“I can imagine it came as a bit of a shock.”
“More than a bit.” He ran his fingers through his hair, spraying water onto his shoulders. “I saw Ivar upstairs just now. Turns out he met Lars at the docks when that ship came through last week. Guess what kind of conversation they had.”
I leaned forward, my curiosity greater than my lingering melancholy. “Don’t tell me Lars put him up to the food theft.”
“Encouraged more like, but still. It sounds like he’s had his hands in all of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got the crowd worked up the other day in the courtyard.”
I nodded. I’d felt someone watching me a few times. Bet that was him, too.
“So he was behind everything. Except for the ale, of course.”
He chuckled. “At least we can say your mischievous dragon has more than made up for that now.”
“Right.” My smile dropped, and I fiddled with the handle of my tankard. “He captured the man your brother owed.”
“Yes, the leader of the Mercenaries Guild.” He frowned at the table, avoiding my eyes. “Lilia, it’s time for me to go. I can’t stay another night on this island.”
My heart pounded. I’d been afraid he’d say these very words, but not quite so soon. I’d assumed he’d stay for Yule, at least. Hands tensing around the tankard, I shoved the disappointment and hurt as far behind my crumbling walls as I could, though they seeped through the cracks like a flood after the storm.
The words spilled out of me before I could stop them. “You don’t need to worry about him any longer. Reykur will take him to the mines, where he’ll be a prisoner for a very long time.”
“And the mercenaries back home will search for him. He would never come here without telling the others his plans. When he doesn’t return in good time, more of them will come.” His voice sounded pained. “They’ll find me, which means they’ll find you. And like Lars, they’ll try to use you against me. I would never put you in harm’s way like that, Lilia.”
“No, you don’t understand.” I leaned forward and grabbed his strong, rough hand. “The magic of this place won’t let the mercenaries come here. No one can step foot on these islands who mean its people harm.”
“Hmm. The island let Lars come here just fine.”
“I know. I think it’s because you are not its people,” I said. “Not yet anyway.”
He drew in a sharp breath, as if he finally understood the implication of my words. The island would stop the mercenaries from stepping foot on its shores, just so long as Ragnar decided he wanted to remain here and call these lands his home. But he would have to turn his back on everything he’d once known, and perhaps that was too much to ask of him.
At least, I hoped it would work. I couldn’t be certain.
“We would have to stay here on Hearthaven?” he eventually asked.
“No,” I said, noting the use of the word ‘we.’ “You cantravelanywhere you’d like. You could even return to the mainland for a time, but these islands would be your home.”
Suddenly, he rose, moved around the table, and took the seat beside mine. “It would only be my home if you were with me.”
I searched his gaze. “Do you mean that? If you want to go back, I won’t blame you for that. We’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks. And if you stay with me, you won’t have a house and a plot of land and a picket fence. All I do is wander.”
“I’d spend forever wandering the world with you,” he murmured.
A hopeful smile crested my lips. “Does that mean you’re going to stay?”
“Of course I’m going to stay. It’s all I wanted since you scolded me for having bitter beer.” Standing, he hoisted me into his arms and kissed me fiercely. I slid my hands into his silken hair, sighing against him. All the tension in my body fled, the clouds of my mind clearing for the sun again.
I hadn’t realized how badly I’d wanted him to stay until he said he would. Those long nights on the road would never again be so lonely. I could not wait to travel the world with him.
I pulled back and smiled. “Here’s to adventure and endless horizons.”
“And every night spent with you.”
35
LILIA
The morning of Yule, we awoke to a flurry of snow. Ragnar and I walked outside hand-in-hand, tipping back our heads to bask in the cascade of silver specks. They landed on my cheeks and nose with the gentle touch of winter. Children raced by, their arms spread wide and giggles spilling behind them.
