strode to Bjarni’s house and turned his mind to more important matters.
* * *
Ragnar and Bjarni hurried to the cave to find Kjartan in the same position as before: propped up against the wall.
“ You’ve been here all the time?” asked Ragnar.
“ No. I escaped, swam back to the old country, sired fifty children, then swam back and tied myself up again.”
“ What’s he doing here?” said Bjarni, still trying to catch up.
“ So you haven’t been into the village at all?”
“ No! Just give me some water, will you? And I’m dying for a piss.”
Ragnar fetched some water, freed Kjartan’s hands from his feet and took him outside to relieve himself, while Bjarni stayed close in case of trouble.
“ So you didn’t murder anyone?”
“ Not today. What are you talking about?”
“ We’ll take him back to our house tonight,” said Ragnar to Bjarni as he tied Kjartan back up again.
“ Why can’t you just let me go?”
“ I don’t trust you.”
Kjartan shrugged as well as he could with his hands bound.
“ We’ll be back.” The two Huskarls strode out, leaving their former colleague shaking his head.
“ I’ll have to put him somewhere where I can keep an eye on him,” said Ragnar as they walked, “but I can’t think of anywhere except my house.”
“ Yeah, but why d’you need to watch him?”
“ I still think he’s got something to do with the murders.”
“ Why?”
“ I just do. He’s a demon.”
“ That’s fair.”
* * *
Aelfwyn hadn’t seen Saehild for so long that she went round to her house. But yet again, she found only Ifay at her sister’s home.
“ Where does she go all the time?” she sighed.
Ifay shrugged. “I have some ideas but do not dare tell anyone.”
“ Why not?”
“ No one will believe me.”
“ Oh, tell me.” Aelfwyn didn’t want to go home and continue housework. She wondered again if she should buy a slave to help her.
“ When I look at your sister, I see -”
“ What? Go on.”
“ I see darkness about her. Darkness tinged with gold.”
Aelfwyn laughed. “What are you talking about?”
“ It’s just a feeling I get. I’ve always had feelings about people.”
“ I know what you mean. My husband calls it womanly intuition.”
Ifay nodded. “Men do not trust it. I do not tell them.”
Aelfwyn again thought how lucky she was to have an understanding man, unlike the other Danes.
“ Madam, can I ask you a disrespectful question?”
“ Very well.”
“ Did you try the salt as we talked about? For the - you know -”
“ Not yet. But I will. I trust you.”
Aelfwyn wondered why she did. This slave somehow radiated calm, dependability. How did she do it?
She stayed at the house for longer than she’d meant to, going home reluctantly in the late afternoon. She didn’t want to be caught out by nightfall with Alvi strapped to her.
* * *
When Bjarni returned home after dark, the women were not there. Saehild must be out revelling again. He avoided thinking about her as he didn’t want his scar to start aching again. But Ifay? After fidgeting around for a while, he went out again to search for her. Where the hell would she be at this time in the evening? Had he scared her off? Had she run away?
Why did he care what happened to a slave anyway? But as time drew on and Hallby villagers scurried past, following advice and hastening home, he became more and more worried.
She wouldn’t have gone out of the village, would she? He went up to the gate but the guards stopped him.
“ Why are you going out at this time?” asked one.
“ Someone might be lost out there.”
“ But -”
“ Let me out, please. I’ll take responsibility.”
He pushed past them, something telling him he’d find her near the wood.
A crouching figure caught his eye as he approached the trees, their branches swishing and hissing in the wind. It was Ifay, struggling to pick up twigs spread on the floor.
“
* * *
Ragnar and Bjarni hurried to the cave to find Kjartan in the same position as before: propped up against the wall.
“ You’ve been here all the time?” asked Ragnar.
“ No. I escaped, swam back to the old country, sired fifty children, then swam back and tied myself up again.”
“ What’s he doing here?” said Bjarni, still trying to catch up.
“ So you haven’t been into the village at all?”
“ No! Just give me some water, will you? And I’m dying for a piss.”
Ragnar fetched some water, freed Kjartan’s hands from his feet and took him outside to relieve himself, while Bjarni stayed close in case of trouble.
“ So you didn’t murder anyone?”
“ Not today. What are you talking about?”
“ We’ll take him back to our house tonight,” said Ragnar to Bjarni as he tied Kjartan back up again.
“ Why can’t you just let me go?”
“ I don’t trust you.”
Kjartan shrugged as well as he could with his hands bound.
“ We’ll be back.” The two Huskarls strode out, leaving their former colleague shaking his head.
“ I’ll have to put him somewhere where I can keep an eye on him,” said Ragnar as they walked, “but I can’t think of anywhere except my house.”
“ Yeah, but why d’you need to watch him?”
“ I still think he’s got something to do with the murders.”
“ Why?”
“ I just do. He’s a demon.”
“ That’s fair.”
* * *
Aelfwyn hadn’t seen Saehild for so long that she went round to her house. But yet again, she found only Ifay at her sister’s home.
“ Where does she go all the time?” she sighed.
Ifay shrugged. “I have some ideas but do not dare tell anyone.”
“ Why not?”
“ No one will believe me.”
“ Oh, tell me.” Aelfwyn didn’t want to go home and continue housework. She wondered again if she should buy a slave to help her.
“ When I look at your sister, I see -”
“ What? Go on.”
“ I see darkness about her. Darkness tinged with gold.”
Aelfwyn laughed. “What are you talking about?”
“ It’s just a feeling I get. I’ve always had feelings about people.”
“ I know what you mean. My husband calls it womanly intuition.”
Ifay nodded. “Men do not trust it. I do not tell them.”
Aelfwyn again thought how lucky she was to have an understanding man, unlike the other Danes.
“ Madam, can I ask you a disrespectful question?”
“ Very well.”
“ Did you try the salt as we talked about? For the - you know -”
“ Not yet. But I will. I trust you.”
Aelfwyn wondered why she did. This slave somehow radiated calm, dependability. How did she do it?
She stayed at the house for longer than she’d meant to, going home reluctantly in the late afternoon. She didn’t want to be caught out by nightfall with Alvi strapped to her.
* * *
When Bjarni returned home after dark, the women were not there. Saehild must be out revelling again. He avoided thinking about her as he didn’t want his scar to start aching again. But Ifay? After fidgeting around for a while, he went out again to search for her. Where the hell would she be at this time in the evening? Had he scared her off? Had she run away?
Why did he care what happened to a slave anyway? But as time drew on and Hallby villagers scurried past, following advice and hastening home, he became more and more worried.
She wouldn’t have gone out of the village, would she? He went up to the gate but the guards stopped him.
“ Why are you going out at this time?” asked one.
“ Someone might be lost out there.”
“ But -”
“ Let me out, please. I’ll take responsibility.”
He pushed past them, something telling him he’d find her near the wood.
A crouching figure caught his eye as he approached the trees, their branches swishing and hissing in the wind. It was Ifay, struggling to pick up twigs spread on the floor.
“
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