The Viking's Consort

by Quinn Loftis

  The other witch continued to glare at me for several seconds before finally turning away. “Fine. I’ll let her live. For now. Where is Calder? I thought he said the ships were ready.”

  “I’m here, Evelyn. No need to lose your temper.” Calder and a handful of his men came walking into the clearing. When Calder’s eyes landed on me, he smiled. “It seems your escape didn’t really work out.”

  “Who’s to say it didn’t work out exactly the way we wanted it to?” I challenged.

  Calder frowned as he stalked over to me. Leaning down, he ran his finger across my cheek. I saw Brant shift out of the corner of my eye.

  “The old oracle died,” he pointed out. “Surely that wasn’t in your plans.”

  “She was an oracle. I’m sure she knew when we planned the escape whether or not her death was going to be necessary. Like I said, maybe everything worked out exactly as it was supposed to and each of us is exactly where we need to be.”

  He didn’t like my answer. I could see the unease growing in his eyes. He stood back up, then stepped back, pivoting to look at Gisele. “You’re sure we need to go to Tara and not to Magnus’s clan?”

  “I told you,” Gisele snapped. “I am completely positive. I’ve heard the plans.”

  “How could you have?” Calder asked, his eyes skeptical.

  “Don’t concern yourself with it. You know it’s not a good idea to question me. Just make sure your men are ready to fight. If you play your cards right, you might get to take over Tara as the new king. Your clan could take over all of Tara.”

  “That’s just what Tara needs. To go from one madman to another,” I muttered.

  “I am not mad,” Calder bit out through gritted teeth.

  “Says the jarl who conspires with two dark witches,” I challenged.

  “Get them on a ship,” Calder snarled at the men who’d come with him. He motioned to me, then to Clay and Brant.

  The warriors began untying us from our respective trees. They unbound our legs, then roughly pulled us to our feet. They left our hands tied, marching us away from the two witches and Calder. I tried to give Brant a meaningful glance as I passed him, trying to silently communicate he shouldn’t try anything foolish. I could only hope I succeeded. We walked through the trees, and then, about thirty yards later, we hit the beach. I could see Calder’s longships resting against a small dock.

  Once they got us on one of the ships and took us down below deck, they put us each in a small cell. I hated being down in the ship. I’d much prefer to be out in the fresh air where I could see the sky and the ocean.

  “Speaking of ships,” I said. “How did you two get here?”

  Clay said, “Our ship is hidden with a small crew. They should have already sailed back to England by now. If they haven’t, they will once they see the longboats leaving.”

  “Dayna,” Brant said, and I raised an eyebrow at him. “How did you know who Evelyn was?”

  “She was in Gisele’s diary,” I answered, then went on to tell him and Clay all about the diary I’d found and what I’d learned in it.

  “She’s Myra’s twin sister?” Brant asked, the disbelief heavy in his voice.

  “You know Myra?” I asked.

  He nodded. “She helped us when we first got to England and infiltrated your father’s palace. And she showed up in Ravenscar just before I left to go back to your castle.”

  “You never told me how Allete is,” I said. Whatever Gisele had been giving me was beginning to get out of my system because I could feel myself beginning to concern myself with important things and people again. I hadn’t even realized I’d stopped caring about everything.

  “She and Torben married,” Brant said. “She hated for you to miss it.”

  I felt the tears well up in my eyes, but I forced them back. “I bet she was stunning.”

  “She was,” Brant agreed. “They are sickeningly in love.”

  “And what happened to Magnus?”

  Brant went on to tell me the story of how Magnus had shown up in Ravenscar and about the fight between him and Torben. Obviously, Torben had won.

  “She’s been training to be a shieldmaiden,” Brant said.

  I grinned. “Okay, now I’m jealous. Where do I sign up for that, because I’m going to be a kick-arse shieldmaiden.”

  Clay and Brant laughed. “Of that, I’ve no doubt,” Clay said.

  “As soon as we get home, you can begin training with Freya. She’s the head warrior of the shieldmaidens,” Brant explained. “She and Allete have become good friends.”

  “I’m so glad your clan has welcomed her and accepted her,” I said. “I can imagine that might’ve been hard for some.”

  “Our clan knows what a blessing it is to have an oracle and healer. Allete will always be treated with respect,” Brant said.

  We were all quiet for a time, listening to the footsteps above. There was a lot happening on the deck of the ship. I could only assume they were getting ready to cast off. It was then I remembered what had been said in the clearing.

  “Brant, did you hear Gisele say we’re going to Tara? Do you think she’s in league with Cathal?”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me. They seem like a match made in hell,” Brant said. “You’ve been living with her? Did she ever hint at any kind of alliance?”

  “No, just with Calder. I wonder why they want to take us to Tara with them?” I asked.

  “I guess they can’t really leave us lying around,” Brant said. “And it appears they’ve discovered somehow that Clan Hakon is headed to Tara for war. Or at least they’ve guessed as much. I don’t know how. You said Gisele wanted some book the clan has. Maybe she’s thinking she can force the clan to give it to her in exchange for defeating Cathal.”

  I thought it about for a minute before nodding. “She did mention setting Calder up as the new king in Tara. So maybe you’re right. Maybe it will give us a chance to escape when we get there. If there’s a lot of chaos with a battle, we might be able to hide in the chaos.”

  “We’ve got to get free of our bonds,” Clay pointed out. “Can’t get far if we’re still shackled.”

  “Good thing we’re going to be on a boat with some time on our hands for a few days,” I said. “We will have plenty of time to figure out a way to get our hands free.”

  A few hours passed. Neither of the witches, nor Calder, appeared, but one Calder’s men would occasionally stow some supplies in the hold with us. None of us spoke to them. Finally, we felt the boat begin to move. I’d found a spot on the floor with my back against the ship wall. Brant had been pacing, but when the ship began to move, he came over to the side of his cell that was closest to mine. After he sat, he reached through the squares in the steel grate walls and took my hand in his. Intertwining our fingers, he gave them a little squeeze.

  “Why don’t you try to get some rest?” he asked quietly. Clay was already reclined against the wall, where he sat, his eyes closed and mouth dropped open slightly. He was sound asleep and appeared quite comfortable.

  I needed the rest, though I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep nearly as soundly as Clay was. Leaning back, I focused on Brant’s hand wrapped around my own. I closed my eyes, letting the rocking motion of the ship lull me to sleep.

  “Going to war is not something that should be taken lightly. There will be lives lost. And I will be the one taking some of those. There is also a chance I will lose my own life. There is nothing romantic, glorious, or rewarding about going to war. It means death. Unfortunately, it is also necessary.”

  * * *

  ~Torben

  * * *

  Two days had passed since I’d returned home from my trip to parley with the other clans. I stood on the beach, staring at the final clan’s ships as they arrived. Clan Akefor and Clan Bjornvik had both arrived yesterday. This morning, Clan Brending was spotted on the horizon. Clan Hakon’s shores were now lined with warships, so many there was no place for a few of the larger ships to make landfall
and they were held in the bay at anchor, their clan members ferried to the shore in dinghies. Clan Brending would have to leave all of their boats out at sea.

  As soon as they arrived, the hustle and bustle of battle preparation would begin. We needed to be back on the ships and headed for Tara in two days. The sooner we got there, the sooner we could finish this and move on with our lives.

  “Take out some dinghies to help ferry their warriors to shore. I want to get underway as quickly as possible,” I told Amund and Rush, who had just come up to watch the progress of the approaching clan.

  “Don’t know if you heard or not, but King Albric has a map of Tara and of the castle grounds,” Rush said.

  “I hadn’t. That’s good news. We won’t have to go into the kingdom blind.” Thank the gods Albric had a previous connection with Tara. Having an idea of what we are going into would help us know how to allocate our warriors and how far we would have to march from the shore into the kingdom to get to the castle.

  “Let everyone know there will be a feast tonight, then a gathering,” I told Amund. “After that, I want all the jarls and the king to meet at my home. We need to nail down our strategy.”

  “The shieldmaiden and the other warriors should be back very soon from their hunt. Hopefully, they had a successful one,” Amund said.

  “Indeed,” I replied, concern for Allete returning to mind. I watched as they left to do as I’d ordered. I hoped the hunt had been successful as well because if it hadn’t, there was going to be a lot of hungry men and foreign visitors sleeping on our beach.

  Four hours later, the sun was beginning to set and several bonfires had been lit. Over each fire was a spick with a roasting animal. Two of them held giant wild pigs. A couple of other held bucks. There was going to be plenty of meat to go around.

  Groups of men and women mingled. I was surprised at how well everyone appeared to be getting along. I had made it clear to my clansmen we would be hospitable and welcoming to our allies. Perhaps that sentiment had rubbed off on the others. Or maybe their jarls had been just as adamant about being willing to get along as I had been.

  Just as Allete walked over to me, Kjell rang a dinner bell to indicate the food was ready. Loud cheers went up, and people began to move toward the fires where the animals were roasting.

  “Everyone seems to be having a good time,” Allete noted.

  “Thank the gods,” I said. “I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t worried we might have a few brawls that had to be broken up.”

  “Even if there are some, it’s understandable. You’ve got men, energy, ale, and anger at someone who has hurt them all wrapped up together. It wouldn’t be surprising if there were a few hotheads who lost it in the bunch. As long as they can punch each other and then be the best of friends afterward, everything should be fine.”

  “The best of friends?” I asked, gazing down at her smiling face.

  “Or at least cordial with one another,” she amended.

  Pulling Allete into my side, I pressed a kiss to her temple. “You’re right. It won’t be the end of the world if there are any fights.”

  “Would you like me to fix you a plate?” she asked, motioning toward the animals.

  “I can get some for myself,” I said, not wanting her to wait on me.

  Allete nudged me away with an annoyed sound. “Go be social with the jarls. I will bring you a plate of meat.”

  There was no point in arguing because she was going to do it whether I wanted her to or not. So, I went in search of the jarls of the clans. I found them gathered at the farthest end of the village about twenty-five yards from the last fire and animal.

  “Torben,” Rafal, Jarl of Clan Akefor, called out. “We were just talking about you.”

  “How is everything?” I asked as I took a seat on an empty stump. “Do any of you all or your men need anything?”

  “The food is great,” Hagen, Jarl of Bjornvik, said. “And your men and shieldmaidens were kind enough to help us all get our tents set up on the beach. You’ve done an outstanding job making us feel welcomed.”

  The other jarls nodded in agreement. Albric, who was sitting on the opposite side of the circle from me, gave me a slight bow of his head, as if to say, ‘well done’. I bowed back, then focused my attention on the jarls once again.

  “I’m glad everything is to your liking. Before I speak to everyone as a whole, I wanted to discuss our plans for tomorrow. If you have suggestions, please feel free to offer them.”

  “Tomorrow, we will meet at the sparring fields. We will divide everyone into groups and rotate them. Some will work on sharpening swords and axes. Some will train, some will make arrows and string bows, and some will make sure we have scraps of cloth for bandaging injuries and liquor for cleaning the wounds.”

  “So, each group will spend a certain amount of time at each assignment?” Blaine, Jarl of Brending, asked.

  “Exactly. I figure this would help relieve any boredom and keep everyone moving.”

  Hagen nodded. “I think that’s a good idea.”

  “How are you fixed for provisions?” I asked. “Are you stocked for the trip there and back?”

  They each nodded. “For the trip there,” Rafal said. “If we are victorious, we can take the supplies we need for the return trip. If we are not, then return provisions will not be necessary.”

  “Good point. But if you decide you might need more, we can see what we can do to help. After I address everyone, if any of you have anything to say, please feel free. Also, afterward, I’d like to invite you up to mine and Allete’s home to go over our attack strategy.” About that time, Allete walked up. I noticed all the men’s eyes shift to her, then nearly laughed when their mouths dropped open as she handed me a plate and a drink.

  “I don’t think you all have had the opportunity to meet my bride,” I said, pulling her around to stand next to me. While she stood and I sat, we were almost the same height. “This is Allete Auvray,” I said.

  “It is an honor to meet you,” Allete said as she gave a slight curtsey. “Clan Hakon is thankful you are each willing to join us in this battle.”

  Each of the jarls stood, then pressed their fists over the hearts and bowed to her.

  “It is an honor to meet you, Allete,” Blaine said. Rafal and Hagen said the same.

  Allete excused herself, and I ate the food she’d given me while listening to the other jarls talk about their experiences with Cathal. As much as I hated they’d endured the attack by the king of Tara, I was glad it gave us a common enemy and a reason to unite. Cathal would have been a problem eventually because he was overly power hungry. There was no telling how much more damage he might have caused in the future. Getting attacked was a horrible thing, but it might have prevented something much worse from happening because we were removing the problem now instead of later.

  After we’d eaten and talked, I went ahead and called everyone to the center of the village. I explained everything I’d told the other clan jarls. There were cheers and wolf howls as we talked about preparing for battle. Although we were all from different clans, we were united in our mission.

  “Freya said you asked to see me?” I said as I entered the shieldmaiden’s hut where they all slept. “Did you get anything to eat?”

  “Yes, yes, girl,” Myra said, waving me off as if eating wasn’t important at all. “I’ve got more important news besides food.”

  Frowning, I studied the table where she sat. She had a bowl in front of her filled with scrying stones. Next to that was a deck of tarot cards. “What are you doing?”

  “Trying to make sure that all the pieces are going to be on the chessboard when we arrive in Tara,” she answered.

  I took the empty seat on the other side of the table as I asked, “And? What have you learned?”

  “Evelyn and Gisele are together and arriving in Tara with Calder as their puppet,” Myra said.

  “How do you know this?”

  “I saw it in your siste
r’s mind,” she answered. “She, Brant, and Captain Clay are on a boat, headed for Tara as we speak.”

  “How did you get into Dayna’s mind? She’s alive? I mean, I knew she was but to have it verified…” I felt the words get stuck in my throat as I realized just what Myra was saying. My sister was alive, and she was headed to Tara.

  “She’s incredibly open to magical influence, which tells me Gisele did something to her. Whatever it was, it allowed me to easily link with her when I scried for her.”

  “Did she realize you were in her mind?”

  Myra chuckled. “She figured something was up when she dreamed of me, at least that’s what she thinks it was—a dream.”

  I stared at Myra. My sister was alive. It was one thing to believe it in my heart but quite another to know for sure.

  “Thank you, Myra,” I said. “I didn’t realize just how badly I needed to hear that.”

  On my way back to our hut, I was stopped by a dozen or so people from the other clans. They said thanks for the food and wanted to know what it was like for me to go from being an English princess to the bride of a Viking Jarl. Everyone was kind and perhaps a little tipsy from ale ingestion.

  I opened the door to our home to find Torben, my father, and the other jarls deep in discussion. There was a map spread out across the table, and they leaned over it. Torben’s eyes met mine. I wasn’t sure what he saw, but it was alarming enough he excused himself and took my hand to lead me outside.

  “Are you all right?” he asked. “You’re pale.”

  “I just spoke with Myra,” I said. “She did her magic stuff, and she knows for sure Dayna is alive, Torben. She’s alive.” I could feel my body trembling. “She said Dayna, Brant, and Clay are all on a boat on the way to Tara now.”

  “That means Gisele is on her way as well,” Torben said.

  I nodded. “And Calder and his clan.”

  “It will be good for him to be there. He needs to see that his brother is gone—that we are not a clan that will lay down and be walked on.” Pulling me into his arms, he pressed a kiss to my hair. “I am glad you’ve had news of your sister. I know that has to be a relief.”