The Viking (18 page)

The journey took three more days and by the end of it, Stefan
’s legs displayed a multitude of scratches from walking through the foliage and his feet were blistered and bleeding. In the evening of the third day, they were finally halted and what Stefan found himself looking at fascinated him enough to take his mind off his feet. Over the river, other men had begun to build a stone bridge and the first completed section had a high arch just like the Romans were fond of building. It brightened his mood a little. If he had to be a slave, he could at least learn how the bridge was built.

Stefan expected they were to help build the bridge the next day, and he was right. The guards took the seven to the river where they were joined with some twenty other men. Yet there were almost as many guards as there were captives, they were heavily armed and the avenues of escape looked bleak. The slaves were told to fill the baskets with rocks and carry them to the bridge. It was hard work and now instead of just sore feet, his arms and back ached long before the end of the day when they were at last allowed to eat and rest.

Day after day, he did his work and fretted over what had become of Kannak. If she were unwell, he would not be there to hold her hand this time and if a man tried to force her, he would not … He had to wipe that worry out his mind before he lost it completely.

The portions of food were small and again only given twice a day. On some mornings all they got was a piece of bread. Trying not to think about his hunger was even more difficult than trying not to worry about Kannak.

Night after night he replayed their last moments together, sent his mental message and prayed she was receiving it. When it was dry the slaves slept in the open where the guards could watch them easier, but when it rained they were allowed to sleep under the branches of the trees. Still, he found no avenue of escape. At night the ankle of each man was tied to a heavy shaft of wood with only enough rope to allow him to turn over. As well, the camp fires were kept ablaze shedding ample light on the captives.

He wanted desperately to talk to the other Macoran, but it was still forbidden, he suspected, for fear they would join forces and rebel. Rebellion, to Stefan
’s way of thinking was highly unlikely since the strength of the men dwindled with each passing day.

Twice the guards lashed a man for becoming distracted instead of working and it intensified Stefan
’s desire to escape. If only there were not so many guards. He might manage to take a sword away from one of them, but he could not fight all twenty men and win.

There was some measure of solace when he could observe how the bridge was being built, if only for a moment or two at a time. He found the construction genius and wished he could become friends with the builder, but alas, that was not possible either.

Then he became fascinated with one of the other slaves. The elder was a smaller man than most and daily, Stefan noticed, the man thought of something to smile about. Some days it was the beauty of a flower he managed to pick and tuck inside his belt so he could smell its sweet fragrance later. Some days it was the splendor of a soaring eagle or the speed with which a squirrel scampered up a tree. Once, the old man almost felt the lash for watching ducks swim down the edge of the river.

But most important to Stefan was the man
’s smile and after watching him more intently out of the corner of his eye, it was clear the old man often glanced upward and moved his mouth as though he were talking to God. The elder was missing two teeth, was dirty, hungry and exhausted like the rest of them, yet his smile warmed Stefan’s heart and he endeavored daily to work beside the old man just to see it.

They worked even when it rained and at the beginning of Stefan
’s sixth week as a slave, the old man slipped in the mud and started to fall. Stefan dropped his basket and reached out just in time to keep the old man’s head from hitting a sharp rock.

Suddenly, Stefan felt the lash of a whip. The pain made him arch his back and in an instant, he spun around. This time when the guard tried to strike him, Stefan grabbed hold of the whip and yanked the guard to him. He stood a good foot taller than his captor, was enraged enough to kill him and the guard had terror in his eyes. But Stefan worked the whip handle out of the man
’s hand, broke it over his knee and tossed it away. He looked to see if the old man needed more help, saw his grateful nod and went back to work.

The stunned guard could do nothing but stare at the blood soaking through the back of Stefan
’s tunic. He finally recovered his wits, picked up what was left of his whip and considered its usefulness. He decided there was enough of a handle left to strike Stefan a second time and pulled his hand back.

“I would not attempt it, were I ye, Striker.”

The guard turned just in time to see a monk ride his mule out of the trees behind him. He lowered both the whip and his head. “I am Gowan, father.”

“Striker suits ye better. Have ye not heard the words of the Lord? A lad who be willing to lose his life for another will sit at the right hand o
’ God and pass judgment on such as ye when ye have gone to yer just rewards.”

All the slaves stopped working and turned to listen. The riled guard dismissed the monk
’s words and yelled, “Back to work, all o’ ye!”

“Where be yer commander, Striker?” asked the monk.

“‘Tis the Sabbath, he be resting.”

“Aye,
‘tis the Sabbath to be sure. ‘Tis the only day I am allowed to ride me mule and see the land, which I consider a good way to rest. Perhaps ye would care to show me where in the Good Book it says these men are not also allowed a day o’ rest.”

At that, the guard frowned. “I dinnae make the decisions.”

“Who does?”

“My commander.”

“Then ye will go and fetch him for me.”

“Fetch
him? He will have my head if I…”

“I will have yer head if ye dinnae.” The monk considered the perplexed look on the guard
’s face for a moment. “Might I remind ye, ye build this bridge for the monastery. When the Pope hears…”

In a flash, the guard hurried off and the monk smiled after him. Then he turned a scowl on the other guards who quickly turned away and minded the slaves.

The monk was a rotund man dressed in the usual brown robe. His robe was made of wool with a different, although similar shade of brown down the middle, obviously added to accommodate his growing size. He seemed not at all bothered by the rain and even left his attached hood off his head exposing a touch of gray along the sides of his dark, tied back hair. He was comfortable on his mule, would have difficulty mounting it again and so stayed where he was.

It seemed a long time before the guard brought his commander. Meanwhile the rain stopped, the monk got a good look at the men and by the time the perturbed commander arrived, he was furious. “Cleanliness be next to Godliness, have ye not heard? They need to bathe and bathe weekly. And when was the last time they had a fit meal? What do ye give them to eat, a chunk o
’ bread? God said, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone and ye well know it. They are to build a bridge, not die where they stand for lack o’ sustenance. When the Pope hears about this…”

At the verbal thrashing, the commander was visibly shaken and could think of nothing to say but, “Stop the work!” He did not even notice that the slaves had already stopped and the other guards were afraid to yell at them.

“That’s more like it. Now, let them bathe. Ye’ve a river for it, do ye not?”

“Aye.”

“See they wash their clothing as well. I dare not think what sort o’ creatures live in soiled clothing. Cleanliness be next to Godliness and ye well know it!”

“Aye, they will wash their clothing.”

The monk was far from finished and narrowed his eyes. “I see, and did ye bring soap for the lads?”

The commander could do nothing but
bow his head. “Nay, father, but…”

“And blankets for the lads to wrap up in while their clothing dries.”

“Aye and blankets.”

“And a fit meal?”

“Aye, but…”

“Ye can plainly see I am not resting this Sabbath, nor will ye, not until ye have seen to the needs o
’ these lads. Yer striker there has injured one o’ them and I required medicine for him. See to it. And another thing, since ye neglected their day o’ rest, they will rest tomorrow as well. When the Pope hears about this…”

The commander turned his horse and raced back toward the bridge. When he was out of sight, the monk smiled. “Sit down lads, God did not ordain that tired lads should stand when they can sit just as well.” But the slaves hesitated looking to the guards for permission. “They lay a hand on ye and I
’ll see they are sent to the gallows.” That seemed to do the trick and the slaves gladly sat down.

CHAPTER XV

A miracle had come to the bridge and
Stefan was relieved to see it.

But the elder man was far more concerned with Stefan
’s injury than he was with resting and boldly walked to where he sat. He carefully pulled the back of Stefan’s tunic out of his belt and looked at the injury. “Tis not so bad,” he whispered even though it was obviously going to leave a horrible scar. The elder was afraid to say more and sorely wanted to thank the lad, but his nod and a prayer would have to do. He found a rock, sat down and closed his eyes.

All the men exchanged glances from time to time and waited. They did not mind. Sitting down was a luxury and they basked in it. But then the commander and two more guards returned wi
th medicine, blankets and soap.

“Where might the food be?” chastised the monk.

“‘Tis the Sabbath, the…” At the Monk’s fierce glare, the commander again turned and rode away.

At last, the ample monk lifted his leg over, held on to the horn of the saddle and slid down, nearly falling to the ground before he got his balance. More annoyed than embarrassed, he straightened his robe, fiddled with the rope around his middle and tied the reins of his mule to a tree. “Take off yer clothing, lads. Ye
’ve naught to show me I have not seen afore.”

He nodded for one of the guards to help him and walked down the line handing out the blankets and the soap. There was not enough soap, he decided, and handed a bar to every other man instead. But each got a blanket and as they began to disrobe, their sore feet together with other sores o
n their bodies horrified him. “‘Tis a sad day when Scots treat lads such as this. The Good Book says an enslaved lad’s sores will be tended and they well know it.”

Some were new sayings for Stefan, he was pretty sure the good book did not say all that, and he almost smiled as he took off all his clothing and stepped into the water. Water…he did not remember how good it felt and even though it was cold, he welcomed it. He welcomed it until he waded out far enough for the water to touch his wound. Even so, he gathered his courage and his breath, submerged and let the river cle
an weeks of soil off his body. When he came up for air, the old man was beside him handing him the soap.

If nothing more, Stefan had a friend and he was pleased. He rubbed soap all over his hair and body, and then motioned for the old man to turn around so he could rub the soap on the elder
’s back. He handed it back, submerged again to rinse off and then started to grab his clothing off the rock to wash them. But the old man already had them and with his eyes, was telling Stefan it was his way of showing his appreciation.

Stefan nodded, got out of the water, wrapped a blanket around his waist and sat back down. Before long, the monk was beside him.

“Lay on the grass on yer stomach, lad, so I may tend yer injury. The Good Book says a lad should not be whipped when he has done nothing wrong and they well know it.” But Stefan’s back was not the only injury and when the monk saw the condition of his feet and his shoes, he was still more enraged. “A lad cannae walk through the gates of heaven with shoes such as these…and they well know it!”

This time Stefan did smile. Still, none of the slaves dared speak and when the monk clumsily got back on his mule and went away, they were certain the old rules would apply and they would be put back to work, wet clothing and all. But they were left to rest and for the first time in weeks, their evening meal consisted of good sized portions of meat, vegetables and bread. This time when they were told to sleep they all slept like babies and the next morning, the guards were there but no one woke them. It was beyond belief
– they were to get a full day of rest. Their miracle was not freedom, but it was the next best thing and Stefan was convinced it was because the old man asked God for help.

In the days to come, the monk returned, checked their injuries and measured all the men for warm winter clothing and new shoes which were delivered just a few days later. Each Sabbath they were allowed baths and a day of rest. More importantly, each meal was hearty enough to improve their health considerably.

As he grew stronger and the routine seemed to hold, Stefan made his plan. The next time they were to bathe in the river, he would simply submerge; swim as long as he could under water and get away. He would have to find a way to cover his nakedness once he was out of the river, he knew, but it was the least of his concerns. As though they read his mind, the guards took to tying two men together at the ankle when they bathed and he was always paired with the old man. As well, they loaded their longbows each time and the fear of being shot in the back like his father weighed heavy on Stefan’s mind.