Bride of the Sea (The Prophecy of Sisters #2) - Hayley Faiman Page 0,64

of me.

Chapter Twenty-Two

AARIC

My men are already there when I arrive at the cabin. I shouldn’t be surprised, I am a bit late, my wife having kept me busy—multiple times. Walking into the room, I’m not surprised to see a fire has been lit and all of the men’s heads turn toward me, their eyes alight with humor.

“Busy?” Hagen asks.

I grunt, not wishing to have the conversation about lying with my own wife with him or anyone else. “That is not why I’m here.”

They all laugh at my expense as I roll my eyes up to the gods. Shifting my eyes back to meet theirs, I reach for a cup and fill it with ale. “Sit, we all need to talk,” I grunt.

The laughter dies almost instantly as they all take their seats. I take a healthy drink of the ale, then let out a long-exhaled sigh.

“We have a problem,” I state. They watch me intently, waiting for me to continue. “Fiske is possessed with a demon,” I explain.

“A what?” Gunnar shouts.

“I saw it in his eyes. I watched as it took over. He is not right,” I say.

The room is silent, the men look at one another, then shift their eyes back toward me. “What do we do?” Hagen asks.

I shrug a shoulder. “He’s becoming angrier and angrier. His announcement tonight was not appropriate.”

“I wondered,” Sten mutters.

“To say the raid was his idea, that he wanted to make sure all of the people of our city were secure for the winter. Then grabbing ahold of Isolda that way, it was a challenge.”

Gunnar clears his throat, his eyes focusing on my own. “Will you be accepting the challenge?”

I snort. “I gave Isolda to him. I have no need for a bed slave, not now anyway. If I cannot have an heir with my wife, I will procure one for that if it comes down to it. Anyway, what challenge can there be? Unless he’s wanting to challenge me for my throne.”

“That is a fight he will not win,” Gunnar announces.

“Agreed.” I nod.

We talk amongst one another for a few more moments. “How can we eradicate the demon?”

“There is only one way that I know, it’s why I haven’t mentioned it to Runa or the seeress,” I mutter.

“Speak,” Gunnar grunts.

Flicking my gaze up to meet his, he watches me. He knows as well. It isn’t practiced widely. It is avoided because of its cruel nature. Clearing my throat, I nod my head.

“Blood Eagle.”

The men are silent, they each take a big gulp of their drinks as they look down at the floor of the cabin.

“We can’t. He’s Fiske,” Hagen mutters.

“I know.” I nod my head in agreement. “It is the only way that I know. He is my brother, I don’t want to do it, not at all.”

“What happens next then?” the usually quiet Kjeld, asks.

Shaking my head, I lift my hand and run my fingers through my hair. “I have him on a separate ship for the raid and allowed him to take Isolda. It was all I could think to do to appease him.”

“So we must be careful with him? We must keep him happy, that should prove to be difficult,” Gunnar grunts.

With a snort, I take another gulp of the ale. “Nobody could keep Fiske appeased, not ever. I just did in that moment. If I do the Blood Eagle ritual, he’ll die. If I kill him before the ritual the demon could enter my own body.”

“If an enemy kills him, the demon will enter their own body, then it would be taken care of,” Hagen says.

Nodding my head, I look down at the floor, then lift my eyes back to meet theirs. “Would it make me a bad brother and a terrible konungr to wish for that?” I ask.

None of my men say anything immediately. They all look anywhere but into my eyes and that’s all of the answer that I need. I feel like a terrible person. I wait for the gods to take their vengeance on me for even contemplating the demise of my own flesh and blood.

“You are not a terrible person for wanting the best for your people. If something happens to you and Fiske becomes the konungr, your people will suffer,” Gunnar says.

Pressing my lips together, I lean back in my seat and let out a frustrated growl. “Fiske has always been difficult. He’s always wanted power, he’s always desired to win at any cost, even if it meant cheating. Bonds like brotherhood,