Under the furs, the rope around Viveka's wrists was almost untied when Idun walked away. If Viveka had seen the knot or hadn't let Idun's mocking comment about "staying put" piss her off, she would've been done by now. But better late than before they threw her overboard. Not noticing if Idun had lied, didn't mean she was telling the truth. After Viveka and her father had held Torbyorn prisoner and pressured him for information, there was still a risk that Viveka would be the target of built-up frustration, and not necessarily just Idun's. An entire ship with warriors had not received what they came for. Besides, she needed to make sure her father was safe.

Guilt fell heavy on her shoulders. Why hadn't she tried to talk her father out of interrogating Torbyorn? Done was done, but the thought continued to nibble at her conscience. How could she prepare Garda for a threat she didn't understand? An angry man who could show up at any time would have been bad enough. But then there were the strengthened inner senses too. How much damage would he be able to do with them?

A small cloud with four legs darted between the feet of the crew and lifted Viveka out of her thoughts. Incredibly, no one stumbled on it. Whether that talent lay with the cat or the crew was unclear. It jumped on Viveka's fur and dropped a dead mouse in her lap. With round, black eyes rimmed with blue, it studied her. When she didn't react, it nuzzled the mouse closer.

"Oh, how nice," Viveka whispered. Although they looked completely different, the cat reminded her of Taily. She was also curious about strangers. Viveka was about to pat its fur, which looked impossibly soft, but stopped before her hands became visible. No one could see the nearly untied rope.

From the other end of the ship, Idun shouted an order and the ship leaned west. The fog eased thanks to the increasing wind and the crew relaxed as visibility improved. Two men took out strips of dried meat and sat down on the rowing bench behind the one Idun had left. Viveka recognized the man with a thick, brown beard. Harald. He had lived in Heathers Bay for a couple of years before moving to Garda. With the outcome in hand, his "fishing trip" made more sense. Bloody turncoat.

"What a fucking mess," said the man next to Harald with his mouth full of dried meat. "Without Torbyorn, who'll finish my tattoo?" On his shaved head was a black, headless snake.

"At least we won't come home empty-handed," Harald replied, glancing at Viveka.

She pulled her mental wall around like armor and tore harder at the rope. The mouse fell on the wooden deck and the cat jumped after it.

The skin under the rope was now so sore that Viveka had to clench her jaws to not betray her composed expression. It wasn't the first time she had used anger to mask pain, but never had the stakes been this high. She curled up under the furs and used her teeth to tear open the last knot. Then she made quick work of the rope around the ankles. She shifted to a more comfortable position and the cat jumped back with the mouse.

"Like I said, very kind," she whispered. "But I'm leaving soon." They just needed to get closer to the shore. She glanced over the railing at the freezing water and curled into a ball to wait.

Idun's discussion with the crew flared up and attracted Viveka's attention. A vein pulsed with irritation in Idun's temple as she walked towards the bow.

The heavy woman with curly, brown hair shouted after her. "Surely even you have to get that he doesn't need our help if he can escape after just a day?"

Idun's voice was cold as ice. "Shut it, Elna."

Viveka took a deep breath. The raised shoreline would be an obstacle, but the spruce forest behind would provide cover if she was followed.

Now or never. Don't look back.

In one swift motion, she shook off the cat and the furs and flew to her feet. Her steps echoed against the wood as she set out to dive over the port railing. But she wasn't the only one running. With one foot between two shields, she was tackled by Idun. Her back hit the deck and the air was knocked out of her.

"What in Hel's name are you doing?!" Idun shouted. "How long do you think you'd survive there?" She lifted Viveka to her feet, put herself in front of the railing, and kept a grip on her upper arm.

"As if you're giving me a choice!" Viveka pulled free but didn't move. "If your brother gets what he wants, he'll be able to tear Garda to pieces if we aren't prepared. I have to go home to warn them."

"I've already said you'll be dropped off!"

Viveka snorted. "Yeah right. Not according to the turncoat and the worm head." She gestured towards Harald and the man with the tattoo.

Idun gave them such a poisonous look that Viveka wouldn't have been surprised if Odin had been persuaded to kill them both on the spot. "Their words aren't worth shit." When she turned back to Viveka, her gaze was softer. "Sorry for this."

Elna stood with crossed arms in front of a tired crew. "Fun, you have a new flirt Idun, but drop her off now, ashore if you have to, so we can go home." 

Idun leaned closer to Viveka and said, low enough for only her to hear, "If you try to jump off again, I won't stop you, but I promise you'll go ashore soon if you stay." She met Elna's stare. "If I knew you went into a cave with a hungry bear, wouldn't you want to be dragged out?"

"We all heard Ylva warn him," Elna replied. "Over and over again! He knows what he's getting himself into."

The crew agreed.

Idun burned with anger. "Go home then!" she hissed. To Ash, who was sitting quietly at the helm, she railed in her frustration. "Drop us off by that cape. Please. "

They gave a nod and steered the ship closer to shore. A tense silence hung over the ship as Idun fetched her shield and a sack of food. The crew kept out of her way to not be pushed overboard.

Viveka remained in the bow, unsure of what to do. The cat stroked her legs and reminded her of the furs. She took the big bearskin and went to the railing to wait with Idun for the snow-covered cape to be within reach.

The gap narrowed, but the ship kept its speed. With the fur under one arm, Viveka leaped from the railing. A blanket of snow hid the rock that was slick with ice and she had to catch herself with her hands to not glide into the water.

When Idun landed next to Viveka, her feet split apart under her. She took a step back to catch her balance, but lost her footing and stumbled into the water that reached her knees. She swore as the shield hit the rock and rolled down to join her in the water. Laughter chimed from the ship.

Without thinking, Viveka grabbed Idun's undamaged forearm and pulled her up. Stunned by surprise, Idun let the current take her shield.