Hagen stopped walking. He took a step closer, his expression serious. “Brynja. You’re not broken. You’re a survivor. There’s a difference.”
“It doesn’t always feel that way.”
“I know.” His hand lifted, hovering near her face, then dropped back to his side as if he’d thought better of the touch. “But I see you for what you are, Brynja. Not your past. Not your scars. Not your losses. You. And what I see is someone strong. Someone brave. Someone who rides a strange horse for the first time and laughs.”
Her throat tightened with unexpected emotion. “I haven’t laughed like that in a long time.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure it doesn’t take a long time before the next one.” His smile was gentle. “On the morrow, we’ll work on cantering. And then, if you’re willing, we’ll take Freya out on the trails. There’s a path along the coast that’s bonny this time of year.”
“I’d like that,” Brynja said. And she meant it.
They walked back to the keep together as the sun began its descent toward the western sea. Brynja’s body ached in unfamiliar places, but her heart felt lighter than it had in longer than she could remember.
Perhaps trust wasn’t something you gave all at once. Perhaps it was something you learned, like riding—one careful step at a time, until suddenly you found yourself moving forward with confidence.
And perhaps Hagen Grant was exactly the teacher she needed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Magni
Magni stood in front of his cottage, watching his younger brother again, but this time he was frustrated. “Tenney, stop going over to the pile of horse poop. I told you to leave it alone.”
The boy was fascinated by this hunk of what appeared to be dirt, but Magni knew by the odor that it had been left behind by Simone’s horse when she arrived a short time ago. She was inside chatting with his mother and Lia at the moment, but he surely could use some help with the lad.
“Tenney, it smells. You cannot play with it.”
Tenney laughed and giggled but ran away from Magni as if it were just a game to him. Finally, Magni thought of something. “I’ll fix you.” So he chased after him, grabbing him like a sack of vegetables, then carried him over to the horse. Magni climbed onto the mounting stone, then set him up on Simone’s stallion, who was busy munching on some grass.
Tenney landed on the saddle, and her horse lifted its head to look at Magni who patted him. “He just wants a wee ride. Simone will be back soon.”
The animal ignored him and went back to eating his snack.
Tenney, in the meantime, was having the time of his life. He sat on the saddle, grabbing the front of it to keep himself balanced, then bounced up and down as if he were really riding the beast across the beach. He laughed and giggled and carried on so much that it made Magni smile.
“I wish I could forget everything and have fun again, Tenney.” He sighed thinking of all the fears he still held onto, the ones his mother kept telling him he had to let go.
Fear of kidnapping, of smelly rooms and cellars, of mean men who hit you for no reason. Of old boats that could carry you to an unknown land and leave you all by yourself.
Of boats that could leave you on the shore of Mull, where you ran away with the hope you could find someone. And he had. His sister, who wasn’t truly his sister, but she loved him and protected him. Lia.
But then the cruel men could leave him somewhere else, where he didn’t know anyone. He wished Thane lived here with him because he would protect Magni when Lia was gone. And Connor Grant could live here too because he was the biggest man he had ever seen. And when he used his sword it scared Magni.
But so could Broc and Alaric. Their swords were bigger than Thane’s sword. And Lennox’s wife, Meg, could live with him too. She protected him once with an axe. And she hit the man right in the forehead, and he fell to the ground and never moved after that.
Mayhap he could get his grandfather to move here. Logan wasn’t really his grandfather, but he adopted him. Could he convince him to live here for one moon? And then Thane for the next moon. And then Lennox and Meg. And then Connor. And then Alasdair and John. They had that big blue sword.
And then there were the archers. Simone lived here already so he needed another one. Would Eli come and stay for a moon with Alaric? Or would Gwyneth come with Logan and protect him? Or Dyna. Aye. Dyna could come with Tora and Sylvi and Sandor, and they would tell him if any bad people were coming for him. They were all seers. Or Dyna was and Tora too. And mayhap Sylvi. But Sandor could talk with dead people. Or was it only some dead people?
“Magni,” his mother called out. “Would you please carry my bag for me?”
Magni took Tenney down from the horse and carried him over to his mother. “Where would you like your bag, Mama?”
“In the boat, please.”
All set to do as she asked, something stopped him. He stared at the bag and then back at his mother. “Where are you going, Mama?”
“I’ve decided to go stay with Thane for a while. And your da will help me get there. Would you like to come with me?”
