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Caoimhe had been troubled all day. She had returned to the inn and told the innkeeper that the Vikings had left. He began to retrieve his gold from where he had buried it. Sven said that they should stay there for a while, as he couldn’t be sure if there were any Vikings lying in wait to strike again. He left Caoimhe at the inn while he went to scout the area to ensure that they were not in any danger. This left Caoimhe with plenty of time to think, and once again, she was wracked with guilt about the way she had treated Egon.

At the time, she had been sure that it was his face she had seen during the attack on her village, but when she thought again, she couldn’t be sure. Seeing the Vikings attack this new village had brought back all the ugly feelings and made her body tremble with anxiety. Even now, it made her palms sweaty, and her chest tightened. Sven had seemed so sure, and she had just gone along with what he had to say. It didn’t help that Egon didn’t defend himself much, but then again, he had been continually accused and berated ever since he had come to her village. She felt foolish for letting her fear get the better of her, but at the time, everything had trembled inside.

There didn’t seem to be any escape from the Vikings, and as she sat there, she began to doze off. The innkeeper urged her to go back up to her room at no extra cost, as she had been through an ordeal. When she got to her room, she slumped in the bed and soon fell asleep, but her dreams were so vivid, she barely got any rest.

The snakes were before her again. The world was shrouded in darkness, and there was nothing aside from the two snakes. One hissed while the other slithered around between her and the hissing snake. The hissing snake lunged forward, its entire body moving under its reflex, and its fangs bit into the quiet snake. The snake trembled at the wound as the aggressor pulled its fangs back and looked directly at Caoimhe. Fear struck her heart as she looked into those slitted eyes. The fangs were sharp, and she could almost feel them sinking into her flesh. She shuddered, for she knew what was coming. It seemed inevitable. So she reached down, fingers curled around a sharp stick just as the snake lunged at her. She lifted the stick and caught the snake right in the throat. It twitched violently, its mouth opening and closing as it tried to break free, but it was skewered on the branch. Within moments it was limp, and the life had fled from its eyes. The stick stuck out from its body, and Caoimhe staggered back. She had never considered herself a violent person but wasn’t going to give up her own life.

It was a beautiful day for Sven. The air was sweet as he rode Bergart around the burned village to see if there were any other Vikings around. His posture was relaxed; he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face because things couldn’t have worked out any better if he tried. It had been frustrating to see Egon join them on this futile search. He wasn’t sure if Caoimhe was being genuine when she said that she had welcomed him as a kindness, or if there was something between them. Egon hardly made his feelings a secret, and Sven wasn’t going to stand for that. He had already laid claim to Caoimhe. It was just a matter of time until she was going to be his wife officially, so he was glad when she turned Egon away. It was better that Egon stayed out of matters that didn’t concern him, although Sven knew he might have to prepare to see Egon again. He got the sense that Egon wasn’t the kind of man to stay away from things, but if they were to meet again, then Sven would kill him.

He guided Bergart along a winding path that rose up a small slope. From this vantage point, he could see the destruction of the village. It was like a smoldering crater in amongst the beauty of nature, and he wasn’t the only one enjoying the view.

“Good day,” Sven said to the long-haired man who stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Long grey hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and a face lined with creases looked out upon the world with cold satisfaction. Sven alighted from his horse and stood beside the man.

“Good day. I trust all is well with you?” Arne Hagen said.

Sven smiled as he reunited with his benefactor. “Everything is going as we planned. Even better, in fact.”

“You have won the girl’s affection?” Arne Hagen asked, arching an eyebrow.

Sven grinned. There was a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I think I should take offense that you ever doubted me.”

“I didn’t doubt you, Sven, but I’m surprised it took you this little time.”

“Oh, yes. Well...she’s very vulnerable, you see. Aside from her sister, she has nobody. What she needs is a hero to come and take all the trouble away.”

“There are many ways to describe you, Sven, but I never would have thought you’d be described as a hero.”

Sven let out a loud chuckle and placed his hands on his hips. “But she doesn’t know that. All I had to do was promise that I’d help find her father. I have the support of her sister as well. They’re so scared; they just want her to be with anyone who can protect her. I’m all too happy to oblige.”

Arne Hagen smirked and stroked his chin.

“There’s just one problem, though,” Sven continued. “And his name is Egon Hoffstad. I believe I have dealt with him for now, but he seems to have affection for Caoimhe as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if he showed his ugly face again.”

“Hoffstad… Ragnar’s boy?” Arne asked.

Sven nodded. “But don’t worry. I have a plan for him if he should return. He needs to learn to leave alone what isn’t his.”

“I’m sure you will handle things well. You always do. You know, when I first came here, I wasn’t sure if it was the right decision, but this is a simple land filled with simple people.”

Sven grinned. “People who are ripe for conquest.”

“And when we start to marry them, we can make even bigger inroads,” Arne said. The two men chuckled to themselves as they looked out upon the devastation of the land that had been pillaged and burned. Their words were their own, kept secret, and Sven knew that if Caoimhe ever learned the truth, it would be too late. She was already his, and it was just a matter of time before she was made his wife.

Egon rode on Deigh, deep in thought. There were moments when he believed that Caoimhe might feel for him the same way he felt about her. There was no denying the fire between them, but now he realized that he had been mistaken. On his part, it had been an attraction, but for her, there had been nothing but fear and anger. The look in her eyes when she claimed that she had seen him during the raid made it clear that she would never see him as anything other than a brute. It didn’t make sense how she could feel this way about him and yet promise herself to Sven, but he had long given up on puzzling out the solution. At least Sven was easier to understand. He had taken the first opportunity he could to shame Egon and try and convince Caoimhe that Egon was the villain. It struck Egon as strange that Sven was so unwilling to rush into battle. The odds were against them, yes, but a Viking had never shunned glory when the opportunity arose. Such a man was unworthy of Caoimhe’s affection, and it only convinced him more that he was not meant to belong in this land. The sooner he sailed away, the better, and he was determined that as soon as he returned home, he would declare his wishes to his parents. And this time, he wasn’t going to let anyone convince him otherwise.

Anger burned in his heart at how people misunderstood him. They were so quick to cast him as the villain when all he had tried to do was help. Erik’s faith in him was misplaced. He could never be a leader, at least not in the Highlands.

The path he took led him back to the village he had come to know well recently. He intended to pass by it without visiting, for it only held grim memories for him, but he saw smoke rising in the air and heard lamentations.

He turned Deigh along a narrower path and headed straight toward the village, shocked by what he saw. The scene was much the same as the one he had just left—a village had been attacked and left in ruins. There were a handful of people standing in the middle of the village who appeared to be at a loss of what to do, and Kylie was among them. Egon alighted from Deigh and marched over to them.

“What happened here?” he asked.

As soon as Kylie saw him, she ran toward him in a flurry of tears, beating her fists against his broad chest.

“Ye promised ye would protect us! Where were ye? How could ye let this happen?” she cried.