Free God's Eye (The Northwomen Sagas #1) by Susan Fanetti Page B

this region was a day’s journey by horse and cart. They also knew that that town and its market hosted the people and trade of two other princedoms. That much, Olga and other villagers, with Olga’s interpreting help, had been able to tell them, as well as the names of these other royals: Ivan and Toomas. What none of the peasants seemed to know, however, was exactly where these princes dwelt and what threat they might be. The scouts had ridden out to learn.
     
    “The farthest is a hard day’s ride northeast,” Viger offered. “A blue flag with a white beast flies.”
     
    Olga spoke in her native tongue to Jaan, who nodded and turned to Leif. “Toomas.” He brought up his fists in a pantomime of fighting. “He…” he turned to Olga and spoke; then Olga turned to Leif.
     
    “Toomas make much war here. Jaan say in town men know to be…apart them?” She held up her arms and widened the distance between her hands. The men here knew to avoid Toomas’s men.
     
    “He was an enemy of Vladimir?” Brenna asked. Jaan’s head jerked in her direction. The men of Estland did not expect women to do anything that Brenna or Astrid did. After weeks here, the villagers were still more shocked by women who wore breeches and bore arms than any of them seemed to be about Brenna’s strange eye.
     
    After that moment of shock, as Olga nodded and spoke a word, Jaan nodded, too, and answered Brenna with his eyes on Leif. “Yes. No…friend here.”
     
    “That is not encouraging,” Vali said. “He wants this holding and is likely to be prepared for war already, then.”
     
    Sigvalde answered him. “The castle was quiet. There was no war in the air there—but there was light snowfall already. If they plan to strike, we do not think it will be until summer.”
     
    Leif stroked his beard. “And the other? Ivan?”
     
    “Due south,” Sigvalde responded. “The holding is small and poor. We could advance on it and take it, too. This Toomas is the threat.”
     
    “Please,” Olga interjected, and the others gave her their attention. She might have been their slave for a brief time, but she had become integral to their peaceful settlement here. Although Leif was attempting to learn the Estland tongue, no one else had yet tried, and they relied heavily on Olga to bridge the gap between them and her people. Realizing how much trust they’d already given her, upon her agreement to stay and assist them, they’d made her free just more than a week after they’d moved to the castle.
     
    She was the only of the raid’s captives at camp who’d remained alive. Calder had ordered all of the others killed before he’d set sail. He would have had Olga killed, too, but that Leif had asserted their need of her.
     
    With everyone’s attention on her, Olga met Leif’s eyes. “Will you make war south?”
     
    Leif glanced around the table, then shook his head. “No. I believe Sigvalde meant that Prince Ivan is no threat to us, not that we should raid his lands. We respect the winter, and our task is to strengthen this holding for our people.”
     
    Olga’s smile at that was so full of relief that Brenna cocked her head, curious.
     
    “Our plan remains the same, then,” Vali said. “Use the winter to prepare for trouble. We should stay alert, but perhaps we can enjoy some peace.” With those words he brought his eyes to Brenna and smiled.
     
    He always looked her in the eyes. It made her feel restless and hot. She wasn’t so naïve that she didn’t know why her body felt as it did, or why her mind brought him to the fore in such vivid detail when she was alone. But she didn’t understand why she was drawn to him. She didn’t understand what it would mean if she gave in to those feelings, if she gave him what he seemed to want, what she seemed to want. She didn’t understand why he wanted it. Wanted her. She didn’t understand how to be wanted. She hated not understanding.
     
    So she got up and left the table. If