The animals would wake soon, and they’d have to be tended to, but this time was hers alone. She brushed the hair back from her face then followed the braid down to the tiny amber bead. Despite the chill air, a cozy warmth spread over her body. Trailing her hand over her breastbone, she twisted the tiny protection amulet that hung around her neck and offered up a silent prayer of thanks for Grima. She swept her hand down her body and rested her palm against the growing swell of her belly. Out in the barley field, a herd of deer was browsing for the tiny grains that had escaped the harvest. At the center of the group was a snow-white buck. The ghostlike animal raised his head and looked in her direction. When their eyes met, the child inside of Kadlin stirred, and she smiled. His name will be Hjortr—the stag, Kadlin thought. She was so intent on the beautiful buck in the field, that she didn’t hear Bjorn rise from the pallet. He wrapped a thick arm around her, pulled her into his body and kissed her neck.
