That my wrists were bound made no difference to me as I tried to crawl over benches to reach him. All that mattered was making him feel the same hurt as I felt. Making him understand the pain of his betrayal.
But then my body was jerked back, my chin slamming against a bench.
Spitting blood, I twisted to find Tora behind me, fingers locked on my belt. “Silence your tongue, Hel’s daughter, or I shall cut it out of your mouth.”
“Back off, Tora!” Bjorn snarled, reaching for me, only to draw up short as Skade leveled an arrow at his face.
My eyes skipped around the drakkar, which contained no warriors who were not children of the gods. The only others present were thralls working the oars.
In an instant, I understood why: Hel’s curse wouldn’t work on those with magic. The roots had attacked Tora, Skade, and Bjorn, but they’d been able to repel them with magic.
But why was Harald alive?
Digging deep into my memory, I replayed the moment, feeling the thrum of power in me again as I watched the roots explode from the ground. Yet none had gone near the king of Nordeland.
Why that was, I couldn’t begin to explain.
“Calm yourself, Bjorn,” Harald said, making pacifying gestures. “I swore to you that Freya would not be harmed. When have I ever gone back on my word to you?”
Some of the tension in Bjorn’s face eased, and I wanted to spit with fury, hating the relationship between them.
“That it’s happening this way is because of your choices,” Harald said. “She’s angry at you, which makes her a threat to Nordeland, but rather than killing her as others have suggested, I intend to give her a chance to see reason.”
“You mean, you wish to have time to convince her to fight for you.”
“Of course I wish this.” Harald shrugged. “Freya is tremendously powerful and could defend my people in a way no other living being is capable of. But I will not make her do anything she does not wish to do.” His eyes flicked to me. “On my honor, I swear it is so. In Nordeland, you will be your own woman, Freya.”
“As Bjorn was his own man?” My voice was flat. “I’ll be your prisoner, Harald, and I’m not a child to have my mind twisted until I name you Father.”
His eyes darkened, the first real display of emotion I’d seen from him, but it was gone in an instant. “Bjorn has never been a prisoner a day in his life. Ask him yourself.”
There was a part of me that wanted to ask. That wanted to give Bjorn the chance to tell me his truth. Yet every instinct within me screamed warning. This man had murdered Saga, stolen Bjorn away, and while he clearly hadn’t been treated as a prisoner or thrall during this time, what manner of poison had been poured into his ears that would cause him to believe Harald was anything other than his enemy?
Lies upon lies upon lies was what my gut told me, and what’s more, it whispered that all Harald’s platitudes about me being safe were more lies still. I’d seen the delight in his eyes when Hel’s magic revealed itself. He intended to use me, I knew it. Use me to increase his power, to expand his dominion, and innocent Skalanders would die beneath Nordelander blades.
I wouldn’t let that happen.
I would do whatever it took to keep them all safe.
Taking a deep breath, I lunged to my feet, seeing the shore in the distance as I leapt. I could make it.
Cold seawater closed over my head, fear filling my heart even as I kicked my legs, driving as far away from the drakkar as I could before surfacing. Gasping for breath, I tipped my head to check for the shore, then flipped on my back, propelling myself in that direction.
My torso sank, a wave rolling over my face, forcing me to tread water upright. Fear filled my chest, but the drakkar was dropping sail and running out the oars. If I didn’t get back to shore, they’d catch me.
Sucking in a breath, I flipped onto my back again, ignoring how the water washed over my face as I kicked toward the beach.
Faster.
My legs churned, but it wasn’t long until I needed to take a breath.
I treaded water, sucking in breath after breath as I tried to work my wrists free of their bindings. My legs were already exhausted, for whatever Steinunn had drugged me with still sapped my strength.
Maybe it’s for the best, my conscience whispered to me as I slipped under the water. Maybe it’s better that no one with your powers walks the earth.
But I didn’t want to die. I wanted to live.
I broke the surface and sucked in a breath, then slipped under again. Kick, I screamed at myself. Kick harder.