Painted Blade || sihtric

74.

   WHILE the Inn was silent, full of sleeping bodies, Katja was wide awake, standing at the opened door as she looked around with a bad feeling churning in her gut. A few minutes ago, she had awakened from sleeping beside her mother to hear voices rushing past the window above her head. Out of curiosity, she decided to get up and check outside, spotting a few Wessex guards hurrying around while trying to stay hidden.

"What is it?"

Katja nearly screamed but quickly pressed a hand to her chest when she looked up over her shoulder to see Aethelstan rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I'm not sure," she confessed, facing back out the door. "There are a few guards rushing around."

"Are you sure?" he whispered, pinching his brows together, looking out past her.

"Shut that door!" Sihtric demanded and they both slightly jumped. "My balls are freezing to nothing!"

"You say that as if you have balls," Bemia groggily said, turning onto her side while pulling the blanket higher over herself and the twins.

"I cannot believe they're my parents," Katja muttered, stepping back into the Inn while closing the door to keep out the cold. Then she turned around, grabbing Aethelstan's hand while looking over at her father who slept near her mother. "Something's wrong."

"Just go back to bed," Osferth groaned, sending them both an annoyed look from where he slept near their feet. "Get some sleep. Lord Uhtred might need us in the morning."

"It is morning, bastard," Katja fired back.

A torch went past the window and Aethelstan squeezed Katja's hand, pulling her over to it. "There! Did you see that?"

More torches went past and Katja let go of his hand, rushing over to her mother. "Mama, wake up," she whisper-shouted, shaking her mother's shoulders while Aethelstan did the same to Osferth and Sihtric.

"Are you dying?" Bemia mumbled, slowly opening her eyes. When Katja shook her head, she closed her eyes again. "Then go to sleep."

"It's the ale," Sihtric said, pushing Aethelstan's hands away. "Your eyes are playing tricks on you."

"Bloody hopeless," Katja muttered, whirling around and heading back out the door with Aethelstan.

The pair stuck close to each other and as they walked down the three steps, Aethelstan unsheathed his sword while Katja unsheathed her dagger, walking around the corner of the Inn to see men with torches hurrying away and around a different corner, out of their sight.

Suddenly, Aethelstan wrapped an arm around Katja's waist, pulling her into his side when he whirled around, pointing his sword at Sihtric and Bemia, the two adults sharing an annoyed look with each other.

Sihtric pushed Aethelstan's sword down. "Think about where you're pointing that," he warned, sending a narrowed look down to where Aethelstan's arm was around Katja, and the pair quickly stepped away from each other.

"Pointing your sword like that could get you killed," Bemia clarified, crossing her arms over his chest. "Your movements were sloppy and slow."

"Is this really the time, mother?" Katja questioned, sheathing her dagger.

Aethelstan sheathed his sword, looking between Bemia and Sihtric. "There are soldiers here."

Bemia moved her hand to the hilt of her axe hanging at her hip. "Are you sure?"

"Without a doubt," Katja answered.

Sihtric shared a worried look with Bemia. "You think it's an attack?"