"Father!" Hradi’s voice bellowed across the hall. A few moments later, the jarl emerged from the back rooms, accompanied by his other son. They both looked between Katrin and Hradi, confusion clear in their stares.
"What has happened?" Thorfinn asked.
"We must speak in private." Hradi looked at her, disgust and fury lined into his face. Katrin’s heart chilled. He lowered his voice, as if not wanting anyone else to hear. "We have been betrayed."
Katrin once more tugged against the rope. "Please, you must tell me what you mean. I cannot defend myself or explain if you don't tell me."
"You’re going to tell us everything right now," Hradi said. The ominous note lacing his voice solidified the jagged lump in her throat.
He turned, pulling on the rope once more when he headed toward the back. Whispers and curious murmurs surrounded them, fading when he guided her all the way to the far end of the bunks, his rough treatment intensifying not only the discomfort in her arms, but her anger as well. Setting her jaw, she ignored the pain and gave another defiant yank against his hold. It was enough to make him hesitate if only for a moment.
"Hradi, what happened?" Kori asked.
"She has betrayed us. She and Gunilla have summoned an army to invade us. Katrin is promised to another."
Silence hung in the room for several heavy moments. Katrin tried once more to make sense of his words. Again, she failed.
"There is no army! I am promised to no one! You know this! I explained how – "
"No more lies!" He tugged on the rope, yanking her close. "I told you, I don’t want to hear anything but the truth of your plan."
"There is no plan! I have no idea of what you say! You must believe me!" She longed for her wand, knowing the comfort of thestavin her hands would calm her, aid her in solving this peculiar predicament.
"I don’t." He turned to his father. "I heard the old woman talking to him. She has an alliance with another clan and has lured them here to attack us."
"You are mad!" Katrin yelled, once again pulling against her bondage. He didn’t release her. Frustration made her panic sharper, her resentment stronger. She curled her fingers around the trailing end of rope still in his hands and gave a hard tug.
She made no attempt to hide her frustration, giving him a fierce scowl. "You promised to let me speak. You must also promise to listen."
"Hradi, she is right. Let her speak." The jarl’s voice cut into the tension.
Katrin turned to face the older man, wincing when the rope rubbed her raw skin, though the discomfort paled when compared to her fear.
"I don’t know what Hradi overheard. I know nothing of this. All my years, I have never seen any indications Gunilla amassed an army. I wanted only to help those wherever we were, and I believe I did for many years.
"However, as I have grown older, and closer to my time of freedom, I have noticed things that have troubled me." She paused, trying to make sense of everything that had roused her suspicions.
"What sort of things?" Kori asked.
She met Hradi's brother's stare. She sensed little hostility, more a curious distrust looking for a final answer.
Katrin shrugged. "I never witnessed her commit any crimes." Of that, Katrin was sure. She heaved a sigh.
"I cannot prove anything, as I have no evidence of what she may have done. But in the last few years, I suspected her intentions were no longer for others, as they had been for as long as I can remember, but more for herself. When we neared Grindafell, I sensed an eagerness in her I'd not seen before, along with a strange unwillingness to accept the welcome your clan offered."
She avoided Hradi's glare. It would take some time before he finally believed in her again. She had no time to waste on worry for him now. She had to save herself. Only then could she appeal directly to him.
"I have a confession to make, that is true. But it is not what you think."
The jarl folded his hands, forefingers resting on his white-bearded chin. "Then what is your confession?"
"Before we came here, I knew my time with Gunilla neared its end. I looked forward to going to Hedeby in the spring, with a chance to make my own way in the world.
"However, despite our uneasy arrival here, I realized almost from our arrival, that I wanted to stay here. I felt as if I finally belonged somewhere and no longer needed to roam the world."
"If this is an attempt to sway us –"
Thorfinn held up a hand to silence Hradi. "Tell us why you felt this, Katrin."
