Kirstie

“Lady?” Yrsa stepped up alongside Kirstie and Wilam as they looked at the approaching islands. Kirstie looked worried. “Lady?” Yrsa prompted again.

Kirstie shook her head to bring her thoughts back to the task at hand. “I’m sorry. My mind is worried about Soren. I have never been away from him for so long.”

“Don’t worry,” Wilam assured her with a hug. “He has three grandparents to spoil him, if we include Brant’s mother, and three uncles to keep him entertained.”

“Birdie and Missus Kettle will watch over him,” Yrsa said. “Soren has known the dwarf wives since birth and loves them well.”

“I know all that,” Kirstie said, and added in a small voice, “But I miss him.”

Captain Olaf stepped up to the railing and commented, not quite catching up to the conversation. “I’m also sorry we missed them in Aberdeen. Catching all three there would have simplified things.”

“I thought we might catch all three of them,” Kirstie agreed. “But it is almost like they knew we were coming,”

“Yes,” Wilam agreed with his wife. “We will have to ask the one here in the Orkneys how they knew and slipped out to sea just before we arrived.”

Captain Olaf offered a suggestion. “They were not likely welcomed in Aberdeen and may have left before they got arrested. It might have been coincidence that we just missed them.”

“Well,” Wilam said. “At least we lost one of our slow belly boats in Aberdeen because they had trade there. We will lose another one here.”

“Well.” Captain Olaf said the same word and in much the same way. “Captain Otto has a ship like my own and many crew from Lucker. We both have some fill-in crew from Lucker and Ellingham. There will be at least two ships to the end of the journey, wherever that takes us.”

Wilam and Kirstie nodded. Yrsa kept her eyes on the port, as Brant directed the rowers and guided the ship into the bay where they would drop anchor and take a longboat to the dock.

Yrsa began to report what she saw with her good elf eyes. “It is Kare’s ship. They are making no preparations to hurry away. There are many officials in the port. They appear to be waiting for our arrival. It looks like Kare and the men of Strindlos and Nidaros are being watched.”

They stopped and dropped the anchor. Captain Olaf ordered the lifeboat to be lowered. Captain Otto stopped close to them, and he lowered his own lifeboat. The belly boat that had timber to trade for the Orkneys angled in toward the dock. The other belly boat that said they could take their trade to the Shetland Islands, or even the Faroe Islands if they had to go that far kept back from the others in a place where they could watch.

“There are men on the dock that look like soldiers,” Yrsa warned as they squeezed ten people into the lifeboat.

When the two lifeboats reached the dock, Captain Olaf went straight into merchant mode. “Torf-Einarr, my old friend. How good it is to see you again.”

Einarr Rognvaldsson, Earl of the Orkneys grunted. “Olaf.” He kept his eyes on the women who came to the dock. Olaf went with it.

“May I present Lady Kristina of Strindlos, the Maid of Lindisfarne, and her faithful companion, Yrsa.”

Einarr looked at the two in their comfortable dresses and smiled. He imagined the story he heard had to be terribly exaggerated.

Kirstie caught the look and called for her armor. It instantly replaced her dress and came with all the weapons attached, including her battleaxe. Yrsa quietly changed her dress to her leather and pulled her bow almost as fast.

Einarr’s eyes went from unbelief to shock, and he mumbled, “Your husband is waiting for you.”

“Wilam is my husband,” Kirstie said, patting Wilam on his chest. “I divorced Kare the jerk two years ago.” She marched right passed the Earl and his guard so she could yell at Kare to his face. “You idiot!”

“As soon as I found out you were following us, I stopped to wait for you. I swear,” he said.

“Men of Strindlos,” she said, looking around at the faces behind Kare, many of whom she knew. “And Nidaros,” she added for the rest. “I am ashamed of you all. You are acting like a bunch of Vanlil. It was not that many years ago we drove off the Vanlil that wanted to loot our homes and kill our women and children, and now you have gone and done it! Thoren, I am especially ashamed of you.”

Thoren stepped up. “I refused to participate. There were five of us. We kept the ship while the rest went.”

Kirstie nodded that she heard, but she noticed Einarr stepped up to listen to the exchange. “Kare. Captain Riggson has agreed to make room for our stuff once he unloads the timber he brought. You need to return everything you pirated.”

“Too late. It has all been confiscated.” Kare looked at the earl.

Kirstie turned her eyes and Torf-Einarr spoke softly. “I will keep some, but I can return some and maybe compensate a bit for what I keep.”

Kirstie knew that he would return a pittance and offer a token of compensation, but it was better than nothing. She turned back to address Kare’s crew and drew on some information her Storyteller hastily researched. “The earl here spent his first years as ruler driving the pirates away from his islands. Now you have played the pirate and you are in his hands. You should listen to what I told the captains of Strindlos. Trade works. We have a great forest full of Norwegian lumber, and animals whose furs and hides would be much appreciated by these… Orcadians. Fair and free trade makes for happy people on both sides of the North Sea.” She turned to the earl. “And happy people are not rebellious people and will defend their happy homes from invaders.” Einarr gave her a slight nod as he thought about it.

She turned again to Kare. “I am sure the earl here, or his merchants would pay a fair price for some lumber and quality furs. It would require some work and would not make you instantly rich, but you can make a good living and not worry about someone wanting to chop your head off for piracy.” She shrugged, like it was not her choice. “Personally, I would send you home with nothing. Poorer but hopefully wiser. But it is not up to me.” She turned her back on them.

“Kirstie,” Kare pleaded, and Kirstie turned back, but only to say one more thing. “Thoren, with the earl’s permission, you and your five that refused to participate in the raid on the villages can ride with us, if you want.”

Thoren looked at Kare. He looked at the earl. Then he looked at Kirstie and shook his head. “I think we may negotiate and work something out. I also believe it is important not to abandon one’s captain and crew.”

“I’ll tell Hilda you love her,” Kirstie said.

“Hilda?” Einarr asked, enjoying the drama.

“His wife,” Kirstie said.

“My wife,” Thoren said at the same time.

Kirstie turned back around and did not even flinch when Kare called her again. She called to her dress and her armor vanished. She hugged Wilam as soon as she could. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” she whispered. “I was forced into the marriage. I tried, but he was just horrible. I thank God for you every day.”

Wilam just smiled at her.

“Ahem,” Captain Olaf got their attention. “I’ve arranged with the harbor master to supply food for the three ships for a voyage of unknown duration. It is getting expensive.”

“I will pay you what I have. Money doesn’t matter. I have a family now, including a younger brother. I always wanted a younger brother.” She smiled at Wilam, but he spoke.

“Nonsense. The people of Lucker and Ellingham will pay your expenses.”

“Some of the men will not be happy that these are being let go,” Captain Otto interrupted. “Some would like to see these men hung for what they did.”

“I understand,” Kirstie said. “And they may well be hung or give their heads to the axe. The thing is it is out of our hands. The Jarl of Orkney will decide their fate.”

Captain Otto indicated that he understood, and added, “I have got a promise from the clerk to send a full accounting of the goods and any coins the earl may return or pay. It is not that I don’t trust Riggson, but he has been known to scoop some off the top as a transportation fee.”

“Delivery fee,” Kirstie said. “Not entirely unreasonable.”

“So, only one question.” Captain Olaf patted his ample old belly. “Where do we go from here?”

Kirstie nodded. “Vingevourt,” she called. He came right away and reported without being asked.

“The two ships anchored in the Shetlands for two days. They resupplied, whatever that means. Then the one with the women and the hag headed for the Faroe Islands, and the other headed toward the Norwegian shore, but just about an hour ago, the one headed for Norway turned around and also headed for the Faroe Islands. The second ship is at least a full day behind the first.”

“Odger,” Kirstie guessed. “He knew he could not go home to Vigg but imagined he might hide out somewhere in Norway where I could not find him. It took a day to realize I would find him no matter what. The elves or dwarfs would find out and tell me, wherever he went.”

“We can cut the corner by skipping the Shetland Islands and heading straight for the Faroe Islands. When can we leave?” Captain Otto asked Olaf.

“As soon as we resupply. First thing in the morning, on the morning tide,” Olaf answered.

“Lord Vingevourt,” Kirstie began, but Wilam interrupted.

“The one ship has a hag aboard?” Wilam caught the word. “Are you sure?”

“Yes indeed,” Vingevourt said in all seriousness. “A most terrible monster. I remember Lord Festuscato faced the hag prototype, the one named the Grendel, the son of the werewolf.”

“Festuscato?” Wilam looked at Kirstie.

“Me. Five hundred years ago.” She tried to whisper in Wilam’s ear.

“Grendel,” Captain Otto asked. “Beowulf?”

“That’s the one,” Vingevourt said. “But Beowulf did not finish the monster or the mother…”

“Wait. That part does not need to be told,” Kirstie said out loud. “It is a long story. Anyway, Lord Vingevourt, we will leave in the morning. With some speed, we might catch the one ship in port and the other just arriving.” She turned to the captains. “I hope we can arrive about the same time as Odger.”

“We will help,” Vingevourt said.

“Thank you for all your help,” Kirstie said. “And thank all of your sprites.”

“Our pleasure,” Vingevourt said, and the words sounded truly gleeful. He fell back off the edge of the dock and a couple of men reached out instinctively, like they were going to keep him from falling into the water before they realized what they were doing. Vingevourt disappeared in the waves.