by Bobbi Smith
They divided into two groups and began the search. The Saxon servants huddled in corners, terrified of the Norsemen. Having heard all the tales of the Vikings, they feared for their lives.
Ulf was tense as he kicked in the door of a tower room and ransacked it looking for some sign of his brother. But each chamber revealed nothing. As he reached one door, it was barred heavily from the inside, and he knew a moment of hope that this might be the room that held Brage. With the help of two of his men, they smashed the door open, sending pieces of wood flying about the chamber as he strode inside.
The room was darkly shadowed, and at first he could see no sign of life.
“Tear the room apart,” he ordered gruffly.
Three of the men quickly did just that and dragged a hiding woman from beneath the bed. The female began to fight the moment their hands were upon her, and in the process her clothing was tom, revealing the tops of her breasts. The men, encouraged by her resistance, began to paw at her.
“Enough!” Ulf ordered suddenly. “Be gone! I will question this one!”
The men were puzzled by his reaction, but quickly quit the room, leaving Ulf alone with the woman.
Ulf was staring in disbelief at the prey they had flushed from hiding. There was no mistaking the flame-haired female who now stood before him, trying to cover herself with the tom top of her gown. He was face-to-face with one of the Saxon wenches they had captured just before the ill-fated raid.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded, closing the distance between them. He gazed down at her, thinking she looked most beautiful with the flush to her cheeks and the sparkle of defiance in her eyes.
“Hiding from you and your men,” she retorted haughtily, giving a lift of her chin as she regarded the giant she remembered oh so well from that first failed escape attempt.
“And once again, I have found you. Perhaps you should practice your hiding.”
Matilda glared at him. “It would be a peaceful life here, if Vikings stayed in their own lands where they belong.”
“Where is the Black Hawk?” he demanded, forcing his gaze away from her bosom and remembering why he was there.
“I wish I knew,” she replied. “Then I could send you on your way.”
“Have caution, woman,” he growled threateningly.
“My name is Matilda.”
“Do not push me. We have come to claim my brother, yet your lies abound. Your lord is our prisoner, your tower taken. Now, tell me of my brother, and perhaps I will let you live.”
“You do not frighten me, Viking. Kill me if you must, but I will be no use to you dead.”
“And how can you be of use to me?” he returned, marveling at her bravado in the face of such overwhelming odds. Most women cowered before him—his height, weight, and scar frightening them. This one showed no fear. He had known that she and the other woman they had captured that day were no ordinary peasant Women.
“It would seem your brother and my lady fled the tower some days ago. I do not know where they are at this moment, but I do know where my lady planned to flee.”
“‘Your lady’?”
“Aye, Lady Dynna, widow to Sir Warren, son of Lord Alfrick. I am her maid servant, have been such since she was a child. She was the one who was with me that day you took us captive. She is also the healer who nursed Brage.”
At the mention of his brother’s given name, Ulf knew she was speaking the truth. “Go on.”
Matilda told him everything about Dynna’s role in arranging her and Brage’s escape from the tower. “Though she did not tell me, so to keep me safe from the wrath of Edmund” she concluded “I believe there is only one place she would have run.”
“And where is that?”
“She would have returned to her family.”
“You know the way?”
“Aye.”
“Then you will direct me and my men there. We will leave now.”
“But it is far—many days’ walk.”
“There are horses in the stables here. We will ride. We will find my brother. Where are the rest of your defenders who attacked us that day?”
“Most were from neighboring lands, and they have returned to their homes. Sir Edmund and Sir Thomas led the rest in search of Brage and Dynna.”
“Have you knowledge of their recapture?”
“No word has come. All were waiting to see if Sir Edmund would return with the Black Hawk before you arrived. He failed most severely, and his father has now paid the price.”
“Let us hope he has failed in all ways. Let us hope we find my brother free and unharmed. Come, you will tell my father, Anslak, all you have told me, and then we will ride to find them.”
Ulf reached out to take her by her upper arm. She expected his hold to be painful, a restraining vise meant to subdue her and she was surprised when his touch upon her arm proved to be gentle. She glanced down at his big hand upon her and then up at his face and saw the pride mirrored in his features. When first she had seen him that day when they had been running, she had thought his scar fearsome. Now she found it intriguing. This Ulf was an interesting man.
Seventeen
“And why would you tell us these things? Why would you go against your lord?” Anslak asked after listening to Matilda’s story.
“I am but a lowly servant. My loyalty is, and always has been, to Lady Dynna. I seek only my lady’s happiness, and she will not be happy with the likes of Sir Edmund,” she responded forthrightly. She had nothing to lose.
“Then let us go now in search of them. You will lead the way.” Anslak was anxious to find Brage, especially now that he knew the Saxons were hunting him as well. “But be warned, woman. If you try to trick us in some way or lead us into a trap, you will be the first to die.”
Matilda faced him proudly. “I do not fear your wrath, for I will not betray you. I want Sir Edmund’s defeat as much as you. He is a cruel man, not worthy of the honor of being lord to his people.”
Servant though she might be, Anslak regarded Matilda with a dawning of respect. She was as brave as some Viking women. He glanced over at Ulf and was surprised to find him looking at the woman with the same emotion mirrored in his expression.
“Find Kristoffer,” Anslak told Ulf. “Have him prepare mounts from the stables. We will ride this hour.”
When Ulf had gone, Anslak looked at Matilda. “You say Brage was recovering?”
“He had been wounded in the shoulder and had a minor head injury, but he seemed to be doing well. He must have been stronger than he pretended, to have escaped with Lady Dynna as he did and to have managed to avoid capture by Sir Edmund this long.”
Anslak was pleased with her answer, but grunted in response, unwilling to let her know how important it was to him. Now, if his son had only managed to elude this Edmund while he was running, all would be well. The hardest part was going to be finding him themselves. Brage had always loved the wilderness, and Anslak knew he could hide in a forest and live off the land for some time if forced to do so.
Within minutes, Ulf was back with the news that Kristoffer would have the horses ready for them as soon as they were prepared to leave. Anslak went out to meet with his youngest son, while Ulf remained with Matilda.
“I must know something, Matilda,” Ulf began.
“What is it?” she responded cautiously.
“What were you and your lady doing, dressed as you were, out in the countryside the morning we found you?”
Matilda decided total honesty would serve her best. “Lady Dynna was being forced to wed Sir Edmund, her dead husband’s brother, against her wishes. She had hoped to return to her family home and seek the protection of her father. To that end, we disguised ourselves as peasants and escaped the tower the night before your raid. As it was, though, Sir Edmund found us just after the fighting began, and we were returned.”
“So Brage was right. He had thought your lady was more than just a serving girl,” Ulf mused.
“Servin
g girls sometimes have more freedom than ladies. She was a virtual prisoner after Edmund brought us back. Lady Dynna risked all to get them both free. I only hope they are safe.”
“There will be hell to pay in this land if Brage has been harmed in any way.”
“Then let us hope that we find him uninjured, so the innocent do not pay the price for Sir Edmund’s deeds.”
Anslak stood aside with Kristoffer. “I do not know how long we will be gone, but I am entrusting the tower to your keeping,” he informed his son. “Hold it in our name. We have claimed it for our own. I will leave a third of the men with you to guard it. Can you do this?”
Kris was thrilled to have been given such a vast responsibility. He finally felt as if he had earned his rightful place. His father was actually entrusting him with keeping watch over Lord Alfrick and the other prisoners. He would do his job well. “I regret that I will not be riding with you, but I will hold the stronghold for you until you return.”
Anslak clapped him on the shoulder. “You will one day match your brothers for feats of daring. Pray to the gods that we find Brage alive and well.”
“I will,” he answered solemnly.
“Go now and gather your men to secure the tower. We will return as quickly as possible.”
“Good luck, Father.” Kristoffer hurried away to see to the challenge assigned him.
Ulf and Matilda heard Anslak’s call from the grounds and went to join him and the others as they prepared to leave.
“Kris does not ride with us?” Ulf asked, looking around for his younger brother.
“I have left him with a third of the men to keep the tower.”
“I am sure he is pleased with the task,” Ulf said with a smile, thinking of how Kristoffer longed to be a leader among men and how he wanted to follow in his and Brage’s footsteps.
“It would seem so. Let us hope he does as fine a job as you or Brage would do.”
“He will. He is your son,” Ulf told him.
“Now, let us find the one who is missing and bring him home.”
“We ride!”
The number of horses had been limited, so those who had been given a steed mounted, while the rest followed on foot.
The force that left the tower that day was a fearsome one. All those in the countryside who saw them coming quaked in terror and ran to hide. None were foolhardy enough to try to stop them. The Vikings traveled until dark, then camped for the night in a clearing that provided them with a good view of the surrounding area. They did not build campfires, wanting to keep their location hidden, should Edmund’s force be near.
Ulf returned from a meeting with his father to find Matilda sitting by herself. She had drawn her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. Her shoulders were hunched against the night’s chill that was settling over the land.
Ulf spread his cloak on the ground near her and gestured for Matilda to lie down. “There is your bed. Seek rest while you can.”
“You would give me your own cloak for my comfort?” His thoughtfulness touched her—for a moment.
Ulf grinned at her assumption. “No, woman, I need my rest, too. I would share the cloak with you.”
Matilda had spent most of the day in close companionship with Ulf, riding beside him, talking with him, and she had no objection to this, for he had been as kind as he could be to her considering the circumstances. But she was not about to share a bed with him.
“I will sit here, then, to pass the night, and you, Viking, can seek your rest alone.”
Ulf again was amazed by her audacity, but this time he would not allow her to get away with defying him. He wanted her within reach in case she changed her mind about leading them to Brage and tried to slip away in the night. That way, too, if it turned out she had been lying to them, she could not escape their wrath. Not that he did not find her attractive. He did. But finding Brage alive was the most important thing to him. Later he would think about her as a woman. For now, she was their guide, and he would keep her with him as his father had ordered.
“It would be a simple thing to agree to your plan, Matilda, but it will not work. My father has bid me to watch over you, and I shall. Come join me willingly or I will be forced to bring you to my side,” he told her in a tone that left no doubt he would do it. “What do you fear? That I will force myself upon you?” he taunted. “Know this, Matilda, there are many women in the world. You are only one. I have no need to take what is not freely given.”
“But Vikings are known for their brutish ways . . .”
“Have I treated you such today?”
“No, but . . .”
“It was your lord who lied and deceived. We came in good faith to pay the ransom and claim my brother. Had rape and pillage been our reason for taking the tower, it would have been simple to do, for there was no resistance. But you are here, safe and unharmed, as are the others in the tower. Tonight, I merely offer you this comfort to protect you, nothing more. Join me now and put an end to this senseless debate. The hour grows late, and we must be up and gone with the dawn.”
Matilda could have continued to argue with him, but he did outweigh her by at least seven stone. She did not doubt for a moment that he would pick her up and deposit her there beside him if he chose to. Certainly, she was no match for his strength. Deciding to make it easy upon herself, she rose and went to sit on his cloak.
Ulf was pleased that she had given in to his order without forcing him to a fight. He did not want to anger her. He only wanted to keep her near. He gave a grunt of satisfaction at her decision and then sat down beside her.
“Lie down, woman. Do not be so tense.”
Ulf turned on his side and drew the cloak up over them as he slipped an arm about Matilda’s waist and pulled her back against his chest.
Matilda stiffened at such intimacy with the big man, but when he made no further moves, she slowly began to relax. The day had been a long one and she was exhausted. Ulf’s warmth soothed her, and his quiet closeness gave her a sense of security. Eventually, she slept.
Ulf felt the skittishness slowly go out of Matilda and thought of how much she reminded him of the fine filly he had at home. He knew that a gentle touch, a soft word and a constant, steady hand nurtured trust. It had taken him weeks to train the spirited horse, but her ride had been worth the wait. If it had worked with the filly, he would try the same on this Matilda. Certainly, her fiery hair and intelligence appealed to him. As he enjoyed the feel of her slender curves pressed against him, Ulf decided that she was definitely worth the effort. When Brage was rescued and they returned home, he would take Matilda with him. She might fight him for a while, but he would make sure that she changed her mind once they were there.
Matilda awoke just before dawn to find that Ulf had already gone from her side. It surprised her that she had slept so deeply as not to have noticed when he left her. The thought was discomforting. She did not understand why she trusted this Viking warrior, but she instinctively knew that no harm would come to her while she was with him.
Standing, Matilda shook out Ulf’s cloak and went in search of him. She found him deep in discussion with his father. They both looked up at her as she neared and their conversation ceased as they waited for her to join them.
“Tell us, maid, from this point how distant is the tower we seek?” Ulf asked.
“A three days’ hard ride from here.”
“And where would this Edmund be, if he were seeking your lady and my son?” Anslak asked.
“I am certain he would have ridden there first, but after that . . .” Matilda wanted to be of more help, but could only guess at Sir Edmund’s moves. “Perhaps he is already on his way back toward us with Brage, or perhaps he reached the tower and they were not there. I do not know.”
Anslak stared off in the direction they were headed. “Let us go now. Each minute we wait endangers Brage more.”
Ulf called out the order to the men, and all were soon ready to begin the hard day’s search. The
hours of travel proved fruitless. A farmer was questioned, and it was learned that Edmund and his men had passed that way several days before. Even so, there was no sign of them now.
That night they camped near a stream, and planned to move out again at first light the next morning.
“Ulf, you take several men and scout the area ahead of us before we break camp,” Anslak directed. “I do not know if we are closing on him or not, but it is always best to be careful.”
“I will take Parr and Upton. They are good men who know what to look for.”
Again Ulf sought rest with Matilda, wrapped in the protection of his cloak. She awoke this time when he roused before dawn.
“Where are you bound?” she asked, worried that something had happened.
“I am to scout ahead and make certain of what we will face this day.”
“Take your cloak. I will be fine without it.” She knelt and held his garment out to him.
“You keep it. I will be back soon. Stay near my father. He will protect you.”
She looked so beautiful to him as she gazed up at him from on her knees that he could not resist reaching out and touching her cheek.
“You are lovely, Matilda.”
Matilda was so surprised by his words and his caress that she could only stare up at him. He gave her a slight smile and then turned and hurried off, leaving her looking after him.
Parr and Upton were waiting for Ulf. They rode away from the encampment at a ground-eating pace, determined to scour the area ahead.
They came upon the Saxon men by accident. Two of Edmund’s scouts were checking the route for danger just as they were, when Ulf spotted them. Ulf and the others tried capturing them in order to question them, but the two drew their swords. The fight was fierce. When all was done, the Saxons lay dead.
“They were Saxon and they were armed. Edmund must be near,” Ulf said, disappointed that they had not taken the two alive. “Let us see just where they are camped and what their strength is. If the gods are with us, we might be able to attack them at daylight.”
The sky was only beginning to brighten in the east as they continued on their way silently. They were starting up a low rise when Ulf reined in.