by Quinn Loftis
“Truly, brother,” Calder said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “I see no reason to keep you alive. I imagine I could take the loyalty of your men rather easily if I prove to them how weak you are. Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you?”
“Because I have gold,” Magnus said quickly, “and only I know where it is.”
“What gold?” Hilda interjected. “You have nothing.”
“Hold your tongue,” Magnus snapped at her. “Just because you are my Oracle does not mean you know everything.” He turned back to Calder. “My own personal stockpile. Clan Hakon raids often, brother. We range far and wide. Every successful raid nets me more and more riches. I have always kept back the best for myself, hidden from the rest of the clan. They know nothing about it. I keep it as an insurance policy, should any of my men attempt to over throw me. I can make your clan rich.”
Calder stared back at Magnus, and I could tell he was giving his brother’s words serious consideration. I wondered myself if Magnus were telling the truth. It wouldn’t surprise me. His greed, much like Cathal’s, knew no bounds. But if Magnus were bluffing, what was his plan? What would he do if Calder commanded him to retrieve the gold, and he had nothing to bring back to his brother? Was he just trying to create a way of escaping? Would he come back with the rest of Clan Hakon and attack his brother?
“And what of your clan?” Calder finally asked. “Or what’s left of it?”
“Let us join you, brother. I will submit to your rule.”
Hilda’s mouth dropped open, and my own eyes went wide. I’m not sure what she was expecting, but it clearly wasn’t that.
“All I ask in return is the use of one of the healers for myself. You can keep the other. You know that I am a worthy fighter. Together, we can make your clan great.” Magnus stared at his brother, eagerly awaiting his reply.
No one made a sound for several moments. I stared at Calder, trying to read his thoughts, but his face was a blank slate.
“I shall agree to your terms,” Calder said after several minutes. “I will have the young healer. I have no heirs, and she has fight in her. She will breed strong offspring.”
In a matter of breaths, I’d gone from important asset to broodmare. Who knew, maybe by the end of the night I would be the new jarl of the merging clans by demonstrating just how much fight I truly possessed. Calder’s next words snapped me from my thoughts.
“But, you must swear a blood oath. You must promise to bring the gold back and agree to merge your clan with mine. You shall serve as my hersir. Your people will shed the name Clan Hakon and take the name Clan Thornag.”
I pursed my lips. Clan Hakon definitely won the best-name contest. Thornag? Couldn’t they have gone with something less… I don’t know… Nordic sounding? Thornag, Thornag… it kind of got stuck in the throat. They could have stopped with Thorn and dropped the ‘ag’. Did they have a clan-naming council for such things? If so, they all needed to be voted out and replaced with women. Women were just naturally better with naming things, just as men were naturally better at gathering a bunch of Neanderthals to go plunder and pillage. It was one of those inevitable things in life that shouldn’t be tampered with, else one ended up with names like Thornag for their group of Neanderthals. It sounded more like the sound a man made after having partaken in too much libation, rather than a title for a fierce clan.
Calder took a step closer to his brother, drawing my attention from my own internal monologue. The tension in the air became ever thicker.
“But, if you fail me, brother, the penalty is death. I don’t know how you ruled Clan Hakon and I don’t care. You are Clan Thornag now. I tolerate no disloyalty among my ranks and no weakness. Any of your men who cannot handle that had better just go their own way.”
“I will not fail you. Just wait and see. With our help, Clan Thornag will grind all others beneath our bootheels.”
Magnus held out his hand, and Calder clutched his brother’s forearm in a quick, firm shake. Turning to his sentry at the door, Calder commanded, “Gather the clan. Tonight, we celebrate new wealth and numbers!”
That was it? I frowned. Calder went from wanting to slaughter his brother to suddenly sharing blood oaths and spirits to rejoice in the tentative peace they’d made? Apparently, they decided the direction of their clan in the same manner they decided their name—by pulling it out of their arse and hoping for the best.
Calder motioned for Hilda and I to follow him. We’d made it no more than a few steps when I heard my sister’s screams. My eyes shot to the tree where she’d been tied when I left. There was rope, but no Dayna.
I looked up at Calder as we started moving in the direction of her screams and bared my teeth like a rabid animal. “If something happens to my sister, there is nobody and nothing on this earth that will be able to protect you from me—not even a god.”
He picked up his speed, but I had no trouble matching him. I could have kept pace with a running horse to save my sister. We crashed through tightly packed trees and emerged into a small clearing a second later.
My eyes took in the scene, but my mind wanted to reject it. Each of Dayna’s limbs was tied to a separate tree; she was stretched out like a virgin sacrifice. Her clothes had been ripped, though she was not yet naked—thank the gods for small miracles. I quickly glanced around the rest of the clearing and realized there was a man only a foot away. A man who had abducted, assaulted, and terrified my sister. My brain shut down, and my body moved of its own accord on pure, primal instinct. I glanced at Calder, seeing the dagger that was on his hip, the same dagger Hilda had used to cut my bonds. I grabbed the hilt, slid it free, and ran faster than I ever had. I spun with my arm outstretched, and the dagger hit its mark, slicing him from ear to ear. The man gurgled and grabbed at his neck as if to stop the blood flow. I knew exactly what it felt like, and I had no empathy for him. He dropped to the ground, and his eyes met mine as death began to take hold of him. I knelt down beside him close enough that he would hear me. “You made a mistake. Want to know what it was?” I leaned even closer. “You touched my sister.”
I stood and turned to find Hilda untying a battered, bruised, and royally pissed Dayna. The other two men were on their knees with Calder standing over them, his sword drawn and pointed at them. I’d no doubt he could have swung it and taken off both of their heads in one strike. The men must have known it as well as they shook like a wounded animal cornered by the predator stalking it.
Knowing they were no longer a threat, I walked over to Dayna and wrapped my arms around her. “I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. Asking her if she were all right seemed rather dimwitted. She’d just been abducted and beaten, of course she wasn’t okay.
“You’ve nothing to be sorry about, sister,” Dayna assured me as she pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. They weren’t sad tears, they were angry tears. Tears that promised retribution for the brutality she’d endured.
She pulled her shoulders back and held her head up just like she’d been taught to do by our governess. “I’m about to do something that you might not want to know I’m capable of. I won’t be offended if you step away.”
I shook my head. “I’m not going anywhere. Remember that time we tied up both our guards after drugging them with nightshade?”
She laughed. “I could never forget that.”
“Remember what I said to you when Father called us into the throne room?”
“You said there was no punishment you would not endure for me, no trial you wouldn’t face with me, and no person you wouldn’t kill for me.”
“How old were you when you said that?” Hilda asked, intruding on our sisterly moment. “Because that makes some of our shieldmaidens akin to meek mice.”
I ignored her as I nodded to Dayna. “That oath will never expire. Whatever you have to do, I will be by your side.”
“All right,” Dayna said, letting go of a deep breath. “I’m going to need an axe.”
Fire is best am
ong the sons of men, and the sight of the sun, if his health a man can have, with a life free from vice.
~ Hávamál, Book of Viking Wisdom
“She’ll be a great mother,” Brant said as he sat down next to me. The fire crackled and danced in front of us, and the heat felt good against my face.
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Remember the way she worried over Allete? Your woman barely gets a scratch, and Dayna decrees the entire kingdom bring bandages and clean water.”
I chuckled. He was right. Dayna adored her older sister and was very nurturing toward her. “So you’re saying that because she will love her children—”
“Our children,” he corrected.
“Fine, because she will love your children, that she will be as nurturing and caring as she is with Allete?” I asked.
Brant nodded.
“Are you two discussing the mothering instincts of my two dear cousins?” Thomas asked as he took a seat on the other side of the fire. The weariness I felt showed on his face. We were all moving a little slower after having ridden for so long. I’d pushed us harder after the dream I’d had with Allete. Knowing she’d been hurt and might be hurt again was ripping my insides apart.
“We were discussing whose female has a stronger mothering instinct,” Brant said.
“And what was your conclusion?” Thomas asked.
“We are both leaning toward Dayna, even though Allete has a kinder disposition. Dayna is very nurturing toward Allete,” I answered.
“Hmm,” was Thomas’s only response.
“Not that Allete isn’t nurturing,” I continued. “She’s a healer, after all. I just think that she’ll have to spread her emotions out to so many that she might unintentionally be too busy for our children.”
Wow, that sounded horrible, I thought. Scrambling to correct myself, I added, “I mean, she’s going to be a wonderful mother, of that I’ve no doubt. I just—”
Thomas held up his hand to stop me. “You’re simply digging your grave deeper, warrior. This conversation will never make it to my cousin’s ears.”
I glanced over my shoulder. The rest of the men seemed to be sound asleep.
Thomas looked at Brant. “Why do you think Dayna is a woman so perfect for motherhood?”
Brant smiled. “She’s tough, but I think my woman is mostly bark. She puts up a really good show, like some snakes that puff up to make themselves appear bigger. Of the two, if it came down to having to do something truly brutal, I think Allete would be the one swinging the weapon and Dayna would be the one cheering her on and shouting out battle strategies.”
Thomas’s lips pressed tightly together as though he were trying to hold back a laugh. When he finally had himself under control, he simply looked at Brant and said, “If you ever decide to tell Dayna your theory, please, please, let me know.” He stood up, bidding us goodnight.
The last thing I heard before Thomas laid down was him chuckling and murmuring, “Mostly bark. Right. Mm-hmm, definitely.”
“Sometimes, you just have to stand still and be the quiet support for the ones you love. You have to let them do whatever it is they need to do, and your only job is to be a soft place for them to land should things not turn out as they hoped.”
~ Diary of Allete Auvray
Hilda placed the requested axe in my sister’s outstretched hand. There were no words spoken between us. She simply walked over to where Calder stood, his sword tip still held directly in front of the men’s faces.
“Are you going to kill them?” she asked.
Okay, so she was going to get right to the point.
“They disobeyed a direct order from their jarl. If I do not kill them, I come across as weak and spineless,” he answered, sounding a tad defensive.
Dayna shook her head at him. “You misunderstand. I am not concerned about whether they die. But before they do, I would like to take recompense for their…” Pausing, she swallowed.
I wondered if she were having to swallow bile just as I was at that moment. Standing there, considering what the men had done, made my stomach churn. How could they possibly repay her for what they’d taken from her?
With a slow, deep breath, Dayna continued her request. “I would like to repay them for their less-than-hospitable treatment.”
“Have you noticed how calm your sister becomes when she is angry?” Hilda whispered, leaning close to me.
I nodded. Some thought it was because she was so patient. Hilda was about to witness just what happened when my sister’s anger reached the silent, controlled level.
“The punishment is already set. I decreed they should lose their hands if they touched you or your sister.”
“And a just punishment, it is, Jarl,” replied Dayna, “but I should be the one to carry out the sentence. They’ve wronged me. It is my right.”
“Very well,” Calder turned to the familiar warrior who’d been standing guard earlier. Apparently, this was his right-hand man. “Take them to the stump.”
The two men’s faces drained of blood, turning their complexion a pasty white. Their eyes went inhumanly wide.
Calder and his man forced the men to their feet and led them out of the clearing. Dayna fell into line behind the men, the axe resting on her shoulder. She looked like a Viking warrior dressed in the wrong clothing. Her face was stoic, her eyes focused on the task before her.
Hilda and I brought up the rear of the pending death parade. My stomach was in knots, not because I didn’t support my sister, but because she was in that position in the first place. She should have been flirting with lords in court and riding her horse in the rain after Father forbade it. Instead, she was on her way to exact justice for a heinous crime.
“She’s strong,” Hilda said gently. “She’s going to come out on the other side of this stronger.”
I knew that better than anyone. “But she shouldn’t have to. She shouldn’t have been abducted by those men.”
“Life isn’t fair. Most everyone has had someone they love taken, brutalized, or killed. Don’t you think they all feel the same way? But it happens. By the gods, it’s not fair, but we aren’t promised anything when we come naked into this world. We can either crumble beneath the weight of every unjust thing that ever happens, or we can pick up an axe and refuse to be a victim. Don’t tell her over and over that she should have been spared. How does that help anything? Instead, you be the one to hand her the axe, and if it’s too heavy, you lift it with her. You give her the means to not only survive but flourish as well.”
By the time Hilda was done with her heroic rant, we’d stopped walking and formed a small circle around a tree stump.
“Thank you,” I said to Hilda, giving her hand a squeeze as I pushed through two warriors and stepped up to my sister’s side. She stood directly by the stump, staring at Calder and the two men.
Calder’s words rang throughout the village. “These two men defied my orders to refrain from harming our captives. Now this one deserves restitution,” he said, indicating Dayna. “What say you, female?”
“Both men touched me in a way in which no man has a right.” Her voice was strong and loud as she spoke. She met the eyes of each member of the clan with unwavering conviction. “They made me helpless, unable to fight back when they tied me up, and I had no choice but to endure their sick molestation. For those reasons, I demand the very hands that committed the act.” She stared directly at the two men, her eyes piercing them like arrows.
Calder lifted his chin slightly and motioned with his hand toward the stump. Two warriors dragged the first writhing man over. Another man stepped forward and tied a rope around the man’s wrist. He jerked hard, anchoring the hand to the stump.
“I’m being punished for treating English trash how they deserve?” he barked, glaring at Calder. “She’s a slave. Since when can we not take the slaves as spoils? You are weak to let slaves be treated with dignity.”
Calder walked over and knelt down by the strugglin
g Viking. He regarded his clansman, eyes void of emotion. They were as cold as ice, just like the words that came out of his mouth. “You have insulted me twice now. I ordered the females not to be touched, you disobeyed. Now you’ve questioned my worth as a jarl and warrior. You might have been allowed to live after the girl’s restitution was paid, but now I must show you there is no weakness in me.”
He motioned Dayna forward and stepped close beside her. “Move your hands down on the handle,” he said as he positioned her hands on the axe, showing her what he meant. “It will give you greater control and provide more force for your swing. Straight down.” He started to back up and stopped. “And please don’t miss and hit one of my other warriors.”
Dayna didn’t respond. Her eyes were locked on her assailant and his outstretched arm. Without any hesitation, she lifted the axe as if she’d done it a thousand times before and slammed it down on the man’s arm. He screamed and pulled his arm back, but only a stump remained. The axe was embedded in the tree stump, a detached hand resting next to it. With some effort, Dayna wrenched the axe free of the wood.
I felt like the fingers were going to wave at my sister at any moment or perhaps give her a thumbs-up, so I gave my head a quick shake to hopefully force the image from my mind.
The second man was a little smarter than the first one. He didn’t yell or challenge Calder, though he did look up at Dayna with enough hate that it scared me to think of what he would have done to her if we hadn’t gotten her away from him. Someone removed the hand from the stump, and the other warrior was brought forward. His hand was drawn forward and placed on the tree stump, which was now coated in blood. My sister’s second assailant was spitting curses at her, words that I wasn’t even sure I knew the meaning of, but Dayna’s face never betrayed any emotion. She simply stepped back up and took her place. She raised the weapon once again and slammed it down. The outcome was the same, a screaming man, lots of blood, and a hand that seemed to praise my sister for her actions.
