“Because my mother always said there were two things for us. And this crate is only one. She always referred to it in multiples. When you find them, not it. When you see them, not it.”
“I’ll keep digging.”
Hagen dug for a while, so Brynja joined him. “Brynja, if we don’t find something in the next quarter hour, I say we take what we found and leave. They could be back shortly and I’m not in the mood for another battle.”
“I agree.”
They continued to dig, and to their surprise, they both struck a piece of metal at the same time, staring at each other. “What do you think it is?” Brynja asked.
“I don’t know but it’s much larger than that crate.” He moved the soil aside, moving in her direction. “Brynja, this is for you, I think.”
“Why?” She stood back out of his way because the object was so large. He tugged on one side of it and lifted it slowly. When he got half of it out, she helped him, tugging the bottom out of the deep spot it was in.
He held it up and she nearly screamed with excitement.
It was a beautifully crafted set of gold armor.
Made for a woman.
Chapter Fifteen
Brynja
Brynja couldn’t wait to show Hildi her find. The plate of armor made to fit a woman’s body was so beautiful that she was in shock still. And with Hagen’s help, she’d held it up to her own body and it fit perfectly. There were straps to hold it on, but it was a little too uncomfortable to wear on the boat, so she decided to carry it back.
Hagen picked it up to carry it for her, then said, “Look, it’s in two pieces, meant to split at your waist.” So she carried the top piece, and Hagen carried the other piece.
Jowell and Paden were surprised to see her find. “Aunt Gwyneth will love it,” Jowell said.
“And so will my sister,” Hagen said.
“Dyna will love it, I agree. And Eli, if she wasn’t carrying a bairn,” Paden added.
“Eli will still try to put it on. I’ll warn Alaric,” Jowell added with a laugh.
Brynja cleared her throat and said, “It’s staying with me. It’s a gift from my mother. It probably came from the land of the Norse, my ancestors.”
Hagen said, “But you agreed to come to Duart Castle if we helped you find the treasure. And we did, and you found a hell of a treasure, so now you must go to Duart Castle with us.”
“Are you ordering me again?”
Hagen growled but said nothing.
She cleared her throat again and said, “Only if Hildi is better.”
They climbed into the boat, setting her discoveries carefully at the bottom of the boat. Hagen said, “That was not part of the agreement.”
Jowell said, “But I think we can allow her a couple of days for Hildi to wake up.”
Hagen made another odd growling sound and said, “We’ll see.”
“Did you just growl?” Brynja asked.
“Nay,” he said, turning his head away from her.
“You did. You surely did growl.”
Hagen ignored her and so did the others. Whatever. She didn’t care. So pleased to have found what she did, she knew that Hildi would be excited at the coins. Their mothers had always promised that if they wished to go north to the land of the Norse, they could find a way.
