Halla disappeared from view as she stepped back to the barracks, but then came out again with an empty bucket and ladle. She walked a short distance to the tree and then placed the bucket in the crook of its roots. With a glance over her shoulder, she carefully arranged the ladle to lean against the bucket and then stepped back from it before returning to the barracks.
Craning her neck higher, Runa wanted to investigate the bucket yet was not certain if Halla had gone inside or if she was just out of sight around the corner. This was a strange thing for anyone to do, and falling right on the heels of Ulfrik's visit only heightened the suspicion. She determined Halla had gone inside, and prepared to approach the tree where the bucket lay.
Then a horn sounded, one long note to summon their hirdmen to the main hall. The reaction was almost instant, though the single note indicated only a summons and no danger. Men were flowing out of the barracks and surrounding building and heading toward the hall. Runa would have to join Ulfrik, or her absence would arouse worry. She glanced at the bucket, but already men were exiting from the back of the hall. Toki would surely join them.
She cursed in frustration at the timing, but she retired from the pen, scattering hens as she left. That bucket was a signal to someone, she knew. If she could not learn now, she would learn without any more delay who Halla wanted to signal. For the moment, she had to answer the call of the horn. But as she took the back path to the hall, she smiled. Halla would be revealed for the traitorous witch she was, and she would know where Hakon was being held. It had been a good morning after all.
Chapter 32
Gunnar constantly touched his sword as if to assure himself it would still be there. Several warriors had congratulated him with a back slap or friendly knock on his head after Ulfrik gathered the hirdmen to announce Gunnar's mission. He burned with pride for it. He was one of them now, even if not yet tested in battle. That would come soon enough, he thought. The day had refused to warm despite the bright sun and his breath curled before him in threadlike wisps as he waited at the center square for Toki to prepare his men. A few of his friends clustered with him and idled in the midmorning cold. They joked about Gunnar presenting himself to Hrolf the Strider on his father's behalf. "You'll have to kneel before him, something you don't know how to do. You should practice with me," one said to the amusement of the others.
Gunnar smiled but his thoughts were far away. His uncle had his own preparations to make for the journey, and so did Gunnar. While Toki was busy arranging supplies for what would normally be a week-long foot journey, Gunnar had to see Astra one last time. He scanned the approaches for her as his friends continued chattering and laughing. She was long overdue by his estimation and should have come for him after the announcement at the hall.
At last he saw her, entering the square from the northern path. Their eyes met, and his stomach burned. She had changed. No longer did she seem a radiant beauty whose every motion was a mystery of womanhood. Her hair no longer shimmered like gold, nor was her face a clear pool of beauty. Now she was a common girl, dressed in plain gray skirts with a smudged overdress. Her smile was a falsehood to conceal her snake's tongue. When she paused in her approach, Gunnar realized his face might have revealed too much of his thoughts. Even as his stomach roiled he schooled his expression and waved to her. Excusing himself from his friends, he met her at the edge of the square.
"I came as soon as I could," she said and stepped closer. Gunnar stiffened and she hesitated, biting off her next words.
"Sorry, I am nervous for this journey," he said. "It could be dangerous."
"I've heard you are leaving with a band of men, and that your father plans to sacrifice three goats to Thor to safeguard your trip. Is that all true?"
"Of course it is." He swept his hand behind him. "I am leaving right after the dedication of the sacrifice."
Astra searched his face and he glimpsed the faint squint of her eyes. How often had she appraised him like a sack of grain at market, he wondered, and yet never saw it for all his foolish infatuation. It galled him to realize she was far less skillful than he had thought, and himself far more gullible.
Her brows knitted in worry and she lowered her voice. "Then do be careful, Gunnar. Who will be traveling with you?"
"My Uncle Toki and his crew are all we can spare. To be honest, they are not the best fighting men. Farmers from the Faerayjar Islands mostly, and not enough have been in true battle. I guess I fit well with them, but I pray the gods we don't meet trouble on the road."
Gunnar imagined Astra smiled for a moment, but her concern only deepened. "Then you must demand better men. The land is never safe, but it's so much worse now with Clovis and Throst about."
"Neither has the guts to fight in the open, even if we were to lay facedown in the grass for them. I'm more concerned for bandits finding us than either of those fools."
A hint of pink tinged Astra's cheeks and her delay was louder than a shout to Gunnar. Take that back to your lover, he thought.
"Then I don't suppose you have much to worry about," she said, scanning the people behind Gunnar. "Why are you going overland when a ship would be faster?"
Now Gunnar paused and her eyes met his with a sudden wickedness he never expected. In truth they traveled overland to lure out their enemies, and travel down the Seine would be more efficient for thirty men in need of haste. Did she see through the ruse?
"The ships are all dry docked in their boathouses, and we've no time for portage to the Seine. Besides, carrying a ship overland would be a signal to anyone watching for us. Like I said, we don't want to draw attention. Anyway, Hrolf will send us back in ships along with the men we need."
Astra nodded and the breeze shifted a lock of hair across her face. Only yesterday he would have delighted at the delicate hair playing in the wind, but now he saw only ugly falsehood. Would she have laughed as Throst's men overpowered him and dragged him away, pants down and face bloodied? Would she have taunted him in imprisonment, and watched Clovis chop off his right hand in vengeance? He still could not imagine it, but the truth of her deceit remained.
"Be careful, my love," she said at last. "Come back to me as soon as you are able. I will want to welcome you home with something special."
She smiled and leaned into him, pressing her soft breasts on his arm. He stiffened at the venomous touch, witnessing the temptation his father promised she would offer to lead him into doom. It was all true. All of it.
"It will be a passionate homecoming," he said with a smile that trembled in near collapse. "For now, be well, Astra."
He pulled away and strode past her, heading north to see what delayed Toki and to escape the pain that threatened to overwhelm him.
Chapter 33
"So it is only you and I left behind," Runa said softly. "And all the others who my husband doesn't trust."
"That bitterness does not fit you," Snorri chided. "The fewer who know the better, and part of the hird must remain in case Clovis sees Ravndal as the better choice."
Runa and Snorri walked the northern track toward the mead hall. Aren held her hand and listened attentively to all she said. Einar's wife, Bera, went ahead with her girls and bore a torch aloft to light the early evening. Glowing lights from open doors winked out as the tradesmen and their families settled for the night. All the men who had just slipped out the gates under Ulfrik's command had drained Ravndal of activity, leaving behind confused families who had only learned of the departure moments before it happened.
"Ulfrik assures me Clovis won't be able to resist catching Gunnar in the open," she said as if the words were bile in her mouth. "This is madness, using our own son as a lure for a trap."