Viking Love Beyond Time (Time Travel Romance) (59 page)

             
She rubbed her chin - what to do?  Then glancing up at her locker she smiled.  Of course, her atmosphere suit!  Quickly stripping off her gown she pulled it on, screwing the helmet down onto her shoulders.  As she fastened the last catch she heard a muffled bang outside the shuttle and glancing out of the window she laughed out loud, one of the guards had walked into the craft and was sitting in the middle of the street rubbing his head.  She recognised him as one of the trio who had  brought her back to
Winchester
from Wedmore, one of the  rapists.    “OK mister, try this one on for size!” she snapped, and flicking a switch on the console turned off the cloaking device, then hit the lights.  For a second the sentries stood and stared but only for a second, then, with a scream, they turned on their heels and ran.

             
Alodie opened the hatch and climbed down the ladder into the street, glancing round as she reached the bottom.  Frightened faces stared out of the surrounding houses, awoken by the lights and the screams.

             
She wandered calmly up the road, monstrous in her atmosphere suit.  As she passed, the good citizens of
Winchester
crossed themselves and pulled away from their windows.  She had parked the shuttle as near as she could to the cell wall - far enough away so it would not be damaged by the blast but near enough to hopefully get Herger in without being stopped.

             
Reaching the wall she stood back.  “Please don’t be next to the wall, Herger” Alodie said out loud and setting the gun to low blast she squeezed the trigger and the night lit up with a deafening roar as the wall in front of her literally exploded.

             
As the dust and debris settled, Alodie heard the screams and shouts of the people in their houses, the yelling of the guards and the barking of dogs, together with the frightened neighs of horses.  She glanced swiftly round.  Ten or eleven guards were tumbling out of the gate but on seeing the strange monster in the street with its huge shining craft, they stopped.

             
Calmly Alodie inspected the wall, then cursed.  The cell was a subterranean one and there was only a gap of about two feet between the ceiling of the cell and street level.  Most of the wall she had blown away was that of a storeroom.  Walking over she lay on her belly and looked down into the cell.  She could see a figure lying on the filthy floor, quite oblivious to the mayhem going on around him.  She sent up a silent prayer of thanks as she saw his arm move - he was still alive - however she was going to need help to get him out.

             
Climbing to her feet she gestured imperiously to the guards who were peering round the wall - to a man they shot out of sight.  Undeterred, Alodie turned on the speaker system inside her helmet.  “I need four men over here, now” she said.  Her voice echoed hugely round the deserted street.  No one answered her.  “People of
Winchester
” she boomed.  “I am the goddess Freyja, come for the Viking, Herger.  Unless I have him delivered here to me within five minutes, alive and unharmed, I shall blow this town to pieces.  With that she lifted her arm and aimed another beam at a tumbledown shack she knew to be deserted, on medium blast this time.  With a flash it disintegrated, leaving a huge smoking hole in the ground.  She walked back to the ship and waited at the top of the ladder.

             
After about three minutes a head popped round the wall.  Alodie smiled, it was Alfred and he looked terrified.  She turned off the interior lights in her suit helmet.  “Come nearer mortal” she boomed.  Alfred began to walk toward her, shaking like a leaf.  Alodie coughed to hide a giggle as she saw Edric and Aelfric follow him.  She held up her hand.  “Stop there - where is the Viking, Herger?”

             
Alfred wrung his hands together.  “W - we are bringing him great goddess” he stammered “do not harm us we pray”

             
“I wish no harm to any here good king but Herger is the chosen of Odin and I have come to escort him personally to
Valhalla
”

             
As if on cue two men appeared at the gate with Herger slumped between them, they were half dragging, half carrying him.  Alodie frowned, he should not be this ill after two weeks of autodoc treatment.

             
Alfred flapped his arm feebly in Herger’s direction.  “He - he has had an accident goddess, I am afraid he is - er not himself”

             
As they approached, Alodie climbed down the ladder and gestured to the shuttle.  “Take him up the steps and deposit him in my craft” she snapped.

             
Goggle eyed with fear the men did as they were bid, re-emerging seconds later and almost throwing themselves down onto the ground before scuttling away up the road.

             
Grinning again, Alodie climbed into the shuttle.  Herger was lying unconscious on one of the bucket seats.  She lifted his wrist.  His pulse was very faint and his skin had a definite yellow tinge.  Just as she thought - his autodoc bracelet was missing.  She climbed back out and onto the steps “HOLD” she shouted.  Several terrified faces looked up at her.  “Herger had a bracelet, a special one with stones around it, his wife gave it to him - I want it NOW!”

             
Alfred shrugged and looked at Edric who turned to the crowd which had gathered behind them.  “The Norseman’s bracelet - who has it?” he shouted.

             
No one answered, but Alodie noticed the gaoler taking a step backward into the shadows.  Raising her arm she pointed it in his direction, then turned up the volume in her headset.   “Come hither gaoler!” she boomed.  The man shook his head and backed off, holding out his hands in front of him.

             
Jumping down to the ground Alodie gestured to Alfred.  “If you value this town and its inhabitants King Alfred” she said “you will bring that varlet to me. Once I have the bracelet I will go and trouble you no more but if I do not get it within the next five minutes I will begin to demolish this town, starting with your hall!”

             
There was a collective gasp at this and several of the onlookers went down on their knees and began to pray.  “Well, I am waiting great king!” she snapped.

             
Alfred gulped and tugged at his collar.  “Guards - find that gaoler for Jesu’s sake and bring him back!” he croaked.

             
Alodie was beginning to enjoy herself, with three exceptions she could no more hurt anyone in this town than - no not fly to the Moon, she could do that quite easily - than chop off her own head, but they would not know that.  As if on cue she saw another of the rapists at the back of the crowd.

             
She had a fleeting impulse to demand that Alfred raise Wat the cooper to the nobility but thought better of it, after she had gone they might take it out on Wat and his family - accuse them of being in league with Lucifer.

             
Hearing a scream behind her she turned.  Three burly men at arms, one of whom was the third rapist, were dragging the struggling gaoler across the courtyard.  “Saints preserve me, Jesu preserve me - from the powers of Beelzebub rescue me” he babbled.

             
Alodie struggled not to laugh as the man was pulled through the gates and thrown at her feet.  He covered his face with a pair of filthy, warty hands and began to blubber.  “The man was dying your Holiness” he gabbled “I did not know - oh Jesu help me!”

             
Alodie held out her silver gloved hand.  “The bracelet, moron!” she rumbled.

             
Shaking like a leaf the man reached for his wrist and after a second or two of scrabbling threw the bracelet to the ground.  “Pick it up, thief!” snapped Alodie.  The man did so and held it out to her.  She took it from him and pushed her face next to his, thanking providence for the protection her helmet afforded her from his breath which, if the state of his teeth were anything to go by, would have stopped a lion in mid leap.  “If you ever steal anything from any  prisoner again I will know and I will ask Thor to send down a - a thunderbolt and there will be nothing left of you but your boots - do you understand?”  The man nodded, biting his lip.

             
Alodie smiled and turning on her heel she walked through the crowd, which again parted before her, past Alfred, Edric and Aelfric, to the shuttle, then began to climb the ladder, at the top she stopped and turned up her speaker system to full volume “King Alfred” she boomed.  “You have been fair to me, I will be fair to you.  You accused an innocent of treachery and sent her back to
Winchester
in the company of three soldiers who forcibly dishonoured her.  These men should be punished for this crime, I will be checking that they have”  that should do it, she thought as she saw Edric calling the captain of the guard over to him.   Then she took a last look round, yes, there was Aehlswith at one of the windows, looking terrified, she was tempted to wave to her but decided against it.  She could even see Margaret and her brothers at the edge of the crowd.  She deeply regretted not being able to say goodbye to them.

             
Quickly climbing into the shuttle she closed the hatch and switched on the engines.  With a hiss the craft lifted off and hovered at around twenty feet.  “Goodbye my friends” she whispered, fighting back the tears, then, removing her helmet and operating the controls, she turned to the south west and the shuttle leaped forward and was out of sight in the blink of an eye.

             
Alodie let out a huge sigh of relief, then screwed up her nose and turned.  The smell in the cabin was indescribable,  Herger seemed to be covered in slime and was breathing very shallowly.  She glanced down, there was a clearing ahead with what looked like a waterfall running into a tiny pool.  She landed the craft and turned round to examine him.

             
His hair was covered in mud and excrement and green slime and sores covered his face and lips. Alodie touched her own, the sores were almost healed.  He seemed to be running a fever.  Lifting his filthy hand she slipped on the bracelet and smiled to herself as it sealed, then, deciding he needed fresh water and realising the shuttle’s stocks had not been replenished, she grabbed a cup and opening the hatch climbed out of the ship.

             
The stream glinted silver in the moonlight and a small wind soughed through the  trees, this place, it seemed familiar.  Then Alodie rocked back on her heels - it was their glade, the glade she and Herger had first ......her hands flew to her mouth - he must recover  - he must!  Tearing off her gloves she dipped the cup into the swiftly flowing stream and filled it.  Then walked back to the ship.

             
Herger was beginning to regain consciousness, supporting his head Alodie dribbled some water onto his lips, he moaned and swallowed.  She would have given anything to be able to get him into the pool to wash all the dirt and filth from him, but it was impossible, he was far too heavy to manhandle down the steps and it was vitally important that he did not regain consciousness in the shuttle.

             
She opened the hatch above her seat and pulled down the emergency medical kit.  Bandages - no, universal antibiotic - no, autodoc would have that in train - ah here it was, triptocorozene.  Alodie read the instructions,  it was to be used in cases of violent mental disorder to keep the patient tranquillised, it could also be used to help an active patient rest in order to recover from wounds - perfect.  She tore open the wrapper and put the container next to Herger’s arm and pressed the button.  He jerked slightly as the drug entered his system then his forehead relaxed and he fell into a deep sleep.  Letting out her breath with a sigh of relief she climbed back into the bucket seat.

             
What to do now?  Herger was in dire need of a bath, a bed and some sustenance, autodoc would do the rest.  “Idiot” she snapped to herself, of course, she would take him to Bredond, they could collect the children and see what was to be done when he had recovered.

             
Decision made she lifted off, heading in a south westerly direction at a height of two hundred feet and a speed of six hundred miles per hour which brought her over Bredond four minutes later.  The place was, unusually, in darkness.  Alodie slowly circled the hall, there were no candles in any of the windows - strange, Godgyth usually left a candle burning in the window at the top of the stairs.

             
Suddenly feeling apprehensive she landed the shuttle just outside the perimeter of the village and, stripping off her atmosphere suit, she dressed once more in the blue linen gown Aehlswith had brought her and with a last glance at Herger, clambered out of the ship.

             
The village seemed to be deserted.  As Alodie first walked, then ran, through the streets she became more and more worried.  There ought to be a candle gleaming at Hyld’s house for goodness sake, night was her busiest time.

             
In a nearby barn she heard the cackle of a hen and somewhere a dog was barking.  At last she came to the inner hedge and, pulling open the gate, she ran up to the hall doors.