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Sereh stood and watched the two, her mouth once more dropping in shock. Her eyes stung with exhaustion, and yet she marvelled at Emma’s calmness before Skaldi. She and Erann hadn’t had time to talk about what had happened to them both, but now much more made sense. Emma was a friend of Skaldi’s. How hadn’t she realised before? Suddenly, she understood how Emma had appeared at their time of great need. She’d not been walking on the glacier. She’d been brought to them.

‘How do you do that?’ she demanded, when Emma’s eyes once more settled on her. An uncertain expression covered the other woman’s face.

Emma didn’t answer, however. ‘Come within. It’s cold out here, and I understand you’ve been awake much of the last few days, and have been unwell yourself. Bring Arrow. You’ll be welcome.’ And Emma turned aside, offering nothing else. For a moment, Sereh stayed in place, but an unsteady step backwards, and the feeling of a gust of wind pulling at her, forced her to hurry on her way. Still, before she was swallowed by what must be a tunnel or cave entrance, she turned to Skaldi.

‘Thank you. But, please, find Erann for me,’ she said aloud. She felt Skaldi’s flicker of interest, but he too turned and walked in the opposite direction, his tail high as he disappeared into what she’d assumed was simply the rock face, but evidently wasn’t.

Her eyes stung with exhaustion as she followed Emma through walkway after walkway having left the exposed ledge as quickly as possible. Just the thought of the height she’d been at was enough to worry her.

Still, she dragged her feet, the steadying presence of Arrow ensuring she didn’t simply slump to the floor, now she was safe from falling to her death, and sob.

Just when some of the recent events had begun to make sense, everything had been snatched from her. She was disorientated, fearful and weary. With every beat of her too loud heart, she felt as though she was crying out for Erann. In those brief moments of understanding they’d shared she’d imagined their life together, the children they’d have and the home they’d make, with or without Skaldi. She’d seen endless possibilities and infinite happiness. She’d never before even contemplated such a thing. Her life was to be one of servitude until Rankil did something to her that brought about her death. He was a cruel man.

Now, it had all been torn from her, leaving her hanging, wondering what would happen to her. Where was Erann? How could he have just disappeared? What was the new planet doing so close to her that it was causing the ground to shake? There could be no other explanation for what she’d experienced, the planet’s arrival had forced the response from her home.

That Skaldi had temporarily taken control of her was reassuring and worrying. He was Erann’s friend. He too couldn’t find Erann and they shared a deeper bond, where they seemed to communicate in a very different way to how she spoke to Erann. What did it all mean?

So caught up with her thoughts, Sereh didn’t notice that she’d emerged from the walkway into a low-ceilinged chamber. Astonished, she stopped.

‘What is this place?’ she exclaimed. To all intents and purposes, it was a common room, found in every single steading in every single quarter, for every single family. But, this was built into the black rock of Skaldi’s home.

She blinked, and then blinked again. The room was a hive of activity.

Four others were within the room. A young boy with unruly long blond hair administered rolled peat to the already blazing fire, while a woman about Emma’s age fed huge pieces of chopped red meat to the pot hanging over the fire. Another had their back to her, but she could tell from their actions they were cutting foodstuffs, while a man, older than her, but much younger than Emma, made peat cakes which he placed carefully on a flat sheet, ready for baking.

‘What?’ she gasped, feeling her knees go weak. ‘Who are all these people?’ she managed to ask. Emma turned, a bright smile on her face, that, beneath the lamplight, made her appear much younger than Sereh had previously thought.

‘Come within, Sereh. I’ll introduce you and Arrow to everyone.’

At the words, the young lad turned away from the hearth, his grin broadening as he saw Arrow. The other woman turned, a spoon in her hand, a welcoming smile on her face. A delightful smell of good food cooking, rushed into Sereh’s mouth, making her salivate, and she was unsurprised to find Arrow nudging her expectantly, licking her fingers.

She felt a small smile light her face in response to the warm greetings. Her stomach growled loudly, as did Arrow’s, and a knowing smile touched the woman’s face, who wasn’t Emma.

‘Come within, don’t hover in the doorway. You’ll let the breeze within.’ With an assured touch on her arm, Emma guided her into the room.

‘Here, sit in this chair. It gets the best of the heat.’ Sereh allowed herself to be guided to the chair angled most invitingly towards the blazing hearth, but there Emma stopped her.

‘Give me your cloak, hat and gloves.’ Emma held out her hands and Sereh handed over the cloak, grown too warm and discarded on the journey to the common room. Gratefully, Sereh sank into the chair as Emma took her cloak and hat and bent to tug the sealskin boots from her feet.

Warmth smothered her.

She yawned again, trying to stifle it.

‘Drink this.’ Emma handed her a cup of steaming tea. ‘We need to get you warmed up on the inside as well.’

‘Thank you.’ She sipped at it gratefully, feeling the heat spread along her parched throat and into her empty belly. For Arrow, Emma placed a large wooden bowl on the floor and filled it full of the same herb tea, only slightly cooled by a quick splash of chilled water from a weathered jug. Arrow lapped happily at the liquid. Then without inhibitions went to stand, nose almost to the cooking pot where the other woman was already busy. The young boy smiled in pure joy from his spot by the fire and ran his hands down the silky soft length of the wolf-dog.

‘Hello,’ he whispered to the wolf-dog. ‘I’m Finn. What’s your name?’

‘This is Arrow.’ Sereh yawned again.

‘And this is Elen, Gunnar and Brand,’ Finn offered. Sereh was swept up in his utter acceptance of what was happening. Gunnar was the older man. He still possessed a full head of hair, but it was completely white. His eyes looked slightly milky. Sereh wondered if he’d lost the use of one of his eyes if not both. Brand, the other man, was younger, with kind-looking eyes, although he was also well built. Muscles seemed to strain beneath his clothing.

She saw Emma shaking her head as she picked up Arrow’s drained bowl and filled it with the warmed meal from the pot hanging over the fire. She led Arrow gently away from Finn and back to where Sereh sat.

‘Come on, Arrow. Finn’s busy with his chores,’ she murmured, and Sereh thought it more a caution for Finn than for Arrow.

‘Welcome,’ Elen called. ‘You’ll find Brand and Gunnar are far from the chattiest. And Jon isn’t here. You’ll meet him later.’