Desire's Fury (Viking's Fury Book 2) (11 page)

E
xcept for the
sound of the wind, the mountainside village where Eva lived was silent. Close to dusk, she easily slipped into her mother’s cottage unnoticed. There was a centrally located fire pit with a pot of reindeer stew hanging over it, bubbling and smelling so good she wanted to taste a spoonful. One side of the hut was dedicated to her mother’s work. Shelves were packed with jars of dried herbs and medicines. A thick mat woven from river reeds covered the dirt floor. A place for patients to lie down while they were examined.

The other side of the space contained two beds, a table, and four chairs. Meager accommodations compared to where Eva had spent the last days. She sighed as she looked about, reacquainting herself with her surroundings, surprised at how strange it felt to be back.

Several drums hung on the wall over her cot and she traced the figures she’d painted on them. Reindeer, herdsmen, salmon jumping in the stream, trees, the sun, moon, stars, and the netherworld, where her ancestors lived after they died. All symbols of her heritage, the only thing she had left to cling to.

“Eva?” Her mother stopped at the doorway. “Where did you come from, child?”

“Ma…” She ran to her mother, hugged her, then dropped to her knees. “Forgive me.” Fresh tears stung her eyes, for she’d started crying the moment she parted ways with Troel and hadn’t stopped since. “I am a bad daughter. I’ve neglected you and my people. Followed my own path without your blessing. Sacrificed much to satisfy my own needs. I beg your forgiveness.
Please
.”

“Self-indulgence isn’t always wrong, child. What other way exists to teach our children the difference between right and wrong?”

Eva palmed her tears away and gazed up at her mother. “What do you mean?”

“Remember the widow’s son? She treasured that boy so much that she let him do whatever he pleased.”

“Yes,” Eva said. “Until he started to throw up from drinking fermented milk.”

“The boy didn’t have the stomach for it, but refused to give it up because he loved the way it tasted. His mother grew weary of cleaning up after him every morning. So instead of beating him, what did I advise her to do?”

“To buy as much milk as she could carry from the market and give it to him to drink.”

“Aye.” Her mother grinned at the memory. “The boy thought he’d outsmarted his mother, didn’t he? After the eventide meal, he sat down at the fire and called for his mother to serve him. Again and again she refilled his cup. He drank so much his stomach bloated. But still he didn’t stop. Until he awoke in the middle of the night with the worst belly pain and then started retching. It lasted for hours. And by the time I arrived, he was pale and weak.”

“He never touched it again.”

“Aye. Now stand up and let me have a closer look at you.”

She slowly rose to her feet, ashamed of herself and afraid of what her mother’s reaction would be to the rumors her brother had spoken of.

“You are not the same girl that left the village, Eva.”

Her shoulders drooped. “I know.”

Her mother framed her face between both her hands. “You are a woman now. A woman in love.”

“No,” Eva denied.

Her mother tsked. “You cannot hide from your own feelings.”

“Maybe I don’t have the same feelings you do. Maybe I don’t have a heart.”

“The gods give us what we need to survive, daughter. I was blessed with sharp vision. Even at my old age, I can see through your veiled words. You are in love with the jarl.”

Eva pulled away. “You know everything?”

“I know what the women chatter about. I know that Jarl Brandr was honored days ago, sent to Valhalla in glory. I know his son is a capable leader. And I know Markkos is a jealous liar who covets anyone’s happiness.”

Her mother’s words shocked her. “What are you saying?” All her life Eva had waited for her mother to defend her, only to be disappointed. Whenever she had a disagreement with her siblings, her mother sided with her brothers. Until now.

“That I know what my eldest son is capable of. He is bitter in his own marriage bed and instead of making peace with his wife, he has taken that negative energy and invested it in you. Hoping to capture joy in another way. By expanding his herd and making money by marrying you off to a wealthy man.”

“B-but Markkos told me you agreed to the match.”

“He only hears what he wishes to hear. My permission is required for any marriage contract to be binding.”

She gazed upon her mother with renewed, deep affection. “So you do not expect me to wed Iisku?”

“Child…” She cradled Eva’s hand. “You are my only daughter. But more than that, we are both women cursed by a talent that almost exclusively belongs to men. I carry the burden of my people on my shoulders every day of my life. Passing that on to you when it is time for me to give up my spirit is something I’d rather not do.”

By the gods…
Eva had been wrong. Desperately wrong about her mother’s love. “Is this why you’d never recognize me as
noaidi
?”

Her mother nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve misjudged you. Grown up envious of my brothers’ closeness to you.” Eva embraced her mother.

“If you knew the truth, our people wouldn’t be convinced you couldn’t take my place. Especially, Markkos. I sacrificed tenderness to give you a chance at a better life. The village is no place for my daughter. Things are changing, child and not for the better. War is coming to Scandinavia. Even the Sami will be forced to choose a side. I expect great things from you, Eva. You are a true
noaidi
. I’ve known this since the day you were conceived. The lowlanders need a teacher, a Sami healer to broker peace between our people. Go to your Norseman. Love him.”

Eva needed to sit down. “How can you call me
noaidi
if I haven’t had visions?”

Her mother joined her at the table. “You’ve always dreamed. But I gave you potions to keep you from remembering.”

Eva covered her face with both hands, frustrated and happy. “If this is the case, mother, why can’t I stay here with you?”

“Markkos seeks power. He consorts with men of bad reputation and has convinced the elders to approve your marriage—to deprive me of my authority as your mother. If he finds you here, he’ll drag you to the altar and make you marry Iisku. Even though our laws are clear. I need time to set things right.”

“These are the changes you foresee?”

“Aye.”

She grasped her mother’s hands across the table. “I love you.”

“I am proud of you, child. It makes my heart sing to see you reach your full potential. You are the daughter of Bavlos and Kearte. A child of the sun and moon. Your spirit will always run free in the mountains—not far from my own. But I fear for your life at the hands of your brother. He’s blinded by ambition. And in time, he will find that power—but this will only make him more bitter. You are the target of his misguided aspirations. Though other energies are at work in the great universe that make him unhappy, he blames you. His wife will never love him. Though she carries his first born now.”

“Oggi is pregnant?”

“Aye.”

She needed time to digest everything. “Can I stay here tonight?”

“No.”

“Please. I am exhausted. And I want to be with you.”

“Listen to me, Eva. Return to your Viking. Beg his forgiveness for ever leaving. Tell him what you feel, what’s in your heart.”

Eva shook her head. “How can I when I don’t even know?”

Her mother clicked her tongue reprovingly. “Stubborn girl.”

“I learned it from you.”

“No,” her mother challenged. “That flaw came from your father.”

They both laughed.

“Who will take your place, mother?”

“Leave it to me.” She stood. “Now go, before someone catches you here.”

Eva walked around the table and hugged and kissed her mother repeatedly, sad they must part ways. “I don’t fear, Markkos. I am willing to stand up to him.”

“I will not risk your life.”

“Then take this.” Eva handed her the coins Roald had given her. “A gift from me.”

Her mother tested the weight of the bag in her palm. “Thank you, child.”

“
Mun ráhkistan du
.” She’d love her forever.

R
oald had caught
up with Eva and Troel within an hour, but stayed far enough behind that she would never discover he was following them. If the girl thought their goodbye was final, she didn’t know the type of man he truly was. He’d been waiting to meet the right woman for a long time. The fact that it took a Sami healer to stir his heart, well, he now regretted the way he’d treated Silvia upon her arrival in the Trondelag.

There’d be no hypocrisy during his rule. A lesson he should have remembered well from his sire. But hatred blinded him temporarily. He hoped to make peace with Konal and his wife after he straightened out his own life. Convincing Eva to return home with him might take some time.

“Tell me again what she said to you, Troel.” He gazed at his captain over the camp fire.

“Nothing you don’t already know. She’ll miss you, milord. And she reminded me that there are bad men in every family—that we should not judge each other’s clans. The girl has an old soul, Roald. I believe she’s favored by the gods.”

“Did she open her gift?”

“No.”

“Did she linger or ride away after she said goodbye?”

Troel shook his head. “You love her?”

“Aye,” Roald said.

“If you didn’t have a head as hard as an ox’s, you might have spared all of us and confessed your feelings to the lady.”

“A fine bit of wisdom coming from a man who’s never cared about a woman.”

“You are wrong, milord. While you were still suckling your mother’s teat, I competed for a girl’s hand. Her father, a minor jarl in the south, decided to hold a contest. The winner earned the right to marry her.”

“What happened?”

His captain sighed. “What do you think? I lost.”

“I am sorry.”

“Why? The better man won.”

“Have you ever seen her again?”

“Once,” Troel said. “Years ago when I traveled south to find new recruits for your sire’s army. I stayed the night at her father’s keep. She had three children by then.”

“And was as round as a longhouse.”

“Nay. More beautiful than I ever remembered.”

Roald didn’t want to suffer the same loss. Though Troel served his family faithfully, the man rarely expressed himself. He didn’t drink in excess and rarely showed interest in women. That kind of empty existence would slowly kill any man.

Troel yawned and stretched. “I am weary. There is nothing more we can do tonight.”

“Sleep, old friend. I’ll take first watch.”

Hours later, Roald heard something moving in the tall grass. He unsheathed his sword and crawled along the ground in the direction of the noise. He’d purposely camped in this spot, hoping to catch Eva’s brother on his way home—they had unfinished business to discuss. And Roald owed him another thrashing.

With a full moon and clear sky overhead, he could see well. A lone figure stood in the open, staring at the heavens. Staying on his hands and knees, he watched in fascination, recognizing Eva’s curvaceous silhouette immediately. She wore a white shift with her long, golden hair loose.

Joy flooded his heart, but he wanted to see what she was doing before he made his presence known.

“Hear me mother and father. Sun and moon and stars. Wind and rain. Land and water. Creatures great and small. Embrace me, forefathers, and my cousins yet to be born. I am
noaidi
. So named by my mother tonight. I am a healer. Sworn to preserve life, not take it. I am a woman with a heart, in love with a man I should not seek. I am a daughter and sister. Soon to be a mother. Hear me Biegkegaellies and Beaivi—father and mother of humanity. Hear me Sarakka—goddess of love and fertility, Juksakka—protector of the womb, Uksakka—the one who shapes my babe. Bless me. Fortify my heart. Give me life. Let it grow inside me…”

Roald couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Eva was begging her gods for a child, their child. But why?

“No one should live alone. Give me a child to raise in the old ways. One who will serve. One who will understand. One who will love all life unconditionally. One who will be revered as a peacemaker.” She dropped to her knees and beat her fists on the ground. “I will mourn the loss of my people. Never forget the faces of my father and mother. But I will obey your command, Beaivi-nieida—the great healer. Show me where you wish me to go…”

As she chanted her last words, a bright light surrounded Eva. So bright, Roald had to look away. Seconds later, he braved a second glance in her direction and the darkness had been restored.

“By Odin,” he whispered to himself. “It is as Troel stated. The girl is favored by her gods.”

He stood then and sheathed his weapon.

“You couldn’t stay away, Jarl Roald?” Eva faced him.

He chuckled as he closed the distance between them. “You’re a haughty woman, Eva.”

“Am I?”

“Presuming it was me hiding in the brush.”

“I sensed your presence.”

He could scarcely breathe after she said it. “Why are you begging the gods for a child when I’d gladly give you one?”

“Things have changed since we’ve parted ways. I never expected to see you again, so I asked the gods to bless me with a child so I would never be alone.”

If she’d only recognize what he had to offer her, all of her dreams would come true. “I heard your prayer.”

“Spying is rude. It was meant for the gods, not you.”

“Did you really think I’d let you go?” With only a foot between them now, he wanted to touch her.

“Twould be easier if you found a Norse woman to love.”

“After having you, Eva, no other woman would satisfy me.”

“I am Sami.”

“No.” He cupped her cheek. “You are mine.”

She leaned into his palm, then kissed his fingers. “I spoke with my mother, Roald. She enlightened me tonight, told me everything I’ve always wondered about. I am
noaidi
. All this time I thought I was a failure, the greatest disappointment to my family. She drugged me so I wouldn’t dream, to protect me from my brother’s plans. I don’t understand why I didn’t see it. Why I couldn’t sense my mother’s true feelings.” She explained everything.