Page 98 of Alliance Bride
Fire ignited in Aevar’s blood, and he curled his fists. He was going to kill Staegar. And the three who’d taken Eadlyn and anyone else who laid a finger on her. But first he had to find her.
He turned and almost crashed into Kian, who held out his sword.
“You forgot something.”
Aevar grabbed it and snatched a shield from the wall on his way outside.
At the stable, a dozen huskarls rushed to saddle horses. Fathir shouted orders, selecting six riders to accompany them. He dispatched the rest to patrol the village borders in case more trouble lurked nearby. Within moments, they had mounted, and Heida took the lead, riding hard toward the forest trail. Aevar’s heart pounded in time with his horse’s hooves, a brutal drumbeat driving him forward. He gripped the reins tighter, clenching his jaw against the images trying to claw their way into his mind. Eadlyn in enemy hands. Afraid. Bleeding. Or worse.
Branches whipped past in a blur of green and shadow as they rode deeper into the woods. At last, Heida slowed. The trail ahead bore signs of struggle. Baskets lay overturned, deep blue bilberries scattered across the grass.
She turned in the saddle and pointed into the dense cluster of trees to the north. “This is where they attacked. They took Eadlyn that way.”
Aevar didn’t wait. He turned his horse, ready to charge in, but Fathir’s voice broke through the haze of desperation driving him forward.
“Erik, take the lead. You’re the best at tracking.”
Erik moved ahead at a slower, more deliberate pace.
Aevar ground his teeth. His mount, as restless as he was, tossed its head and snorted. The horse wanted to run. To storm through the forest with Aevar. By the time they reached a clearing and paused, he, like his horse, was about to crawl out of his skin.
Erik looked around. “They stopped here.” He dismounted to better survey the ground. “Horses. Four of them, I think.”
Aevar squeezed the reins until his knuckles ached. That proved Heida was right. Kalgorans didn’t use horses for anything but food and sacrifices. It must be Nords.
“They continued north from here?”
“Looks like it.”
They pressed on, and Aevar found himself praying. To the gods. To God. To the wind. He wasn’t even sure. He didn’t care who answered, so long assomeoneheard him. The trail narrowed, winding through trees and uneven rock. Pine sap and damp soil thickened the air as they rode deeper into the forest. Branches clawed low, and every hoofbeat thudded against the growing dread in Aevar’s chest.
Eventually, Erik reined in and dismounted again, frowning at the rocky ground ahead of them. He moved carefully and crouched low over a patch of disturbed moss and gravel. Long minutes passed. Aevar held his horse steady as it pawed at the ground, ears twitching. Tension burned beneath his skin in a slow-rising fire, crawling into his throat.
Erik straightened and turned back to them, his expression grim. “I’ve lost the trail.”
The words hit like a hammer.
“What? They were heading north. Shouldn’t we keep going?”
“They chose this spot for a reason. It’s rocky and hard to track through. They were trying to cover their trail. They could have turned aside at any point. We can’t be sure where they went from here.”
Aevar scanned the trees as though they might offer an answer. The forest stared back in silence. “Then what do we do?” He turned to his father. “Do we gather the men and go to Ormvik?”
He had no doubt Staegar was behind this, and he was ready to fight the entire clan to find Eadlyn.
Fathir didn’t answer right away, and Aevar could see his mind turning.
“Staegar will deny knowing anything,” he said at last.
“We can make him talk,” Braan growled, his voice full of heat.
Fathir frowned. “Perhaps. But it would take time.”
Time they didn’t have. Every moment wasted left Eadlyn at the mercy of her captors. Who knew what they were doing to her?
“Then we’ll tear Ormvik apart.” Aevar gripped his sword hilt and peered back toward the fjord.
Fathir shook his head. “Staegar wouldn’t risk keeping her in the village. Too many eyes. Too much risk.”
