The men all laughed and even Thora chuckled at the image of Odin's eight-legged horse riding down from the heavens to speak with the horses.
"We can sell the steeds at The Thing. We'll fetch a fine amount in trade for them," said Ari.
"Take their weapons," Thora said.
All of the men paused in their conversation and stared at her.
"They died in battle, and should be allowed to defend themselves on their journey to Valhalla." The confusion in Ari's eyes seemed oddly comical in the heavy moment. Yet, Thora found no humor in the situation.
"Muli is a coward and only dares to attack anyone he sees as weaker than him. He doesn't deserve the glory of celebrating with the gods. If your friends had joined us a day or so earlier, he never would have come after us. He thought to ambush us. Clearly, the gods set things in motion for his defeat. They don't want him there."
She held Ari's stare and noted the recognition in his eyes. Was there a hint of pride there as well? She must have imagined it. He turned back to his friends.
"She's right. He's attacked before, when he thought Thora alone and vulnerable. Just for raiding with him, the others don't deserve the honor."
She held back her words of encouragement, but caught the pleased glimmer in his eyes, making them the blue of the morning sky. He turned away, joining his companions in gathering the fallen men's weapons. Soon the swords, axes and daggers had been placed in a neat pile.
"Put them in my sack."
Ari directed his demand to Thora. For a moment, she thought to resist, then realized she must show his friends she could be trusted. Whatever doubts she still held onto, she mustn't let on. She nodded, taking the offered sack he held out and knelt beside the pile. While she carefully placed each weapon into the pack, she dared a glance at the other men as they spoke with Ari, his back now facing her.
Karsi, his face grizzled and tough like old leather and who seemed the leader, was not the tallest, in fact, he was shortest, but the breadth of his shoulders still gave him a fearsome stature. Leif was the tallest, and the thinnest, but again, Thora sensed a powerful strength under his deceptive appearance. Both men seemed open and genuinely pleased to see Ari.
Alarr gave her pause. Dark and quiet, his height coming somewhere in between his fellow clansmen's, he said little, remaining still and studious. His dark stare met hers and she somehow suppressed an uneasy shiver at the strange light she found in his eyes. Why? He didn't know her, yet, judging from his scowl, he appeared to dislike her. Intensely. He looked away, turning his attention back to the others. Thora released a breath she hadn't even realized she held.
She placed the last axe inside the sack and tied the pack closed around the sword handles. Aware of the conversation halting when she approached, she met Ari's gaze. Silently, she attempted to let Ari know she wanted to speak with him alone, without being detected. Unfortunately, he appeared as oblivious as his friends. She stepped closer, taking up a position behind him, but still with a view of the others. The men continued to discuss their recent journeys, and Karsi and Alarr both spoke of their families, left behind for fear of some deadly retribution.
That should assuage some of Thora's concerns, but she couldn't completely cast off the feeling that Alarr did not fully stand with Ari. That he might in fact be working against him. She needed to convince Ari to speak with her alone, so she could share her suspicions.
Wait. Wasn't she only biding her time for the opportunity to be free of Ari's dangerous possession of her? Shouldn't she let him learn on his own if the man he called friend was truly his enemy? It might give her just the chance she needed. The silent swearing echoed in her head, making her worry the men could actually hear. Faced with the events of the last couple of hours, she had to be honest.
Ari was her greatest chance of surviving this journey. Besides, the thought of anyone wounding or ... She refused to consider anything of the sort. Yes, the gods could be cruel, but surely he had suffered enough over the last years.
This concern for him was truly a curse. Yes, he'd saved her, but he could very well also mean her doom. Once they reached Tingwalla, it was only a matter of time before someone in her clan, or worse, her father, found her. Various scenarios raced through her thoughts, leaving it hard to catch her breath. All of them ended with the loss of someone dear. She didn't know which was worse.
Aware of Ari turning his attention to her, Thora met his gaze. Her heart swelled to read what appeared to be genuine affection in his eyes. For a moment, she allowed the desire to stay with him always rise up, before forcing it back down. There was little to no chance of that being permitted, once Ari had stood before the council, before all those assembled at Tingwalla. Her father might ultimately be glad Ari had prevented the arranged marriage, but she doubted he would forgive what he would surely know had passed between his daughter and her savior.
He might hear your wishes, make a decision based on that.
No! Thora refused to listen to the taunting voice that always seemed to undermine her resolve. The hope was too great to be considered, though perhaps if she made an offering to Freyja, she might stand a better chance.
Again, she rejected the idea. Hope might very well leave her in despair, while facing the reality of her situation gave her the best chance of building a life for herself when this was all over without living in misery. Once her usefulness had ended, Ari would lose any interest he possessed for her. She couldn't bear seeing the heat leave his gaze, have him withhold his touch, his kiss.
Tear burned her eyes, rousing anger that he might see such weakness. She kept her face averted when he took her wrist and pulled her to stand beside him. She curled the fingers of her free hand into a ball in order to resist wiping at the dampness in her lashes.
"Let's make camp. We'll set off again in the morning." Ari faced the other men and waved toward a cluster of trees that offered shelter and obscurity from the road. He twined his fingers with hers and gave a small squeeze. She didn't acknowledge the gesture; instead, she turned toward Kata and Kati, waiting nearby. After a snap of her fingers, they took up positions on either side of Thora and Ari.
She held back a sigh. Her pets had accepted him, shouldn't that be enough for her to do so as well? And fight for a future with him? Even though the hopeful thoughts rose again, she forced them aside. She would not reveal the depth of her longing, not unless she was absolutely sure he felt even a small part of what she did.
"Take Gyllir," he said, gathering up the horse's reins and handing them to her. "I've got to help with the others. Wait over there."
He gave her hand another squeeze before letting go. Thora's heart burst into a crazy, erratic rhythm, one she tried unsuccessfully to ignore. Focusing on her task, her mind awhirl with myriad thoughts of Ari and the men who would stand beside him at Tingwalla, she led Gyllir toward the small grove of trees. She secured his reins to a branch and let him graze on the sweet grass, and sat between Kata and Kati while she waited for the others to join her.
Ari laughed easily with the men, and though they were too far away to be heard, she suspected they spoke of her, judging from the way they kept glancing her way. Once more her gaze settled on Alarr. He spoke easily with the other men, his stance now less rigid, and smiled easily. Perhaps her initial suspicion had been wrong. Still, she wanted to talk to Ari about it. When they reached the shelter of the trees, the men secured the horses. Ari crouched before Thora.
"Gather some kindling. We'll build a shelter for the night, though I may have to hunt again."
"We have plenty of food, Ari," said Leif. "We rode through Manjafell the day before last. They had much bread and pork at their market. With so many traveling to The Thing, they were happy to make a good bargain."
