CHAPTER SIX ─── spying

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"Halig, take Sihtric, Yrsa, Hild and Clapa," Uhtred appeared beside the five of them early one morning, a few days after the newest companion had joined their group. "Go north, watch the road ahead."

"Yes, Lord," Halig grumbled, eyebrows furrowing before they all began to prepare their horses, tacking up swiftly and softly before taking off ahead. "We'll go to the hill again, watch from there."

"Good plan," Hild agreed, turning to look at Yrsa and Sihtric, who were discussing something in a hushed tone and looking around like they were having speaking of a secret. "Yrsa? Come here for a moment."

"Yes, Lady," The auburn haired teen trotted forward, joining Hild's side with a questioning look. "What is it?"

"What do you and he speak of?"

"The gods, Lady," Yrsa replied, a smile growing on her face. "It is just nice to have someone who shares in my belief system and talks in a familiar tongue. There are not many back in Guthred's army."

"I see," Hild nodded, having not seen the teenager so happy as she had in the past few days. "Just try and keep your words from reaching the abbot's ears, for he will find any way to punish so called heathens."

"Yes, Lady," Yrsa nodded, before riding back to Sihtric's side.

"Did your mother warn you to stay away from me?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he huffed.

"Hild is not my mother, she is a Saxon nun," Yrsa snickered at the thought, shaking her head. "No, she warned me of speaking of the gods near to the abbot who most likely wishes us dead."

"Because we are heathen?" Sihtric did not look amused.

"Precisely," Yrsa rolled her eyes at the thought. "I thought their religion was about being inclusive, not hating others."

"Saxon minds work in bizarre ways, as does their supposed god," Sihtric murmured, as Halig called for them to halt. He jumped down from his horse, watching her with questioning eyes. "Where do you come from then? Not the south, I suppose."

"No, north," Yrsa revealed, as they followed the three adults up the hill. "My father is Sturl."

"I am sorry then," Sihtric replied quietly, looking down at her with wide, mismatched eyes. "I heard of what had happened."

"Your brother burned my home to the ground and killed my parents," Yrsa spat to the side at the thought of the one eyed Sven. "Just as your father ordered but I do not blame it on you. You can not choose your blood family."

"You two, get over here," Halig hissed, as the pair hurried to catch up, crawling to the place on the top of the hill as they looked down at a caravan of horses walking through the valley.

"They're coming from the north," Sihtric pointed out, as Yrsa hummed in agreement. "It can only be the brothers Sigefrid and Erik."

"Not Kjartan?" Hild asked, as Yrsa shook her head.

"Kjartan would not have travelled north, and Sven went south after he burned my home to the ground. It is Sigefrid and Erik," Yrsa confirmed, as Sihtric nodded along.

"Would Sihtric tell us if it was Kjartan?" The Danes both turned towards Halig with raised eyebrows. An oath was an oath that they would keep until they died, especially if you swore it to the gods. Sihtric would not betray them, not when he had sworn it on Thor's hammer.

"Two of us should remain here and watch, the others should return to Uhtred," Sihtric diplomatically suggested, not rising to the bait that Halig left out in the open.

"It is not your place to decide what we do. Lord Uhtred put me in command,"

"But it is a good plan," Yrsa replied, nodding her head. There was a silence, before Halig talked again.

"Hild, you will return to Uhtred," Hild raised an amused eyebrow, a smirk on her face.

"Alone?"

"With the children," Yrsa and Sihtric shared a look of annoyance at being called children, as both were in their late teenage years. Clapa and Hild continued to laugh quietly at Halig's words and the teenagers faces.

"The three of us?" Hild asked, before stifling her laughter and grabbing the two Danes by the back of their armour to drag off towards the horses. "Come, you two."

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The woods were quiet, not a bird chirping at all, as Yrsa followed Uhtred through the thick trees and dense foliage. Sihtric and Halig led the way, keeping low as Yrsa checked around behind them to see if there were any spies following that she should shoot down, but there was nothing.

"Lord, there. That is Erik," Yrsa turned slowly, her bright hair hidden beneath a hood as she looked through the bracken at a tall blond with a long beard, striding around the camp with a look of displeasure on his face. 

Sihtric stepped back, allowing the turd king to sit in his spot as Yrsa and he looked through the bracken behind Uhtred.

"And there is Sigefrid." Sigefrid was a strong looking man, who seemed to be comfortable with a dagger in his hand like it was am extension of his arm. Neither of them looked easy to beat in battle. 

"I was right. This is not an army," Uhtred murmured. "We could attack tonight. Surprise them in their sleep. They will know Eoferwic is lost."

"It would deal with the threat of them," Yrsa murmured in response. 

"Will they?" Guthred ignored Yrsa's mumbling, favouring Uhtred's words above the teenager girl's.

"Yes. That is the man I set free," The man Uhtred had set free looked like a boar. Yrsa was not impressed. "They must have been marching for days. Now is a good time."

"An attack is an option, yes," Sihtric and Yrsa both turned to look at Guthred with raised eyebrows.

"It is the only option, Lord," Uhtred reminded gently as Yrsa narrowed her eyes. She wanted to taste battle once more, feel the blood and mud on her face and under her nails and the hum of the gods surrounding her. 

"They are waiting to be slaughtered," Sihtric murmured as Yrsa nodded in agreement.

"It would be an easy enough fight to win, give the newer soldiers their first taste of blood," She pointed out carefully, knowing that the Saxons did not like to listen to a woman's opinion on matters, even if they were good opinions.

"Lord...There will be no better time to fight than now," Uhtred urged once more, as Guthred paled and bit his lips nervously.

"Uhtred I am thinking..." Yrsa huffed below her breath, sharing an annoyed look with the Dane next to her.

"We must attack," Guthred sighed, going to take off as Uhtred pulled him back. "Lord, what I am saying is good advice. We must attack tonight."

"Do you not hear me? I am thinking!" Uhtred let him go, as Sihtric and Yrsa took Uhtred's nod as a sign to follow Guthred back to the camp once more, their eyes narrowed in shared views of annoyance. This king was useless.

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Hiya,

I'm in the mood for Sihtric and Yrsa, so you get them bonding. I'm really excited to get further in so that we can get these two being chaotic, and it's the only think getting me through uni at the moment.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx