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As Isla and Emmel walked into the village, her gaze darted around in search of Andrew, although she could not see any sign of him. She walked with a bowed head, and Emmel struggled along beside her, pretending to resist. People stared at them, and it was Varrik who approached.

“What are you doing back here?” he spat.

“I’ve come tae see Rune. Please, ye hae tae grant me an audience with him. I know he thinks I ran away, but I didnae! I was taken, just as he took me in the first place. I’m innocent. All I want is tae be with my son and with Rune,” she said, the last couple of words catching, almost giving away the lie. Varrik walked up closer and eyed her suspiciously. He took Emmel’s chin and tilted his head up. He grinned maliciously.

“Looks like you’re back for more punishment,” Varrik said, and led them to Rune Dolph.

Isla continued to shudder as she walked deeper into the settlement, hating that she had to be back in this place rather than safe at home. Everything in her body shivered with fear. Emmel was placing a lot of faith in the hope that Rune was going to honor his Viking rules. It might well be that they were just giving themselves up, but at least they would stay together, and at least she would be with Andrew. She still felt guilty that Emmel would do a thing like this, and every time she caught Varrik looking at him, she winced. The Viking bully looked at Emmel with the same type of hunger as a butcher would look at a piece of meat. She thought back to Erik’s words and knew there was no way that Emmel would last long here. He was already beaten and bloodied, and once he gave himself up, it wouldn’t be long before the entire settlement decided to bring their fists pummeling down into him.

But what could Isla do to prevent that from happening?

Varrik took them to Rune, who arched an eyebrow at their appearance.

“What is this?” Rune asked.

Isla rushed toward him and lowered her head. She spoke in a beseeching tone and hated every minute of it. “Oh Rune, I’m sae sorry about this misunderstanding. Emmel, he…he took us without any warning. I haed tae stay with him tae look after Andrew, but then ye came and rescued him. I thought ye were gaeing tae take me tae.”

Rune looked at her with a stern gaze. “You didn’t act as though you were captive,” he said.

“I was frightened! It was dark, and I was afraid. Please, I didnae know what was happening.”

“And how did you manage to reverse your fortunes? Despite his wounds, he still seems strong,” Rune said.

Isla had anticipated this question and already had her answer on the tip of her tongue. “It was thanks tae ye, Rune! After ye beat him bloody, I ran and tied him up. Then I ran tae try and find ye, but ye were already gone! I haed been searching through the forest tae try and find a way back here ever since then. Ye saved me once, and ye saved me again. I know I hae nae been easy for ye, but I was confused. I see now that ye hae only been trying tae keep me safe. Please, I just want tae be with my son again. I am…I am willing tae trade this man for my son.”

She stammered out the last words, both to give the impression that she was unsure of herself and because she was actually worried that Rune would not regard the deal as a fair trade. He looked at her for a moment and then threw back his head with laughter.

“You would dare to offer this beggar to me?” he asked, his voice the sound of mocking thunder.

“He is no ordinary man, Rune. He is a Hoffstad. The truth is that he comes from a village near mine, and he haes always coveted me. He followed me here, thinking that he could kidnap me and take me for his own. But ye got tae me first. He snuck in here and waited until he had the right opportunity, and he would hae gotten away with it if ye had nae found us by the loch. He’s the real villain in all this,” she said, feigning hatred for Emmel, “but he is the member of a prestigious family, and that haes tae be worth something.”

As it turned out, Emmel was right. Rune returned to his seat, tapping his lips as he thought on the matter.

“You are shrewder than I have ever given you credit for, Isla. I have to admit that this is quite an intriguing offer. Is a Hoffstad worth more to me than a son…” His gaze flicked up to look at her directly. “And I assume that at the conclusion of this deal, you would return to your little island with Andrew?”

“I would,” Isla said.

Rune exhaled deeply. His gaze flicked from side to side. “I shall have to think on this. You will stay the night, Isla, and tomorrow I will give you my answer. Varrik, take Emmel to the prison and see that he cannot escape.”

Isla’s heart sank at the prospect of spending another night here, but she knew she wasn’t going to get anything by forcing the issue. Rune was a man who liked to get things done his way, but still, there was one point she was not going to surrender, and that was seeing her son. While Emmel was taken away, Andrew was brought in. Isla spared a thought for Emmel, and the tears she wept were a mixture of relief and sorrow. She drew Andrew into her arms and held him tightly, trying to promise that she would never let him go again, trying to promise that everything was going to be okay now. She just prayed that she wasn’t promising too much.

Isla wasn’t allowing herself to get too settled. When nightfall came, and everyone expected her to be asleep, she rose and fetched some paper and ink from the study. She had spent enough time in this house to know where to look. She smuggled them back to her room and woke Andrew up after she scribbled in the note.

“Andrew, I need ye tae dae something for me,” she said. “I want ye take this note tae Emmel. Sneak past the guard. Dinnae let anyone see ye. Emmel needs yer help. He will keep ye safe, aye? Just stick with him, and he will get ye out of here. We’re all gaeing tae be taegether again, and we will nae hae tae worry about Rune any longer. But ye must get this note tae Emmel.”

She pressed the note into Andrew’s hand. She could see the fear etched upon his face, but he clenched his jaw and nodded. In a way, he reminded her of Emmel, always willing to do what was needed to help other people. She had been afraid that he had too much of Rune in him but now realized it was a foolish notion. Everything good in him was borne of the people around him, and Emmel was one of those people. She wished Andrew well as she sank to her bed and clutched her heart, hoping that she had made the right decision.

Emmel cut a morose and forlorn figure as he sat in his cell. Varrik had shown him no mercy at all. If the deal went ahead, then he knew he was on borrowed time, no matter what his father said. He could feel the tension in the air whenever he was around these other Vikings. They were baying for blood, and he was the obvious target. He tried to put on a brave face for Isla’s sake, and when he had been taken away, he had glimpsed the reunion between mother and son. The sight of them together again made it all worthwhile, and if he was to die, at least he could do so knowing he had done a good thing in the world.

The moments ticked by, and day became night. He dreaded whenever a Viking came near the prison, for he worried that he would have to endure another beating, but they seemed to leave him alone for now. He assumed they were confident in having the opportunity to toy with him and torment him later, so for now, they were savoring the anticipation. He tried to stay awake as he wanted to be alert to any threat, but tiredness overcame him, and he began to drift off. He was leaning against the bars of his cage when he heard someone nearby. He opened his eyes and saw Andrew standing there.

“What are ye daeing here?” Emmel asked in a hushed whisper, worried that Andrew would be in trouble if he should be discovered, although the Vikings seemed confident in the strength of their prison and weren’t too concerned about him escaping. In truth, he was so tired he doubted he would have been able to get far before they picked him up again.

“I’m here tae rescue ye!” Andrew said with an excited gleam in his eyes.

Emmel wasn’t sure what had possessed Andrew to do something like this, but before Emmel could say anything, Andrew was already passing him a note. Emmel unfolded it and saw Isla’s handwriting. He scanned the note, and his heart clutched with fear. His first instinct was to screw it up, toss it away, and damn Isla for taking matters into her own hands. They had a plan, and they were supposed to stick to it! But the note also asked him to trust her, and he wasn’t about to go against her wishes now. He quickly instructed Andrew how to get him out of the cage, and then once the door swung open freely, Emmel took hold of the boy’s shoulders and looked directly into his eyes.

“Yer ma wanted ye tae come with me, tae keep ye safe. It’s dangerous here, but we hae allies nearby. We need tae gae tae them now before they discover I’m gone,” Emmel said.

“But what about her?” Andrew asked.

Emmel hated what he was about to say. “What matters tae yer ma is that ye are safe. But what matters tae me is that she’s safe. I promise ye I will come back for her, but right now she wants me tae get ye out of here, and that’s just what we’re gaeing tae dae, but we hae tae be brave and we hae tae be quick.”

To his credit, Andrew seemed to understand the urgency of what was happening. He left by Emmel’s side. Emmel prayed that Isla knew what she was doing. He couldn’t very well decry for it, though. His plan had been risky, and it had been his risk to take, and this was her risk. He vowed to himself that they would leave together, but first, he had to get to his clan and make sure they were ready to move. Once Rune discovered that Emmel and Andrew were gone, there was only going to be one target for his ire, and there would be no one to come to Isla’s aid.