Viking Warrior

by Connie Mason

  Reyna gazed up at Wulf as he hastily removed his clothing. Then the water rippled as he slipped into the pool and sat down beside her.

  “You appeared lost in thought when I arrived,” Wulf said. “What were you thinking?”

  She hesitated, then said, “I was wondering when my brothers would arrive.”

  Wulf sent her a sharp look. “What are you trying to tell me, Reyna? Have you decided to leave me?”

  “I have decided naught…yet.”

  “I told you I did not invite Uma into my bed. What more do you want from me?”

  “I want what you cannot give me, what you refuse to give me. Astrid is buried too deep in your heart; there is no room for me. If I cannot have all of you, I want none of you.”

  Wulf’s silver eyes darkened. “You had a great deal of me last night.”

  Exasperated, Reyna snapped, “That is not what I mean and you know it.”

  He reached for her. “I am willing to give you more now.”

  “Wulf, I do not…”

  That was as far as she got before Wulf’s mouth came down hard on hers. After that she had no will to resist. Her body and mind were totally consumed by Wulf as he made love to her in the pool.

  Wulf spent the next few days observing Reyna. Though he knew she might leave him when her brothers arrived, he couldn’t bring himself to utter the words she wanted to hear. What did Reyna want from him? Women were a puzzle, he decided, and Reyna was more puzzling than most. Surely she knew he cared for her. Why else would he go out of his way to convince her father that she belonged with him?

  Wulf was a warrior not a skald who could spew tales of romance and poetry. As for love, he had known love once, and Astrid now lay in a cold grave with his unborn child. If Reyna left him, Wulf swore by the war god Odin that he would not chase after her. His pride would not allow it. Even so, he wondered each time she wandered down to the fjord to gaze toward the North Sea if this was the day her brothers would arrive and carry her off.

  The following days were busy ones for Wulf and his family. The men spent long hours preparing the dragon-ships for their summer voyages and supervising the thralls who tended the crops, which were just beginning to shove their green heads above ground.

  The women were excitedly preparing Helga for her joining with Rannulf, filling her chest with linens and other necessities a new bride was expected to take to her husband’s hall. Since Reyna did not approve of the marriage, she participated as little as possible. Even if Rannulf’s despicable act had been committed in the heat of bloodlust, Reyna could not like him.

  The day finally arrived when the entire family was to visit Rannulf’s hall and discuss the final marriage terms with his parents. When Reyna announced her intention to remain behind, Wulf, after a long hesitation, seemed to understand her unwillingness to accompany them and did not press her to change her mind.

  Reyna waved the family off, then set out for the steam hut, knowing she had the entire day to do as she pleased.

  Reclining on a bench with hot steam misting around her, Reyna closed her eyes and relaxed, letting her mind wander. Wulf had appeared torn about letting her remain behind this morning. Did he worry that her brothers would arrive and she would leave him? If he wanted her to remain, why hadn’t he said the words she needed to hear?

  Another thought plagued Reyna. If she left him, would he come after her? Something told her Wulf would not follow her across the sea. When it came right down to it, Reyna wasn’t sure she could leave him. She could talk about it, think about it, but actually leaving the man she loved would not be easy.

  When Reyna left the steam hut she felt invigorated and decided to work off some of her energy. Though a gray fog hung in the air, she decided to gather some of the early blooming herbs she had noticed growing along the bank of the fjord.

  She returned to the hall to fetch her cloak, basket and knife and walked the short distance to the fjord. Reyna tramped along the shore, searching amid the sea grass and water plants for herbs and roots. When her basket was full, she looked up and noticed two dragonships advancing up the fjord through the mist. Her heart thumped against her chest when the ships drew close enough for her to recognize the cut of the sail and the markings on the hull.

  Danes!

  Her brothers had finally arrived, but on a day the family was away. Now she had a difficult decision to make. Could she live with a man who refused to bend, who couldn’t admit to loving her, who clung tenaciously to the past?

  Reyna waited anxiously near the bank of the fjord, hoping to identify one of her brothers. The fog was so thick that it wasn’t until both dragonships scraped ashore that Reyna realized the ships were not those of her brothers. The armed warriors that leapt into the surf and beached the ships were obviously raiders. Worse yet, they had seen her.

  Though she knew there was no hope of escape, Reyna turned and fled. To no avail. A massive Dane grabbed her from behind and literally swept her off her feet.

  “What have we here?” the Dane growled in her ear.

  Reyna answered in her native tongue. “I am Reyna the Dane, daughter of Harald Fairhair. Put me down.”

  “What do you here at the farmstead of Wulf the Ruthless?”

  Reyna went still. It occurred to her that her countrymen were looking for more than slaves and plunder.

  “How do you know this is the home of Wulf the Ruthless?”

  “I have been here before with my father. And I have returned to avenge his death.”

  A chill swept down Reyna’s spine as she looked into the warrior’s face. She recognized this man. “Elgar?”

  “Aye, I am Elgar, son of Hakkon the Terrible. You remember what happened to him, do you not? Wulf the Ruthless killed him. Now I shall kill the Norseman.” His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. “Revenge will be sweet.”

  At Reyna’s cry of distress, the Dane shook her into silence. “What is the Norseman to you? Speak, woman!”

  “Wulf is my husband,” Reyna said through clattering teeth. She noted that Elgar’s warriors were gathering around him, awaiting his orders. “If your plan is to kill him, you are wasting your time. He and his family are not at the farmstead.”

  “Then we will do as we always do. Take slaves, plunder and burn,” Elgar growled. “I will return another day to slay the man who killed my father.”

  “No!” Reyna cried. “Do not burn the long houses. Destroying them will gain you naught. Take me instead. The ransom my father and brothers will pay for my safe return will make you rich. They have had two successful years of trading and will gladly share their wealth with you.”

  “Do not tell me what to do, wench. Put her on the ship,” Elgar ordered brusquely.

  Though Reyna resisted, it did little good. A warrior grabbed her and dragged her through the water to the ship as Elgar motioned to the rest of his men to follow him.

  Reyna’s mind worked furiously. She had to do something…anything. “Wait!” she screamed. “You were probably seen as you traveled up the fjord. As we speak, Norsemen from nearby villages and farmsteads could be preparing their ships to attack yours.”

  Elgar sneered at her. “A few paltry Norsemen do not frighten me. I have come a long way to kill Wulf the Ruthless.”

  “As I said before, Wulf is not here,” Reyna argued desperately.

  “The wench is right,” Elgar’s right-hand man pointed out. “We should take her and leave before we find ourselves surrounded by Norse dragonships. I say we let the Wulf come to us so we can kill him on our own ground. If Reyna the Dane is Wulf’s wife as she claims, he will surely come for her.”

  A chorus of “ayes” followed the man’s words.

  Elgar seemed to consider the suggestion. “How will Wulf know who has taken his wife?”

  “Send word to my father,” Reyna suggested hopefully. “Wulf will go to him when he finds me missing.”

  Though Reyna was not sure Wulf would consider her worth rescuing, she must try to convince Elgar that h
e would.

  “Perhaps you are right,” Elgar admitted. “The longer we remain in hostile territory, the greater the risk of facing opposition. Much as I relish a rousing battle, getting you to my farmstead will increase my chances of luring the Wulf out of his lair.”

  He waved his arms in the air. “Back to the ships, men.”

  Uma had been gathering watercress by the fjord and had hidden herself in the dense brush when Reyna approached. Now she observed what was happening. Though the words were foreign to her, she assumed the warriors were Reyna’s brothers, despite the fact that they did not look friendly.

  She watched from her hiding place as the foreigners returned to their ships and shoved off into the fjord. When the oarsmen rowed toward the sea, Uma crept away. Excitement swept through her. Reyna had returned to her homeland with her brothers without bidding Wulf as much as a good-bye. Well aware of Wulf’s pride, Uma knew he would not go after his wife. Perhaps he would turn to her for solace, Uma thought gleefully. She wished she could have understood what Reyna’s brothers were saying for there seemed to have been some sort of argument. It mattered not, Uma thought, shaking her head. Reyna was gone and only Uma knew what had happened.

  The family returned to the farmstead in time to partake of the evening meal. The mood all around was light and happy. Hagar and Rannulf’s father had agreed upon the marriage terms to everyone’s satisfaction. Afterward, a sumptuous feast had been laid out and a copious amount of mead and ale consumed. Late in the afternoon, the family, except for Helga, who would remain with her new husband and his family, had trekked back to their own farmstead.

  Wolf returned to his hall, expecting to find Reyna waiting for him. But as he approached, he was struck by a strange premonition that all was not as it should be.

  Wulf looked for Reyna the moment he walked through the door, frowning when he did not find her. It was growing dark; where could she be? After he questioned his thralls, his apprehension multiplied. Neither Lorne nor Gerta had seen Reyna since she’d left the hall this morning.

  Concerned but not overly worried, Wulf left the hall and walked to the volcanic pool. Reyna was not there. Nor was she in the steam hut. Concern turned to fear. What had happened here today? How could Reyna have disappeared without a trace? Wulf hastened to Hagar’s hall, chiding himself for not checking there first. She was probably with his family, helping with the evening meal.

  Wulf began to worry in earnest when he learned Reyna was not there either. His family expressed concern and offered to help Wulf look for her. Hagar, Eric and Olaf left the hall immediately while Thora questioned the thralls. Wulf was headed out the door when Uma timidly approached him.

  “Master, I know what happened to the mistress,” she confided.

  “If you know something, speak freely,” Wulf replied.

  “I was collecting watercress growing near the water’s edge when I spotted foreign ships approaching the landing. Not knowing what to expect, especially with the family away, I hid in thick foliage. Then I saw Reyna standing on the bank of the fjord, watching the ships. When they scraped ashore and fierce warriors jumped from the ships, I became frightened.”

  Wulf’s lips flattened. “What happened next?”

  “I heard Reyna speak to the leader. Their conversation seemed friendly enough, so I naturally assumed your lady’s brothers had arrived. They conversed for a time, and then a warrior helped Reyna board one of the ships. Finally, all the warriors returned to their ships and sailed away, taking Reyna with them.”

  Wulf cursed so violently, Uma shrank away from him. “Do you know what was said?”

  “No, I was not familiar with the language. Reyna, however, spoke to them with ease.”

  “Return to your duties,” Wulf growled. He needed to think. He hadn’t for one minute believed Reyna would actually leave him. What a fool he’d been.

  “What is it?” Thora asked as she joined him. “What did Uma say to you? Does she know what happened to Reyna?”

  “Uma claims Reyna’s brothers arrived and she left with them.”

  “I find it difficult to believe she would leave you,” Thora scoffed. “She loves you. Could she have been taken by force?”

  “Uma says Reyna spoke their language and conversed easily with them.” His fists clenched at his sides. “I can only assume that Reyna has divorced me and left without so much as a farewell to anyone.”

  “Will you go after her?”

  Wulf’s mouth turned downward into a scowl. “No, I will not chase after a woman who does not want me.”

  Wulf shared the evening meal with his family and returned to his hall immediately afterward. He found it difficult to believe that Reyna had left so abruptly. Why hadn’t Dag and Borg stayed to greet him? Was Reyna that desperate to leave him?

  Once inside his hall, Wulf went directly to his sleeping alcove, where Reyna’s scent still lingered. Then he saw her trunk sitting in a corner and realized she had left without her belongings. It struck him as odd that Reyna would leave everything she owned behind. The more Wulf thought about it, the angrier he became.

  Good riddance, he thought. She had made her decision. So be it.

  The days following Reyna’s disappearance passed slowly for Wulf. He still planned to attend the althing with his family but no longer looked forward to it. Obviously there would be no marriage announcement. Disgusted with himself for missing Reyna, he shook his head. Marrying a Dane had been a mistake, despite their attraction and compatibility in bed. Determined to forget Reyna, Wulf began making plans for his summer travels. Perhaps this time he would sail to En gland, where great riches could be taken from monasteries protected by monks who were forbidden the use of weapons. Sounded like easy pickings to him.

  The day before the family was to leave for the althing, visitors arrived at the farmstead. Wulf and Hagar had just left the steam hut when they saw two men trudging up from the fjord. Wulf stiffened with outrage the moment he recognized Reyna’s brothers. How dare they return to taunt him! He reached for his sword, recalling too late that he carried no weapons.

  “Brother,” Borg greeted, reaching out to clasp arms with Wulf and then Hagar. “How fares our sister?”

  Wulf’s silver eyes glittered with malice. “I was going to ask you the same question.”

  “What do you mean?” Dag asked. “Why would we know anything about Reyna’s welfare? We have not seen our sister since she left our farmstead.”

  “You lie!” Wulf sneered. “You came and took her away from under our very noses.”

  “We did no such thing!” Borg denied vehemently. “We sailed to Ireland, exploring the coast. ’tis a good land, a fertile land. Perhaps we will settle there one day, like many of our people do. We have come to visit our sister as we promised.”

  Fear rose up in Wulf’s throat, nearly choking him. “If you did not take Reyna away and she is not here, then…”

  “An enemy took her,” Hagar concluded.

  “I do not understand,” Dag growled in a voice rife with menace. “How could an enemy spirit Reyna away without your knowledge?” He took a threatening step toward Wulf. “Why did you not protect her?”

  “Everyone but Reyna was visiting the family of the man my sister Helga married,” Wulf explained. “Reyna does not care for Rannulf so she remained behind. When we returned and found her missing, we naturally assumed you had arrived and she’d decided to return to her homeland with you. One of the thralls swore that the dragonship Reyna left on belonged to Danes, and that she spoke with the men in your language. What else were we to think?”

  Hand on the hilt of his sword, Dag advanced on Wulf, until he and Wulf stood toe to toe. “What reason would my sister have for leaving you? Were you a cruel husband?”

  “I was not a cruel husband. Reyna’s reasons for leaving me, if she did indeed leave me, were personal. But now that it seems she was carried off by an unknown enemy, I will find her and bring her back where she belongs.”

  “How do you propose
to do that? Do you know who carried her off?” Dag challenged. “It could be Finns, or Swedes or even Russians.”

  “The thrall, Uma, witnessed the entire exchange between Reyna and the men with whom she left. She said the dragonships belonged to Danes. Come with us to the hall. I will question her again and translate anything you do not understand.”

  Dag and Borg agreed with alacrity, and they followed Wulf and Hagar to the hall. After introductions were made to the rest of the family, Wulf summoned Uma.

  “Uma, these are Reyna’s brothers. Do they look familiar to you?”

  Uma studied the two Danes, her eyes wide with fear. “No, master, I do not recognize these men.”

  “Look carefully, Uma. ’tis important.”

  “These are not the warriors who carried Reyna off,” Uma vowed.

  “You said ’twas Danes who took Reyna away. How did you identify them as Danes?”

  “The cut of their ships and the markings were identical to those of the Danes who attacked the farmstead before and killed your wife and aunt. And though I recognized some of the words they spoke, I could not put them together. The ships belonged to Danes, master, I am positive.”

  “Did you understand that?” Wulf asked Borg.

  “Most of it. We will return home immediately and find the bastard Danes who took our sister. Perhaps Father has already received a ransom demand.”

  “My ship is ready to sail,” Wulf said. “Give me two days to gather sailors and warriors and we will leave together. No one steals my wife and gets away with it.”

  Driven by a feeling he could not name, a madness he could not shake, Wulf implored Odin to help him find his wife and bring her home safely. Life without his warrior woman would never be the same.

  Suddenly Wulf went still.

  “What is it?” Hagar asked.

  “Uma said the enemy ships and markings resembled those of the raiders who attacked the farmstead. I know Hakkon is dead because I killed him, but what if someone close to him seeks revenge?”

  “Elgar,” Borg bit out. “Hakkon’s son.”