Valdar nodded. ‘I won’t pretend I’m happy about this. Something feels off. Kara should be made to listen to reason. Sand will be dangerous for you. She might be caught in something that she doesn’t understand.’
‘Now that you are standing next to me in the sunrise instead of having my uncle drip his poison in your ear.’
Valdar gave an unhappy nod. ‘I gave the king my word I’d bring you back. Your uncle doesn’t expect me to. He expected you to fight me. I see that now.’
‘My uncle never truly understood me. He underestimates me and that is his mistake.’
The pain receded in Ash’s head. He had done what he could. He had to hope that Kara would not take any crazy chances on the journey and that his uncle would not attack them as they neared the city.
* * *
‘I am to take Ash straight to the king’s dungeon when we arrive in Sand, but you may reside with me until the outcome of the case is known,’ Valdar said, bringing his horse alongside the cart where Kara and Rurik sat.
‘You are speaking to me again?’ Kara enquired lightly, resisting the temptation to roll her eyes at the patronising speech.
‘I’ve no quarrel with you, Lady Kara.’
‘My mistake.’ Kara eased a pillow behind her back and gave a half-turn in her seat, pleased of the distraction from the incessant jolting of the cart. Her hand sent Rurik’s sword tumbling to the floor of the cart. Immediately Rurik gave an anguished cry and picked it up again. That sword had been nothing but trouble since Valdar had given it to Rurik. ‘You have barely said two words to me since this journey started. Suddenly less than a day’s journey to Sand, you wish to talk.’
‘I want this settled between us. The king has no quarrel with you.’
‘He should have no quarrel with Ash either,’ Kara said, giving a warning look to Valdar as Rurik’s eyes slid shut and the sword threatened to fall out of his grasp again. ‘What good will that do? Humiliating him in that way? Ash gave you his word. You prevented his men from travelling. And he has done nothing wrong.’
Despite readily agreeing to her travelling with them, Valdar had not allowed Kara to take any of Ash’s men with her, arguing that it would look like an act of war. To Kara’s surprise, Ash had given way immediately. There appeared to be a newfound respect between the two, but neither said what had caused it.
Their journey to Sand had taken several days longer than when she had travelled the other way with Ash because Ash had insisted that she and Rurik travel in a covered cart.
‘Do this for me, Valdar. For what we once shared. Allow my husband some dignity.’
Valdar’s expression turned grave. ‘Kara, you do have feelings for this man.’
Kara concentrated. Were her feelings that plain? She had hoped by ignoring it, no one would know. The last thing she desired was pity. ‘I know how to keep my heart safe.’
‘I consider you a friend.’
‘You won’t say anything to...to my husband.’
Valdar’s eyes danced. ‘My lips are entirely sealed. It will do him good.’ He nodded. ‘What do you think will happen when we reach Sand?’
‘I’ve no idea,’ she answered truthfully. ‘But I want to be where I can help.’
‘And how is having Rurik there going to help?’
Kara leant forward and smoothed a lock of hair off her sleeping son’s forehead. ‘His father adores him. Rurik will add weight to the argument.’
A sudden shout drowned out Valdar’s reply.
The cart jerked to a halt, throwing both Kara and Rurik to the floor.
‘Stay down, Kara.’ Ash’s voice rang out. ‘For the love of the gods, keep down.’
* * *
Every sinew in Ash’s body froze. He had expected the attack for the last few miles. The very air seemed to hold its breath. He had heard the rustling of human movement and had seen the shadowy figures in the woods.
Silently he cursed his folly of allowing Kara and Rurik to travel with him. Thankfully Valdar had chosen to ride near Kara’s cart.
‘What is going on, Hringson?’ Valdar thundered up on his horse. ‘Why have you stopped this column and panicked your wife? And why are you retreating?’
Ash nodded his head towards the woods. ‘I don’t like the way the shadows are moving. Send someone to investigate. I’m going to make sure my wife is safe.’
Valdar gave an impatient sigh and sent two of his men. ‘You are in Raumerike, not Viken. Your wife is fine. Your son was asleep. Our conversation was pleasant until you interrupted.’
‘Raumerike worries me in ways Viken never could.’
One of the men waved his arms.
‘You see—nothing.’ Valdar gave a smug smile. ‘You go and explain to Lady Kara. You face her wrath. Next time make sure you actually see men rather than—’
‘Owls don’t screech in the daylight. And animals stay away from men on horseback.’
A strangled scream rent the air and the man fell with an arrow in his heart. Valdar immediately stiffened and dismounted from his horse. Two thralls came and caught the horse’s bridle.
‘Shall I investigate?’ Ash asked, clinging on to his temper. ‘Surely, man, you must see. Something is wrong. You need to protect my wife.’
Valdar drew his sword and picked up a light shield. His men formed a ring about Ash.
‘Not so fast, Hringson. You will not be allowed to escape.’
‘If I had wanted to make my escape, I would have hardly had my wife and child in your protection.’ Ash shook his head at Valdar’s arrogant stupidity. Even now, the other warrior did not see how he’d been manipulated. Ash wanted to kick himself for not thinking about the possibility. Kara should not be here. Kara should be back in Jaarlshiem where she’d be safe.
A host of men in full armour emerged from the woods and stood before them, brandishing their shields. Ash’s heart sank. They were outnumbered three to one and he had no confidence in Valdar or his men to fight their way out of a linen-cloth bag, let alone an ambush planned with this sort of precision.
‘Give us Ash Hringson,’ the leader who wore his uncle’s insignia on his left shoulder thundered. ‘Then we will allow you to pass in peace.’
‘The welcoming party?’ Ash asked in an undertone. ‘They are a bit far from Sand. Will you keep your promise and look after my family?’
‘I gave the king my pledge. I will not give you up to any other man.’ Valdar’s face became grim. ‘Your uncle had other plans which he failed to divulge. Nep was one of my best men.’
‘If you give me up, you may be unharmed,’ Ash said in an undertone, watching the man he dimly recognised as the captain of his uncle’s guard. ‘There again, my uncle might take the opportunity to rid himself of a troublesome neighbour.’
Valdar gave him a telling look. ‘And the heir to the estate he covets. We played straight into his hands. I’ve been a fool. The Lady Kara should never have travelled.’
‘He tricked us both. I hadn’t expected this move. I thought we’d be safe until Sand,’ Ash confessed. ‘I would have warned you otherwise. And I would never have put my wife and child in danger.’
Valdar raised his fist. ‘Then we fight! I promised to deliver you to the king and by Thor’s hammer that is what I will do.’
‘I’d be honoured.’
Ash’s heart raced. He wasn’t worried for himself, but for Kara and Rurik. Thankfully Kara appeared to have heeded his warning cry and stayed in the cart. ‘Do I get a weapon?’
‘None to spare. Stay to the back. There will be weapons soon enough.’ Valdar started to advance forward.
Ash hated how powerless he felt. All he had was his eating knife. He hated to be here at the back when he was needed up in the front. Every sinew of his being longed for the fight.
‘Ash!’ Kara�
��s frightened voice resounded from the cart.
‘Keep down, Kara!’
‘Rurik has a sword. You will need it more than he does.’
Silently he blessed her. He crossed over to the cart where Kara and Rurik huddled. Kara had her arms about Rurik and his son’s face was white. His hand closed about the light sword. It was far from the ideal weapon, but it would do.
He smiled at his son. ‘Will you allow me to use this?’
Rurik gave a hesitant nod. ‘I would be...I would be honoured, Far.’
‘Good lad. Stay there with your mother and look after her. Keep your head down. Wait until the battle has ended.’
Kara gestured towards the noise. ‘Go. Do what you have to do. Come back quickly. We...we will be waiting for you.’
Ash nodded. He drank in the picture of Kara and Rurik huddled together.
‘My luck will hold. It has done so far.’
‘You don’t need luck. You are a great warrior. Always remember that,’ Kara called back. The same words she had said when she saw him off on his ill-fated voyage. ‘I believe in you!’
His throat closed, stopping any more words.
He forced his feet to move. If he stayed, he would be no good to anyone.
When he reached the fighting, Valdar and his small group of men had managed to get his uncle’s men on their back feet. He was a far better warrior than Ash had remembered
‘Watch your back!’ Ash lunged forward and met the sword of his uncle’s captain before the sword hit Valdar from behind.
His sword clashed and clashed again. He turned to his right and mistimed his step. His bad leg pulsed pain. He slipped, going down on one knee, blindly lifting his sword and missing his stroke.
A sharp burn sliced through his face and the salt tang of blood trickled into his mouth. He wiped his hand across his face, seeking to clear the blood. The pain rocked him. It would be easy to fall to his knees, give in and finally admit he had lost. He could barely remember what he was fighting for any more. He had nothing left to prove. He could feel the soft breath of a Valkyrie coming to claim his shade for Odin.
A Valkyrie. Kara. Ash instantly became alert. Kara was who he fought for. He wanted to spend his life with her. He had always been fighting to get back to her. It hadn’t been his father’s regard he was afraid of losing, but Kara’s. He had been a fool. He had to make sure that as long as he walked the earth, Kara was at his side. And he’d left without telling her his feelings and why he wanted to be a better man. He had to have the chance to explain and to make it right.
He redoubled his efforts and stood. His sword met the other’s sword and the effort reverberated through his arm. He pivoted to his left, found a tiny opening, blindly thrust his sword forward and connected.
‘I owe you!’ Valdar called out as the captain’s body fell to the ground.
Ash wiped his sword on the grass and turned to face his next enemy. Survive. That was all he had to do—survive. ‘This battle is far from over.’
Chapter Fifteen
Kara sat paralysed with Rurik’s head in her lap, unable to look away from the raging battle. It was impossible to tell who was winning or indeed where Ash was. Over and over she prayed to any god that Odin wouldn’t want Ash, not today, not ever.
She cursed herself for not saying that she loved him before Ash had rushed off. It was wrong of her. She had made mistakes in their relationship as well as him. She could see that now. When they were first married, she had wanted to be the wife of a great warrior. She had encouraged him to go. And when he returned, she had tried to insist on him being a farmer and helping her to run the estate when the person she wanted was Ash with all of his faults. She could easily run the estate on her own, knowing that Ash would be there to back her decisions.
She wanted him to be part of her whole future. She wanted to share her life with him but she wanted as long as he walked the earth to have him as hers. She wouldn’t be happy otherwise. And he needed to be Ash, the man she had married, not someone he was trying to be to please her. She was a one-man woman.
‘Please let him live,’ she whispered over and over again. ‘Please give me a second chance.’
The silence fell without warning. Sudden and utterly consuming. Somewhere a pigeon cooed, breaking the oppressive stillness.
‘Mor, is it over?’ Rurik asked in a frightened voice. ‘Have Valkyries taken the fallen to Valhalla? They won’t come and get me, will they? I’m not ready to go to Valhalla.’
‘It is, sweetheart.’ Kara kissed Rurik’s head. Her limbs shook. They were safe, precisely as Ash had promised. They were safe, but where was Ash? Surely he should have returned. ‘And you are right, the Valkyries will have been, but they are gone now. They are only searching for fallen warriors, not little boys.’
Kara stood up in the cart, craning her head, trying to see where Ash stood. Her heart clenched. If he stood... From the cart, it was impossible to see who stood, but she didn’t recognise Ash’s shape. She clenched her fists. He had to be there. Alive. She had to be able to say she loved him.
‘Did my father win?’
‘I think so. No one came close to the cart or the horses, did they?’ Kara knelt down so that her face was level with Rurik’s. ‘I want you to do something for me. I want you to stay here and not move. I’m going to find your father and bring him back to us. Can you do that for me? It is very important.’
Rurik gave a tiny nod. ‘A true warrior obeys his mother. Far told me that. I obey your command.’
Silently she blessed Ash’s forethought. He had been right about that. She was so afraid of losing Rurik that she kept him too close. Ash’s coming back had changed so many things.
‘I’ll be back as soon as I can. With your Far. Be a good warrior.’ She started off, but made the mistake of looking back. Rurik looked far too young and miserable.
‘Please, Mor. Please may I come with you? I’m scared.’ Rurik’s face crumpled. ‘I’m not ready to be a good warrior. I still need my mother.’
Kara pinched the bridge of her nose. With a request like that how could she refuse? He’d be safer in the cart, but she wanted him with her. She held out her hand. ‘Come, then.’
Together they picked their way past the horses and scattered gear to where the battle had taken place. Bodies littered the blood-soaked ground. Kara gave a small cry and turned her face away as Rurik gripped her hand tighter.
‘I don’t like this, Mor.’
‘No one does.’ Kara steeled herself. If she had to, she’d turn over every corpse to find Ash. Then she’d go into Sand and get justice for Ash. Not to save the estate, but to make sure everyone understood what a good man Ash had been.
Over to her right, she could see the outlines of the hut where they had stopped that first night. Good ground for a battle. The memory of Ash’s words thudded through her. She hoped he’d been right and his luck had held.
‘Now to find your father.’
She forced her hand to turn over the first body. Breathed again. She didn’t recognise the man. ‘This warrior has gone to Valhalla, Rurik.’
Rurik’s face went white, but he didn’t cry. ‘We need to find my father.’
‘And Valdar.’
‘My father first.’
‘My thoughts precisely. Your father first, always.’ Silently she prayed that she’d figure out a way to keep Ash from fighting again.
The sound of male laughter floated on the air towards her. Someone was in the hut. Relief flooded through her. She started to run towards the sound.
‘Ash?’
The laughter instantly stopped.
‘Kara! I told you to stay in the cart.’
‘Since when do I do as you say?’ she asked, putting her hand on her hip, but keeping a restraining hold on Rurik, as well.
Ash sat on the ground outside the hut, resting Rurik’s sword on his knee, his face half-turned from her. Blood splattered his tunic and trousers. Valdar stood in the doorway with his helm off and his shoulder bandaged.
‘Ash, is there a problem?’
‘You should do as I asked.’ He resolutely kept his face from her. ‘And you should not have brought Rurik with you. It is far from safe. There might be a second wave of attacks. I...I can’t risk you both.’
‘Let me see you.’ She crossed the distance in two strides and stuffed her hand in her mouth. Ash now sported a wide gash on his face. If the blow had struck only a little differently, he’d be dead instead of sitting and joking with Valdar. ‘Ash!’
‘It looks worse than it is.’ His hand wiped away a trickle of blood. ‘There are others worse than me. I survived.’
‘I will be the judge of that.’ Kara reached into the pouch she always wore and withdrew a scrap of linen. She put it on Ash’s cheek, noting how close the sword had come to his eye. Ash was right. ‘It appears to be deep. Hold that there and I will be back with my healing supplies.’
‘I will go,’ Rurik piped up. ‘I know where it is. Trust me to get it.’
‘You are sure?’ Kara asked, hesitating. She should go, but she wanted to see how badly Ash was hurt, preferably without Rurik right there.
‘Yes! And I can run faster than you because you are wearing a skirt, Mor.’
‘Then go swiftly. I will watch you.’
‘Should you have allowed him to do that?’ Ash asked. ‘He is awfully young to be on a battlefield.’
‘He is capable of more than you or I think,’ Kara answered, shading her eyes with her hand. ‘You have shown me that. It will be good for him to have a little responsibility. He is old enough.’
Ash shook his head. ‘I do trust you.’
Rurik returned from the cart, dropping the small satchel at her feet. He placed his hands on his knees and panted from the exertion. ‘Did I go quick enough?’
‘Faster than the wind.’ Kara rapidly sorted the various supplies and found the herbs her mother had used.
Return of the Viking Warrior Page 22