Page 42 of A Curse Carved in Bone
My mother laughed, slapping her hand against her thigh. “I have no sympathy for you on that count, Bjorn, so do not weep to me about your wounded heart.”
I glared at her. “She cursed me to Helheim after she discovered my lies. Hel’s magic manifests as roots that drag the souls of the living down into the earth. They took all of Harald’s warriors but me, Harald, Tora, and Skade, but only because we were able to fight them off.” Even now, I remembered the strength of those roots wrapping around my legs, the tug from within as they attempted to extract my soul for Hel. “If she can curse me, then she can curse Snorri.”
“So she is not bound to protect your feelings or your soul,” my mother said. “But I think it safe to assume she is bound to protect you from physical harm, even at the cost of her own life.”
I gave a tight nod knowing no oath was required on that front. Freya risked her life for others without question. It was who she was at her core.
“The solution is obvious,” my mother continued, interrupting my thoughts. “You must take Freya and lead Snorri in a direction other than Nordeland. Keep her far enough ahead of him that he cannot communicate with her himself, or through others. Once you are far enough away, disappear entirely and never come back. Live a beautiful life together that is wholly different from what I envisioned.” Her bottom lip quivered. “I’ll know you have succeeded when the vision I have seen fades from my mind’s eye, and I will be content.”
It seemed far too easy, and I remembered Harald’s caution about trying to outrun fate. “This is what you and Freya discussed? She agreed?”
My mother looked away. “Agreedis a strong assessment, although I think her reticence has more to do with her conflict with you than disagreement over the validity of the plan. I aimed to grease the path to forgiveness for you, but I suspect that you bungled my efforts entirely.”
However she’dgreased the path to forgivenesshad made more of a mess of Freya’s heart than before. “She’s not forgiven me, Mother. Not really. Nor should she, after what I did.”
“The pair of you will be the death of me.” She kicked at a tree root with the toe of her shoe. “You were in the right, Bjorn. Freya is being selfish and childish if she doesn’t see that, so you ought to work to put her mind on the right path.”
I took a step back, disliking that sentiment, but then my mother pressed her hands to her face. “Forgive me. Fear poisons my tongue because every time I close my eyes, I see Freya standing in the shadow of the Skjoldfjell and gazing out with red eyes over a sea of dead. Nowhere do I see you.” Tears leaked out from behind fingers, and she let out a soft sob. “You say you would die rather than allow her to come to harm. If she is allowed to live, I think you will also perish. Yet when I offer a solution, you both dig in your heels and refuse to consider it.”
I opened my mouth to argue that it was not the solution but her methods of communicating it that I took issue with, but then Freya’s voice filled my ears. “She’s right, Bjorn. We need to go.”
I turned to find her a dozen paces away, flanked by the wolves. Herface was pale and somewhat green but her voice was steady. “It’s a good plan. Together, we will lead Snorri away from both Nordeland and Skaland. Leave a trail that anyone could follow so that there is no doubt where we have gone, and draw him to the deep south. Allow him to chase us until the jarls of Skaland grow weary of his antics, his warriors give back their armbands, and he has impoverished himself beyond the capacity to hire mercenaries. Then we will disappear.”
“And then?”
Freya looked away. “And then we go our separate ways.”
I didn’t know if I meant it. Only that after what had occurred the prior night, it seemed the safer path to walk toward. There was no future where I could envision fully trusting Bjorn again, but also no future where I trusted myself around him.
“We should go now,” I said. “Saga, you will make Harald understand? We won’t need to worry about him trying to stop us?”
“He will argue,” she replied. “But he will abide by my judgment.” A sharp whistle drew the wolves to her side, where they sat with their tongues lolling. “As will his pets.”
“Do you wish for more time?” I felt cruel because this plan necessitated Bjorn being gone from Nordeland for years upon years. Perhaps even forever, lest dark fates weave themselves back into existence. “We could delay—”
“Any delay might cost us everything,” Saga interrupted. “Take what you need and ride hard and fast. Begin setting the trail before Snorri has the chance to set sail to Nordeland.”
I heard the unspoken words.If he hasn’t set sail already.
Twin tears trickled down Saga’s face. “I will miss you, my son. Miss you more than you’ll ever know, but this sacrifice is small compared to the alternatives. Go now and go with my—”
She cut off, her chin snapping upward and her eyes rolling back in her head, her body twitching.
Oh gods.“Bjorn, what’s happening to her?”
“It’s a vision.” He caught hold of his mother’s arms, holding her steady. “There’s nothing to do but wait to hear what Odin chose to show her.”
I held my breath, my heart thundering with anticipation.
Then Saga spoke, her voice hollow and strange. “A son of Skaland, a false king, sails forth on a wave of darkness. Lies unite the clans, their banners a harbinger of death, their battle cries heard in the realms of gods and men. All tangled in the shield maiden’s thread. All drawn by her call. And in their wake, they will leave weeping widows, orphaned children, and a feast for the carrion crows, their fates certain unless the shield maiden cuts her thread free of the false king’s control and weaves her new destiny.”
“Snorri,” I breathed even as Saga collapsed into her son’s arms.
Saga pressed fingers to her head, tears running down her cheeks. “So much death. So much loss.” A sob tore from her lips. “He is coming. He is coming for her.”
Cold certainty filled my veins, my mouth tasting sour. It didn’t matter that I was no longer within Snorri’s reach, because he had still used me to unite the clans of Skaland beneath his rule. The only thing that had changed was that I was no longer sailing to war alongside him but was now the justification for an invasion. “Snorri still controls my fate.”
Bjorn’s eyes snapped to me. “There is no reason to believe this has come to pass. This could be the distant future, we do not know.”
