’t have such foolish reservations because she lunged at Alfrun, her knife raised. Alfrun flicked her wrist, and Helena flew backward as if shoved by invisible hands. Alma caught her by the arm but only barely. We all stood stunned, staring. With a laugh, Alfrun strode right past us.
Helena regained her footing and ran after her, and Alma followed. I turned to Lilja. “Go. Run to my uncle’s house. Karin will let you in.”
Lilja’s shake of her head was determined. “I’m not leaving you all with her. She’s dangerous.”
She slipped past me, and before I could catch her arm, she was beyond my grasp. I followed her into the parlor. Someone had turned on the lamp, and Alfrun was standing by the bureau with her back to us—as if we weren’t all carrying blades that we might plunge into her at any moment.
We all watched with withheld breaths as Alfrun laid her palm against the doll’s chest. “Just as I thought.” She turned to face us. “It’s impressive, really, how you managed it, Eivor.”
“I didn’t,” Lilja said. “It was Selma, but… but it was a coincidence. She didn’t mean to defy you.”
Alfrun’s eyes ran over us all, going from face to face with the same precision as my smallest gouge. “And who of you is Selma?”
I took a step forward. “That’s me,” I said with my best attempt at confidence. What was she talking about? Managed what? Lilja was her prisoner? I had defied her?
“So you’re the one who brought Eivor out?” Alfrun asked me.
“Out? From where?”
“Her captivity.”
“She showed up here. I gave her a place to stay.”
“After you freed her.”
I closed my eyes briefly and shook my head. Everything new she said was more confusing than the last. Helena and Alma were standing close together, whispering something, but I couldn’t hear what over the pounding of blood, of fear, in my ears.
“Leave,” I said. “This is my house.”
“Not without Eivor.”
“You’re not taking her.”
Alfrun took a step closer to me. “But she’s mine. You might have freed her, but that doesn’t mean she belongs to you.”
“She belongs to no one but herself.” We were the same height, Alfrun and I, and I stared into those eyes that were like the chilling touch of snow. I wasn’t going to flinch. She wasn’t going to take Lilja away. I wouldn’t let her.
