Relief that was oddly mixed with pain at his words shot through her. Only Taby’s sister? “Why will you not believe me, Merrik?”
“Why should I? You have told me nothing since I saved your hide in Kiev. Not where you came from, not about your family, nothing. So little you’ve told me, and what I have fina
lly pried out of you has been wrapped in mysteries and puzzles. Why should I believe you now?”
She heard a man’s shout. Merrik said sharply, “Stay here!” He was gone from the chamber in an instant, Laren behind him, holding up her torn gown.
Two of Erik’s men were holding Cleve, a third was beating him. It was Deglin who was shouting for them to kill the miserable slave.
Merrik caught one man’s wrist and jerked him away, throwing him to the ground. He kicked another man from his path.
“Let him go.”
The two men looked at Merrik, but they didn’t know him as well as they’d known his brother. His voice was low, very controlled. One of them said, even as he bent Cleve’s arm nearly to the breaking point, “He came with her, Merrik. We’ll beat the truth out of him, for surely she told him of killing Erik, surely he knows, perhaps he even helped her.”
The other man struck Cleve hard with his fist in his belly.
Merrik said nothing more. He grabbed the man, swung him about and sent his fist into his throat.
“Release him or I’ll kill you.”
Erik’s man was uncertain what to do. He saw Oleg running toward them and knew he would take Merrik’s side. He shouted to Erik’s men, “Come! Help me! It is justice!”
Merrik grabbed the man’s throat between his two hands and squeezed. He stared into the man’s face even as he bent him onto his knees, driving him slowly to the ground. The man tried to speak, but couldn’t. His eyes clouded and darkened. He slumped unconscious on the ground. Merrik stood over him. “Are there others who wish to hurt this man?”
“He’s a slave,” Olaf Thoragasson said, his voice quieter now, for he’d seen Merrik’s anger and his violence. “Aye, Merrik, naught but a slave. Let the men have their sport. Their master was murdered. This man is nothing, only a slave, and they’re right, he came with her and probably knows the truth. Aye, let them break him. No one cares.”
“I imagine that Cleve cares very much.” He turned to him. “Are you all right?”
“My arm hurts, but he didn’t break it. I thank you, my lord.”
“He’s a slave!” Deglin shouted.
“No he isn’t,” Merrik said. He faced them all now, looking at each face in turn. “He is now a free man. All of you heed my words. Cleve is a free man. He is now my man.”
“Ah,” Olaf Thoragasson said, “then if he is a free man, make him pay the Danegeld for Erik’s death. If he doesn’t have the Danegeld, then he must die, and by your hand.”
“Wait!” It was Deglin again. “She killed Erik, not this ugly heathen. Get her, let her die, for she is a slave.”
Merrik merely shook his head.
“Then he must pay the Danegeld!” Deglin shrieked. “He murdered your brother, she with him. All know it!”
“There she is, ask her, ask her!”
Laren stood in the shadows, still and silent. Merrik knew she had silver from her stories, and some jewelry, but surely not enough for Danegeld, surely not enough for both her and Cleve.
Cleve said to Merrik, his voice loud and strong, “My lord, Deglin is right. I killed Erik, not Laren. He had hurt her and she escaped him. I struck him with the rock in my anger. I alone am responsible.”
“No!” Laren ran to him, grabbing his arms, shaking him, making him look at her. “You will not lie, Cleve, not for me! I didn’t kill him and neither did you.” She turned then to all the men and women standing there, staring at her, fury on some faces, uncertainty on others. She saw Sarla standing by the fire pit, slowly stirring a boar-meat stew, saying nothing, her hand turning the giant wooden spoon, evenly, smoothly.
“Of course you killed him, there is none other.” This was from one of Erik’s men. “He was much admired, a brave man, an honorable man.”
“Aye, aye!”
Suddenly, Sarla called out, “Silence, all of you!” Slowly, she walked through the people to Merrik. She raised her voice then and said, “I will not allow Cleve and Laren to be blamed. I killed Erik. I alone. He struck me many times since his parents died, since he became the lord here, and I hated him. He followed Laren to Raven’s Peak to rape her. All of you know how he lusted after her even though she belonged to Merrik, his brother. He cared not. His lust governed him. She fought him and managed to escape him. I saw her run away. Then I struck him dead. They had nothing to do with it.”
There was pandemonium.