CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Katrin took a seat beside Hradi, grateful he still twined his fingers with hers.
It was the only thing calming the shake of her hands.
Her gaze moved over the crowd gathered in the square.
Finally, her stare settled on the three men standing in the very first row.
Her brothers. She hadn’t even known until a day ago that they existed; to learn they lived still left her breathless with excitement, eagerly looking forward to learning more of her family.
The anger at so many stolen years rose up again, but she forced it back.
She couldn’t change the past, but she intended to make the coming days happy.
She glanced at Hradi and the familiar heat in his eyes jolted through her.
Memories of the night before flashed, sparking a different sense of anticipation.
She allowed herself a moment's indulgence and smiled, winking to show him she shared his recollections.
And looked forward to repeating them. A squeeze of her fingers against his, accompanied by a deep breath, soon had her focus returning to what lay immediately ahead.
At least she had not been asked to implore the gods for their blessings.
While she had no doubt Odin, Thor and the others condoned the sentence about to be carried out, she wanted no part in deciding upon justice.
She was merely a vessel to share the gods' wishes, not interpret or declare them as her own.
Jarl Thorfinn strode from the longhouse to the dais set with his throne, flanked by his sons. He stood before the elaborate seat and faced the crowd.
"We have been betrayed, as have others. The criminal responsible for these terrible crimes will now pay the price for her treachery." He turned to toward Katrin. "You have been harmed the most. You are aware of the judgment passed yesterday. Do you agree with the sentence?"
She hesitated. Holding someone else’s life in her hands left her feeling oddly uneasy. This was far different than sharing visions of someone’s future. She held no responsibility other than to reveal what she had seen. Now…
Now, she let her earlier suppressed anger off its leash, letting the fury course within her. This was right and just. She had seen the visions and knew this was indeed what the gods wanted. She lifted her chin.
"I agree," she said, her voice loud and steady.
The jarl smiled, a hint of bloodthirst in his expression. She realized she shared the sentiment. Catching Hradi’s gaze, she squeezed his hand.
"Are you sure you can watch?" he asked.
"I’ve already seen it."
He stared at her. "You had visions of this day?"
Katrin nodded. "I didn’t understand why until yesterday, and truthfully, I was not even sure they would come to pass. So I kept them to myself."
She avoided his knowing gaze. Her visions had always come to pass, and she had proven that several times over in the last of Sól's journeys.
"I am sorry you must endure this."
"Don’t worry for me. I am finally free. And the other girls are safe. The only regrets I have are because of what she did to me. We will have our justice and I can… move on."
"You are not going anywhere."
"We will not discuss this now." She met his stare steadily, daring him to refute her. Instead, he gave a half-smile and turned to face the crowd again.
Shouts and cheers rose up within the throng, many curses and jeers directed at the woman being led by two powerful warriors to stand before the jarl.
Hands tied between her back, her long silvery hair knotted atop her head, Gunilla looked suddenly tiny and frail.
For several moments, she kept her head down, until the jarl spoke once more.
"Gunilla, you have betrayed our clan and tried to destroy us. You are responsible for the deaths of Katrin’s mother and father, as well as the kidnapping of Katrin. You have been deemed guilty by the gods, as well as I, and Katrin and her family. You will pay for your crimes with your life."
"No!" Gunilla screamed and swayed and might have collapsed if the warriors beside her hadn’t held her up. She turned to Katrin. "Please! You must save me! I loved you, raised you as my own!"
Katrin narrowed her eyes, burning with rage. She stood, never relinquishing Hradi's hand. His touch gave her the strength she needed. When he stood behind her in solidarity, courage flooded her veins.
"You stole me! Killed my mother and father! You lied, you used me. My powers! And you harmed countless others with your treachery. You have sealed your fate. No one can save you now."
Jarl Thorfinn motioned with his hand and the two warriors dragged Gunilla, fighting against their hold and screaming curses, to the wooden block set right before the jarl’s throne.
The older Seeress resisted being pushed to the ground until one of the men grabbed her bound arms and yanked them up hard.
A painful shriek followed and Gunilla fell to her knees.
A moment later she was bent over the block, her head hanging over the far edge.
Another signal from the jarl and a burly man stepped forward, a large pole-axe in hand.
Katrin sucked in a breath, the roar in her ears muffling the shouts and encouragement from the crowd. Hradi leaned in close.
"I fear you may break my fingers," he whispered, covering their joined hands with his other.
"I’m sorry, I just…"
"Don’t look if you don’t want to."
She shook her head, focused intently on her former mistress, still screaming and crying, begging for mercy.
The executioner lifted his axe, moving it in a small circular motion several times.
Then he raised it. After a moment’s pause, he brought it down, silencing Gunilla’s screams but sending the gathered villagers into a frenzy, shouting and shrieking with excitement.
Blood spurted from Gunilla's neck, her head landing on the dirt.
The executioner waited until the flow stopped before bending and picking up the severed head, holding it out to show the crowd, whose cheers grew ever more deafening.
Katrin couldn’t look away from the gruesome sight of Gunilla’s head, terror still etched in the dead woman's face, eyes staring straight ahead. Her vision dimmed, dots dancing before her eyes. Her stomach knotted painfully and she gave a moment’s thanks that she had had no appetite for food this morning.
She closed her eyes and sucked in several deep breaths.
"Katrin, are you ill?"
She looked up to find her three brothers now standing before her, blocking her view of Gunilla. Seeing them filled her with a strength she’d only known when Hradi had been the one to keep her weakness at bay. What did it mean?
"I will be fine. It was … startling to see."
Henrik nodded in understanding. "It is over now, and we have you back. We will put the past painful years behind us. You must return home with us."
Katrin stifled a groan. She was sick of this discussion. Before she could tell her brothers what she intended, Hradi stood, shaking his head.
"She stays with me."
"Our sister has been kept from us for too long," said Artur. "We will take her with us."
"You will have to kill me first," Hradi said.
"We can do that," said Henrik, taking a step forward and reaching for his sword.
"Stop!" Katrin shouted. The uneasy flip of her stomach at Hradi's words left her momentarily distracted.
He would fight to the death to keep her?
Her heart swelled with a giddy excitement.
But now was not the time to savor the thought.
She stood and shook her head, her gaze moving among the four men.
"I am not going anywhere, at least not yet. I have spent so many years traveling and have no desire to set off on another journey, not with the cold weather coming. "
"But, Katrin…" started Henrik. She held up a hand to silence him.
"No, say nothing more. I have much to consider, and what I choose affects others beside me. The girls no longer have a protector and I cannot leave them alone here."
"You stay only for the girls?" Hradi asked.
Katrin’s heart tightened at the hint of hurt in his voice. "They are but one reason. You and I will speak alone later." She faced her brothers once more. "I am staying here for now."
"Then we stay with you," Artur declared.
"You will be our honored guests," Jarl Thorfinn said. "But let us celebrate our victory with a feast and give thanks to the gods."
Relieved that a potential deadly battle had been averted, Katrin lifted her chin and swept past them, following the jarl into the longhouse.
***
Hradi fell into step behind Katrin, hiding a smug smile when her brothers were forced to fall behind him into the hall. Once inside, he moved to stand beside her, catching her eye when she glanced his way.
"After the feast, we must speak."
Her tone made clear she had much to say. He ignored the pang of apprehension that she might prefer to return to her childhood home.
"Of course."
Her curious frown clearly proved his unconcerned attitude had succeeded.
She said nothing more and allowed him to guide her to a seat beside him at the head table.
His father took his usual place at the head, his sons on either side.
The jarl motioned Katrin's brothers to take seats along the benches of the tables closest to the clan's leader, indicating their status as considered guests of the highest honor.
Henrik seated himself on the other side of Katrin, fixing Hradi with a fierce glare.
While he was happy for Katrin that she had been reunited with her family, he worried these men, clearly valiant warriors, would succeed in taking her away from him.