by Quinn Loftis
“Your mother is summoning my attention,” I told him, hoping he could hear in my voice the affection I had for her.
“By all means, don’t leave the Oracle waiting. Reach for me as often as you need. Our souls communicating like this will help keep you anchored and strong. And if you can help it, do not heal any more of those bottom-feeders.”
“Thank you for your words of wisdom, Oh Mighty Viking,” I crooned. “I will do my best to resist the call of my magic to heal some scallywag.”
He chuckled, and it sent a shiver down my spine. “It’s good to know that even in such tense situations, you desire me.”
I could have denied it and refrained from stroking his ego, but I was feeling generous. “You are too tempting for your own good, warlord. Be safe. Don’t do anything heroic and get yourself killed. I will be good and pissed if you do.”
“It’s kind of sexy when you start using foul language because you’re worried for me. I like it. You be safe as well, my love.”
I felt his presence in my mind begin to recede, though he didn’t leave completely, and it brought a measure of relief from the continual ache. I opened my eyes and turned them on Hilda. “You have my attention.”
Dayna fanned herself with her hand. “Whoa, that was intense, big sis,” she sighed. “I’ll admit I’m a little jealous that you can have mental rendezvous with your lover.”
“I wasn’t having a mental rendezvous, you shameless hussy,” I argued.
“I do believe she doth protest too much,” Hilda said, winking at Dayna.
I could feel the heat on my face as a blush rose. I didn’t know why I was embarrassed. It wasn’t like Torben and I had been lost in some lust-filled mental lovemaking. Although, maybe that was an idea I needed to give some serious thought.
Let the wary stranger who seeks refreshment keep silent with sharpened hearing; with his ears let him listen, and look with his eyes; thus each wise man spies out the way.
~ Hávamál, Book of Viking Wisdom
“I’m going to cut off his fingers one at a time, and then I’ll cut off his hands, and—”
“You’ve had lots of practice at cutting off appendages. Perhaps while you’re cutting on the jarl, you could thank him for giving you the experience,” Brant said, interrupting my tirade.
“He won’t be able to respond because I’m going to cut out his tongue, so I don’t have to listen to his lunacy,” I snarled. Leaning down, I cupped some water from a small stream into my hand and slurped it into my mouth. We’d pushed the horses hard all night and late into the day. Both the animals and my men needed a break, no matter how badly I wanted to keep riding.
“So, what I hear you saying is there will be a lot of cutting,” Brant chuckled. “Is this before or after you torture him and make him wish he’d never been jarl of Clan Hakon?”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “He has your woman, too, ya know?” I saw the way Brant’s jaw tightened even though he tried to appear nonchalant.
“Yes, I know,” he responded. “But she can probably kick his arse. I should be more worried about the poor, unsuspecting men who are going to be dealing with her. The lass has quite a temper.”
I snorted. “Wicked temper,” I muttered under my breath, though I wasn’t talking about Dayna. My thoughts were on another princess whose temper could be quite as volatile as her sister’s, though Allete would be more likely to set traps for her enemies and watch silently as they fell. Dayna would simply run them through with a sword, laughing all the while.
I had to admit, since I’d been able to speak to Allete through the bond we shared, I felt a little less like ripping the world apart. I knew she was all right, though for how long I couldn’t be sure. Magnus was unpredictable and unstable. There was no way to say with any amount of certainty that he wouldn’t harm Allete, Dayna, or even his mother.
“We told King Albric we would bring the princesses back. Have you devised a plan to make that a reality?” Amund asked. Everyone other than Brant had been quiet since they’d started their journey. I knew it was because they could feel the tension rolling off me. I was surprised that Thomas had uttered scarcely a sound the entire ride considering every time I’d seen him at the castle he was usually cracking some sort of joke.
“Not completely, no. But we must get back to Clan Hakon as quickly as possible. I don’t think Magnus will make directly for home, but Cathal doesn’t know that so he’ll probably seek them there. I do not want our people caught in the crossfire. Cathal will torture and kill them for information even though they won’t have any idea what Magnus had done.”
“That’s a big gamble to make,” Brant pointed out. “It will give Magnus a bloody big lead.”
I nodded. “I know. But like you said, I do not believe he will hurt them.”
Perhaps that was wishful thinking on my part, but it couldn’t be helped. I knew Allete wouldn’t want me to leave anyone to the likes of Cathal, even a foreign people she didn’t know. She’d be more ticked off at me if I came after her and allowed my people—our people—to be cut down at the end of that vile king’s sword.
Knowing I was more than likely headed away from Allete caused a pain in my chest, but I prayed to the gods she would be safe. I prayed they would all be safe.
“A map would come in handy right about now,” I said as I stared out across the vast land before us. We’d passed a few villages but hadn’t bothered to stop to find out exactly where we were.
“I was wondering how long it would be before you realized you would need one,” Thomas said. He walked over to his horse and began to dig through one of the saddlebags. A minute later, he produced a rolled-up piece of parchment. He brought it over, knelt on the ground where I was crouched, and spread out the paper. Mountains, rivers, borders, and main roads were all reflected there.
“There’s my uncle’s kingdom.” Thomas pointed and then drew his finger up. “This is the path we’ve been taking. We still have a day or more to go before we reach the port that will take us to Normandy.”
“It took us a month to make it from Ravenscar to England. We’ve got some time,” I said.
“I beg your pardon, Torben,” Thomas said. “You said your home is Ravenscar”—he pointed to a spot on the map indicating our homeland—“which is in Scandinavia. That’s only a three-day sail. Why in the hell did it take you a month to get to England?”
I could feel my gut balling up into a knot as Thomas’ words sank in. “Three days?” I asked. I turned to Brant.
His eyes narrowed as he stared back at me. “Magnus didn’t take us on a direct route to England.”
“Bloody hell, if it took a damn month to get here and it only should have taken three days, that means we would have had to have gone north, but we never saw any land,” I said through clenched teeth.
“He’s mad,” Rush pointed out. “We knew it when we got in the boats and followed him that he wasn’t all there.”
“I have an idea,” Brant said. “The fool is growing more paranoid by the day. I bet he got it in his head that he was being followed. He probably sailed in circles thinking it would keep him safe.”
I didn’t know what to think about the jarl anymore. There were times he seemed lucid. Other times, I was sure he’d lost every ounce of sense the gods had given him.
I glanced at my men, who were waiting on my orders. Eventually, I spoke. “We keep riding as hard as we can. When we get to the port, we’ll have to see about procuring a ship. Do you think you could help us out with that?” I asked Thomas.
“I could throw some of my uncle’s weight around,” he answered.
My eyes met each of my men’s. “Be praying to Njord to make the sea turbulent and to Thor to strike Cathal’s ship down. Maybe the god of thunder will sink it to the bottom of the ocean and save us the trouble.”
“Perhaps we have more time than we think,” Kjell suggested. “Cathal doesn’t know exactly where our clan is located. Scandinavia is a big place. He’s probably just head
ed in a general direction. There are lots of other Norsemen clans. He may have to waste time searching for us.”
“That’s a good point,” Brant said. “Even if it is coming from Kjell.”
I was surprised that Brant took a shot at Kjell. They hadn’t been at each other’s throats in a while.
“Don’t be jealous that you are unable to think too deeply with that large ham on top of your neck, Brant,” Kjell said, his voice a bit tight.
“Are you still sore at me for snatching your woman from you last year, Kjell?” Brant taunted.
I groaned as I ran my hand over my face. He thought they’d finally moved past that catastrophe, and then Brant had to go and bring it back up.
Kjell shot Brant a sly smile. “I’m over it. I’ve got my eye on a certain sassy English princess.”
My hand shot out to hold Brant down in his seat just as he lunged for Kjell. “Dammit, man!” I snarled at the mouthy warrior. “Have you no sense of self-preservation?”
Kjell shrugged. “A woman for a woman, I say.”
“You won’t be saying anything if I cut your tongue out,” Brant threatened.
“There will be no cutting out of tongues unless it’s Cathal’s,” I said before things could get out of hand. “Kjell, you and Bree were both dipping into other wells at that point, anyway. Don’t act like you two had sacrificed a goat together.”
“It’s the principle of the matter,” Kjell said. “Brothers-in-arms shouldn’t tangle with each other’s lovers—past, present, or future—regardless of who is dipping into what.”
“Fine,” Brant bit out. “You needn’t worry from here on out. You can dip into any well in Skagerrak Bay, and you won’t ever have to worry about me coming around to clean up what’s sloshed out of your bucket.”
Kjell raised his eyebrows. “Even that raven-haired daughter of Elufson?
“She’s all yours,” replied Brant.
“Deal,” Kjell said, smiling.
“Good. It’s done.” I pointed at both of them. “Get over it, and don’t bring it up again. We are stronger united even though we are small in numbers. Any break in our brotherhood and we become weak. Clear?”
“Clear,” all six of my men echoed.
“Good, now see if any of you can snag some game so we can have a quick meal before starting off again. The horses need a little more time, but we need to keep moving.”
They paired up and took off in search of food. I glanced at Thomas and motioned toward the ground. “Help me gather some wood for a fire?”
Thomas nodded as he rolled up his map and returned it to his saddlebag. “What will Magnus do with Dayna?” he asked as he began to gather tinder for the fire. “I just mean that he has need of Allete, so I agree he probably won’t hurt her. But Dayna serves no purpose.”
His question was valid but not one I really wanted to answer; no good answer would be forthcoming. Dayna could serve a purpose if Magnus allowed his men to use her. My stomach revolted at the idea. Taking a woman against her will had never appealed to me, and I did not respect the warriors who did such things on raids, though I knew it was because they did not see foreign women as having any worth. They were nothing more than a warm body. If a Norseman attempted to rape a woman of their own clan, she’d likely remove his manhood and feed it to the dogs, and the other females would join in and hold the idiot down. No, even if the men were willing to rape outsiders, they’d never lift a finger to one of their own clan. Still, I didn’t agree with the practice and vowed that once I was jarl, which I hoped would be soon, the mistreatment of any woman would not be tolerated.
“You haven’t answered my question, Torben. It’s making me a bit nervous,” Thomas said, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Most likely he will use her to keep Allete in line,” I finally answered. “From what I observed when she was around Cathal, Allete cares little for her own safety but is fiercely protective of those she loves. If Magnus can control her by threatening Dayna, then he won’t hesitate to use her against Allete.” At least, that’s the purpose I was hoping she’d serve. Though I hated for Allete to carry such a burden, it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as seeing her sister passed around like a common whore.
“You’re right,” Thomas said. “Allete would do anything to protect her family and friends. He will have her under his thumb as long as he has Dayna.”
“What about Dayna?” Brant’s voice came from behind me, and I bit back a growl. The last thing I needed was Brant losing his cool.
“We can’t do anything about either of the princesses right now,” I said, turning to face him. “There’s no point in speaking about it.”
“Then why were you two speaking about her?” he asked.
The stubborn set of his jaw and his narrowed eyes told me that he wasn’t going to let it go until I told him. “Fine,” I said, pointing a finger at him. “I will tell you, but remember you pressed this issue if you have the urge to lose your temper.”
I explained what Thomas and I had discussed and watched as my second-in-command filled with rage. The fool. Dwelling on the horrors his chosen woman might be enduring would do him no good.
“And you still think we should go after Cathal first?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“Would you leave our clan to suffer under Cathal’s wrath when they have no clue why he is killing them?” I asked. My own temper was rising. I hated that I was now second-guessing my initial decision.
“Our clan still has shieldmaidens, and they are trained fighters. Dayna can’t even handle a dagger properly. You would have me leave her to face whatever evil Magnus has planned when we aren’t even sure that Cathal can find our clan?”
All the men had returned now and formed a circle around us. I knew they would follow whatever command I gave, whether they agreed with it or not. But I was beginning to wonder if the same was true of Brant. Nothing, not even a woman, had ever caused the man to question my orders. Then again, neither of us had ever been in such a position.
“Allete won’t let Dayna be hurt,” Thomas said, taking a step toward my burly lieutenant.
I considered warning Thomas that he shouldn’t get too close to the angry beast, but I noticed that Brant heeded the man’s words, so I decided to stay silent.
“She will do whatever Magnus asks of her in order to protect her sister,” he continued. “Torben is right. We need to stop Cathal. There are women and children and elders in your clan, correct?”
Brant nodded.
“How do you think Dayna would feel if you came after her and left them to their fate at the hands of Cathal?”
Brant cringed as he seemed to consider Thomas’s question.
“I know you care about her. But I’ve known my cousin a lot longer than you, and I can answer that question easily,” Thomas continued. “She’d probably do horrific things to you while you slept. She may be small, but she’s a fierce predator and very cunning. It’s best to stay on her good side.”
The fight seemed to drain out of Brant as he set the dead rabbits he’d been holding down on the ground. “I know you are right, but it doesn’t make it easy for me to leave her.”
“You’re not leaving her,” I insisted. “There is no easy choice. She will understand, Brant.” I reached out and gripped his shoulder. “She will respect you for your choice. Few things are as glorious as having the respect of the woman you claim.”
There was a grumble of agreement from all the men, and then they began the task of starting a fire and skinning the animals they’d managed to catch.
It was difficult to eat when my stomach was such a mess, but I knew I needed my strength. I forced down the food and then willed it to remain in my stomach. My thoughts drifted to my future bride as I watched the flames of the fire dance before me. I leaned back against the tree behind me and closed my eyes. Perhaps I would be able to reach her through her dreams. It didn’t take long for sleep to pull me under.
“If I never hear another wretched ballad about dr
inking, sea monsters, or mermaids who lure men to their watery graves, it will be too soon.”
~ Diary of Allete Auvray
Two days had passed since Magnus had captured me and my sister and tossed us onto the ship that had become our personal hell. I never knew men could smell so bad or that I could hate singing with such a passion. I mean, damn it all, who in the bloody hell had taught these men those songs?
“Ugh!” Dayna groaned. “Do they ever shut up?” She was lying on the cot that doubled as her bed, hands covering her ears, but it was no use. It was as if the crew knew how much we hated the singing and sang louder for the sole purpose of torturing us.
Hilda shook her head. “They believe their singing keeps away the sirens.”
“Sirens?” I asked. “You mean they really believe there are women who live in the sea and lure men from their ships into the depths?”
She nodded. “Some swear they’ve seen it happen. Mind you, they wouldn’t tell you about the barrel of ale they drank before they saw it happen.”
“If they’re so scared of these sirens, then why do they ever bother to sail at all?” Dayna asked.
“Because when the jarl says to do something, his men obey—sirens or no,” Hilda answered. “Someone has to be in charge. Someone has to lead. Unfortunately, our current leader doesn’t always have the clan’s best interests at heart.”
“That’s why Torben needs to take over,” I said. It wasn’t a question. I felt a sense of urgency and worry flow through me, and it wasn’t my own. I knew I was sensing Torben’s emotions, as if speaking his name had somehow stoked the power of the bond between us. I’ll admit it was comforting to be able to feel him, but, at the same time, it made me long for him to be there with me.
“It takes a strong person to lead, and not just physically, though that’s certainly part of it among the Northmen. The clan follows the man who’s proven himself by besting challenges to his claim of leadership. Magnus, crazy as he may be, is still a skilled swordsman. And he doesn’t fight fair, so he’s going to win by any means necessary. My people don’t see that as a negative thing. A true leader must be strong of both mind and body. The Vikings see Magnus’ tactics as cunning, using every resource available to him.”