Sigrid’s most vivid impressions of her capture and captivity had been of hands. She, a lady, a daughter and sister of knights and cousin of a king, had never known how free men’s hands could be with a woman they did not respect and whose family they did not fear.
Eirik had heard much laughter since he had been captured — none of it friendly, of course, but at least the frank, respectful laughter of men who knew that but for the fickleness of fortune, they and he might have been standing on the opposite sides of the bars. Eirik had taken many hostages and won many ransoms in his time, and he had laughed the same bold laughter himself.
As soon as the door was cracked wide enough for her bulging belly, Sweetdew trotted in and heaved herself down at Eithne’s feet like a little guardian lion. Eithne did not think this a promising sign.
Eithne found she could only laugh, now that Cian had picked himself up off the floor and Flann had seen that Liadan was safe and had stopped her shrillest screaming for Osh and the Lord to come to her aid.
Sigrid had tied her cloak so tightly that her heart seemed to be battering itself against the knot in a frantic attempt at escape. Her shoulders and breast were covered safe and snug, but it only made the rest of her feel all the more exposed.
Eirik only managed to croak, “Wait here,” before he dashed into the ruddy gloom of the smithy, his throat already burning with bile.
Skorri dropped the hem of his tunic and spun around to snarl, “I’m in here!”
Osh’s eyes and mouth were dry and sticky with sleep, and his head was dizzy, as if he had whirled and whirled himself around as little boys liked to do. It seemed the Duke had again talked him into drinking too much of that wretched wine-drink.
Not a fortnight had passed since the Abbot had last seen Flann in strikingly similar circumstances. The gentleman was not the same, and Aelfden had been awoken from his sleep this time, but if he was not mistaken it was even the same hour.
Manhood had stolen upon Osh as winter came upon the trees. Leaf by leaf his elfhood had been dropping away.
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « November | January » | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |||
New in the Forum