Painted Blade || sihtric

14.

"US being here is a terrible plan," Bemia murmured, stepping out of a stable within the fortress walls with Uhtred, Clapa, and Osferth as Sihtric led Erik toward them.

"Uhtred," Erik said in relief, shaking his hand as Sihtric slipped his hand around Bemia's back, keeping her close to his side. "She said that you would come. I dared not believe her, but you are here."

"Tell me what has changed," Uhtred demanded, letting go of his hand.

"In truth?" Erik sighed. "It is hopeless." Uhtred exhaled sharply from his nose. "I have no crew for my ship, but the first task is not how we escape Beamfleot, it is how we free Aethelflaed."

"What do you mean?" Bemia quietly asked, her face falling.

Erik dreadfully looked at her. "She hangs where every man can see her."

"Shit." She gulped, shaking her head.

"Lord, I enjoy a fight as much as the next idiot, but this is beyond us," Finan murmured in warning.

Uhtred patted his arm, focusing on Erik. "She's inside the hall?"

"Inside the hall, inside a cage, surrounded by men," Erik clarified.

"Warriors," Sihtric corrected him with hard eyes.

"Then we must first get rid of the men. We do it now," Uhtred ordered. "We need a distraction."

"I am not going into that hall to distract anyone," Bemia quickly but firmly said, sending a warning look around.

"No, no." Uhtred shook his head at her. "We won't need you to distract them with your body...But we do need you to do what you do best." She raised a brow. "Start a fire."

Bemia wickedly smiled, standing up straighter. "Easily done."

   SMOKE filled the skies, orange flames surrounded the fortress, and Danes rushed around, barking orders and desperate to put out the fires. But a young woman with silver hair happily smiled at her work while rushing into the hall behind her brother, leaving Osferth to stay by the horses that were prepared and ready.

The second Bemia entered the hall, Finan and Uhtred were killing the six guards while she ran over with Erik and slammed the doors closed, blocking them with a wooden plank. When she turned around, her eyes widened at the sight of Aethelflaed sitting in a cage, hanging above the ground.

"The table!" Bemia barked at Sihtric and Clapa. "Move it away from her!" She ran under the cage, looking up as her eyes followed where the chain holding it started and down to where it ended. "Clapa, Sihtric, the cage!" She aimed her only axe toward the chair tied around a pillar and they both ran over to it.

Grunting soon filled the hall as Clapa pulled back on the chain to stop the cage from slamming down while Sihtric chopped at the chain locked to the pillar.

"Come on!" Clapa shouted at Sihtric, his face turning red from pulling the chain.

"This is one bastard lock to break!" Sihtric complained as Finan and Uhtred pushed one of the tables up to a different set of doors.

"Get it done before we burn!" Uhtred yelled, walking toward them.

"I would rather we get married before we burn, Sihtric!" Bemia added, watching the flames outside get closer.

At her words, Sihtric used all his strength into the next swing and the chain finally broke as Clapa carefully started to lower Aethelflaed down.

"So we've cleared the hall of men, Lord, now how do we clear the yard?" Finan asked from the door.