The tension in Svanna’s neck eased slightly. The gods were being kind, for once. She wasn’t entirely alone. She had a band of warriors and, working together, they might be able to tip the balance back in Halfr’s favour. She silently prayed that the Queen was all right.
‘Go to the church and see if we can free the warriors.’
He tilted his head to one side, his long lashes hiding his eyes. ‘We can try, but is there a secret way out? I know the church on my estate in Eire has hidden passages in case of difficulty. Funnily enough, men do not always fear God.’
‘A secret way?’ Svanna put a hand to her now-pounding head and tried to think. It sounded like something Sigmund would do, or instruct the priest to do. ‘I’ve no idea. The Queen and I haven’t been here long. We never go to the church. But I suspect she may be there to support Lord Sigmund, or I hope she is.’
She hated how her voice trembled on the last word.
Rather than replying, Rand hunkered down to look the assistant swineherd in the eye. ‘Do you know if the priest can escape?’
The lad’s eyes widened at being addressed in Gaelic by a Northern warrior, but he gave a hesitant nod. ‘His altar boy is my best mate. He showed me the secret way in a month ago. We used it to play tricks on the priest only last week. The priest doesn’t know we know, but we were fooling around and discovered it.’
Rand clapped him on the back. ‘What all lads do.’
The knots in her stomach eased. Sigmund and the others were not necessarily caught in a trap, provided the attackers had no idea of where the escape route led.
‘Am I going to get in trouble?’ the lad asked.
‘Not at all.’ Svanna forced a bright smile. ‘If you help Lord Randolfr, you might get a reward. I’ll make sure of it.’
The lad’s eyes shone. ‘My lady.’
Rand rapidly gave orders to his men. Several of them were to follow the lad to where he thought the priest might emerge, while the rest would help him secure what weapons he could.
Her jaw stopped hurting. He had thought as she did and had acted how she’d hoped. He had divided his force, but she hoped the men would be enough to ensure a successful escape.
‘You said the Queen might not be with Sigmund. Where else could she be?’
‘Do you think they are looking for her?’
He shrugged. ‘It would be embarrassing, and the new King of Agthir might be annoyed if the former Queen became a captive. If I were organising such a raid, I’d look for high status women.’
‘My foster-mother was going to the hall. I’ve no idea if she decided to join Lord Sigmund at the service or not,’ she said. ‘What should I do? My status is unimportant.’
‘I’ve no idea what you are worth to the invaders, my lady. But any woman captive fetches a price at market.’ He lifted a brow. ‘I presume you will want to hide.’
Said with a slight curl of his lip as if she was the sort to scurry away and leave everything to the warriors. After the fall of Agthir, she’d vowed never to be defenceless again and had begged Astrid for instruction in the arts of battle.
‘I can fight.’ She crossed her arms and dared him to say differently. ‘Long ago, the Queen ensured that I could play my part in resisting any invasion.’
His gaze raked her up and down and seemed to linger on her curves. ‘I welcome all those who can use a weapon, but you don’t appear dressed for war.’
She gritted her teeth. ‘Greeting guests in battle armour might have been off-putting.’
He laughed, a rusty sort of laugh as if he hadn’t had much recent practice in such things, but it was a rich laugh, pleasant to the ear. ‘Don’t blame me if you encounter trouble.’
‘I know where the weapons are stored, particularly the large quantity of arrows,’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘Please will you try and rescue my…the Queen first?’
He put a hand on her shoulder. The impersonal touch caused a warm pulse to go through her. ‘I would be delighted to have your help in securing more weapons.’
‘Delighted to have yours.’
He gave a crooked smile and held out his hand. ‘The beginning of a friendship?’
‘I prefer friends to enemies,’ she said, repeating one of the Queen’s favourite sayings.
She grasped his hand and shook it.
