Page 95 of Alliance Bride
“Excellent find,” she said, ruffling his hair. He grinned and dashed away again, sword already back in hand.
Eadlyn exchanged an amused look with Ranvi. That boy never slowed down. She hoped she’d have the energy for that kind of wildness when her time came. Knowing Aevar and his brothers, there was no doubt. She would have sons just as adventurous.
For the next hour, they worked steadily. Trygg brought back various finds—rocks, moss, more mushrooms—each one earning him praise. After picking all she could reach in one area, Eadlyn rose to straighten her back. Stretching, she noticed Heida staring into the trees. Something in her alert posture sent a chill crawling along Eadlyn’s skin.
Still keeping an eye on the forest, Heida walked over to where Trygg was playing. “Let’s go look over here.”
Her tone remained calm, but she rested her hands on her weapons as Trygg followed her into the bilberry patch to Ranvi. Eadlyn tried to convince herself she was just paranoid, but then Heida murmured something too quiet to hear. Ranvi’s expression tensed, and she nodded as she rose and reached for Alvir.
“All right, I think it’s time to head back now.” She caught Eadlyn’s gaze, confirming her suspicion that something wasn’t quite right.
“But the baskets aren’t full!” Trygg protested.
Ranvi kept her voice light. “They are full enough. If we put much more in, we’d be spilling bilberries all the way back to the village.”
Eadlyn wove through the bushes, trying to swallow the apprehension rising in her throat. When she reached her, Ranvileaned in close and whispered, “Heida thinks she saw someone in the trees.”
The words tightened around Eadlyn like a rope. Inga had joined them, taking Katla’s hand, and together they left the bilberry patch. Eadlyn glanced over her shoulder as they followed the trail back toward the village. Heida had taken up the rear, walking stiffly and scanning every shadow. Eadlyn prayed she’d only seen a glimpse of a deer or other harmless animal.
A sharp snap broke through the stillness, too loud and crisp.
Eadlyn froze mid-step. All around them, the forest hushed, and the silence rang in her ears. She drew a shallow breath and shifted closer to Inga and Ranvi.
Two figures exploded from the trees. One wore a black leather mask that wrapped over his face, only the whites of his eyes visible. The other was a woman, her face deathly pale beneath war paint, black streaks smeared like claws across her cheeks. The sun caught the metal in their hands.
Kalgorans.
“Run!” Heida’s voice rang out as her axes flashed.
Iron met iron with a clang that echoed through the trees. Inga lunged for Katla, sweeping her up into her arms, and Ranvi clutched Alvir, her voice trembling as she called for Trygg. Eadlyn’s hands went slack, the basket dropping from her fingers. Then they ran.
Clashes erupted behind them, and Eadlyn darted a look back. Could Heida hold off two attackers by herself? But what could Eadlyn even do to help? She had the knife Heida had given her, but even with some training, she could not—
A scream echoed as another dark shape burst from the bushes. In one swift, monstrous motion, a man snatched Trygg off his feet,clamping a thick arm around the boy’s chest and raising a blade to his neck.
“No!” Ranvi cried, raw panic splitting her voice.
Inga spun, thrusting Katla into Eadlyn’s arms. Eadlyn staggered under the weight of the girl. Trygg’s face went white as the burly Kalgoran adjusted his grip on him. His lip trembled, but he didn’t cry out.
“Let him go!” Inga demanded, stepping forward, knife drawn.
Heida appeared moments later, panting, with blood staining her arm. Her axes were still in hand, her expression murderous. She flanked Inga and faced the three Kalgorans now gathered before them. Her voice rang out, harsh and demanding, with words Eadlyn did not understand. The man eyed them before responding in the same coarse language. Though Eadlyn failed to decipher anything he said, she was almost certain she heard her name in the jumble of words.
A tense silence followed, but something in Heida’s posture changed.
Eadlyn’s legs went cold. “What did he say?”
Heida shifted, flexing her hands around her axes. “He said…they’ll let Trygg and the rest of us go…if they take you instead.”
The world tilted. Eadlyn fixed her attention on Trygg. His chin quivered, and his eyes, wide and scared, met hers. He whimpered as the man’s blade pressed harder against his throat.
Heida gestured at her own chest with her axe, and Eadlyn’s stomach sank. But the man shook his head and spoke shortly. Heida’s voice rose, yet Eadlyn read the hard resolve in the man’s black-rimmed eyes. Either they got what they wanted or they would kill Trygg and anyone who stood between them and her. There wasn’t time to think.
“I’ll go.”
Heida’s expression flashed with protest, but no words came. They had no other choice.
Eadlyn set Katla down beside Ranvi and locked eyes with Heida again, finding her expression twisted into a sort of grim admiration.
