“I am.”
“To whom?”
“Lady Elspeth MacAlpin,” she said from behind Magnus. “And I believe you have been instructed to leave this hall.” She stood beside Magnus with Gunnar on her other side.
Einar stood. “Are you going to let them treat me like this?” he asked Short-Beard.
“I am,” he said. “You have manipulated me, Einar. I thought it before, but I know it now. These are my neighbours and our relationship was good until you interfered.”
“You will all regret this,” Einar said. “I will return and when I do, you will see I have the authority over all of you and your lands.”
“And I look forward to seeing this imaginary document of yours,” Magnus said. Why was Gunnar being so quiet? He would usually have tossed Einar out on his ear by now, rather he seemed at a loss for words.
The hall fell awkwardly silent after Einar left. “Should we ask Bjorn to follow him to make sure he leaves?” Magnus asked Gunnar.
A moment later the man was on his arse on the floor. “Come help me get him up,” Elspeth said to Magnus and Short-Beard.
They lifted his dead weight onto a chair. “Thor’s breath, what’s going on, Gunnar?” His brother had always been the strongest man he’d ever met. This was not something he could have ever imagined. Wasn’t he part god himself?
“Your brother is sick,” Elspeth said.
“I need Freydis to help me,” Gunnar whispered.
“She did not cross with us,” Elspeth said. “She said there was a place she must visit and would not tell me where that was.”
“I will not live if she does not heal me,” Gunnar said. “Yrsa’s father would not let her continue to learn the healing arts and we only have a young woman who has been helping the sick.”
“Perhaps I should leave,” Short-Beard said.
Something was not right. His brother never fell ill. “When did you arrive here?” Magnus asked.
“Yesterday,” he said. “Gunnar let us stay here in the hall overnight.”
“And how was he when you first saw him yesterday?”
“He was not well then, but I just thought he’d been into too much ale.”
Gunnar heaved his guts onto the floor; the foul stench filling the air around them. Magnus’ stomach was strong, but even this was a bit much for him to handle. He and Short-Beard helped him into his chamber whilst Elspeth summoned some servants to scour the floors.
They got Gunnar into his bed and covered him with furs. There were all sorts of illnesses Magnus could think of that could affect a man so. But he would feel a whole lot better if Freydis was present. In the meantime, he prayed to Odin, Elspeth could help.
“How is he?” she asked when Magnus and Short-Beard returned to the hall.
“He needs a healer,” Magnus said.
“I have sent the servant to find a woman in the village who can help,” she said. “We must find out if anyone else is sick or if it is just Gunnar.”
As she said the words she examined all the food around the fire-pit in the centre of the hall. She lifted pieces of meat and fish and brought some to her nose to sniff.
“Do you think the food is bad?”
“Did you eat here last night?” Elspeth asked Short-Beard.
“I did and this morning.”
“And you are well?”
“I feel no illness,” Short-Beard said. “But I meant what I said earlier. I do not wish to overstay my welcome. I will take my men and leave here now. We do not need to talk about boundaries and lands at the moment.”
