Harlequin Historical September 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Lord Havelock's List\Saved by the Viking Warrior\The Pirate Hunter (32 page)

Thrand gave Cwen a quick glance. Her face except for the streak of blood was completely white. Thrand's blood boiled anew. He choked it back with difficulty and blocked another blow from Narfi, but Narfi also kept his distance, preventing Thrand from delivering the killing blow.

Sweat streamed down Thrand's eyes, blurring his vision. The time was right. Risky, but he could force the issue. He pretended to sway and stumble as if he were disoriented and tired.

Unable to resist, Narfi came closer and once again stuck out his foot. Thrand deliberately crashed down. Narfi's sword caught his back, sending a pain jolting through him but Thrand forced a roll and jammed his sword upwards.

With one fluid motion, Narfi fell, gave a gurgle. Thrand kicked the body to free his sword.

His men and Narfi's were arranged about in a circle, silently watching. Thrand pointedly turned his gaze from Knui. Promise or no promise to Sven, the man had betrayed him and defied his leadership. A swift death was too good for him.

‘Lady Cwenneth is mine. Mine. Does anyone else fancy trying their luck?'

The cowards who passed for Narfi's men started to back away, looking to save their hides. Thrand concentrated on breathing. Get them gone, before he dealt with Knui. And he wanted to know how many other of his men might betray him. In the silence which followed, the others began to beat their swords against their shields and proclaim their loyalty to him. The noise grew until the woods rang with sound and Narfi's men had taken to their heels and fled.

‘Watch your back!' Cwenneth called out. ‘Knui!'

Thrand pivoted and swiftly dispatched Knui, who had crept up on him with a drawn sword. Knui gave a soft gurgle and fell on top of Narfi.

‘I owe you a life debt, Cwen,' he said, looking straight at her. The bleeding had stopped on her cheek. He wanted to enfold her in his arms and taste her lips again. ‘You saved me from having to execute him. Sven was blind to his defects.'

‘We are even, then. Narfi would have killed me, and the death he had planned would not have been quick or easy.'

‘We're even,' Thrand confirmed, bending down and cleaning his sword, rather than reaching out to her. Little things to occupy his mind and hands. He had come far too close to losing control and it had been his anger at what could happened to Cwen which spurred him on, rather than his desire for revenge or the knowledge that his men depended on him to get it right. And that scared him half to death.

Cwenneth rose unsteadily to her feet. Somewhere in the top of the tree, a bird started singing again, filling the air with joyous sound.

Knui and Narfi lay dead on the blood-soaked ground. They were the first men she had ever seen die violent deaths. Knui had betrayed her and would have killed Thrand. And Narfi would have tortured and murdered her.

Several violent shivers went through her. She lived, but the man who had started the slaughter breathed no more.

‘Are you all right, Cwen?' Thrand asked. ‘You seem miles away. We need to get going before they return with reinforcements. Narfi will be left for the crows to pick over.'

‘And Knui? What happens to his body?' she whispered, keeping her eyes averted from the bodies.

‘I regret that I ever allowed Knui on this expedition. I thought to honour my friend's request, but Knui had the black heart of a traitor and deserved a traitor's death.'

‘He tried to kill you.'

‘He knew that he had to or I would have killed him.' Thrand's face became hard. ‘Once he had allowed his greed to get the better of him, he was doomed.'

‘You suspected him.'

‘I distrusted him, but I never expected him to betray me or my men in this fashion. Sven would never have asked me to have Knui on this
felag
if he had suspected the full extent of his treachery. Some would say that Knui's death was far swifter than he deserved.'

‘He had betrayed others?'

‘Hagal pays gold for betrayal, not out of the goodness of his heart. You heard Narfi the Black. They had done business together before.'

‘Narfi took pleasure in killing,' Cwen said slowly, concentrating on the bodies rather than on Thrand's hard face. ‘He spoke about getting a large meal after the slaughter. Do you ever feel like that? That killing makes you hungry? Do you need to eat?'

She wasn't sure why she asked except Narfi's statement yesterday had truly revolted her. Maybe if she knew Thrand was like Narfi, then this longing for Thrand would go. Maybe she would feel like she should find a way to escape from Thrand and get back to her old life, instead of having this small thrill that he had claimed her as his woman and had fought for her.

‘My appetite goes for days,' Thrand replied. ‘The last thing I feel right now is physical hunger. All I feel is sorrow that two warriors are dead and all because of the greed of one man.'

Cwenneth nodded. A small piece of her rejoiced. He was not as depraved as Narfi. But it still did not make him safe or any less her enemy...her very temporary ally. ‘I'm trying hard to find pity in my heart for them, but I can't. Goodness knows what sort of person that makes me.'

‘The line between revenge and justice is as fine as a hair.'

She bit her lip, hating that part of her had rejoiced at Narfi's death. She never considered that she would be someone who enjoyed another's demise.

‘I should be better. The priest at Lingwold would tell me I was wrong and any death diminishes me, but Narfi needed to die.' She shook her head. ‘I suppose at least the worst one is dead. Justice of a sort for my men.'

‘No, the worst one remains alive,' Thrand corrected with a stern gaze. ‘Do you think these men would have done what they did if Hagal hadn't ordered them to? He keeps his hands clean, but his heart is black. I've no idea how many other warriors he has corrupted with his gold, but I can make a guess.'

‘Have I put you and your men in danger?' she asked, putting her hand on Thrand's sleeve. ‘They know you are in the area now. When I overheard Narfi and the other man speaking back in the woods, it was mentioned that they could not spread the rumour you had done this because you were in Jorvik with the king. But now Hagal will know before night falls. They will say you did it, not Hagal. They will make you into an outlaw.'

‘Only if we fail to make the Storting.' Thrand slammed his fists together. ‘When they have reinforcements, they will come looking for us, in particular you. We go now.'

‘Why would they listen to me? All Hagal has to do is proclaim it was Narfi acting on his own and—'

‘Narfi would have slit his own mother's throat if Hagal asked him to,' Helgi called out. ‘Everyone knows whose creature he was. There are many in the Storting who reckon that he'd never bed a woman without asking his master's permission.'

Cwennneth pressed her lips together. ‘Is that supposed to be reassuring?'

‘You are more of a threat to Hagal then ever. You know too much. You're the proof that Hagal planned this. The king will listen to you and hear the truth in your words.'

‘I heard Knui say that he had taken Hagal's gold previously for information,' Cwenneth said. ‘There must be others who have taken gold. Surely they should be exposed.'

‘Exactly!' Helgi said. ‘This woman of yours, Thrand, is more than a pretty face. She has a quicksilver mind. Thor has favoured us indeed.'

‘The proof of what?' Cwenneth stared at him. ‘What does Hagal intend?'

‘The proof he intends to move against the king. Or rather the king's chosen successor when the king dies. Halfdan is gravely ill. Hagal knows that most of the inner circle distrust him. It is why he was sent to Acumwick, rather than being kept close in Jorvik. I suspect he intends to use your brother and his men in some way to assist his cause.'

‘My brother made peace with the Norsemen so he would not have to go to war again. This was what my marriage was about—a weaving of peace. He wants to remain at Lingwold for the birth of his child.'

‘Your brother is no stranger to war, though. The Lord of Lingwold can command an army. Hagal wants that army.'

‘Or maybe just the dowry he stole to pay off his bribes.'

‘If he needed that, he would have kept you alive so he could have had you beg your brother for more gold. How big was your dowry?'

She sucked in her breath. Norsemen politics sounded as precarious as Bernician. But Thrand was wrong. Edward had more respect for his men than to move directly against Halfdan. He still counted the cost of the last war.

‘More than it should have been,' Cwenneth admitted with a sigh. ‘My sister-in-law grumbled about it, but my brother thought it was a small price to pay if he no longer had to worry about paying Danegeld every year to you.'

‘Your brother has never paid me Danegeld.' Thrand leant down and picked up his sword, cleaning it on Knui's cloak. ‘We met in battle and that was all. I went south and killed for my king there. It is where I collected my gold.'

‘He swears he pays it to Thrand the Destroyer. Grumbles every single time. “That misbegotten Norse raider” is probably the kindest thing he has said about you.'

Thrand frowned. ‘Hagal has held the north since the end of the last war. If anyone demanded payment, it will be one of his men. They simply used my name to extract money.'

‘Yes, that bothered Narfi.' Cwenneth shook her head. ‘And my husband would have slain Hagal's kinsman in battle, rather than in cold blood. It is the fortune of war. There is a difference.'

Thrand stilled, listening. ‘Our time grows short.'

He turned away from her and barked several orders in Norse. His men looked unhappy, but agreed. Two quickly mounted their horses and rode off in the opposite direction. Another three followed suit going another way. Within a few heartbeats she and Thrand stood alone in the glade with the bodies and two horses—Thrand's and Narfi's.

‘What is going on?' Cwenneth asked as her stomach knotted.

‘Change of plan.' He put a hand in the middle of her back. ‘You stay with me. My men have other jobs to do. If we split up, there is more chance they will follow one of them. Hagal will think that I will make straight for Jorvik and that is where he will concentrate the search. We need to go north. I will fulfil my oath.'

Cwenneth regarded the deep and menacing woods, rather than leaning into his touch. She had no idea how she was going to run, let alone walk. Her legs were like jelly. But if they stayed, Hagal would return with more than enough men to deal with Thrand.

‘How far do we have to go before we can stop? Before we are safe?' she asked, moving away from his touch.

His face grew grave. ‘You won't be truly safe until Hagal is defeated. It would be wrong of me to lie to you, Cwen. Helgi and Ketil are going to Jorvik to tell the king what happened here. Halfdan will listen to them and stall any request for blood money for Narfi the Black and Knui Crowslayer's families until the Storting begins and I have returned. He owes me that much. The others go to warn various other warriors whom I know are loyal to Halfdan. They need to be on the lookout for the traitors, men who have accepted Hagal's gold and are prepared to forsake their oaths.'

A great hard lump of misery settled in her breast. She pushed the thought away and concentrated on her immediate problem. ‘How far do you expect me to walk?'

‘I don't.' He leapt on his horse. ‘Your walking days have ended. They will expect me to take you south, but we are going north. It is the best way to keep you safe.'

‘But I can't ride!' Cwenneth gasped out. She looked at Narfi's horse. There was no way she could do it. The brute bared its teeth at her. ‘I've no idea of how to ride and now isn't the time to start.'

‘Your education has been singularly lacking then. We remedy it—now.' He caught Cwenneth by the waist and hauled her up on his horse, setting her in front of him. He kept her in place with one arm while the hand held the bridle. He made a clicking noise in the back of his throat and his horse lunged forward.

Under her bottom, Cwenneth felt the power of the horse. It amazed her that he could handle such a big animal with ease, but it was as if he and the horse were as one. Liquid heat rushed through her. This man had fought for her.

‘Would Hagal beat you in a fair fight?' Cwenneth gave an uneasy laugh and tried to concentrate on other things besides the warm curl in the pit of her stomach. She'd get over this attraction to him. He had made it very clear where his feelings lay. His interest in her was as a weapon against his enemy. He did not care about her as a person, or more importantly as a woman. ‘Or is he like Narfi? All talk and pride.'

He increased his grip on her waist. ‘Hagal fights better than any man I know. But he prefers to play the spider and allow his victims to blunder into his web.'

Cwenneth gulped and concentrated on the horse's ears. She'd hoped that Thrand would dismiss Hagal as not very good and overrated, but Thrand respected his skill.

‘Where are we going if not to Jorvik?'

‘To the north. Near Corbridge.'

The north. Corbridge. In Bernicia. Still many miles from her home, but reasonably close to her stepson's lands. Cwenneth's breath caught.

Only yesterday, she would have been trying to figure out a way to escape and get to her brother. Everything had changed now. She had seen the personal risk Thrand had taken to save her life. She knew what Narfi was capable of and she had to believe that Hagal was a thousand times worse. Hagal had to be stopped before he caused the whole of Lingwold to be destroyed.

‘What is in the north?'

‘I made a promise to my best friend. I will ensure his child is well looked after. Before all things. I owe Sven my life many times over. He was the closest thing I had to a brother. If something should happen and my life were to end before this was done, I know Odin would forbid me entrance to Valhalla.'