Magnus whistled suddenly in warning and Caitlin turned to see another wagon crest the brow of the hill and come rolling down towards them. The group fell into tense silence, hands close to weapons.
As the cart neared, Caitlin saw that it was being driven by an older man and two youths—his sons, perhaps. They were deep in conversation and Caitlin heard a sudden peal of laughter. They certainly didn’t look like bandits or any other kind of threat.
Kai plastered a wide smile onto his face and waved in a friendly manner. “Good day!”
The older man pulled the cart to a halt a few paces away. “Good day to ye, friend,” he called. “How may we be of service?”
The two youths eyed them warily, but made no move to get down from the wagon.
“We are heading to Finn’s Cross,” Kai said, strolling over with his usual swagger. “But I find I’m not sure of the way. Do we follow this road or take the wider one?”
“So ye are heading to the fair then?”
“Fair?”
“Aye, the biggest fair in these parts! We’re heading there too. Best place to sell our wares.”
“Ah! I thought ye must be merchants by the quality of yer clothing.”
“That we are,” the man replied. “And I must say, I thought ye might be bandits when I first caught sight of ye. But I can tell from yer manners and the fact that ye’ve got yer wife with ye that ye must be merchants just like myself.”
Caitlin felt her cheeks flame at the man’s suggestion but Kai merely nodded. “That’s right and these good fellows are our guards. Ye can never be too careful can ye?”
“Aye. Well, if ye turn west onto the coast road ye’ll be at the fair in no time,” he nodded at the wider road. “Ye are welcome to travel with us if ye like.”
Kai bowed his head in thanks. “Much obliged to ye but we need to rest the horses for a bit. We’ll follow along later. I owe ye a flagon of ale when next I see ye.”
“Ha!” the man cried, flicking the reins. “If I see ye at the fair, I’ll hold ye to that!”
With that, he gave them a wave and his cart lurched off down the wider path. Kai watched them go, hands on hips and a frown on his face.
“I dinna much like the sound of that,” Conall said, guiding his horse alongside.
“Nor me,” Emeric agreed. “I thought this Leif character liked to act in the shadows. A busy fair isnae the kind of place I’d expect him to use. It’s too public.”
“On the contrary,” Kai said, turning to look at his men. “It’s the perfect place. He can hide his activities in plain sight, bury his illegal trade under the honest activities going on around it.” His eyes narrowed as he turned to watch the merchant’s cart disappearing into the distance. “But it makes our job a whole lot more dangerous. If this goes wrong, a lot of people could get hurt.”
“So, what do we do?” Oskar asked. “We canna back out now. We’ve come too far to lose the bastard’s trail.”
Kai said nothing. He had a faraway look on his face as he stared into the distance.
“No,” he said finally. “We willnae back out. But we have to be careful. Conall, I want ye to ride ahead and scope out the place. Pose as a merchant and find this merchant we’re looking for—what did Alfred say his name was? MacGuinness?—and then ride straight back. The rest of us will follow behind. When we reach the fair, I will go in alone. Emeric, Oskar, ye two will follow me in and watch my back. Magnus, ye will take Caitlin to a safe spot away from the fair and wait until we return.”
The men all nodded and they set off again. Conall galloped off ahead and soon disappeared over the horizon. The rest of them followed at a slower pace, wending their way along the wider road which soon became busier with other traffic: people with carts, people with belongings slung across their backs, all making their way towards the fair.
As the afternoon wore on, Caitlin heard the faint sound of music on the wind, growing louder and more distinct until finally they topped a shallow rise and found themselves looking out on the fair below.
It was a riot of color and noise, with people thronging the booths and stalls, their voices raised in bargaining and laughter. The air was thick with the scent of roasting meat, warm beer, and spices. Caitlin had never seen anything like this, and for a second she forgot all about Leif Snarlsson, their mission, time-travel, and being so far from home, and just stared at it all.
But then she saw Kai stiffen at her side, his face turning grim and resolute, and the reality of their situation came crashing back in. They were here to do a job, and they couldn’t afford to let their guard down for even a moment.
Kai turned to his men, his voice low. “Remember, we stick together. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious. And if things go south, we get the hell out of here as fast as we can. Understood?”
They nodded and Magnus craned his neck. “Conall is coming back.”
Caitlin turned to watch as Conall rode up to them, his horse lathered with sweat and his expression grim.
“Well?” Kai asked, his voice sharp with tension. “What did ye find?”
