She smiled back at him and indicated that he should move the table. She grasped Astrid’s leg. ‘One, two three. One last try.’
He lifted the heavy table and this time she was able to pull the leg free.
‘Done. Let’s go’
Rand let the table drop with a thud. Svanna attempted to raise Astrid to her feet but her leg buckled under her.
‘I can’t walk, Svanna. Leave me.’
‘Never fear.’ With one movement, he picked up Astrid and tossed her over his shoulder. ‘Let’s go. All of us. Now.’
They rushed towards the door, Svanna allowing Rand and Astrid to go before her. Her heart eased slightly when she saw them out. ‘All will be well.’
Behind her a beam crashed down, catching her gown. Her scream echoed.
Rand’s hand grasped hers. ‘Come now.’
She pulled hard and heard the gown tear.
‘I liked that gown,’ she said, keeping focused on the small things rather than giving into the wave of panic which threatened to overwhelm her.
‘Gowns can be replaced.’ His fingers held hers. ‘Now.’
Together they plunged through the open door. Behind them, further beams crashed down, covering them in a shower of sparks. Rand’s men threw water over them.
‘Not going to go into any more burning buildings today, are we?’ Rand asked.
She dropped his hand. ‘All good.’
‘Excellent.’ He patted her back. ‘You recover, and I’ll make sure yourmothergets medical attention.’
Rather than correcting him, Svanna put her hands on her knees and filled her lungs with cooling air. Astrid had a chance, which was all that mattered. She had to hope that Sigmund had also survived, but the wreckage of his dreams was clear in the smouldering buildings.
‘Where is Astrid?’ Sigmund called, rushing up to the smouldering remains of the hall. ‘Where is my darling? Was she in there? Or has she been captured? Is she alive?’
‘She is there…safe,’ she said in a croaking voice which sounded dimly like her own.
Svanna nodded to where Rand stood over Astrid’s prone body. Sigmund went over to her and gathered her in his arms, murmuring over and over that he’d put her in danger and he planned to devote the remainder of his life to her. Astrid weakly smiled and told him not to make promises he’d break, but he needed to thank the warrior who had saved her—Lord Randolfr Fullrson.
Sigmund’s eyes bulged. ‘Is this true, Svanna?’
‘He went into the burning building and rescued her. A table had fallen on her leg.’ Svanna kept quiet about her part in the rescue. ‘Just as well I disobeyed your direct order and allowed him to stay.’
Sigmund bowed his head. ‘I believe I owe you a life debt, Rand the Silver-Tongue. You predicted such a thing would happen when we last parted. I regret I failed to believe you.’
Rand bowed his head. ‘The only boon I ask is that you listen to the words from my king in due course. And perhaps find favour with his suggestion. I did come to warn you that an attack is imminent.’
‘Why is that?’
‘I too owe life debts, Halfr the Bold, and we now share a common enemy—the so-called Sons of Drengr. They seek to destroy you and the former Queen of Agthir.’
Sigmund gave a half-smile. ‘How convenient for both of us that you now know my birth-name, but those men are elsewhere.’
‘Turgeis Drengrson led the raiding party,’ Svanna said in a quiet tone, willing him to listen instead of picking a fight with Rand. ‘Rand had nothing to do with this.’
‘How do you know this? Because Silver-Tongue told you?’
‘No, because I witnessed Turgeis supervising the barricading of the hall. He saluted me as if he wanted me to take a warning back to Agthir. Back to Maer. The sons of Drengr will have vengeance.’ She pressed her hands against her ruined gown and bade the trembling of her limbs to go. ‘A few more heartbeats and we would not have been able to enter in time to save my foster-mother.’
