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Egon was slumped against a wall. He idly picked up stones and tossed them against the floor, listening to them skitter away. There was a narrow slit through which dim light poured, but other than that, the place was dark and damp and moldy. The air was heavy with a stale smell, and he heard more than one rat scurry around in the dark. He chastised himself for letting himself be captured like this. He had always boasted about his prowess, but it had deserted him when he needed it the most. Not only had he endangered himself, but he had failed to save Caoimhe too. It surprised him how fiercely he fought for her. The passionate emotions that swelled within his soul when he saw her again were impossible to ignore, but what use were they now? He had failed her, he had failed the gods, and he knew he would never get into Valhalla.

For a while, he thought he only had his own thoughts for company and the rats, but in time, he heard a shuffling sound and then a low cough.

“Are ye Scottish?” a voice asked. It was rough and raw and sounded weak, but Egon pricked up his ears.

“I’m half Scottish,” he replied.

“And the other half?”

“Viking.”

There was a low chuckle. “Ach, they’re taking their own as prisoner now?”

“Who are you?” he asked.

“The name’s Cameron Hamilton. And ye?” the man said.

Egon’s eyes widened. “Egon… You wouldn’t happen to have a daughter called Caoimhe, would you?”

“Caoimhe?” The man’s voice was filled with emotion, and Egon didn’t need him to elaborate further to know that he was indeed Caoimhe’s father. Egon’s heart rejoiced as he knew that Caoimhe would be overjoyed. “Aye, my wee lass. The only thing that’s kept me gaeing is that she’s safe. I dinnae know how she did it, but she kept away. I hope they dinnae gae back for her.”

“They didn’t, but these men are tricky ones. They have championed themselves as saviors, and I’m afraid that one of them has charmed Caoimhe and promised that he will help her find you.”

“What?” the man gasped. “What dae ye mean?”

Egon explained the situation, about how Sven had appeared in the village and promised to help protect them, but then the village was attacked, and now Caoimhe was here with him.

“Oh, lass,” Cameron said, as though he was speaking to Caoimhe directly. “She should hae stayed away from all this. She should hae got on with her life and nae worried about me.”

“The only thing she has been focused on since we met is finding you. I don’t think the gods themselves would have been able to stop her from this quest, but I was not able to save her from the danger she finds herself in. They have set a trap, but I do not know why they act like this. This is not the Viking way.”

“Well, I wouldnae know tae much about that, but I think I know why they’re attacking us now. A while back, when Caoimhe was a wee girl, there was a raid from a small band of Vikings. A wee group they were, brash and young, with more strength than brains. I was a younger man tae, and I could put up a much better fight against ye.” He said this with a hint of pride, but that quickly fell away. “Turns out the man I killed was no more than a boy, and the son of Arne Hagen at that. I waited for retribution, and I heard whispers that he attacked other clans and even stole a castle. I waited and waited for the day when he could come for the man who killed his son, and then enough time haed passed that I thought the matter was settled. But then this happened. I killed his son, and now he haes my daughter.”

Fear shook Egon’s heart. The pieces had all fallen into place, and now there was no doubt that Caoimhe was in danger. He needed to leave this dungeon and rescue her before all hope was lost.

Caoimhe fought the urge to weep at finding herself in this predicament. Crying wouldn’t do her any good here. She tried the door first, but Arne and Sven had locked it, and the brittle wood wouldn’t budge. The only other exit was the window. Thankfully, they hadn’t placed her in a room that was too high up, and since the castle had been built into a mountain, the walls were not completely straight. There was a bit of a steep drop, but then the walls blended into the slope of the mountain, which led to the ground. It wasn’t exactly the safest thing she had ever done, but it was her only chance to fix this situation. There were still some things she didn’t understand, but she hoped that in time she would know why Sven had done this.

She wriggled out of the window; it was a squeeze, but she just about managed it. Once she was hanging from the ledge, the drop seemed deeper. The world lurched around her, and there was a yawning fear within her heart, an instinct that told her to scramble her way back into the room and find another way out of the castle...but there was no other way. She took one moment where she forced all of this doubt away and then let go. She dropped, and the air rushed around her before the impact knocked all the wind out of her. She yelped and rolled down the slope, the hard stone buffeting her body. She tried as hard as she could to curl herself up into a ball, but she could feel the impact against her bones. She juddered and shuddered and then came to a stop with a thud. She lay on her back and panted, wincing in pain that throbbed all over her body.

But she had no time to waste. Scrambling to her feet, she limped around the castle, staying as close to the perimeter as possible so as not to be seen. Thankfully, the castle was deserted. Arne did not control an estate or a clan, just a motley crew of warriors who were too busy feasting to watch out for one woman. She managed to make her way to Shine. Deigh was there as well. The two horses nuzzled each other to comfort one another. She patted them both and wished she could soothe their unease. Stone was nowhere to be seen. Caoimhe assumed that Sven had taken him to a proper stable where he could be fed, while these two had been left out here.

“I’m sorry, boy, but ye are gaeing tae hae tae be alone for a wee while,” she said as she stroked Deigh’s nose. As she untied the rope that held Shine in place, she stroked and comforted Deigh, thinking about Egon. Even though he was a difficult man to like, he had never tried to deceive her, and he had only ever been willing to help. He had come to her village with good intentions, but she had been blind because of her trauma. He had helped the villagers rebuild and had come to her when he had found her father’s ring. He had volunteered to help her find her father even after she had accused him of being a villain, and when the Vikings had attacked the other village, he had been willing to rush into battle. She realized in that moment that it was she who had been the villain. At every turn, she had doubted and despised him, yet still, he had come back to help her.

The least she could do was help him escape.

She took one last lingering look at the castle and prayed that she would not be chased, then she swung her legs over Shine’s back and urged the mare away. Caoimhe bit her lip as her body ached with pain, but she had no time to succumb to it. Egon was in danger because of her, and now she needed to make it right.