Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

A s we headed toward the island, The Serpent glided hurriedly through the water. We had yet to find out whether they were friends or foes, but right now, all that mattered was getting our hands on food.

Hopefully, even if they were foes, we could buy hot meals and enough provisions to last until we reached Greenland. The one place where gold coins held no value was at sea, when there was nowhere to go and no one to buy anything from.

“Where is everyone?” Manny muttered from behind me, a speculative expression on his face. It starkly contrasted against all the excited and delighted faces that the rest of the crew sported. Don’t get me wrong, I was excited to get my hands on some food as well, but we were docking at their shore, and there was no one to welcome us. That was strange.

No one came to see who was approaching their island, but with how hungry we all were, we couldn’t focus on that right now. Instead, our attention fell on the trees, their branches heavy with the weight of all the exotic fruits they grew. I reminded myself to bring something back to the ship for Kis since she was fast asleep in our bedroom.

“Safe for us to proceed, Captain?” Caspian asked absent-mindedly, and I could have sworn he was drooling.

“Go for it,” Viktor chuckled, the sound lighter and airier than I had heard it since the last time we had food to eat. “Whatever we eat now, we’ll pay for later. But pace yourselves, men. You don’t want to make yourself sick by going overboard.”

Viktor’s advice was lost on them all, as half of them didn’t even wait for the ramp to drop to jump over the ship's rail and onto the sandy shore. I couldn’t blame them. Viktor and I weren’t far behind as we rushed down the ramp and ran along the coast toward the trees and the bushes that contained more fresh fruit than I had ever seen.

Apples were my least favourite fruit, but right now, on this mysterious island, after days without eating, the red, shiny apple in my hands was the most delicious thing I had ever put in my mouth. With how quickly I devoured the apple, I was no better than Caspian, whom I had made fun of only moments ago.

Before I could reach for another apple, Viktor showed up with some red berries. The others were quick to follow, and before we knew it, we were all sat in a circle with our collection of fresh fruit and vegetables in the middle, sharing and eating to our hearts’ content.

Once we couldn’t eat a bite more, we decided it was time to do some sleuthing and find out where the inhabitants of this mysterious island were.

Why hadn’t they ventured out of their homes to investigate why strangers were ransacking their trees and bushes for all their fresh produce?

Jorvik was beautiful, but it was nothing compared to this place. We didn’t know the island’s name and would never have thought to stop here if we weren’t in desperate need of food, but it was the most beautiful island I had ever been on.

Not only were all the fruits we ate the freshest and juiciest I had ever tasted, but there were also beautiful flowers everywhere. A single, wide path led from the shore to what we could only assume was the island centre, framed by a thick bed of beautiful, multi-coloured flowers.

“What should we do, Viktor?” Garth asked.

“We could stand in the centre of the square and shout as loud as we can until people turn up?” Caspian suggested with a cheeky grin, but Dagfinn quickly held onto the back of his tunic before he could rush off and do just that.

Viktor shot Dagfinn a grateful smile. “That’s not a great idea,” he chuckled. “Let’s find some huts and knock on a few doors.”

“Should we split up?” Latham asked.

“No. This island and its people are alien to us. It’s probably best if we stick together. We don’t want to ruffle any feathers before formally introducing ourselves to the Chief,” Viktor said. He grabbed my hand before weaving us down one of the random paths that led away from the square.

It didn’t take us long to arrive at a small community of huts.

“Pick one,” Viktor prompted me, gesturing to the five huts we were surrounded by.

“The second one,” I murmured and then Viktor turned to nod to the crew.

Latham was the first to step forward. We all watched as he jogged up the few steps to the hut and knocked twice. We waited and waited, but there was no response.

“I’m going to try again,” Latham told us, raising his hand to knock again. This time, he had only managed to knock once more before the door swung open to reveal a sleepy, cranky, half-naked man–he was only wearing his breeches, but they were hanging dangerously low on his hips. I couldn’t help but laugh silently at how Viktor casually shifted in front of me, shielding my view of this man and his naked chest.

“You don’t have anything to worry about, pirate,” I assured my husband with a giggle, pressing a hand to his back as I glanced around him.

The man rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

“We were sailing by,” Latham began, purposely tiptoeing around the truth. “And dropped by in hopes of some hot food and company.”

“Sailing by?” The man frowned and dropped his hands to examine Latham properly. A long silence passed before his attention turned to the rest of us. “You’re not from Canne,” he said hesitantly.

“No, we’re not.” Latham’s tone was soft and gentle as he held up his hands to show he meant no harm. “We’re from Mann, which is approximately seven to ten days’ sail from here,” he lied smoothly, and Viktor squeezed my hand as if to assure me that this was standard procedure. It surprised me initially, but it made sense why they wouldn’t be so forthcoming with such information. We didn’t know these people. What if they turned out to be an island of cannibals or mass murderers? It was better to be safe than sorry.

“We’ve never met anyone from Mann before,” the man murmured.

“Well, now you have. Do you think you could help us out with some food?”

“We sure can, but it’s probably best if you first get acquainted with the Chief. I know he’ll want to meet our guests from Mann.”

Latham smiled and jogged down the steps. The man briefly disappeared into his hut to grab a tunic, which he pulled over his head as he joined us in the clearing.

“I’m Brank,” the man introduced himself.

“I’m Latham.” He turned to Viktor. “And this is Viktor. Our Captain.”

“Nice to meet you, Captain Viktor,” Brank smiled brightly at Viktor before moving over to stand before us, Latham now long forgotten. I would have laughed at the bewildered expression on Latham’s face if Brank hadn’t been staring at me with a peculiar expression on his face.

“Nice to meet you, Brank,” Viktor replied in a gruff voice, his gaze hard and threatening as he glared at the man, but Brank’s eyes were still set on me. I shifted closer to Viktor, seeking comfort in his touch.

“And who are you?” Brank asked, his eyes set intently on me.

“Astrid,” I told him. “I’m Viktor’s wife.”

“The Captain’s wife!” Brank beamed brighter. “This is lovely. It’s nice to meet you all!” He turned to address the rest of the crew. “Follow me. I’ll take you to meet the Chief.”

The walk from Brank’s hut to the Chief’s only took a few minutes. He knocked on the door and glanced over his shoulder at us. “I’ll wait with you while you talk with the Chief.”

“Thank you, Brank. That’s very kind of you,” Viktor smiled politely, but I knew him well enough to know it was forced. I could tell he felt uneasy about meeting the Chief of this mysterious island, and I didn’t blame him.

If we hadn’t been on the verge of going crazy with hunger or, worse, starving to death, we would have never needed to stop here. Hopefully, the Chief would be forthcoming enough to feed us and allow us to purchase some vegetation to keep us going until Greenland.

Brank dropped his voice when the door opened and exchanged low murmurs with a man we could only assume was the Chief.

“Which of you is the Captain?” The Chief asked, brushing past Brank to address us.

Viktor squeezed my hand and dropped it before stepping forward. Once again, I didn’t miss the subtle way he stepped in front of me, shielding me from prying, curious eyes. It would bother me if it were someone else, but I knew Viktor was only protecting me and had my best interests at heart.

“I am,” he said, loud and clear, his voice dripping with authority. “My name is Viktor. Viktor Thostenson.”

“Viktor Thostenson. That name sounds familiar,” the Chief murmured and accepted Viktor’s outstretched hand in greeting. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Viktor Thostenson. I am Bjorn Nybo, the Chief of Canne. Brank tells me you’re here for food?”

Viktor confirmed with a nod. “I must admit, we ate some of your berries and fruit along the shore. I apologise for not asking permission beforehand and am more than happy to compensate you. We’re also looking to purchase some dried foods and whatever else you can spare us.”

“Nonsense.” Bjorn waved a dismissive hand in the air. “You are travellers of the sea. We would be more than happy to help you. No money needed.”

“Are you sure?” Viktor asked, an unsure expression on his face. “We wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Oh, you’re not intruding at all,” Bjorn smiled widely and shook his head. “We’ll be able to spare some of our dried fruits, though it won’t be much. However, feel free to help yourselves to some more of the produce from the trees lining the shore. Frankly, we have far more than we’re able to eat. Once plucked, they should be good to last you several days.”

“Thank you, Bjorn. We appreciate that so much.”

“And to celebrate your visit, we will organise a feast!” Bjorn announced, catching us all off guard. While we were all hopeful for some hot food, perhaps a filling meal or two, a feast sounded far too much—especially for people they didn’t know.

Viktor quickly denied with a firm shake of his head. “That’s very kind of you, but you do not need to go to so much trouble.”

“I don’t know how you do things back in Mann, but here in Canne, we do not let our guests leave without filling their stomachs with lots of food and drink. I must insist, Captain Viktor.”

Viktor pursed his lips and glanced over his shoulder. He glanced at the crew, who looked very excited at the prospect of the abundance of food that a feast promised, and then his eyes landed on me.

Even though I was nervous about being here, mainly because we were in a foreign land and these people were almost suspiciously friendly, I smiled and nodded encouragingly.

Viktor grinned and turned back to the Chief. “Thank you, Bjorn. We will be in debt to you.”

“Nonsense,” Bjorn dismissed with a nonchalant snort. “Let me give you a tour of Canne while the women get started on the feast.”

I plastered a smile on my face and moved to fall into place beside Viktor. We followed behind Bjorn and Brank as they began the island tour. I was very excited about all the help the Chief had offered us and the feast they were kind enough to throw so impromptu, but something didn’t feel quite right to me.

I couldn’t help but feel like these people were far too friendly to a bunch of strangers, but perhaps that’s just how they were in Canne.

Maybe I was being overly cautious and sceptical for no reason.

Maybe it was all in my head.