The Viking's Witch (16 page)

The villagers screamed for help as the ferocious wind battered the nets against the sides of the stone church. A slice of white-blue lightning lit up the sky. Was Odaria causing this? Could she have such powers?

“The witch is making it rain seawater,” Haraldur exclaimed as a torrent flooded down onto them.

Rothgar licked his wet lips. Indeed, the rain was salty, but it tasted more like tears than seawater. A chill ran down his spine. This was no ordinary storm.

A crash of thunder rattled his heart in his chest, and he looked around. Most of Karnik’s men were staring at Odaria and clutching the silver
Mjollnir
pendants around their necks. If they didn’t believe in Odaria’s magical powers before, they certainly did now.

Karnik struggled against the wind and approached his side.

“Order her to stop this before she kills us all,” he shouted above another roll of thunder.

He nodded. He still wanted to question the villagers, and for that reason alone, Odaria needed to stop. The villagers would be of no use to him if they were dead. He watched in astonishment as the nets bounced off the sides of the church. The villagers were being battered and beaten as if they were twigs.

He moved to Odaria’s side. Although he could reason with her, he doubted if even he could make her stop if she didn’t want to. As he got closer, he could hear her speaking but couldn’t decipher what she said. Was it an ancient Pict tongue or a special language witches used for spell-casting?

Thunder drowned out her words, but he knew she was cursing the villagers again. What would Odaria do to the people who had taken everything from her? If she killed them all, he’d lose all hope of ever finding Orvind.

“Odaria!”

She held her right arm out, blocking him from coming any closer. The wind died down to a low howl. “Do not come near, Rothgar. I wouldna want to hurt you.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. The gold flecks in her eyes glowed with a light of their own. “Allow me to do what I must.”

The wind increased again as she focused on the villagers. “Those who defiled my home and betrayed me to Brennan shall face my wrath. I’ll see they are punished for their crimes.”

Rothgar watched helplessly as the nets smashed against the sides of the church. A bloody rain dripped down the walls. Now he knew why Odaria had insisted on having some time alone. She wanted to handle her problem in her own way.

Karnik grabbed his upper arm and spun him around. “Do something. Make her stop.”

He glanced into Karnik’s brown eyes and saw a flicker of fear. Karnik was scared. All of his so-called brave warriors looked like frightened children. Odaria might destroy everything and everyone on the isle, but deep down he knew that he was safe from her wrath.

“There is nothing I can do,” he replied. “Stay on her good side, lest I beseech her to direct her powers at
you
.” He chuckled at the look of terror on Karnik’s face.

The wind and rain suddenly stopped. Rothgar turned in time to see a bolt of lightning strike the top of the church. The purple-pink flash sent all of Karnik’s men yelling and scrambling for cover.

“’Tis your head I wish to take, Brennan. Spare the lives of your followers, and confess your sins. Those who stand loyal to you shall be punished. They will beg for a merciful, quick death.”

Odaria raised her arms over her head and started chanting in her odd, Picttish tongue. The wind whipped up again, this time even stronger than before. The gale sent tents toppling, and a roof from one of the cottages went flying into the air. Hailstones the size of rocks dropped from the black sky. One of the nets filled with screaming villagers spun around in the wind and slammed hard against the church. The people in the net were instantly silenced.

Rothgar watched as a bolt of blue lightning struck the ground next to the church, setting fire to the grass and brush. The wind fanned the orange flames higher, surrounding the church in a ring of fire. All of a sudden, he realized what Odaria was doing. She intended to burn the villagers as they had tried to burn her.

The panicked villagers screamed and prayed for God’s mercy.

Odaria lowered her arms to her sides. Her black hair billowed behind her as the wind carried the deadly fire around the church.

“Odaria …” He reached out to touch her dress sleeve, then snatched his hand back. Heat radiated off her like a hot coal.

She glanced into his eyes as she strode past him. “It needed to be done.”

Odaria pressed the cool cloth to her forehead and closed her eyes. Her skin sizzled, and her blood boiled in her veins. She dipped the cloth into the bowl of water on the dressing table and ran it over her bare breasts and stomach. The cold water did nothing to soothe her.

A wave of sadness overtook her, and she bowed her head. Poor Chester. He had deserved better. Although nearly three hours had passed since she and Rothgar had buried him, she still felt as if the dagger had been driven deep into her own heart.

“Why me? Why did this have to happen? What did I do wrong?” She slid the wet cloth up her legs and blinked back stinging tears. She had nothing now. No cottage, no cat, nothing except the few clothes she’d hidden away in the
cairn
.

The door burst open and Rothgar stormed into the room. She squealed and clutched the bedclothes to her torso, hiding her nakedness. “Get out. What are you doing, breaking in like so?”

Rothgar slammed the door behind him. “Do you have any idea what you have done?”

“Aye. I did exactly what I wanted.” She sat on the bed and turned her back to Rothgar.

“We barely contained the fire and … What are those marks on your back?”

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and glanced at Rothgar. “A gift from Brennan and his noble, God-fearing villagers.” Now, more than ever, she wanted to feel Rothgar’s strong arms around her, comforting her. She longed to have him hold her, but she was naked. He would get the wrong idea.

“Tell me of it. What did Brennan do to you?”

“I was held prisoner, bound naked to a cold stone slab. They burned me with candles, froze me with icy water, starved me, beat me, and never let me sleep. They were trying to make me confess.”

Rothgar knelt on the floor and drew her into his arms. She resisted at first, then relaxed against his wide chest. She was safe here.

“They cannot harm you now. What did they wish you to confess to? Being a witch?”

“Nay. I never denied that.” She rested her head against Rothgar’s shoulder. “Brennan wanted me to confess about the
bearn
, but I wouldna. He said he’d spare my life if I told what I’d done.”

“What
bairn
?”

She took a deep breath and toyed with the silver pendant hanging from Rothgar’s neck. “A couple wishing to have a child came to me for help. The last three
bearn
she carried died inside her or came out dead. I brewed a potion that would help keep the little one alive and well until it could be born.”

She paused, recalling Enide’s and Simon’s nervousness on the day of the birth. “’Twas a long and troublesome birthing, quite painful and bloody. When the
bearn
finally came out, it wasn’t right. The face was malformed, it cried all the time, and it couldn’t suckle. Simon blamed me. He said the child was a demon and that I’d cast a spell upon them. He claimed I’d poisoned his seed and rendered his wife incapable of bearing more children.”

“That’s terrible.”

“I swear to you, Rothgar, I did nothing to harm them.” She looked down and bit her bottom lip. “After that, everyone in the village started spreading rumors about me. They said I caused their goats to stop breeding, soured the milk, and made the men go soft inside their wives. It was horrible. The same people who used to come to me for help and healing threw rocks at me when I went into the village. Brennan ordered me punished for the curses I’d laid upon them.”

Rothgar nodded. “People were quick to forget the good you did.”

“Aye. Brennan went about filling the villagers’ heads with his foul lies about me and me mother. He preached all sorts of rot in that wicked, lying church of his. Nobody dared cross him, especially when he swore to rid the village of the witches.”

“How did you learn this?”

“Me mother told me … before she vanished.” She sniffled. “She said Brennan was preaching against us because we still followed the Old Ways. She warned me that soon it wouldn’t be safe for us to stay here.” She sighed and caressed Rothgar’s thick biceps. “She said we’d have to leave soon, before Brennan got us.”

“Why didn’t you leave?”

She swallowed hard. “Because me mother disappeared. She went into the village one day and never came back. There was no way I could leave without her.”

“Did you look for her?”

“Of course. I searched every bit of the isle. I asked everyone in the village if they had seen her, and naturally, they all lied to me. They claimed not to know where she was. But I knew. I knew deep down that someone, most likely Brennan, had killed her. I could feel it. Then when I touched one of her dresses, I knew I was right.”

She fell silent for a minute, then continued.

“One day when I was on my way home from getting water, Brennan and some other men grabbed me and hit me on the head with something. I woke up naked and tied to a stone slab in the church. Brennan had the sick
bearn
with him. He told me to confess to bewitching the demon child and hexing the village. If I did, my life would be spared.”

“What happened next?”

“The child was weak and barely cried anymore. Brennan …” She broke off and swallowed hard. “He killed it. Right in front of me. That madman put his hand over the baby’s mouth and nose and smothered it.” She sobbed and clutched Rothgar closer.

“Shh, shh, I’m here.”

She cried for a few minutes, then felt Rothgar gently caress her bare back. The touch of his warm hands on her tender skin settled her. She wiped her eyes and looked at him.

“Brennan told everyone in the village that I’d killed the child and was caught carrying the corpse home to use in a spell. They believed every lie he told them. I refused to confess to his crime and swore I would find a way to punish him for what he’d done. After a fortnight, he decided that I should be burnt to rid the village of my evil.” She paused. “Then you came.”

Rothgar nodded. “I see why Brennan deserves to be punished. I know you wish to break his head open, but I need him to tell me where Orvind is hidden. I cannot allow you to harm him or the others.”

Odaria toyed with a tuft of chest hair that curled out of Rothgar’s tunic. “Aye, I know. But after what they did to Chester … I had to do something. I couldna let that go unpunished.” She arched an eyebrow. “Karnik’s men put out the fire?”

“
Ja.
We had to, else the entire village would have burnt up.” He frowned. “You frightened the wits out of Karnik’s men. I never saw a group of grown Nordmenn so scared. How did you do it?”

She shrugged. “I went to my secret place and thought about all that was done to me. I said a few spells and invoked the gods and goddesses for help. When I stood before the church, I let loose with all the feelings I had.”

“
Ja
, but how do you make these things happen? Storms, wind, and rain appear from nowhere. Objects hurl themselves about on their own …”

“I’ve always been able to. If I lose me temper and get angry, things crash around me. But if I focus my thoughts and want something bad enough, I can direct my rage. I feel a powerful rush surge through me, and I get boiling hot. Then I go into a daze, and I barely know what I’m saying. The words come from inside me, and things happen as I will them. Afterward when I cool down, I feel so tired.” As she rubbed her temples with her fingertips, the wool blanket slipped down, exposing her breasts. She tried to cover herself, but Rothgar held her wrists.

“Let me admire you.” He pulled away from her and sat back on his heels.

Although she was a bit embarrassed, she felt no need to shield herself. She trusted Rothgar like no other. Before she knew what was happening, Rothgar’s warm mouth covered her left breast. A flash of desire coursed through her, and she groaned.

He suckled her gently, then twirled his tongue around her nipple. The sensation of his mouth working against her flesh sent her senses reeling, and she longed for more. A low moan escaped her throat as he increased the pressure on her breast.

She wrapped her arms around Rothgar’s head and held him to her, arching her back as he devoured her. Her lustful feelings from this morning resurfaced, and she willed him to ease her back onto the bed and make love to her.

After a few minutes, Rothgar moved away. “I thought that would make you feel better,” he said with a wink.

She smiled. “Aye. I do. I’m tingling everywhere, but it isn’t enough.”

Rothgar stroked her cheek with his forefinger. “Then lie back. I will make you feel things you’ve never dreamed of.”

Odaria lay on the bed and closed her eyes. Her entire body felt prickly, and her heart thundered in her chest like a drum. What would Rothgar do next? Would they make love? He was the only man who had ever sparked these desires in her. It felt natural to give herself to him.