The moon had reached it’s zenith and was now heading down towards the dawn. The three had been lucky on leaving the little bay that was their home for a good wind had blown in from the north, allowing them to set the sail and make better time. The clouds that had obscured the moon and the activities earlier in the night had departed, making navigation by the light of the almost full moon considerably easier.
It had not escaped Sarah that the very helpful wind and moon was probably also helping the Kurlanders. Amend that, it has helped the Kurlanders. For, they were nowhere to be seen.
Hakon had said earlier that it was unusual for raiders to travel at night, under normal circumstances they would travel in daylight then put in at a secluded spot to sleep on dry land. Attacks were usually made at first light; the behaviour of the Kurlanders worried him. It occurred to Sarah that maybe there was something more to the kidnapping of the children, the raid coming not long after Geir and the other men had left seemed a bit too convenient but it was just a gut feeling and until she had something more substantial she decided not to mention it.
Hakon and Leif were both experienced sailors and after a brief discussion decided that they would make their way to the island of Bornholm where the Jarl had friends in the south of the island. From there they would be able to replenish their meagre supplies of water and food before heading northwest across the sea to the land of the Kurlanders. Possibly even send a message back to the steading.
“Hakon? Just a thought but do you think it would be possible to get ahead of the raiders? I mean, presumably they are travelling in roughly the same direction we intend to go, so couldn’t we in theory cut in front of them, let them pass and then follow at a discreet distance?”
Sarah wasn’t sure how well her suggestion would go down with Hakon but you don’t know if you don’t try. Surprisingly, he didn’t dismiss it out of hand but seemed to be giving it some thought. At that point Leif spoke up.
“It’s not a bad idea, Hakon. If we put in somewhere, we could wait for them to pass us and then follow but because we are just a small fishing vessel they wouldn’t be concerned and if they did see us we would look like fishermen and of no concern to them”.
Hakon looked from Leif to Sarah, he was reluctant to admit that the idea was sound but only because he had not thought of it. For him, Sarah was a problem, that she didn’t belong here was obvious, he had heard the elders whispering about how she was fae.
Worst of all though, were the strange tinglings he felt when she smiled at him and how he couldn’t relax when she was around. Thinking about it he was glad that his brother was here, acting, albeit inadvertently, as a shield for his feelings. Coming to a decision and not looking at Sarah, he spoke to Leif;
“Okay, it’s a good plan, we will continue onto Bornholm but we will veer around to the east side of the island and find somewhere to land that gives us a good chance of sighting them. We will still need to be careful though, Father did say that the island was still under our control but things do change and with the rebellion up north it could be that the Svears or the Geats have decided to take advantage and take control of the island again.” Hakon knew that his words had come out in a rush and what he had said was obvious to his brother but he was very aware of Sarah watching and listening and for reasons he didn’t understand it made his stomach tighten.
“Father only has friends in the south, so our plans to get more food and water will now depend on what we can forage or steal if necessary,” he continued perhaps a little unnecessarily, but he really did feel the need to fill the silence.
Sarah on the other hand was beginning to wonder if she had done something to offend Hakon. It was possible that she had offended his Viking sensibilities by insisting on coming on this journey but then again, he was always grumpy around her back at the steading and would rarely speak to her unless he absolutely had to. She hoped that whatever his problem was he would get over it soon, or at the very least, not let it jeopardise their rescue mission. Shrugging her shoulders Sarah turned away and under Leif’s tutelage learned how to manoeuvre their small vessel under sail.
After a while the favourable wind that had filled their sails at the beginning of the chase died down to slow breeze. They were still able to use the sail but their progress was slow and meandering. Staring into the dark sea Sarah felt her limbs go heavy, her eyelids started to droop and she struggled to stay awake. With a great effort she turned around to see both Hakon and Leif also drifting off to sleep. She opened her mouth to speak but peaceful oblivion claimed her.
Squawk! Sarah’s eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright. Bright sunshine had replaced the near darkness.
“Jiggers. Leif, Hakon! Where are we?” She shouted in panic.
“Huh, what?” Both boys had also fallen asleep but were now scrambling to their feet, looking totally bewildered.
“Some rescuers we turned out to be” muttered Sarah. Hakon just kicked the mast in frustration. She couldn’t believe that they had all fallen asleep. All she could remember was the moon’s silvery reflection on the dark sea. She hadn’t even been tired, none of them had been. So how come they had fallen asleep? Now they had no idea of where they were and or where the raiders were. She could have cried.
“Look, over there is land. It might be Bornholm, let’s get in a bit closer and see if we can find somewhere to land,” said Leif pointing to his right and effectively distracting his brother.
“I can’t see a good place to land, everything is in shadow,” said Leif trying to shield his eyes from the rising sun. Leif smacked his forehead as it sunk in – everything was in shadow. If this was Bornholm then they were on the western side of the island, the complete opposite of where they wanted to be.
Leif looked towards Hakon who had also come to the same realisation. The rescue would have to be called off and there was no chance that they could find the children now. The boy’s shoulders drooped as they acknowledged their failure.
“Ahh, maybe we should find somewhere to land, have some food and discuss our options,” said Sarah trying to sound positive (what had the crazy lady said? Everything happens for a reason).
Looking at the shadowy coastline it was easy to imagine warriors hidden in every cove or behind every tree waiting for them to land so they could pounce. A warm sensation on her skin reminded Sarah of the amulet, her hand went to it and she closed her eyes thinking of the coast ahead, wondering if they would find a safe place to land.
Images flashed into her mind, a rocky outcrop covered in birds, gannets, and then beyond the outcrop, twin coves separated by a thin finger of land. Here was a safe place to land. Sarah opened her eyes and scanned the land to her right.
In the end it was not her eyes that found what she was looking for but her ears. The noise from the gannets was enough to draw her attention. As they drew closer she was amazed that the image in her head matched the one she saw with her eyes. With her hand on her chest she silently thanked the amulet. The next question was how to mention the twin coves to the boys and explain that it was safe? Sarah decided to just let the words out.
“Just around the gannet colony are twin coves, the first is used by people who come to collect the eggs from the gannets but there is no one there at the moment. The other one is hidden from view by a finger of land and is very narrow. It’ll be safe to land there and I think that there is fresh water there as well,” she said staring at the land and not the boys. If she had bothered to look at them she would have seen them exchange questionable looks. Leif shrugged his shoulders as if to say, don’t involve me and Hakon just shook his head. Neither replied to Sarah’s statement.
“There, Hakon, see the little cove, please pull in there, I know it’s safe, please Hakon” said Sarah pointing.
Hakon scowled, “How do you know it’s safe? Is this a trick of some kind? Maybe you bespelled us to sleep!”
And yet he found himself steering the little vessel skilfully into the narrow cove
and onto the beach. I will, at some point, have words with that girl.
Once ashore, Leif efficiently made a small fire with some driftwood, and as the three stared morosely into the flames, its cheery crackle seemed to mock their mood.
Hakon swore, “Now what are we going to do?” he asked no one in particular.
“Well…” began Sarah.
“No! You do not speak. You got us into this with your silly ideas, this all happened because of you, so I don’t want to hear you or see you.” Hakon face had gone a bright red and his hands were clenching and unclenching. Sarah gave a little yelp and scrambled behind Leif.
“Hakon, that’s not fair, Sarah fell asleep too, it was like we were enchanted or something. Anyway, if anyone is at fault it’s me. I think you need to go and cool off and maybe you ought a get some more sleep. You too Sarah, get some rest. We should probably only stay here a short while before heading home,” Said Leif.
“What about you?” mumbled Sarah quietly into Leif’s shoulder.
“I’m okay, I will go up onto the cliff, keep watch and forage a bit. In an hour or so I will come down and one of you can relieve me,” said Leif his eyes still on Hakon, who seemed to be getting himself under control.
“Alright, but come and get me first as you two have enough to do managing the boat and need your rest,” said Sarah as she made her way gingerly around Leif and over into a corner of the cove.
Sarah found a craggy nook to curl up in and wrapping her cloak around herself she settled down watching as Hakon and Leif exchanged a few whispered words before Hakon stormed off to the other side of the small cove. Crikey! He really doesn’t like me, thank goodness Leif is here. Perhaps he will feel better if he has sleep. Given that only a short while ago they had been asleep Sarah still felt bone weary. Perhaps it’s the stress, she thought. If she felt this way she could imagine how Hakon was feeling, being the oldest he undoubtedly had decided to shoulder the burden of this little expedition. Bloody Vikings!
As she lay there in the shadow of the cliff face contemplating Hakon, Vikings and life in general, she felt the amulet warm against her skin, her hand reached for it and she let her thoughts wander, sleep being the furthest thing from her mind.
Chapter Nine