Blood Moon| The Last Kingdom| Sihtric Kjartansson

TWENTY-EIGHT

I rolled my eyes, "I have a name."

"I can never seem to remember it," Sihtric shot back quietly, raising his arms to rest them on his knees, a strand of grass turning between his fingers. "How are you feeling? You must be tired, despite what you say."

My heart panged slightly, and I looked down, shaking my head, "I am only tired when I use my gift without a sacrifice."

I did not need to speak the words for them to understand that I was not tired because I had sacrificed a person. They did not falter in their calmness.

"That is a relief then," Sihtric decided.

"You may still want to rest," Uhtred called out lowly, drawing my attention to him, "as soon as dawn breaks, we will ride for Bishop Auckland and find your warrior."

A single heartbeat from inside the pit sounded again, and I stilled slightly, waiting to see if more would follow. Unfortunately, there was still silence.

I cleared my throat, rotating slightly to face him and Finan, "I am amazed that you still wish to ride with me."

"Lady," Finan gruffed, "you can perform miracles. I am amazed that you want to ride with us."

"A miracle?" I repeated carefully, "You think I performed a miracle?"

"What else do you call bringing someone back to life?" Sihtric muttered softly, his hand reaching out and covering mine that lay on my knee.

I swallowed, looking down at his hand on mine, "I killed someone to do it."

A steady silence settled, and then, Uhtred sighed heavily. "Gyda, I have killed countless men, and I have never once revived one. If you are looking for someone unjust, you can point fingers at us but not yourself."

My cheeks flushed red, and a hint of a smile touched at my lips as I looked up, "You are not afraid?"

"On the contrary," Finan blurted happily, opening his arms out, "we are terrified."

"But," Sihtric rushed in quickly, grinning at me, "we are grateful to have you. To not have to mourn a friend is a rare blessing."

"Oh, yeah," Finan nodded quickly, "I meant to say that."

"If it is time to mourn a friend, you should mourn," a sharp voice spoke between the trees, and Saga emerged from the dark, the horses following behind her. "The dead should not be woken simply so we do not feel pain."

Sihtric's hand on mine tightened, and he shifted slightly despite Osferth's quiet protest as he lost his grip on a braid he was tying, moving closer to me.

"Saga, what's done is done," Uhtred spoke firmly, "be grateful for the second chance Olav will have as the rest of us are."

Saga tied off the horses to a tree, "I am grateful," she snapped, "and I am also aware that sacrificing a human is the worst thing a seer can do."

"He fell into the pit," Sihtric shot back swiftly, "she did not push him. She killed him, yes, but him being in the pit was his own doing. She could not waste the chance."

"Yes," Saga's eyes flashed as she turned back to us, "she could have. Olav would be in Valhalla now, at peace, if she had."

"You think it is selfish of me to bring him back?" I asked coolly, looking up at her.

Saga met my eyes briefly before turning away, "Olav would not have wanted this. He would have preferred to die with honour."

Anger bubbled up inside me, and I swallowed, "Olav believed that my gift was the best thing in the world,"