Page 37 of The Shipwreck
Halfdan gave him a half-smile.“It might have something to do with the little girl standing in her cottage door, yelling ‘Brandr!Brandr!’at the top of her lungs.”
Brandr had to smile at that.Kimbery perched happily atop ferocious Axlan’s shoulders as if he were her favorite uncle.
“So tell me,” Ragnarr asked, crossing his arms and cocking a brow toward Avril, “how did my big warrior brother end up at the pointed end of a Pictish wench’s sword?”
Brandr was so grateful to see his brothers that he didn’t mind the taunt.There would be time to salvage his pride later.But when he looked back at Avril, he saw she’d gone white with fear.She didn’t understand their language.She didn’t know who they were or what they intended.And her gaze was fixed on Kimbery.
He switched back to Pictish.“Avril, it’s all right.They won’t hurt you.”
Of course, he knew she had no reason to trust him.He’d manipulated her.He’d betrayed her.He’d abandoned her.
“Please, Brandr,” she said almost inaudibly.“Please don’t take her.Don’t take Kimbery.”
He furrowed his brows.He wouldn’t dream of taking a child from her mother.None of his men would.That she could even think him capable of such cruelty made him want to strangle the berserkers who’d so badly damaged her.
But as he looked at her, a spark of desperate courage flashed in her eyes, and before he could see what she intended, she dove for her blade.In an instant, she swept up the weapon and trained the point at his throat.
“Put her down!”she yelled at the men.“Put her down right now!”
“Nay!”Kimmie wailed in protest.
“Put her down, or I’ll cut his throat!”
Brandr froze.He probably could have knocked aside the sword with a swing of his splinted arm, but it was risky.He knew better than to come between a mother and her child.
“Avril,” he said, “they mean her no—”
“Quiet!”she barked.
“Woman,” Halfdan said in broken Pictish, “you are one.We are many.Put down your sword.”
Avril was trembling, but her blade didn’t waver an inch.“Nay.”
Ragnarr frowned.“Nay?”
“Nay,” she said.“Put her down, or I’ll kill him.”
Brandr tensed as several of the men clapped hands on their weapons in challenge.
“I mean it,” she bit out.“Put her down, get back on your ship, and sail away from here, or I swear I’ll cut his throat.”
Most of the men figured she was bluffing.Maidens didn’t kill people, especially Northmen who were double their size.Unintimidated by her threat, Halfdan drew his sword.And when Ragnarr unfolded his arms, he was holding twin axes.Disaster loomed.Brandr had to temper things before the tense standoff erupted into an ugly battle.
“Wait!”he shouted.Avril might believe she had leverage, but Brandr had seen his brothers and their men at war.No one opposed them and lived.It was up to him to prevent a violent altercation.“Don’t hurt her!”
“Don’t hurt her?”Halfdan echoed in amazement.“If you hadn’t noticed,she’sthe one holding a blade toyourthroat.”
“She won’t do it,” Brandr said, hoping he was right.“She won’t kill me.”
“That’s right,” Ragnarr said, “becausewe’llkillherbefore she gets the chance.”
“Nay!She…she saved my life.”It wasn’t exactly true, but he didn’t know what would have happened to him if she hadn’t dragged him into her cottage.Probably her neighbor would have found him, killed him, and made a trophy out of him.
“Saved your life?”Halfdan scoffed.“She doesn’t seem too interested in your life now.”
Brandr sighed.Halfdan was right, of course.But if they’d shown up an hour earlier, it would have been a different tale.He would have told them how she’d set his arm, kept him fed, and protected him from a Viking-hunter.And he would have been able to explain to Avril that his brothers meant her no harm, thathemeant her no harm.
Now, he could hardly expect her to trust him.
