Loki's Daughters (35 page)

Egil stopped suddenly, his blue eyes wild with fear.

"A snake, Mama!" Liam cried. "A snake bit me!" Amidst his sobs, the boy's arms reached out.

Birgit lifted the boy's leg. The lump was already growing, reddening. Horror spread over her face.

"Adder bite," said Arienh. She swallowed down the bitter gorge of terror, forcing herself to keep her head. "Take him to the sunlight so I can see it."

"Give him to me," Birgit demanded.

But Egil sped up the slope to the open green. Birgit ran behind him, screaming and grabbing at him.

"Nay, Birgit, let him," Ronan insisted. "He is faster."

Birgit shoved Ronan away and dashed desperately after Egil. Arienh grabbed Birgit's arm as she stumbled against a rock, steadied her as they ran.

"Hurry." As if her sister somehow needed urging.

Liam's screams grew louder, higher. His legs and body thrashed. Reaching the knoll where the sun was bright, Egil sat down with the boy, his arms wrapped snugly around him.

"You've got to hold him still," Arienh said, trying to get a good look at the wound. "Liam, you must hold still for me."

"It hurts, Aunt!"

"Aye, I know. And it will hurt for a while. But you must try to bear it so that I can help it. Will you try for me?"

Through his sobs and gasps, Liam struggled to nod. He clung first to his mother, then to Egil, then again his mother, his little body trembling.

Arienh ripped off her cord sash, wrapped it tightly several times around Liam's leg just below his knee, then tied it.

Birgit shoved at Egil, clawing her way to her child. "Get out of my way."

"Birgit, let me-"

"Get out of my way. Get away from my son."

Egil shook his head in confusion. "He needs-"

Terror and fury filled Birgit's eyes. "He needs his mother. He needs someone who can take care of him, not a careless Viking who lets a snake bite him. Get away from my son. I don't want you ever near him again."

Stunned, Arienh watched Egil's mouth drop open. His blue eyes grew wide as he swallowed a lump of horror. He sagged away, letting Birgit snatch the boy from his arms. Egil rose, turned and walked slowly away, as if he had lost his world.

Liam screamed. "Egil! I want Egil!"

"Hush, Liam, you must be still," Arienh begged. The boy's leg swung wildly, slipping from her grasp. She lunged and caught his leg in a downward swing. His foot broke free and kicked her jaw, knocking her backward.

The wiry child bucked out of Birgit's grip, but she threw her arms back around him, struggling to contain the child.

"Mama, it hurts. I want Egil. He hates me, Mama."

"No, Liam, no. You must hold still." Birgit clamped a tighter grip around the boy.

Liam's hysteria rose like a whirlwind, a melee between his fear and pain. "He hates me, Mama. I was bad. I saw the snake and I didn't tell him. Mama!"

He could die from his own frantic exertions. The more the boy fought the pain, the more the poison would spread. Somehow, Arienh knew, she had to stop his writhing. She threw her weight over Liam's legs, pinning him to the ground, at once wrapping her arms tightly around his legs in the strongest grip she could manage.

The screams escalated as the child wriggled beneath her.

"Nay, Liam, stop it," she shouted. "I will not let you go until you stop thrashing."

"It hurts!"

"And so it will." Fiercely, she fought against him. "I will not lose you, Liam. I will not. And you will do as I say so I can save you. Do you hear me?"

"I can't, Aunt!"

"You can. Hold still."

"Let me hold him," Ronan begged, reaching for Liam.

Fiercely, Birgit swung Liam away from the Viking. "Nay. I want none of your kind to touch him."

She was losing control. Liam's foot pulled out of her arms. She grabbed his ankle, pinning it down, and the other leg swung free. He could die.

Please, God. Oh, please. Not Liam. I could not bear to lose him.
Her heart pounding wildly,
 
Arienh lunged for Birgit's arm and jerked, hard, as she again rolled her body over the child. "And you'll have him die for it, Birgit?" Arienh yelled back. "For what? Pride?"

"He promised me," Birgit cried in terror. "He said he'd keep him safe, and he didn't even look out for adders. They lie to us, Arienh."

"Nay, Birgit," said Ronan. "Egil has never seen a snake." His strong hands gripped Liam's thin arms, despite Birgit's demand.

"That's stupid. Everyone knows about snakes."

"There are no snakes on the Green Isle, and Egil has never been anywhere else. He would not know to look out for them."

Had not Vikings been everywhere? But no. Egil had said the first day they met he had not been trading with his brother. Arienh glanced at Birgit.

Stunned horror spread over Birgit's tear-stained face. Her hand went to her mouth. "None?" She squinted off in the direction Egil had gone. Giant Egil leaned in despair against the huge lone oak. Arienh could see his chest heaving in sobs.

"I want Egil, Mama." Full of terror, the stricken child gasped and jerked beneath Arienh's weight.

Tears flooded down Birgit's cheeks as she gulped, struggling for composure, and clinging to her sobbing child.

"It hurts, Mama. I want Egil."

"I'll get him, son. You must hold still. Promise me."

Ronan jumped up. "You stay. I'll go. I promise you, Liam. I'll bring him."

"Mama, I want Egil."

"He's coming, love." The nod she gave was for Ronan. "But you must hold still."

Liam nodded jerkily, amid moans and whimpers. And Birgit rocked her son mournfully. Arienh took a deep breath as the boy's hysterical cries lessened and flailing eased. He was exhausting his strength. But so was she.

Ronan sped off, shouting. With a quick glance, she saw him grab Egil's arm and nearly tug his huge brother toward the green. Egil took up the pace, both men tearing down the hill.

Egil knelt beside Birgit. "Birgit, I didn't mean him harm, truly not." Tears streamed from his eyes. His stark terror mirrored Birgit's.

Birgit choked on her sobs. "Nay, forgive me. I was wrong, I did not think. I know you would not hurt him. Please, Egil, he needs you. We cannot calm him."

Silently, Egil sat cross-legged on the grass. Arienh released her grip, as Egil cradled the boy in his arms.

"I'm sorry I was bad," cried Liam, and he snuggled into the big man's chest.

"You weren't bad, Liam." Huge hands smoothed over the little boy's golden curls and wiped at his tears.

"I didn't tell you about the snake, and it bit me. Please don't be mad at me."

"You should have told me, and you should have stayed away from the snake. But you aren't bad, and I don't hate you. You are as precious to me as my own son." Egil's cheek rested like a caress against Liam's bright curls.

"It hurts," cried the boy.

"I have to cut his leg, Egil," said Arienh. "It will help get out the poison."

"Do you want me to do it?"

"Just hold him still. Then I have to try to squeeze out the poison."

Egil nodded, and with gentle words soothed the boy. Ronan held Liam's legs in his firm grip, while Birgit stroked a wet rag over Liam's brow. The boy screamed at the sight of the knife, yet did not seem to feel the strokes of the knife as she cut small slits over each fang mark.

Kneeling, Arienh tied cords above and below the dark lump, then pushed and squeezed against it, forcing out blood and venom, until she could get no more. The swelling did not seem much smaller. She needed something else to draw out the poison.

"The snake, Egil. Did you kill it?"

"Aye. Why?"

"I need the head. Mother told me the head tied to the wound will draw the poison back to itself."

Liam screamed, his blue eyes wide with terror."Nay, Aunt!"

"It is dead, Liam. It cannot hurt you anymore. We must get the poison out."

"Nay. Please, Aunt!"

One of the men already ran toward the stream after the dead adder. But if Liam was so terrified of it, would it not do more harm than good? Her mother had always said a snakebite victim must be kept calm, for their fear helped spread the poison.

There must be another way.

"We will use mud," she decided. "It's good for drawing out poison, too. And there are some herbs. Most of them, I do not have. Bugloss, maybe. The leaves of the ash tree may help, and I have the lettuce, and that will help to calm him. Cleavers in wine would help to protect his heart."

"Cleavers," Mildread repeated as she knelt beside Arienh. "I found some stuck on my kirtle yesterday. I think they are by the woods."

Behind Mildread, Olav jumped up. "Aye, get them, Mildread,
 
and I'll fetch the wine."

"I will go for the ash leaves," Selma offered. Tanni hurried off with her.

As Egil carried Liam to the cottage, some went to the stream for mud, others to fetch the herbs Arienh specified. Egil stretched Liam out on Birgit's bed, but Liam cried as Egil tried to stand back. So Egil sat on the bed, his back propped against the wall and held Liam against his chest, his deep voice crooning an alien lullaby.

 
Birgit walked toward the door after the wine brought by Olav, and Liam screamed for her return. Arienh took the wine to mix, letting Birgit crawl onto the narrow bed and wrap her arms around her son.

Twice, Arienh tried to bind the snake's head to the wound, for it was said to be the best relief for bites, but Liam screamed and kicked violently. So she had no choice. Instead, she treated his wound with compresses of mud and herbs, and he drank the wine laced with the cleavers and young ash leaves.

Liam's cries slowly diminished to whimpers, and Arienh gave him the syrup of lettuce to make him doze. He slept fretfully, crying in his sleep and waking himself up. As the mud dried, Arienh scraped it off and applied a fresh coat, covering his leg all the way up his thigh.

Each time the door opened, Arienh looked up. Wynne brought a broth made from her chickens, and Mildread brought a porridge for those who tended him, and bread fresh from the village oven the Vikings had rebuilt. Father Hewil slipped in and spoke a prayer over the child, then quietly slipped out again. Ronan hovered close, bringing to her what she demanded. He pressed against her, giving her a place to rest her back, and massaged her aching shoulders.

Outside, villagers and Vikings kept watch, going to their duties when they must, returning whenever they could. Egil and Birgit together held the child, who cried when either left.

Day merged with twilight, then into night. Arienh changed the mud compresses again and again. The swelling grew so large that she reluctantly untied the cord sash and moved it higher up his leg, lest the leg itself die.

The swelling stopped. Beneath the packs of mud a huge knot of darkest purple bulged from Liam's leg. Skin sloughed off, and Arienh rubbed with a cloth to clear it away. She thought of maggots, to eat away the dead skin, but she hated the idea. Only if she must would she run the risk of the pus they sometimes caused.