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The tracks led them away from the village through the woods. They twisted along a path, and occasionally they lost the tracks in the underbrush, but Egon was a skilled hunter and displayed his prowess as he helped them regain the path. The woods thinned to a road, which they followed to the north. They had been riding for a little while when they came upon an inn, which was a little bigger than the one Caoimhe had found when she fled from her village. She braced herself to be faced with another rude innkeeper, but this time they were greeted with a ruddy-faced man who welcomed them in with a smile and made them feel right at home. The horses were stabled and given some food and water while the riders were able to relax for a little while. Caoimhe breathed a sigh of relief as her aching thighs were finally able to have some respite. There were times when she forgot how much of a toll riding took on her. It always seemed relaxing to watch people trot about on horses, but actually, it required the use of every muscle in the body, and she found herself drained by it.

Her male companions did not seem to be suffering as much, but then again, their bodies were packed with muscle, and she knew their stamina would be greater than hers. Even so, they sighed with relief as they sat around a circular table and ordered some food and drink. Two bowls of thick stew were brought to them, as well as some bread, cheese, and rashers of ham. Sven was the first to reach into his pocket and place a few coins on the table, much to the delight of the innkeeper and the chagrin of Caoimhe, who felt ashamed that she had nothing to offer. It was yet another reminder that without her father and without her village, she had nothing. She was nothing. It was a stark alert that Kylie and Andrew were right; she needed a husband, but she hated that she was to marry someone because she needed them rather than because she wanted to fall in love. However, it seemed to be rare that anyone ever got what they wanted in life. Egon might be fortunate enough to go out among the waves and explore new worlds. It would be a shame to never see him again…

“Is there anything else I can get for ye?” the innkeeper asked. He didn’t seem surprised by the fact that two Vikings were sitting in his inn, and it went to show how things had changed in the Highlands in recent years. “The night is closing in. Shall I arrange for rooms? There’s ample space tae stay, and if ye dinnae like it here, there’s a village nae tae far up the road. I’m sure there will be someone who can house ye if ye make it worth their while.”

“We will nae be sleeping,” Caoimhe said. “We hae important matters tae attend tae.”

Sven and Egon looked at her with puzzled looks.

“Do you expect us to ride through the night?” Sven asked.

“Of course,” Caoimhe frowned, irked that any other possibility would have been considered. “It haes already been tae long. The more we wait, the less likely it is that we’ll find Da.”

Sven and Egon shared a glance. She realized it was probably the first time they had actually agreed on anything.

“Caoimhe,” Egon said in a calm voice, leaning against the table, “it’s hard enough to find the tracks given how many days have passed since the attack. At night it would be impossible to do what you ask. We’re more likely to waste time going in the wrong direction, and we might end up further away from where we need to be. Besides, the horses have been ridden hard today, and they could use some rest. We all could. We’ll need our strength when we find your father because we don’t know how many Vikings will be waiting for us.”

“I hate to say this, but Egon makes sense,” Sven said. He leaned over the table too, but he actually took Caoimhe’s hand in his, making a show of the vow they had made to each other, a vow that Caoimhe still held reservations about. Egon stiffened at the sight, and Caoimhe wondered again if she had been blind to the fact that he was attracted to her. She didn’t think it likely considering the way they had begun, but she had to admit that the more she got to know him, the better they got along.

“I dinnae like daeing nothing. I hate thinking that I’m sleeping in some comfortable inn somewhere while Da is out there…I just hate it,” she lamented, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotion.

“There’s nothing else we can do,” Egon said. “Sometimes, the hardest thing we have to do is wait.”

Sadly, he was right, and Caoimhe didn’t have the strength to argue with them. They finished their meals and warmed themselves by the fire as the innkeeper prepared three rooms, one for each of them. They bid each other goodnight. Sven asked whether Caoimhe wanted any company, but she said that she wanted to be alone for the time being. The bed was uncomfortable, but out of the window, she could see the lights of the nearby village. It was close enough that she could make out the outlines of the buildings as well. It made her feel better to know that there were still people out there who were sleeping soundly without any fear of Vikings or raids or anything like that. It made her wonder if she would ever feel that kind of peace again, or if she would always be plagued by this torment.

In the middle of the night, she awoke with a start. Her eyes shot open and she threw the blanket off her. There was something terribly wrong. She turned to the window, and her eyes widened in horror as she saw the village ablaze.

“No…” she whispered, pinching herself to make sure that this wasn’t a nightmare. She was dismayed when she didn’t wake up, for that meant people were suffering. She dressed quickly and flung open the door, just as Egon and Sven appeared. Looks of concern and worry were etched upon their faces, and they rushed downstairs. The innkeeper was in the process of hiding gold underneath his floorboards. There was a sword on the bar, and he had a look of panic on his face.

“If ye hae any sense, ye will stay in yer rooms. They may nae come this far down,” the innkeeper said, but Caoimhe wasn’t going to let that happen. She burst out of the inn and mounted Shine.

The other two followed. They galloped down the road, making easy work of the short distance between the inn and the village, but they stopped just short, shrouded in darkness as the fire blazed through the night. Caoimhe’s heart broke as she heard the plaintive cries of people who were begging for their lives. Wood cracked and splintered as the fire took hold, wrapping its scorching fingers around the beams that held together the buildings, bringing them crashing down. Doors were being slammed as people fled their homes, only to find hell waiting for them outside.

Caoimhe knew it wasn’t the fire that posed the most danger to these people; it was the Vikings that rampaged through the village. A look of horror appeared on her face as though she was seeing an echo of what happened in her own village. The same feeling of helplessness and dread oozed within her soul. She was so powerless against the onslaught of them. She heard the war cries, the savage yells of the men who were coming to pillage this land. She saw them raise their swords and their axes, bringing them crashing down against those who dared to fight back or tried to flee. Her heart beat rapidly and anxious sweat prickled upon her skin as she backed away, hating that she could do nothing, hating that she couldn’t help anyone. There were dozens of the Vikings streaming through the village; there must have been at least fifty of them, and they were all proud warriors who were unmatched in strength.

It reminded her that the chances of finding her father were slim. Perhaps Kylie had been right and she should have stayed in the safety of the village. There was chaos and carnage, and Caoimhe was a silent witness to it all. Women wept as they were dragged away from their husbands and their children. Horses galloped away, stricken with fear at the fire.

“We have to do something!” Egon growled. He leaped off his horse and moved to charge into the village. Caoimhe let out a plaintive plea and glanced at Sven, imploring him to do something. Sven matched Egon’s movements and held him back.

“Are you mad? It’s too dangerous. If you go, you’ll be killed. You’re only one man,” Sven said.

“He’s right, Egon. We cannae dae anything,” Caoimhe said, and it pained her so much to admit this.

Egon seethed and bristled with anger, but he did not resist. Even he knew that the only thing they could do was watch as the village burned and the Vikings ransacked the place. Caoimhe’s heart broke a hundred times that night as she knew exactly what the people of the village were feeling, and it was clear that the attack on her village was not just a single occurrence. The Vikings were here, and they seemed determined to strip the Highland villages bare, leaving nothing behind.

By dawn, the Vikings had left, slipping away under the cover of night. Caoimhe and her companions had remained undetected, and she felt ashamed that she hadn’t been able to do more. There was a solemn look on her face as the sun rose and cast light on the remnants of the village. The buildings had been shaken from their foundations and small fires still burned, although the blaze had long diminished after it had turned most things to ash. Birds were already swooping in, ready to scavenge the dead bodies. The air was filled with the stench of death, and it made Caoimhe nauseous. To know that the world was capable of so much horror was an awful thing, and she wished that she could have been a child again, blind to the sins of the world.

She was silent, but Sven was furious. He turned on Egon, his face twisted in anger.

“This was your doing. Don’t deny it. You tried to trap us. This has all been your plan from the beginning! I would wager that you’re the one behind the imprisonment of Caoimhe’s father too!” he cried.

Caoimhe was shocked while Egon was resolute.

“Sven! What are ye saying?” Caoimhe gasped.

“Don’t try to defend him again, Caoimhe. Think about it. He was the one ready to charge into battle, no doubt to try and lead us into the clutches of those men. He was the one who followed the tracks that led us here in the first place. I had an instinct that something was wrong. I should have listened to it, but I thought I would give you the benefit of the doubt. I see now that I was mistaken. Tell us the truth, Egon. Tell us what you’re really doing here.”