Page 45 of A Curse Carved in Bone
“An order given by Ylva, not Snorri.” I sighed. “The moment that Snorri began giving me orders on the battlements, I did what he asked.”
Bjorn lifted his head, green eyes appearing black in the dim light. “Fine. Then kill the volva whose magic binds your oath. With it broken, you’ll be free and can stick your enchanted sword through Snorri’s heart and let the gods decide who will take his soul.”
I blinked, horror rising in my chest. “Murder Ylva?”
Bjorn shrugged. “She’s far from innocent, I assure you of that. Much of my mother’s plight at Snorri’s hands was driven by her jealousy, so I would not weep over her death. I’ll do it, if you wish.”
The callousness with which he suggested murdering a woman who might not be innocent but certainly didn’t deserve to die caused me to draw back. To look at him in a different light.
“Or perhaps I just order you to leave Nordeland with me,” Bjorn said. “You are bound to serve me, yes? Your allegiance is to me, correct?” He rose to his feet. “Then I call you to arms against Islund. Those bastards have been a thorn in my arse for long years, and I wish for you to fight at my side to kill as many of them as possible. We leave now.”
I felt the sudden urge to get to my feet. To reach for my sword andshield. Only to realize my hand was already closed around the pommel of my weapon. And that I was already standing.
Nausea coursed through me because how many times had I obeyed Snorri’s directive believing myself acting of my own free will when it had only been the oath driving my actions? Looking back, it was impossible for me to tell.
“I changed my mind.” Bjorn sat back down across the fire, brow creased with a scowl.
“You arsehole.” I sucked in breath after breath, hating the sense of powerlessness that I felt.
“However you feel, know that it feels worse to me,” he snapped. “Because now I can’t help but wonder how much you’ve done because you wanted to and how much was influenced by the oath.”
Bile burned in my throat as comprehension reared in my mind. “No…” I whispered. “It was me. I swear, it was my choice.”
“How can you know?”
I crossed my arms, trying to ward away the chill.
“I’ll follow you down this path, Born-in-Fire,” he said. “I’ll fight at your side to see this through. But you’ve spent your life serving at the whims of men, allowing them to control you, and despite knowing that suffering, hating that suffering, your solution is to serve yet again.”
I flinched, feeling like I’d been slapped.
“I refuse to control you.” Bjorn picked up a stick and jabbed at the fire, sending an explosion of embers skyward. “And that order I just gave you? Consider it the last that will ever pass my lips.”
“Even if it costs the lives of thousands of Nordelanders?” I asked.
“If it comes to that, I’ll already be dead.” Taking the pot off the fire, he ladled portions into two bowls, then handed me one.
I stared at the contents. “I’m not hungry.”
“Neither am I.” Bjorn dumped out the contents of his bowl. “If there is news to be had of Snorri setting sail, Harald will be the first to know.”
I dumped out my own bowl, the wolves rushing to eat the steaming meat. “Then let’s ride.”
The rising sun glowed over Hrafnheim as we came within sight of the fortress, which was silent and imposing. Both of the drawbridges were raised and I noted that the battlements were heavily patrolled. Light gleamed off the warriors’ weapons, their breath visible in the cool morning air.
“How much do you want to tell him?” Bjorn asked, the first words we’d shared since our argument the prior night.
“Everything he needs to mount a defense,” I said. “Getting close enough to Snorri to take his soul will be no easy thing, and I’ve no desire to give Hel any more souls than his. Which means the defense of Nordeland’s shores needs to fall upon Harald’s shoulders. Besides, I can only assume your mother will somehow tell him everything she’s learned.”
“Maybe,” Bjorn grumbled. “I’m not sure they are communicating as much as they used to. But either way, he’ll want you to be part of the defense, Born-in-Fire.”
“Explain to him that I cannot serve him.” I rolled my shoulders, my back stiff from being so long in the saddle. “You say he is an expert inrunic magic, so he may have answers. He has been accommodating so far, and…we have a common enemy in Snorri.”
“Be wary of setting Harald on a pedestal,” Bjorn muttered. “He likes to have his way, and those who deny him what he wishes usually regret the choice.”
I turned my head, something about his tone making my hackles rise. “You call him Father and yet all I’ve seen from you since we stepped onto Nordeland’s shores is the most reluctant of loyalty. Why? Did he do something to you in the past that caused a breach between you?”
“No,” Bjorn answered. “But it’s been years since I left, and things have changed. He’s withheld information from me. And I don’t like the way he looks at you.”
