by Connie Mason
“ ’tis far too grand for a walk in the woods, Lady Thora,” Reyna protested. “Something older will suffice.”
“The cloak is yours to keep, Reyna. Wear it in good health.”
Reyna nodded her thanks and left immediately to join Wulf. As she strode away, she heard Olga make a strangled sound low in her throat. Pretending not to hear, Reyna walked out the door and joined Wulf in the yard. He handed her the basket and strode toward the woods that grew beyond the farmstead. Reyna lengthened her steps to keep up with him.
“Must you accompany me?” Reyna asked. “I am perfectly capable of finding what I need without you.”
“Can you defend yourself against wild animals?”
She looked pointedly at the sword he carried in a sheath at his waist and the spear he held in his hand. “I could if I had a weapon.”
Wulf snorted. “Knowing how you feel about me, I might find a blade in my back if I arm you. Besides, I have a mind to do a little hunting.”
Since Reyna had no answer for Wulf, she followed him in silence, keeping her eyes on the ground in search of plants known for their curative powers. Occasionally Reyna would stop, point to a plant and watch as Wulf dug it up and placed it in her basket. By the time they entered the forest, Reyna’s basket was half-filled with mallow, dill, mint, borage and comfrey.
Reyna felt a definite chill as she entered the forest. She should have realized it would be dark and cold with the sun blotted out by tall trees. Shivering, she pulled her cloak tighter about her shoulders and continued her search. Luck was with her. She harvested leaves from raspberry bushes, ripped off pieces of bark and leaves from willow trees and pulled up valerian plants, roots and all.
“Your basket is full,” Wulf observed. “ ’tis time to leave.”
“There is still more to gather, but I can return another time now that I know where to find what I need. I should gather as much as I can before the first frost.”
Wulf started to take the heavy basket from her, then froze, his face a study of intense concentration. “Be quiet!”
“What is it?” Reyna whispered.
“Do you hear that?”
“No, I hear nothing…” And then she did. Something was rooting about in the tall underbrush to their left. She had opened her mouth to ask Wulf what it was when a wild boar charged out of its hiding place, heading straight at her.
A scream erupted from her throat. Wulf drew back his powerful arm, preparing to throw his spear at the rampaging beast before it reached Reyna. Unfortunately, the boar swerved away from Reyna and toward Wulf at the same time Wulf released his spear, missing the animal by mere inches. Feet spread wide, his body braced against the impact, Wulf drew his knife blade. Reyna screamed as boar and man prepared to meet in a fierce battle of life and death.
Chapter Five
“Move out of the way, Reyna!” Wulf shouted.
Reyna obeyed immediately, seeking out the sturdiest tree to hide behind. She knew that getting in the way would hinder Wulf’s movement and place him in greater danger. Peeking from behind the tree trunk, Reyna spied Wulf’s spear and decided it was too far away for her to recover easily. But if Wulf seemed to be losing the battle, she would make a mad dash for the spear and try to save Wulf.
Reyna suppressed a scream when she saw the boar lower its head and aim the sharp points of its tusks at Wulf. Terror stricken, she watched as Wulf stood his ground, still as a pillar, his body tense and waiting. What was wrong with Wulf? Was he just going to stand there and let the boar gore him?
The quiet of the forest was rent with snorts, grunts and squeals as the beast bore down on Wulf. Reyna did scream then, for she was certain Wulf would die.
Reyna nearly fainted with relief when, at the last minute, Wulf stepped to the side, out of the boar’s path. When the animal realized it had missed and came charging back, Wulf leapt into the air and landed on the beast’s back. She watched with bated breath as Wulf drove the knife into the animal’s tough hide, once, twice, but the blow only appeared to further enrage the boar.
Reyna found it difficult to keep track of the action after that. First Wulf was on top of the boar and then the boar seemed to be gaining the upper hand. Reyna was on the verge of racing for Wulf’s spear when she saw Wulf deftly avoid the boar’s tusks and plunge his blade into its throat, ripping it open.
The noise the dying animal made was deafening, but finally it went still, its blood soaking the ground. Reyna’s gaze flew to Wulf. He was standing over the boar, panting, his clothing covered with blood. His blood or the boar’s, she couldn’t tell.
“ ’tis all right now, you can come out,” Wulf called.
Reyna had already left the tree and was walking toward him. Her anxious gaze slid over his body. “Are you hurt?”
He flexed his left arm. “ ’tis naught.”
Reyna grasped his arm, saw the rip in his shirt and knew it was more than naught. “Let me see.”
“Do not fuss.”
Ignoring him, Reyna ripped open his sleeve, drawing in a sharp breath when she saw the long gash, from shoulder to elbow. “You were gored,” Reyna exclaimed. “The wound should be treated immediately.”
“This scratch? ’tis naught to worry about.”
“Nevertheless, we must take precautions against infection.”
Wulf glanced down at the boar and then at Reyna. “Very well, we can leave now if you wish. I will send thralls back to fetch the boar. The meat should be rendered as soon as possible.”
Wulf retrieved his weapons and turned toward Reyna. “Shall I carry your basket?”
Reyna was stunned to see the basket of plants and roots still slung over her arm. “No, I can manage.” She glanced at Wulf’s arm, noting that it was still bleeding. “We need to hurry.”
Wulf grinned. “Are you worried about me?”
Reyna refused to look at him. “I am a healer. ’tis my nature to worry about the injured. Wounds like yours can turn septic and even kill.”
Placing a finger beneath her chin, Wulf turned her face toward him. “Look at me, Reyna.”
Reluctantly, she lifted her eyes to his.
“I am not your enemy. Do not fear me.”
Reyna watched in growing panic as he lowered his head and covered her lips with his. Though she tried to evade his kiss, his persistence won out. Reyna fought against responding. She couldn’t imagine feeling anything but revulsion for Wulf’s kisses. But respond she did. He kissed her hungrily, his hands moving restlessly over her body. Her breath came hard and fast in her throat. She wanted to touch him and that frightened her. She could not credit the sensations inundating her body. How could she respond to Wulf knowing what he had done to her? It was wicked of her, she told herself, yet she could not escape the yearning for something more that twisted in her gut.
Wulf’s kiss seemed to go on forever, his soft lips sucking the very will from her. His hands were turning her body into a tingling mass of nerve endings. She must put a stop to this now. Reyna began to struggle in earnest.
Wulf broke off the kiss and removed his hands from her body. Retreating a few steps, Reyna wiped her lips with the back of her hand and glared at him. “Do not do that again.”
Wulf looked at her strangely, as if trying to understand what had just happened between them. What had started out as simple lust had grown into something deeper. Shaking the unwelcome thought from his mind, he retrieved his spear from the ground, where he had dropped it when he’d kissed Reyna, and said roughly, “Time to go.”
Reyna trotted after Wulf. Neither seemed inclined to talk as they walked back to the farmstead. At length, Reyna said, “My medicinal supplies are in Hagar’s hall. We should stop there first.”
Wulf nodded, rather grimly, Reyna thought, and continued onward. She wondered if he was in pain and then dismissed the thought. His discomfort shouldn’t concern her. He had caused her pain in the past. The kind of pain one didn’t forget.
Wulf’s thoughts were as confused as Reyna�
�s. She had responded to his kiss; he could feel it in the softening of her lips and the easing of tension her body. If he could convince her he hadn’t harmed her the day of the raid, he knew he could coax her into his bed. Hagar had been right. He did need someone to spice up his life. He needed Reyna.
Desperately.
When Wulf and Reyna entered the main hall, they found various activities in progress. Most of the wounded had left for their own homes, but Helga, Inga and Eric had returned and their voices added to the din. Helga spied her brother first.
“Wulf! What happened to you? You are covered in blood. Are you injured?”
“ ’tis naught to fuss about, Helga.”
“A wild boar took exception to our invading his territory,” Reyna explained.
Thora arrived in time to hear Reyna’s explanation. “Where are you hurt, son?”
“ ’tis mostly boar’s blood, Mother.”
“Wulf has a deep gash down his left arm,” Reyna contradicted. “It needs disinfecting, and mayhap stitching.”
“Helga, please fetch the medicinal chest for Reyna,” Thora directed. Helga hurried off to do her mother’s bidding.
“And a ewer of hot water,” Reyna added. To Wulf she said, “Remove your shirt and sit down.”
Though Wulf raised an eyebrow at her request, he obliged without objection, tossing off his blood-splattered shirt and subsiding onto a bench. Reyna tried to keep her gaze on his wound but it kept straying to the massive expanse of his chest. This man, her enemy, shouldn’t be such a magnificent specimen of manhood. Nor should she be attracted to him.
Helga returned with the medicinal chest. Inga arrived in her wake with a ewer of hot water and clean cloths. Both girls set down their burdens and hovered over Reyna to watch.
“Mother, there is a dead boar in the woods that needs rendering,” Wulf said. “Would you please send thralls to fetch it? It will provide welcome meat during the winter months.”
“Where shall I tell them to look?” Thora asked.
“Tell them to follow the path into the woods and take the left fork. The boar is but a short distance down the path.”
Thora hurried off as Reyna sprinkled borage, an antiseptic, into the hot water and began to cleanse the bloody gash in Wulf’s arm.
“Stitches are not required,” Reyna said after a thorough inspection of the injury. “The gash is not as deep as I first thought.”
“I told you not to fuss,” Wulf said.
Reyna placed a hand on his chest when he attempted to rise. “I am not finished yet. You cannot leave until I apply marigold salve and a bandage. The boar’s tusks are unclean; they could cause infection to invade your wound.”
Wulf shifted impatiently while Reyna treated his wound. The moment she finished, he stalked off. “I am going to the volcanic pool to wash off the boar’s blood.”
“Try not to get your bandage wet,” Reyna called after him.
Hagar met Wulf in the doorway. “I heard you were wounded. What happened? I thought you were helping Reyna gather herbs and roots.”
“Wild boar,” Wulf muttered. “Come with me to the volcanic pool and I will tell you about it.”
They walked off together.
“Where is Wulf?” Thora asked when she rejoined them.
“He and Hagar went to the volcanic pool to bathe,” Helga explained.
“Did you find what you needed in the forest?”
“Oh, aye, and there is more to be harvested before the first frost. But that will have to wait for another day. I must pro cess the herbs and roots I gathered today before I look for more. I will need a place to hang the herbs to dry and somewhere I can make salves and antiseptics. Is there such a place on the farmstead?”
“My sister set up a stillroom in one of the outbuildings. There is a hearth, worktable, and various pots and kettles available for your use. Helga will take you there. I will send a male thrall along to build a fire in the hearth. The stillroom has not been used in some time.”
Reyna picked up the basket she had placed on the floor while she treated Wulf and followed Helga out the door. A thrall trotted behind with a rush light. Soon Helga arrived at a small windowless building with a pitched roof and opened the door for Reyna to enter. It was dark as night inside.
The thrall hurried past them, placed the rush light he had brought with him in a sconce and began to lay a fire in the hearth. Reyna looked around, finding the small outbuilding adequate for her purposes. There were even racks set up for drying herbs.
“This will do nicely,” Reyna told Helga. “Thank your mother for me.”
Helga made no effort to leave. She looked as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.
“Is there something you wish of me?” Reyna asked bluntly.
“Is it true you saved Wulf’s life? Mother told us you slew a Finn who tried to skewer him. I…I admire your courage,” Helga said. “I know of no thrall who would have acted with such bravery.”
Reyna shrugged. She didn’t want too much made of her spontaneous act. “I would have done the same for anyone.”
“Call it what you will, but I still call it a courageous deed on behalf of our family. I could not have borne it if Wulf had died that day. Thank you, Reyna. I care not what Olga says, you deserve high praise. I am glad Mother saw fit to garb you appropriately. Your healing skills and courage have won over our family, except for Olga and mayhap Wulf.”
“I wish no accolades, Helga. I do what I can to heal and save lives.”
“You saved Olaf’s life too.”
“He is young and healthy. His body will heal of its own accord.”
“ ’tis not what Mother says. We all believe Wulf should free you, but no one can tell Wulf what to do. It would please me if you accepted my friendship.”
Tears prickled behind Reyna’s eyes. “Gladly. How kind of you to offer, Helga, but I would not want you to get in trouble with Olga. She objects to my presence at the farmstead.”
“I believe Olga’s bad temper has to do with her fear of childbirth. Since our aunt’s death, there is no midwife nearby to help her.”
“Does Olga not trust your mother to see her safely delivered?”
“No, Olga had a dream about dying in childbirth and since then has been hard to live with. I am sure she will mellow once her child is born.”
As soon as the fire in the hearth caught, the thrall scooted out the door. “I should get to work,” Reyna said.
“May I help? I have a great interest in plants and healing. I often helped my aunt.”
“You can start separating the plants by species, if you like,” Reyna instructed, “while I fetch water from the well.”
While they worked, Helga asked countless questions about Wulf’s battle with the boar. She remained until Inga came to fetch her to help with chores. Reyna worked until late in the day. She was so excited to be working with her beloved herbs again that she missed the noon meal and would have missed the evening meal if Wulf hadn’t come for her.
“Why are you still here?” Wulf asked. “It is time for supper.”
Startled, Reyna looked up. “Is it that late already?”
Wulf walked into the chamber, glancing first at the drying racks hung with plants and then at various bowls lined up on the worktable, some filled with unidentifiable mixtures and others still empty.
“You have worked enough for today. Come join us; tomorrow is another day.”
Reyna nodded and followed Wulf out the door. The family was already seated at the long table when they arrived. Wulf escorted her to an empty place and sat down beside her. Immediately thralls began placing food on the table. The delicious smell of roasted pork made Reyna’s mouth water. It didn’t take long for her to realize she was ravenous.
Wulf served her generous portions of pork, potatoes, turnips, fresh bread and butter. Reyna ate steadily, listening with half an ear to the conversation taking place around her. She didn’t look up from her plate until she heard T
hora speak her name.
“Olaf wondered about your absence today, Reyna. I think he feels neglected.”
“I am sorry,” Reyna replied. “I became so involved with my work I did not realize how late it was. I will look in on him after supper.” Her brow wrinkled in concern. “Has he taken a turn for the worse?”
“He is healing well,” Hagar assured her, “and anxious to leave his bed.”
“Not yet,” Reyna said firmly. “I will tell him when that day arrives.”
“You assume responsibility that is not yours,” Olga huffed. “How many times must I remind you of your position as a thrall?”
Hagar sighed and patted Olga’s hand. “Can you not be kind to Reyna? She has done us a great service.”
“Mayhap you have forgotten that her people killed Astrid, her unborn child and Aunt Freya, but I have not. I do not care how many times Wulf plows her, she is not family and should not be allowed special favors. Look at you, Hagar; you cannot stop staring at her. Mahap you would like Wulf to share her with you.”
“Enough, Olga!” Hagar roared, startling Reyna. “Reyna belongs to Wulf. I bought her for him and him alone. Tis none of our business what my brother does with her.”
Wulf watched the color drain from Reyna’s face and decided this had gone on long enough. “Are you finished eating, Reyna?” When she nodded, Wulf pushed himself from the table and rose. “ ’tis time we returned home.”
“I promised to look in on Olaf before I leave,” Reyna protested.
“I will accompany you.”
They found Olaf sitting up in bed, looking forlornly out the window. He perked up immediately when he saw Reyna.
“I thought you forgot me,” the young man said.
“We went to the woods to gather herbs for Reyna’s remedies,” Wulf explained.
“And to slay wild boars,” Olaf replied. “I heard about it from Hagar and enjoyed my share of the meat to-night.”
“May I look at your wound and change your bandage?” Reyna asked. Without waiting for an answer, she selected a jar of salve from a nearby shelf and brought it to Olaf’s bedside. Then she began removing the soiled bandage. While she worked, Wulf and Olaf discussed recent events, including the raid on their farmstead.