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“Ivar would find out. He always finds out. He has ears everywhere, that man. No, I apologize, but I cannot do as you ask. As for these Highland warriors you promise… I cannot trust in that either. I do not know you—either of you—and I cannot risk the safety of my clan on the word of two strangers. I have no choice but to do this.”

“You always have a choice, Elof,” Erik said.

Sigrid watched for a moment as a strange look flashed across Elof’s face, but it didn’t seem to change his mind.

“What are you going to do with us?” Sigrid asked.

“I shall hold you here for a time, and then I…I shall think of what to do. I just need time. That is all. I shall not mistreat you, though. You have my word on this,” he said, and apologized again before Sigrid had the chance to point out that capturing them and tying them up was already mistreating them. He left again, closing the door behind them.

“Make sure nobody comes to disturb them,” Elof said to one of the guards as he left.

Once again, Sigrid and Erik were plunged into darkness.

“The man is a coward,” Sigrid spat.

“He is only trying to do what’s best for his clan.”

“You would dare defend him after what he’s done?!” Sigrid cried out in shock.

“I didn’t say I was defending him. I just mean that I can understand why he’s doing what he’s doing.”

“So we just have to sit here and wait for him to decide what he’s going to do with us?”

“I think he already knows what he’s going to do with us,” Erik said.

Sigrid had a feeling she knew as well. “Give us back to Ivar.”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. If he’s so afraid of the man, then he won’t want to hide anything from him for fear that he would think he’s part of the plot. Elof probably thought he was doing us a kindness by not telling us that we were going to be given back to Ivar. I don’t understand how one man can have so many clans under his thrall. Is he truly this vicious?”

“Perhaps if your family had not left for the Highlands, then you would know of things in Norway,” Sigrid said.

Erik had no reply for that, and she allowed herself a moment of smug satisfaction, not that it did her much good because she was still tied up and helpless in this place. Occasionally she struggled against her bindings, but this served no other purpose than causing pain to run up her arms.

“So what are we going to do now? Do we just sit here and await our fate? Did you ever learn anything in the Highlands about escaping a fate like this?” Sigrid asked.

“Actually, I did,” Erik said, and then let out a cry of triumph. Sigrid couldn’t see what he was doing, but she heard ropes falling to the floor, and then Erik was up, pacing across the floor.

“How did you do that?” she asked.

“Highland wisdom,” he quipped, and she was glad that it was dark as she didn’t have to see the smirk on his face. “Something I learned a long time ago. I’m just glad that Elof used ropes. I couldn’t break free of the chains that Ivar used.”

He crept toward the door, and Sigrid didn’t understand why he wasn’t untying her. When she asked, he merely shushed her, and she wondered if her earlier suspicions had been more accurate than she would have liked to believe.

He opened the door slowly, quietly, just a crack so that a sliver of light poured in. He opened it wide enough to allow himself space to leave, and she thought he might be fashioning his own escape, but then he lunged forward and grabbed the unsuspecting guard from behind. Erik’s sturdy arms locked around his neck, and the guard was dragged inside the room. The door closed, and they were plunged into darkness again. Sigrid could hear the sounds of struggle. The guard grunted, and there were thuds against the floor as the two men wrestled before eventually there was nothing.

“He should be sleeping for a while,” Erik said. He moved to the far wall and pulled away a blanket that had been hung up to cover a window. Sigrid blinked at the sudden rush of light. She watched as Erik dragged the guard behind her. Sigrid was facing the door, so to her annoyance, she couldn’t crane her neck far enough around to see anything behind her.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she heard Erik fumbling about with something.

“I’m working on a plan to get us out of here,” he said.

Sigrid could hear him undressing. His clothes fell to the floor, and she realized that he was naked. She wasn’t sure if she was thankful or not for the fact that she could not turn around enough to see him, but perhaps a glimpse would have been enough. When he came into her view again, however, he was fully dressed in the guard’s clothes. Eventually, he moved to her and untied her wrists.

“You took your time,” Sigrid said as she rose from the chair and massaged her wrists. There were dark red circles where the rope had bitten into her. The skin was sore, but she stopped herself from wincing as she didn’t want to appear weak in front of Erik. She went to open the door again, but Erik called her back.

“Wait, you need to put your hands behind your back again,” he said, holding the rope in his hands.

“Why?” Sigrid asked, furrowing her brow.

“Just trust me. It’s the only way we’re going to get out of here,” he said.

Sigrid sighed as she placed her hands behind her back. Erik came up to her, and she could feel his presence behind her. He towered above her. When she inhaled through her nose, she could smell the salt and the earth on him, and the warmth he exuded was inviting. His hands held her wrists together. His touch was surprisingly tender, and it caused her heart to skip a beat. By the time she had gotten used to it, he had finished, and her arms were bound together again. This time the rope wasn’t tied as tightly, so her wrists did not cry out in pain.

Now he was the one who had freed her.