Another Nightmare Book 3: Facing Nightmares

Chapter 21

Gunnar's face twisted a bit and he took a while to answer. Eventually he got his serious slightly threatening expression back.

"I hear you didn't mind them much when that Hiccup dragged a night fury into the village."

He was more focused than Heather would have liked. She let out a small fake laugh.

"Oh, I was petrified, especially the first few times. I still don't quite understand how Hiccup kept the beasts under control. Didn't you see that too. I guess any animal can be trained. Isn't that why the Grimborns are so interested in him?"

"Their business is between them and the chief," Gunnar responded quickly. "Our concern are those who showed treachery by supporting that dragon lover and might disrupt our peace with the hunters."

"Then you'll have to worry for about half of the village seeing how thing went the last few months," Heather said giving up on trying to distract the man. "I don't have time to disrupt anything since I need to do the work of three people now. Try not to add to that and I'll be happy. Speaking of which I need to go now."

Heather waved to them and turned away without waiting for a response. She discreetly glanced towards Eira's stall. The woman was picking up fish spread on the ground around it. Heather bit her teeth together but forced her face to remain neutral, even when passing Gerd who looked at her with narrow eyes and a tense face. At least the prosthesis made it easier for her to help her mother pick up the fish. Heather walked faster.

She soon arrived at the healers' house actually in time. Ragna was sitting behind a desk with herbs waiting to be worked on, but instead she had leaned her head against her arm and was staring at the desk with half closed eyes a tear on her cheek. Heather could not blame her with her husband in the dungeon and Ivar having to run away.

"How could I have raised him so wrong?"

Heather could blame her for blaming them and still supporting Hakon, though she wasn't going to say that out loud. She did add handling the herbs on her to do list and got to work.

She soon got her first patient of the day, a villager pushed by a hunter who had gotten a nasty gash in his arm as a result. The man was chatty as Heather dressed the wound.

"Those damned hunters acting like they own the village. Can't believe Hakon lets them get away with it. Someone ought to feed the Grimborns to the dragons they have caught. A real chief would."

Heather mumbled something sounding vaguely like an agreement and focused on her work hoping the man would talk what he had talk and forget her. Responding would just lead to an argument or dangerous condemnation of the hunters and Hakon out loud

"You don't want to say things like that out loud," a new voice said. Heather startled and turned her head to see an old man she didn't recognise. "I do not know your new chief, but the Grimborns have done what you described to their enemies in the past and Viggo is still grumpy about his face."

Someone Heather did not know talking about the Grimborns... The man was a dragon hunter, Heather realized. She glanced at her patient making sure to put subtle annoyance on her face for the old man to see. She wasn't going to let her patient drag her down. She turned to face the old man again and smiled. The man stepped in. His cane clicked against the floor.

"Good morning, I am Heather. I don't think we have met yet."

"No, I don't think so. My name is Svend. I work as a healer for the Grimborns. I thought it was about time to visit my fellow healers in this village. Also," the man paused, "I may have run out of some herbs. A supply delivery with them is late."

"I see Heather said. You have to ask about those from Ragna," Heather gestured towards the healer. "Be gentle when talking with her. She's going through hard times."

"I have heard that not everyone is happy about this new... alliance."

"It is not that," Heather answered in a lower voice. "She's the wife of the chief, the previous chief I mean, a lot of family conflict."

"Ah, I see," the man responded. "She is still lucky that Viggo accepts that only part of her family is to blame for what happened."

"You mean he uses the chief's son to occupy the village," Heather's patient spat towards the old man. Heather turned her eyes trying to show annoyance at the comment.

"I need to finish patching this guy up. Talk to Ragna about those herbs."

Heather hurried to take care of the injured man and get him out while the hunter healer talked with Ragna. She managed to finish before them and shooed the injured man out without further incident. The older man too started to leave soon after, holding a small pouch of herbs. He nodded to Heather.

"Thank you for your hospitality. I know there is some friction between our people, but it is nice to see I can still have a civilized conversation with someone. I hope you can visit us sometime."