“I’ve known your daughter but a short time, good man, but I assure you, the girl I love will not fail. She has risked everything to save you, when she could have fled to safety. No, she will be here, you will see.”
“For her sake, I hope yer wrong, lad, I know she’s… special, like her ma, but still…”
Something about the look in Thor’s eyes, and the wolfish grin on his face told Colin that maybe there was hope after all. Thor turned away from the man, and focused on the log between his shoulder blades. It was four inches thick if it was an inch. Any normal man would be helpless, but Thor was no normal man.
“When the time comes, stay with me, I promised her I would keep you safe, and I keep my promises.”
Colin nodded. Thor could see the man thought they were daft but he just didn’t understand. Mackenzie was coming, and she would bring the pain.
***
The advantage Mackenzie had over Kirkpatrick and his men was knowledge. She had spent her whole life exploring the area around the village. She knew every game trail, every gully and ditch, every hill, crag, and ravine, she knew it all. With sufficient food in her belly, thanks to a stag, and plenty of truffles in Revenaugh, they were both ready. She rode him hard down the southern gorge, past the plain where the two armies first met, all the way to the forest where she encountered Thor the third time.
Even at a forced march, she thought, they could never hope to cover so much ground in a day like she had. The Revenaugh could move much faster over ground that would leave a horse broken. Before noon, she found the spot she wanted, a hill not far to the south. She smiled a wolfish grin, soon her da would be free, she would be with Thor and nothing was going to stop her.
***
Unlike the men around him, Thor’s senses were attuned to the wild. His wolf blood made him aware of every detail, every tremor, even the whisper of a field mouse rang clearly in his ears. As the sun passed its zenith, he felt and heard the rumble of the Revenaugh pass by them. The massive creature's hooves shook the ground. It was so loud, Thor was sure others noticed, but if they did, they made no move to say anything.
He smiled.
“What are you smiling about, oaf?” the slave master said as he brought a whip down on Thor’s back. Thor ignored the whip, it cost him nothing to stay silent and he didn’t wish to tip Mackenzie’s hand just in case. When the whip didn’t bring cries of pain like the man thought it should, he pushed his horse forward past the grinning Norseman.
“I told you she would come,” he whispered to her da. “She is here now, be ready, for soon we act!”
“Are ye daft man? I love me daughter but there’s nothing she can do here, except get herself killed.”
Thor only smiled back.
***
“M’lord, Notting Hill approaches, should we send scouts?”
“Why on earth would we do that, we’re within our own borders, Captain, I think our force of a thousand men is sufficient, don’t you think?” Kirkpatrick said.
Somedays, he felt, it just didn’t pay to be king. He was surrounded by incompetence and idiocy. His guards knew better now, he had them all whipped for letting that Norseman lay hands on him. Inside, where he would admit to no one, he shuddered at the memory of how easily the big man had brushed him aside.
As crowned prince, then King, he’d never really felt physical fear before and it shamed him to his core; shame that he would take out on his prisoner now that he had him. Still, something nagged at the back of his mind. Why did the man surrender? Where was his whore wife hiding?
Questions, he was sure would be answered once he started cutting on the man. And as for his wife, if he ever found her, he would lock her in the city prisons with all the men. Let her know what it’s truly like to be fucked. How dare she spurn him, he, a King, she was nothing but a peasant girl, despite her claims otherwise.
“Halt,” a voice called from the front.
“What? How dare you command a halt? I’m the king here, go forward, I say.”
“M’lord, look, a woman,” the guard announced to his right.
Kirkpatrick couldn’t believe his eyes. On the top of the hill, not a hundred feet away, stood Mackenzie. She was adorned in a simple blue dress, her hair was in braids, but it was her.
“She must be mad,” he said. “What is that, does she have a sword?”
His men laughed with him. “Look Chief Weir, your daughter has come to the rescue, with a sword.” He howled in laughter.
Her voice cut through the laughter, even a hundred feet away they could hear her clear as a bell. “Kirkpatrick,” she growled, “let me people go! Or face my wrath.”
The laughter of his men echoed his own. “Your wrath, little bitch? Your wrath! You will face mine, oh, the punishment I have in store for you will make your life seem like a dream, guards, seize her!”
His honor guard trotted their horses forward, sparing worried glances between them as they came up the hill to her.
***
Mackenzie’s stomach was in knots. Her mouth felt dry as the midday sun that hung over them.
He’ll be okay, right?
You’ve felt his hide, yes? It’ll take more than a sword or spear to bring him down. Trust me Mackenzie, he’s very old.
And… I can do this, right?
Calm yourself, lass, you can do this. Remember the men in the woods, just let your body respond.
Mackenzie felt a little sick at the memory of the way she’d butchered those men. She was defending herself and she had no doubt that she was in the right… but still. She didn’t just kill them; she was vicious about it.
She felt a growl escape her lips. The lead horse whinnied and stamped sideways as did all the other ones. They could smell the wolf before them and all their instincts told them to run.
Kirkpatrick’s voice wafted up from the bottom. “What are you waiting for, get her!”
He’d somehow seemed much more imposing and frightening when she first met him. Now, he seemed like an empty shell of a man.
She cleared her voice. “If any man drops his weapons now and walks away, I promise ye, no harm will come to ye,” she said. She didn’t yell; she just spoke with a voice so forceful it projected itself across the whole of the valley.
The laughter was more scattered this time, the men nervous, considering if she were bluffing.
The captain of the honor guard urged his horse forward with forceful kicks to his flanks. Mackenzie’s lips curled back in a snarl. She took a step forward and the horses couldn’t take it anymore. Despite their training, to them, a wolf stood in their way, and no amount of kicking would make them take one step closer.
Out of desperation, the captain ordered the men to dismount and take her on foot. With her sword out and loose in her hand, Mackenzie took a deep breath; she was ready.
***
Thor’s heart lifted when he saw his love on the hill. Despite his confidence in her, a nagging worry had started to form. Now he knew, if she was here, it was because she succeeded. He watched as the men were forced to dismount to approach her. She didn’t know she was projecting her wolf to all around her, but she was.
“Watch,” he whispered to her da.
“I can nae bear to look, it’s me own daughter and they’re going to kill her,” he nearly shouted. With new strength her da charged forward screaming, “Mackenzie, run, lass, run!”
His words were cut short by a rumble that came from the west. Even Kirkpatrick turned his gaze. The rumbling turned into an avalanche of stampeding hooves and snarls.
The Revenaugh had come.
***
Mackenzie closed the distance to the guards with a single leap. She landed in their midst as they were distracted by the giant boar now bearing down on their king. Her blade bit deep into the captain's shoulder, he screamed and collapsed. The others tried to draw their swords. She was on them in a heartbeat, blade whipping and swinging through them. One man fell, clutching his throat, another lost his arm as he tr
ied to draw, a third went down with his leg shorn clean off at the knee.
Mackenzie looked up to see her da running to her. He froze in his tracks when he saw what she did. She had no time to worry though. Kirkpatrick’s soldiers had been jogged out of their shock and they were rallying to attack the Revenaugh. She ran for her da, determined to make sure he was safe. Her sword splintered the log freeing his hands.
“Mackenzie,” he said, unable to comprehend what his daughter had done.
“It’s me da, it’s fine. Get a sword, free yer men, Thor and I will handle the rest.”
“Thor, he’s locked up behind…” the words died in his throat as Thor appeared at his shoulder, brandishing the sword of the whipmaster.
“I’m free, Colin, now do as your daughter commands, free the men!”
With one last look, her da ran forward to the fallen guards to get a sword. Mackenzie threw herself in Thor’s arms, her place in the world clicking as he squeezed her in a hug.
“I will never let you go again,” he whispered into her hair.
“You’ll never have to,” she said.
Their reunion was interrupted by screams. The first group of soldiers to attack the giant boar were down, scattered and broken like so much kindling before the beast. A second group of heavily armored men with spears approached. While his size was daunting, Mackenzie worried that the spears might hurt him.
“Thor, get the women and children safe. I’ll help me pig, then together we can deal with the other swine,” she said. He nodded, though he looked reticent to leave her.
She grabbed him by the back of his head and pulled his mouth to hers. She let his tongue slip between her lips to explore her mouth. Her tongue touched every inch of his. After another round of screams, they broke their kiss and scattered without a second look. Mackenzie charged the armored men, a vicious snarl on her lips.
The first guard turned to look behind him, only to be met with Mackenzie’s sword to his face. Two more went down before they realized a threat was present.
She whistled at her pig and pointed. The great boar of the north squealed with a thunderous bellow that deafened those nearby. It charged forward, knocking men and horses away. The pig slammed into the carriage that held Kirkpatrick. The wood buckled, the horses panicked, desperate to get away from the threats around them.
She smiled at the scream that Kirkpatrick let out as his carriage tipped over. Another man fell before her, to add to the pile at her feet. Her da was free and had freed his men. They were scavenging swords where they could. She couldn’t see Thor, though. She ran forward when an arrow buried itself in her chest. She looked down, a red stain spread on her dress, and her knees buckled. She tried to fight it, but she couldn’t, her strength was gone.
Kirkpatrick had somehow escaped his carriage and found a bow. He stood not thirty feet from her, a self-satisfied look on his face.
“You impressed me, bitch, you would have made a fine wife, but now, you’ll die, just like everyone else from your village.”
The second arrow hit her gut, she fell forward into the grass. The pain burned her mind clear, and she struggled to stand. She heard a roar that she knew was her da’s. With great effort, she tilted her head to see her da charge Kirkpatrick. Her da was too far away from him though. With his sword held high, he stomped over the ground to the bow wielding king. Kirkpatrick got one arrow off and it caught her da in his shoulder, but it didn’t seem to slow him as he closed ground. Kirkpatrick threw his bow at him ineffectively and drew his own sword.
She could feel her strength returning, but she didn’t know what to do.
Freya, help me, what do I do?
Pull them out; it’ll hurt like hell, but you’ll heal.
She closed her eyes, took a breath, and grasped the shaft in her stomach with both hands.
She pulled. Her scream drowned out the battle around her as the shaft tore through skin to come loose. Panting for breath while grabbing the next one, she continued to pull. She immediately felt her strength return. She jumped to her feet, sword in hand.
Her da was losing badly to her would-be-husband. Several wounds bled from her da and none from Kirkpatrick. There was chaotic melee all around them, but it seemed they were winning. The Revenaugh stamped and smashed anyone silly enough to get near him. Her da’s men were taking advantage of the confusion and killing or wounding as many as they could. Thor was on the far side, so she couldn’t see how he fared but she couldn’t imagine he did any worse.
With her sword firm in hand, she charged. Her snarl sent hackles up and animals fleeing. Kirkpatrick brought his sword down on her da, in what he thought would be a killing blow, only to have Mackenzie appear from nowhere to intercept.
“How are you still alive?” he hollered.
“Ye can’t beat me, ye can’t even challenge me and ye should nae have threatened me da,” she yelled.
She swung her sword with both hands as he raised his to block, only to have it shatter with the blow. He fell back from her. She charged forward, leaping through the air and driving both her feet into his chest. He collapsed with a shriek of agony as all the air was knocked out of his lungs.
“Fer all the pain and misery ye caused this day, Lord Kirkpatrick, I take from ye what ye have taken from others, yer life.” She brought the sword down, the blade penetrated his skull and bit deep into the ground.
THE END
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Bonnie Burrows, Mackenzie's Fate
Mackenzie's Fate Page 9
