by Connie Mason
Chapter Seventeen
From the moment Wulf realized that Reyna hadn’t left him willingly, his feelings underwent a complete reversal. He was relieved that she had not left him by choice, fearful that she might be in danger.
Wulf cursed himself for not realizing how much he cared for Reyna, how much losing her would impact his life. How could he have been so stupid? Why hadn’t he been able to embrace the love she offered him and return it? Did he love Reyna? His heart did an erratic flip flop. It appeared so. Was he ready to admit to loving a Dane? Aye, he was.
Worry, however, chased the fleeting pleasure of his realization from his mind. Reyna could be in grave danger. If Hakkon’s son had taken her and Elgar knew Reyna was Wulf’s wife, would the Dane exact revenge on her in Wulf’s stead?
With that thought in mind, Wulf set out immediately for the village, seeking warriors and sailors to man his dragonship and fight the Danes who had kidnapped Reyna. By day’s end, he had recruited thirty-two warriors and sailors, all eager to flex their muscles in battle. They were to meet at the landing on the fjord and leave in Wulf’s dragonship the following morning along with Dag and Borg.
Meanwhile, Olaf and Eric were readying the ship with provisions for the voyage across the sea. Only Hagar would remain behind to protect the women.
The following morning, on an overcast, windless day, three ships sailed down the fjord to the sea. Since the wind refused to cooperate, the men rowed, hugging the coast and then using a sun stone to turn south toward the land of the Danes.
The next day the wind picked up and the ships scudded across the waves toward their destination. Four days later, Borg’s ship led the way into the fjord that would eventually take them to the landing closest to their father’s farmstead.
The moment the ships scraped the bottom, men jumped into the shallows, pulled them onto the sandy shore and began making camp on the grassy bank. They would provide their own meals from the provisions they had brought with them, supplemented by the wild game available in the nearby forest.
Wulf and his brothers accompanied Dag and Borg to the farmstead. As they entered the yard, Harald came bounding out of the hall to meet them.
“How did you know?” Harald asked.
Fingers of icy dread crept up Wulf’s spine. “Know what?”
“Hakkon’s son has Reyna. A ransom demand was delivered by one of his people just yesterday.” He turned on Wulf, his anger palpable. “You were supposed to protect my daughter, Wulfric the Defender. What happened?”
Wulf explained why Reyna had been left alone on the farmstead in a few concise words. But Harald still wasn’t satisfied.
“How is it you arrived with my sons?”
There was no help for it. Wulf had to tell Harald the whole of it. “When Reyna first disappeared, I assumed Dag and Borg had arrived while the family was away and that Reyna had returned home with them.”
“Without telling you she was leaving?” Harald barked. “Was Reyna not happy with you?”
Wulf shrugged. “I do not know. As I said, we all assumed she had left with her brothers. And then your sons arrived and disclaimed any knowledge of Reyna’s disappearance. Fortunately, one of the thralls saw what had happened. Uma said two ships arrived while Reyna was walking along the bank of the fjord. When Reyna spoke in her own language to the warriors, she naturally assumed they were her brothers, since their arrival had been expected. When I questioned Uma further, she remembered that the markings on the ships and the cut of the sails were the same as those belonging to the Danes who raided our farmstead before.
“I knew Hakkon was dead for I killed him, but your sons told me Hakkon has a son named Elgar. Everything seemed to fall into place. We sailed here straightaway to see if you had heard from Elgar or received a ransom demand.”
Harald snorted. “The bastard did not waste any time contacting me.”
“I brought some gold and valuables with me to help with the ransom,” Wulf said. “Together we should be able to meet Elgar’s demands.”
“You misunderstand, Wulf,” Harald bit out. “Elgar wants something only I can provide. He desires my land. Our country is small; there is little room for expansion. He will accept naught less than my farmstead for Reyna’s life.”
Borg spit out a curse. “What will he do if you refuse?”
“Elgar will kill Reyna if we do not leave our farmstead,” Maida said as she came up to join them.
“I’ve brought warriors, enough to defeat Elgar in battle, if it comes to that,” Wulf informed him. “They are camped near the ships.”
“Our own warriors will join Wulf,” Borg vowed.
“We should have no difficultly defeating Elgar in a fair fight, but we cannot risk it,” Harald replied. “I cannot endanger Reyna’s life by refusing Elgar’s ransom demand.”
“Let us go inside,” Maida suggested. “You can eat and drink and ponder a solution that will not harm our Reyna. What about your men? Their numbers will not fit in our hall.”
“The men will hunt to supplement their stores. Worry not about them; they but await orders,” Wulf said.
“Our men will make camp alongside yours,” Borg said.
They all tramped inside the hall, taking seats around the table while thralls served them food and drink.
Wulf’s mind searched furiously for a resolution to the problem, one that would not endanger Reyna. At length, he asked, “How does Elgar plan to return Reyna to you, Harald? Did he send instructions?”
“Elgar and his warriors will arrive by way of the fjord, where Reyna will be handed over to me. After that, we are to depart aboard my dragonship for what ever destination we choose.”
“When?” Wulf asked.
“In three days,” Harald lamented.
“Elgar wants more than your land, Father,” Dag growled. “He wants your life. He will keep Reyna for himself and kill you and Mother.”
“There has to be a way to beat Elgar at his own game,” Wulf said, pondering the dilemma placed before him.
Reyna sat on a crude pallet on the floor of the dark hut that had become her jail. Since her arrival at Elgar’s farmstead, she had seen no one but the male thrall who delivered the two unpalatable meals a day she was allowed.
Reyna had no idea what was to become of her, or what plans Elgar had for her. She knew he intended to ransom her, but to whom—her father or Wulf? Which man would pay more for her safe return? Elgar was merely a minor jarl who aspired to greater riches and power.
Reyna stiffened when she heard the door latch rattle. Someone had removed the bar from outside the door and was about to enter. Was it mealtime already? It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden burst of light, and when they did she saw Elgar leering at her through a circle of torchlight.
Reyna rose to her feet. “What do you want?” she asked, refusing to be cowed by his threatening stance.
Elgar advanced into the hut. His bulk seemed to suck the air from the small room. “I thought you would like to know your fate.”
Reyna’s chin rose defiantly. “Even if I do not, I suppose you are eager to tell me.”
Elgar scowled at her. “Your defiance will get you nowhere. It would serve you well to listen to me. ’tis no secret my father coveted your family’s land. I sent a messenger to deliver my ransom demand to your father. He was told that your life is forfeit if he does not adhere to my demands.”
“My father is not easily frightened, not by the likes of you, anyway. Besides, when Wulf arrives…”
“Forget your husband. He has no idea what happened to you. He will not show up any time soon. Nor will your brothers. They went exploring and have yet to return.”
Disbelief colored Reyna’s words. “My father can command an army to defeat you in a matter of days.”
Harsh laughter filled the small hut. “Think you your father will let you perish at my hands? I seriously doubt it. He knows I will kill you if he refuses to comply.”
His next words made Re
yna’s breath seize in her throat. “Once Jarl Harald abandons his land, he expects me to hand you over to him and let you all sail away unharmed. But I am no fool. Once he leaves, he will gather an army and retaliate.”
“How dare you make such demands!” Reyna cried, when she realized Elgar’s evil plans.
“I would dare much for land,” Elgar growled. “Your family will not leave their farmstead alive. After we kill your family, I will claim their farmstead and you will become my bed slave.”
“When is all this to take place?”
“I have given him three days. We are to meet at the fjord near your farmstead.”
A coil of fear snaked through Reyna. Like his father Hakkon, Elgar was an evil man. “You have forgotten my brothers,” Reyna reminded him. “They will punish your foul deeds when they return.”
“Oh, fear not, Reyna, we have plans for them too. They will be slain the moment they return from their travels.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Reyna spat.
“I thought if you knew you would be sharing my bed, it might soften your attitude toward me. Since your life depends on my good will, it behooves you to treat me with kindness.”
“Kindness? Ha! Never! Like your father, you have been dredged up from the pit of the deepest, darkest hell. I think it is you who should ponder your fate. Wulf will not let your depravity go unpunished.”
Actually, Reyna had no idea how Wulf would learn what had happened to her and her family across the sea. Nor did she know if he would even care. He did not love her, so why should he care that she had disappeared from his life? The only hope for her and her family’s survival was her brothers. And even that was doubtful. Somehow she needed to escape and warn her father. Once he knew she was safe, he could raise an army to fight Elgar without fear of endangering her life.
“Forget Wulf the Ruthless,” Elgar boasted. “He cannot possibly reach you in time, even if he figures out where you are, which is highly unlikely.”
He leaned in closer to her, until she could smell the foul odor of his body. “My wife divorced me and I am in need of a bed slave. I am eager to see how good you are beneath the furs.”
“Come any closer and you will be sorry,” Reyna threatened.
Elgar threw back his head and laughed. “I am twice your size, wench. Naught you can do will hurt me.”
He placed the torchlight in a nearby sconce and reached for her. Reyna ducked. Wulf had called her a warrior woman and she intended to live up to the name. Elgar wouldn’t take her without a fight, she vowed. He reached for her again. This time Reyna was ready for him. Bracing herself against the wall, she kicked out with all her strength, her booted foot catching him square in the groin. Elgar let out a roar and fell back, his hand protecting his privates against further assault.
“Bitch!” he cried, once he recovered enough to speak. Then he backhanded her across the face. “You will die if you try that again. As soon as I am recovered, I will beat you until you beg me to take you.”
Limping to the door, he opened it and let himself out. Cupping her bruised cheek in her hand, Reyna heard the bar scrape across the opening, sealing her inside. She slid down the wall to the floor, shaking uncontrollably. Elgar was going to kill her family and there was nothing she could do about it. Or was there?
Suddenly Reyna became aware that Elgar had left the torchlight. She was no longer in the dark. Removing the torch from the sconce, she held it aloft. This was the first opportunity she’d had to examine her prison. The one narrow, shuttered window, barred on the outside, did not let in enough light for her to tell night from day.
Reyna’s hopes fell when she realized the hut was bare except for her pallet and a slop bucket. It was also sturdily built with no visible loose boards or weak walls. After replacing the torchlight in the sconce, Reyna sank to her pallet to think. A short time later the door opened, admitting a male thrall carrying a bowl of stew, a hunk of bread and water to wash it down. Reyna glanced at the door, hoping to make a break for it, but the thrall wasn’t alone. A warrior stood at the door, guarding the only exit.
Once she was alone again, Reyna picked up the spoon and tried to eat, but the stew was tough and her bruised jaw pained her too much to chew. But the pain was nothing compared to what Elgar would do to her when he returned. She prayed that his injury would prevent him from coming back any time soon. Or that a miracle would save her. Without a miracle, she would die with her parents.
Giving up had never been Reyna’s way. As long as a breath was left in her body, she would fight to return to Wulf. Her hand fluttered to her stomach. In one way a miracle had already taken place. Freya had heard her prayers. She wasn’t barren after all. Her courses, due about the time she had been abducted, had not arrived. If the gods were kind, she would live to bear Wulf a son.
While the household slept that night, Wulf came up with a plan to rescue Reyna. He laid out his scheme the following morning when the family gathered to break their fast. Though it wasn’t perfect, any plan, no matter how flawed, was better than no plan at all.
Harald was skeptical at first, but since no one had offered a workable substitute, the consensus was to go with Wulf’s proposal. After a lengthy discussion, Dag and Olaf set out to apprise the warriors camped on the bank of the fjord of the upcoming battle and their part in the surprise attack.
“Be prepared to shove off at nightfall,” Dag instructed the eager warriors. “We will row our ships along the fjord and beach near Elgar’s farmstead. Then we will make our way through the woods to the farmstead and hide there until we receive Wulf’s signal. Make no mistake—victory will be ours.”
Battle cries filled the air in response. All the warriors would welcome an honorable death in battle.
Meanwhile, Wulf prepared to walk the distance to Elgar’s farmstead and hide in the woods until dark. It was his job to locate and rescue Reyna before the warriors arrived by ship. If he could not remove her from her present situation, he would be forced to call off the attack for fear that Elgar would kill her once the attack began. Since Wulf did not know the way, Borg accompanied him.
Wulf and Borg left the farmstead after a hearty morning meal. Borg led the way through a gray, misty day well suited to their mission. They walked for several hours, meeting no one along the way. Once Elgar’s long-house was in sight, they took to the woods, sidling from tree to tree lest they be spotted by anyone who happened to be out and about.
Motioning silently, Borg pointed to a group of warriors camped in the yard near the long house. Wulf nodded. He had already noticed them. Inching closer to the long house, Wulf spotted a large maple tree with a profusion of branches and leaves that overlooked the yard. Using sign language, he indicated that he intended to climb the tree in order to gain a complete view of the long house and surrounding outbuildings.
Wulf easily ascended the tree, climbing from branch to branch until his view of the farmstead was unrestricted. Borg followed close behind. Comfortably ensconced on sturdy branches, they watched the comings and goings of Elgar and his people.
Wulf tensed when he saw Elgar leave the hall and limp across the yard. Wulf glanced at Borg and shrugged, wondering how Elgar had acquired his limp. So far Reyna had not made an appearance, which not only worried but frustrated Wulf. If she were being held in the longhouse, his chances of freeing her were not good. Darkness was closing in when Wulf noticed a male thrall leave the long house carrying a bowl and cup. What struck Wulf as strange was the armed warrior following the man.
Wulf watched closely as the thrall stopped before a hut and waited for the warrior to unbar the door before entering. The thrall reappeared shortly and returned to the long house while the warrior replaced the bar and joined a group of men milling in the yard. Wulf and Borg exchanged knowing glances and settled down for a long wait. Hours later, when the household and men camped in the yard had bedded down for the night, and the darkest part of the damp, cloudy night had closed in, Wulf and Borg left the safety of the tre
e.
Stiff from long hours perched aloft, both men stretched their cramped muscles. “Wait here,” Wulf mouthed to Borg, “while I see about freeing Reyna.”
Before Wulf moved off, he heard an owl hoot. “tis Dag,” Borg whispered. “Our men have arrived and are in place.”
Wulf nodded. So far everything was going as planned. Leaving Borg behind, Wulf circled around to the hut, approaching it from behind. A window would be helpful, but he couldn’t count on finding one, so he mulled over different scenarios as he stealthily crept around to the rear of the hut.
To Wulf’s surprise and pleasure, a window did indeed exist. The shutters were closed tight and barred from the outside. Though the window was narrow and high up, Reyna was slim enough to squeeze through it. Fingers of dim light pierced through a slit in the shutters.
Carefully Wulf slid the bar from the window and set it on the ground. Then he opened the shutters. Though the torch was nearly extinguished, enough light remained to afford Wulf an unrestricted view of the tiny hut. He saw Reyna immediately. She was lying on a straw pallet not far from the window.
What had that bastard Elgar put her through? Wulf wondered. If one hair of Reyna’s golden head had been harmed, he would make sure Elgar died a slow death. One woman he loved had been taken from him; he wouldn’t let Reyna suffer the same fate. Aye, Wulf thought, he loved Reyna, and nothing short of death would take her from him. She would live to hear him say the words she yearned to hear.
Softly, Wulf called Reyna’s name, but she was so deeply asleep she didn’t hear him. Fearing that someone would hear him if he spoke louder, he searched his mind for a way to wake her. If she cried out, all could be lost.
Dropping to his knees, he searched the ground for small pebbles. Once he found what he needed, he stood and threw the pebbles at Reyna through the window, one at a time. The first two missed her. The third hit her cheek. Wulf held his breath as Reyna swiped at her cheek with her hand and opened her eyes.
“Reyna, wake up,” Wulf softly called.
Reyna stirred but did not waken.