Page 23 of A Curse Carved in Bone
“Steadiest horses,” I corrected, because Freya was not an experienced rider and the terrain was rough.
She only crossed her arms, eyes mercifully amber in hue, but that only made the defiance in them more obvious. “Fastest.”
Harald cast his eyes toward the rafters. “I’m sure a happy medium can be accommodated. If you’ll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to.” He left the hall, Skade following at his heels.
The servants led Freya into the rear of the great hall and I moved to follow her, unwilling to chance anyone who felt like-minded to Steinunn and Skade stabbing her in the back, but Tora gripped my shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on her. You two will have enough time to bicker on the road to Saga’s, so save your energy.”
A fair point, so I nodded. Tora followed Freya, leaving me alone with Steinunn.
We stared each other down. I’d known her for years as Snorri’s skald, and we’d never gotten along particularly well. She’d always been lurking in the shadows, often watching me, and I’d believed her to be Snorri’s spy as much as his skald. Even if I hadn’t been living a lie, the behavior would have irritated me. But with the stakes as high as they’d been, Steinunn’s spying had made me avoid her at all cost. That she’dbeen Harald’s informant didn’t change the way I felt about her constant lurking, but her motivations for working for him did. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Her head tilted, gaze full of venom. “Being an unrepentant prick?”
“For being a prick, I remain unrepentant.” Hooking my thumbs in my belt, I considered what I wished to say. “But I am sorry for what happened to your family, and for being the cause of it. Snorri’s pursuit of Tyr’s fire cost many Nordelanders their lives, which is why I allowed him torescueme when he did. In hindsight, I should have arranged it sooner.”
Steinunn’s chin trembled but then she clenched her teeth, swiftly regaining her composure. “I wished you dead more times than I can count and considered killing you more than once. I, too, am unfated, and if you were dead, Snorri would have lost his method of finding the shield maiden.”
“Why didn’t you just cut my throat while I slept?”
“Because I’m a coward.” Her tone was bitter but not directed at me. I knew self-loathing when I heardit.
Given she’d just threatened Freya, there was a part of me that was happy to allow Steinunn to wallow in contempt for herself, but instead I said, “A coward wouldn’t have followed us into draug-infested tunnels.”
I recalled my conversation with the draug jarl.I shall win great fame and honor for your death, Firehand. A song sung by the skalds for generations to come.“You negotiated with the draug jarl, didn’t you? Promised to compose a song about him if he let you live?”
Steinunn shook her head. “I promised to compose a song about himif he killed you and Freya. But for that to be possible, it necessitated allowing me to live.”
Though she’d conspired against us, I couldn’t help but smile. “Clever.”
“Not clever enough. Freya was…more capable than I’d anticipated.”
As I blinked, visions of Freya reaching for my axe filled my mind. Her hand had been covered with Hlin’s magic, but with the burn scars fresh, it had still taken incredible courage to risk Tyr’s fire. Freya was impetuous and rash and meaner than a cornered minx when she was angry, but never in my life had I met anyone half so brave or half so selfless. There was no one who I’d rather have fighting at my back than Born-in-Fire.
Focusing again on Steinunn, I said, “You two have exchanged harsh words, but Freya isn’t the threat. Snorri is.”
“You only think that because you’re in love with her.” Steinunn lifted her chin. “The rest of us see more clearly.”
She left the great hall, closing the doors with heavy thuds.
“Bjorn?”
I turned to find one of Harald’s servants standing a few paces behind me, a woman I recognized from before I’d left for Skaland. “Remind me of your name.”
“It’s Una.”
I recalled that my friend Troels had been quite taken with her before I left, but that was the extent of my memory of her.
“We saved your things because we knew you’d return to us.” She looked up at me through thick lashes. “We brought the chest out for you.”
I had nothing but the clothes on my back, which all needed mending. “Thank you.”
Una gestured to the upper level of the great hall. “This way.”
I followed her up the wooden steps, which shifted beneath her swaying stride, my mind all for the conversation I’d had with Freya thenight prior. Most especially the oath she’d sworn to save herself from having to endure Snorri. Gods, but every man in her life was a weight around her neck. Her father and brother. Vragi and Snorri.
Me.
There was a moment I believed that I stood strong because you were always at my back, Bjorn. Now I know better. I stood alone then, and I’ll stand alone now.
