Chapter 17
ERANN
‘Look,’ Erann exclaimed, grabbing his brother’s arm. A thin streak of deepest green lanced across the black tapestry of the sky. ‘It’s a good sign, Hakon. Tomorrow the sun will rise for the first time since the start of the Long Night, and the final sunset of last rotation’s Long Day.’
Erann felt giddy with excitement, despite knowing that this Long Day would see Jarl Rankil officially recognised as Jarl of the Eastern Quarter.
It would finally and irrevocably be decreed that his father had been guilty of the crimes levelled against him.
And yet, Erann couldn’t deny he felt hopeful.
Hakon jumped from foot to foot beside him, jiggling in excitement, and Erann felt a smile turn his lips. They’d survived. Another terrible Long Night was coming to an end.
‘I’ll tell Mother,’ he called.
He found Ingun sitting in her chair before the hearth.
He shivered as he drew nearer, despite the wash of heat.
The fire wasn’t as high as he remembered the Long Night fires of his childhood being.
But they’d had to be careful with their supplies.
They’d have enough, provided they were careful.
Ingun sat, swaddled in every spare fur they had, and still he knew she was often cold.
Not that she complained, but the paleness of her skin, and the blueness beneath her eyes, revealed the truth.
Perhaps the knowledge that another Long Night would soon be over would warm her. She was always as excited as he was to see the Long Night end.
‘Mother,’ he called, ‘the sky’s definitely showing signs. Tomorrow, we’ll have Dawning.’
‘That’s wonderful, Erann.’ But Ingun’s voice rang with apathy and was at odds with her words.
‘Perhaps now we’ll be able to go to the Full Council meeting and meet up with Anya.
I’m sure she’ll know of some herb or remedy to heal you,’ he persisted, unease worrying his spine.
Usually she had an immediate list of chores that needed to be carried out as soon as the return of the Long Day could be predicted.
‘I don’t want to go anywhere, Erann, anywhere at all. I will sit here and wait for what will happen to happen. Surely you must know that by now, Erann?’ She turned to look at him, her brown eyes pleading for him to understand.
He shook his head fiercely, anger welling from deep inside him.
‘You’re not the only one who’s suffered, you know.
I’ve been here as long as you, hoping and praying he’d return.
What am I supposed to do if you go as well?
Am I just expected to lie down and die as well?
’ He’d held his fear in check throughout the Long Night; now it rushed from him because he knew Hakon was far enough away, he’d not hear.
‘I’m sorry, my son,’ Ingun whispered, her voice lethargic.
‘I know what you’ve been through. You’ll never know how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, your brother and sister.
I know how much you hurt and how angry you are about what happened.
I only wish I could make it all better. I hoped I could.
’ Her voice gained in strength as she held his eyes.
‘I’ve hoped every day for the past eight rotations. It seems hope isn’t enough, Erann. It’s not brought your father back. It’s not brought about the end of Rankil, either. I’ve persevered for too long, son. I only want to go.’ Her voice was calm and measured.
Instantly, sorrow replaced his anger. His feet felt welded to the floor.
He couldn’t have moved if the steading had been on fire.
The sense of loss and hopelessness was overwhelming.
He couldn’t listen to his mother telling him how much she wanted to die.
He refused. He needed the cold of outside. He needed to see the coming Long Day.
Turning abruptly, he stalked back through the outer tunnel, to where Hakon still watched the green light dancing on the horizon.
Erann stepped into the cold wind and deep snow. His disapproval of his mother’s words thrummed through his body. It was her duty to keep them safe. It was her duty to protect them. He couldn’t allow her to give up. If for no other reason than his father would be furious with him.
He breathed as deeply as he dared of the frozen air, hoping it would clear his thoughts.
He could sense Hakon’s confusion behind, but his brother trusted him.
Too much. He couldn’t reject that trust. He needed to make his mother understand.
If Ramon was gone, then it was her responsibility to ensure their family survived.
He didn’t care what his mother said. He would not let her die. She’d lived through too much. His father wouldn’t want her to give up. He’d be furious if Erann allowed her to simply wither and die.
But what could he do? Who would help him?
Who would help them? His thoughts ran in a riot.
He rejected most, and then, as he began to shiver, his cloak forgotten about inside the steading, he finally understood what he could do.
He’d take his mother to his uncle’s. From there, they’d journey to the Full Council meeting.
They’d have to make use of the crops from the collective farm this rotation, but he didn’t care.
Saving his mother was more important than maintaining his family’s honour.
He’d do whatever it took to keep what remained of his family together. Perhaps they could even spend the next Long Night with his uncle. With the company of his aunt and cousins, maybe his mother wouldn’t sink into her dark moods so quickly. The thoughts cheered him. It felt right.
Resolved, he glanced at the sky once more, taking in the flashes of light on the horizon.
At last he strode back to the tunnel, and with a gentle push, Hakon opened the door wide enough for him to step inside.
There was much to do if he was going to leave tomorrow morning, and that was exactly what he planned to do, no matter how much his mother was going to argue with him.