Page 80 of Astrid at Sea

The third pirate saw Viktor coming and leapt at him in desperation. He swiped at Viktor, catching him by surprise, and forced the dagger out of his hand. I screamed in fright and jumped up to my feet, terribly afraid for my husband. The dagger dropped to the ground, too far away for Viktor to grab it and defend himself. When Viktor stumbled back as the pirate brandished his sword and charged toward him, he fell into a grave. I screamed louder and attempted to push through the greenery separating us from the clearing to get to him, but Roscoe and Jerrik held me back.

I knew they meant well, but at that moment, I didn’t hate two men more. Perhaps the lone pirate that was still alive, but they came in very close second and third.

Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion.

The pirate leapt forward, and so did Hammond and Caspian, but they were too slow and too far away to get to him in time. I screamed, kicked and fought Roscoe and Jerrik, desperate to stop this man from slicing up my husband, but they were far too strong for me.

The pirate raised his sword high in the air above his head. Viktor threw his arm over his face in a last attempt…and Crosby charged at the pirate from behind, knocking him to the ground. His grip loosened on the sword in the flurry of it all, and it fell into the grave.

The grave that Viktor was in.

I screamed until my throat burned and my chest ached, and then I screamed some more. In shock, Roscoe and Jerrik let go of me, and I pushed through the bush to get to the grave.

Unable to think of anything but Viktor and the sword that had fallen into the grave, possibly slicing him in half, I stopped at the edge and propelled myself forward, peering down.

“Good catch, don’t you think?” Viktor grinned widely as if he wasn’t inches from death merely a moment ago.

The most enormous sigh of relief escaped me when I spied the sword in his hand. He had managed to catch it with his right hand, the sword upside down, and blood trickled down from where it cut into the skin of his fingers and palm,but he was alive.

“That’s not funny,” I sobbed as I dropped myself into the grave, ignoring the scratch on my palm and the way my knees ached from the poor landing.

Viktor threw the sword carelessly to the side a second before I threw myself at him, circling my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, clinging onto him for deer life. He laughed and playfully complained about surviving having a sword thrown at him but dying from my chokehold, but he held me even tighter than I held him.

If Crosby hadn’t redeemed himself before, he certainly had now.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

The graves came in handy. There were five in total, so a few of them had to share, but it wasn’t like they could complain.

The shovels they had left us also came in handy as we used them to dig up the rest of the island and collect as much of the King’s treasure as possible. Some we sold to Greenland in exchange for a hefty price, but admittedly, we kept most of it–the pieces we deemed to be the most valuable. After going through so much to get our hands on it, it was the least we deserved.

Perhaps I was only saying this because I was traumatised by the horrific ordeal, but the treasure was stunningly beautiful. It even glistened in the darkness of the bottom deck, where we had kept it for the trip back to Jorvik.

I finally started to see the true virtues and rewards of being a sailor, although I couldn’t help but favour being a Captain’s wife more.

After everything we had been through to get there, Greenland was nothing short of a dream. The trade was completed on the first day, and after hearing the horror stories of our journey there, they gifted us some expensive furs.

Greenland was somewhat of an anticlimactic end to our trip before we returned to Jorvik, but none of us were complaining.

We stayed in Greenland for six days, eating and resting before boarding The Serpent to return home. Treasure Island was deserted, and there were no provisions for animals to live there, so it was of no interest to us. On our way back, we made sure to avoid both Canne and Mann.

The trip back took four weeks, which felt even longer because we made no stops along the way, not even when we got low on food and supplies. After everything we had been through, we were unwilling to take any more risks.

After months at sea, The Serpent was finally docked at Jorvik again, and I couldn’t be more relieved if I tried.

The moment The Serpent docked at the shore and the plank was laid down–albeit two inches short from where it broke off when escaping Canne–I rushed down it before anyone else and all but threw myself and Kis into the awaiting arms of my family.

My mother, father, brother, and sister-in-law squeezed the life out of me, but there wasn’t a single complaint on my lips. And soon after, Viktor joined us, too.

When I spotted a baby in Freja’s arms, I squealed but quickly quietened down when she began stirring. I couldn’t hold back my excitement when I was offered to hold her.

I didn’t miss how Viktor melted at the sight of baby Rosa, eager to carry her. When my mother pointed out that Viktor was absolutely smitten with our baby niece, a warm flush spread over my cheeks, and I looked away.

She didn’t need to tell me twice. In fact, she didn’t even need to tell me the first time.

Viktor and I were separated from our family, or more importantly, we were forced to return baby Rosa to her parents when Barden pulled us to the side.

“I’d like to start by welcoming you both back,” Barden smiled brightly at us both, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We can discuss the trip first thing in the morning after you get some food in you and a good night’s rest, but I’d like to start by clearing the air between us.”

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