Viking Love Beyond Time (Time Travel Romance) (80 page)

             
Harald grinned at the assembled throng then “Catch!” he shouted and hurled the tiny bundle into the air.  Anstice had never moved as quickly in her life.  Diving to the right she caught her baby who, miraculously, seemed to have slept right through the whole thing.

             
Alodie safe, Anstice’s fear began to be replaced by anger.  “You foul pig!” she hissed, Harald grabbed her by the hair “get the brats wench” he snarled  “or their half sister will join the cook’s head in the fire – don’t rely on the fact that Herger is her father to save her.  I have a score to settle with that bastard”  he fingered his scar “and with milady Alodie for that matter”

             
With a sob Anstice did as she was bid and within ten minutes they had been bundled onto horses, she and little Alodie, to her horror, in front of Harald and Tom and Nerissa in front of two other Vikings, little Nerissa screaming for dear life.

By nine in the morning they were at sea, Nerissa spending most of her time vomiting into a  bucket and Tom spending most of his time glaring at his captors, a fact which seemed to impress them immensely.

Baby Alodie seemed to come off the best, Anstice was terrified that her milk would dry up but thank God, it had not and she had been able to keep her new-born quiet for most of the journey.

But now, nine days later, Anstice was at the end of her tether.  She had caught the Vikings leering in her direction and she knew that, were it not for the fact that she was still bleeding from childbed, they would have ravished her before now.  The fact was that her bleeding had lessened considerably in the last few days and the Vikings must know it.  She could not hold out must longer. 

Nerissa pulled her shawl tighter around her small body and looked up at Anstice with a chubby tear stained face.  “Dadda?” she whispered.  “Mamam?”

Anstice felt the tears gush into her own eyes as she laid little Alodie down on her pallet and pulled Nerissa into her arms “There, there my pet” she whispered “Daddy will be here soon and then these bad men will be…….spanked”

Young Tom glanced up at this.  At sixteen months he was the size of a two and a half year old and older, much older, in his ways, not to mention his grasp of speech.  As Anstice looked up at him he smiled at her then drew his forefinger across his throat.

Just then Harald’s huge ugly face thrust itself into her field of vision, he reached out and grabbed her hair, dragging her head round as he gestured with a filthy finger toward two huge rocks which reared from the sea like two rotten teeth.  “Odin’s Twins!” he hissed.  “Nearly home my pet, almost time for you to get out of those wet things and into my dry bed, then Toki’s, then Tostig’s then……oh, you’ve gone pale!!”

With that he pinched her cheeks and turned to leave.  As he did so Anstice heard him curse and spinning round saw, to her horror, Tom standing in front of the Viking, his baby face set into a snarl and his chubby hands gripping a knife.  Anstice had absolutely no idea where he had found it or how long he had had it but her blood ran cold “T-Thomas” she whispered “give Anstice the knife, there’s a good boy”

Harald held up his hand.  “Quiet bitch – Odin, this is a Viking truly.  Herger must be very proud of you little one – now I wonder how ‘Dadda’ would feel if I threw him your head?”

The commotion had carried to the other side of the ship and soon little Tom and Harald were surrounded by laughing, jeering Vikings.  “Two gold pieces on young Herger!” shouted one.

“What a lad – look at him, naught but a baby and he’s trying to cut Harald’s black heart out”

“In another fifteen years he’ll be able to” said the first man.

Harald grinned, showing a row of blackened stumps, and pulled out his knife.  “He won’t live that long!” he sneered

“Sweet Jesus NO!” yelled Anstice and letting go of Nerissa ran toward Harald and grabbed his arm “He’s only sixteen moons old you animal – let him go!” she sobbed.

With a sneer Harald pushed her away then advanced toward the baby.  “You’re not going to kill him are you Harald?” asked one of the other men.

Harald turned to him, a sneer on his face, “Ner, but I’ll scar him a bit”

“Nooo!” screamed Anstice “Please, let him alone!”

Harald turned to one of the Vikings who was leaning against the ship’s rail, snapped his fingers and pointed at her “Tostig, shut her up – now!” he snapped.  The big blond man grinned, and removing the piece of straw he had been chewing from the corner of his mouth, advanced toward the terrified girl, unfastening his
britches
as he did so.

Anstice hurriedly pushed Nerissa toward the sleeping pallet.  “Angel, sit with Alodie” she said, her voice shaking.  “Please stop crying and be good, I’m just going to talk to this man”.  The child did as she was bid, pushing her thumb into her mouth and sobbing as she did so.  She had no idea what was going on, she was cold, hungry and wet and wanted her mother and father and to be off this ship.  She also wanted those horrible men to stop hitting Anstice and annoying Tom.

She looked around.  Where was Tom? Ah there he was, playing with the horrid man who hit Anstice.  Where was Anstice for that matter?  Oh yes, another man was cuddling her, at least he wasn’t hitting her like the man who was playing with Tom did.  Alodie cried out in her sleep and feeling cold Nerissa cuddled up next to her and closed her eyes.

************************

“They seemed to have stopped Herger” said Erik.  The
Freyja
had been gaining on Olaf’s ship steadily for the last hour and now, with less than a mile between them, almost within hailing distance through the ram’s horn, their prey seemed to have come to a dead stop.  A seagull cried above them and the wind was cracking the flag at the masthead.

“Do you think they have seen us Erik?” asked Herger.

The man shook his head.  “They seem to be interested in something else” he muttered.

A feeling of dread filled Herger.  “Oars” he snapped “faster, the rest of you – quiet”

As they approached, the sound of raucous laughter wafted across the sea toward them.

Young Thorssen, who had the best eyes on the ship and was hanging over the side with his arm looped round the figurehead, reported that they all had their backs toward the
Freyja
and seemed oblivious to her approach.

Herger looked at Bjarnie who had begun to croon to himself and then at Thorund Thorundsson who was
c
ramming mushrooms into his mouth and talking to his axe.  It was at times like this, even if at no other, that Herger was glad to have the berserker along.

Strangely enough they managed to pull up alongside the ship before a member of the crew looked round and with a yell gripped his sword.

Erik smiled broadly and lifted up his hand.  “Peace, we are Olaf’s men, sent to escort you home and take the women and babes from you” he shouted.

Harald pushed his way to the side of the ship.  “Do I know you?” he asked.

Erik sighed.  “No, but whether you do or not, you have let us come up next to you without posting a watch, Olaf the Black shall hear of your negligence.  Why, this could be the ship of Herger the Raven here to rescue his babes!”

Harald spat and guffawed.  “Hardly likely, he is in
Northumbria
or half way across the sea trying to catch us up”

“And what if he should?” continued Erik, evenly.

“The only way Herger the Raven could have beaten us here is if he had flown.  Anyway, come aboard, we have some fine entertainment.  The Raven’s baby son has challenged me to a knife fight.  He is only sixteen months old but by Odin if I do not watch myself he will be knifing me in the ankle!”

             
Erik looked round.  Herger was standing at the back, a hood pulled low over his face and his shoulders hunched up to disguise his height.

             
Erik swallowed.  “A fighting baby eh? and the Raven’s own you say?  That we must see” he turned and snapped his fingers, men quickly picked up boarding planks and threw them from ship to ship.  As they crossed, Herger grinned, what idiots Olaf employed - not one of them had even glanced up to see what flag was flying or asked anyone for any proof of who they were and as for Harald!  Herger had last seen him thrown down an ordure pit in Bredond and promptly forgotten about him.  He had obviously escaped and now fancied himself a sailor.

             
As they pushed to the front of the press of men Herger pulled his hood further down over his eyes and cultivated a limp and a hunched shoulder.  He had decided to leave Thorund on the boat as the man was fast approaching ‘berserker’ state and could not be trusted to keep his head for much longer.

             
“There he is” said one of the men gesturing to the space in the middle of the deck.  “Isn’t he a little bantam cock though?  His da to the life. He got that knife from somewhere and when Harald here gave his nursemaid a smack round the ‘ead he went mad!”

Herger glanced up, his heart hammering in his chest.  There was his only son, the light of his life, in the middle of a cleared space grasping a knife which to him was the size of a sword, and holding it out in front of him with a look on his face that Herger had seen numerous times before, reflected back at him from his shield.

The child had his back to the mast, eyes glancing from one to the other as the Vikings towered above him, laughing and jeering but all wishing he was theirs.  Anger mixed with pride began to bubble its way up from his stomach and he gripped his sword tighter.  Suddenly over the general laughter and hubbub came a woman’s scream.  He felt Bjarnie next to him stiffen and he put his hand on his friend’s freckled forearm, then glanced over at Erik who nudged Harald.  “What was that?” he asked.

Harald laughed and jerked his thumb toward the aft of the ship.  “Oh that, that’s the bairn’s nursemaid.  She was fresh out o’childbed, good looker too.  Still, she’s been on the rag over ten days now so I’m lettin’ Tostig ‘ave a bash.  He’s screw a snake if yer held its head and he’s been lustin’ after ‘er for days.  You can ‘ave ‘er next if yer like, I’ll ‘ave a go in a coupla days” he wiped his nose on the back of his hand and turned back to Tom. “Right, little one, let’s be at  you” he growled and amid cheers knelt down, throwing his knife from hand to hand.

Erik turned to Herger and shrugged, a look of puzzlement on his face.  They would probably not be able to get the children and Anstice aboard the
Freyja
before the fight started, and whilst Herger did not think for one minute that Harald would actually kill Tom he could cut him badly, maim him even.

Harald lunged at Tom and to Herger’s surprise and delight the child spun away from the knife to a chorus of cheers and claps from the men and Harald fell clumsily forward.  Little Tom took his chance and running forward sunk his knife in Harald’s thigh.

The howl of delight which greeted this almost rocked the ship.  Herger turned to Bjarnie who by now was shaking.  “Bjarnie, go to Anstice.  Go round the back, deal with the bastard who’s despoiling her as quietly as you can, get her and little Alodie and Nerissa and take them to the
Freyja
, now, go” Nodding, Bjarnie pulled his cloak further over his head and circled quickly round the back of the men, drawing his sword as he did so.

**************************

Anstice bit down on her knuckles as her still tender insides rebelled at the thrusting male flesh which was tearing them anew.  She glanced over at the sleeping little girls and prayed with all her might that neither of them would ever know anything like this.

Tostig had thrown her roughly to the floor and pulling up her skirts had pounded himself into her with skin tearing, nerve shredding force.  How could she face Bjarnie again now?  How could she ever let him touch her again after this filthy animal had defiled her?  Would he in fact ever want to?  With each thrust the pain swept over her in suffocating waves.  “Please God, let me die, please sweet Jesus, let me die, I cannot stand much more of this” she sobbed aloud.  She screwed her eyes tightly shut then opened them as the sun which burned red on her lids was replaced by darkness.  A huge form loomed over them.  “Oh please God no” she whispered “No more, please”

Tostig looked up.  “Piss off, whoever you are!” he snapped.  “wait yer turn”

Anstice bit her lip then almost screamed with shock as the newcomer pulled off his hood revealing a  flaming thatch of long red hair. Tostig looked up again.  “I’m not going to tell yer again ginger, you can ‘ave ‘er when I’ve – Oodin!”

Bjarnie had not wasted any more time – he pulled Tostig away from his wife by the simple method of grabbing his hair and dragging him up, and Bjarnie was almost as strong as Herger.

As she was released Anstice scuttled backwards, pulling down her skirts as she did so and getting painfully to her feet picked up little Alodie in her arms, covering her with a shawl.

Almost negligently, Bjarnie threw Tostig one handed against the side of the ship.  The men were cheering so loudly that most took no notice and the odd one that did glance in their direction saw two warriors fighting over a woman, a common enough occurrence.

Bjarnie was murderous.  He dearly wanted to play with Tostig before he killed him, cut off his balls, gut stab him and watch him die by inches but time was short. “Loki’s balls ginger” groaned Tostig, getting to his feet, pulling up his braeis and rubbing his arm “if yer that desperate you can ‘ave ‘er, no need to shed blood over  ‘er”