The Icebound Land- Character Reaction

11

As the group filtered back in the room, Crowley turned as someone bumped into him. "Oh, sorry!" one of the Skandians—Jesper was his name—said quickly. Crowley smiled and shook his head.

"No worries," he said, and went to claim his seat. Jesper sat down in his own seat, smirking as he held the silver oakleaf in his hand.

"Here, Thorn." Stig thrust the book at the old Skandian, who raised an eyebrow. "You get to read next."

THE UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL OF SLAGOR'S VESSEL, WOLF FANG, made life even more unpleasant on Skorghijl. The crowded living conditions were now worse than ever, with two crews crammed into the space designed for one. And with the crowding came fighting. Skandians weren't used to long hours of inactivity, so they filled their time with drinking and gambling—an almost certain recipe for trouble. When the members of one crew were involved, the disagreements that arose were usually settled quickly and forgotten. But the separate loyalties of the two crews inflamed the situation so that arguments flared, tempers were lost and, at times, weapons were drawn before Erak could intervene.

Erak snorted and shook his head. "I'd much rather deal with Ragnak's stubborn nature than that again."

It was noticeable, Will thought, that Slagor never raised his voice to quell the fights. The more he saw of Wolf Fang's captain, the more he realized that the man had little real authority and commanded minimal respect from the other Skandians. Even his own crew worked for pay, not out of any sense of loyalty. Erak snorted again.

The work for Will and Evanlyn had doubled, of course. The two former slaves both sighed. There was twice as much cooking, serving and cleaning to be done now. And twice as many Skandians to demand that they take care of any other job that needed doing. But at least they had retained their living space. The lean-to was too cramped for any of the massive Skandians to even consider co-opting it for their own use. That was one compensation for having been captured by giants, Will thought.

The Skandians all laughed. "Well, it's an accurate description," Svengal said cheerfully. "Especially if you're talking about the chief here." Erak gave him a flat stare, and he laughed again.

But it was more than just the fighting and the extra work that had made life miserable for Will and Evanlyn. The news of the mysterious Vallasvow taken by Ragnak had been devastating for the princess. Her life was now at risk and the slightest mistake, the slightest incautious word, from either of them could mean her death. She pleaded with Will to be careful, to continue to treat her as an equal, as he always had before she told him her real identity. The least sign of deference on his part, the smallest gesture of respect, might well raise suspicions and spell the end for her.

Will let out a strained chuckle. "And there begins the days of me being terrified I'd actually say your name." Cassandra gave a wan smile.

Naturally, Will assured her that he would guard her secret. He schooled himself never to think of her as Cassandra, but always to use the name Evanlyn, even in his thoughts. But the more he tried to avoid the name, the more it seemed to want to spring unbidden to his tongue. He lived in constant fear that he would inadvertently betray her.

"I was petrified that's exactly what I'd done when..." Will paused. "When I...woke up," he finished lamely.

"But you didn't," Cassandra said, smiling at him.

The bad feeling between them, born out of boredom and frustration as much as anything, had melted away in the face of this new and very real danger. They were allies and friends again, and their resolve to help and support each other regained the strength and conviction that they had enjoyed in their brief time in Celtica.