by Bobbi Smith
“They are near,” he warned Dynna in a whisper. “Hold your tongue. Any sound will draw them . . .”
As they stood poised together they heard the sound of a horse’s hooves as the steed made its way through the woods in their direction. Twigs snapped leaves rustled.
Dynna held her breath as she watched and waited. She beseeched God to keep them safe, pleaded for protection from Edmund’s cruelty and cunning.
Brage had little time for prayers to his gods. He concentrated on the sound of the horse’s tread. He waited every muscle tense. His senses were screaming a warning, and he let his gaze sweep the vista before him for a sign of the one following them. He would attack first if he could. It would be his only chance to survive. If he killed one of Edmund’s men, he could take his weapon and horse. He would be equal to the others then, and perhaps could draw them away and give Dynna time to escape. He heard the horse stop. He waited. He heard the sound of the mount start to move again . . . closer . . . ever closer . . .
Brage lifted his weapon as he knew the horse and rider were nearly upon them. He heard the horse’s wheeze and knew they would be seen by the Saxons. The one who had followed them had known what he was about. There would be no escape, no safe haven, no return home.
Brage readied himself. He was about to do mortal combat.
Dynna was quaking in terror as their pursuer closed on them. Edmund’s man was near . . . so very near. She wished they were invisible. She wished they had wings so they could fly from this place that had become a death trap and not a hiding place. She longed for safety for herself and Brage. She did not want him to lose his life protecting her.
The thought of him dead tore at her, and Dynna almost reached out to touch him, to reassure him. Just as she was about to, though, the horse loomed into her line of vision and she had to bite back a scream of terror.
Brage’s nerves were stretched taut. All their running had been for naught. All their planning had been pointless.
He heard the steed stop before their hideaway, and he raised his sword ready to slay the one who had found them. If he had to die, he would not make it easy for them.
Fourteen
It all happened in an instant. Brage was ready to deliver a death blow to the one who had ventured too near them when Dynna launched herself at him and grabbed his sword arm. Brage shook her off. He was fully ready to do battle with this man, but when he looked up at the one on horseback, he stopped. There before them was Sir Thomas, and he was staring straight at them.
Brage stood, sword poised at ready, as he met the other man’s gaze in challenge. Sir Thomas kept his expression benign, yet his eyes flashed a stem warning. He looked pointedly at Dynna and saw that she was unharmed.
Dynna met his questioning regard evenly, letting him know by the look that she was there because she had chosen to be.
Sir Thomas was caught between a smile of relief over finding her and a frown of concern for their situation. He was pleased to see that Lady Dynna was unharmed, but worried by Sir Edmund’s proximity. He wanted to see her freely away from Edmund, but was honor bound to maintain his loyalty to Lord Alfrick. Sir Thomas glanced away, keeping his expression from revealing anything of his discovery.
“Were I of a mind to leave this place, I would stay to the hollow till I came to the headland.” He spoke under his breath, his lips barely moving. “From there, it is a straight trek along Woodford Way to Brightwell’s Spring. That would seem the safest path to travel this day.”
“Brightwell’s Spring?” Dynna whispered.
“It is north and to the west. And were a man a friend to another, he would try to lead those who would harm his friend in the opposite direction.”
Dynna felt tears burn in her eyes at his quietly offered help. “Thank you, Sir Thomas,” she said for his ears alone.
“Any sign of them?” came Sir Edmund’s call as he rode close by.
Brage and Dynna froze. Their every nerve was stretched taut as they awaited Sir Thomas’s answer. Their gazes were locked on him. He could save them or see them slain.
They did not have to wait long for his answer.
“No. I thought I saw something moving here, but it turned out to be nothing,” Sir Thomas answered in a normal voice.
“My lord! Look what I found running in the woods!” another of the men called to Sir Edmund from afar.
Brage and Dynna could hear the horses moving in a direction away from their shelter.
“It would seem that we did see someone heading this way after all,” Sir Thomas called out as he watched the man herd two young boys toward Sir Edmund. Then, as he readied himself to join the others in his party, he muttered in a low voice to Brage, “Be warned, Viking. See that no harms befalls her. I would hate to spend the balance of my days tracking you down.”
Brage was shocked by the man’s threat, and he had enough respect for him to know that he meant it. Sir Thomas made a good friend, but he would also make a relentless enemy. Brage had no time to respond as Sir Thomas immediately whirled his horse around and rode away.
Knowing their danger had not lessened, Brage pressed Dynna farther into their hiding place. He stood with his back to her, shielding her body with his as they waited to see which way Sir Edmund and his men would ride.
Edmund was muttering a vile curse as Sir Thomas rode up. He had thought he had cornered the Black Hawk and Dynna. His spirits had been high, for he had believed he would be returning to his father with the Viking captive in plenty of time to make the exchange. But his hopes had been dashed. He had merely wasted time hunting down two peasant boys in these woods. He glared at the youths as they were dragged before him.
“Have you seen a tall, black-haired man and gray-eyed woman traveling together on foot?” Sir Edmund demanded of the two. He might not have found the pair he sought, but maybe he could get some information from the ones they had found.
“No, my lord” the taller of the boys answered nervously. “We have only seen our own people, no one else.”
“How far is your village?” Sir Edmund asked.
“By the river.”
“We will take you there, so that we can see if any other has encountered the ones we seek.” Edmund was disgusted, but not defeated. He would not stop until he had Dynna and the Viking back. He gestured to the boys. “Bring them along,” he ordered two of his men. “Let us ride.”
Brage waited tensely for the sounds of the horses to fade away. He was relieved that they had ridden in the opposite direction. Still, neither he nor Dynna moved for what seemed like an eternity. Their hearts were pounding and their breathing was strangled but they remained still.
Finally, when the sound of the hoofbeats could no longer be heard Brage spoke. “Stay here while I make certain it is safe.”
“Be careful . . .” Dynna said, and she began to tremble.
Brage ventured forth cautiously to survey the forest around them. He stood there, his piercing gaze searching for some sign of Sir Edmund or his men, but all was quiet. They were alone in the woods.
He turned to look back at Dynna, and it was then that he saw how white-faced she was with fear. She had been so brave for so long, that to see her so frightened struck at the very heart of him. He called to her, “It is safe.”
At his words, Dynna hurried forth to join him. She wanted to touch him, to make sure he was all right. He could have been killed! It had been close . . . too close. For those few moments, she had lived in horror of seeing Brage struck down before her very eyes. The possibility had left her shaken and drained.
“Had any other of Edmund’s men found us, he would have killed you . . .” The terror of the thought still filled her.
“He would have tried,” Brage said with a fierceness that reminded her he was a Viking warrior—savage, determined, unafraid.
“Sir Thomas saved us both.”
“The man must care for you deeply.”
“He is truly a man of honor. He was a friend to Warren and is now a frie
nd to me, and I value that friendship. He is a kind man whose heart is good. I trust him with my life.”
“It was not the first time he defended you against Sir Edmund,” Brage remarked.
“How did you know?”
“I was watching you that night in the tower when Edmund would have beaten you had not Sir Thomas intervened.”
Dynna shuddered visibly at the memory of that horrible moment and at the thought of how close she had come just now to being back in Edmund’s power again.
The fear that shone in her eyes stabbed at Brage, and he felt an unusual surge of tenderness. He went to her and touched her hair in a gentling caress.
“It was hard for me to watch, chained as I was.” His gaze caught and held hers as he spoke. “I was glad when he came to your aid.”
“Edmund is a cruel man. He would have taken great pleasure in beating me.”
She trembled again, and Brage drew her close and held her sheltered in his arms.
“There is no need to worry. No one will ever hurt you as long as I am with you.”
Dynna drew renewed strength from Brage’s confidence, and slowly, the fear that was haunting her eased. As she gazed up at him, she knew she would ever be protected by his side. “There was a time when I thought you hated the very sight of me. You pushed me away and declared you wanted no Saxon hands upon you.”
Brage smiled as he thought of the pleasure her hands now gave him. “It was your people I despised, not you, my lady. From the first time I saw you with Ulf, I sensed you were no ordinary maid. Then when I learned from my brother that you had taken a blade to him, I knew what a fearless vixen you were.”
“Matilda and I were desperate. We had to get away . . .”
“You are courageous and intelligent and beautiful. I have never known another woman like you.” He bent to her and very gently kissed her.
Dynna’s heart soared at the touch of his lips. “I feared you at first,” she whispered.
“And now, sweet Dynna?” he asked, his voice low and sensual.
She answered him with a passionate kiss. They stood together, wrapped in each other’s arms, silently celebrating the fact that they were alive and together and safe—for now.
Finally, reluctantly, they moved apart. Had he his way Brage would never have let Dynna go, but Sir Edmund might still be near. They could take no chances.
“We must move while we can.”
She nodded. “If Edmund has followed us this far, he may suspect where we are heading.”
“Is it much farther to your home?”
“On foot, if the weather holds, it will take us four days.”
“And if we ride?”
“Two days at the most. But we have no mount.”
He slanted her a glance. “Then not only do we need more food, we need a horse as well. We must travel quickly if we are to reach your parents before Edmund.”
Dynna cringed inwardly at the thought of stealing a horse in addition to the food but knew this was a crucial matter. She hoped they would be forgiven.
“Near Woodford Way there are a few small farms. We might find a horse there.” She hated planning such, but there was no helping it.
They shared one last embrace before moving away toward the hollow.
“I hope Sir Thomas succeeds in keeping Edmund away,” Brage remarked.
“He will do everything he can to help us without betraying his own honor.”
Sir Edmund’s frustration was growing ever stronger. They had just passed an hour in the village questioning all who were there about Dynna and the Black Hawk, but it had proven a wasted effort. No one had seen them. It was as if Dynna and the Viking had vanished completely. Yet Edmund knew that could not be.
“They must be here somewhere close. There is nothing else for her to do but run to her family home,” Edmund said heatedly as he stood with Sir Thomas at the edge of the village staring out across the bucolic countryside. He knew she was there somewhere.
“Perhaps we have been wrong all along, my lord. Perhaps Lady Dynna did not come this way at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is different from the first time she ran from you. This time she has the Viking with her. He wants to return to his homeland. Surely, they would reason that the first place you would look for them would be at her family home, so that would be the one place they would avoid.” Sir Thomas tried to divert Sir Edmund’s thoughts from going to Dynna’s true destination.
Sir Edmund glanced angrily at the other man. It infuriated him that Sir Thomas had reminded him that Dynna had run from him before. He wondered at Sir Thomas’s loyalty, and he made up his mind that when his father died and he took over, the man would be gone. “And I say it is the first place they would head,” he insisted. “Where else could they receive the help they need to aid him in an escape to his homeland?”
“But you must remember, my lord, that he is a Viking, a raider adept at living off the land. The Black Hawk would not be foolish enough to accompany Dynna there. Remember, too, that she is not his hostage. She is smart and knows where you will search. We will not find them with her parents,” he argued.
“You could be right, and were my father here, I am sure he would follow your counsel. But my father is not here. I am, and this time I will follow my own instincts.”
Sir Thomas was frustrated, but could say no more. Had he continued to try to convince Sir Edmund to go elsewhere, he would have drawn unusual attention to himself. He dropped the argument and resigned himself to following Sir Edmund wherever he led. He would try to protect Dynna if she were found, but otherwise there was not much more he could do.
“Come, Sir Thomas. Rally the men. We ride for Dynna’s home.”
Sir Thomas did as he had been bid. He only hoped as he gave the men their orders that Dynna and the Black Hawk had followed his directions and stayed safely out of their way.
Under the cover of darkness that night, Brage left Dynna in hiding once more and crept in alone to the small farm house. The light within had long ago gone been extinguished, and it was time for him to lay claim to the horse they so desperately needed.
The horse remained still and quiet as he approached. He was relieved that it was a broken, well-trained mount. And when the mare offered no protest as he put the halter on it, he was even more relieved. He did not try to ride the animal, but led it away as slowly and as silently as possible.
Dynna had been waiting for Brage’s return. Each moment they were apart seemed an eternity, and she was thrilled when he came back to her leading the horse.
“There was no trouble?” she asked.
“None. All was quiet. She came with me willingly,” he said, as he stroked the mare’s powerful neck.
Her respect for him continued to grow. “Then let us ride. Though it is dark, the trek along Woodford’s Way is not dangerous here.”
They both mounted the steed bareback, and Brage held Dynna before him as they started on their way. He kept their pace slow for the time being, not wanting anyone to hear them.
As much as he tried to concentrate fully on the ride, he could not help but take pleasure in their riding double. Dynna fit perfectly against him, her thighs resting against his, her back against his chest, her hips fitted tightly to his loins. Had they not been fleeing for their lives, he might have allowed himself to be completely distracted by her closeness. Instead, he forced himself to concentrate on the trek.
As Dynna rode before Brage, her back pressed against the hard support of his chest, she thought of Warren again. Brage was nothing like her husband, and yet she found herself drawn to him in some elemental way that defied all logic. They had only known each other a fortnight, and still it seemed as if she had known him all her life. Dynna had never felt this way about Warren. She had cared for him. He had been a good husband, and they had gotten along well, but there had never been this tension between them . . . this passion that grew even more powerful with every touch and every kiss.
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nbsp; Brage kept their pace steady as the night aged. He did not stop until the terrain became more difficult. He had kept their conversation at a minimum, wanting to take no risks with their safety. When at last he sought a place to rest, it was once again in a grove of trees that would shield them from view.
After sliding from the horse’s back, he lifted his arms to Dynna and helped her down. Her body grazed his as he lowered her to the ground, and the contact was electric even after so many hours in each other’s arms. Their weariness was forgotten as they came together, hungry to be one.
Later, when the wildness of their passion had been tamed for the moment, they lay together, treasuring this stolen time of quiet and resting.
“Tell me of your family, Dynna,” Brage asked. He knew he would face them soon, and he wanted to be prepared.
“I have but my mother and father. I had a younger brother, but he died as a child, many years ago.”
“You loved him.” It was a statement, not a question, for he could hear the sadness in her voice.
“Very much.”
They were silent for a moment, each reflecting on their own losses.
“And you, Sir Viking? What of your family?” Dynna ventured, needing to know more about him. “I know only that you are the Black Hawk, son of Anslak, and little else, save you have a brother named Ulf.”
“Ulf is my half-brother,” he answered easily, “by my father’s mistress. He is older than me.”
“And you are friends?”
“You sound surprised.”
“It has been my experience that ofttimes the sons of mistresses are treated badly by the legitimate heirs.”
“Ulf and I fought in our youth. We each wanted to impress our father with our strength and prowess, but now he prides himself on protecting me. When I see him again, though, I shall tell him what a poor job he did this last time.” Brage stopped suddenly as an ugly thought occurred to him. He frowned, trying to deny the possibility to himself, yet finding it impossible to dismiss. He and Ulf had fought over everything in their youths, trying to establish who was the most favored with their father. Could it have been that Ulf’s laughter when he had lost to Brage had merely covered what he had really been feeling. It broke his heart to think such, but . . .
