Free Daughter of Fire and Ice by Marie-Louise Jensen

me they loved me. As I saw it, I knew that in following my vision I had made the right choice. I was meant to be here. I went to stand beside Bjorn and he smiled warmly at me. As I gave him his cloak, he caught my hand as he took it, pressing my fingers lightly, and then releasing them. There was a bond between us now, I thought, looking up at him. We’d only just met, but so much had happened. I could read his feelings for me as clearly as if he had spoken them. I felt a rush of affection for him in return. I’d never felt like this before.
    ‘Are we on course for Iceland?’ I asked, seeing nothing but sea in every direction. ‘How can Thrang tell where we are going?’
    ‘He has methods of navigation. But I don’t think he knows with any precision at the moment,’ said Bjorn, frowning. ‘He says we’ve almost certainly been blown off course to the south in the storm. We’re looking out for the Faeroe Islands. If we sight them, we’ll make land there to take on fresh water. If we miss them, we’ll sail straight to Iceland.’
    ‘And if we miss Iceland?’ I asked.
    ‘We won’t miss Iceland,’ replied Bjorn. ‘We can trust Thrang. I’ve never seen a more competent captain.’
    ‘Have you often been to sea before?’ I asked, curious. It was clear to me Bjorn wasn’t a novice aboard a ship. He had even gained Thrang’s respect.
    ‘You forget, Thora. I am Bjorn Svanson. I’ve made many voyages,’ said Bjorn, a smile creasing the corners of his eyes. I understood him. He would put his previous identity behind him and play the part of Svanson so thoroughly that even those closest to him would forget he was not born a chieftain. It was my task to support him and I shouldn’t ask questions.

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    We sighted land later that same day. We sailed into a bay between two high headlands at the extreme end of an island. Huge rocky stacks reared up out of the water like guards watching the mouth of the bay. The sea broke against the pillars sending spouts of spray flying into the air. Sea birds wheeled and glided and as we passed them, the black rocks stained white with their droppings.
    It wasn’t until both the boats were in sheltered water and the anchors were dropped that I noticed how strained both Thrang and Bjorn looked.
    ‘Was it dangerous?’ I asked Bjorn as he paused beside me.
    ‘Very,’ he replied. ‘These ships are swift and sturdy but they are not manoeuvrable in small spaces. And there are always treacherous currents and rocks outside a bay like this.’
    ‘Will it be just as dangerous to leave?’ I asked tentatively.
    ‘That should be easier.’ Bjorn managed a quick, reassuring smile before moving off to arrange a party of men to go ashore.
    I looked at the island. It was an inhospitable place. A cold sea wind blew directly into the bay bringing with it sheets of drizzle. The air was raw and cold. The land rose steeply out of the sea, a uniform vista of misty green hillsides disappearing up into cloud. I couldn’t guess whether they were low hills or high mountains. The place didn’t appeal to me in the least.
    There was a low dwelling tucked back into the hillside, clinging to the rocks. I wondered if Bjorn had noticed it. He was climbing into the small rowing boat to be taken across to our sister ship. I watched as Bjorn spoke to Stein, Thrang’s apprentice, and the rest of the slaves for the first time, though his words were lost in wind and waves and rain.
    We began work to clean our ship. Once more, the decks were sluiced clean of all the unpleasant leavings of our voyage. I saw Asgerd shaking out fresh hay for the calves, lambs, and foals and I went to help her.
    ‘What are the chickens to be fed on?’ I asked her.
    ‘There’s a bag of last year’s grain under the seat,’ she said, nodding towards a sack. I pulled it out and threw a handful of grain into each crate. The chicks darted here and there, pecking up the food greedily.
    I noticed that the foal we’d