by Tami Dee
He could very well lose the respect and confidence of men whom had served under him for over half his life.
Could he afford to make the sacrifice? Leif did not know.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kat was tied to a support beam in Scipio's great hall.
Windowless oak plank walls enclosed her and the hundreds of fighting men crammed in the fortress with her. Not a whisper of a breeze made it past the wattle and daub wedged between the wide planks.
Several huge, rectangular, fire pits roared in the center of the massive hall. Despite the frigid temperatures outside, the combination of men and fire pits caused the room to be uncomfortably warm.
Large slabs of meat hung, here and there, on spits over the flames, the sound of fat sizzling and popping could be heard over the sounds of reveling. Smoke wafted upward toward the ventilation holes in the ceiling or swirled around the animal skins hanging from large hooks imbedded in the support beams of the ceiling and caused her eyes to sting.
But that was the least of her worries.
Scipio came toward her, pushing one of the slave girls out of his way and not even glancing back as she fell to the floor.
"Listen to me," Scipio shouted. At the sound of his voice, the room suddenly became eerily quiet. "As you see," he shouted, "Katla has been restored to us."
A cheer rose to the rafters.
"Her one request, now that the harsh exile her father meted out to her is over, is to have her child back. The son of her womb."
The slaves looked at one another. Clansmen muttered amongst themselves.
"It is our greatest wish to find our son, and raise him to be the leader he is destined to be. The loyal midwife who has protected the child these last few months must be told it is safe to bring the child home, where his mother awaits him."
Another deafening cheer greeted his words. Kat felt sickened by the thought that he was using her as bait to find Katla's baby.
The question was whether or not the midwife would fall for this trick or wisely keep the infant hidden?
Could none of them see that she didn't wish to be here?
"One word and I'll gut you right here," Scipio muttered. "Now that my people have seen you, the child is as good as mine. I have also been assured that Leif and his men seek battle with you. When he and I meet, I will have the added pleasure of killing him once and for all. "As of this moment, you are living on borrowed time," he told Kat. "You are of no use to me, except for the obvious entertainment of seeing you thusly."
He tossed the contents of his drinking horn into her face then threw the horn across the crowded hall.
To her revulsion, as she coughed and blinked her burning eyes, Scipio leaned in and licked the liquid from her cheek. "Thanks to your unsteady hand," he hissed in her ear. "I will never know a woman intimately again."
Kat looked at him dumbfounded.
What had Katla done to him?
Scipio pulled out a knife from his wide belt, Nabboddr's knife, and cut away her sleeve to expose the gold arm band that Leif had given her as a sign of his protection, a mocking reminder of what she had lost.
"Afraid, Katla?" he sneered as he taunted her with the sharp knife, his warriors shouting for him to remove the rest of her clothing.
Strangely enough, her fear was exhausted. She only regretted that she had made an enemy of Leif and his family and that she had failed her grandmother.
"No, Scipio," she said in a loud, clear voice. "I am not afraid."
"You are a fool then," he replied in a low voice so that none but she could hear. "Do you know it was I who killed your father and your mother? And had I been able to find you, I would have killed you, too, and the child you were carrying. Where did you hide, Katla? And how did my arch enemy find you?" A speculative gleam entered his eye. "Did he degrade you? Did he use you, even plant his seed in you?" His hand shot out and he tore the front of her dress to her waist.
Kat cried out in shock and humiliation.
"I thought as much," he said triumphantly. "You may not have a round stomach yet, but I know your body. These dusky nipples tell your secret. I know that in truth they are the palest of pink when you are not carrying a child."
Kat swallowed.
Oh God, he was right.
Could her resemblance to her ancestor be so complete? Was it possible that she was like her in every way?
"Tears," Scipio spat, and she hadn't realized she was crying. "I hate your tears. Do you want to see what your pathetic tears caused? Do you want to see why I will kill every member of Rollo's household? Even my own son?
"The old jarl ordered you to castrate me. As punishment for taking your virginity. But you botched the job. You and your tears. Look what you did to me!"
There was insanity in his eyes as he ripped open the leather stings lacing his buckskin pants.
Against her will, Kat's eyes went to his crotch.
Kat felt sick and bile burned her throat. No wonder he was so bitter. So angry that the love he once felt for her ancestress had turned to hate, such a great hatred that he set out to kill her entire family. Katla had butchered him at her father's command, how tragic. It was a miracle that he lived at all.
A gasp filled the great hall and he looked around, his pants still gaping open. His eyes focused on the stunned warriors and slaves surrounding him then he looked down. He reached for his clothing to hide his shame.
"I didn't know," Kat whispered truthfully.
Her Amma's book had said nothing of this.
The tears she shed now were for him as well as for herself. His devastating mutilation by her ancestor would be the end of them all. She grieved for Leif's unborn child, the child she would never see or hold. Just as she would never see or hold its father again. If Leif chose to remember her at all it would be with bitterness, for in all the time she had known him, she had brought him nothing but grief.
Right to the end.
"Just kill me, Scipio. Get it over with," she said wearily. She and her ancestor had cost too many people too much, and now they had both lost everything. No wonder Katla had taken her own life. How could one girl live with the guilt of her far reaching actions?
Leif and his people. Her father and family. And even Scipio, her forbidden love. These hurts would be a heavy burden for anyone to carry alone.
Something hissed through the air and she saw Scipio's eyes widen before he slid, lifeless to the floor.
Kat screamed as pandemonium broke out all around her.
Swords clashed, battle cries rang out. She struggled against the ropes that bound her. She felt movement behind her and she braced herself for whatever was to come.
Men hacked away at each other, Kat had no idea who belonged to what side or which she hoped would win. It didn't really matter.
And then, suddenly, someone grasped her hands and she felt the smooth glide of a blade cut through her bounds. She locked her knees to keep from slipping onto the pool of blood that was spreading on the hard packed dirt floor.
Someone threw an animal skin around her and grasped her by the shoulders. And there was Davyn, smiling at her mockingly.
"You do have a way of turning a house in uproar don't you, lady?" he said as he turned and thrust back a warrior who was approaching her, knife raised.
She gaped at him.
"My brother wishes you to await him outside," he said conversationally. "If it pleases you, stay near me and let me get you out of here."
"What brother?" she asked, her heart suddenly light.
He rolled his eyes. "Jarl Leif. Now let's go." Taking her arm, he pulled her behind him, hacking away at any foolish enough to try and stop them.
Despite being in the middle of a bloodbath, Kat's mind raced. Why did Leif want her taken to safety? Could it be that he still loved her, even thinking that she harmed his father and ran away?
It was then that Kat caught sight of Leif across the great hall.
He was engaged in battle with three giant warriors.
His face was a controlled mask of concentration and deadly intent as he battled them, thrusting with deadly precision.
He caught sight of her for only a moment. The hardness in his blue eyes as they met hers whipped away any hope that he cared from her heart. He was only saving her so he could kill her himself.
Davyn continued to slay a path to the double doors. Would they ever reach them?
Through a blur of tears Kat saw Cavan battling next to Leif. He caught her eye and he twisted his lips in an evil smile.
They didn't know of his treachery and he was standing right next to Leif with a wicked looking sword in his hand.
She struggled to tug her arm from Davyn. "Let me go!" she cried. "I have to talk to Leif."
Davyn, engaged in a one-handed sword fight with a man about the same height and weight as he, turned incredulous eyes to her while never missing a parry.
"In case you have not noticed," he told her, breathless. "He's a little busy right now. And if I don't get you out of here I'll never hear the end of it."
At that moment, the warrior he fought with pulled a knife from his waist and Davyn, distracted, did not notice it.
Five years of living on the streets of San Francisco and dealing with men like Benny and his cronies had honed Katla's instincts. Without thinking, Kat pulled the hilt of a knife secured in a strap attached to Davyn's lower left leg, reached around his waist and plunged the six inch blade into the heart of his opponent.
The man's face reflected his surprise as he crashed to the floor.
Davyn turned to her, his look of stunned disbelief almost comical. But Kat wasn't laughing. She had to get to Leif. "Let me go," Kat tried to tug her wrist out of his hold to no avail. "I have to warn Leif that someone is going to kill him."
"I'd say about half the men in this room are trying to do just that," Davyn responded, looking both amused and annoyed.
"You don't understand," she protested. "It's Cavan. He hates your family. He is the one that hurt your father and allowed me to be kidnapped."
Davyn's face dropped. He was momentarily distracted when two more warriors came at him, one wielding a battle axe and the other brandishing a long sword.
Kat reached down and grabbed the knife from the man she stabbed and threw it at the one poised to let loose his battle-axe on Davyn's head.
Her aim was perfect and pierced him in the heart.
"There's more to you than meets the eye, lady," Davyn shouted as he made short work of the second warrior. "Cavan is the one that felled father?" he asked during a momentary reprieve.
His gaze turned towards Leif and Cavan fighting side by side.
"He did," she told him. "I swear to you, he did."
He looked at her closely and she knew he struggled with whether to believe her or not.
"If you're lying, Leif will not be pleased."
"I am telling the truth and if someone doesn't warn him, he will soon be dead."
Apparently Davyn was convinced because he grabbed a young warrior from a skirmish, finishing off his opponent for him with a well placed sword to the stomach and then ordered him to get her out of the hall.
The warrior, no more than a boy, was obviously upset to be taken out of the fight, but he did as instructed.
Kat watched with bated breath as Davyn made his way across the indoor battlefield. Leif's men, wearing their polished helmets, were using their brightly colored shields against their foes as effectively as they used their swords and battle-axes. Leif's swarming warriors outnumbered Scipio's, drunk and unprepared men at least two to one as they stepped on and over bodies to get to their next victims, battle cries and mocking taunts rang in the air at a feverish pitch.
"Hurry, I don't want to miss all the fun," The boy told her breathlessly, prodding her towards the double doors.
Kat shot him a quelling look and dug in her heels. She was not going anywhere until she knew that Leif was safe and Cavan exposed as the enemy he was.
After what seemed a lifetime, Davyn made it to Leif's side and Kat, oblivious to the mayhem surrounding her and the almost desperate pleas of her young escort, stood completely still, her eyes unblinking as she watched Davyn speak to his brother, even as they crossed swords with Scipio's men.
Leif's face darkened. He turned to Cavan and gave him a piercing look. Then his eyes sought out Kat.
Disgust and disappointment shown from the piercing blue depths as they bored into her. Even from this distance, it was clear he didn't believe her.
After a moment, resignation settled across his face.
Kat's heart fell. Leaving her young escort to battle the seasoned warrior who approached them, she sidestepped the fighting men and walked out of the great hall.
Kat slumped against the side of the wall, her hair matted, her dress hanging off her in shreds, the skin Davyn had given her clutched around her shoulders as she breathed deeply the crisp, cold air.
The sounds of battle could be heard from within. Kat didn't know what she should do now.
Cavan was a traitor. He meant for harm to come to Leif and his family. But Leif didn't believe her. Whether Davyn did or not didn't really matter, because Leif wasn't only his older brother, he was his jarl. He would trust Leif's judgment over her word.
And Kat couldn't blame him, not really.
As she sagged against the wall, her wounds started to make themselves known. She didn't know when or how she came to have so many cuts and bruises, but she knew it could have been worse, much worse. She hadn't been raped, and for that she was grateful, but she had certainly been violated. And, she had killed two men.
Not even on her worst day in her time had she killed anyone.
She sank to her knees, suddenly too tired to remain upright. The battle cries had nearly died away now. And who had been the victor? Was Leif still alive?
She really didn't know.
Suddenly, the double doors crashed open and Leif strode out, Cavan close at his heels.
From behind Leif, Cavan smiled at Kat, sadistic and victorious.
He knew her accusations against him had not been believed. There was nothing she could say or do to change that.
Without saying a word, Leif dug his fingers into her upper arm and jerked her to her feet. Kat clutched the animal skin covering her torn dress in a death grip as he dragged her, stumbling and tripping, back inside the great hall. If he had noticed her bruised and battered body he gave no sign.
His men were binding Scipio's surviving men and Kat knew they would become slaves now, slaves for the rest of their lives. Leif's men had started the grim task of removing the fallen. Leif pushed his way through it all, not stopping until they reached to post she had been tethered to.
Kat's heart sank as he pulled two leather straps from his vest.
"Don't tie me, Leif," she gasped. "I'm begging you."
Her pride was gone. She could take no more abuse or heartache. Cavan moved as if to grab her and was stopped by a look from Leif.
"Do not do this brother," Davyn said as he placed himself between Leif and Kat. "It is not what you really wish to do."
A muscle in Leif's jaw twitched. "Stand down, brother," he replied fiercely. "You know nothing of my wishes. This woman is a liar and a manslayer. I will take my revenge out on her for her actions and her ancestor's actions, once and for all."
She had never seen him so angry.
Or so hurt.
And all because of Cavan's lies.
"Leif!" she cried. "I didn't strike your father. I care for him, for all your family, I would never do anything to harm them."
"Lies," he muttered, twisting the strap around her wrist. "Nothing but lies."
"Cease!"
The command came from the entrance of the great hall.
It was Leif's father.
He stood in the threshold, backed by helmeted warriors.
His eyes were sharp and clear.
"Father!" Leif exclaimed. "How is it that you are here?"
"Nabboddr," sh
e called. "Oh, Nabboddr!"
The old man came toward her. On either side of him men drew aside, forming a human passageway until, stopping in front of her, he held out his arms and she fell into them.
"Father," Leif said, his face drawn tight. "What are you about? I understand you may not remember, but the evidence against this woman is clear. She must be put to death for harming you, and it will be by my hand, for I brought her into our home."
Leif held himself rigid, but Kat could see the confusion, hope and anguish in his eyes. Nabboddr untied the straps that bound her and pushed her behind him as he faced his son.
"You lay one hand against this girl and I will not claim you as my son," he told him. "She no more hit me with that rock this time than I fell onto a rock last time. Do you remember son, all those years ago?"
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cavan edging his way to the doors. Leif's face clouded, Kat could almost see his mind going back to the time his father spoke of.
"Aye, I remember father. You lost your footing and struck your head."
"Son, when have you ever known me to lose my footing? I was struck from behind and just before I lost consciousness, I saw Cavan standing above me, a bloodied rock in his hand. It was the blow that caused my memories to be so scattered. I tried so hard to regain what he stole from me, but the times when my memories became clear, were too short to inform anyone of his treachery."
"Cavan struck you ten years ago?"
Leif's voice sounded hollow. Kat's heart went out to him. Once again someone he trusted had betrayed him.
"Stop him!" Davyn called out as Cavan turned to flee. Immediately five men set upon him and although he thrashed and fought he was outmanned. Leif walked over to him meeting his eye.
