“Suel sacrificed her forces to keep us occupied, bound to that battlefield. They attacked piecemeal, never en masse, never with thought or plan, but they allowed her escape, though it broke her army for any practical purpose.”
“How did they know where you would emerge from the preer?” I asked.
Althyof jerked his chin toward the people riding in front of us. “She told her sister.”
“Freya?”
“She claims she didn’t mean for the counter-attack to happen, she just didn’t want her sister killed. She says the Black Bitch took advantage of her, pulled the locations of the preer from her with the strenkir af krafti.” Althyof leaned to the side and spat on the road. “And so, when we finally broke the gates of Suelhaym and won the city, the fools exiled her instead of pursuing and killing her. They said Freya’s action made it clear how most Isir felt about their former monarch.”
“How many died in that last battle because of what Freya did?”
Althyof shook his head. “Many, but they would have died one way or another.”
“Because the Isir couldn’t bear to defeat her if it meant her death.”
“Yes.” Althyof cleared his throat. “After all that, a man needs an ale. And you need to practice your runes. No kaltrar, mind. Practice the runes.”
“Have you ever spoken of that day with Skowvithr?” I asked, darting a glance back at the Alf.
“No. Why would I?”
“Fyuhlnir was the son of Freyr.”
“And?” There was a trace of impatience in Althyof’s voice.
“So is Skowvithr.”
Althyof sat back in his saddle, a sour expression on his face. “That is…”
“Yeah. From what Freyr said, I don’t think they know what happened to Fyuhlnir, only that he never returned.”
Althyof grimaced and shook his head. “I’ve already told the story once today.” He glanced at me and away. “Oh, very well.” He reined his horse to a stop and waited for the Alfar to catch him up.
I kept riding, replaying the story Althyof had told me in my head. Of course, it was skewed by Althyof’s point of view, but even so…Freya had betrayed them. Granted she’d been trying to save her sister, but even so…
Kuhntul kept warning me about a betrayer in our midst. But Freya? I rode on to the muted sound of Althyof’s voice telling Skowvithr how his brother had died.