Viking Warrior (17 page)

“Do not tell me what to do, wench. Put her on the ship,” Elgar ordered brusquely.

Though Reyna resisted, it did little good. A warrior grabbed her and dragged her through the water to the ship as Elgar motioned to the rest of his men to follow him.

Reyna’s mind worked furiously. She had to do something…anything. “Wait!” she screamed. “You were probably seen as you traveled up the fjord. As we speak, Norsemen from nearby villages and farmsteads could be preparing their ships to attack yours.”

Elgar sneered at her. “A few paltry Norsemen do not frighten me. I have come a long way to kill Wulf the Ruthless.”

“As I said before, Wulf is not here,” Reyna argued desperately.

“The wench is right,” Elgar’s right-hand man pointed out. “We should take her and leave before we find ourselves surrounded by Norse dragonships. I say we let the Wulf come to us so we can kill him on our own ground. If Reyna the Dane is Wulf’s wife as she claims, he will surely come for her.”

A chorus of “ayes” followed the man’s words.

Elgar seemed to consider the suggestion. “How will Wulf know who has taken his wife?”

“Send word to my father,” Reyna suggested hopefully. “Wulf will go to him when he finds me missing.”

Though Reyna was not sure Wulf would consider her worth rescuing, she must try to convince Elgar that he would.

“Perhaps you are right,” Elgar admitted. “The longer we remain in hostile territory, the greater the risk of facing opposition. Much as I relish a rousing battle, getting you to my farmstead will increase my chances of luring the Wulf out of his lair.”

He waved his arms in the air. “Back to the ships, men.”

Uma had been gathering watercress by the fjord and had hidden herself in the dense brush when Reyna approached. Now she observed what was happening. Though the words were foreign to her, she assumed the warriors were Reyna’s brothers, despite the fact that they did not look friendly.

She watched from her hiding place as the foreigners returned to their ships and shoved off into the fjord. When the oarsmen rowed toward the sea, Uma crept away. Excitement swept through her. Reyna had returned to her homeland with her brothers without bidding Wulf as much as a good-bye. Well aware of Wulf’s pride, Uma knew he would not go after his wife. Perhaps he would turn to her for solace, Uma thought gleefully. She wished she could have understood what Reyna’s brothers were saying for there seemed to have been some sort of argument. It mattered not, Uma thought, shaking her head. Reyna was gone and only Uma knew what had happened.

The family returned to the farmstead in time to partake of the evening meal. The mood all around was light and happy. Hagar and Rannulf’s father had agreed upon the marriage terms to everyone’s satisfaction. Afterward, a sumptuous feast had been laid out and a copious amount of mead and ale consumed. Late in the afternoon, the family, except for Helga, who would remain with her new husband and his family, had trekked back to their own farmstead.

Wolf returned to his hall, expecting to find Reyna waiting for him. But as he approached, he was struck by a strange premonition that all was not as it should be.

Wulf looked for Reyna the moment he walked through the door, frowning when he did not find her. It
was growing dark; where could she be? After he questioned his thralls, his apprehension multiplied. Neither Lorne nor Gerta had seen Reyna since she’d left the hall this morning.

Concerned but not overly worried, Wulf left the hall and walked to the volcanic pool. Reyna was not there. Nor was she in the steam hut. Concern turned to fear. What had happened here today? How could Reyna have disappeared without a trace? Wulf hastened to Hagar’s hall, chiding himself for not checking there first. She was probably with his family, helping with the evening meal.

Wulf began to worry in earnest when he learned Reyna was not there either. His family expressed concern and offered to help Wulf look for her. Hagar, Eric and Olaf left the hall immediately while Thora questioned the thralls. Wulf was headed out the door when Uma timidly approached him.

“Master, I know what happened to the mistress,” she confided.

“If you know something, speak freely,” Wulf replied.

“I was collecting watercress growing near the water’s edge when I spotted foreign ships approaching the landing. Not knowing what to expect, especially with the family away, I hid in thick foliage. Then I saw Reyna standing on the bank of the fjord, watching the ships. When they scraped ashore and fierce warriors jumped from the ships, I became frightened.”

Wulf’s lips flattened. “What happened next?”

“I heard Reyna speak to the leader. Their conversation seemed friendly enough, so I naturally assumed your lady’s brothers had arrived. They conversed for a time, and then a warrior helped Reyna board one of the ships. Finally, all the warriors returned to their ships and sailed away, taking Reyna with them.”

Wulf cursed so violently, Uma shrank away from him. “Do you know what was said?”

“No, I was not familiar with the language. Reyna, however, spoke to them with ease.”

“Return to your duties,” Wulf growled. He needed to think. He hadn’t for one minute believed Reyna would actually leave him. What a fool he’d been.

“What is it?” Thora asked as she joined him. “What did Uma say to you? Does she know what happened to Reyna?”

“Uma claims Reyna’s brothers arrived and she left with them.”

“I find it difficult to believe she would leave you,” Thora scoffed. “She loves you. Could she have been taken by force?”

“Uma says Reyna spoke their language and conversed easily with them.” His fists clenched at his sides. “I can only assume that Reyna has divorced me and left without so much as a farewell to anyone.”

“Will you go after her?”

Wulf’s mouth turned downward into a scowl. “No, I will not chase after a woman who does not want me.”

Wulf shared the evening meal with his family and returned to his hall immediately afterward. He found it difficult to believe that Reyna had left so abruptly. Why hadn’t Dag and Borg stayed to greet him? Was Reyna that desperate to leave him?

Once inside his hall, Wulf went directly to his sleeping alcove, where Reyna’s scent still lingered. Then he saw her trunk sitting in a corner and realized she had left without her belongings. It struck him as odd that Reyna would leave everything she owned behind. The more Wulf thought about it, the angrier he became.

Good riddance, he thought. She had made her decision. So be it.

The days following Reyna’s disappearance passed slowly for Wulf. He still planned to attend the
althing
with his family but no longer looked forward to it. Obviously there would be no marriage announcement. Disgusted with himself for missing Reyna, he shook his head. Marrying a Dane had been a mistake, despite their attraction and compatibility in bed. Determined to forget Reyna, Wulf began making plans for his summer travels. Perhaps this time he would sail to En gland, where great riches could be taken from monasteries protected by monks who were forbidden the use of weapons. Sounded like easy pickings to him.

The day before the family was to leave for the
althing
, visitors arrived at the farmstead. Wulf and Hagar had just left the steam hut when they saw two men trudging up from the fjord. Wulf stiffened with outrage the moment he recognized Reyna’s brothers. How dare they return to taunt him! He reached for his sword, recalling too late that he carried no weapons.

“Brother,” Borg greeted, reaching out to clasp arms with Wulf and then Hagar. “How fares our sister?”

Wulf’s silver eyes glittered with malice. “I was going to ask you the same question.”

“What do you mean?” Dag asked. “Why would we know anything about Reyna’s welfare? We have not seen our sister since she left our farmstead.”

“You lie!” Wulf sneered. “You came and took her away from under our very noses.”

“We did no such thing!” Borg denied vehemently. “We sailed to Ireland, exploring the coast. ’tis a good land, a fertile land. Perhaps we will settle there one day, like many of our people do. We have come to visit our sister as we promised.”

Fear rose up in Wulf’s throat, nearly choking him. “If
you did not take Reyna away and she is not here, then…”

“An enemy took her,” Hagar concluded.

“I do not understand,” Dag growled in a voice rife with menace. “How could an enemy spirit Reyna away without your knowledge?” He took a threatening step toward Wulf. “Why did you not protect her?”

“Everyone but Reyna was visiting the family of the man my sister Helga married,” Wulf explained. “Reyna does not care for Rannulf so she remained behind. When we returned and found her missing, we naturally assumed you had arrived and she’d decided to return to her homeland with you. One of the thralls swore that the dragonship Reyna left on belonged to Danes, and that she spoke with the men in your language. What else were we to think?”

Hand on the hilt of his sword, Dag advanced on Wulf, until he and Wulf stood toe to toe. “What reason would my sister have for leaving you? Were you a cruel husband?”

“I was not a cruel husband. Reyna’s reasons for leaving me, if she did indeed leave me, were personal. But now that it seems she was carried off by an unknown enemy, I will find her and bring her back where she belongs.”

“How do you propose to do that? Do you know who carried her off?” Dag challenged. “It could be Finns, or Swedes or even Russians.”

“The thrall, Uma, witnessed the entire exchange between Reyna and the men with whom she left. She said the dragonships belonged to Danes. Come with us to the hall. I will question her again and translate anything you do not understand.”

Dag and Borg agreed with alacrity, and they followed Wulf and Hagar to the hall. After introductions were made to the rest of the family, Wulf summoned Uma.

“Uma, these are Reyna’s brothers. Do they look familiar to you?”

Uma studied the two Danes, her eyes wide with fear. “No, master, I do not recognize these men.”

“Look carefully, Uma. ’tis important.”

“These are not the warriors who carried Reyna off,” Uma vowed.

“You said ’twas Danes who took Reyna away. How did you identify them as Danes?”

“The cut of their ships and the markings were identical to those of the Danes who attacked the farmstead before and killed your wife and aunt. And though I recognized some of the words they spoke, I could not put them together. The ships belonged to Danes, master, I am positive.”

“Did you understand that?” Wulf asked Borg.

“Most of it. We will return home immediately and find the bastard Danes who took our sister. Perhaps Father has already received a ransom demand.”

“My ship is ready to sail,” Wulf said. “Give me two days to gather sailors and warriors and we will leave together. No one steals my wife and gets away with it.”

Driven by a feeling he could not name, a madness he could not shake, Wulf implored Odin to help him find his wife and bring her home safely. Life without his warrior woman would never be the same.

Suddenly Wulf went still.

“What is it?” Hagar asked.

“Uma said the enemy ships and markings resembled those of the raiders who attacked the farmstead. I know Hakkon is dead because I killed him, but what if someone close to him seeks revenge?”

“Elgar,” Borg bit out. “Hakkon’s son.”

From the moment Wulf realized that Reyna hadn’t left him willingly, his feelings underwent a complete reversal. He was relieved that she had not left him by choice, fearful that she might be in danger.

Wulf cursed himself for not realizing how much he cared for Reyna, how much losing her would impact his life. How could he have been so stupid? Why hadn’t he been able to embrace the love she offered him and return it? Did he love Reyna? His heart did an erratic flip flop. It appeared so. Was he ready to admit to loving a Dane? Aye, he was.

Worry, however, chased the fleeting pleasure of his realization from his mind. Reyna could be in grave danger. If Hakkon’s son had taken her and Elgar knew Reyna was Wulf’s wife, would the Dane exact revenge on her in Wulf’s stead?

With that thought in mind, Wulf set out immediately for the village, seeking warriors and sailors to man his dragonship and fight the Danes who had kidnapped Reyna. By day’s end, he had recruited thirty-two warriors and sailors, all eager to flex their muscles in battle. They were to meet at the landing on the fjord and leave in Wulf’s dragonship the following morning along with Dag and Borg.

Meanwhile, Olaf and Eric were readying the ship with provisions for the voyage across the sea. Only Hagar would remain behind to protect the women.

The following morning, on an overcast, windless day, three ships sailed down the fjord to the sea. Since the wind refused to cooperate, the men rowed, hugging the coast and then using a sun stone to turn south toward the land of the Danes.

The next day the wind picked up and the ships scudded across the waves toward their destination. Four days later, Borg’s ship led the way into the fjord that would eventually take them to the landing closest to their father’s farmstead.

The moment the ships scraped the bottom, men jumped into the shallows, pulled them onto the sandy shore and began making camp on the grassy bank. They would provide their own meals from the provisions they had brought with them, supplemented by the wild game available in the nearby forest.

Wulf and his brothers accompanied Dag and Borg to the farmstead. As they entered the yard, Harald came bounding out of the hall to meet them.

“How did you know?” Harald asked.

Fingers of icy dread crept up Wulf’s spine. “Know what?”

“Hakkon’s son has Reyna. A ransom demand was delivered by one of his people just yesterday.” He turned on Wulf, his anger palpable. “You were supposed to protect my daughter, Wulfric the Defender. What happened?”

Wulf explained why Reyna had been left alone on the farmstead in a few concise words. But Harald still wasn’t satisfied.

“How is it you arrived with my sons?”

There was no help for it. Wulf had to tell Harald the whole of it. “When Reyna first disappeared, I assumed
Dag and Borg had arrived while the family was away and that Reyna had returned home with them.”

“Without telling you she was leaving?” Harald barked. “Was Reyna not happy with you?”

Wulf shrugged. “I do not know. As I said, we all assumed she had left with her brothers. And then your sons arrived and disclaimed any knowledge of Reyna’s disappearance. Fortunately, one of the thralls saw what had happened. Uma said two ships arrived while Reyna was walking along the bank of the fjord. When Reyna spoke in her own language to the warriors, she naturally assumed they were her brothers, since their arrival had been expected. When I questioned Uma further, she remembered that the markings on the ships and the cut of the sails were the same as those belonging to the Danes who raided our farmstead before.

“I knew Hakkon was dead for I killed him, but your sons told me Hakkon has a son named Elgar. Everything seemed to fall into place. We sailed here straightaway to see if you had heard from Elgar or received a ransom demand.”

Harald snorted. “The bastard did not waste any time contacting me.”

“I brought some gold and valuables with me to help with the ransom,” Wulf said. “Together we should be able to meet Elgar’s demands.”

“You misunderstand, Wulf,” Harald bit out. “Elgar wants something only I can provide. He desires my land. Our country is small; there is little room for expansion. He will accept naught less than my farmstead for Reyna’s life.”

Borg spit out a curse. “What will he do if you refuse?”

“Elgar will kill Reyna if we do not leave our farmstead,” Maida said as she came up to join them.

“I’ve brought warriors, enough to defeat Elgar in battle,
if it comes to that,” Wulf informed him. “They are camped near the ships.”

“Our own warriors will join Wulf,” Borg vowed.

“We should have no difficultly defeating Elgar in a fair fight, but we cannot risk it,” Harald replied. “I cannot endanger Reyna’s life by refusing Elgar’s ransom demand.”

“Let us go inside,” Maida suggested. “You can eat and drink and ponder a solution that will not harm our Reyna. What about your men? Their numbers will not fit in our hall.”

“The men will hunt to supplement their stores. Worry not about them; they but await orders,” Wulf said.

“Our men will make camp alongside yours,” Borg said.

They all tramped inside the hall, taking seats around the table while thralls served them food and drink.

Wulf’s mind searched furiously for a resolution to the problem, one that would not endanger Reyna. At length, he asked, “How does Elgar plan to return Reyna to you, Harald? Did he send instructions?”

“Elgar and his warriors will arrive by way of the fjord, where Reyna will be handed over to me. After that, we are to depart aboard my dragonship for what ever destination we choose.”

“When?” Wulf asked.

“In three days,” Harald lamented.

“Elgar wants more than your land, Father,” Dag growled. “He wants your life. He will keep Reyna for himself and kill you and Mother.”

“There has to be a way to beat Elgar at his own game,” Wulf said, pondering the dilemma placed before him.

Reyna sat on a crude pallet on the floor of the dark hut that had become her jail. Since her arrival at Elgar’s farmstead, she had seen no one but the male thrall who
delivered the two unpalatable meals a day she was allowed.

Reyna had no idea what was to become of her, or what plans Elgar had for her. She knew he intended to ransom her, but to whom—her father or Wulf? Which man would pay more for her safe return? Elgar was merely a minor jarl who aspired to greater riches and power.

Reyna stiffened when she heard the door latch rattle. Someone had removed the bar from outside the door and was about to enter. Was it mealtime already? It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden burst of light, and when they did she saw Elgar leering at her through a circle of torchlight.

Reyna rose to her feet. “What do you want?” she asked, refusing to be cowed by his threatening stance.

Elgar advanced into the hut. His bulk seemed to suck the air from the small room. “I thought you would like to know your fate.”

Reyna’s chin rose defiantly. “Even if I do not, I suppose you are eager to tell me.”

Elgar scowled at her. “Your defiance will get you nowhere. It would serve you well to listen to me. ’tis no secret my father coveted your family’s land. I sent a messenger to deliver my ransom demand to your father. He was told that your life is forfeit if he does not adhere to my demands.”

“My father is not easily frightened, not by the likes of you, anyway. Besides, when Wulf arrives…”

“Forget your husband. He has no idea what happened to you. He will not show up any time soon. Nor will your brothers. They went exploring and have yet to return.”

Disbelief colored Reyna’s words. “My father can command an army to defeat you in a matter of days.”

Harsh laughter filled the small hut. “Think you your father will let you perish at my hands? I seriously doubt it. He knows I will kill you if he refuses to comply.”

His next words made Reyna’s breath seize in her throat. “Once Jarl Harald abandons his land, he expects me to hand you over to him and let you all sail away unharmed. But I am no fool. Once he leaves, he will gather an army and retaliate.”

“How dare you make such demands!” Reyna cried, when she realized Elgar’s evil plans.

“I would dare much for land,” Elgar growled. “Your family will not leave their farmstead alive. After we kill your family, I will claim their farmstead and you will become my bed slave.”

“When is all this to take place?”

“I have given him three days. We are to meet at the fjord near your farmstead.”

A coil of fear snaked through Reyna. Like his father Hakkon, Elgar was an evil man. “You have forgotten my brothers,” Reyna reminded him. “They will punish your foul deeds when they return.”

“Oh, fear not, Reyna, we have plans for them too. They will be slain the moment they return from their travels.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Reyna spat.

“I thought if you knew you would be sharing my bed, it might soften your attitude toward me. Since your life depends on my good will, it behooves you to treat me with kindness.”

“Kindness? Ha! Never! Like your father, you have been dredged up from the pit of the deepest, darkest hell. I think it is you who should ponder your fate. Wulf will not let your depravity go unpunished.”

Actually, Reyna had no idea how Wulf would learn what had happened to her and her family across the sea.
Nor did she know if he would even care. He did not love her, so why should he care that she had disappeared from his life? The only hope for her and her family’s survival was her brothers. And even that was doubtful. Somehow she needed to escape and warn her father. Once he knew she was safe, he could raise an army to fight Elgar without fear of endangering her life.

“Forget Wulf the Ruthless,” Elgar boasted. “He cannot possibly reach you in time, even if he figures out where you are, which is highly unlikely.”

He leaned in closer to her, until she could smell the foul odor of his body. “My wife divorced me and I am in need of a bed slave. I am eager to see how good you are beneath the furs.”

“Come any closer and you will be sorry,” Reyna threatened.

Elgar threw back his head and laughed. “I am twice your size, wench. Naught you can do will hurt me.”

He placed the torchlight in a nearby sconce and reached for her. Reyna ducked. Wulf had called her a warrior woman and she intended to live up to the name. Elgar wouldn’t take her without a fight, she vowed. He reached for her again. This time Reyna was ready for him. Bracing herself against the wall, she kicked out with all her strength, her booted foot catching him square in the groin. Elgar let out a roar and fell back, his hand protecting his privates against further assault.

“Bitch!” he cried, once he recovered enough to speak. Then he backhanded her across the face. “You will die if you try that again. As soon as I am recovered, I will beat you until you beg me to take you.”

Limping to the door, he opened it and let himself out. Cupping her bruised cheek in her hand, Reyna heard the bar scrape across the opening, sealing her inside. She slid down the wall to the floor, shaking uncontrollably.
Elgar was going to kill her family and there was nothing she could do about it. Or was there?

Suddenly Reyna became aware that Elgar had left the torchlight. She was no longer in the dark. Removing the torch from the sconce, she held it aloft. This was the first opportunity she’d had to examine her prison. The one narrow, shuttered window, barred on the outside, did not let in enough light for her to tell night from day.

Reyna’s hopes fell when she realized the hut was bare except for her pallet and a slop bucket. It was also sturdily built with no visible loose boards or weak walls. After replacing the torchlight in the sconce, Reyna sank to her pallet to think. A short time later the door opened, admitting a male thrall carrying a bowl of stew, a hunk of bread and water to wash it down. Reyna glanced at the door, hoping to make a break for it, but the thrall wasn’t alone. A warrior stood at the door, guarding the only exit.

Once she was alone again, Reyna picked up the spoon and tried to eat, but the stew was tough and her bruised jaw pained her too much to chew. But the pain was nothing compared to what Elgar would do to her when he returned. She prayed that his injury would prevent him from coming back any time soon. Or that a miracle would save her. Without a miracle, she would die with her parents.

Giving up had never been Reyna’s way. As long as a breath was left in her body, she would fight to return to Wulf. Her hand fluttered to her stomach. In one way a miracle had already taken place. Freya had heard her prayers. She wasn’t barren after all. Her courses, due about the time she had been abducted, had not arrived. If the gods were kind, she would live to bear Wulf a son.

While the household slept that night, Wulf came up with a plan to rescue Reyna. He laid out his scheme the
following morning when the family gathered to break their fast. Though it wasn’t perfect, any plan, no matter how flawed, was better than no plan at all.

Harald was skeptical at first, but since no one had offered a workable substitute, the consensus was to go with Wulf’s proposal. After a lengthy discussion, Dag and Olaf set out to apprise the warriors camped on the bank of the fjord of the upcoming battle and their part in the surprise attack.

“Be prepared to shove off at nightfall,” Dag instructed the eager warriors. “We will row our ships along the fjord and beach near Elgar’s farmstead. Then we will make our way through the woods to the farmstead and hide there until we receive Wulf’s signal. Make no mistake—victory will be ours.”

Battle cries filled the air in response. All the warriors would welcome an honorable death in battle.

Meanwhile, Wulf prepared to walk the distance to Elgar’s farmstead and hide in the woods until dark. It was his job to locate and rescue Reyna before the warriors arrived by ship. If he could not remove her from her present situation, he would be forced to call off the attack for fear that Elgar would kill her once the attack began. Since Wulf did not know the way, Borg accompanied him.

Wulf and Borg left the farmstead after a hearty morning meal. Borg led the way through a gray, misty day well suited to their mission. They walked for several hours, meeting no one along the way. Once Elgar’s long-house was in sight, they took to the woods, sidling from tree to tree lest they be spotted by anyone who happened to be out and about.