“It was a grievous blow for me, Thor’s silence,” he said. “Without you, I could not have survived it. Now, it seems to be your forgiveness I need, before I can begin to seek a new path. It’s all right. I do not expect you to give it, not after what I have done.”

Everything she would have said, everything she needed to ask fled from her mind. All she felt was the urge to put her arms around him, and weep again, and say that of course he was forgiven, and that she was sorry she had wounded him when he was already stricken. It was not like her to lose control so easily. She must not let this rule her.

“Tell me about Somerled,” she said severely.

Eyvind’s mouth tightened. “What about him? You spoke of…Somerled…before, to the old woman. Do you have news?”

“Some,” she replied cautiously. “He thinks you dead; he accused King Engus of hiding your body. He called you his dearest friend. How can such a man be your dearest friend, Eyvind?”

He hesitated. “Somerled is…he is a complicated man,” he said. “Determined. He takes what he wants, that’s the way he plays his games. We have been friends since childhood; I owe him loyalty, in accordance with that. I know he can be ruthless.”

“I met him,” Nessa said. “He came to my—to King Engus’ court. With a plan for peace.”

“He did?” Eyvind’s eyes lit up, and he leaned forward eagerly, elbows on knees. “He told me he would do so, as Ulf wanted, but I confess I doubted his will to go through with it. Has an agreement been reached? Perhaps I can go back; relieve you of my presence. It’s plain I am no longer welcome here.”

“I’ll tell you,” Nessa said. “I’ll tell you what this man proposed, this great friend of yours. The bargain is simple. Engus forfeits the islands and the kingship, Somerled takes all. He’ll be chieftain of Hrossey. Yes, he even has a new name for this ancient land. He said, “There simply isn’t room for two leaders here.” Engus and his son go into exile with their warriors; the rest of us stay. And…”

“And what?” His face had gone white.

“And…no, nothing.” She would not burden him with this, too. For one of his kind to befriend the king’s niece was perilous for both of them; tell him who she was and he would be gone by morning, she was sure of it. She could not tell him his dearest friend had marked her as the price of her people’s survival. In time he would have to learn this, but only when he was strong again. “He has given the king until spring to make up his mind,” she said. “If Engus says no, and he will, then it is outright war. If that happens, the Folk don’t stand a chance. This Somerled, he wants to be a great leader here, founder of a new age, I think.”