The Winter Sword: A Novel of Germania and Rome (Hraban Chronicles Book 3)

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The Winter Sword: A Novel of Germania and Rome (Hraban Chronicles Book 3) Page 22

by Alaric Longward


  ‘Fine, just be careful with your father,’ the guard grumbled, eyeing Helmut’s back.

  She came in, and I pretended disinterest. I stole glances at her and saw the red haired girl approach from the door, carefully as a doe, suspecting a wolf was close, but she did come and kneeled next to me. She laid the food next to her and took a deep breath as she placed her hand on mine. I pretended to be surprised, and she caressed it. She gulped loudly. ‘I brought you food, and water, but I cannot stay for long,’ she stated, but I placed my hand under her chin and pulled her closer to me.

  Our faces were very close. ‘It will tickle.’

  She nodded carefully. ‘The beard?’

  ‘And my tongue,’ I smiled, and I kissed her. She resisted, but not for long, experimenting my mouth with hers, her eyes open, then closed, and I pulled her over me. I kissed her neck, and she shuddered in pleasure. I fumbled with her brooch, a fine fibula in the shape of a leaf and took it from her cloak carefully. I pulled her tunic over the shoulder; she helped me and the tunic fell, and her magnificent breasts were bared, touching my chest. My hands caressed them; then I leaned to kiss them as she was grasping my hair. She took my hand savagely and placed it on her back, then pushed it over on her buttock and tried to move it to her intimate parts, which she did. She was warm and wild and ready.

  And I was not.

  She noticed it. She pulled away as I took my hands away from her. Her face was furious, ashamed, and she opened her arms to me. ‘Am I ugly? You have been telling me how beautiful I am. And then I come here, wishing to comfort you, to learn and you … wither!’

  I put my hands on her hips, still plagued by lust, fighting the urge to take her, but I could not. For I had Cassia. She might be married to someone else, but I could not take this girl. And so, I told her. ‘I’ve fought in a shield wall. I’ve defied evil gods and their priests. I’ve killed a king and a beast of Lok. I’ve wounded lords and beasts. And now I have done the hardest thing in the world. I’ve denied myself the lovemaking with a goddess.’ And I meant it. She was superbly beautiful and desirable and had wit and fire in her. She was a girl any man could love for eternity. ‘But I have a woman, and I cannot banish her from my heart. She has suffered for me; I have suffered for her, and I am sorry.’

  Mathildis stared at me. She was frowning, then her face softened and suddenly, she was furious again. She moved, lightning fast and thrust her hand between my legs and grasped my very erect manhood under my pants, held it as I stared at her, my eyes agog. She tugged at it and smiled happily as I twitched in lustful agony. She did it a few times, experimentally and finally let go. ‘Well. I suppose you were not lying about desiring me. And so I forgive you.’

  ‘Brimwulf will be very happy,’ I breathed, holding my face as I had a hard time breathing. ‘He will be astonished at you, I promise,’ I murmured. She would be a handful for the too honorable bastard, I thought and laughed.

  ‘I am sorry you will be hurt and sent away,’ she told me as she dressed herself. ‘But you said Brimwulf—’

  ‘He loves you. He will take you away,’ I told her, looking at the rafters, avoiding looking at her body as it was slowly being covered. ‘He will.’

  ‘I will pray to Frigg for you, Raven,’ she told me, and I nodded thankfully as I ate. She looked distraught as she was dressing, her sleeveless tunic covering her fine breasts, but her cloak was impossible to fasten, for her brooch was lost. She tried to find it for a time, but could not and tied it up.

  I watched her as I ate and thought she was lovely. But I had Cassia. And I had her brooch. And I hoped Frigg would forgive me, for I would use it and risk Mathildis’s life.

  CHAPTER 18

  Helmut came to me the next morning, and I again grinned insolently at him. I asked politely for Wulstan’s health, but he managed not to punch me and settled into pushing me hard to the doorway, and I laughed at him.

  ‘Stay far from her,’ he told me. ‘Mathildis. I saw you speaking with her yesterday. You shall make no friends in my family. Not even with the most simple of the members.’

  ‘She was only making pleasant conversation,’ I told him with a grin. ‘She has noticed that with me, she can discuss things other than maiming, robbing, and clobbering and finds herself estranged from the rest of you.’

  He spat on my back, and I bristled at the insult. ‘Speaking of maiming and the discussion yesterday. Ragwald has decided to cut away your nose when you go. Not your prick. The price for his boy’s wounds.’

  ‘The boy lives still? A pity,’ I told him and surprised how well Thusnelda, Mathildis, and Vulcan had convinced me of his simple qualities for I felt bad immediately after.

  ‘He will take your peak, boy,’ he told me as he left me with Vulcan. ‘It will make you one ugly raven.’

  Mathildis came with my breakfast and blushed violently when she saw me hobble towards her with the chain. ‘Morning,’ I said, grinning at her.

  ‘Morning,’ she told me, looking down. I munched on porridge, listening to Vulcan grumble about foolish girls and bastard Marcomanni, and I watched her squirm.

  ‘Did you see my brooch in your hut?’ she asked timidly. ‘I went there just now, but I could not see it.’ She looked at me suspiciously.

  I adopted a hurt look. ‘I am no thief, Mathildis.’

  She hesitated and nodded. ‘The floorboards are rotten. Perhaps it fell into a crack of one. It was expensive, you know.’

  I slurped at the food hungrily, trying to forget what I was about to do. ‘Things will be different for you very soon,’ I said, hesitated and sighed. I leaned towards her. ‘In case, just in case your father should think something happened last night, tell him I took you by force.’

  Her mouth shot open. ‘Lord. That would ruin your reputation! I would not! Not even to save mine!’ I grinned. A perfect match for Brimwulf, I thought.

  ‘I am called the Oath Breaker, no? They will forgive you,’ I told her. ‘Just do it.’

  She nodded, scared. She had a good cause to be. ‘I will think about it. Should that happen.’

  ‘Can I ask for a favor,’ I said as I finished my food. She nodded and smiled warily.

  ‘Depends on the favor. I tried to give you one yesterday.’

  I beamed at her gratefully. ‘I hear your father takes men to the woods? And there he has them ripped apart in peace, no?’ She shrugged and licked her lips, obviously nervous. ‘Is there a specific place he takes them to?’ I asked sweetly, hoping it was so.

  She nodded her head for the woods south of the village. ‘Yes, he takes them over there, to the thickets. Beyond these, there is a clearing with a fallen tree. It is away from the prying eyes, and nobody can witness what happens. He is not always allowed to execute those prisoners he has a great dislike for and there he can bury them in peace as well as torture them,’ she stammered, and I waved her down. ‘He goes to this one place. Always the same. He is a man chained to his habits.’

  ‘Anyone ever survived it?’ I asked hopefully.

  ‘Yes, a boy who stole from him. He is cripple now,' she told me, a bit more bravely, obviously resenting the fact.

  ‘Can you send him on an errand to bring something to the smithy, for Vulcan?’

  She shrugged. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Can you do it now?’ I asked her seriously, and I think she understood there was something up. She looked as if she was about to argue, and I know she wished to refuse outright, but finally she shrugged and nodded. I thanked her. ‘It will do you good, I think. This deed will help you.’

  She breathed a long, shuddering breath and bowed her head. ‘Until evening then.’ She blushed, and turned and left.

  We hammered on the ax blades, and I only barely managed to keep my concentration on the work, waiting to see if Mathildis had done what I asked. I made mistakes, but Vulcan said nothing. He was also tense. Then, in the afternoon, he put away the thongs. He pulled out the long seax and gave it to me, with some hesitation. It was sharp and strong, and he had chisel
ed on the blade a crude raven. It had a wooden handle, with leather strapped around it and I admired it, for he had obviously also made it better.

  ‘Are you going to shove it up your ass?’ he asked curiously. ‘You should for getting her involved in this.’ He did not look happy.

  I shrugged. ‘I am sorry for it. And I did get her involved.’

  ‘Yes, you did. I will have to defend her if he tries to kill her. I will, he said with vicious anger. ‘I hate the bastard. In fact, I hate so many folks here, I think I should thank you for coming here to remind me how I am wasting my life.’

  ‘Hopefully, she will be fine,’ I glanced at the hall, saw nobody and stabbed the air with the blade. ‘It is beautiful. Thank you.’

  He nodded carefully. ‘You made it. Sort of. You have the gift for this. Perfect it, the gift. Blades are things you know, I think. Out of smithy, and in them.’

  A boy stood outside, and I saw Helmut stalking around the hall, looking at us. I hid the blade, and Vulcan strode to the boy and bent to speak with him. ‘What do you want?’ Vulcan asked brusquely, and the boy flinched. Some horsemen were riding to the yard, and I saw they had spare horses with them. They were ragged and dirty and held thick spears. They were Odo’s men. I apparently did not have a week, and I prayed to the gods they would wait until morning to seal the deal for me.

  I turned my attention to Vulcan. ‘He is here for the blade.’

  ‘Yes, lord. I was to bring you a knife for sharpening,’ he told Vulcan, eyeing me with confusion.

  ‘Step in. Close the pelt,’ Vulcan said. The boy did and stepped forward, and I pulled him over to me. He was looking at me, closely.

  ‘Do you like Helmut?’ I asked, and he nodded, smiling happily. ‘No need to lie, boy,’ I said and he shrugged, less enthusiastically.

  ‘I hate him like a Saxon hates a Chauci. He did this to me for taking back a copper brooch that was mine,’ he said, pointing at his twisted knee. ‘I made it; I am good with my hands.’

  I glanced at Vulcan. ‘A new apprentice, perhaps?’ Vulcan smiled and shrugged. I turned back to the boy. ‘Now, we have a thing in common. Deep, burning hatred for Helmut and his weasel of a son. I hate him like shit in my shoe and wish to piss in his open skull while he is still alive. If you like, you can piss on it after. In short, I want to kill him. The problem is that I also wish to get away from here,’ I informed him, and he lifted his shoulders, his eyes shrewd.

  ‘What can I do? I am a crippled slave,’ he asked. I placed the seax in his hand, and he licked his lips as he laid down a knife he had been bringing to us.

  ‘Is it mine?’ he asked in awe, but suspicion took over his features. ‘I will not try to kill him! They will—’

  I shook my head at him. ‘No, no. However, you will tell me where one could hide this. Where would you place it in the clearing where he beat you? It is the place where he has killed others in. You know it. Tell me and then you will take it there. If you do and do not steal it, Helmut will not bother you again. Ever.’

  ‘He saw me enter,’ he hissed, twitching with fear.

  ‘He did,’ I agreed. ‘And so you have to be brave and let me eviscerate him.’ He glanced around, shaking in fear, and put the blade in his tunic.

  ‘Don’t cut yourself boy!’ Vulcan shielded him.

  He whispered. ‘There is a tree. A great fallen tree. He straps the victims on the tough branches, and there is a hole on its side. Cannot miss it. It’s round and deep. I groped inside it as he kicked and beat me. It was empty. I wanted to find something to hit him with, you see.’

  ‘Perfect,’ I told him. ‘Now there will be something for just that purpose if you do not fail me. Here, tell Thusnelda that I have need of her slaves this night.’

  He nodded, looking at me strangely and left, walking to the house, passing Helmut. He said nothing to the bastard. Vulcan gave me some ale. ‘Tonight then?’

  ‘Tonight.’

  ‘May my Saxon gods dance with you,’ he said cheerfully.

  ‘Helmut will dance in pain,’ I promised him. ‘And then I shall have things to do.’

  CHAPTER 19

  Helmut came for me in the evening. I waited and prayed for Woden to hear my pleas. I saw Helmut walking; he wore a tunic that was white with greasy black spots of food or blood. His bushy beard and greasy hair were as repulsive as ever, his pig-like eyes glinting in many directions, his thick thighs bulging with muscles, and he had Wulstan trailing him. They both had clubs with them, Wulstan’s was a dangerous one with spikes.

  Vulcan glanced at me. ‘Perhaps going with the strangers would be wiser?’

  I shook my head. ‘Trust me, that is no option. I will lose a nose before that. I thank you for your friendship, Vulcan.’

  He grasped my hand. ‘Gods look after you. If you fail, I will likely join you tomorrow.’

  ‘It is possible,’ I told him earnestly. He grinned and then spat as Wulstan thrust the pelt aside. The boy sneered at me, his face still swollen, and he was obviously in pain as his hand shot involuntarily for his head before he could stop it.

  His father came in and grinned hugely like a boulder would. ‘Well, the smith and his best and only friend the slave. Hraban the Oath Breaker, it is time to go. Say goodbye to him. He is gone tomorrow morning, and won't be as pretty,’ Helmut sneered as he pushed in. Vulcan growled and pushed the big man back, and they faced off, both strong, hating each other. ‘Tomorrow, I will speak to Segestes, and Ragwald. We might need a better smith,’ Helmut said slowly. ‘Younger one.’

  Vulcan laughed. ‘Tomorrow, yes. Do that.’ He nodded at me, and Wulstan put the rope around my neck, yanking it savagely tight.

  I was scared. If Ragwald wanted to cut my nose right then, I would not be able to stop them.

  The evening was dark already, and I imagined Mathildis getting food ready for me, but I would not be there. Woden protects her if I failed, I prayed. Wulstan pulled me behind him for the barrack I had been sleeping at. I sighed a breath of relief but then sobered, for I would have to act that very moment. They would cut my nose the next day, and I could not postpone the inevitable. I gulped, prayed, and threw my dice and hoped for the best. It was hard to speak with the rope so tight around my throat, but I managed it. ‘You know, it never ceases to amaze me how the men in your family are each ugly, dog vomit faced mongrels, and the women look so pretty. Of course, I never saw your wife, so the chances are that only Mathildis is beautiful, and your wife looks like the rear side of a mule.’ Wulstan stopped, but his father growled, and he continued pulling me after him. I confided in Wulstan and leaned on him. ‘I think, Wulstan, that your sister and you have different fathers. It’s obvious as a wart on a face. I think your mother knew she would have to get mauled by that shit over there and opened her loins to a prettier man before you were born, just to have something beautiful and intelligent in her life.’ I laughed at Wulstan and he turned, angrily swinging his club for me. Helmut pushed me to the ground before Wulstan could finish his swing. He placed a foot on my chest, growling.

  ‘You wish me to break you. You hope to spare yourself a cut nose? It won’t happen. Ragwald would pay me well, secretly, should I beat you to within inch of your life, but I won’t.‘

  I interrupted him. ‘They say you fuck the pigs in the pigsty. Sows. Boars. Cannot tell them apart I bet. Everyone says it is so.’ I laughed and made crude hip movements while on the ground.

  He snapped.

  He kicked me painfully, took his smooth, but deadly club, and hit me, but I managed to get my hands to cover my face. I still laughed at him. ‘Go ahead and hurt me, bastard. Right here? Perhaps Segestes will whip you, and I can laugh at least a bit as you whimper. They will tell him,’ I pointed at the guards staring at us from the hall. Ragwald’s bloodshot eyes showed terrible desire to keep beating me, but he hesitated. I went for the kill. ‘Besides, your daughter, Mathildis might be pregnant. Would you deprive her a husband? Shall I call you Father?’ I dropped the brooch of Mathildis at his
feet.

  He stared at it.

  His hands went white as he balled them, broke the club in his hands and an indescribable grunt escaped his lips. His eyes rolled in his head, and he bellowed like a bull being hit by an ax. Wulstan was panting with anger, and Helmut licked his lips as he glanced at the guards, both of whom were staring at us intently, and one hesitated, as if going in. He grabbed me and pulled me up, throwing me over his shoulder as he stormed towards the barracks. My heart fell for he would break me inside, not in the woods. Then he ran past the hut, eyeing the guards who had relaxed. Wulstan ran behind him and the guards were out of sight as he dodged the corner, running towards the thickets. I grinned at Wulstan over his shoulder. ‘I would not follow us, pup. Your ugly father is beyond reason.’

  ‘Bastard shit walker,’ Wulstan panted. ‘I’ll whip you raw when he is done, if you are not raw already.’ I laughed and felt Woden’s call fill me. His savage dance rang in my ears, and I think I saw his figure at the edges of my mind, stomping the ground savagely, dust and shadows playing around the god, and I felt the need to kill. I held the rage in check, readying myself. Helmut said nothing, but his grip on my back was such that I bled. He meant to murder me, or close to it, and I hoped he was a slave to his habits. ‘Father!’ Wulstan whined as we ran through a thicket of firs and then, wading in long weed field we arrived far enough away from the compound for nobody to hear my screams.

  It was a meadow, and there was a fallen trunk of a tree there.

  He threw me to the ground, and I rolled next to the fallen trunk.

  He was tugging at his beard in rage. ‘You fucked her? I will fuck you. Give me the club, Wulstan,’ he told his son savagely. Wulstan was holding his head in pain, out of breath.

  ‘Segestes will not be happy with this, you fat bastard, though the girl was very happy last night!’ I told him as I struggled against the mossy trunk.

  He laughed hugely, savagely, his mouth open as he licked his lips like he would before a feast. ‘I do not care. I take my whipping from Segestes, and you will cry for years and years in the land of the shades, for this pain will follow you beyond death. You will join the spirits lingering here, and they, I tell you, still weep for what I did to them. Like a dozen men and women before you, you will sob your way to the afterlife, pissing yourself.’ He advanced on me, and in his eyes, there was something out of this world. Perhaps he was vaettir taken, sprit claimed, and even his son followed his movements carefully. An owl watched us, wondering at the ways of men. Leaning on the trunk, I inched away from the brute who was steadily walking for me, long grass making our pants wet. I glanced at him to the trunk, seeking the hole. I saw sturdy, abraded branches, where ropes were attached and I despaired, for I did not see a hole in the trunk.

 

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