Viking's Love (43 page)

“
Why do you have to go?” She nearly
shouted. “Why not let him? Why can he not fight his own damned
battles? Why must it always be you who takes all the risks?” She
stopped suddenly and looked down, tears spilling down her cheeks as
she met his look of resolve and bit back a sob. “I cannot lose you.
Please, do not go!”

Joran smiled and wiped her tears from her
cheeks, and kissed the one poised upon the tip of her nose. “I must
do this. Do not worry, I have no intention of leaving this world
until you are properly trained, Wench.” He chuckled as she punched
him in his chest. “I cannot live without you, Allisande, and I have
tried. I will leave some of my men behind for your protection, and
I will be back as soon as it is done, this I promise.”

Allisande refused to come down to the dock
with all the others the day he left. She stood upon the bluff
above, holding their son. His eyes never left her as his long ship
sailed down the fjord. She raised her hand as he rounded the bend.
She smiled as she saw him raise his hand in farewell. They turned
the corner and were gone from her sight.

A feeling of dread formed in her belly as she
made her way back to the hall. Storm began to fuss and she bounced
him upon her shoulder as she entered the hall. She sat quietly and
soon he dozed in her arms.

The wolf raised his head by the fire, and
whined mournfully. Allisande felt his pain and choked back the
tears as people trickled back into the hall. She stiffened when she
noted Eric and Murdoch remained behind to guard Joran’s home. She
shivered and avoided looking at them.

She never warmed up to the men. The one named
Murdoch gave her the shivers with his deadened eyes. Things became
almost painfully repetitive for Allisande in Joran’s absence.

No one noted her walking with her son every
day after the morning meal except Eric and Murdoch. The two men
seemed to show an unusual interest in her comings and goings, and
none noticed until the morning she did not return from her
walk.

Allisande felt their presence before she saw
them. She cursed her stupidity for walking so far from the house.
When Murdoch and his brother entered the clearing, she swallowed
hard and backed away, but they were on her in seconds. She sobbed
as they ripped her son from her arms, and threatened him unless she
went with them quietly.

She followed them as they led her through the
forest to the edge of the fjord where a long ship waited. Allisande
never took her eyes from her son as Murdoch held him loosely near
the edge of the water.

He chuckled as he dangled him over the
fast-flowing water, and chuckled at her look of horror. Eric spoke
sharply to him. Allisande was looking at Wulfstan as he walked
across the deck. He reached for her son. She covered her mouth in
horror as he chuckled evilly at her look of terror.

“
You will get on this ship and do
everything I say, or the little bastard dies, bitch,” Wulfstan
growled and she hastened to climb over the wooden railing. She
looked as Eric and Murdoch returned to the woods and walked back
towards the house. She wanted to scream as the long ship eased down
the fjord, but Wulfstan held the boy while he ordered her to lie
down upon the deck, so none saw her as they passed Joran’s
house.

Wulfstan disappeared below and she stared as
he played with her son and his malicious eyes never left her face
as they disappeared around the bend. She sat up as he made his way
up and he handed her the child with a look of scorn.

“
Your husband sends his regards, Lady
Ulsted.” Wulfstan reached out to touch her cheek. “He warned me not
to touch you, and so I won’t. He is not pleased you ran off with
your lover again. You will suffer for the death of my brother, you
murdering bitch!”

Allisande held her son to her chest, and
ignored the terrified chills that ran down her spine as he looked
at her. She wisely held her tongue remembering how he had nearly
killed her the last time they were alone together.

She feared to anger him and he would harm her
son. She wisely held her tongue and he grew tired of baiting her
with Ulsted’s plans for her. He made a makeshift enclosure for the
journey, and shoved her inside.

The other men aboard the ship eyed her
hungrily. She was aware of how precarious her position was daily.
She stayed out of sight as much as possible, and was relieved Storm
did not fuss as he usually did.

She didn’t put the boy down since Wulfstan
handed him to her, and that was likely why. She didn’t trust
Wulfstan. She heard the men talking about how much gold they would
be receiving from Lord Ulsted when they arrived at his home.

Her hand covered her mouth when she realized
they undoubtedly knew about the raid from Murdoch and Eric. Tears
filled her eyes as she imagined the ambush that awaited Joran and
his men at Ulsted’s estate. She bit back a terror-filled sob as she
realized she had no way to warn them. They were going into a trap
laid by Wulfstan.

****

Joran nodded to Grogan, who ran stealthily
through the woods outside Ulsted’s estate. It was eerily quiet.
Joran gazed back at the twenty other Vikings poised at the
shoreline camouflaged in their animal skins and war paint, and felt
something was wrong.

He whistled softly to Grogan and they drew
back. Instinct told him something wasn’t right. There were no
sentries upon the battlements, no guards moving about. Not one
chicken or any other livestock was seen from the position upon the
ridge.

Joran heard the shout from above and cursed,
and ordered his men back to the ship as a volley of arrows were
dispatched from the battlements from soldiers that now lined the
fortress. The burning arrows lit up the sky and showed the
scattering group of Vikings who had been taken unaware from the
king’s men.

They ran for their lives as over fifty
soldiers gave chase and pursued them down the hillside. Grogan
groaned as an arrow pierced his shoulder, and the back of his leg.
Haldon was littered with them when they ran down to the
shoreline.

Joran pushed Haldon over the side as he took
another arrow in his neck. He ripped it out as he pushed the man
into the boat. The men who were not dead or severely wounded pushed
the boat out into the water.

Joran was frantic as he saw several of them
take fatal arrows. Grogan was tossing many of the dead aboard when
they finally pushed away from the shore to take cover, as another
volley of arrows descended.

They covered with their shields and rowed
frantically into deeper water. The soldiers were jeering at them
from the shore, some baring their buttocks at the Vikings who fled
into the night.

Joran gasped as he looked down to see the
arrow that stuck out of his own shoulder, and wrenched it out as he
met Grogan’s look of despair. He looked down and a cry was wrenched
from his throat, an animal sound that came from his soul.

Joran saw Haldon’s sightless eyes and looked
away. He lost nearly ten men, for one appeared to still live
despite the five arrows protruding from his chest. Joran’s face was
grim as he surveyed their options. They were too far from York.

The soldiers on the shore would no doubt be
pursuing them by sea in a matter of hours. He had no choice but to
implore Lockwraithe for help. His lips tightened when he thought of
Collin’s reaction when he showed up with a boat load of wounded or
dead Vikings. He could only pray the nobleman’s love for his sister
was enough to take them in until they recovered enough to sail for
York.

Joran knew the king’s soldiers were
undoubtedly in pursuit. They had little time to decide. He shouted
to raise the sails and questioned his decision. He looked pale and
bleak as the tenth Viking felled went still suddenly from his
wounds.

“
We go to Lockwraithe, and pray
Allisande’s brother doesn’t hold any ill-will.” Joran despaired as
Grogan fell back against the railing and went silent, breathing
raggedly. “Odin guides us this day! Man the sails! We make for
Lockwraithe!”

****

Collin woke suddenly when the alarm went off
in the courtyard signaling an attack. He rose hurriedly, clad only
in his boots and nightshirt, and grabbed his sword belt as he ran
out into the bailey.

His retainers said a Viking long ship had
been sighted not far from shore, and claimed there was only one.
Collin took a number of his men to the shore, and watched as the
long ship drew nearly fifty feet from them in the moonlight, close
enough to see the men aboard all appeared to be wounded.

A tall golden-haired man clad in wolf skins
and chain mail stood before him, and he knew it had to be Joran
Ivarsson before he spoke.

“
We need your help, Collin of
Lockwraithe!” Joran shouted to him over the waves. He frowned when
he saw the dark-haired man in the short white dress and boots
stomping upon the shore, brandishing his sword and looking so much
like Allisande, he grinned widely, despite the precarious
situation.

Collin muttered a curse and rage filled him
as he eyed the motley crew of Vikings, all of which had probably
been responsible for his home being destroyed, and debated his
options. Allisande came to mind, and he paled as he realized the
Viking had undoubtedly left her in Norway.

“
Why should I help you, you bloody
Viking bastard?” Collin shouted back and brandished his sword
threateningly. “You dare come to me now! I should let you all meet
English justice for what you have done to me!”

“
You will help me because my son is
your nephew, and I love your sister!”Joran shouted in response and
grinned as Collin considered his words, and kicked the ground and
continued to brandish his sword in the air as he paced and debated
his decision.

“
Is she happy, or have you made her a
miserable shrew already?”Collin shouted back and Joran chuckled and
realized both Allisande and her brother had much in common. They
both talked too much. The royal ships were not far behind, and he
had yet to convince the man. This dialogue that went back and forth
was wasting valuable time.

“
She was already a miserable shrew, as
you well know! Aye, she is happy!”Joran called and Grogan groaned
as he saw Collin stomp about even more.

“
You could praise her a bit more,
Joran, for the love of Frig!” Grogan groaned as he saw that this
comment had made Collin angrier. “By the Gods, what is he wearing?
The man’s wearing a dress!”And many of the Vikings chuckled at
this. Joran gave them quelling glances as Collin of Lockwraithe
fumed on shore.

“
Come ashore! You try to harm one
person in my care, and you are all going to that ridiculous heaven
of yours!” He kicked the ground again and cursed as the ship listed
closer. With the help of Collin’s men and his, they pulled the ship
into a copse of trees and were busily covering it with stray
branches they cut down so it would not be seen by the passing
English vessels. When they finished hiding the long ship, Collin
stood in front of Joran the Stonehearted and glowered at the man
who destroyed his home.

Before Joran knew what he was about, Collin
landed a single punch into his chin. Joran’s head glanced back from
the blow, but he was hardly even dazed as he met the flashing
violet eyes of the nobleman who was Allisande’s brother.

Collin held his throbbing fist and cursed him
from one end to another, and nearly howled as pain exploded in his
wrist. Joran grinned and Collin gazed at him with anger.

“
What is so damned amusing, Viking?”
Collin snarled exasperatedly and nursed his hand and felt like he
punched a boulder. “I should kill you for what you have done to my
family!”

“
Now I know where your sister gets such
foul language,” Joran commented dryly and Collin’s eyes narrowed as
he stomped away and bade them bring the wounded and follow him.
Joran and Grogan urged the others to follow as they made their way
across the meadow in pursuit of the baron who looked ridiculous in
his nightshirt and boots, and brandished his sword and cursed all
the way to a large barn.

Joran chuckled as he saw the similarities in
the siblings. Grogan eyed him warningly. “Don’t be offending
Lockwraithe just yet, Joran.” He advised warily. “We are not out of
this!”

Joran saw to the care of his men. Several
servants came forward timidly to grudgingly offer food and water,
eyeing them with fear and loathing as they scurried out of the
barn. Collin watched Joran tend to his men and only when he had all
his men bandaged and assessed their wounds did the Viking
speak.

“
We led a raid upon Ulsted and we were
ambushed.” Joran eyed Collin with a look of rage. “Ulsted knew that
we were coming! He was warned ahead of time! He had nearly a
hundred of your king’s men in wait on the walls. We barely got out
alive.”

Collin considered his words and frowned. His
eyes widened as it dawned upon him. “One of your own has betrayed
you this day, Viking!” Collin said and shook his head. “I knew
nothing of any of this! Ulsted and I are hardly on friendly terms,
as he forced my sister to the altar, and threatened to implicate me
with the other traitors. I have not seen him since the wedding,
when Allisande threatened him at knife point and he left here.”

Hearing his woman sent her worm of a husband
fleeing from her knife made him smile despite the direness of the
situation. He had no reason to question any of his men, and
suddenly the smile faded and he grew pale and looked ill as he
swung to look at Grogan. “The Danes, we left them behind to guard
my home. It has to be them who have conspired with Ulsted.” He
stilled when he recalled they also had Allisande now. “If they have
betrayed us, they have Allisande and my son! They waited until we
left, and took them.”