Valkyrie Heat (26 page)

The two men turned to attack Alfarin. Leif yelled and

struggled harder when he saw the men go after his brother. He

twisted so violently, Sky dropped him.

boy was sturdy and strong for five, but not nearly strong

enough. Sky couldn’t just stand there. She hefted Lud’s sword into

her hands with sheer determination. The warrior before her

laughed when she went for him, jumping in front of Leif.

Sky cried out when the man’s sword hit hard against her own.

The blow rocked through every portion of her body. She was

relieved to see Lugh helping Alfarin.

Leif dodged around her and struck the man with his wooden

sword against his kneecaps. The man growled and lifted his sword

to strike at the boy. Sky screamed and raced forward to protect the

child. Her weapon clashed with the man’s, but she wasn’t nearly

strong enough to deflect a strike from a man of his power. The

blade came down hard and would have sliced her in half if Eirik’s

sword hadn’t stopped its descent.

“Fight like a warrior,” Eirik snarled. “Or are you only capable

of killing defenseless women and small boys?”

Eight of the village men now surrounded the renegade

warriors. Alfarin slammed his sword through a man and the others

cheered. Lugh downed anther renegade. All the others were dead

except for the man Eirik challenged.

Sky knew the man was going to die; it was just a matter of

time. She wanted to take Leif away, but Eirik demanded he stay.

“I want to stay and watch Father flay him alive!” Leif shouted.

“He was going to kill Sky.”

Eirik and the man clashed swords. It was over quickly. Eirik

didn’t toy with him with a man down and another injured. Three

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strikes and the man lay in a pool of his own blood. The men

cheered.

Sky thought she would vomit. Eirik went to Sky; she could

tell she was ghost white from his tender expression.

His thumb stroked her chin.

“Always in the middle of trouble,” he said with affection.

“I’ll say,” Leif scoffed. “I should have asked Rolf for
three

squirrels.”

Eirik directed the men to carry Lud, who was wounded but

alive, up to the cabin. Isibel was already there, for she had raced

for Eirik and the others the moment the man who was carrying her

went down. Eirik tossed Sky over his shoulder; he ruffled Leif’s

hair and clapped his older son on the back, declaring him to be a

mighty warrior.

Sky was glad to be carried; she didn’t think her shaking legs

would hold her.

Eirik took her to Katla who held her in her arms. Eirik

explained what had happened.

“You took up arms against a warrior for my son?” Katla said in

surprise. “But I have seen you try and hold Rolf’s sword, and you

cannot.”

Sky couldn’t explain it and she doubted she would be able to

lift the sword again. But she didn’t know the word for adrenaline;

she tried to explain, but Katla shushed her.

“This word you use sounds like love,” Katla said.

Sky supposed in that situation she was most likely right. “You

have two very brave sons,” Sky said.

“Too brave, I think, from the sounds of what happened. The

foolish boy could have been killed. Thank you again for saving his

life.”

“There will be a feast tonight,” Eirik said and rubbed his hands

together. He grinned at Sky. “Today my son became a warrior. He

is young but worthy. Another test from Odin. Lud was wounded,

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but he will recover and Lugh fussed when Isibel tried to wrap his

arm, so he will also be fine. Sky will dance and we will eat.”

* * * *

Sky went to throw a bucket of reddish-brown water behind

the cabin. Lud may recover, but she winced at all the blood. She

was about to return to the cabin when a sound caught her

attention. She strained her ears when she heard a mewling noise,

like that of a tiny kitten farther in the bush. She put the bucket

down and went forward curiously. She bet Leif would love his own

kitten to play with.

“Kitty?” she called.

Sky tried to scream when a hand went over her mouth and she

was lifted off her feet.

“Be silent or die.”

Sky felt the blood drain from her face; it was the female

escaped captive. A cloth of soft leather was then shoved in her

mouth and she was gagged and tied. The woman was large and

tossed Sky over her shoulder. They headed briskly into the dense

woods.

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Chapter 9

Sky remained tied and gagged. The sun had set. She was

sitting in a small cave and her shaky legs ached in exhaustion.

The woman had pushed her at a merciless rate once she had

dropped Sky to the forest floor and commanded she walk. A tiny

fire burned in front of her. The woman told Sky she was her

prisoner and if the gag was removed, Sky was to call her ‘captor’.

Her captor was eating a leg of mutton—no doubt stolen from their

village.

“I might share with you, eventually, but not tonight. I went

hungry many nights. I stayed strong and didn’t beg. They control

their women by not letting them hunt. They are cruel. They say I

kill…they kill. I have never raped a man. They are the evil ones.”

Sky tried to reply, but her words were too muffled and so she

just sat and listened.

“They killed my husband. There is much unrest between the

villages; of course he would kill to protect our own. I haven’t

harmed you, though. Your man fed me. I know you asked him to. I

could see the pity in your eyes. I don’t need pity. I need my

freedom. I was angry with you. They fed you any time you asked.

They love you. The entire village thinks you were sent by Odin.

Were you? No matter. You are mine now. I saved you instead. Do

you want to know why? I went back later that night and watched

your men tie you and take you. Your Brandr can be cruel. I was

surprised he would take you like some men had taken me.”

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Sky didn’t know what to think about that. She’d wanted

Brandr. How was Sky to explain that to a woman who had been

taken forcefully against her will? For Sky, it was different; she

loved Brandr and had no fear over what they did together. She felt

bad for the woman. Her captor scowled.

“No pity,” she snapped. “I survived. That’s all that matters.”

Sky supposed it was. She had been glad the woman had

escaped, but she had hoped she would have been long gone. When

Rolf caught up to her, Sky wasn’t certain what he would do. She

wondered if Brandr would kill the woman; he had such a volatile

temper when it came to protecting her. Perhaps he would listen to

her and spare the woman’s life. Sky would rather they just let the

woman go, but she knew they wouldn’t, it was their way.

Her captor threw the bone on the fire and licked her fingers.

She went to Sky and pushed her onto her side. Sky’s ankles were

bound.

“Sleep,” she demanded.

Even though there was a fire and the cave was small, it was

cold. Sky shivered, laying on the hard dirt and rock ground. Her

teeth clattered under her gag. The gravel under her cheek was

gritty and uncomfortable. She didn’t want to sleep, but exhaustion

won out. She fell in and out of fitful slumber, wishing Rolf’s and

Brandr’s big warm bodies were before and behind her. When Sky

woke, her entire body felt cramped. She struggled to rise and

groaned in pain. Her captor came over and unbound her ankles.

She pulled Sky to her feet and shoved her out of the cave; Sky

moved stiffly.

“Walk,” she demanded. “You will take me to this cave you say

you came from. There must be more coins. I need the coins to

build my army.”

Sky wasn’t certain she could find it. It also meant going back

through the village of dead people; that thought made her shudder.

And there wasn’t any more money there; it was in her time. Sky

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stopped and tried to speak but was shoved again, which almost

caused her to fall. Her captor demanded she walk. They walked for

hours. Sky stumbled and winced when sharp branches scraped at

her flesh. She was unable to push them out of the way with her

hands. She was given no food or water throughout the day and her

hunger wore on her. That night she collapsed onto the hard ground

when her captor told her to rest. This time when the meat had

cooked, her captor stood before her.

“I will remove your gag. If you scream, I will beat you and it

won’t come off again,” she warned.

Sky remained quiet when the gag came off. She spit out the

leather cloth. Her captor fed her small bits of meat while she

remained tied. She gave her a long drink from a leather flask filled

with tepid brackish water. Sky’s arms ached. She looked up into

the heavens and asked her angels for help.

“What are you saying?” the woman screamed. She grabbed

Sky by the hair and jerked her head back.

“I was asking for help,” Sky said through gritted teeth. “My

arms and wrists ache.”

The woman released her hair. She laughed. Another laughed;

a deep sinister sound from behind them.

Sky gasped in fear, and her body tensed. She thought her heart

would stop when Thorvald appeared. He strode over and crouched

before her. Her captor seemed unconcerned with his appearance.

That alone made the dread sink into her belly.

“You are in a great deal of danger,” he growled.

“Rolf will kill you,” Sky said calmly, but she felt her heart

pound in her chest and her pulse hammered in her throat. She

could see the lust burning holes behind his eyes.

Thorvald reached for her and squeezed a breast hurtfully.

Sky yelped.

“Leave her,” her captor demanded. “When you set me free, I

became your equal. I captured her; she’s mine.”

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Thorvald rose, looking none too happy. “We agreed to

capture her and get the coins.”

“I will share the coins, but I spent two months in your village.

You took me often; you are too brutal and she is small. It is

disgusting to feel your filthy hands on one’s body. We will part

when we divide the coins. She comes with me,” the woman

snapped.

Thorvald smiled evilly. “Are you afraid if you watch, you will

remember submitting to me,
partner
?”

Sky could hear the scorn in his voice.

The woman glared. “We are not partners; I only agreed to

help you because I need the coins. I hate you. I never would have

helped you unless you told me about the wealth and how to slip

around the warriors guarding the village to get the woman.”

Thorvald chuckled. He went to the fire and cut a chunk of

meat from the woman’s kill. “Has she eaten?” he asked and pointed

to Sky.

“Yes.”

“Too bad, I would have liked for her to lick my fingers.”

“She has had enough.”

Sky wouldn’t have gone near his dirty fingers; she’d starve

first. Most of the Viking men and women washed and groomed

themselves regularly. Thorvald wasn’t one of them. Now that he

had no home, he appeared even more slovenly. He also appeared

to have less patience. He was glaring at her captor. Sky watched

the tension between the two build. She knew Thorvald would kill

the woman when he got the chance. He had only needed her to get

Sky, now he had her. The woman’s usefulness to him was finished.

Once her captor was dead, Thorvald would do whatever he chose

to do with her. Again she wondered why the man seemed

fascinated with her.

* * * *

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Sky walked until she was exhausted. The destroyed village

came into view and Sky felt the tears in her eyes build. Thankfully,

someone had taken the time to bury the fallen. Everything looked

deserted. She stumbled and fell to her knees. Thorvald pulled her

up by her hair. Sky winced but said nothing. She hated this vile

man; she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. She

walked farther until Thorvald declared they had traveled far

enough and the woman built a small cooking fire while he hunted.

“You have courage,” the woman said.

“He will kill you,” Sky warned.

The woman shrugged. “He can try, but I have a reputation for

being able to stand toe-to-toe with any man.” She gave Sky a hard

stare. “Eat nothing from him. If he feels your mouth on him, he

will want you.”

“I’d rather starve,” Sky declared.

“We will reach this cave of yours tomorrow I’m guessing,” her

captor said.

“I’m not certain I can find it,” Sky said.

“You will find it or you will die. If I have no coins, I have no

means to create an army of warriors; you will be useless.”

“What are you planning on doing with me?”