“Nonsense! Buxom is the word. You have curves where they are meant to be. Your hair is a pretty shade of dark red; auburn, I’d call it. And you have beautiful eyes. Any man would be happy to take you as his wife.” Eira was staunch in her friend’s defence. “Anyway, it is not only about looks. You’re funny and smart and capable of managing a household. What more could a man want?”
Halvar couldn't sleep that night. He’d struggled to get a good night’s sleep ever since Eira had arrived in the village. He imagined what it would be like to snuggle up to her warm body on cold nights. He thought about stroking her hair and singing her a lullaby. And there would be babies, of course. He found himself wanting a family very much. But only if it could be with Eira; there was no one else who held any interest for him. If only he could turn his imagination into reality.
"I can swing an axe but I can’t find the words to woo a woman,” he muttered under his breath. He’d always known that he wanted to love the woman that he married but he had no idea how to make it happen. Most of the time, marriages were arranged and men didn’t need to know how to court a woman.
Still, today he’d had a small victory. He’d managed to spend some time alone with Eira, and he had even made her laugh. It was a small thing but he felt that he’d made progress. He finally drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.
While Halvar was dreaming of a future with Eira, Taft told Eira to take the leftover food out to the dogs. She trudged out into the darkness to fulfill his request. Taft seized his chance to talk to Kaarina alone. She was already in bed and was almost asleep.
“Eira collects herbs in the forest every day, doesn’t she?” Taft asked.
“Yes,” Kaarina answered in a sleepy voice.
“I’ve been getting headaches lately. Does she collect herbs for that?”
“Yes, she collects birch leaf buds.”
“Do you know where she gets them?”
“They grow right near the boundary stones on the path that goes over the mountains,” Kaarina replied.
CHAPTER 6
E ira woke with a start. She tried to figure out what had woken her so suddenly, her heart pounding. Had she had a bad dream? A moment later, footsteps approached the corner where she slept and she looked up to see Taft. He smiled at her and she grew wary. Why was he smiling?
"Good morning, Eira,” he greeted her warmly.
"Good morning,” she answered. She tried to read his feelings but the barrier was firmly in place and she could sense nothing.
"I am sorry for the way I've treated you since you arrived,” he said. “I know I have been hard on you but I can see now that you’re a good person and the things I heard about you were all lies.” He paused. “Kaarina has told me all about you and how you would never harm anyone. She said you have even been offering your services as a healer for free. The people in the village like you now.”
“That's what my mother has always taught me," Eira replied.
For a moment, there was a flash of pain in Taft's eyes but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. "You are right. Once again, I am really sorry. I hope you can be happy here."
"I hope so too."
Taft got up and walked to the door. He stopped suddenly and turned towards her. "You wouldn't have anything for headaches, would you?" he asked tentatively.
Eira rose to her feet. "I have nothing at the moment but I can get something today. You do not feel well?"
He touched his forehead. "Something like that. I have not slept well for a couple of days now."
"I shall see to it later. Take care of yourself." She sank back into the bedding after he’d gone. It looked like things were changing. She smiled and got up to wash.
When Eira joined her for breakfast, Kaarina could see the happiness on her face. “Have you been dreaming about Halvar?” she teased.
"You know, it wouldn't be bad to dream about that hunk of a man,” Eira joked.
"Someone's falling in love,” Kaarina giggled. "Whatever happened to 'men only want women to make families with', eh?"
Eira deliberately avoided the question by moving away. She wasn’t in the mood for Kaarina to probe her true feelings towards Halvar. "Would you like to go with me to the woods later this morning? I need to pick some herbs,” she said.
Kaarina shook her head. "I am sorry, but I cannot. Father has asked me to come to the farm with him today. There is a lot of work to do before winter comes and he needs all the help he can get.”
"Why did he not ask for my help as well?" Eira asked.
"I know not. He probably does not wish to disturb you."
"Or he wants me to get him some herbs."
Kaarina's head shot up. "He is ill?"
"It appears so. He asked me to make something for his headaches.”
"He said nothing to me,” Kaarina said.
“He probably does not wish to worry you.” Eira got to her feet. "I must go now. I have to hand out some medicine that I made yesterday. And I need to be back from collecting in time to help with the cooking.”
"Okay, Eira. Stay safe out there." Kaarina gave her a pat on the back.
"What is that for? Don't tell me you want to cry because I'm leaving you." Now it was Eira’s turn to tease.
"Off you go! Get out of here before I whack you with a broom!"
Eira laughed as she left. Kaarina smiled too. Maybe everything was going to be fine.
Halvar called Canute to him. “I need you to finish up here,” he said as the men loaded the day’s harvest onto a cart to be dried out and stored for the winter.
"Where are you heading to?" Canute asked.
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me,” Halvar replied. “I’ll see you back at the village.” He clapped Canute on the shoulder and made his way through the heaps of harvested maize. It was around this time of the day that Eira would be on her herb-collecting run and he wanted to catch her while she was out in the forest. He would be able to spend more time with her today since most of the villagers were at their farms. If she wasn't collecting herbs, she would most likely be at the house since Taft had only Kaarina with him today.
Halvar spotted Eira walking away from the village as he returned from the farm. He was hoping that he might be able to catch her to ask her for something for his sleeping problems but she had a big head start on him and was already almost to the edge of the woods. He started to follow her but as she entered the forest, he realized that she might be afraid if she thought someone was trailing her. He decided to follow her along the path and meet up with her when she stopped. She was walking quickly, determined to reach her goal, and he lengthened his stride to catch up. She went deeper and deeper into the woods, towards the stone boundary markers on the trail that went across the mountains. Now and then he caught a glimpse of her through the trees as she hurried along the path. He hoped that she remembered his warning about the slave raiders.
Eira knew where there was a stand of birch trees. She hoped to find some leaf buds to help Taft’s headaches. She reached the area near the stone boundary markers and stopped, looking around. She felt uneasy, remembering Halvar’s warning about the slave raiders. She stood still and listened but could hear nothing but the whisper of the wind in the trees. She quickly got out her pouch and started to pick what she needed.
Suddenly, an arrow whistled through the air and stuck into the tree she was picking from. The shot was precise, intended to merely graze her skin rather than kill. It nicked her arm before plunging into the tree beside her. She screamed and started to run but she had only taken a few steps when she realized that the path back to the village was blocked by two men. Two huge Slavic slave raiders! Even though she was within the village boundaries, they had been bold enough to enter. She screamed again and began to run away from the village, away from help. It was the only thing she could do.
As soon as she broke into a run, the men followed. They planned to force her to run away from the village and safety. Eira knew that she was doomed. No
one knew where she was and no one would know what had become of her. The spot the arrow had grazed began to sting as she ran and she suddenly felt dizzy. Her legs gave way and she dropped to the ground, dimly realizing that the arrow must have been tipped with poison. Everything went black then and she lay still.
Halvar heard Eira’s scream as he neared the stone boundaries. He broke into a run, desperate to reach her but by the time he arrived, it was too late. She was gone. An arrow was stuck in one of the trees not far from the boundary markers. She had been on the inside of the boundary but the slave raiders had taken her anyway. He could see their footprints leading up the path. He knew they would have horses somewhere nearby. Once they loaded her onto their horses, they would carry her far, far away and he might never see her again. He turned and ran back to the village, faster than he’d ever run before.
Halvar burst into the village just as Canute and the men were bringing a load of grain to the storehouse.
“Quick! Get the horses!” he gasped. “Slave raiders have got Eira!”
The men jumped into action, grabbing horses and weapons.
Kaarina heard the commotion and came out of the house. She had come back from the farm early to start preparing food for the evening meal.
“Eira has been taken by slave raiders,” Halvar told her, still out of breath. “I heard her scream!”
“Maybe my father has something to do with it,” Kaarina answered quietly. “He asked me last night where she goes to get herbs for headaches. Then this morning she told me he’d asked her to get some for him. And today at the farm, a stranger came to talk to him. The man was wearing clothes that are different from ours.”
“Thank you, Kaarina,” Halvar said. “It does not look good for Eira. They might already have a buyer for her if this was a planned raid.” He swung onto the horse. “Pray that we get her back safely.”
Kaarina watched them go with a deep sense of foreboding in her heart. She was certain that her father had planned to get rid of Eira by arranging for her to be taken by slave raiders. She felt anger towards her father, the person who was supposed to protect Eira. What kind of person would betray his own kin this way? She shuddered as she imagined Eira living the life of a slave. Beautiful, kind, spirited Eira who deserved to be loved and happy, living in captivity. The thought was almost unbearable and tears ran down her cheeks.
Taft sang to himself as he approached the house. He could smell the food that Kaarina had gone to prepare and by now, he should be rid of an unwelcome problem. It had been a good day indeed.
“Hello, Daughter,” he greeted Kaarina as he entered the house.
“Hello, Father,” she replied in a subdued voice.
Taft wondered if she knew that Eira was missing.
“Where are the men?” he asked. “I thought they would be back from the farms by now. Did they go hunting?”
“No, Father. They went to find Eira.”
“What happened to the evil little witch? Did she get lost in the woods?”
Kaarina looked at him and her anger began to rise.
“No, Father,” she said evenly. “I believe you already know what happened to her.”
“Why would I know anything about where she is? She was going to seek plants today like she usually does.”
“She was taken by slave raiders.”
“Slave raiders? The stupid little cow probably went beyond the boundaries. It serves her right.”
Kaarina turned to face him, fury in her eyes. “And you arranged it,” she accused. “Why do you hate her so? What has she ever done to you?”
“She is just like her mother,” Taft said fiercely. “In looks and personality. That woman betrayed me and I will never forgive her. And I do not care if I never see her offspring again.”
“Father, you have so much hate in your heart that I don’t believe you can even love me,” Kaarina said, tears sliding down her cheeks. “I was lonely before Eira came here and she is my friend. Even if only for my sake, can you not withhold your hateful words about her?”
Taft grunted. “Enough of your nonsense, woman. Hurry up and serve the food. I am starving.”
Even as he changed the subject, Taft was worried that his plan might fail. He hadn’t expected the men to mount a rescue mission to find Eira, certainly not so soon after she was taken. He’d even told the slave trader that she would be an easy catch and that no one would come looking for her. No one wanted her, after all. She was just a problem for the whole village. Everyone except Kaarina, it seemed. Although he felt mildly guilty that his daughter had lost her friend, it was eclipsed by the relief of knowing that he didn’t have to live with the evil witch in his house any longer.
When Halvar and his men reached the place where the slave raiders had snatched Eira, they dismounted and followed the footprints up the muddy path. Soon, the footprints left the path and went to a small clearing where they could see fresh horse dung and hoof prints. From there, the hoof prints curved around to rejoin the path.
It confirmed Halvar’s suspicions. “They are careless slave raiders,” he said. “They were not expecting anyone to come after them. It seems that perhaps Taft did set up his niece to be kidnapped and he arranged it for a time that no one would be around. That’s why he took Kaarina to the farm with him and why he waited until everyone but Eira would be away. He wanted no one to know what had happened to her until it was too late.”
“Why would he do such a thing?” asked Erik. “Yes, we have all heard the stories about the girl being an evil witch. But she is very kind and helpful. She even gave my wife some medicine for free.”
“I know not,” muttered Halvar, his anger rising. “But by the wrath of Odin, we are going to get her back.”
With grim determination, the men galloped up the path that led into the mountains.
CHAPTER 7
E ira woke up on the back of a horse, tied to a warrior. The graze on her arm stung and her head felt fuzzy but apart from that, she was unhurt. She tried to look around her. The path ahead of them curved to the right and she counted six warriors on horses ahead of her. She could hear at least two more horses behind her. The raiders moved at a steady pace, not making any attempt to conceal their tracks. They seemed to be unconcerned about anyone coming to rescue her. She figured that stealing people was a way of life for them and they probably got away with it most of the time. It led them to be complacent.
Night fell but they continued their steady plod along the mountain path. Eira heard the men mention Kallekot Dalr and knew that it was a village on the mountain path. She figured that they were going there and she felt afraid. She’d heard Halvar say that this village was on unfriendly terms with theirs. After they had been riding through the darkness for hours, they stopped at the edge of a clearing. There appeared to be some buildings nearby and Eira could smell wood smoke.
Someone untied the rope that bound Eira to the warrior and they allowed her to climb off the horse. They seemed to be unconcerned that she would escape. She went behind a tree to relieve herself and when she came back, one of the men handed her some bread and meat to eat. She stood by the fire they had made, grateful for its warmth.
After she had eaten, one of the men tossed her some rags and motioned to a cart standing outside one of the buildings.
“You sleep there,” he told her in an unfamiliar accent. He tied her feet together and tied the other end of the rope to the cart. She arranged the rags to make herself a bed to sleep on and curled up under the cart. She was glad she was wearing her good woolen coat because the night was cold and damp. She found sleep impossible, listening instead to the conversation of the men around the fire as they passed around flasks of ale. Sometimes they spoke in a language she didn’t understand and at other times, they spoke in her native tongue. It was during one of these moments that she learned what would be her fate.
“Do you think Njal will like this one?” asked one of the men.
“This one is better looking than the last one.
He ought to like her!” replied another.
“He already has five wives. Why would he want another one?”
“Because he can afford them. He is a wealthy merchant, you know. They like to show off.”
“If he doesn’t want her, she should still fetch a good price at the slave market,” said a voice that Eira recognized as the leader.
“There were rumors that she is an evil witch,” said the first man.
“Well, don’t tell Njal anything about her and he won’t know the difference. He only wants to impress everyone with his wealth. He does not care much where his women come from.”
One of the men yawned. “Time for sleep,” he said. “The ale has done its job!”
The other men laughed, the sound coarse against the silent forest. Within minutes, the men were all asleep around the fire. All except for one.
The leader of the group checked to make sure that the others were asleep, then crept towards Eira. He crouched down and poked her to see if she was awake.
“What is your name?” he whispered when she sat up.
“Eira,” she replied, feeling afraid.
“Well, Eira, there’s something you need to do for me. Do it without complaint and I will see that you are well treated and do not get hurt. Even if you scream no one will come to your rescue. This village is accustomed to us coming through with people we find wandering around in the forest. You will get no help from anyone who lives here.”
Eira shrank back in fear as she realized that he planned to take her by force. She had never felt so alone in her entire life.
Halvar and his men rode hard, only stopping when the path forked to figure out which way the raiders had gone. Darkness fell but they pressed on, moving more slowly now in case they missed the track. When they reached the turn to Kallekot Dalr, Halvar was displeased.
“This makes it harder,” he muttered. “Be ready to fight, men!”
They continued silently down the path. When they reached the rocky outcrop not far from the village, they dismounted. Leaving two men with the horses, the others continued on foot, as silent as cats. Not a twig snapped, not a leaf rustled as they passed by. They stopped to listen to their surroundings. Finally, they heard horses moving around and could see figures standing around a fire. Quickly, they spread out around the camp at the edge of the forest. Beyond them lay the village; Halvar had no desire to awaken the warriors. They crept towards the camp on their bellies, utterly silent.
Eira: Banished (Viking Guardians Book 1) Page 5