Chapter 18
ERANN
Thorkell and Thora, his uncle and aunt, welcomed them with open arms and tears of joy, even though their arrival was unexpected.
As soon as he saw the concern etched on his aunt’s face, Erann knew he’d done the right thing.
His mother was monosyllabic and as pale as the white of her hare fur cloak in the brightness of the short day.
Whereas his mother had always been slim and almost waif-like, Thora was much more robust, engulfing him in her exuberant embrace.
‘How long has she been this bad?’ she whispered in his ear.
‘She’s become worse as the Long Night’s worn on,’ Erann answered. ‘I was going to wait until the Full Council meeting to seek Anya’s advice, but I think I need to find her now. Which means I need to go to Rankil’s.’
His aunt grimaced and pulled back at the mention of Rankil’s name, but she patted his arm and nodded. ‘Good lad, she’ll know what to do. I’ll keep Ingun here until you get back. I promise to look after her and make her eat more.’
‘Thank you.’
He dodged out of the way of his younger cousins, who were careening around the kitchen table with excitement. Hakon met his eyes hopefully. He gave a brief nod of encouragement and Hakon tore off after them.
‘Are they always like this?’ he asked.
Thorkell laughed and clapped his shoulder. ‘Only when they’re awake.’
Erann laughed and looked around at him, at Thora pushing a plate of peat cakes at his mother, trying to make her laugh, at Hakon playing with other children.
Gods, he’d missed being around other people.
His whole family had. Perhaps now was the time to move out of their isolated steading and into a larger community.
‘It’s been a long Long Night,’ his uncle murmured, later, his eyes on Erann’s mother where his aunt spoke to her at the other end of the table. ‘It’s been weeks longer than it should be. Food’s growing scarce. Thank the Gods for today’s Dawning. Has your food run out?’
‘We’ve been living off scraps for days, yes, maybe longer,’ Erann admitted.
‘It’s felt like a long time between Sunset and Dawning, much longer than usual, in any case.
I hope we won’t be too much of a burden to you.
’ He felt a renewed twinge of guilt. He’d brought their animals, but really, that simply added to the load his aunt and uncle already bore.
His uncle’s familiar face split into a broad grin.
‘You’re family, Erann. You, your mother and young Hakon. It’s never a burden to be with family. It won’t be long and the animals will be free to roam the Long Day meadows. It’ll do them good.’
They lapsed into a comfortable silence; Erann gave in to the urge to speak of his father’s journal.
‘Uncle.’ His words were soft. He didn’t want his mother to see what he had.
‘Tell me, do you know what this is about? I found it in the loft.’ Ruefully, he ran his hand over his forehead, but the bruising had almost disappeared.
He handed the precious journal into his uncle’s hands, beneath the table.
He’d resolved that it was too important to leave in their steading.
With it at his side, it felt like his father was with him.
Thorkell’s face furrowed in confusion as he fingered the soft cover before reverently touching the silky soft pages inside with a look of wonder on his face.
‘Whatever this is all about, it’s exceptionally old, Erann.
Gods know how long this has been in your family.
’ He turned the book over in his hands. ‘It’s probably something to do with being the jarl.
There’s much your father would have done that us regular farmers in the quarter knew nothing about.
There are secrets every jarl must keep to themselves.
It’s always been that way. What will happen now, I don’t know. Ramon wouldn’t have told Rankil.’
‘So, you don’t know what my father was recording?’
‘I’ve no idea, Erann. Sorry. But it must be important, if your father kept it. You’ll let me know if you ever decipher it, won’t you?’
Thorkell unwillingly handed Erann back the journal.
‘About your journey to Rankil’s. What will you say to your sister?’
‘I don’t know. I can’t be angry at her forever, she is my sister.’ But the thought of Aras reinforced how bleak everything was going to be this rotation.
‘Tell me, Uncle. What will happen at the Full Council meeting?’
Thorkell’s sigh was heartfelt, as though unwilling to think of what the future held.
‘It’ll be unpleasant, Erann, but it must be borne.
Your father will be formally found guilty of stealing from those who sought his protection as jarl, now he’s not survived his exile.
Rankil will be his replacement.’ Thorkell placed his hand on Erann’s shoulder, its weight comforting.
‘You’ll have to stand tall. But know this, Erann, there aren’t many who like Rankil.
Never forget that. If there’s the means to deprive him of the position in the future, they’ll be set before the Full Council. ’
Thorkell’s words turned over in Erann’s mind as he set out the next morning.
His uncle was right. Few actually liked Rankil.
Eventually Rankil would get what he deserved.
For the moment, though, Erann needed to focus on what mattered.
Anya was the only person who could help his mother.
If that meant facing Rankil’s ridicule, so be it.
And this could be the way to make peace with Aras as well.