Rise of a Viking (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors' Kin Book 1)

by Sky Purington

  “Channel it?” Heidrek murmured. “The power of a god that wants nothing to do with me. It is like asking me to cherish the blood of a relative who spurns me.”

  “You and I know nothing of how the gods think, and the worst mistake you can make is presuming as much. It will be your downfall.” Raknar shook his head. “No, what I mean is embrace Thor’s power. Make it part of you instead of something you think so poorly of. Use it against your enemies.”

  Naðr had never said it quite like that in all his years as mentor. But then he was more of the mind to let Heidrek shape himself rather than be influenced by others. Had he somehow ended up doing the opposite? As if in answer to his question, his father continued.

  “When you lost Freydis and Sigrunn you blamed the god in you for not surfacing. Helping. More than that, you blamed yourself,” Raknar said. “It was neither you nor Thor, but instead, what came of circumstances.” Raknar squeezed his shoulder tighter. “Use the anger you felt that day as you go forward. Direct it at the enemy.”

  Heidrek had a lot to say in regards to his father’s take on everything, but he was too well trained to say anything. And Raknar needed to see him strong. He needed to know that his sons would do as Naðr requested. That they wouldn’t put themselves in harm’s way because of past squabbles.

  “All will be well, Father.” He met Raknar’s eyes with assurance. “I will do as you ask and Mathew and I will see that our people are kept safe.”

  “There you are,” Svala said as she entered without announcing herself. “It is almost time to go.”

  Raknar stood. “Ready yourself, Son. Much lies ahead.”

  “Does it ever.” Svala grinned at Heidrek as he headed after his father. “I cannot wait.”

  Heidrek frowned at her as she exited the building with him. “You are not coming, Cousin.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “No, you are not.”

  “I fight well.” Svala patted the bows and arrows strapped to her back then the blades sheathed at her side. “You will need me.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  “I know your father wished you to go to the dragon lair when Cybil arrived, but you were sneaky and stayed behind.” Heidrek grew more upset. “You test his trust too often. Do you imagine he will let you out of his sight now?”

  “Am I not out of his sight at this moment?” she said a little too slyly.

  “No.” He stopped and seized her shoulders. A bit of what he was becoming surfaced as he glared at her. “You do not follow us. You do not put your parents through that. Go be with them…be with your mother.”

  “No,” she spat and yanked away before striding in the opposite direction. “If mother will not leave, then I will.”

  Heidrek frowned and spoke within Naðr’s mind. “You need to stop your daughter. She means to go with us.”

  “Damn difficult offspring,” Naðr muttered.

  After that, Heidrek focused on what was needed of him. By the time he boarded a Drakkar longship, the thirty warriors who would be joining them were already there as were Matthew and Cybil. Dressed in trousers, a tunic cinched at the waist and boots, she strolled the ship and eyed things as though she belonged there.

  As captain of the vessel, he saw to their launch then focused on directing the ship through the choppy and treacherous seas heading north. Yet he really didn’t need to. His men knew these waters well. Regardless, it was a means to keep his eyes off Cybil.

  “How fare you, Cousin?” Bjorn asked, leaning against the prow.

  “Well.” Heidrek kept his gaze on the ocean. “And you?”

  “Curious.”

  His eyes went to his cousin. “About what?”

  Bjorn seemed to get the answer to his question in Heidrek’s eyes because he shook his head. “We have a very hard journey ahead. You should be rallying your crew.”

  “I have been.”

  His cousin’s eyes went to Cybil then back to Heidrek. “Not all of them.”

  With Matthew still by her side, Cybil sat on a bench with a fur wrapped around her. Though she seemed to enjoy the wild seas earlier, now that she was less distracted by the excitement, she appeared uneasy.

  While he might like to say he’d had no chance to get to know her since she arrived, in some aspects he didn’t need to. Their connection in Winter Harbor gave him insight. She was a woman with a love for adventure…because she always understood where it would take her. That was the key. Like him, Cybil could avoid death because she was a seer.

  Yet now things had changed. The rush wore off faster because there was too much unpredictability on the horizon. Too much unknown when it came to protecting her sisters.

  “Tell her we will be making landfall soon, Bjorn.” His eyes went to the darkening clouds on the horizon. “Very soon.”

  “No,” Bjorn replied. “You should tell her.”

  “Bjorn,” he began, but his cousin strode away. Loki’s hel. Heidrek’s eyes returned to Cybil. He recognized that look. She was most likely wondering what she had gotten herself into and how she would continue to protect her family. His cousin was right. She needed a level of reassurance Matthew couldn’t give.

  So he did the last thing he wanted to and headed her way. “Matthew, I need a moment with Cybil. Take command.”

  Matthew started to shake his head but stopped when Heidrek said, “Do not forget your promise to our King, Brother.”

  Matthew’s jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed on Heidrek before he turned his attention to Cybil. “Do you want me to stay?”

  “No,” she murmured. “I’ll be okay. Thanks.”

  Though unhappy, Matthew nodded and headed for the bow. Heidrek released a choppy breath and sat down beside her.

  He tried to focus on the heavy sway of the ship and turbulent clouds, but all he could see were her booted feet braced to keep her steady. His eyes traveled up her slim thighs to her arms then her fingers white-knuckled over the edges of the bench. She didn’t need to be so unsure…so afraid.

  He put his hand over hers, a simple gesture of comfort.

  She didn’t look at him, but her foot shifted until it touched his. Her jaw trembled slightly, and her voice was whisper soft. “I need a sense of direction.” She swallowed hard as her eyes met his. “Give me a sense of direction, Heidrek.”

  Their gazes held for a moment as he weighed his words. He was tempted to tell her what she wanted to hear, to comfort her with words, but knew better than to presume he would have much say in what lay ahead. Hel, he knew better than to think he’d have much control over any of it.

  “You must have faith in the gods and what you will learn from them. They will give you the sense of direction you need,” he said. “They will give you strength.”

  “You mean have faith in gods that don’t even like me.” Cybil frowned and shook her head. “I can usually get a good sense of what’s coming, but I’m drawing a blank right now. I thought I wanted the thrill of not knowing what lies ahead, but I seriously don’t like it.” Her eyes grew more concerned. “Do you know what’s coming? Have you seen anything?”

  “No.” His every foresight had been consumed by her. And it was alarming. But she didn’t need him to feed her fears. “Yet I have faith in the gods.” He squeezed her hand. “They will not harm you.” Because whatever happened, he would harness what lay within if one of them tried.

  “I always thought of myself as courageous,” she murmured. “But now I realize I was wrong. That I only felt that way because of my gift.” She sighed. “Pretty dumb of me to have only figured that out now.”

  “You might be more courageous than you think,” he said. “Not many women from the future would have enjoyed how violent the seas were earlier.”

  “True,” she conceded and managed a weak smile. “But you seem like a pretty capable captain.” She eyed the crew. “And you’re Vikings. It doesn’t get much better than that when it comes to worthy seafarers. Or so history says...”

  Heid
rek nodded and was about to pull away when she gripped his hand, her voice soft but intense. “The last thing I want to do is come between you and Matthew, to cause more trouble between you two. So I’ve come clean with him. He knows about our…dreams.” She inhaled deeply and met his eyes again. “And he knows I want to be with you before I go home no matter what the gods say.”

  Chapter Seven

  CYBIL WONDERED ABOUT Heidrek’s reaction to her words as he navigated the ship toward shore. It wasn’t her intent to tell him about what she’d said to Matthew but having him near made the words tumble out of her mouth.

  She refused to let Matthew think there was hope when there was none. And she’d be damned if she would be with him because a king or a demi-god told her she had to.

  It simply wasn’t fair to any of them.

  Though she knew he was upset, Matthew had taken the news better than she expected. But did he do so because he knew she might have no choice? It was hard to know.

  While he’d certainly cleaned up his act over the past few days and they got along surprisingly well, she knew he was attracted to her. Honestly, if she wasn’t already so connected to Heidrek, she might have felt the same way. But she was. And despite Heidrek keeping his distance, her desire for him had only grown.

  So when Heidrek finally sat down next to her, she decided to be blunt.

  She wasn’t sure it was a wise decision at all based on how his expression had clouded over, and he pulled away. There were no words of agreement but a low, “I will do what is best for my people, Cybil,” before he left and resumed captaining the ship.

  Shortly after, Matthew returned and stayed close while they made their way toward shore. Like the rest of the men, a haunted look ghosted his face as his eyes remained trained on the coast.

  “We sense trouble but have no choice but to go inland,” he finally said before his eyes met hers. “Are you ready to fight?”

  “It doesn’t sound like I have much choice.” Both Matthew and Bjorn had spent time over the past few days teaching her the basics of wielding a dagger. “But yes, of course. I’m feeling more confident than I did when I arrived thanks to you and your cousin.”

  Matthew nodded and kept eying her. Much like his brother, he always seemed to be contemplating something but rarely shared what. Though she suspected it was normal for Heidrek considering his position, she knew his brother hadn’t always been like this.

  Based on the flashes she saw when she touched him, he had once been more like Tait. Happy and easy-going. Personality traits that would have baffled her had she sensed them when he first carried her from the ocean. He had since apologized for the whole thing, claiming he would never have let her drown.

  Cybil stood, braced her feet against the rocking ship and eyed the shore as well. “Is this still your clan’s land?”

  “No, it is hostile territory.” He pointed at a rocky outcrop. “There is a gorge through there. Once we climb it, we will be in a less dangerous area.”

  Bjorn joined them, a fierce expression on his face as usual. He reminded her of Naðr, or how she imagined the king was before he met Megan. Gruff. Wary of others in a way someone far older might be. Yet she liked the handsome, bearded Viking. He possessed an underlying wisdom and sense of devotion to family that she appreciated.

  “You will need extra weaponry.” Bjorn handed her another dagger to tuck alongside the one Erin had given her. “Take this and stay close to me, woman.”

  Cybil nodded. It seemed Bjorn had appointed himself her personal bodyguard. She could only speculate on his reasoning but supposed it was to keep the brothers focused less on her and more on the danger around them.

  “There’s movement,” Matthew said, his eyes narrowed on the tree line. “They wait for us to reach shore then they will attack.”

  Bjorn nodded. “I sense at least half our number at the forefront.”

  Heidrek joined them, his eyes going from Matthew to Bjorn. “Both of you stay near Cybil. I want her with dragons. But do not shift unless you have no choice. I will lead, and Kjar will take the rear.”

  His eyes met hers. Though she swore she saw a flicker of concern, he masked it quickly. “Embrace strength and fight well, Cybil. Do not stray from my brethren.”

  Before she could respond, he turned and ordered the sail lowered. He wouldn’t be coddling her today, no matter how much she wanted him to. But perhaps that was a good thing. She needed to rally courage she still wasn’t convinced she possessed.

  Yes, she knew how to fight but it was one thing to battle in a studio back home and another to fight the likes of these men. Because she certainly couldn’t be taken by the enemy. Hell, no. She tried not to imagine what would happen if she was.

  The ship navigated close to shore before the men began disembarking.

  “It’s still deep enough to slow you down.” Bjorn strapped an extra shield to his back. “I will carry you to shore.” He climbed up the ladder and swung over the edge.

  “Follow him.” Matthew nudged her along. “I will be close behind.”

  Cybil nodded, took a deep breath and booted it up the ladder then down the other side. Bjorn scooped her up and strode for shore. The water was choppy, and the wind had picked up with the incoming storm.

  “Do not overthink what comes at you,” Bjorn said softly. “Just do as you were taught and follow your instincts. They are good.”

  Her eyes went to Heidrek, who had just reached the shore. His cloak was gone, and he wore a black fitted, sleeveless jerkin and leather pants. The soaked material clung to his firm ass and muscular thighs. Outside of her dreams, she had never seen his body so well defined and almost groaned with desire.

  Bjorn inhaled and released a low growl. “Now is not the time to admire my cousin. You will die quickly if you’re focused on him rather than your enemy.”

  Oh, damn. Dragon shifters and their sharp senses. Bjorn could smell her arousal. And he couldn’t be more right about the piss poor timing. She was about to tear her eyes away from Heidrek when men started pouring out of the forest. Roaring, vicious, there had to be at least a few dozen.

  Heidrek and those who had reached the shore roared just as loudly and rushed at them. Bjorn chuckled, dropped her in knee-deep water and handed her one of the shields. “Time to battle. If it helps you find anger, the men fighting us are part of the clan that killed Heidrek and Matthew’s sister.”

  What? Way to drop a bombshell.

  Her eyes widened as she watched men slam into each other. If nothing else was certain, Heidrek and his cousins truly loved to fight, and heck were they impressive.

  Yet her eyes remained locked on Heidrek as he slashed a blade across a man’s gut and tore open his stomach. Then he whipped out a mace, spun it twice and took down two men at once before he pulled out an ax and almost decapitated a fourth.

  Stunned by not only the violence but gore erupting around her, she couldn’t seem to move. Matthew and Bjorn stayed close, fighting like madmen as she was ensnared by a case of alarming tunnel vision. Everything around her darkened as Heidrek dwindled down to the center of her sight. Now she wasn’t admiring him in the least but caught in stark fear for him.

  As if he sensed what was happening to her, he ducked beneath the swing of a blade and looked her way. “Our connection is doing this to you, Cybil. Do whatever it takes but look away from me until you can control it.”

  He was speaking within her mind.

  Her skin burned, and her throat tightened. “I can’t.” She tried to shake her head but couldn’t even manage that. “Holy shit. This isn’t good.”

  Cybil’s breath caught when fury met his eyes, and he whipped his axe right at her. Or so she thought. Instead, it slammed into a man who was only a few feet away from grabbing her. That did the trick. Her eyes snapped away from Heidrek as the man crashed face first into the water at her feet with an axe protruding from his back.

  Seconds later, another rushed at her.

  One thing was for sure. She need
ed to get out of the water where she could balance better. So she bolted onto the shore. The moment she found purchase and confirmed he followed, she spun sideways and took him down with a swift kick to the groin. As he dropped to his knees, she drove her palm into his chin. She might not be big, but she knew how to direct power and the man felt her attack as though someone larger than him had issued it.

  Bjorn nodded with approval as the enemy fell. Now that she knew better than to look in Heidrek’s direction and felt the flow of battle enter her veins, she forgot to be afraid and started fighting.

  She had always found it exciting but nothing like this. Now it felt like liquid fire blazed through her veins as she fought, dropping warrior after warrior as she stuck close to Matthew and Bjorn.

  She twirled, kicked, punched, kneed, using years of training to cut down men before they even saw her coming. Cybil knew she drew blood, that she slashed her daggers time and time again. But it wasn’t until she heard a loud roar of satisfaction that she realized she had thrust her blade beneath a man’s ribcage into his heart. Though at first she thought it was somebody else’s roar, she soon realized it came from her.

  Shocked, her gaze held the enemy’s as the life drained from his eyes and he dropped to his knees. Before he could fall, she gripped his throat with one hand and held him in place, oddly determined to watch his life drain away completely.

  Was this bloodlust?

  Was she a berserker?

  Had she gone insane?

  Those questions echoed somewhere in the back of her mind, but she pushed them down, needing this moment like no other. When he finally went limp and passed on, she released him.

  “Fionn Mac Cumhail’s blood runs strong in you, woman,” Kjar said softly. “You are an even greater warrior than I thought.”

  Only then did she realize how quiet her surroundings had grown and how many bodies lay at her feet. She blinked several times as she became aware of all the Vikings watching her. Matthew, Bjorn, Kjar, all of them eyed her not only with pride but respect.