Chapter 28 Freya
The balance of the night was consumed with preparations made all the more frantic by the arrival of Kaja. Clutched in her claws was a red glass bead, and at the sight of it, Harald sat down heavily upon a bench.
“What does it mean?” I asked, though in my heart, I already knew. What opportunity we might have had to sneak across the strait and quietly cut Snorri’s thread had come to an end.
War was here.
Which Bjorn confirmed as he picked up the bead. “Skaland’s fleet is gathering. The red bead means an attack is coming.”
I drew in a breath, none of the air seeming to reach my lungs. I’d desperately hoped that we’d be able to enact our primary plan, which had been to sail across the strait in secret and get me close enough to send Snorri to Hel with my magic. To end this with no loss of life. A hollow hope, yet one that I’d clung to all through the night.
“I have no choice but to take his soul on the battlefield.” I stared down at the table full of figurines that outlined the plan Harald and I had devised. “Send word to your jarls, and make ready to sail.”
“It shall be done,” the king of Nordeland answered, then left Bjorn and me alone in the great hall.
It was the first time we’d been alone since those few moments in the woods. Though he’d been present through all the planning between Harald and me, Bjorn had remained broadly silent. I knew it was because he was debating my words to him. Debating what he should do. And as the air thickened with tension around us, I allowed hope to once again fill my chest that Bjorn would take the one step that would nearly guarantee our success. That he’d set aside his compunctions and have my back the way he’d once promised.
Yet as I met his gaze, his green eyes told me this hope was equally hollow.
“I know you were forced to choose between two terrible options, Freya,” he said. “I regret that I did not act then to spare you, but the past cannot be undone. Snorri and Ylva have put a leash on you, and whether I like it or not, it is within my power to rip it from their hands. To take control of your will to protect you from him using you to achieve his ends.”
“But you will not,” I said, unwilling to draw out the explanation when all that mattered was the decision.
“I will not.” He blew a breath out between his teeth. “I manipulated you with lies before, Freya, and it is my greatest regret. This feels the same, but worse, and I will not do it to you.”
“You mean for me ?” My nails dug into my palms. “Do not stand there pretending this is the righteous choice, Bjorn, because it is the purest form of selfishness.”
Twisting on my heel, I strode from the great hall only to meet Harald outside. He took one look at my face, then said, “He still refuses, then?” At my behest, Bjorn had explained to Harald how he might be able to control me via the oath, just as Snorri did. Yet though Harald had pressed him to exercise that power, Bjorn was no more swayed by him than he’d been byme.
“Yes.” And Bjorn’s refusal to do this for me felt like the greatest betrayal.
Harald gave a grim shake of his head. “We cannot force him. He has to want to control you. Needs for it to burn in his heart with a greater ferocity than what burns in Snorri, for make no mistake, it will be a contest of wills between them if it comes to it.” He hesitated, then added, “All those times you resisted Snorri? It was not your will that allowed you to do so, but Bjorn’s. It will be difficult for you to resist Snorri without him.”
“But not impossible.” I accepted my bags from the servants and waited for them to move out of earshot before I continued. “We will do this as I planned, Harald. We will meet his fleet on the strait, and once Snorri is in my sights, I’ll curse his soul to my mother’s domain. With luck, his demise will break the union of the jarls sailing in his fleet, but if not, your warriors will fight. I will not use Hel’s magic against them, is that clear?”
“I understand.” Harald clapped his hands at Skoll and Hati, but the wolves bypassed him to come to my side, Hati licking my hand. Harald frowned but said, “I have faith in you, Freya, and when it comes to it, Nordeland will have your back, even if my son does not.”
—
The journey down the Rimstrom was swift, the river’s current speeding us to the coast, where the ships of Nordeland’s jarls were gathering to defend against Snorri’s attack. We slept on the ship and only stopped on a handful of occasions so that Harald could take reports from riders or messengers traveling upstream. All believed Harald was in command, but every order was mine. Harald was my puppet, but he seemed comfortable with the role.
There was no mistaking the fear in the eyes of the Nordelander civilians because it was so painfully familiar to me. I’d seen that fear in the eyes of Skalanders, felt it in myself when word would race up the fjord to Selvegr that raiders were on the horizon. Before my magic had been revealed and I’d started down this path, I had never thought there was a reason the raiders came beyond the desire to take. Take wealth, take thralls, take lives—I believed that was all there was to it. Yet now I understood that those were only the tools that jarls and kings and warlords used to motivate their warriors. Incentives to make them fight, because victory gave those leaders that which they coveted most: power. With enough power, you could have anything you wanted.
“Warning has spread up and down the coast,” Astrid said to Harald, the pair standing on the riverbank next to a small village, its people gathered around. “At first sight of Skalander ships they know to flee inland.”
“Yet they won’t.” Skade yawned and picked at her nails with her magical arrow. “They’ll send the children and the old inland; the rest will stand their ground and fight to protect their halls and holdings. Fight and die. And the children and the old will follow when winter comes and there are none to care for them.”
I hated how she was right.
Harald shot Skade a dark glare. “It will not come to that.” Lifting his voice, he shouted, “We will protect Nordeland from attack! We will meet the Skalander army in force on the Northern Strait and drive them to fall back or drown beneath the waves!”
The crowd cheered, all of them gazing at Harald with utter certainty that he would hold to his promise to protect them. This was the type of loyalty that could only be earned with deeds, not words. I still didn’t wholly trust him, but less and less was I able to deny that Harald was a good king. He walked through the crowd, clapping men on the shoulder, complimenting the women, grinning at the children, and admiring the babies.
Steinunn watched him, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears.
“It must be hard to listen to him say those things given your own family was not so protected,” I said softly.
“The opposite.” The corner of the skald’s mouth turned up. “Harald took what happened to me to heart, and since then has done all he can to protect every soul under his rule. He is not infallible, of course, and Nordeland still suffers the occasional attack, but I think there is nowhere else that one can live and feel so protected. Every day I feel the pain of what I lost to Snorri and his raiders, but it is a comfort to know that the deaths of my husband, son, and the rest of those in my village have done some good. That I have done some good, because the fact that Harald cares for me as family ensures he never forgets the pain I felt at losing mine.”
“I’m sorry, Steinunn,” I said, knowing that my words were long overdue. “What I said when you told me of your family’s death was cruel. I regret my words.”
“You’d been used, Freya, and in hindsight, I see that your anger was less for me and more for your circumstances. I’ve been unduly harsh to you in my words as well.” Steinunn reached down to trail her fingers in the water of the Rimstrom. “Harald is imperfect, as are all men, but the bad blood between Nordeland and Skaland is older than us all. Two peoples who have taken so very much from each other. Yet Snorri’s goals go beyond raids and petty quarrels between clans. He seeks war, seeks revenge against Harald for trying to deny his destiny, and I will do whatever it takes to prevent him from bringing that pain to my people.”
I toyed with the edge of my silver shield, which was fixed to the side of the drakkar. Out of necessity, we’d kept my plan a secret, and that, as much as my oaths, kept me silent. From the corner of my eye, I could see Bjorn sitting at the far end of the vessel. We’d not spoken, and if not for the fact that leaving him would be akin to leaving my sword behind, I’d have done so just to be away from him. Because every time I looked at Bjorn, all I felt was anger.
Harald said his farewells to the villagers and climbed back in the drakkar.
“We will stop Snorri,” he said to Steinunn and me. “And when we do, I believe that there will be a true chance at peace between our nations. A chance for Nordeland and Skaland to be united in a way they never have before.”
A cause worth fighting for. If my destiny was to twist the fates of two nations, then peace was the tapestry I hoped to weave. “How long until we reach the coast?”
“A few hours,” he answered. “But I suggest we don’t linger. As you have said, Freya, if we can keep the battle to the sea, then the only cost will be to those who have come to fight.”
Anxiety pooled like poison in my stomach; for all this was my strategy, the thought of a battle on the strait terrified me. To face not only the threat of arrows and blades and fists, but also the threat of falling overboard or the ship sinking. The idea of being lost at sea, clinging to shattered boards with no chance of rescue, made my skin crawl. Though in truth, with the chain mail I wore to protect me from arrows and blades, I’d likely just sink beneath the waves and drown.
“How do you fight at sea?” I asked Harald, for though our plan was to avoid battle at all costs, it could still come toit.
“Depends on the goal.” He scratched Skoll’s neck, but the wolf moved to put his big head in my lap. Since the night of my kidnapping, the wolves stuck close to me at all times. “Typically, the desire is to capture as many vessels as possible, so we’d board the enemy ships and fight to kill all on board or at least get them in the water. Taking Skalander ships gives me the advantage in the future. But in this case, I think we’ll try to sink the vessels with fire and lightning, and then let the sea do much of the work for us. With any luck, once they suffer enough losses they’ll retreat.”
“With luck, there will be almost no fighting at all,” I said quietly. “Once Kaja shows me where Snorri is, I’ll call Hel’s magic.”
“Snorri must know that he is our goal, because he surely understands your desire to be rid of the oath you swore,” Harald said after glancing to ensure that Steinunn was distracted by conversation with Skade. “What’s more, Snorri is no fool. He’ll ensure he’s surrounded by his fleet.”
“If we have to fight to get close to them, I’ll call Hlin’s magic to protect our ship.” I spoke with confidence despite remembering how difficult it had been to protect everyone when we attacked Grindill. How one stumble had pulled my protection away from my comrades and cost them their lives. “They won’t be able to board and we’ll need only to maneuver close enough for me to see him.”
“Is it necessary to see him? Or only be in proximity?”
“You’ve witnessed what happens when I unleash Hel’s magic without focus. Everyone in proximity is taken by the roots. I need Snorri in my sights so that I can ensure he’s the only one Hel takes.”
“I suggest Bjorn stay close to you.” Harald kept a careful eye on Steinunn to ensure she wasn’t listening. “If you find yourself unable to fight through the bonds of your oaths, he will be the only one you can warn that you aren’t in control.”
Bjorn was also the only one who could do anything about it, but I kept those words in my chest as Harald continued.
“If your plan falls apart, we’ll have the option to retreat and take you out of the battle,” Harald said. “My warriors and Unfated will fight them until they retreat.”
In a bloody battle that would turn the strait red.
“I have faith in you, Freya,” Harald said. “We both desire to spare lives. Let us win with clever strategy rather than bloodletting.”
Harald’s voice was filled with confidence, but my skin crawled with the certainty that no matter what we did, how we fought, many would die. The drakkar fell into silence as we carried on downstream, the only sound the strike of oars against water as the Nameless rowed to aid our speed.
I drifted into sleep with my head resting on the side of the vessel, woken by the scent of the sea, the cries of gulls, and the roar of waves washing onto Nordeland’s coast. My heart clenched as we rounded a river bend and the merciless gray of the Northern Strait was revealed. On it floated vessels of every size. I’d known Nordeland was prepared, but it was still shocking how large a force Harald had rallied so swiftly. How the nation must constantly be ready to be called to arms.
Our drakkar landed as we reached the mouth of the river, and Harald leaped out and started toward a group of men and women who waited in a camp that had been formed. Tora and Skade went with him, but Bjorn remained at my side as we climbed out.
“The Nordelander jarls,” he said. “All have bent the knee and sworn loyalty to Harald.”
“So many,” I breathed, for there were at least a dozen of them, all listening to Harald’s urgent explanation of what was to come. Then all eyes shifted to me, and I knew my role in the battle had finally been explained.
I wondered if Harald had revealed my limitations. Wondered if he had told them there was the chance Snorri would be able to compel me to turn on them and kill them all. Given the confidence on their faces, I thought not.
Wings fluttered above me, and I smiled as I recognized Kaja. She descended to land on my raised forearm, talons digging into the leather of my bracer. Guthrum approached from down the beach and lifted a hand in greeting.
Harald gave a few final instructions to the jarls, many moving to vessels drawn up on the beach. He spotted Guthrum and strode swiftly so as to reach us at the same time as his spy.
“Snorri has set sail,” Guthrum said. “All the jarls of Skaland who could reach Grindill in time are with him. They believe they sail to rescue Freya. Snorri has convinced them that you have kidnapped her and Bjorn both, and that you will use her to make yourself king of Skaland. The idea of it has them in a frenzy and they come for blood.”
“My old friend always had a way with words,” Harald muttered under his breath. “How long until they reach our coast?”
“By tonight with these winds.” Guthrum tilted his head to meet Kaja’s yellow gaze. “Snorri sails in his drakkar beneath his black and green banner.”
“What about Ylva?” Bjorn demanded.
Guthrum tilted his head, in silent conversation with his familiar. “Kaja said she remained in Skaland with a heavy guard.”
“Not that heavy given he’ll need his best for the battle,” Bjorn said. “Send a vessel around the main fleet and take Ylva, Father. We might never have another opportunity like this to free Freya.”
One of Guthrum’s eyebrows rose askance, but he did not press for an explanation as Harald looked to me. “Do you wish this?”
“Yes,” I said. “But Ylva is not to be harmed unless we have no choice.”
Unless my plan fails.
“I’ll relay the orders to a jarl I trust,” Harald said. “On your command, Freya, we set sail. As planned, Tora, Skade, Guthrum, and Bjorn will sail with you and me under the power of my Nameless on the oars. We will disperse the rest of the Unfated among the jarls to aid if it comes to battle.”
“See it done.” My throat was painfully dry.
Harald adjusted his sword belt, then said, “By dusk, it will be over.” Then he headed into the trees where many of the jarls still gathered, Skade and Tora shadowing him.
I toyed with the hilt of my sword, feeling as though I should be doing something more as warriors and Nameless moved to make sure our vessels had the supplies we needed. How many of them will die if this plan doesn’t work? I couldn’t help but wonder. How many Skalanders will die in Snorri’s pursuit of power?
“I think it’s a mistake to not try to kill Ylva before we do this,” Bjorn said.
I turned to find him sitting in the sand. He held a small piece of driftwood, which he flipped over and over again in his hands. “Put Skade in sight of her, and Ylva will die swiftly. Cleanly. Then you can kill Snorri with a blade, no need to use Hel’s powers.”
“Harald is sending someone to take her,” I muttered. “You heard the conversation.”
“ Take her, not kill her.” Bjorn threw the piece of wood down on the sand. “I understand you don’t wish to kill her. That you don’t think Ylva deserves death. But this is the wrong time for allowing morality to guide your decisions. Hundreds might die if this goes wrong and your oath prevents you from cursing Snorri. If she’s dead, there is no uncertainty.”
“Kill her or don’t kill her, it doesn’t much matter,” I snapped. “Snorri will be halfway across the strait by now. What do you propose we do? Ask him to sit and wait while we murder his beloved wife so it will be easier for us to defeat him?”
“We could attempt to negotiate. Buy time on the open seas for Skade to do what she does best.” He climbed to his feet. “Snorri is not so fanatical that he’ll throw away countless lives when there is a chance he can get what he wants with negotiation. It is worth putting a white flag on a mast and trying to stall while we get rid of Ylva.”
“Negotiate in bad faith?”
“Yes. Don’t allow honor to make decisions for you—it will only put you in a grave.”
When I didn’t answer, he said, “If you won’t kill her, then at least let Skade or Tora make an attempt at killing Snorri from afar.”
“Your mother said it has to be me. You may not trust the Allfather, but I do. And so does Harald.”
Bjorn made a face of disgust. “This plan is madness and I do not understand why Harald has agreed to it. There are easier ways to kill Snorri. Cleaner ways.”
“It must be Freya.”
With a start, I whirled around to find Saga approaching. She was dressed in trousers and a tunic rather than her usual flowing dresses. Her black hair was in a plait, and a seax was sheathed at her waist.
“The Allfather says it must be Freya,” Saga said. “I’ve seen it, Bjorn. Why do you insist on arguing?”
“Because it doesn’t make any sense!” he shouted, and the vehemence caused me to take a step back.
“There are countless better ways to rid ourselves of Snorri, but because of a vision you had in your mind, we pursue the most illogical!” He kicked at the sand. “I should have ignored you and killed him myself, because the gods know, it would have been fucking easy ! Yet I listened and now I find myself going along with a wild strategy that makes sense to no one!”
“Exactly what are you saying, Bjorn?” Saga demanded. “Are you accusing the Allfather of lying ? Or do you merely deny his wisdom?”
“I am saying that this does not feel like wisdom.” The muscles in his jaw stood out against his suntanned skin. “It feels like we are pieces in a game played for amusement. That everything we are doing is a great joke. Make of that what you will.”
“Sacrilege!” Saga hissed and lifted her hand as though to slap him. “I cannot believe my own son is speaking against Odin himself. Not only do you jeopardize your place in Valhalla, you risk the lives of everyone by trying to turn Freya away from the Allfather’s guidance.”
“I’m trying to turn her away from lunacy. I’m trying to turn all of you away from lunacy!”
“Perhaps Bjorn is partially right.” I stepped between them before the argument escalated. “Perhaps this is a game devised by the gods. A way to make us all dance for their amusement. It only means that we must dance or else we risk displeasing them.”
“Who can say for sure.” Saga crossed her arms. “All I know is that the Allfather has never led me false before.”
“Do what you will.” Bjorn crossed his own arms, meeting her glower with his own. “I have said my piece.”
The tension was awful and to ease it, I asked, “Saga, why are you here?”
“I have decided to sail with you.”
“I don’t think that is wise,” Bjorn muttered, and I was inclined to agree. “You are no warrior and all it would take is one stray arrow and Snorri would finish what he started all those years ago.”
“My thread is bound to Freya’s,” she replied. “I must see this through.”
“Harald will never agree to it,” Bjorn said, eyes searching the beach full of warriors for Nordeland’s king. “He values you too much to risk you.”
Saga’s eyes narrowed. “Harald does not decide what I do or where I go. He will abide by my choice to sail with him. And I think you will find that I am not as helpless as you seem to believe, my son.”
Bjorn cast his eyes skyward, but I sensed his irritation hid fear that he wouldn’t be able to protect her. That she’d lose her life to a plan he very clearly did not support.
“Have you seen more?” I asked. “Anything that might help us win this fight?”
“No,” Saga said. “Which tells me nothing has changed. But if we are victorious today, I believe that the Allfather will show me a glimpse of the future we fought for.” Her lip curled. “Even if it is nothing more than a reward for playing his game. Now if you will excuse me, I intend to find my husband and tell him how this will go.”
Saga strode off in the direction Harald had gone.
Warriors were pulling longships and the larger drakkar off the beach and rowing out to deeper water where yet more vessels waited. Sunlight gleamed on the sea, casting a golden glow on the curved prows of the ships, many carved with fierce figureheads. Weapons of every sort sent flashes of light with each rise and fall of a ship over a wave, and every shield mounted to the side was painted in Nordeland’s blue. A fleet of incredible size, hundreds upon hundreds of Nordelanders ready to fight. My eyes went beyond them to the strait, and though I knew it was impossible, I imagined I could see Skaland’s fleet, just as large and dangerous, flying toward us. I blinked, and the waves turned crimson with blood, bodies floating in the froth and foam while weapons slowly sank to the sea floor.
“You can still stop this,” Bjorn said. “You can—”
“Just get me close enough to him to finish this,” I interrupted. “Let’s not pretend you have any other role in this.”
Bjorn shook his head and looked away, both of us standing in angry silence until Harald appeared. He stormed toward us, a scowl on his face, and I said, “It seems Saga got what she wanted.”
“Your mother has made it clear how this will go,” Harald said to Bjorn as though it was all his fault. “I don’t like it, but never has Saga led me astray.”
He closed his eyes, seemingly seeking calm, then he added, “I will sail on another of our drakkar with Skade and my wolves. Tora will remain with you and Bjorn, for her lightning will be of great advantage against the other ships. I—” Harald broke off, shaking his head. “It is my instinct to give you a strategy, but Saga believes every decision must be yours, Freya. So instead, I say this: Know that Nordeland is at your back. We will not abandon you. Now I will leave lest I influence your course and ruin everything. Bjorn, keep your mother safe.”
He left, leaving me with Bjorn and Tora. The latter’s expression was grim as she stared out to sea, but she offered no insight into what she was thinking. We made our way to Harald’s drakkar, which was surrounded by his thralls. The Nameless were dressed in their typical black attire with hoods concealing most of their faces. None were armed, but if they feared what was to come, they did not show it. They took down Harald’s banner, blue with the white wolf, a boy running off with it, though I did not see which ship it went to. The Nameless then began pushing the vessel out into the gentle waves.
Saga joined us, now wearing a mail vest over her clothes. I recognized it as Harald’s; Nordeland’s king obviously cared enough about her safety that he was willing to risk his own. “The longer we tarry, the closer Snorri comes. If he lands on these beaches, it will be the moment in which all that I foresaw will come to pass.”
“We leave now.” I pushed as much confidence as I could into my voice, and then waded out into the water and climbed into the drakkar. The Nameless rowed us through the surf into deeper water, then we lifted the blue-striped sail. The rest of the fleet did the same, and soon we were all heading across the strait toward Skaland, Kaja leading the way.
Silence stretched for minutes, then hours as we sailed farther into open waters. There came a point when I believed I’d been misled. That Skaland was not on the verge of attacking us and that this had all been a ruse to get me to fight for Nordeland.
Then Saga called out, “I see the fleet.”
Heart in my throat, I joined her. What I saw took my breath away. All across the horizon were ships. Dozens of them, the sails a rainbow of colors reflecting all the clans who’d sworn allegiance to Snorri as king. But at the center was a grouping of Snorri’s ships, their black and green banners raised high.
“We are outnumbered,” Bjorn said. “If it comes to a fight, there is a chance that Nordeland will lose.”
Turning, I stared behind us at Harald’s fleet. It was large, but Skaland was substantially more populous than Nordeland, and that meant something. Yet there was determination on the faces of the Nordelanders. These warriors would fight to the bitter end, and unlike Snorri, Harald had many Unfated in his service with weapons of magic. All the years he’d spent gathering them from across various nations had the potential to be Nordeland’s salvation if I failed them. But if it came to that, it would be the bloodiest of victories.
“Guthrum,” I said, “we need to find Snorri’s ship.”
“Kaja is looking,” he answered, and I shivered as his eyes changed to the same shade of yellow as the bird’s. “There. She has found it.”
His eyes changed back to brown and he lifted a hand to shade them before pointing. “In the middle.”
It took me a minute, but eventually I saw Kaja’s small shadow circling above one of the Skalander vessels. It flew Snorri’s green and black banner, and as we drew closer, the details of the familiar carved figurehead came into view.
“He’s here,” I whispered, swallowing the fear that rose. It had all felt so distant until now, but with Snorri almost in my sights, the weight of what I needed to do threatened to drag me down.
“Get me close enough to see him.” I cast a backward glance, noting that the fleet had lowered their sails, allowing us to press ahead, just as we had planned. “I need to be able to see him.”
The Nameless at the helm did not acknowledge me, but the drakkar turned, heading directly toward Snorri’s vessel. Saga moved from the fore to sit near the mast. She pulled the hood of her cloak up to obscure her face, then gave me an encouraging nod.
Sails were dropping now, the Skalanders running out oars and moving closer together. The Nameless did the same, the drummer hammering a vigorous beat, and behind us, Harald’s fleet fell farther behind. I moved to the front of the vessel and stood on a sea chest to ensure I was in full sight of the Skalanders, with Bjorn at my elbow. My hope was that, in his desire to possess me, Snorri would have relayed orders to every warrior that I wasn’t to be harmed. But in case I was wrong, I held my silver shield in my left hand, magic already blazing acrossit.
“Where is he?” I searched the faces, hunting for Snorri’s even as the Skalander fleet slipped around us. “Guthrum, where is he?”
He lifted a hand to shadow his eyes. “He’s wearing a helm with a face piece.”
My eyes finally latched onto a bearded man, the top of his face obscured by a helm. He was shouting orders and pointing in our direction. Bjorn muttered Tyr’s name, and his axe burned to life.
“Steady.” I wasn’t certain whether I spoke to him or to myself. “We don’t want to raise alarm.”
“We’re surrounded, Born-in-Fire,” he replied. “No matter what happens here, we are in for a fight if you wish to get out of this alive.”
Snorri was waving his arms, motioning for the warriors in his drakkar to lower their weapons.
“What does he think is happening here?” Sudden anger filled me because Snorri was acting as though he was rescuing me. “Does he really think he’s going to take me alive? That I’ll be content to live under his control? That Harald is just…just handing me over?”
“That is exactly what he thinks, Freya,” Saga said, her tone frigid. “End this!”
“I curse you, Snorri!” I screamed, feeling Hel’s power fill my body as I pointed at him. “I curse your soul to Helheim!”
The sea quivered and shook, but no roots exploded from its depths. Nothing happened.
Why wasn’t it working?
“Get closer!” Saga shouted. “He needs to know it was you who sent him to Hel’s realm!”
Something felt wrong here. Fear pooled in my stomach because we were entirely surrounded. The Skalander vessels were close enough to see the grim determination on the warriors’ faces. Their weapons were in hand but none lifted their bows, all watching.
“Bjorn, if we get closer, I’ll be able to hear Snorri as well. He’ll be able to take control of me,” I said. “Something isn’t right. Why isn’t my curse working?”
“Maybe it’s the oath.” He gave a sharp shake of his head. “We need to retreat.”
My stomach plummeted. I’d failed, and now it would be a battle to the bitter end.
Bjorn lifted his voice to the Nameless. “Row back! Reverse course!”
But before Harald’s thralls could obey, a familiar voice shouted from one of the vessels approaching on our port side. “Freya, stand down! I am here!”
My heart lurched at Snorri’s familiar voice, and my head snapped sideways to the approaching drakkar that held no banner. One of the warriors pulled off his helm to reveal dark brown hair laced with gray and a familiar face. Sickness pooled in my stomach as my eyes locked with Snorri’s. The other vessel—and the warrior pretending to be him—had been a diversion to allow Snorri to get close.
“Stand down!” he repeated, the order reverberating through my body.
And in a heartbeat, my entire plan disintegrated.