by Fabio
"As I have already informed you, I consider ending the feud to be our most pressing and critical issue here on Vanaheim."
"Bah!" jeered Wolfgard.
One of the guards again spoke up. "Jarl, how say you we dispose of this loathsome dog? You have been patient with his ravings long enough. Verily, the men are eager to draw and quarter him."
While Viktor struggled not to show fear at the harrowing suggestion, Wolfgard eyed his captive cannily. "Yea, mayhap we should now put down our enemy. 'Tis true his ramblings no longer amuse me—and his screams might prove diverting."
The guards started forward wearing sadistic grins, and Viktor feared he would be rendered dogmeat at any second. Then, mercifully, Ragar spoke up.
"But, my father, if you kill the jarl of your enemies, who will lead his forces against you?" he asked with inspired logic.
Wolfgard hesitated, scratching his bearded jaw and frowning. Viktor tossed Ragar a grateful look, and felt heartened when the boy smiled back.
In the nick of tune, Wolfgard held up a hand to halt the advancing guards. He nodded to Ragar. "Yea, my son, for once you have uttered a grain of truth.' He shifted his scowling visage to Viktor. "We will release you unmolested this time, Viktor the Valiant, because your stunt amuses us—as does the possibility of continuing our feud. But do not attempt such a foolish feat as to venture among us again."
"Believe me, you have my word," Viktor agreed dryly as he rubbed a bruised arm.
Wolfgard chuckled. "Now we will toast to my beneficence, and to your good fortune. Then you may be on your way, Viktor the Valiant, to fight me another day." Cupping a hand at his mouth, he yelled, "Sibeal, bring ale!"
"Another round is not—" Viktor began.
" 'Tis required and traditional," Wolfgard cut in brusquely. He pounded a fist in anger. "Sibeal! By the mischief of Loki, where is that lazy Irish thrall?'
Ragar offered, "Father, I would be honored to—"
"Do not insult me by volunteering to do woman's work," Wolfgard said furiously, glaring at his son. He jerked his head toward Reyna. "Stepdaughter, go fetch us more ale."
Reyna stared haughtily at her stepfather and did not budge.
Wolfgard's face darkened to a menacing red as Reyna continued to defy him. "Do it, or I will see you beaten dead!"
Still she did not obey, though her fingers again moved to the hilt of her dagger as her rebellious gaze never left her stepfather's.
In an explosion of rage, Wolfgard surged to his feet, waving a fist and sputtering, "Daughter of Hell I will strangle the breath of life from you with my bare hands!"
Reyna came to her feet with a sadistic smile that sent a chill along Viktor's spine. The two faced each other down in a murderous silence, Wolfgard's hand moving to the hilt of his sword, Reyna's fingers still gripping the haft of her dagger.
The charged moment ended as a tall, attractive woman with long, graying black hair swept in bearing a keg of ale. She addressed Wolfgard half frantically. "Master! I have brought your refreshment Forgive me, for these old bones move slowly. But, yea, I am pleased to serve you now, master"
For a moment the enraged grant stood his ground. Then, still glowering at Reyna, Wolfgard resumed his seat. After a moment, Reyna sat down, though her contemptuous gaze remained riveted on Wolfgard. The tension in the room eased somewhat as the slave refilled the oxhorns of her master, Viktor, and Ragar. Although his frown remained formidable, Wolfgard did appear calmer after several gulps of ale.
Hoping to soften up his host further, Viktor inclined his head toward Reyna. "She is a spoiled little brat, isn't she? Even though you are my enemy, I must say my sympathies are with you, man."
Wolfgard snorted. "The man who could tame her—now, that man I would listen to."
Hearing Wolfgard's words, Viktor felt as if a light bulb had just clicked on inside his head. He stared intently at Reyna, and she gazed back at him with icy disdain. The girl was behaving like a haughty little bitch, and suddenly Viktor was itching to put her in her place—and warm her up a bit!
He turned decisively to his host. "Give her to me," he suggested rashly. "I will tame her, if you will stop the feud."
At Viktor's reckless suggestion, Wolfgard threw back his head and laughed, as did the sentries at the door, while Reyna appeared only amused by Viktor's proposal.
"You will tame her?" Wolfgard mocked "You would be as helpless as Freya when pitted against Lola's evil."
'Then what do you have to lose by giving me the chance?"
Viktor reasoned. "You know the girl is a thorn in your side—"
"Yea," Wolfgard cut in with a nasty grin, "and 'twould be tempting to make her a thorn in your side for a time, enemy."
"Then why won't you let me have her?" Viktor demanded.
Wolfgard regarded his belligerent stepdaughter, his lips twisting into a sneer. "Because I will not ease the way for you, Viktor the Valiant. Nor will I simply give my stepdaughter to you, however defiant the vixen may be.' He paused, a look of shrewd calculation creeping into his gray eyes. "But mayhap I am amenable to a bargain of sorts."
"Yes?' Viktor said eagerly.
Wolfgard's canny gaze narrowed on Reyna. "If you want this Valkyrie from Hel, come take her. Tame her, and make her give you a son. On that day I will end the feud."
Viktor stared at the still-emotionless Reyna. How cool she was to betray no fear, to appear not the least bit threatened as two powerful men negotiated over her fate. Doubtless she felt certain she could defeat either of them with ease—indeed, Viktor was afraid Reyna's confidence might be entirely warranted.
"Do we have a pact, then, Viking?" Wolfgard asked.
"Yea," Viktor answered, his gaze locking on the obstreperous Valkyrie. "I will make Reyna my bride."
"What say you?" asked Wolfgard with an astonished scowl.
"I said I'll wed the little witch," Viktor snapped back.
A triumphant grin spread across Wolfgard's ugly face. "Ah, now you have made the stakes even more interesting; enemy. You will wed my stepdaughter, and the sea will boil up ere next spring, will it not?" He rocked with laughter. "Let us toast to your folly, then."
Viktor and Wolfgard made a toast on their agreement; then Wolfgard, mellowing over his ale, chuckled and confided, "You have a hard task before you, Viktor the Valiant. I must warn you that Reyna is a woman already once divorced."
Viktor smiled nastily at her. "So I am getting a soiled dove?" Saying the words, he thought he detected a spark of anger flaring in Reyna's eyes—and he felt most pleased.
"When she was fifteen summers old," Wolfgard explained,
"I wed her to my fiercest warrior, Thorstein the Terrible. That night, when Thorstein tried to claim his husbandly rights, this Valkyrie all but castrated the poor fellow. The next morning, she strutted about the village in his pants—thus effecting their divorce."
"Nice girl," Viktor murmured. "I take it Thorstein is terrible no longer?"
Wolfgard nodded morosely. "Now he is a beaten and humbled man, good only to weave baskets or churn butter with the women."
At this, Viktor spotted a gleam of vindictive triumph in Reyna's eyes. Oh, the little termagant! The Valkyrie had played a cat-and-mouse game with him long enough, he decided. Now this cat was ready to pounce! Still holding her gaze, he vowed silently, Ft will be different with us, Reyna. You will rebel, but I will tame you—with a gentle hand, I hope, but with a firm one if necessary. Fight me if you will, but you will be mine and I will win your love. For we are meant to be together, you and I.
As expected, Reyna showed no fear, no response at all, to Viktor's silent message.
Wolfgard gestured impatiently. "Now be gone and return to your village, Viktor the Valiant, before I—or my men— choose to be much less generous with your fate."
Viktor thanked Wolfgard for his hospitality and quickly took his leave. Under escort by the sentries, he left the enemy camp convinced that he had found a way to end the feud— and to bring the woman of his desti
ny into his life ...
Back at the longhouse, Wolfgard lingered by the fire, rubbing his hands together in glee. Oh, he was such a clever man, and Viktor the Valiant was so stupid. The man had just made a fool's bargain. For Wolfgard was well aware that no mortal man could ever tame his Valkyrie stepdaughter. Indeed, the task was beyond even himself. But in this particular battle, Wolfgard would manipulate Reyna's brutal talents and inbred hatred well; in the end, she would do her jarl proud by making Viktor the Valiant's life a living Hel. Wolfgard intended to allow Viktor to capture Reyna with ease, for his enemy's supposed victory would actually be his defeat.
Then a small doubt prickled at the back of Wolfgard's mind. What if Reyna should reverse strategies just to spite her stepfather, and give her allegiance to Viktor and his people to bring disgrace on her own clan? This treasonous possibility made Wolfgard's blood boil; then he dismissed the idea with a rueful laugh. Verily, he doubted the Ravisher would betray him, as much as she clearly despised Viktor.
Still, if the girl should dishonor him, his spy who lived among Viktor's clan would so inform him—and he would then see to it that the little bitch was quickly put down. Either way, victory would soon be his, and in any event, it would be a vast relief to rid himself of Reyna.
TWELVE
When Viktor the Valiant set sail on the fjord, a helplessly seething Reyna watched him covertly from atop the high basalt cliffs. She had trailed the Viking and two of her stepfather's warriors who had been assigned the task of escorting Viktor back to the wharf. More than once during the journey, Reyna had felt tempted to shoot an arrow into Viktor's broad back. But she well knew such was the ploy of a coward; instead, she would fight this arrogant Viking face-to-face, then slaughter him for having the gall to declare that he could capture and tame her. She would ensure that Viktor died before he ever got close enough to touch her, much less gentle her
In the space of an hour, Reyna's attitude toward the Viking had evolved from grudging curiosity to smoldering fury. Viktor might have intrigued her before, but now he had laid claim to her, declaring she would become his possession, his chattel. Reyna had promised herself many years ago that no man would ever own her, or carry her away against her will, a fate she had been forced to endure as a child. Thus Viktor now threatened her life, her future, her independence ... and Reyna felt near insane with outrage and affronted pride.
A blight on Wolfgard as well for agreeing to the Viking's nefarious scheme! Recalling her stepfather's conversation with Viktor, she clenched her jaw. How had Wolfgard dared to offer her up as some sort of bounty to end the feud!
Watching the guards turn away from the wharf, Reyna hastily took her leave, lest she be spotted, and headed back down the path toward the village. A doubt rose to niggle at her. Given the depth of her ire toward Viktor, and her anger toward herself for foolishly sparing his life so many times, why had she chosen to save him again today by intervening on his behalf? Although it galled her to admit it, she knew in her heart that she had admired his courage for brazenly venturing unarmed into the enemy camp. With all her daring and boldness, Reyna would never have attempted such a feat. Viktor the Valiant was either a fool or the most fearless man she had ever known.
Verily, he was a new man now that he had returned from the dead! Wolfgard's warriors oft acknowledged this when they whispered among themselves about the gods having blessed Viktor with supernatural powers. He also seemed different physically, and today she had noticed those changes at closer range. He appeared taller, more muscular, his features more regular and pleasing. His blue eyes burned bluer and more vibrant than ever, and reflected an uncanny sensitivity, even a magnetism, that both unnerved and drew her. Even his blond hair, more shiny and thicker than before, tantalized her. Perversely, she had wondered what it might be like to touch that rich silk.
She cursed under her breath. The Viking had definitely stirred some forbidden sensual twinge in her, and she knew she must battle the traitorous impulse with all her might. There was no room in her hardened heart for the softer feminine pursuits of love, marriage, and children. She must gain her revenge against all Vikings—and now Viktor had placed himself squarely between her and her goals by declaring he would take her to wife.
Not that Reyna was ignorant of the carnal, after having lived almost all of her life among these decadent Vikings. She remembered an incident that had occurred when she was fifteen. Wolfgard and his warriors had been feasting when she had stepped into the dining hall at precisely the wrong moment, just as Egil, sitting on a bench, had unsheathed his ugly, swollen member while an unfortunate female thrall knelt at his feet, shuddering in anticipation of the depraved act Egil had commanded. Reyna had eyed the unfolding scene in horror; spotting her, Egil had brazenly invited Reyna to ride his prick, while the other warriors had howled with ribald laughter. Undaunted, Reyna had only smiled cruelly back and hurled her dagger between Egil's spread thighs. To her immense satisfaction, she had frightened the crude bastard witless, nicking his balls and rendering him flaccid, and sending the other warriors into gales of bawdy mirth.
AU of the warriors had learned an important lesson that night. Although they had continued to heckle Reyna, none had dared try to molest her—and no man had ever taken her innocence. Even when Wolfgard had married her off to Thorstein, she had quickly made mincemeat of that fat, obnoxious pig.
And Viktor the Valiant would not become the man who breached her maidenhead, even though no other warrior had ever evoked in her the taut, forbidden longing that Viktor stirred, especially today, when he had stared at her with such burning intensity. Damn those pretty blue eyes of his! Reyna had then spit at him out of fear that Wolfgard's men might otherwise guess her treasonous feelings toward their enemy. She needed to kill the Viking quickly—before this weakness he inspired in her robbed her of all strength as a warrior.
Near the center of the village, Reyna encountered two of her father's kinsmen, Bjorn and Dirk, both of whom grinned at her nastily and called taunts.
"It appears our little ice princess will shortly become a bride," teased Bjorn.
Dirk eyed Reyna with a sneer. "Yea, the little bitch will spread her legs for our enemy, but keeps them tightly locked against the warriors of her own tribe. I ask you, milady, is that fair?"
Not at all amused, Reyna drew her sword. "Foul-mouthed pigs! I spread my legs for no man! And I will lop off the head of any bastard who dares to say I will ever become Viktor the Valiant's bride!"
As the two men laughed with bravado, three other warriors joined in on the harassment. "I say the little Valkyrie may have finally met her match," snarled Garm.
"Yea, and shall we ease the way for our enemy and taste the wench first ourselves?" goaded Egil.
"I do remember our jarl saying last winter that any man who can wrestle Reyna down can have her," jeered Leif.
As the menacing company began to converge on Reyna, she again wielded her weapon. "Back away, you cravens! 'Twill take more than five of you puny cowards to set me down!"
Still the men advanced amid leers and insults, and Reyna began to doubt she could indeed hold five warriors at bay. But the tension mercifully eased when Ragar, with his friend and retainer, Harald, stepped into the midst of the altercation.
Ragar scowled at the men. "What goes on here?"
"We are but teasing your sister," retorted a belligerent Egil.
"Leave my sister be and attend to your duties, my kinsmen," replied Ragar sternly.
"Do you seek to defend her, boy?" Egil scoffed.
The husky Harald drew out his sword. "Yea, your future jarl will defend his sister, and so shall I."
Faced with resistance from both the highly skilled Harald and the equally fearsome Reyna, the warriors grumbled to one another and stalked off.
'Thank you, my brother," Reyna said afterward, expelling a sigh of relief. She nodded toward Harald, a handsome man of twenty-one with green eyes and fair hair. "And I owe a debt of gratitude to you as well, my brother's k
insman."
Harald bowed to Reyna, flashing her a devoted smile. "I am forever at your service, milady."
"I do not know why Wolfgard's warriors have all at once turned so ugly toward me," Reyna remarked. "Usually they are loath to provoke me this way."
"Yea, your status appears to have changed, my sister,' Ragar muttered worriedly. He nodded to his kinsman. "Let us exercise our horses later, my friend. If you will kindly excuse me, I will speak with my sister."
Harald bowed and took his leave.
Ragar touched Reyna's arm. "Sister, let us walk."
She nodded, taking his hand. They headed out of the village and up the hill toward the cemetery—the graveyard where their mother had lain for five summers now, beneath a pagan rune-stone. Reyna glanced at Ragar. Her half brother's resemblance to their lost mother, and not to Wolfgard, had always been a source of perverse satisfaction to her. Ragar possessed their mother's finely boned nose, along with the brown eyes and the blond hair that curled about his handsome, angular face. But Reyna was dismayed to note his deeply troubled expression—the grooves surrounding his sensitive mouth, fee scowl lines marring his normally smooth brow.
"Speak your mind, my brother," she urged.
Ragar flashed his sister an apologetic smile. "I feel our father behaved imprudently today in the council chamber, agreeing to this treacherous bargain with Viktor the Valiant."
Reyna spoke bitterly. "Yea, albeit I am not shocked to see Wolfgard acting like the coward he is."
Ragar did not comment on her diatribe. Think you Viktor the Valiant could succeed in capturing you?'
Reyna made a sound of contempt. "Do not insult me by presuming he could!'
Ragar's expression remained anxious. "Nevertheless, the very possibility that you could end up Viktor's bride has stirred the wrath of our warriors. They feel insulted that our father has given "Viktor license to seize you, instead of letting one of them take you to wife."
Reyna smiled maliciously. "Ah, so that is why Egil, Garm, and the others were harassing me with greater venom just now."