‘Why would I want to do that?’ She held up the horn of mead. ‘You are obviously a warrior with a formidable reputation, but I trust and hope you come in peace as you are the high king’s emissary.’
She was quietly proud of her speech and thought it struck the right note, letting him know that his fearsome past as the king’s enforcer failed to intimidate her.
He gestured to his men to make themselves comfortable. ‘I don’t care how long we must wait, my lady, but I will speak with Sigmund before I depart from this place. I will deliver my message.’
‘Lord Sigmund makes his own decisions.’ Svanna examined him from under her lashes and wished she could ask Maer about what had truly gone on between them. If he considered Svanna to be Ingebord in truth, then they could not have been that close. Maer had held that secret close to her chest.
‘I wanted to ensure that we both understood the situation,Ingebord.’ His voice had lowered to a low purr which slid over her skin. ‘Too important for mistakes to happen.’
She ignored the hard clenching of her stomach and permitted a smile to play on her lips. ‘I believe we both understand the situation, Lord Randolfr, but I must warn you I only borrowed that name for a time.’
A sudden rustling caused her to turn. The assistant swineherd stood there with an open mouth. ‘Northmen everywhere.’
Svanna pinched the bridge of her nose. An excitable youth. Now her day was complete.
‘All well,’ she said slowly in Gaelic. ‘These Northmen are with me.’
The lad’s eyes widened as he took in Rand and his warriors. He stumbled back several steps. ‘Not them! Northmen surround the church. With flaming torches.’
Svanna’s stomach knotted. Halfr and the Queen had dismissed the warning about the additional ships as the product of an overactive imagination. What if they’d been wrong? Were they about to pay for it?
‘There shouldn’t be,’ she said, hating the note of uncertainty which crept into her voice.
‘Are they dressed in battle gear?’ Rand asked in perfect Gaelic. ‘Are their helms down and swords drawn?’
The boy nodded vigorously. ‘Shields, helms and weapons. Gleaming axes and torches.’
Bloodcurdling shrieks rent the air. Svanna stiffened, knowing the lad spoke the truth now and had spoken the truth earlier. The wisdom of hindsight. By dismissing the earlier intelligence, disaster had arrived.
Her lungs forgot how to work for several heartbeats.
‘This is crazy,’ Svanna said eventually, striving for a steady voice and trying to think logically, despite the urge to gasp for air. Despite the all-consuming longing to curl into a small ball and hide like she’d done as a young girl when Agthir had fallen, letting someone else take the lead. There was no one else. ‘Who would be so foolish to attack when many warriors are here?’
‘Where are they now?’ Rand asked. ‘These warriors of yours.’
‘The service is taking place, the street was quiet. Almost everyone is there or at the hall.’ Svanna stuffed her hand against her mouth and tried to swallow the scream welling up inside her. ‘The priest insisted they leave their weapons in storage so as not to sully the church. Lord Sigmund set several to guard the weapons, but that was purely for show.’
‘Who knew this gathering was going to happen?’
‘All the kings on Islay.’
‘And they are all here?’ Rand’s voice was hard and insistent, forcing her to think. ‘It is important,Ingebord.’
‘The name is Svanna.’ Svanna tried to concentrate despite the rising panic in her throat. ‘All except the king from Gruinard who is ill.’
Rand nodded and put his hand on his sword. ‘Your potential culprits. One or both spread rumours. Gruinard is probably how my king heard of the gathering.’
‘Did you know about the attack?’
‘Do you consider me foolish enough to sail into a planned attack? Or not to seek to warn you about it?’ He shook his head. ‘I’m many things, my lady, but risking my men in that fashion? Never.’
She stared at the harbour. Rand, irritatingly, had a point.
‘Now, what are we going to do about it?’ he murmured.
She blinked twice, thinking she’d misheard. ‘We?’
‘I’m not prepared to allow Sigmund to be slaughtered before I can speak with him, particularly as I suspect we share a common enemy.’ He bowed slightly. ‘My men and I are at your disposal, my lady.’
