“Even while you’re…” Cai shook his head.He couldn’t say iteither.He wondered if Aelfric had ever experienced desires of theflesh so intense that they passed into the spirit, and then beyondwords.“Even while you’re doing that?”
“Yes.And so will you.You were a warrior before you became amonk, and long before you lay down with me.That’s what you’ll bewhen everything else is gone.”
Caifrowned.It was a solid Viking compliment, but he wasn’t sure heliked it.“That doesn’t enthrall me.”
“What else would you have?”
“Your idea of a beautiful death might be a battlefield one.Formyself, I’ll take a long life and a warm bed at the end ofit.”
“Would you?When you left Fara yesterday, I didn’t think youwanted to last until sunset.”
“Well, I almost got my wish.”Fen passed an arm round hiswaist, and he shivered in surprise and then returned the gesture.“But everything’s changed.Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“The dunes.The soft beds of thyme.”
Fen wasright—they both were inveterate warriors.Cai caught himselfassessing their chosen dune for defensibility even before they’dreached it, and he knew he’d have done so without the Viking’ssuggestion.High, isolated a little way from the rest.Good linesof sight all around, and plenty of crisp marram grass to give awayintruders.
Tuckedaway behind its crest, a perfect crescent of white sand.Caistepped carefully around its edges.Its surface was unmarred,shining like the inside of an oyster shell in the sun.He didn’twant to disturb it till they both did.Then they would rip it tohell.He didn’t know how it would be, but he knew there’d be afight, a combat he longed for and hungered to lose.“Fen…”
Fen wasimmobile on the ridge of the dune.His back was turned, hisattention fixed on the mainland.Afraid their peace was alreadyabout to be shattered, Cai scrambled up to join him.“What isit?”
“I have understood something.”
He wasquivering finely, like an arrow drawn against a string.Caiwouldn’t have known it, but the tense vibration transferred itselfwhen he laid a hand to his arm.“What?Is somethingwrong?”
“This island—they call it Fara, yes?”
“Yes.Well—all this scatter of islands are called the Faras,but this is the largest, so yes.”
“Fara, the island.And the place where the monasterystands…”
“Fara too, but not an island.Peninsula, notinsula.”The words feltmore than usually awkward in Cai’s mouth.He didn’t want to be uphere talking Latin to this man.He was sure that, a little timemore in each other’s company, they would smooth out the differencesin their north-lands tongues and be able to speak as their naturesintended.“What about it?”
“The Fara treasure.Our legends say it lies on the island ofFara.Insula, notpeninsula.”
Caichuckled.It wasn’t funny, but he could see a bitter irony.“Great.So you lot have been knocking seven bells out of my poor monasteryfor nothing?Didn’t you know the difference?”
“It looks like an island from the sea.”
“Well, next time you see them youcan tell them to leave off, can’t you?They can come and raid…” Caifell briefly silent, his mouth drying.“Oh, for God’s sake, Fen.You can’t think there’s anythinghere.”
Fen took hold of his sleeve.He pulledhim down into the bright crescent, rucking up its surface.“Sit,”he said, a trace of command in his voice Cai was more thanhalf-inclined to argue.“There are things I haven’t told you aboutthe Fara treasure—just as you didn’t see fit to tell me all thethings you said about it to the old man.”
“That wasn’t on purpose.There hasn’t been time, and—”
“And you hardly knew me.Very well.The same constraints have been on me, but now you haveto listen.I need your help.”
Cai couldn’t understand the change inhim.He’d perked up at Addy’s fireside, but this was different—afeverish distress beneath his eagerness.“You’ll have it, if itdoesn’t mean outright murder,” he said, trying to smile,immediately regretting his choice of words.What did he expect ofthe wolf?“Tell me now.”
“According to a prophet ofmy people, the Dane Land tribes once held a treasure, an amulet ofinfinite power.It could even bind our gods.And many years ago,one of the followers of Christ stole this amulet and buried it on aholy island off the east coast of Britannia.”
“But there are dozens of those.Why arewefeeling the business end of Thor’s hammer?”
“Our prophet had a newrevelation over the winter this year.He named Fara.You do notunderstand about this treasure, Cai, and nor did your abbot.No mannot born a Dane could ever understand.In our enemy’s hands, it hasthe power to bind our warriors’ might.To suck the wind from oursails, cause our swords to snap and our proud manhood towither.”
Cai looked innocently out to sea.Hestill had hopes of this refuge amongst the dunes.He said,thoughtfully, “God forbid.”
