Saga laughed and walked to the wall, selecting a sleek axe and attempted to swirl it over her head. The stitching on the bodice of her gown was so tight that she could only raise it halfway.
Pointing at one of the few women who did not look terrified, she said, “I need you to remove these sleeves.” The woman’s brows raised. “Ja. You,” she said and motioned her forward. The woman did as she was bid and with one rough tug, removed one sleeve and the other. Saga threw the sleeves on the table and picked up the axe again.
She turned toward the table and heaved it through the air before it landed deep into the table with a loud crack. A couple of the women screamed and more started crying. She walked over to Giric’s brother and stood toe to toe. He was no more than an inch or two taller than her.
“If you had taken the time to teach these women how to defend themselves instead of stirring dung, brother, they would know they do not need to fear me. For they could have taken me down at any point.”
She noted how he quickly masked the fear her actions had urged to the surface. “You mean to train them? Our chambermaids and servant girls learning how to throw an axe like a Viking?”
“Nay, my brother.” With one flick of her hand, she released the dagger she had strapped to the inside of her girdle and held it at his throat. “I intend to teach them to be stealthy like a Highland wildcat.”
Laughter erupted behind her. “It would appear, brother,” Giric said, “that having a Viking warrior in our midst, might be the one added defence this castle has been missing.” To the women, he said, “My wife will show you ways you can defend yourself at least enough so that if you are ever attacked by anyone, you can buy yourself some time to find somewhere safe to hide. Do you understand?”
Several wide-eyed women nodded, still a couple more cried, but that was understandable. They were used to having no control over their safety, but by Thor, not if she had any say over it.
After Giric and the men left she told the women to find a partner. To the woman who had helped remove her sleeves, she asked, “What is your name?”
“Anna,” she said.
“Does the castle have enough wooden spoons for each person here?”
The woman’s brow knit. “Aye, we have more than double that.”
“Very well, take someone with you for safety and bring them back here. Until I can secure daggers for you all, you will practice with spoons.”
“Everyone else,” she said to the crowd as Anna left to do as she was bid, “I want you to know that it is my intention to train you so that any man or woman who ever comes at you will regret it. In my village we women do not wait for the men to save us. We save ourselves.”
Audible gasps could be heard around the hall. While she was certain she could convince most of them to go along with her plan, others may simply be too afraid, and though that was a foreign concept to her, she remembered her own training and how her sister had acted at first, too scared to even lift a blade. So she would be patient, but by the time she was finished, each woman here would be more skilled than when they had walked into this hall.
* * *
Giric met with the men outside in the bailey. The guards had already gathered with the swords from the guard house and four men instead of two were now split between the guard houses on either side of the gate.
“Will you tell us what is going on?” his brother asked. “You’ve caused quite a stir today, brother.”
“Aye, and with good reason.”
“And what is that?”
“I spied a manslayer at the tavern.”
“What?”
Giric wished he never had to speak the word. They were the most dangerous and elite of the king’s guard. He was certain of the king’s support in his marriage because he’d secured it before travelling to Islay. No, this was something else and something far more dangerous.
“You heard me.”
“But you have the king’s blessing for this insane marriage of yours.”
“Aye, I do.” He paused and drew a deep breath. “I do not believe the king sent the assassin. Which can only mean—”
“That the castle has been infiltrated at the highest level. The king is in danger too.”
“Aye, I believe that is the case. Which means if they are here for my wife and me, we will not see them coming. I want this castle scoured top to bottom, twice.”
“Aye, m’lord,” the main guard said.
His brother said, “We can fight an army much easier than one assassin.”
