CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The shriek of a horn cut through the buzz in the great hall. Beside her, Hradi stiffened, holding still for several moments before rising. On his other side, both his brother and the jarl stood as well, sharing concerned looks. Jarl Thorfinn called out for silence.
"Warriors, take up your arms. Everyone else find safe refuge while we face these invaders."
The clan gathered quickly rushed through the hall, women carrying children, fathers bidding them to be safe before heading toward the door, to the village and river beyond, ready to defend their home.
While what occurred now was not what she had seen with Jarl Thorfinn, Katrin studied the villagers and knew this was indeed the battle of which she had been given glimpses.
And though she had yet to see any further details, some instinct told her this conflict would reveal the truth and depth of Gunilla's treachery.
She had remained mostly silent this morning, fearful if she spoke too much, she might reveal her plan to Gunilla.
Instead, she had allowed Hradi to treat her roughly and did her best to appear frightened.
When Gunilla had protested, Jarl Thorfinn made clear that he had proof Katrin had betrayed them all.
After dagmál, he would meet with Gunilla to discuss the details.
Katrin continued to watch her mistress, noting how her panic increased and her gaze darted around the hall.
Several times, she rose to speak with some of the other girls in the retinue, always looking back to Katrin.
Did she suspect the truth of Katrin's deceptive situation?
Turning her attention back to the trencher before he, she tried to appear subdued and helpless.
It wasn't hard, not with her hands bound and Hradi pressed close to her side.
While he had made no move to seduce her last night, his mood toward her had softened, and he spoke almost civilly to her.
Then again, she had the sensation he liked having her bound and helpless when he pulled her along behind him.
Shoving the thoughts aside, Katrin caught the older woman's gaze from across the table. Before she started toward her mistress, Hradi's grip on her upper arm halted her.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Do you expect me to stand beside you during this attack?" Katrin met his stare steadily, pursing her lips to show her displeasure. "I must ensure Gunilla is safe."
"You will remain here, with several of our warriors to protect you. And ensure you don't escape."
"I told you, I have no plans to leave here. I have not betrayed you. I want to help you. You must believe me!" Desperate for him to trust her, to listen to her, she grabbed his arm while she pleaded with him.
Confusion clouded his dark eyes. Jaw clenched, he grabbed her arm and hauled her close to him.
"I can't."
Aware of Gunilla watching with keen interest, Katrin pretended to choke back a sob.
An idea struck. While the idea terrified her, and had come about only as part of this act she now performed, she realized she meant what she was about to do.
With Hradi about to head into battle, she realized she'd rather live without her gift than without him.
This might be the only way to truly convince him and earn his trust once more.
"I offer you my virtue. As proof that I stand beside you and want to help."
"No! You cannot!" Gunilla shrieked. She moved toward them, but one of Grindafell's warriors grabbed her and held her in place. Katrin's focus remained on Hradi.
His eyes widened, though he remained silent for several seconds, which seemed to Katrin to last an eternity. Finally, he spoke.
"I will hold you to that. As for my trust…" He shook his head. "I must fight now. We will discuss your betrayal when I return victorious."
A quick movement and his dagger sliced through the ropes binding her.
He left her stunned into stillness when he slammed his mouth over hers in a rough kiss, one that stirred all sorts of heat, despite the panic and chaos surrounding them.
When he drew away, he shoved her toward the back of the hall.
Four armed warriors surrounded her. Terror stole her breath, until the feel of Gunilla's hand squeezing hers brought a moment of peculiar calm, simply from familiarity and habit.
A breath later, fully aware of how much had changed, how much she had changed, her fury erupted.
She whirled to face the older woman, yanking her hand away.
"What have you done?"
Gunilla hesitated, rocking back several steps. A moment later, she straightened, a smug smile adorning her face. Still, Katrin noted the woman somehow looked many years older in that moment.
"Why would you think I have done anything? I warned you about him and you refused to listen."
Katrin shook her head, fingers tightening on the stav, though she resisted waving it into Gunilla's face.
"He thinks I have betrayed him, because of something you said or did. What is it?" She didn't want to let on just how much she knew about what Hradi had heard. She wanted to force Gunilla's admission.
"You are speaking nonsense." Gunilla tried once more to take Katrin's hand. Katrin evaded the attempt.
"All along, I have suspected you know more about this battle than you have told me, from the moment I first saw the jarl's future. Tell me, now. Who have you aligned yourself with? And how?"
"Child, you don't understand anything. The gods have already decided our fates, and this must play out as they intend."
Despite the rage shaking through her, Katrin managed to hold an appearance of calm, though she supposed she would never know how.
Pure instinct perhaps, propelling her to conceal all she knew.
Raising her wand in one hand, she brushed her fingers against the tip, smiling with a morbid excitement at having the upper hand.
The control that Gunilla had always had over her.
"I have also been keeping secrets," she said, savoring the panic that crept into the older woman's pale eyes. "And I have seen your fate."
She took a step closer, nothing how Gunilla paled even more and backed away. A distinctive satisfaction coursed in Katrin's veins. She savored it, surprised to discover the guilt she'd borne over her doubts these last months no longer existed.
"There is a chance that could change, but you must tell me what you know." Katrin glanced around the room, reminding Gunilla they were not alone. "Otherwise…"
Fear surrounded the silver-haired witch like a dense fog. Yet, moments later, she once more resumed her defiant attitude.
"You try to frighten me." She shook her head, clicking her tongue. "But you are still beholden to me. You must obey my wishes."
Katrin gave a giggle, oddly pleased with the hint of menace accompanying it. She shook her head.
"I am done with you, old woman. You need me. I no longer need you. And I will not allow you to destroy me alongside yourself. You tell me the truth. All of it. Now!"
Her voice echoed ominously in the room, the guards shifting uneasily and muttering amongst themselves.
She ignored them, her focus instead on the reassurance mingling with her building rage.
Surely that awareness was given to her from the gods; there could be no other explanation for the sense of approval and encouragement that rushed through her veins, growing stronger with each passing second.
Within her grip, the wand vibrated, the essences of air, earth and sea coming together in a force of righteousness.
Fear crept into Gunilla's eyes. Katrin recognized the moment her mistress realized she must confess all. She took a step closer to the woman who had once been the center of her world.
"What did you do?"
Before the older Seeress could answer, the door slammed open and Hradi filled the frame. Though the sounds of a battle had been muffled until now, Katrin noted that it seemed oddly quiet outside the longhouse.
"There! She's there!"
Hradi pointed at Katrin. Her heart seemed to cease beating when several men stepped into the hut and headed toward her. She held up her hand.
"Hold!"
The men stopped, confused and looking to Hradi to confirmation. Katrin restrained her smile when he signaled for them to heed her silent command.
The brief moment of delight faded when she faced Gunilla once more. Instead, Katrin's heart felt as if it had turned to stone. The woman before her had become a stranger. Any affection that may have lingered within Katrin over the last weeks dissipated in a regretless wisp.
"I want the truth. Now!"
After several moments, Gunilla nodded. She began to pace, but the warriors assigned to guard her moved in close, hindering her movements.
The wild terror in her eyes reminded Katrin of a caged beast. The silver-haired woman looked around the room and apparently realized her defeat. She lowered her head.
"The gods took my powers. If I was to continue on the path of helping others, I needed someone I could teach, someone who would share what they saw with me, so I could best serve."
Katrin recognized a grain of truth in the woman's words. "Yes, you needed someone else with a true gift. But not to help, to benefit yourself and harm others!"
"No! That is not true! You know very well how many villages and clans we have helped throughout the seasons. Your gift was the reason why, and I knew well how to understand it."
"You mean take advantage of it." Katrin somehow refrained from slapping the woman. Finally knowing just how she'd been used all these years left her sick. She willed her roiling gut to settle, determined to make Gunilla confess to all her misdeeds.
"Very well. When my gift faded, I didn't know what to do. Losing my power was worse than dying." Gunilla lowered her head.