I fisted my hands at my side. “I am Muireann, daughter of the lord of the Northern Isle. I demand to speak with your leader. My father can pay ransom. Or my husband, if you return me to him.”
The warrior cocked his head. “Husband?”
“My intended,” I admitted. “I was to meet him when he—your leader—took me.”
The warrior grunted. He opened a leather pack and offered me a small dried fish. I wrinkled my nose. I’d already had enough of the sea.
“I must speak to him,” I insisted, trying to step around the warrior, brought up short by the rope I’d forgotten. When I grabbed at the tether the warrior made a warning gesture.
“I wouldn’t if I were you. Not if you don’t want to be tied down completely.”
“I’m the daughter of the lord of the Northern Isle and I demand—”
“You’re not daughter of anyone anymore. Or intended,” he spat the word. “You belong to the Sea Wolf now.”
2
I kept my head down for the rest of the journey. Goddess help me. I had my own resources, the tricks my mother taught me, but the fog still surrounded us. This ship, these warriors, the mist seemed otherworldly. I’d heard of people unlucky enough to be stolen by the sidhe or to bumble into the land of the fair folk by accident. They were trapped in the otherworld, outside of time. After a season or two, they might return home to find a hundred years gone by.
Is that what the mists meant? Had I crossed the border into another world. And if so, how could I return home?
I must have dozed, for shouts awakened me. When I rose, I gasped. Ahead loomed two giant rocks and the ship was headed straight for them.
“Stop,” I whispered, but we rode the swell, gliding between the stones. The fit was so tight, if I’d leaned over the ship’s side, I could’ve touched the granite pillar.
Beyond the archway was a small harbor, somewhat protected from the angry weather. I scrambled out of the way as the warriors let down the sail and braced myself when it seemed they’d let the ship run right up on the beach.
I was right. The shallow-bottomed craft rode the waves right to shore. Warriors poured over the sides, shouting to one another.
Hawk took the rope from the mast that leashed me. “Come then,” he ordered. I glanced to the prow, but it was empty.
Hawk smirked when he saw me looking for his leader. “He’s gone. He’ll meet you inside. Come.” For all his rough tugging on the tether, he helped me down gently, though he was careful to only touch the parts of me covered by the wolf pelt.
When I stepped onto the sand, but my body tingled as if magic leavened the air.
“Come on,” Hawk started towards a dark grey cliff at the far end of the beach. I scrambled to follow. A light rain washed my face, turned the white fur I wore into wet spikes. At least my braid had held.
The cliff turned out to be a stone keep. An old Viking stronghold, carved from the sea rocks.
The Sea Wolf was cursed. He could not set a foot on land or else... Nanny’s words tugged at me as Hawk led me into the massive keep. The roof was part gone, leaving the hall open to the elements. The old stones were worn from the work of keeping the ocean outside. A few more decades and the walls would crumble into the sea.
The warrior band dispersed, their movements certain. some went up the shore to collect bits of driftwood. Another knelt in the great hall, stoking a fire. The rest seemed to have duties unloading or loading supplies, heading out to fish or spreading out skins to dry.
Hawk led me past all this to an ancient staircase curving along one wall, the stone steps were narrow and perilous, crumbling underfoot. I bit back a whimper. My captor kept a firm hand on my leash, tugging me closer, but he was not unkind. When I reached him, he bid me walk before him, and he let me inch along next to the wall while he kept to the outside. Despite his care not to touch me, the unspoken message was that he’d catch me if I fell.
Slowly I made my way up and up, fixing my eyes on the narrow doorway at the top and not at the dizzying distance to the stone floor. If the men working below watched our progress, I did not know.
When we reached the top step, I hesitated.
“Go on,” Hawk ordered, and I stumbled into a dark, empty-smelling room. The roof here was better preserved, held up by a great trunk in the center of the room. The only light came from a broken wall.
My captor brushed past me, tugging the leash to bring me to the center of the room. He tucked the end of the rope under his boot as he knelt to build up a fire.
I took a chance to study the room. A small table holding nothing but a great horn. One side of the room, the farthest from the door, was a giant bed heaped with animal pelts. Large enough to fit the giant warrior and a whole bevy of women. I backed away as far as the leash would let me and turned to examine the broken wall. It was in the rough shape of a window, but someone had torn out the stones to widen it large enough for a man to fit through.
I inched closer to the opening. If I rose to tiptoe I could see the wild sea without, the waves crashing against the base of the stone keep far below. But this tower was separate from the keep, suspended on little more than a few stone buttresses and air.
“You won’t find escape that way.” Hawk cut into my thoughts. “Just a long, long drop to your end on the rocks.” He gave me a sardonic glance before turning back to coax the fire.
I bit my lip. He didn’t know my powers.
But he was right. Until I was sure I could find my way back through the storm, I dare not climb through the window and jump.
I plucked at my damp sleeves, staring out the window. There was nothing else in this room to look at besides Hawk or the bed.
I didn’t fear Hawk. He took too much care around me. The Sea Wolf had a loyal servant. Would he inspire the same loyalty in his slaves?
The logs were snapping and crackling in a meager blaze when Hawk rose, my leash in hand. Holding my gaze, he secured the rope around the great pillar in the center of the room. “In case you decide you’d prefer the long drop.”
I shook my head. If I leapt from the window, I would not die. But he didn’t know that.
Once he secured my lead, Hawk headed for the door. I followed but the rope wouldn’t allow me to reach the door.
“Wait!” The firelight made me bold. “Why am I here?”
He smirked over his shoulder. “You’ll know soon enough.”
I took a steadying breath. “You said I belong to the Sea Wolf. Where is he?”
“Don’t you worry. He’s coming.” With a nod at the window, he left.
I couldn’t help stretching my tether as close to the window as it would go. A storm had rolled up, rain beating the sea-washed stone. The giant barriers to this hidden cove loomed so large, I could scarce believe the boat fit between them, slipping like a thread through a needle.
What a strange place this was. Stormy and full of mist but the longer I tarried the more I knew this place was not the otherworld. It was real.
My hand worked at the knotted collar, but my fingers were clumsy.
I had a knife hidden in my bodice, but it was too soon to draw it out. Even if I cut myself free and escaped out the window, I was weak and tired and could not fly all the way home.
No, best to stay and rest, and learn the rest of the story.