Blood Moon| The Last Kingdom| Sihtric Kjartansson

SEVEN

☾

"Saga!" Henrick's voice echoed in my ears, sounding distant and blurry, as though I were underwater. "Saga!"

I could feel one of his hands on my back, keeping me on my side and his other hand held my cheeks firmly, forcing my mouth open.

"Saga!"

I could feel a searing cold coating the tent and my skin felt like it was wax from the frost now coating it.

"Sag-"

"I am here!" Saga's breathless voice burst into the tent, "I—What happened?!"

Through my blurry vision, I could make out her red hair flying through the room.

"She went to sleep, to share the soul of raven and—"

"She only just recovered!" Saga snapped, her hand brushing his fingers off my face, instead slipping something uneven and bitter into my mouth; tree bark.

"I told her as much, but she didn't listen," Henrick snapped. "She went to take a letter to Ragnar, she was asleep for just over two hour—"

"Two hours?!" Saga yelped, "You fool! You could have killed her!"

"She would not wake!" Henrick yelled back, "I could not leave her and go find you!"

"She must be beyond exhausted," Saga quipped, "you will go and find Olav. You must sacrifice something big, a bear, perhaps, or a boar."

"Right," Henrick let go of me, "I will retu—"

"Go!" Saga demanded, "I will handle this."

I could feel myself shaking, my muscles aching and my stomach turning; I had to get up. I had to tell them Cnut had betrayed Ragnar. I had to tell them Ragnar would die. I had to tell them Daga was going to try and kill me too. But, I could not.

Saga bundled up some bear skins I had in my tent, shoving them under my stomach and back so I could not move. Then, she jumped up, racing to dig through my apothecary table, looking for anything that would help me.

My teeth bit into the bark in my mouth so hard, I felt blood pour out of my lips and my eyes rolled, pictures of the raven's limp body falling haunting me.

"By the Gods..." Saga mumbled softly, digging her finger into my mouth, forcing me to release the bark so she could place a vial into my mouth. She lifted me after the vial was empty, propping me up against the wall.

My vision began to clear slowly and my ears unclogged but I still shook violently.

"You can hear and see me again," Saga stated, lifting the bear skins to wrap them around me in thick layers. "Good. Then, you can hear me cuss you out and smi—"

"Ra—" I coughed violently, slumping forward, against Saga who helped me stay up right.

"What?" Saga murmured, the anger leaving her bones as she stroked my hair gently, "What are you trying to say?"

My mouth would not move and all I could do in my own frustration was cry.

"Gyda!"

"Sh!" Saga shushed Olav swiftly as the young man burst into my tent, "She is not well, you will be less of a brute today."

Olav rushed over, knocking into my table and falling to his knees at my bed, his hand raising to cup my cheek. "Dear Gods, give her strength."

"Are the sacrifices done?" Saga demanded, looking down at him.

"Henrick has lured a boar," Olav murmured, his blue eyes staring into mine, "he cut its throat when I left. Gyda should start to regain her strength soon."