Blood Moon| The Last Kingdom| Sihtric Kjartansson

THIRTY-EIGHT

☾

Things get done very quickly once everyone agrees on a decision I found.

"The envoys will be opening the gate soon," Ingemar muttered quietly, standing beside me between the trees of the Bebbanburg forest.

I nodded, my hands clasped behind my back as I stared at the tall, dark walls of the fortress, a few orange torches glinting from a distance.

"Saga will lead the first group of warriors across," Ingemar continued, her eyes glancing at my face every few seconds, "We will lead the second."

"I know," I mumbled, moving one hand to my sword, "and Uhtred has arrived at the beach with twenty men."

Sihtric was amongst the twenty men, and though he had assured me he would be fine, I was still nervous.

Ingemar nodded, her hand falling on top of the handle of her sword, "Have you made any further considerations on the matter we discussed the week prior?"

I had. I had thought about Ingemar's suggestion to capture Northumbria every few moments I had. I had even discussed the matter with Freyja, who had given vague and unhelpful advice about the spinners of fate.

"We will not discuss this now," I sighed, turning to face her, "if you can show me that my warriors are able to take Bebbanburg, I will give you an answer."

Hopefully, I would be able to give her answers. I was not sure yet how I felt about conquering a kingdom, and I was hoping conquering a fortress that was not mine to begin with would give me some clarity.

"Commander, Jarl," a voice spoke to us from the trees.

We both looked up to the watchman perched between the branches, a slight boy of about twenty.

"The torches at the front of the gate have gone out."

My blood began to bubble with the same strange excitement I had felt before the battle of Letham Hill, and my fingers twitched for my sword.

"There she goes," Ingemar murmured, her eyes narrowing over the shadows that now rushed through the grass silently, crouched low and aiming for the open gates of Bebbanburg. Saga was more distinct amongst them, her axe catching the light of the moon.

I nodded slightly, backing down from the slight rise in the soil we stood on and heading down to my warriors. "Take to arms! We ready ourselves!"

"Line up!" Ingemar added on, following after me, "The Gods watch over us!"

Swords clinked as they left sheaths, and the pace of heartbeats shifted swiftly before soldiers crept to the edge of the forest, awaiting more orders.

"Watch boy!" Ingemar barked up at the boy in the tree, "Do you see Uhtred?"

The boy was silent, looking through the dark.

Fear crept up my body again, fears over the steepness of the cliffs that the men had to climb. Fears over the death they would face if they slipped.

"Men surface from the cliff, Commander!" The boy yelped after a few too many moments of silence.

Ingemar turned to me, a wicked grin growing on her pale face, "Jarl, we have our signal."

"We do." I agreed, raising my sword slowly and raising my voice so my warriors would hear me. "Let us restore Northumbria to the Danes!"

With a loud roar, we ran out across the field, the grass whipping past us and grazing our hands bound to blades.

There was chaos already inside the fortress with Northumbrian men scrambling to find their armour or their weapons, but most of them failed as Danes cut them down.