Page 85 of Heart of the Wolf
Gold threads glinted in the sunlight from the smoke holes as she fastened the wolf clasp at the hollow of her throat. She wrapped a leather bodice around the silk dress, the one adorned with amber and viridian that matched the necklace Leif had gifted her.
Once she was ready, she took the baby from him, pacing about the house until he was ready.
At her side stood a Konungr.
A cream-colored tunic of the finest silk highlighted the sharp cut of his jaw. Strapped to his chest was a thick leather covering, each buckle lined with silver and gems. Hitched on his hip sat a large ceremonial axe.
A massive hand rested on the small of her back, keeping her close as he guided them to the sandy outcrop by the shore. Their daughter babbled happily in her arms as warmth brushed over the dimples on her back. When they arrived, much of the village was already there, waiting for the longships that would anchor in minutes.
Everyone smiled, cooing sweet noises at their daughter as they dipped their heads in greeting. Amund and Astrid waited for them where the forest met the shore, grass and sand intermingling. Amund’s green eyes froze on Leif’s axe and their attire. The muscles across his shoulders twitched as he raised his chin.
“Úlfr,” Amund greeted in a low tone.
While Amund and Leif exchanged hurried words, Brielle eyed Liv toward the front of the crowds with Vala at her side. Andri would be returning not only to his wife but to an adopted house guest as well.
Chuckling to herself, Brielle rocked their daughter while Astrid played with one of the little girl’s fingers.
Water splashed as the anchors dropped into the shallow shores, the massive ships coming to a halt with a loud groaning noise. The summer sun streamed above them, clouds thin in the midday sky. Once all three ships stopped, Leif steered Brielle toward the front until the three of them were positioned at the bow of the centermost ship. A groupof men dropped a long wooden plank, slapping it against the wet sand.
A mess of black hair emerged from the ship first. Andri’s green eyes twinkled when he found Liv, fresh scars flanking the old ones on his face. When his gaze found Leif, his face turned stern, his lips pressing into a thin line as he moved down the plank.
“Konungr. Dróttning,” he said, bowing his head in their direction. A smile grew on his cracked lips at the sight of the bundle cooing in Brielle’s arms. “Little one,” he whispered to the baby.
“Andri,” Leif greeted warmly, grasping the other man’s forearm. “All is well?”
“Yes, Úlfr. We have a hull full of goods and lost no one.”
“Where is Einar?”
The low urgency in his tone did not go unnoticed as Leif shifted the conversation, already done with pleasantries.
“There,” Andri pointed at the smaller of the three ships. “Would you like me to fetch him for you?”
“Yes. I want him presented before us.”
In a flash, Andri disappeared onto the other ship. The general din of voices quieted into a distant hum as everyone watched them. Soon, only the waves lapping the shore and their daughter’s quiet cries were audible.
Roughly, Andri pushed the ragged man down the plank. Sallow skin clung to his bony cheeks, a menacing scowl etched into the curl of his lip. Stringy braids hung around his face while greasy strands flowed along his back. In one hand, Andri held a spear he hadn’t had before; Einar’s weapon.
Andri deposited Einar before them, disappearing into the crowd. The man was tall, but not as tall as Leif. A mad glare glinted in his eyes, and Brielle worried that she might have been wrong in her plea to spare his life.
Callused fingertips brushed protectively along the curve of her spine until Leif gripped her hip, hugging her to his side.
“Konungr,” Einar said as if it pained him.
“Einar,” Leif said in that deep, commanding tone that made her belly tighten. “May I present my beautiful kona, Brielle, and our daughter. I thought you would like to meet them personally, seeing as your wife tried to kill them in your absence.”
All the color, what little there was, drained from the man’s face. The confident scowl vanished, replaced with wide eyes and a rapidly thumping vein in his throat. The sand shifted as Leif took a determined step forward, placing his massive frame between Brielle, their daughter, and Einar. Two hands wrapped around the stunned man’s shoulders as Leif forced him to his knees.
Gulls squawked overhead. Brielle remained hidden in Leif’s broad torso. His long fingers closed around the hilt of the axe on his hip while the other kept the squirming man still beneath him. Einar begged and told tales of how he knew nothing about what his wife did.
“Vala mentioned as much,” Leif snapped, motioning at her. The young girl took tentative steps toward them, looking better in the few weeks she had spent with Liv. “Tell him what you told me,” Leif ordered, the command gentler.
Vala swallowed a lungful of sea air, focusing on Leif and not her former master. “Herja spread lies and venom among the clans, calling Brielle,” she paused, looking down.
“It’s alright,” Leif said.
“A hora, not worthy to marry our Konungr. Einar usually ignored her ramblings, calling her mad.”
