“She will drop the knife when the little girl is safe. Do as I tell you.”
Olaf looked baffled, but he released Kiri. She stood there a moment, staring from Cleve back to Chessa.
“Go, Kiri, go to your papa. I will be all right. Go.”
“But you told me just one papa wasn’t enough. You said—”
“I know, sweeting, but things have changed. Your papa will take good care of you. Go now.”
Cleve looked at Chessa even as Kiri bounded into his arms. He held her close, but his eyes never left Chessa’s pale, set face. He watched her slowly lower the knife and step back from Erek. Then she handed the knife, handle forward, to Kerek.
“Thank you, Princess,” Kerek said. He turned back to the group of men. “Merrik, Cleve, I am sorry that Ragnor got past me and came to torment you. But now you will escape and return to your farmsteads. All will be the same again. Your lives will be as they were once more. Cleve, you will simply inform Duke Rollo of the princess’s marriage to the heir of the Danelaw. Merrik, you’ll find theSilver Ravenat the far dock. My men moved it from its hiding place when I knew Rorik had come. It is your warship despite what Ragnor claims. You will find food and clean clothes aplenty in the covered cargo space. However, there is no treasure. The king isn’t that generous. I bid you good-bye.”
Kerek turned, motioned to his two men, and walked into the woods, Chessa at his side.
Cleve ignored the men’s furious words. He took two steps toward the woods. “No, Cleve, not yet,” Merrik said. “Not just yet.”
“There must be a way to save her, there must.”
“We will find it,” Hafter said. “But Merrik is right. Not now. You must get back your strength, we must make plans for this. We will get her, Cleve.”
Gunleik placed his big veined hand on Cleve’s shoulder. “She did what she had to do. She is much like Mirana. She will take care of herself.”
But Cleve wondered how. She tended to speak before she thought. She despised Ragnor and she wouldn’t hesitate to tell him so. If the king didn’t stop him, Ragnor would try to strangle her. He could just picture Chessa goading Ragnor into a black rage. He was very afraid. He felt immense guilt.
He also felt loss. He didn’t like it. It was empty and cold, what he felt. Kerek had apologized to Cleve if he’d loved Chessa. That was ridiculous. He’d been a weak fool to believe Sarla, and look what it had gotten him. Well, he’d gotten Kiri, but still, no other woman would make him disbelieve what he knew to be true. He had a scarred ugly face and no possessions worth speaking of. What Chessa wanted of him, he had no idea. But she couldn’t love him. He knew that as surely as he remembered Sarla’s hatred spewing on him.
Cleve went down on his knees and looked at his daughter. “You didn’t starve yourself this time.”
“You didn’t come home the day I laid down the eighth stick.”
“As you know now, I couldn’t. You mustn’t consider me dead when I don’t come back to you on the exact day.”
She nodded. “That’s what Papa said.”
“I know, I just said it. We will speak about this further, but now we must get away from this place. Hafter, please carry her. I’m too filthy.”
Cleve said whilst they walked along the beach, the water occasionally flowing over their feet, “I can’t let Chessa remain here. She gave herself for Kiri. I must think of some way to get her back.”
“Aye,” Rorik said over his shoulder. “Cease picking at yourself, Cleve. We’ll get her back.”
“I’ll kill that mangy little bastard,” Merrik said, rubbing his hands together. “But I do want a bath first and enough food to fill up all the cracks in my belly.”
Gunleik said, “I told you she is like Mirana. Strong. Aye, and she has guile, just as Mirana does.”
“You used to curse that Mirana gave you your gray hair, Gunleik,” Rorik said.
“Aye, she did. She’ll give you gray hair as well.”
Cleve listened to the men. The emptiness in him grew. He hated it.
That evening the men camped along a rock inlet some miles north along the coast. They were clean, well garbed again, and hadn’t stopped eating.
To Cleve’s astonishment, Kiri refused food. He himself cut up a piece of roasted pheasant. She just shook her head.
“What is this? I’m with you again. I’m safe. I’m here. Eat.”
“Papa isn’t here.”
