By the time we made it back to the clan village, the rest of the shieldmaidens were singing a bawdy song about victory in battle and walking arm in arm. Within minutes of our arrival, someone had produced several horns of ale that were being passed back and forth amongst them. Judging by their behavior, an outsider might’ve thought they’d been drinking since early that morning. But they were simply drunk on bloodlust and the adrenaline surges of battle. I had to admit I was a little giddy myself.
I made a beeline for mine and Torben hut. I needed to recuperate and regain the strength I’d lost when healing Lakin. A loud horn blared, and I stopped in my tracks. I turned to Freya. “What is that?”
“It means there’s someone at the beach,” she said, then changed directions.
Blowing out a d
