Chapter 9 Brynn #2
“I don’t think you meant to hurt her.”
“And Ovrek?”
“I don’t know.” Vana sighed. “Tolvir says that you must be a spy for Aelgar.”
Brynn supposed that was to be expected.
“Hróarr said you might be trying to sow discord among the Valdari.”
Brynn closed her eyes. If she had wanted to do that, she would have attacked Tolvir, not a random young woman. Tolvir was a man of fighting age, despite being young and impetuous. He was by far the bigger threat.
“I don’t think word has spread of it yet. They’re trying to say it was an accident for now.”
Brynn considered it. A king who could not protect his own pregnant concubine would hardly be seen as worthy by the warlike Valdari. They valued strength and power. Maybe someone was trying to discredit Ovrek before his planned invasion.
“Does Ovrek have any enemies besides my uncle?”
Vana let off a little laugh. “Half the men here either fought against him or had a close kinsman who did.”
Wonderful. Half the Althing had a reason to hate Ovrek.
“I didn’t do it.” Brynn stared into the coals. “But I doubt anything I say will make any of you believe that.”
“We are just trying to understand,” Vana said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Brynn felt suddenly tired. It was late and she had been through a great deal today. “Is there anything else you want to know?”
Vana pursed her lips briefly. “There is no way your spells could have hurt the girl?”
“No.” Brynn watched the flames. “What I did was heal her from the poison’s effects. She was fine when I left her.”
Vana made a frustrated sound. “Ovrek is a just man. If you tell him it was an accident, he may be merciful.”
Perhaps, but that would not solve the larger problem. Someone had poisoned that girl and until Brynn knew exactly who, there was danger.
If Cenric was correct, they would be welcoming these people into their lands in the next year. They would bring their intrigues and their tangle of debts, offenses, and slights with them. Brynn needed to deal with this now or later, when it might inevitably become an even worse problem.
“I will not lie,” Brynn answered quietly.
“I did nothing to hurt Gistrid. What I did would not have hurt her. She had no fever, no signs of anything other than poisoning.” Brynn spoke the words firmly, as much to remind herself as Vana.
“I did not hurt Gistrid,” Brynn repeated.
“But I understand if you do not believe me.”
Brynn and Vana went in circles for several more minutes. Brynn answered the questions honestly, but didn’t change anything. She tried not to feel anything, not betrayal, not expectancy, nothing.
Eventually, Vana left, bidding Brynn goodnight in a polite if strained way.
Brynn waited as she sensed Vana’s presence fading away. She stayed as she was, stroking Guin’s coat.
Would Cenric be back tonight? He might be late. Ovrek seemed to want him to be a part of tonight’s festivities. Brynn suspected that tonight had been the whole point of inviting Cenric here in the first place.
Feasts served to remind everyone why a king was king. It reminded Brynn of the nights of revelry her father had often held before going to war, the ones she and her sister had been strictly forbidden from attending.
Brynn stared into the fire, considering her options. If she took the blame for this, it would damage her position with Ovrek and by extension Cenric and Ombra’s position with Ovrek. If Ovrek was to be their king, she couldn’t allow this.
But how to proceed?
Besides Cenric and their servants, Brynn had no friends here. Not even Vana and Hróarr were on her side.
Voices came from the direction of the campfire. Someone approached.
Brynn sensed the newcomer near the tent. The guards outside left. The newcomer pushed aside the entrance flap.
Brynn straightened. It wasn’t Cenric. In her lap, Guin growled. Instinctively, Brynn pulled at her magic.
A man entered, tall, wreathed in shadows. She couldn’t see his face.
Brynn remained seated, but her magic shimmered around her, ready. “What do you want?” Brynn’s heart raced, but she held onto Guin as the little dog squirmed, growling.
“You killed her.”
Recognition struck Brynn. “Tolvir?” Confusion edged her fear.
“You killed Gistrid.”
Brynn held onto Guin, adding power to her spells. “This isn’t—”
Tolvir lunged for her. It was a bear rush, angry and enraged.
Brynn shoved Guin across the tent and the pup yelped, but she would be out of the way.
Tolvir ran face-first into the shield Brynn had woven around herself. He cried out in pain and rage as the spell burned his skin, leaving a mesh of stinging red marks across his face.
It slowed him down, but it wasn’t enough to stop him completely.
Brynn scrambled to the side, clawing to her feet.
Guin leapt up and barked, ears back and tail straight out.
“We can talk about this.” Brynn kept her hands out in front of her.
Tolvir was unarmored. He hadn’t thought to protect himself from a sorceress, it seemed.
With only wool and linen protecting him, Brynn knew exactly the spell to fell him. She could slice through his unprotected neck like butter. Unfortunately, killing his only son would do nothing to prove her innocence to Ovrek.
“You know this is wrong,” Brynn said. “Else you wouldn’t have sent the guards away.” Brynn was fully confident that Ovrek didn’t know about this.
“You killed her,” Tolvir growled. “You’re not going to get away with it.” His accent thickened with his anger, making him harder to understand.
“The person who killed her is getting away with it.” Brynn silently prayed for him to see reason. “But it wasn’t me. Think, Tolvir. Why would I hurt an insignificant concubine? Why not your mother? Why not you?”
“She wasn’t insignificant!” Tolvir roared.
“Oh, no…” Realization struck Brynn. Tullia had told the truth about one thing, at least. “You poor boy…”
That had been the wrong thing to say.
Face still red from her burns, Tolvir picked up Brynn’s leather bag in the corner and swung it at her like a flail.
She raised her spells defensively, but in the tight space, she couldn’t retreat far enough.
The satchel smacked through the first line of her spells and without Brynn having the space to retreat far enough, Tolvir closed the distance and slammed her against the tent brace, making the whole structure shake.
“Stop now!” Brynn ordered.
Tolvir wasn’t listening. His hand wrapped around her neck, slamming her back harder.
Brynn saw stars and darkness claimed the edges of her vision.
Guin bounded across the tent and attacked Tolvir’s ankle, snarling and growling. Her little teeth locked onto the back of his leg wraps as she yanked back. Tolvir kicked the puppy, sending her sprawling across the tent with a yelp.
Brynn grabbed his wrist, clawing back his sleeve. She touched bare skin and then it was over.
She sent a jolt of power through his veins. Tolvir screamed, his arm locking up as heat tore up his tendons and muscles. Dark marks singed his wool sleeve and he stumbled back, gasping and crying out in pain.
Brynn inhaled sweet air, staggering to find her balance. She pulled ka into herself, healing her neck and vocal chords. “I can do worse to you,” Brynn wheezed as her body pulled itself back together. “Leave now and we can forget this.”
With his right arm cradled against his chest, Tolvir straightened. He drew his eating knife from his belt, looking back up to her with murder in his eyes.
“Don’t,” Brynn warned. “Don’t try it.” Brynn had killed greater warriors than this atheling, faced far worse odds.
Tolvir either didn’t know or didn’t care. He dove for her.
Stupid, stupid boy.
Brynn wrapped a spell around his neck and cinched it tight.
Tolvir fell to the ground gasping. He clawed at invisible air, helpless and powerless to do anything to defend himself.
Brynn stepped over him, reaching Guin. “Come here, little girl.”
The puppy yelped as Brynn scooped her up.
“I’m sorry.” Brynn stroked Guin’s fur, feeling out the bruises. She didn’t appear to have any broken bones, so Brynn eased more power into her, healing her injuries. She left Tolvir writhing on the floor.
Voices came from outside. Brynn went to the tent entrance.
Outside, two Valdari came marching toward the noise.
She thought they were Hróarr’s men who had stayed to guard the ships, but couldn’t be sure.
They caught sight of the atheling writhing on the ground and from their astonished faces, they recognized the king’s son.
Brynn tried to explain. “The atheling is—”
A spear flew and Brynn ducked. The weapon brushed past her head. They thought she’d attacked their king’s son. This had gotten out of hand.
“Please.” Brynn tried to reason with them, but these men might not have listened even if they spoke her language.
The two men broke into a run, one with his spear lowered and the other drawing a long seaxe knife.
Brynn undid the spell on Tolvir and she heard him draw in a great gulp of air, coughing and croaking in pain. He called out from back inside the tent, groaning. He would be in excruciating pain and Brynn did not feel as bad about it as she should have.
The two warriors weren’t slowing. They would not be reasoned with and Brynn had no one here on her side. With the puppy in her arms, Brynn backed away from the tent, trying to reason with them, but they either spoke no Hyldish or didn’t care.
One of the men veered into the tent to see to Tolvir. The other set after her.
Brynn brought him down with the same spell she had used on Tolvir, sending him gasping to his knees.
More voices shouted, more men drawn by the noise.
Ten or fifteen, she couldn’t quite tell.
Their ka was too close together. Brynn couldn’t immobilize all of them, she didn’t have the time for the concentration necessary.
Several of Hróarr’s men had stayed nearby to watch the ships, but though they were supposed to be allies, she knew full well they would side with the other Valdari against her. She could kill Hróarr’s men, or she could run. She ran.
Brynn ducked into the darkness beyond the campfire.
Men clamored and she had no doubt the alarm would be raised across the city in a matter of moments. Tolvir had just been attacked, or at least that was how the Valdari would see it.
Brynn needed to get away and let things calm down. She had no plan, other than finding a way to let things calm down. With Guin under one arm, she fled into the darkness.
She raised her shawl, covering her head. In the dark, she would look like any of the other women of Istra. So long as no one noticed Guin.
Shouts continued to ring out.
Brynn slowed her steps, taking a moment to reorient herself. She had come out on the western side of the great hall and its many outbuildings, near the ovens.
She thought about going to Cenric, but he would be surrounded by Valdari jarls and their warriors. She wouldn’t get near him before she was stopped and even if she did, he would probably start a fight to defend her.
What she needed to do was find somewhere to lay low and wait out the initial outrage.
Tolvir had been in love with Gistrid. Brynn highly doubted that he’d had anything to do with the girl’s death. That was one less potential murderer out of thousands. It did little to help Brynn parse things out.
But if Ovrek had known…no, Ovrek could have just killed the girl outright. No need for the subtlety of poison.
Brynn neared the ovens to find low fires burning. The kitchen was a dome, open to the elements on one side. Women with sooty faces worked to knead bread, turn meats, and tend the fires.
Heat billowed out, driving away the cool breeze. Despite that, Brynn had to wonder. Did these women work like this even during the icy winter months? Surely not.
Slipping into the shadows, Brynn edged out of the main path. She leaned against the warm earth banked over the ovens, heart pounding.
The thralls chattered in low Valdari. She caught Gistrid’s name twice, but didn’t recognize anything else. Brynn desperately wanted to know what they were saying. They might be able to help her piece together who actually killed the concubine and why.
Guin whimpered and Brynn shushed her, tickling under her ears. The little dyrehund stood on her hind legs, licking Brynn’s mouth.
Brynn couldn’t talk to her, lest her Hyldish give her away, so she made wordless shushing sounds and patted Guin into silence.
Male voices and the tramp of boots came from below. Brynn shifted onto her knees to see at least a dozen of Ovrek’s warriors tramping up the hill. They were expanding their search for her.
Rising, Brynn tried to move silently as the men came closer. She carried herself hunched over, cradling Guin like a baby.
None of the thralls tried to stop her. They were all focused on the armed men coming toward them. Fearful whispers and anxious murmurs went through the thralls as they bowed and sank to their knees. These were people who had been beaten into submission. They had no fight left in them.
Brynn could feel her way by the shapes of ka from trees and plants. Unfortunately, rocks did not have ka. Brynn stubbed her toe on a stone and bit her tongue to keep from crying out.
As the men barked orders to the thralls, calling out and trying to find her, Brynn wandered into the trees. At any moment, she might hear their shouts and their charging footsteps racing after her.
But it seemed no one had thought she would flee so silently. Or perhaps they hadn’t expected her to go into the trees.
Once their voices faded and she could no longer see the light from their torches, Brynn set down Guin. The dyrehund padded alongside her, occasionally stopping to sniff at ferns or nose at the damp earth.
Swallowing, Brynn pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. The cold was enough to make her shiver, but the trees mostly protected her from the misting rain and as long as she kept moving, she was fine.
It occurred to Brynn that she knew nothing about the wilderness of Valdar.
She had survived in the wilds of Hylden during the war, but she knew precious little about this foreign land.
The ka was the same and the trees were pines, but beyond that, Brynn had no idea where the rivers, bogs, and mountains might be.
She might get herself lost and freeze to death out here, but right now she had no better options.
It wasn’t as if she could go explain herself to anyone. No one would listen even if they spoke her language.
Brynn needed time to think. To plan. She kept walking, letting the wilderness of Valdar swallow her up.