“Amaud, stop. Leave the girl be. She isn’t interested in your party tricks. Come rest child and enjoy the heat from my fire for the night. I’m sure you have many more questions.”
Amaud retreats to his original position across the room, and I join Erik beside the fire. I have many questions about witches, but I listen as he tells the histories of his clan and neighboring tribes. For hours I sit and take in all he says. As the fire wanes and my eyes droop, Erik offers me more blood. I fill my stomach, wondering if rest is prudent. The witch worries me. I don’t like being in his presence.
As I ponder my options, Erik rises. “I must hunt and attend to my people. I will bring Amaud, so you can rest. Is this agreeable? You will remain here until I come back and can give you direction for your travel.”
“Yes.” I hug my bag to me.
As the door swings open, fresh air from the village rushes in, carrying the scent of the tribe’s people. I realize that one of them is the warrior who killed Alec.
“Amaud, come with me, leave the girl some privacy.” Erik’s eyes land on me. “I will find some fresh clothes for you. There is warm water in the bucket.”
“Thank you.” I curtsey out of habit, realizing I don’t hate him as much as I did four hours prior.
I shed my outer layer and hear a rap on the door. Opening it, I find a girl about my size. Her arms are piled with linens. “Erik said to bring you these.”
She bows her head and backs out the door. Peeling my inner layers and piling all my soiled clothing in an empty bucket, I pour some of the water atop them. Then, I use a rag lying beside the water bucket to sponge off my skin. My hair is matted to my head, so I use my metal cup to rinse water through it. Drying my skin in front of the fire, I dress. The girl brought warm pant-like under layers and a heavy top skirt and shirt. On the bottom of the pile is a leather vest, and I pull it over my head. I wonder how I must look. Anne, woman of the wild, I think. The vest is warm, and I take it off and lay it beside my bag. Wringing out my clothes, I hang them on the sinew line near the fire. Then, I lie down on the fir needles to rest.
My mind is plagued with images of Alec’s body, the stake holding his heart, angels, demons, Erik, Amaud, Elizabeth, Sabine, Alexander, Nona, my parents, siblings, our house ablaze, the witches holding torches. Sucking in a deep breath, I bolt up.
The door opens, a gale is sucked through the dwelling and out the chimney. Erik enters. “Have we startled you?”
“I was resting.”
“There was a herd moving through the area. Earth has honored us. It is a night of feasting. Please come join us.” Erik motions outside.
My heart breaks, realizing I will never feast with Alec. But I raise my chin and follow Erik out into the quasi-light night. Beyond Erik and Amaud, I see men laying branches in the center of a clearing. Beside them, four reindeer are strung between poles. My mouth waters at the sight of their blood draining into bowls below.
“Please join us before you continue on your journey.” Erik motions to the group.
“For a few hours.” I fit the leather vest atop my shirt and follow them outside.
A hush grows through the space as we make our way to the fire circle. A woman sits beside the logs, rubbing two sticks together. Her hands rotate the branches faster and faster until smoke rises from the wood. A young girl drops dry needles over the branches, and they alight. With a gust of wind, the blaze spreads to the other tinder. I sit beside Erik and others join in the circle. Men, women, children, all light skinned, blue-eyed, and with hair of straw like Alec’s. A small girl approaches and holds a flower out to me. She points to my hair, and I nod. Her small fingers weave through my hair, creating an intricate braid. As she finishes, she fits the flower above my ear and holds the long braid out to me.
“Thank you.” Tears fill my eyes as I realize I can’t hate these people. Erik’s insistence that Alec deserved his fate seems cruel, barbaric. But it has kept his people alive. They toil to exist, as their ancestors did. Still, one of them killed Alec. My emotions sway like the wind. Realizing many eyes are trained on me, I swipe the tears from my cheeks and straighten my back.
Erik whispers to me. “They have never seen someone with brown hair and dark eyes.”
“Do they know why I’m here?”
“Of course. Did you think they didn’t overhear our discourse? We’re a tribe of vampires. Do you not hear all?”
“I’ve trained myself to not listen.”
“When you fight for survival every day, you do well to pay attention to everything.”
Metal cups are passed around the group. When everyone has one, Erik holds his up to the rising sun. He brings the vessel to his lips and downs the warm red liquid. “Thank you to Mother Earth for her bounty.”
The tribe’s people copy his actions and I join in, the warmth of the blood cascading through my torso. I scan the faces, seeing joyful smiles on each. These are not beings I can hate, even with my grief over Alec. They breathe, eat, work, and rest as I do. I have no right to judge them. Still, it seems there must be a better way.
Behind the other side of the circle, I realize there is a second arc of men. Tall and broad, nine of them stand behind the tribe’s people, arms crossed over their chests. I study their faces. Their eyes scan the perimeter, and heads turn with every change of wind. Mesmerized by their movements, my gaze lands on the one on the end. He looks young compared to the rest as his face is free of the scars that mark the others. He holds my stare for a second, and I divert my eyes to the ground.
“Those are the warriors.” Erik’s breath is hot on my neck. He lifts a finger, aiming it at the warrior on the end. “And he is Will, the one who killed Alec.”
My eyes dart to Will’s face, and the image of Alec’s corpse flashes through my mind. My breathe catches in my chest as my ribs seem to tighten around my lungs. No, Anne, you’re not a weak child, I think to myself. I look at the man who killed Alec, rage building in my chest. You can’t change what has passed. I channel my energy into courage and stand.
“Thank you for your hospitality. I will be going now.”
Spinning, I stride to Erik’s dwelling. He trails me as I enter the structure. Gathering my clothes in the bag, I sling it over my shoulders. He produces a strand of leather from his pocket and holds it up. A silver medallion hangs in the vortex.
“This is the symbol of our tribe. Present it to the next tribe, so they will know you’re a friend.”
“You count me as a friend after I challenge your way of life?”
“You are one of us now, bound by the blood of the land.” He offers his arm.
I clutch his forearm, and he squeezes mine. Taking the medallion from him, I string it over my neck. Amaud dips his chin a hair as I exit the structure. It is not two more steps before a large form appears before me. The man who killed Alec drops to one knee and bows his head.
Tears form in my eyes. “Let me pass.”
His gaze meets mine. “Please, my lady. I am Will of Alaric. I’m sorry for my part in your mate’s death. I cannot say that it was wrong or that I wouldn’t do it again but let me atone by serving you the rest of my days.”
“Why would I ever accept you? Why would you want that?”
“You are but a youngling. I’m a strong warrior. I know the ways of the northern tribes. Let me help you.”
“Why do you want to help me?”
“I too lost my family. They fell prey to the sea. I strive to make sense of this life, see a greater purpose. I see one in you.”
“I have no shelter, no home, nothing to offer you. I live off the land.” My mind races, wondering if I could tolerate his presence, trust him, even learn to look at him without hate in my heart. “How old are you?”
“One hundred three. If you can abide me, I will follow and protect you all the days of my life.”
I look to the sky and bite my tongue so that tears do not form again. A swallow crests and swoops above us, calling to his flock. I think of doves and a
ll Elizabeth taught me about spirit animals. Listen to Mother Earth, her voice echoes in my mind.
“Yes, Will of Alaric, you may join me. You will be my swallow.”
Will follows me through the village. Silent, the tribe’s people line our path. He trails several feet behind me, and my stomach turns with trepidation. My mind reels with fear. Why had I agreed to let him come along? The mere scent of him elicits an anger I fear can’t be controlled. The only thing stopping my instinct to attack is the knowledge that I’d surely be bested.
A hundred feet north of the village, I stop. The heat wafts off his body as he closes the distance between us. Still, I do not shift my eyes in his direction. “Stay downwind and at least a furlong from me.” Eyes trained on my path, I trudge forward.
Will follows my instructions, and I’m left with a silence that calms me. The air is cool but the sun warm, and I shed my leather vest. Smell of the fir needles, the soft mud under foot, and the gurgling streams all sing to me as if they’re calling me home. I feel I could live in the woods forever. The sun reaches its apex in the sky as I summit the nearest peak.
“Madam.” His voice is but a whisper in my ear.
I rotate in the direction the sound originated. “I am not a madam,” I say, restarting my trek.
“Alec was your mate.”
“No, we weren’t married.”
“Sorry, I don’t understand the customs perhaps. We are mated the day it is arranged.”
My mind scoffs at the intimacy of the conversation. “This is none of your concern.”
“I need rest. I have hunted all night.”
“You’re a warrior. Did you not travel all the way to England to kill Alec?”
“Yes.”
“We travel by day and rest by night.”
“What of hunting?”
“Before we leave your tribe’s land, we’ll hunt for the last time till we’re given permission by others.”
“We’ll reach the border at sunset.”
“Then we’ll stay within the boundaries until dawn.”
I return to my northern course, jumping a boulder and lofting myself to the next. In the southern open territory, I’d been too afraid to use my strength, scared to be detected. But now in the dense forest within the boundaries of Erik’s tribe, I feel safe. Picking up my pace, I run between the streams, leap over brooks, and scale trees to keep my bearings. It feels good to use my muscles after days of sitting. But, my happiness is short lived as I remember my romps in the forest with Alec.
Midpoint to sundown the wind shifts, and I freeze.
“You recognize the coming of the boundary,” Will’s voice wafts to my ears.
Twisting my head in all directions, I can’t see him, much less determine his location based on scent. My nose crinkles with the increasing potency of fish smell. “I thought the next tribe would smell similar to yours.”
“Why would you think that?” comes Will’s reply.
I find his form some fifty feet away jumping a rock. “I haven’t seen you all day. It’s impressive.”
“I’m well trained.” Will stops and stands upright. “Erik’s Norwegian tribes and the Artic Tribe are enemies.”
“What? The medallion is useless? Why did Erik give it to me? Norwegian tribes? I thought the three tribes were enemies.”
“I don’t have an answer for the medallion, but yes and no. The Norwegian tribes were one, but they grew too large.”
Anger rises in my chest, and I take a deep breath. “Why would Erik order one of his own murdered?”
“It’s much like a parent raising a child. You wouldn’t send them out into the world without teaching the rules. And if they didn’t obey, you would punish them to make sure they remembered.”
“By killing a man for a deed performed as a boy.”
“No one from the tribes will hunt on enemy territory again.”
I sneer at him. “Why wouldn’t Erik tell me the neighboring tribes were an enemy? He seemed to indicate otherwise.”
Will starts towards me. “Perhaps he wanted you to form your own opinion. You did say you wanted to know your people.”
“Where is the boundary?” I demand.
“At the top of the peak.”
“Let’s hunt now and wait on the boundary as the sun sets.”
“Agreed.” Will rotates as if scouting for an animal.
After the blood from the reindeer, I don’t feel hungry but worry about the ability to hunt in the days ahead. I climb a tree and wait for signs of life. Pulling my hair from over my ears, I study the sounds of the forest. I hear the flutter of a heartbeat and, branch by branch, lower myself to the ground. Darting towards the animals, I catch the first hare and then the second just as they start to race off.
“You can’t take them with you.” Will’s voice startles me.
Rage builds in my chest. “If you can’t leave me be, I’ll send you back.” I search the trees. Finding him some forty feet away atop a fir, I scowl in his direction.
His lips rise on one side, which is the first time I’ve seen him smile. “I’m just trying to help. I didn’t think you would want to be wasteful.”
“Have it yourself then.” With all my might, I fling one of the hares at him.
He doesn’t move to catch it, and it smacks him on the forehead. Still, he doesn’t flinch. I race up the mountain, looking for a private spot. I find a small cave halfway up and climb inside. It’s wet and cold, but at least I’m away from him and his stench. I let the smell of the dirt and the rancid smell of rotting vegetation infuse my senses. Heart rate calming, I focus on my meal, hating to admit that Will is of some use. It’s good to know who the enemies are, even if they are not my own. As for me, the only foe I have is my raging grief. Until last night, I’d been in shock. Now, all I can feel is anger.
When I exit the cave, he’s standing outside. “You’re too close to the boundary, and the sun is setting.”
“That’s the point.” I hike my bag to my back and start for the top of the peak. He follows, not a rod behind me. The fifteen-or-so-foot distance feels uncomfortable to me, but I reason that it may be for my own good. We reach the summit, and I turn west, watching the orange ball sink into the ocean. Even with the fetor of the tribal boundary swelling around me, it seems peaceful for a second. With the setting sun, I tug the leather cover from my bag and put it on. Climbing over boulders to the highest peak, I lower myself to the rock surface and cross one leg under the other. I sit facing the neighboring tribe’s land.
“This is your plan?” Will’s voice sounds as if he’s just beside me. I find him at the bottom of the outcropping.
“I’m showing them that I mean no harm.”
“There could be hundreds of them. There are only two of us, and you’re a youngling.”
I shrug and refocus on the fading light in front of me. There will be no darkness, but my body craves it. If only I could sink into oblivion and rest forever. “So, let them take us. What is the worst they can do?”
“Kill us.”
“We have broken no laws.”
“That we know of.” Will scrambles to the top of a rock not ten feet from me.
Not letting myself think of Alec, I remember my days as a small girl in the school house. The boys would watch out for me in the yard, protect me when we went to the market, and slide extra meat to me from their plates. I steal a glance at Will, wondering if I’ll ever be able to see him as anything other than Alec’s killer.
A new odor rouses me, and I jump to my feet. On the next rock over, I see that Will stands erect, muscles tensed, the long wooden spear from his back in one hand and huge metal dagger from his belt in the other.
Halfway down the summit, beings exit the tree line. I count ten of them.
“Ten.” Will’s word is barely a whisper on the wind.
My plan had been to display the medallion as a symbol of another’s trust. With Will’s disclosure of the relationship between the tribes, I disregard the idea. In
stead I jut my palms straight out from my torso, holding them open. “I am Anne Scott of Isis and Ammon from the south. I mean no harm and want no discord. We are travelers. May we speak with your leader?”
One of the beings, a large male, steps forward. “I have heard of a girl traveling north in search of her mate’s killer. Now you travel with the same. We will not allow passage of a warrior of my brother’s tribe.”
Brother? My eyes find Will’s and I wonder if he also withheld information. He catches my stare for a second and refocuses on the vampire striding towards us.
I follow suit, lifting my chin and projecting my voice. “I only look for information, histories, knowledge of the tribes. I lost my family when I was young. I belong nowhere.”
The vampire stops his advance. “I have no need for passing a night with a youngling unless to bed her, and I would catch the devil from my wife.” Snickers break out behind him. “Our summer wanes, and we must prepare for the winter. You may pass south, skirting our borders until you cross onto another’s land. You will not step foot or hunt within my boundaries.”
“I understand,” I call down to him. “We’ll resume our trek south.”
I’m in need of rest and know Will hasn’t rested for over a day, but I won’t risk being vulnerable during their hunting time. Watching the men retreat, I hold my breath. I hadn’t considered I would not be welcome. It’s a foreign concept for one not to show kindness, hospitality. Realizing just how naive I am, I rebuke my expectation of a positive outcome. The next tribe will be different, I tell myself. It must be. This ill-defined quest is all I have.
“Come, child, we should make haste,” Will calls to me.
Animosity pulsing through my veins, I crouch on the rock and launch myself towards the boulder he occupies. Standing upright, I raise my chin to look into his eyes. “Do not ever call me child. I have suffered the loss of a lifetime.”
“Forgive me.” His eyes drop to his chest.
“Let us go.” I hike my bag up my back.
We reach the pinnacle of the peninsula and begin to run south. Pumping all my energy into my legs, I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t had the stake. Would Erik even have spoken with me? “Why didn’t you tell me their leader was Erik’s brother?”
The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set Page 80