The Heart of the Mountains had been cleansed before midnight ever came to them, yet nothing else stirred in the darkness as the warriors slept off their grievous wounds and loss of energy. A visitor in the deepest part of the night had called herself Eldwynne, and at Sven's urging, Elin had allowed the old woman to heal both Katla and her brother, surprised when the crone then left without asking for payment. Katla came awake before the dawn, surprised to find Elin standing guard over them, and for a long time, the two women talked. They talked of the lowlands and the mountains, of the people who had formed them into the women they were now. They talked of Aiden, too. Yet as dawn approached, they talked of family.
"....five years, come the autumn," Katla was saying softly. "She doesn't deserve a mother like me."
Elin shook her head with a faint smile. "All children should have a mother like you," she countered. "A mother who loves them, who will fight for them ....I've known children whose mothers should have been drowned before ever being allowed to spawn a baby."
Katla snorted with laughter. "Aye, I've known a few like that myself," she admitted warmly. "This won't be much of a hold for a while," she added, her blue eyes studying the other woman warily. "But it'll be ours, and away from the people who want to keep us down. You're welcome to stay, if you choose to. You'll always be a friend to us."
Aiden had been quietly awake for a while, long enough anyway to have overheard at least part of their conversation - especially the part about staying. He very nearly held his breath while he waited to hear his sister's reply to Katla's invitation, remembering how both women had seemed adamant on their leaving just the night before. Though Elin might not want to openly admit it, there was nothing to keep them in the lowlands - no family or friends or loved ones to miss them if they were gone. There was no real reason to keep them from staying, if that was what they wanted to do.
Elin's answer was soft. "Aiden wants to stay," she told Katla in a low voice. "He hasn't said as much, but I know my brother. It isn't that we have nothing waiting for us, or that there are other demons in these mountains we should deal with. He's drawn to you, somehow. I don't want to be the reason he walks away from that."
Thankfully, Aiden's back was turned away from them so that they couldn't see the expression on his face. Though his eyes remained closed, he was having a hard time hiding the surprise from his face, both at Katla's invitation and Elin's reply. He didn't want Elin to stay just because of him, but he didn't want her to leave either. She was right, though - there was something here that he'd never found anywhere else, and that something was Katla.
"And where he goes, you go," Katla said softly.
Elin nodded, looking down into her lap.
Katla reached over to touch her hand. "I never had a sister," she said as gently as she could. "Sigrun tries, but she has her hands full with Svarn. You teach me how to be more like a woman, and I'll teach you how to face a fight without trying to run away from it."
Elin laughed at that, knowing she was all but useless in an altercation right now. "All right, you have a deal."
Though they couldn't see his face, Aiden smiled, relieved the two women seemed to have worked things out without him having to interfere. It hadn't occurred to him that they were, in a way, deciding for him, but he had already told Katla that he wanted to stay and he hadn't changed his mind about that.
"Stay here, then," Katla told her. "And don't forget to put one of those cuffs on your own wrist. I have a feeling I know who's coming to call, and I don't want him thinking he can claim you." She rose, taking her shield and sword with her as she left the hall, presumably to join Sven and Bjarth by the gates.
It wasn't until after Katla left that Aiden finally stirred, allowing his sister to know he was awake, stretching and yawning as if just waking up from a long night's sleep. Strangely, he felt more rested than he had in a long time and it took a moment for him to remember his wounds and realize he was no longer hurting. In fact, he was feeling better than he had in a very long time. "The augur was here?" he asked, though that much seemed obvious.
Elin glanced up as he stretched. She looked a lot better than she had the night before, and was wearing Sven's leather coat over her chemise, belted at her waist. She smiled at her brother. "Some old biddy called Eldwynne came and muttered over both of you while you were asleep," she said with a shrug. "She didn't stay long. She wouldn't even look at me."
"Eldwynne was here?" he asked, brows arching upwards. Apparently, that wasn't something he'd overheard mentioned during his sister's conversation with Katla. "What did she say?" he asked curiously as he sat up across from her.
"Something about the spirits rejoicing that the Heart is clean, and that all this place needs is life and it will be just like it used to be," Elin shrugged again, tossing him a piece of bread. "She saw the light show and came to see what had happened. Sven saw others out there about an hour ago - Katla thinks it's their tribe coming to see what?s happened."
He was going to need more than a hunk of bread to satisfy the hunger that was gnawing at his stomach, but he made no complaints, catching the bread and tearing off a hunk with his teeth. He arched a brow at her, wondering how she really felt about staying. He'd heard what she'd told Katla, but he didn't want her to stay just because of him. "We could help make it what it used to be, Elin, but I won't stay if you don't."
"Aiden ..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know these people, and I'm afraid of them. Katla says that someone called Old-Tooth will try to claim me, the way she claimed you, and I don't want to be the chattel of a man even she despises. If it were her and her people, I wouldn't be so afraid of staying. But right now" I don't know what?s going to happen."
Aiden frowned, understanding her reluctance. "I won't let him claim you," he told her, his voice adamant about that. He paused a moment to chew on another mouthful of bread while he considered how much to tell her. He wasn't sure how much Katla had already told her while he'd been sleeping. "I have a feeling he's not going to be Thane much longer," he confessed in a quiet voice.
"I got the impression that Katla and her brother intend to claim this hold as theirs, and take around a third of his tribe with them," Elin mused softly. "Whether he is still Thane there or not, one of them will be Thane here."
"Or that," he replied quietly. Katla hadn't shared all her plans with him, probably because she hadn't been entirely sure whether or not they'd succeed, but now that they had, it didn't surprise him. He wasn't quite sure what that would make him, if he became the Thane's mate, but it didn't really matter. He was a Shadow-Walker, first and foremost, and he'd continue to do what he'd always done to fight the dead. He moved to his feet suddenly, retrieving his sword and strapping it onto his back. "I'm going to get something to eat. Care to join me?"
"....five years, come the autumn," Katla was saying softly. "She doesn't deserve a mother like me."
Elin shook her head with a faint smile. "All children should have a mother like you," she countered. "A mother who loves them, who will fight for them ....I've known children whose mothers should have been drowned before ever being allowed to spawn a baby."
Katla snorted with laughter. "Aye, I've known a few like that myself," she admitted warmly. "This won't be much of a hold for a while," she added, her blue eyes studying the other woman warily. "But it'll be ours, and away from the people who want to keep us down. You're welcome to stay, if you choose to. You'll always be a friend to us."
Aiden had been quietly awake for a while, long enough anyway to have overheard at least part of their conversation - especially the part about staying. He very nearly held his breath while he waited to hear his sister's reply to Katla's invitation, remembering how both women had seemed adamant on their leaving just the night before. Though Elin might not want to openly admit it, there was nothing to keep them in the lowlands - no family or friends or loved ones to miss them if they were gone. There was no real reason to keep them from staying, if that was what they wanted to do.
Elin's answer was soft. "Aiden wants to stay," she told Katla in a low voice. "He hasn't said as much, but I know my brother. It isn't that we have nothing waiting for us, or that there are other demons in these mountains we should deal with. He's drawn to you, somehow. I don't want to be the reason he walks away from that."
Thankfully, Aiden's back was turned away from them so that they couldn't see the expression on his face. Though his eyes remained closed, he was having a hard time hiding the surprise from his face, both at Katla's invitation and Elin's reply. He didn't want Elin to stay just because of him, but he didn't want her to leave either. She was right, though - there was something here that he'd never found anywhere else, and that something was Katla.
"And where he goes, you go," Katla said softly.
Elin nodded, looking down into her lap.
Katla reached over to touch her hand. "I never had a sister," she said as gently as she could. "Sigrun tries, but she has her hands full with Svarn. You teach me how to be more like a woman, and I'll teach you how to face a fight without trying to run away from it."
Elin laughed at that, knowing she was all but useless in an altercation right now. "All right, you have a deal."
Though they couldn't see his face, Aiden smiled, relieved the two women seemed to have worked things out without him having to interfere. It hadn't occurred to him that they were, in a way, deciding for him, but he had already told Katla that he wanted to stay and he hadn't changed his mind about that.
"Stay here, then," Katla told her. "And don't forget to put one of those cuffs on your own wrist. I have a feeling I know who's coming to call, and I don't want him thinking he can claim you." She rose, taking her shield and sword with her as she left the hall, presumably to join Sven and Bjarth by the gates.
It wasn't until after Katla left that Aiden finally stirred, allowing his sister to know he was awake, stretching and yawning as if just waking up from a long night's sleep. Strangely, he felt more rested than he had in a long time and it took a moment for him to remember his wounds and realize he was no longer hurting. In fact, he was feeling better than he had in a very long time. "The augur was here?" he asked, though that much seemed obvious.
Elin glanced up as he stretched. She looked a lot better than she had the night before, and was wearing Sven's leather coat over her chemise, belted at her waist. She smiled at her brother. "Some old biddy called Eldwynne came and muttered over both of you while you were asleep," she said with a shrug. "She didn't stay long. She wouldn't even look at me."
"Eldwynne was here?" he asked, brows arching upwards. Apparently, that wasn't something he'd overheard mentioned during his sister's conversation with Katla. "What did she say?" he asked curiously as he sat up across from her.
"Something about the spirits rejoicing that the Heart is clean, and that all this place needs is life and it will be just like it used to be," Elin shrugged again, tossing him a piece of bread. "She saw the light show and came to see what had happened. Sven saw others out there about an hour ago - Katla thinks it's their tribe coming to see what?s happened."
He was going to need more than a hunk of bread to satisfy the hunger that was gnawing at his stomach, but he made no complaints, catching the bread and tearing off a hunk with his teeth. He arched a brow at her, wondering how she really felt about staying. He'd heard what she'd told Katla, but he didn't want her to stay just because of him. "We could help make it what it used to be, Elin, but I won't stay if you don't."
"Aiden ..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know these people, and I'm afraid of them. Katla says that someone called Old-Tooth will try to claim me, the way she claimed you, and I don't want to be the chattel of a man even she despises. If it were her and her people, I wouldn't be so afraid of staying. But right now" I don't know what?s going to happen."
Aiden frowned, understanding her reluctance. "I won't let him claim you," he told her, his voice adamant about that. He paused a moment to chew on another mouthful of bread while he considered how much to tell her. He wasn't sure how much Katla had already told her while he'd been sleeping. "I have a feeling he's not going to be Thane much longer," he confessed in a quiet voice.
"I got the impression that Katla and her brother intend to claim this hold as theirs, and take around a third of his tribe with them," Elin mused softly. "Whether he is still Thane there or not, one of them will be Thane here."
"Or that," he replied quietly. Katla hadn't shared all her plans with him, probably because she hadn't been entirely sure whether or not they'd succeed, but now that they had, it didn't surprise him. He wasn't quite sure what that would make him, if he became the Thane's mate, but it didn't really matter. He was a Shadow-Walker, first and foremost, and he'd continue to do what he'd always done to fight the dead. He moved to his feet suddenly, retrieving his sword and strapping it onto his back. "I'm going to get something to eat. Care to join me?"