Copyright © 2021 Sylvia Lowik All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious.

Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. 

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without

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Dedication

Thank you to my husband, Nick, who supported me through it all.

Without all the encouragement of my Twitter friends, who know me as Nettie Sars, I would never have made it.

I owe a big thank you to my neurosurgeon Prof.J.J.Van Overbeeke, who saved my sight nearly 20 years ago.

The Book of Light

It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.

Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred. The scale of recent changes across the climate system as a whole and the present state of many aspects of the climate system are unprecedented over many centuries to many thousands of years.

                      Human-induced climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe.

                       There is evidence of observed changes in extremes such as heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts, and tropical cyclones, particularly their attribution to human influence.  

                                                              ISPCC Sixth Assessment.   

Eugenics is the practice or advocacy of improving the human species by selectively mating people with specific desirable hereditary traits. It aims to reduce human suffering by “breeding out” disease, disabilities and so-called undesirable characteristics from the human population.

                                                       First Law of the Church of Light, Prior Galton the First 

Survival of the fittest or natural selection: The natural process by which organisms best adjusted to their environment are most successful in surviving and reproducing.

                                                      Father Spencer  1264 AE.

Chapter One

It was one of those days in April which could make you believe summer had already arrived. Gulls, squealing like a bunch of squabbling fishwives, were swooping around the cliff tops, diving into the glistening water in the hope of catching their breakfast.

The unexpected sound of excited voices drifting up from the isolated beach below made the boy drop flat on the narrow path high above and crawl to the edge of the cliff. He had to move the gorse bushes carefully, ignoring their prickly branches.

The sight of a girl, stark-naked, striding into the surf and gracefully diving into the water made his breath catch in his throat. He never saw a woman that beautiful and…, and what? The only word he could come up with was ‘shiny’. She was all gold and copper, like a jewellery box he had once stolen from a church. The women in Diggers’ Peninsula did not look like that. He felt himself flush despite the cool sea breeze drying the sweat on his back.

He couldn’t see who the girl had been talking to without having to lean precariously over the edge. He didn’t want to risk it. Being spotted by any of the inhabitants of the Island would mean a death sentence. His people were strictly forbidden to set foot on it by the ruling of the Church. He knew all too well how those bastards treated anyone disobeying their laws no matter where you came from in the Archipelago or who you were. And it would not only affect the offenders but their whole family, and sometimes even their entire village would feel the wrath of the Prior. It had been a shock this morning when his leader had informed them the ruler of Midland had ordered him to rob the most important family on the Island.

“Damien heard there would be a double wedding tomorrow. Two of their brats will be sacrificed on the altar of their fucking Tree. People have been arriving with gifts from all over the Archipelago for days. The loot will be enormous if we can get at it and leave without getting ourselves killed. If we can’t, he intends to send a full raiding party, and we can whistle to our share.”

No one had dared to raise objections. You did not disobey an order from the White Fort nor their boss.

It was why he now found himself on a narrow ledge below the steep walls of the Harrington stronghold, his eyes following the girl while she swam out to a large iron cross sticking out of the waves. There must be buildings from the time before down there. They were everywhere. His remarkable knowledge of the water charts was one reason Solo even allowed him on his crew. The other being his sister.

He wished he could watch forever, or at least until she would come out again, but he must go back and report how the girls had suddenly appeared on that deserted beach coming out of nowhere. There must be an entrance to the House down there. He could bet his life on it. Solo might even praise him, which would make a nice change from his usual contempt.

The lad shuffled back from the ledge and sprinted through the woods as fast as he could. The trees and shrubs still recovering from last winter had not yet grown impenetrable. And he would have to cross the Sevenoaks woods for many miles until he would reach the small cove where Solo was waiting for them with their boat.

The boy stopped for a moment to get his bearings. The fresh smell of early spring and the vivid green of brand-new leaves around him reminded him of the girl with her fresh young body. How would it be to bed someone like that? He felt aroused just thinking about it. She had looked like a mermaid when she walked to the sea, her skin glistening in the sun and her auburn hair coiled in thick ropes around her head. He took a deep breath.

Suddenly two massive arms encircled his body, lifting him off the ground.

“Daydreaming is for corpses, Boy. Anyone could have sneaked upon you, you little squirt. Wait till your big sister hears about it.”

Wulf grabbed him in a bear hug and planted a sloppy kiss on his head. Being two heads taller and already given his name two years ago, you would never guess he was six months younger.

As yet unnamed and therefore going by the name Boy as was the tradition, the boy liked being part of the same scouting group but wished his sister and friend would have chosen one with another leader. Solo had mainly taken him on as a favour to his sister, Yaya, in the hope she would finally be his mate, but when she wasn’t around, the jerk never let a chance go by to ridicule her ‘weakling’ brother.

Boy tried to wriggle free, wanting to get word about his discovery to Solo as soon as possible.

“Let go, you big oaf. This isn’t funny. I nearly stuck you with my knife.“Which hands were you going to do that with?” his friend asked.

Boy immediately threw his head back, smashing Wulf’s face. The big guy let him go with a yelp and clutched his nose, the blood spurting out between his fingers.

“I would have used these hands,” Boy replied, starting playfully to use the big man as his punching bag.

“Hey, you little punk. That hurt like hell. Why were you running back?”

“I have good news for Solo. While I was on the cliff behind the castle, I heard these girls below on the beach. They appeared out of nowhere. One of them went swimming butt-naked. It was amazing. The girls, I mean. There must be a way to get into the house down there. The beach is easy to get to, and you can’t see it from the walls. We could save ourselves a lot of trouble.”

Wulf scratched his head, wrinkling his forehead.

“I am not sure. Shouldn’t we first finish our tour around the walls? I will go back with you and maybe have a bit of an eyeful as well. Or if we are lucky, a handful.”

“No, be serious. Delivering an easy way in is my chance to make Solo finally let me choose a name.”

Boy, seeing his friend’s doubtful expression, started pulling him back to the waiting boat.

“Come on. What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”

Wulf rubbed the back of his neck and stood there immovable as a rock.

“Solo gave us strict instructions to scout the whole perimeter before reporting back. You will never earn a name if you keep trying to do your own thing. Shit, Boy, Solo already has it in for you. Let me spell it out again: we don’t make the decisions. We follow orders, nothing more, nothing less. If you want to stay out of trouble, that is. You must know what happens to people who don’t. The last ones are still digging latrines in West Drayton. Your sister won’t be able to help you. You can tell him after we have finished.”

“But what will Solo do to us, eh, if he finds out later, he can get in the house without being noticed, and we didn’t tell him straightaway? One of us getting caught spying would ruin everything. You know what? Why don’t you go on if you want, and I’ll run back and tell him? Let Solo decide if it is worth checking out that beach. It won’t take long. At least one of us will bring back the information he wanted, so what’s the difference?”

“All right then,” Wulf slumped his shoulders.

“But I’m coming with you. I’m not letting you go back and face him by yourself. I know what a jackass Solo can be about discipline. At least we’ll be digging those shit holes together.”

“Come on then, hurry. I promise you Solo will be fine once he hears what I have found out, I’m sure.”

With these words, Boy raced off, not waiting for his friend to change his mind. Wulf sighed and tried to catch up with him, doing so just before they broke out of the woods and climbed down to the cove where Solo looked up at them, clearly surprised that they were back already.

Chapter Two

Astrid climbed up to the sunny courtyard lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. Seeing it packed with people heralding yet more guests, she was glad they had escaped to the beach that morning. From now there would be no more opportunities to escape her duties.

Waking up this morning, she had only to take one look out of her window to make up her mind about sneaking down to the beach below the castle cliff. She had persuaded the more cautious Marion to join her. The latter probably only demurred in the hope to keep their visit as short as possible.

 When she had started to shed her clothes to go in, her friend wide-eyed had shrieked: “You’re not going in, are you? You’ll freeze to death. It might already feel warm, but the water will still be ice cold. Besides, you’ll never hear the end of it if your mother finds out.”

“They’re all far too busy to miss us. Besides, if I have to listen to one more of Father Sirio’s lessons about doing our duty to the Tree of Life tomorrow, I’ll jump from the highest tower I can find.”

With these words, she had given her friend a playful push and run into the invitingly shimmering sea. At first, the cold made it nearly impossible to breathe, though as she started to swim with long, firm strokes towards the church steeple, it had felt a lot better.

The incredible feeling of washing away all the smoke, grime, and boredom of winter had made her spirits soar. It had been so kind of her brother to teach her to swim all those years ago. Life would have been far more unbearable would it not have been possible to escape the restrictions of becoming an Island woman by being able to swim away from it all. Alas, she always had to go back. This time it would be harder than ever. Her wedding was looming ever closer, and Nicholas was behaving like a stranger. Her mind shrank away from thinking about their last meeting.

Holding on to the church railing, floating on her back, she had felt the warm rays of the sun on her face. Strange to imagine that once there had been a whole community living right below the waves. She wished she was allowed to know more about those mysterious times.

Once out of the water, the wind had felt like an icy breath on her wet skin. Running as fast as she could for the shelter of the dunes and the comfort of her warm clothes, she felt reborn. Marion, lying with her arms over her eyes, seemed to have dozed off. Astrid had wrung a bit of water on the face of her unsuspecting friend, and the poor girl had jumped up with a shriek. Slapping her friend on her arm, Marion had started to hurry her back into her clothes and through the tunnel to the basement before somebody noticed their absence. Being found out would have them scrubbing pans until kingdom come. It would have been worth it, though.

The girls had to squeeze through a crowd of people to get to the main house. Stable boys were leading a group of magnificent horses away, and men in bulky clothing laughing and shouting for the servants seemed to be everywhere.

Trying to be heard above all the noise, Marion, her eyes shining, yelled: “Hey, I think your master Redwood has arrived.”

“First of all, he is not my master yet, and it seems you are more excited to meet this guy than I am,” said Astrid, her face clouding over, the happiness after her morning swim disappearing.

“Well, I am interested in the man my best friend will marry, even if she is not. You never even met him, did you? Your fiancée must be pretty old to have been friends with your father.”

“Oh, stop. My father met Henry at my mother’s court when Henry was only twelve. He is at least fifteen years younger. They told me the Tree charts only had two matches for me. If they had matched me with the other one, I would have become your stepmother.”

“What? Who told you that?”

“I am not allowed to say, or he would be in a lot of trouble. “

“My brother has been talking again, has he? Astrid, he could get into a lot of trouble. You are taking advantage of his crush on you. That is not fair.”

Astrid, her voice trembling a bit, tried to defend herself. “I only wanted to know if they could have matched me with Nick and were not telling me because Redwood is my father’s friend and from a Great House, and they just threw your father in to make me happy with their choice.”

Marion reached out to pat her, smiling apologetically

“chatting, Astrid turned her head back just in time to walk face-first into a man’s smelly cloak. Ouch, watch where you’re going.”

“Young lady, I think it is you who should be watching where you are going. I think an apology is in order. Be quick about it if you don’t want me to tell the master.”

. The owner of the cloak reeked of stale horse sweat. He was dressed like a Northerner, far too hot, and was trying to take off his coat. Despite his stern words, his bright blue eyes sparkled with amusement. He must have thought Astrid, barefoot and with her hair still dripping from her swim, to be one of the house’s maids. They had not bothered to dress this morning and just thrown their cloaks over their nightgowns.

“ Sir, I’m so sorry,” Astrid said, making a small curtsy, poking her friend in her ribs not to give anything away. “Please don’t tell the master.”

The stranger looked her up and down and started to smile. It changed his whole face, and the girls could not help smiling back.

“You got me there for a minute, cheeky lass. You are the spitting image of your grandmother. It is little Astrid, if I am not mistaken? Not so little anymore, I see. You probably won’t remember me. You were about four years old when I saw you last. Let me introduce myself, Henry Redwood, at your service, your future husband.” He made a reasonable effort of taking a courtly bow.

Astrid, probably for the first time in her life, was speechless. So, this was the man she would be marrying tomorrow and follow to the far North. She had seen a picture of him, but the likeness had not shown her that wonderful smile and his sense of humour. She stared at him, trying to take in as much as she could while he turned to Marion.

“And who is this other fine young woman?”

“Marion Selby, sir,” stammered her friend, utterly overwhelmed by the attention of this very handsome man.

“Ah, you must be the daughter of Selby, Protector of the West and the famous Commander of our troops. I am looking forward to meeting him at the wedding tomorrow. Speaking of which, we should all better be on our way, as I don’t think Ingrid would be pleased I met her daughter, my future bride, in such a state of undress. Even if you two are not, I’m still scared of her.” He winked at them and sauntered toward the keep.

The girls looked at each other and immediately started to giggle so hard, they collapsed in a heap.

“ By the Lady,” gasped Marion, “he is gorgeous. I would almost trade your brother for him. We are not even wearing shoes.”

“Who cares what he looks like? He is not my Nick.”

“Stop fighting what you can’t change. At least your chosen one is handsome. Did you see how he was looking you up and down? Lady, his voice. My legs are still like jelly. What did you think of him? Isn’t he lovely? I am sure it will be easy to fall in love with him and forget all about Nicholas. He doesn’t look old at all. He sounded so nice.”

Astrid sighed. The silly girl was practically swooning.

“Stop babbling. Since when does anybody consider your feelings when they choose a husband for you? It is just an arrangement serving the Tree and the Church. I will never love anyone like I do Nicholas, no matter how nice or handsome he is.”

 Astrid ran to the kitchen entrance with angry tears welling up as she did not want even her best friend to see how this unexpected meeting had deeply affected her. It had all become too real now. She hated it.
Looking around, she saw her wedding dress hanging on one of the hooks on the wall, all foamy cream lace and the softest of Sinise silk. She pulled her pillow over her head and screamed. Did everybody and everything have to remind her of that awful wedding tomorrow?

“Hello, dear,” said Trudy, coming in with a big pile of laundry. “Did you have a nice swim?”

Her former nurse and Nicholas’ mum smiled as she said it, and Astrid decided not to deny it as her nurse knew her better than anyone except maybe Marion.

“It was so great, and I felt fine until I bumped into Henry Redwood,” she wailed, flopping on her back, nearly disturbing a pile of clean and ironed dresses.

“Please be careful, dear. You’ll make those clothes all crumpled and dirty again before I can pack them. What is wrong with Henry Redwood? You could do far worse. As far as I can remember, he is a charming and handsome man. You’ll soon get to like him and hopefully even love him.”

Astrid threw her arms in the air, moaning: “Our Lady, please help me. Why can’t everybody stop talking about it all the time? It’s driving me insane.”

“Well, child, it’s a bit too late to stick your head in the sand and hope it is not going to happen. I would enjoy my last day of freedom instead of moping in your room if I were you. Go and make yourself presentable and go and find your brother. Weren’t you supposed to choose one of his pups?”

In all her dismay about the coming events, Astrid had forgotten all about her brother’s present.

“You always know how to cheer me up, Trudy,” she said as she went up to her and hugged her.

She brushed her hair and threw on her riding clothes. Her mother would complain, but she needed the comfort of them.

She heard Trudy calling after her, “Don’t be late for lunch.”

Chapter Three

Determined to make a getaway as soon as possible, Astrid joined her parents and their guests for lunch. To her embarrassment, her mother pointed to a chair between herself and Henry, beckoning her to sit there, frowning at her daughter’s choice of apparel.

He smiled, winking at her and returned to his discussion with her parents about the situation with Damien in Midland. She thought she would die of boredom and looked longingly at the table where her friends were sitting having fun. At least Nicholas, seeing her look, waved and mouthed ‘later’. She nodded to let him know she was game. Maybe they could spend some time together after lunch and talk about last time.

By the time lunch was finished, her parents had suggested she take Henry on a tour around Sevenoaks. Why on earth did she have to spend her last free afternoon with that man? She had her whole life to do that. She needed to talk with Nick. When she shook her head about to refuse, her mother pushed her chair back, practically dragging her from the room, fiercely whispering in her ear: “While still living under his roof, you’ll never be too old for your father to give you a whipping. Stop acting like a silly child. Go and make sure our guest has a good time this afternoon, or else I will take a belt to you myself. I will tell Henry you will meet him at the horses.”

Astrid was shocked into silence as her mother never got this angry with her. She was usually the lenient parent, settling the many arguments between her wilful daughter and her even more stubborn husband before they escalated. Henry must be important to them.

She found him waiting at the stables, holding his horse’s bridle.

“Sorry to take you away from your friends. I will try not to bore you again.

It has been quite a while since I had a look around the Harrington properties. It will be good to be out in the sun. A few weeks ago, we were still shovelling snow from our roads.”

Astrid tried not to shiver. She had asked her father to tell her more about Scotia after she heard she would live there. The information had not done much to make the prospect more alluring. If any, it had made her even more desperate to avoid that fate.

Pretending not to notice the look of reluctance on her face, Henry continued: “It will be good to spend the afternoon away from all the preparations for our wedding and get to know each other a bit better, don’t you think? Tomorrow there won’t be much chance for that. There will be too many guests to entertain. Afterwards, we will probably only have a few days before we leave for Scotia.”

Lady. If he was going to be talking about that wretched wedding, she might as well have stayed home and let her mother and friends go on about it.

Astrid abruptly changed the subject: “Let me show you Cityview first. You can see London City on a clear day like this. Even from that far, it is beautiful. I wish I could visit one day.”

Henry nodded and told her it was his favourite city too.

They led their horses down the road to the harbour of Sevenoaks. A significant number of boats lay moored at the floating quays. Cranes were creaking as produce from all over the Archipelago was hoisted up to street-level big wooden platforms. From there, the waiting carts would take it to the warehouses of the Harrington company.

They made their way over a narrow stone bridge spanning the river Lint and continued on the Reigate road while Henry told her about the places he had been all over the Archipelago.

When he came to describing his own home, he tried to make it sound as wonderful as possible.

“We might not live close by the sea, but the Wasting Loch, or Lake as you would call it, is large enough to provide great sailing. I heard from your parents you love to be on the water and even have your own sailboat. People always talk about how cold and bare Scotia is, but it looks splendid in summer, with the heather blooming in the most amazing colours of yellow and purple. Neither do they mention how beautiful our mountains and rivers with their spectacular waterfalls can be. If you are willing to give it a chance, you will get to love it as much as I do, I am sure.”

Astrid sensed how much he loved his home. She wondered if one day she could feel the same for that faraway, chilly place.

“You will fit right in, flower,” her dad had said, pulling her plaits. Women in the North are allowed far more freedom than in the South.”

The rest of the ride, they were mostly quiet. Both were enjoying the afternoon sun and nature going riot around them.

Back in the courtyard, Henry suggested he take both horses to the stables so she could get ready for dinner. Astrid accepted his offer. She wanted to look her best tonight. However, she wasn’t sure if it would be for Nicholas or this fascinating man.

Chapter Four[SL1] 

“You’re late, child.”

Trust her father to reprimand her in front of everyone.

“Have you got nothing to say?”

Ingrid put her hand on her husband’s arm and whispered something in his ear.

“Your mother says you’re late because you had to help her. I still find that no excuse to make our guests wait. Henry, I do apologise.”

Henry gave Astrid an encouraging smile.

“ It doesn’t matter, Gregory. We were a bit late to coming back from our ride. Your daughter has done her best to show me all the nice places around here. I had a lovely afternoon. You must admit it must take quite a bit of time to look so lovely”.”

He gave her a wink, and everybody smiled at his chivalry. Henry spent most of the time discussing the situation in Midland with her parents.

As soon as it was politely possible,  Astrid said goodnight using the excuse of needing her beauty sleep to retire early.

She found her little sister in her bed, vast asleep, curled up like a little kitten deep under the bedclothes. The little minx had crept into her room again. She looked so sweet in her pink cotton nightgown with her hair sticking out all around her chubby little face. Astrid crawled in beside her. She would miss their nighttime cuddles too.

Nicholas had disappeared before she could speak to him. She wondered again what had made him change his attitude towards her so suddenly.

She was still smarting from the way he had refused to let her give herself to him the night before. She had slipped into his bed and crawled under the covers stark naked. Instead of making passionate love to her, he had gently wrapped her up in his blanket and urged her to leave. He had told her again they could never be together like that, not now nor in the future. It had crushed her. The shame of being rejected made her incredibly sad but angry too.

Tired from her conflicting feelings, she fell into a restless sleep only to be woken by an incredible thirst. She carefully got up not to wake her sister and went to the sideboard to get some water.

Behind her, she heard her bedroom door open quietly and started to turn, smiling. Nicholas, he must have changed his mind.

Instead of her beloved, she saw a tall figure looming up in the darkness. For a split second, she hoped she was dreaming but was soon abused of the idea when a pair of calloused hands pulled her against a body encased in tough leather smelling of smoke and fish.

“One sound, and it will be your last, do you hear me? Do as I say, and no one will get hurt.”

The only thing she could think of was to stop him from finding her sister. She had to stay quiet as much as she wanted to scream and fight. The brute shoved a piece of cloth in her mouth and tied another one tightly around her eyes. He threw her over his shoulder as if she weighed no more than a bag of feathers. His grip was so tight she could barely move. Her head, bouncing on his back, made her feel sick. He took her downstairs, where she felt the cold air outside chilling her bare legs. She noticed the distinct scent of smoke.

Another voice spoke, a woman’s.

“Hurry, we managed to get most of the stuff. What are you doing? Who is she? Leave her. That’s not what we came for. Dragging her along will only slow us down.”

The man holding her just grunted and told the complaining voice to fuck off and get her ass to the basement.

Astrid’s mind reeled, ‘Oh no. I must have left the gate open in our hurry not to get caught this morning.’

Another gruff voice sounded close by, a man this time.

“We took care of the guards. It was easy. Half of them were asleep. We must go now before anybody else wakes up. I’ve created the diversion, as you told me, but it might not hold them back that long.”

The acrid smell of smoke started to become ever more noticeable. Astrid heard everyone around them beginning to cough. The cloth covering most of her face at least prevented her from having to do the same. The man carrying her started to run. By the hollow sound of their footsteps and a musky smell, she knew they must have reached the basement. A cold, salty draft was coming from the door leading to the outside.

She bore some more uncomfortable jerking up and down before she was thrown unceremoniously down, getting drenched in the process.

“Get back in the boat, Boy, and you, guys, heave. They’ll be a bit busy, but I still want to be out of sight of those towers before someone starts shooting at us.”

She heard the men swearing and the creaking of oars. Her first instinct was to try and get away before it was too late. She wished she could jump overboard, but sense told her she wouldn’t stand a chance against these people.

They took her gag out and uncovered her eyes once they were out of sight of the island.

Cold, wet, and shocked, Astrid wanted to give in to her despair and weep. She bit her lip and shook herself out of it. Her innate bloody-mindedness, which often had gotten her into trouble, came to her rescue. She would find a way out of this. No matter what it would take. There wasn’t much she could do now but wait for an opportunity to flee.

“You can sum up survival in three words — never give up. That’s the heart of it. Just keep trying,” an ancient philosopher once said. She was a Harrington, and that should count for something.

Shivering, she sat up and stared back at her home, which was rapidly disappearing in the dark.

Chapter Five

Boy was looking at the girl Solo had stolen from the keep. It was her. She looked so different from the glorious vision he saw on the beach. Why had Solo done it? He never mentioned he wanted to take a hostage.

He threw a woollen blanket over her. Even though it smelled of sweat and grease, she would be grateful for its warmth. They had tied her hands and feet with some rope. They must have been worried she would jump out of the boat when she woke up and realised where they were taking her.

A movement under the blanket showed him she was trying to loosen the ropes by wriggling her hands and feet. He saw his sister go up to her.
If the girl hoped a woman would be a bit friendlier, she would soon find out how wrong she was.  He heard her ask for some water.

Before he could get up to give her some, Yaya shoved him back down and snarled: “You can wait until we land. It’s a good exercise for such a high and mighty brat as yourself to learn what it’s like not to get everything the moment you want it. Islanders. Always thinking you’re better than the rest of us.”

She spat in the water, her towering presence making the girl cringe

“You’ll soon find out we do things very differently here.”

Then his sister smiled, which somehow looked worse than her scowling.

“Right, Boy, here’s where you come in” Solo changed places with him at the rudder and shoved Yaya aside to sit right next to his hostage at the back of the boat, calling out to him: “Make yourself useful. I want to be home and sit behind a large beer within the next half hour. Raiding is a thirsty business. Hold on to your horses, princess. We don’t want you to go overboard before we had some use out of you.”

Boy saw the girl trying to make herself as small as possible. She seemed terrified of Solo.

The boat picked up speed. They had reached the reefs. He had to make it tack left and right, sometimes catching the waves smack on the side. They entered the foaming surf at a terrifying speed, making the boat teeter high, hanging motionlessly in the air to then plunge like a dead weight. He loved the challenge of it but was too worried about the girl to enjoy it now. She looked like a ghost. Living on the Island, she must be used to being on the water but looked clearly about to be sick.

Before he could issue a warning to his boss, she vomited all over Solo’s back.

“What the fucking hell, you little bitch.” Solo sprang up, right when the boat was making a sharp turn making him nearly fall overboard.

“Hold on, man, nothing you can do about it now. We’re nearly there. Then you can jump overboard and wash,” the boy who was skilfully piloting them to the shore tried very hard not to grin. His sister had no such inhibitions. She laughed out loud.

“Green suits you, Solo. You should wear that colour more often.”

The others started to laugh too, which didn’t do much for the big man’s temper.

“Let me see if you’ll all find it so funny when you’re cleaning my boat from all that crap. Bunch of assholes.”

In one swoop, he picked up the girl and jumped overboard. Just when he thought Solo was about to drown her, he hauled her up again and stuck his face into hers. Pure hatred shone from his eyes. He shook her so hard her head flailed from side to side.

“Let’s see how well you can swim.”

He threw her in the water, her hands and feet still tied. No matter how hard she thrashed, she started to sink below the surface.

Boy let go of the rudder and jumped overboard. He grabbed her and turned her on her back, holding her up above the water. She gulped for air and was still thrashing in her panic.

“Stay still until I’ll get you to the beach and untie you. At least you’re clean now. Try and do what Solo says, or it will just get worse for you.”

She followed his advice and let him guide her to the beach, where he sat her up on the dry sand, still warm from yesterday’s sun. He pulled a knife from his belt to cut her bonds. She shut her eyes and involuntarily let out a cry. When she tried to get up, she fell back onto the sand as if her bones had turned to jelly.

“Here, let me help you.”

“Stop pussyfooting around with that Gen whore, Boy.”

Solo shoved him aside, dragged the girl up, and threw her like a sack of coal over his shoulder.

“Don’t you get any ideas about this one, son. Damien has her down for a high ransom. If we lose her on the way to the Fort, it will be your guts he’ll rip out, not mine. Go and help your mates drag the boat ashore and clean it. I’ll look after the wench from here. And you, my darling,” the swine gave her a whack on her behind, “If you barf on me once more or annoy me in any other way, I’ll make you regret ever to have been born, ransom or no ransom.”

With this warning, Solo turned around and strode away.

Ignoring his boss, Boy followed a little bit behind. He saw Solo dropping her like a sack of potatoes in front of his mother’s tent. Looking down on her, his boss made a mocking bow, sweeping his arm around the settlement.

“Welcome to Hell’s Kitchen, your first stop. Hey, Sara, take this inside and clean it up. It will need some suitable clothes and shoes before we leave for the White Fort. You, my treasure, don’t give her any grief, or I’ll come over and deal with you.”

He abruptly turned his back on them and strode into the village, whistling a cheerful tune.

Chapter Six

The tired-looking woman who had appeared when the brute had called her took one look at Astrid and gently guided her inside, sitting her down on some soft woollen blankets. It smelt like a herb garden, eucalyptus and garlic fighting for dominance.

Seeing her shivering in her wet nightgown, the woman immediately stoked up the fire and urged her to take it off, handing her another blanket to wrap around herself.

The shock of her abduction and the horror of her near-drowning took their toll, and she started sobbing. The woman patiently waited until Astrid had calmed down a bit.

“Would you like something to eat? It will make you feel better and warm you up.”

Though marked by a hard life, her face showed the strong features of a once beautiful woman. She sat down opposite Astrid and, in a soft voice, introduced herself.

“As you might have heard, my name is Sarah. What is yours, dear?”

She seemed nice. Maybe while the awful man was away, she could persuade this woman to help her get away.

She swallowed as her mouth was parched and managed to whisper: “Where am I? Can you help me, please? I don’t want to be here.”

Before the woman could say anything, an angry voice interrupted their conversation.

“Mother, Solo told you not to talk to her and just tidy her up. Give her something to eat so she’ll be fit enough to walk. She needs travel clothes and suitable shoes. You and Boy are so soft. For fuck’s sake. Can’t you for once do what he asks. Solo will be here soon. He has gone to check on his brother. He’ll want to get a move on as soon as he is done. Can you pack some food for Boy and me? He will be coming with us to see Damien.”

It was the woman who had been so vile to her on the boat. She towered over them, scowling. Every part of her body was covered in black and red tattoos depicting horses, stars, and words in a strange language. Even on the woman’s forehead, three symbols stood in a triangle. Her ears were adorned with multiple rings, and she was dressed in a tight brown leather bodice over woollen leggings, the latter embroidered with blue, wavy lines. With her tightly braided tresses dyed a vivid green, making her look even more barbaric, she stood out against the muted colours of her surroundings. On her back, she carried a sword that looked ancient but shone as if it were made yesterday. Heavy black boots studded and capped with metal completed her look.

Last night on the boat, Astrid had been too miserable to pay much attention to the woman’s appearance. Unbelievable this woman, scowling at her mother, was in any way related to that kind boy. She hadn’t caught his name. Everyone seemed to call him Boy.

“Stop barking at me, girl. I’m still your mother, no matter how high and mighty you think you are. I was just about to offer the girl something to eat before you so rudely interrupted me. I don’t want your brother to go with you and that idiot friend of yours. Taking a girl from the Island is a major offence. The monks will be on your tail before you know it. Please keep Boy out of it.”

Squatting down in front of Astrid, she gently took one of her hands.

“Don’t mind her, dear. Her bark is worse than her bite. Have some of this hot potato soup. You must be hungry. It will make you strong for the walk.”

“How long have I been asleep? Is this village called Hell’s kitchen?” Astrid needed to know where she was and how long she had been missing from home.

Looking at her daughter with a stern frown, the woman, Sara, patted her hand: “That must have been one of Solo’s stupid jokes. You are in West Drayton. You arrived here only an hour ago, and it’s early in the morning now. Please do eat and drink something before Solo comes for you. I’ll get you some of Boy’s clothes. You are both about the same size.”

The awful woman, satisfied when she saw Astrid accepting the soup, left but not before she had told her mother that it was her brother who had insisted on going with them.

“Mama has she..? The boy who had saved her from drowning stopped in his tracks when he saw Astrid sitting upright and looking much better. His eyes widened at the sight of her. He looked to be close to her age, maybe a bit older.

“And this is my youngest, Boy, who hasn’t got his proper name yet. Hopefully, that will change soon. Have some soup, Baby, or, knowing how patient Solo is, I know you will go hungry today. After you finish, take this young woman and these travel packs outside. I don’t need to see Solo coming in here bullying that poor girl some more.”

“Please, mama, don’t call me that,” the boy shot a glance at Astrid, his cheeks burning. His mother handed him another bowl and stroked his head. He pulled it back, looking very embarrassed to be treated like a little boy. He reminded Astrid of her sister, who always became mortified when people treated her like the baby of the family in front of strangers. The boy accepted the food thanking his mother, and started to wolf it down, managing to talk simultaneously.

“I convinced Yaya to take me with them. Solo will ask Damien to name me. I asked Wulf to come, but he couldn’t. His mother forbade it.”

“She is a wise woman. I wish you weren’t going either. No good will come of it. I guess there’s no talking you out of it? We can wait for a travelling priest to do the naming. It will be just as valid as having that awful man do it. Did you warn this girl about Solo?”

Turning to Astrid, frowning: “Be careful with that man.  He blames all his problems on the people of your island. Boy, if you get the chance during your trip north, tell her why. Now up, you two get. Young lady, you go and get changed and join my boy outside. And you, Boy, go.”

Sara ushered her son out and pointed Astrid to a screened off partition to change. When Astrid was hesitating to leave the tent, Sarah gave her shoulder a gentle tap and whispered: “Keep your head down and try to stay near my lad. He’s a good boy.”

She never got to tell the kind woman her name.

It was only just getting daylight, and hard to get an idea of the size of the village. Trees and bushes half hid most of the dwellings. Smoke was already spiralling up in the air through openings in the top of the yurts. Dogs barked at the sight of their small group. In the distance, she could hear waves crashing onto the reefs.

A rough voice cut through the morning silence: “What are you two standing around for? Let’s step on it. I want to be in Amersham before nightfall.”

Without looking back, the man, who had stolen her from her home, set off, not looking back if they were following.

Boy gave her a shy smile and gently motioned her to start walking.

The woman Yaya popped up from one of the other tents and made up the rear.

Chapter Seven

It was hard for Astrid to keep up with the others. Solo set a gruelling pace. The food and rest she had in the small village had restored some of her strength but not enough to keep this up.

With the sun burning remorselessly on their heads by noon, she started to feel tired and very thirsty. Her feet, not used to the poorly fitting leather sandals they had given her, were killing her. She could feel the chafing making blisters on her feet.

“Can I have some water?” she whispered to the boy who had not left her side and been a comforting presence all morning. They had both been silent not to attract the unwelcome attention of Solo, who was striding ahead with Boy’s sister beside him. Around her, Solo seemed a bit less inclined to taunt Astrid, too busy as he was to impress the proud woman.

Boy pulled a water bottle from his belt and handed it to her, putting a finger to his lips with a nod to Solo. Astrid took a deep draft and felt better.

“Thanks,” she whispered, handing him back the bottle. He took a sip, too, before securing it to his belt.

After what seemed like an endless hike, Solo finally allowed them a short break on the bank of a narrow river. If Astrid hadn’t felt so worried and scared, she would have been happy to stay at the clear burbling stream running over the pebbles and bordered by a riot of wildflowers forever.

Solo scurried off into the small thicket behind them to relieve himself. She heard him order the woman Yaya to keep an eye on the two love birds. Astrid sank onto the soft grass of the bank and took her sandals off to cool her feet in the water.

“Are you crazy. Don’t they teach you Gens nothing?”

Yaya yanked her back from the water before she could douse the heat of her blisters in it.

“Your feet will get all soggy. You won’t make the next mile without completely ripping open your feet. Show them to me.”

Astrid stretched her right foot towards her. When Yaya saw the huge blisters, she roughly grabbed hold of the foot and put a tight bandage slathered with greasy ointment around it. It hurt like hell at first, but soon the burning sensation had entirely turned into a pleasant numbness. Astrid meekly gave the woman her other foot to treat, thanking her.

“Boy. Give her some bread and water, and you, my girl, you better keep up, or we’ll be late getting to Amersham, and Solo won’t be pleased.”

“Thank you, sis. I forgot about the elk grease. Why the hurry to get to Amersham?”

Looking round to see if Solo was still out of earshot, Yaya said under her breath: “Eric was not well when we got back. He’s had one of his turns again. This time mum couldn’t do much for him. Solo heard from one of the other women, who have relatives in Amersham, there’ll be a monk in town only stopping there today. He’s famous for his knowledge of the Healing Arts. Solo hopes the man can give him something for Eric. If he misses his appointment, we’re in for a lot of trouble. He will blame us for not getting to Amersham on time. Especially her.”

Solo returned, and Yaya went to sit with him.

“What was she talking about? Why does Solo hate me so? He doesn’t even know me.” Astrid said to Boy the moment his sister was gone.

Boy moved a bit closer to her.

“Believe it or not, Solo is a compatriot of yours, born on your island. His parents were fisherfolk. When his brother was born, they found him to be a defective and had to hide him from the monks. They..’ He took a bite out of his bread, swallowed it and spoke loudly:” This is the River Gade. It was a tiny stream before the floods but now flows from the top to the bottom of Diggers.”

Astrid looked over her shoulder and saw Solo approaching them.

“If you two have enough energy to jabber, we can start walking again. This time, I will keep the little bird company to make sure she doesn’t fall behind. You can walk with your big sister.”

With a grin on his face, Solo yanked Astrid up to the path. She had to run to keep up with him and felt grateful for the bandages the sullen woman had given her.

After more miles of monotonous tramping through woods and heathland, she finally saw some signs of a settlement. Fields with cabbage, onions and kale coloured the side of the road a variety of green. Further afield, people were preparing the soil for planting the summer crop. Some of them looked up but, seeing their small group, went straight back to work. People had to take advantage of the fertile time between the chilly and wet winter and the blistering summer heat. Soon fast-growing wheat and other grains would be shooting up, competing with the long stalks on the grapevines.

“Imagine having to break your back in the dirt each year every year. I’d rather drown myself.” Solo was talking more to himself than to her. Since their stop, he had only spoken to hurry her along, never forgetting to tell her what a useless person she was.

“You’re happy enough to eat their produce, though, especially when it’s in liquid form,” Yaya’s spoke up from behind, encouraged teasing him a bit by his apparent good mood.

“Yeah, but I only have to pay for it, preferably with other people’s money,” Solo snickered.

They had reached the rough stone walls surrounding the small town of Amersham. The gates were wide open. Two dishevelled looking guards were standing in the shade of some trees, chatting with each other. After a cursory glance at a sheaf of papers Solo waved in front of their faces, they waved them through.

He took them to a large field behind some stables, saying he saw no reason to waste good money on an inn with this nice weather.

“Here,” Solo handed Yaya some money, “Go and get something nice for our evening meal. I’ll be back soon after you after I’ve done with my business.”

The woman didn’t look pleased to be treated like a servant. She went off to the food stalls after asking the boy to set up camp and keep his eye on the girl.

Astrid was more than happy to sit down finally. She felt exhausted. Any thoughts she might have entertained of escaping during their stay in the little town disappeared as soon as she had a good look at its inhabitants. Most of them looked just as dangerous and untrustworthy as Solo and his mates.

On top of that, the boy had warned her that Solo would hold him responsible and probably kill him if she ran away. Despite the fact that he had taken part in her abduction, Astrid felt he was not as horrible as the others and genuinely tried to make things easier for her.

As if guessing her thoughts, the boy turned to her and said, “The gates will close at sundown. If you got out, Solo would get the whole town to hunt you down. You wouldn’t get far with your feet the way they are. They would sell you to the next person coming through, making sure no one would ever find you. The rule in this land is ‘losers weepers, finders keepers’. Please promise me to stay with us until we get to Damien. He is terrifying, but the prospect of getting a high ransom for you will make him keep you safe. In case you were wondering, Damien himself will never touch you. He is not into women. He prefers to spend his time with men.”

“What do you mean ‘not into women’?”

Boy looked a bit surprised, a flush creeping around his cheeks.

“Is he like a monk, maybe? They don’t take wives and live with other monks.”

Laughing, he said, “He sure isn’t a monk. I forgot how isolated from the real world your Island is. Damien will never touch you. He will trade you back to your family for a hefty ransom. To do that, he has to keep you in one piece. Until we get there, Solo will have to behave himself.

Astrid’s mind was whirling with all these strange ideas. The ransom thing puzzled her the most. Boy was talking as if it was an everyday occurrence here.

The sister came back with the food she purchased, the smell making Astrid’s mouth water

The boy looked up from where he was lying near the fire.

“Let’s give her some now before Solo comes back. It will be much harder for her to keep up tomorrow with her muscles all sore from today. She’ll need her strength. Solo wants to get to the fort as soon as possible.”

“Don’t get too attached to that little wench, brother. She’s just a large sum of money to us and nothing more. On top of that, Solo will not keep his paws off her if he has even the slightest notion you’re sweet on her. Just to show you who’s boss. Your job is to keep her moving and get her to Damien on time. She’ll be worth nothing to Damien if Solo doesn’t leave her intact. She will be in even more shit than she is now if he gets at her.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. You don’t have to keep on about it.”

While his sister wasn’t looking, he slipped some of the food she had brought to Astrid, whispering to her to eat it fast before Solo came back.

As if he had conjured the guy up by just talking about him, there he was, looking even more grumpy than when he left

“Hope you left me something to eat. I’m starving.”

He dropped himself down beside Yaya, who hastened to offer him some pies and sausages, adding a small jug of ale.

“How did it go with the monk? Could he give you something for Eric?”

“No,” Solo growled, hiding his despair behind his usual gruffness. “When I told the monk what medicines Eric was taking at the moment, he said there was nothing more anybody could do for Eric here in Midland. He told me to keep him calm and not let him do

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 [SL1]