The Viking's Consort

by Quinn Loftis

  I pushed Allete gently down into one of the chairs, then motioned to Myra to take a chair as well. Albric leaned with his back against the now-closed door, staring intently at his daughter.

  Allete gave him a weak smile. “Sorry about that.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t be. It’s quite amazing. But like your husband, I am worried about your well-being. Are you well?”

  “I am. Just a little more tired now than I was before all that.”

  “Let’s make this quick then,” Myra said. “Allete, you’ve had your first prophecy. I think it is particularly important that you document it.” She stared at Allete pointedly, and my bride obviously understood what Myra meant because she nodded in agreement.

  “Don’t go to sleep until you’ve documented it so it’s fresh in your mind.”

  “Okay,” Allete agreed.

  “Tomorrow, we can go over it more in depth to make sure we haven’t missed anything pertinent,” Myra explained.

  “Sounds good,” Allete said.

  Myra stood, then pointed at Freya, “Will you walk an old lady out?” she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she gestured at Albric. “And will you accompany two vulnerable ladies and keep us safe?”

  Allete snorted. “Vulnerable, my arse. You two are about as vulnerable as a couple of snakes surrounded by mice.”

  Albric chuckled and took Myra’s hand, placing it on his arm as he assisted her. “Good night, Allete, Torben,” the king said. “You both need to get some much-needed rest.” He and Myra exited the hut with Freya on their heels.

  The female shieldmaiden glanced over her shoulder and winked. “You two be sure to try to get some sleep at some point.”

  Smirking at the woman I’d known all my life, I closed the door before she could say anything else to embarrass my bride. When I faced Allete, she was pulling out a quill and ink bottle from one of the small drawers in the kitchen. She sat at the table with an ancient book in front of her. I saw it had a green gemstone embedded in the center.

  “Is that my mother’s book?” I asked.

  She nodded. “I’m sorry, but I have to get what I saw written down in here.”

  “Don’t apologize, Princess. You’re an oracle. You have responsibilities. Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

  “A cup of tea would be great,” she said with a small smile.

  “I think I can handle brewing some tea,” I told her, then got busy doing exactly that as she opened the book and turned to a blank page. As I went about making the tea, my mind wandered to Brant. I wondered if he’d found Dayna yet. If they were both safe, along with Captain Clay. I truly hoped they were. I didn’t want Allete to have to face losing her sister, in some ways, a second time. Nor did I want to lose my most trusted friend.

  I set the tea down on the table next to Allete. I opened my mouth, about to ask her if she’d seen anything about them in the prophecy, but stopped myself. If she had and it was bad, I didn’t want to put her in a position to be the one to have to share that with me. It would be a burden enough to bear it on her own.

  Leaning down, I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m going to put some water over the fire to get warm for you, so once you’re done, you can take a sponge bath. And then, while you finish writing, I’m going to run down to the river and take a very quick, cold bath.”

  “You don’t want me to have to freeze?” she said with a teasing grin.

  “I am going to say yes to that and not mention that having my wife sponge bathing in our home is not my motivation at all.” This made her laugh, which helped ease some of the heaviness I’d been feeling. I wanted to take her burdens, but I knew she couldn’t share them all with me. Allete would have to bear some of them on her own, no matter how badly I wanted to relieve her of them.

  We each had a purpose in this life. To take all of Allete’s burdens would be to take away part of her purpose. I couldn’t rob her of her destiny. Instead, I would be her support. I would be the one she could lean on when the burden became too much to handle on her own.

  “I had my first prophecy today. I want to never do that again. Ever. Thank you very much.”

  * * *

  ~Diary of Allete Auvray

  I waited for Torben to leave the hut before trying to write because every time I positioned the quill on the page, my hand began to shake. So, instead, I’d pretended to be thinking. But now that he was gone, I didn’t pretend any longer. Instead, I sat watching my hand hold the shaking quill.

  “I want you to know I feel like you could have prepared me a little better for that,” I said into the empty room, though I was addressing Hilda as I stared at her book. She couldn’t hear me—not in the afterlife, not concerned with the petty affairs of the living any longer, but it made me feel better to complain to her.

  “A little warning would have been nice,” I grumped. With one final sigh, I dipped the quill in the ink and began to write.

  As follows is the first prophecy of the oracle, Allete Auvray, for Clan Hakon of Ravenscar, as well as three supporting clans and their Britain allies.

  As I wrote the prophecy, I thought about how I had experienced it myself. It wasn’t just me hearing the words in my mind, then having them come out of my mouth. I was physically there. In my mind’s eye, I was living in the prophecy, watching it unfold. But what was even more bizarre was I watched the symbolism take physical form. So, when I spoke of a great dragon, that was indeed what I saw. A dragon with the eyes and intelligence of Cathal. I could see Cathal’s features in its face, and I could feel the contempt and loathing rolling off the creature the same way they rolled off the king of Tara himself.

  When I spoke of the hunters on the hill, that was what I saw. The jarls and King Albric sitting astride their horses, their hunting bows on their backs and swords on their sides. They were peering down into this valley where the great dragon was flying low over the town.

  As I looked closer, I could see movement on either side of the town and realized there were two giant black snakes slithering on their bellies down the roads of the town, heading straight for the dragon. The black snake on the right had something wrapped in its tail. I squinted as I tried to make out what it was wrapped around. When it was finally close enough, I felt bile rise in my throat as I stared at the limp bodies of Clay, Dayna, and Brant—all three wound up tightly in the tail of the huge black snake.

  I thought the snakes would stop when they reached the dragon, but the one on the right, the one holding my sister and the two men, continued slithering forward. When its head rose and yellow eyes clashed with mine, I stumbled backward. The snake hissed as it continued moving even closer. When it was about ten yards away, it stopped, rose up on its belly, and undulated back and forth. And then it began to speak. “I will be waiting for you, Oracle,” the creature said, and its words were drawn out in a hissing sound. “I will drop your dead at your feet, then I will strike you down.”

  I could hear the violence in the snake’s voice, and I could practically feel the rage radiating off the massive form. When I studied it closer, I could see the eyes were familiar. I blinked several times. They continued to appear more and more familiar until I was no longer seeing the face of a snake, but that of Gisele instead. For a brief few seconds, it was her head attached to the scaly body. When I blinked again, she was gone, and the snake was in her place.

  A door slammed closed, snapping me out of the memory of the prophecy. I found myself back in my hut. Torben had just walked in. Smiling, he took his clothes and folded them, placing them neatly in the basket where we kept our dirty garments.

  I glanced at the book and found I’d written everything I’d seen in my vision, though I didn’t recall writing any of it. After I set the quill down, I then push the book away. I didn’t want to think about the things I’d seen. I didn’t want to try to interpret what it all meant. I just wanted to keep from thinking about any of it, if only for a little while.

  “Will you let me take care of you
?” Torben asked gently. Stopping by me, he held out his hand. I placed my much smaller one in it, and I let him pull me to my feet. When he pulled me into his arms and I let myself lean against him, I realized how bone tired I was.

  “Yes,” I said, answering his question.

  “Good.” He urged me over to a chair he’d set near the fire. There was a pot of water on the floor with a cloth rag hanging on the edge. Also, several folded swaths of cloth were stacked next to the pot.

  Torben helped me undress, then took one of the swaths and completely wrapped it around my body, leaving my arms exposed. He pushed me into the chair and picked up the washcloth, dipped it into the hot water, then squeezed out the excess before running the cloth down my arms and my hands. He dipped the cloth again before gliding it across my shoulders and neck.

  Next, he took another piece of cloth and dried off the damp skin. My husband repeated this process until he’d washed all of my body.

  “Tell me about your trip,” I said as he began to dry off each leg and then my feet.

  “It was long,” Torben replied. “Though the talks with the jarls were encouraging, it was still odd being in someone else’s clan. No matter the ally status, we’re still strangers.”

  “This will go a long way toward building trust between the clans,” I said. “Has Clan Hakon had allies in the past?”

  “We did at one time, but Magnus became distrustful of everyone and managed to burn those bridges,” he explained.

  Torben helped me into some clean nightclothes, then sat me down again and went to work on my hair. He was gentle and patient as he undid the plaits, then brushed through the tangled strands.

  “It sounds like the clan is in much better hands now.”

  “Aye,” he agreed absently. “His removal from leadership wasn’t a loss, that’s for sure. I’m not saying I’m necessarily the best candidate for the job, but I care about our clan. I care about the future of our people.”

  “You are exactly who needs to be leading this clan, Torben. You’re a man of worth, and everyone respects you. They value your input and follow your leadership. As long as you put the needs of the clan above a need for control or power, then you are the right man for the job,” I said.

  “I told you about the clans. Now you tell me about how things have been going with training, Myra, and the book,” Torben said after a few minutes of silence.

  I explained how I was sure Freya was trying to kill me via sword training, and that his mother had been determined to drive me insane as I attempted to figure out how to get her book of prophecy open and then get the words to show up. “I feel like she thought I was a whole lot smarter than the average child,” I said.

  Torben chuckled. “Imagine being raised by her.”

  “I don’t want to think about subjecting myself to such a possibility,” I admitted.

  “I don’t blame you.”

  When he was done with my hair, Torben took my hand and pulled me up from the chair. “Now, it’s time for bed. I’m tired, you’re tired, and I want to fall asleep with you in my arms.”

  We both climbed into bed, and he immediately pulled me tightly against him. I sighed. This is what I’d been missing so terribly for the past ten days. No matter whether I slept or not, I didn’t sleep well without Torben next to me.

  “I’m glad you’re back,” I said.

  “I don’t like being away from you,” Torben said. “Before you, adventuring didn’t bother me too much. Coming home was pleasant just because it was nice to sleep in my own bed, but I didn’t necessarily have anything to look forward to. Now that I have you, all I could think about was getting home.”

  Feeling his lips against the back of my neck, I shivered at the sensation.

  “Goodnight, Viking. I love you.”

  “Goodnight, Princess. I love you more.”

  “When you realize you’ve been acting like an idiot because an evil witch spiked your drink, try to take comfort in the fact you’re probably not the only person in the world this has happened to. At least that is what I’m having to tell myself at this point. The shame is real.”

  * * *

  ~Dayna Auvray

  My head felt as though I’d introduced it to the ground a few dozen times by blunt force. Blinking, I cringed as the pounding increased from the light of the sun hitting my eyes.

  When my vision had cleared enough I could actually see, I was relieved to find Clay and Brant sitting a few feet from me, both still unconscious. They were tied up, just like I was. We were each propped against separate tree trunks. I could hear ocean waves, so I knew the witch had taken us somewhere. How in the world had she gotten us here? And where was she? On that thought, I immediately tried to stand, but then realized that not only were my feet and hands tied, but I was also secured to the tree with a rope around my waist. I hadn’t realized it was there until I’d tried to move.

  The last thing I remembered was Gisele throwing a handful of dust into our faces…then the world went black. How long had we been out? I had no idea.

  “Dayna?” Brant’s voice sounded thick with worry as his head rolled to the side. He blinked his eyes open.

  “I’m here,” I said, continuing to watch him. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like an evil witch used her evil magic on me,” Brant said. His voice was rough and tight with anger.

  “Brant, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t,” he said. “Don’t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry about.”

  “If I hadn’t sat there like a fool and argued with you or refused to leave, then we could have been gone before she got back,” I said.

  He shook his head. “You are the victim, Dayna. She used magic on you, and your choices were no longer your own. You aren’t responsible for that.”

  I scoffed. “I chose a rat over going with you. Am I really so weak-minded I couldn’t see the situation for what it was? I mean, even now, I still feel the need to go back to that cottage. I still feel it is my favorite place when I know damn well it isn’t.” My blood might as well have been boiling—I was so angry with myself. I felt like I should have been able to fight off the effects of the drink she gave me. I felt weak and easily influenced, and I’d never thought of myself that way before.

  “How do we fight against something we don’t understand or know anything about?” Brant asked. “You had no idea what she was doing to you, and you have no idea how her magic works. Don’t blame yourself for something that is beyond your control. Give blame where it is due, Dayna. Gisele is the one responsible for what has been done to you. It is her fault alone.”

  “Thank you for coming for me,” I said, needing him to understand just how much it meant to me.

  “Allete and Torben are going to come, too. No one has forgotten you. But I decided I might have a better chance of getting you out without an army. Guess I was wrong.” He chuckled humorlessly.

  “How were you to know Gisele could knock us all unconscious like that? She’s very powerful.”

  “Does anyone else feel as though a horse has repeatedly kicked them in the head?” Clay asked.

  “Not me.” I sighed. “I feel simply marvelous.”

  Clay glanced over at me. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had a bruise beginning to show on his right cheek. “I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”

  “I’ve lost all my dignity. There’s no sense in throwing anything else away,” I huffed.

  Brant started to say something, but he stopped when Gisele suddenly stepped out of the thick growth of trees and into the clearing in front of us. A moment later, another woman joined her.

  “Are you sure we can’t just kill them?” the new woman asked. “They just seem like a lot of dead weight to haul around when we need to move quickly.”

  “Once we get them on a boat, we won’t have to move them again,” Gisele said. “Besides, they will come in handy when we come face to face with the oracle and her witch.”

  “I see you went an
d replaced me rather quickly, Gisele,” I said. “I’m sort of hurt it didn’t take you longer to get over our relationship.”

  “I see why you like her,” the new woman said.

  “Yes. She has some redeeming qualities about her, but in the end, she is just a human girl with no real lust for greatness,” Gisele said.

  “I’m sorry, but I have to disagree,” I said. “I lust for greatness all the time. How can I not when he’s sitting right there in front of me?” I motioned with my chin toward Brant.

  “Little princess, you’re going to make me blush,” Brant purred.

  “I thought I told you not to call me that.” I glowered, not caring how attracted I was to him. Being called Little Princess was not on my list of acceptable pet names.

  “Wait,” the new woman said. “Are these two a mated pair? I mean, I get the appeal. He’s very handsome and well built.”

  “All right, first of all, we aren’t animals,” I growled. “Second of all, get your greedy eyes off my Viking. And who are you anyway?”

  She narrowed her eyes as she spoke. “I’m Evelyn.”

  I glanced from Gisele to Evelyn and back again, my mouth dropping open.

  “I see you know who I am,” Evelyn said with a smug smile. “Then you know that if I say I could make your male fall madly in love with me, I am telling the absolute truth. Watch how you speak to me, girl.”

  “You wrote in your diary she was powerful, Gisele, but you never mentioned what a wench she is,” I said. I pursed my lips, staring Evelyn down. Could she kill me with barely a blink? Probably. Was that going to stop me from tugging the tiger’s tail? Absolutely not. I could feel Brant’s glare and his silent shouting for me to shut my mouth.

  Evelyn took a step toward me, but Gisele held up a hand. “Are you really letting a human goad you? When did you become so petty? She is beneath you. Ignore her. We have too much to do for you to be wasting time and energy on putting her in her place just because your pride is insulted.”