by Quinn Loftis
After a long day of sailing, we finally made it to the first clan’s village. It was midnight. The moon was full in the sky, and it left an eerie glow on the surface of the water.
“Siv, shoot a flame up. Rush, run up a white flag,” I instructed. The first thing we needed them to know was we came in peace. I didn’t want to be met with a volley of arrows as soon as my feet hit the beach.
Once we’d done our part, we waited for a return signal. I imagined a watchman was rousing their jarl and relaying the message that another clan had requested to come onto their territory.
A quarter of an hour later, I saw an arrow being lit. It shot up into the air, then a fire was lit on the beach. A white flag was tied to a stick, stuck in the ground near the fire.
“That’s it. Let’s move,” I said, and Siv and Rush went to put the dingy in the water. “The rest of you stay on the boat.” Climbing over the gunwale, I muttered, “Hopefully, this won’t take too long.”
As soon as we reached the shore, I stepped onto the wet sand and scanned the Northmen and women who were standing in a semicircle, hands on their weapons—all still sheathed, thankfully—watching me.
“I am Torben, Jarl of Clan Hakon from Ravenscar,” I said. “I formally request an audience with the Jarl of Clan Akefor. I apologize for entreating you noble people in the dead of night, but this is a matter of urgency that could not wait until brighter hours.”
A man of significant girth, though not great height, stepped forward into the semicircle. He wore grey wolf furs around his shoulders, dark breeches, and fur boots. On his head rested a crown fashioned from the antlers of what appeared to be several adult elks. His grey eyes were cunning as he stared at me, clearly taking my measure.
“I am Rafal, Jarl of Clan Akefor. What is this urgent matter that drives you to seek an audience with me in the middle of the night, Torben of Clan Hakon?”
“Well met, Rafal,” I replied. “I entreat you to discuss a common enemy of our clans. But first, I would have Clan Akefor understand that Clan Hakon comes in peace. Regardless of the outcome of this parley, we shall not harbor any ill will toward your clan.”
“Understood,” Rafal said.
I nodded and then continued. “We know your clan was recently attacked,” I said. “By an army led by a ruthless savage called Cathal. Not only did he attack your clan, but also others as well, including my own.” There was a rumbling of anger and muttered curses. I understood their simmering rage all too well.
“Indeed, we have,” Rafal said. “This man claimed to be searching for his English queen. He said she belonged to him, and she’d been kidnapped by a Northman. When we told him there were no English women in our clan, he said that wasn’t good enough. He wanted to search our village. I told him that he was not the only king standing on this beach, and I would not bow to his will. He acted as if that were the end of it, and he returned to his boat. We watched his boat leave.
“That night, we were attacked while we slept. We lost many warriors and many homes were destroyed. It was swift. But I heard his voice, even though I did not see him.” Rafal was no longer looking at me, but staring at the flames of the fire as he relived that awful night. “He called out into the night, ‘let this be a message to all who would think to deny the king of Tara what he deserves.’”
“I am sorry this happened to your people, Rafal,” I said, and I truly meant it. “Cathal is a dog, and he deserves to be trampled under our bootheels. I come now in hopes of offering you an opportunity to seek restitution.”
Rafal’s chin rose as he took a step closer to me. “I’m listening.”
“The English queen for which Cathal searched is, in fact, Allete Auvray, my bride.”
An excited murmur ran through the surrounding clan members at these words. Rafal raised a hand to quiet them. I understood their reaction. It was unheard of for a Northman to take an English wife.
“So, you brought this hell down upon us?” came a voice from the crowd.
I ignored it. “If you will indulge me a moment, Rafal, I will explain how this all came to pass.” Pausing, I stared at him.
“Continue,” the jarl said.
“My mother, Hilda, was a renowned oracle. She saw many prophecies come to pass in her lifetime.”
Rafal nodded. “We know of Hilda the Oracle. Why do you speak of her in the past tense?”
“Unfortunately, my mother was murdered by a witch in the service of Clan Thornag.” Now gasps ran through the crowd, as well as curses, murmurings, and a few spats upon the ground.
“I am sorry, Torben. May your mother’s spirit fly swiftly to the halls of our ancestors.”
“Thank you, Jarl Rafal,” I said. “The most recent prophecy my mother gave was that I would marry a foreign bride. The previous jarl of Clan Hakon, Magnus, had grown unstable and greedy. He was crippling our own clan by requiring me to discipline our warriors through dismemberment for ridiculous claims. The oracle claimed it was my destiny to defeat the jarl and take his place. This has all come to pass. I challenged Magnus for the jarlship, then slayed him in trial by combat…and Allete is the foreign bride the oracle spoke of.”
Rafal’s face was grim. He grunted. “News of Magnus’ evil is not surprising. I’ve treated with your former jarl in the past. The man was powerful—that cannot be denied. But never did I think him a wise or just leader. Should you prove a better leader of your clan, Torben, then I shall congratulate you on your victory over Magnus.”
“I certainly hope to lead Clan Hakon more honorably than Magnus, and your congratulation is most welcome. Before I defeated Magnus, he abducted the English princess, whom I’d already met and realized would be the woman about whom the oracle had prophesied. She had been promised as a wife to Cathal by her father, King Albric of England. This was a political alliance made before King Albric knew what kind of man Cathal really was.
“When Magnus fled with the princess, Cathal, in his wrath, pursued. But Cathal didn’t know exactly where Magnus had gone. Cathal attacked four clans trying to find the princess. Yours, mine, and two others, Bjornvik and Brending.”
Another man stepped forward. He glanced at Rafal, who gave him a sharp nod. “Why didn’t you just give him the princess once you got her back from this Magnus? Then, all of this could’ve been avoided.”
I clenched my teeth, biting back the sharp retort I wanted to spew. The thought of my Allete anywhere near Cathal made me want to retch. I drew in a deep breath, then released it before I answered slowly. I knew much hinged upon my next words.
“Practically, I could not. Cathal had already attacked our clans before I was able to rescue the princess. As I said earlier, Cathal is not worthy to be ground under our bootheels. He cannot be called a man. A true man, a warrior in his heart of hearts, would not attack innocents. He murdered children and women in cold blood. I would not turn over a dog to that kind of monster, much less a princess of Allete’s worth.
“But that matters not. As I said earlier, the princess is my bride. Such was prophesied by the oracle, and it has come to pass.” I glanced from Rafal to the rest of his clan, trying to meet each one of their eyes. “I know what I’m saying may sound like lunacy to your ears. But the oracle’s prophesy wasn’t only about me. She also prophesied that Allete would help me bring peace to the northern clans. But not through battle and violence. Not through conquest. Magnus tried that several times over. It didn’t work.” I gestured behind them toward their village. I couldn’t see it well in the darkness, but I knew it would be in various states of repair, just as Clan Hakon was. “We northerners are a strong people. I would happily fly into battle with you, outnumbered ten to one against any foe upon this earth. But you have seen what happens to us when we are divided. We are picked apart by outsiders. Today, I stand here before your jarl asking for cooperation. Asking for an alliance.”
Rafal’s eyes narrowed. “What is it, exactly, you are saying, Torben?”
“I will soon attack Cathal with King Albric’s
help.”
Again, the clan began muttering in disbelief.
“Why would the king of England help you?” someone asked.
“Because he has been aggrieved by Cathal as well. Cathal did violence upon his daughter. Such a thing stokes the fire of a man to action, be he Viking or Englishman. And Albric is now my father-in-law. He is a just man, as are we. He would see the tyranny of Cathal end, just as we would. Which is why he has pledged me his aid. Here is Albric’s royal seal. He has given it to me as a token to prove he will join in the battle.” I pulled the seal from the inside pocket of my tunic, then held it out.
Rafal stepped closer to take it from my hand. He examined it, flipping it this way and that to check for authenticity no doubt. Finally, he grunted. “It’s real.”
I nodded. “If you join us in this battle, you can receive restitution for the people Cathal took and the damage he caused.”
“When do you sail for the kingdom of Tara?” Rafal asked.
“I must go north first and seek the aid of the other two clans, that will take two more days. Then, I will sail back to Ravenscar, which will take another three days. By then, King Albric should have arrived at Clan Hakon. We will plan our attack as swiftly as possible. I would say a fortnight at the most.”
Rafal turned to the man who’d asked the earlier question. “Call in the warriors on the borders. Ready the army. Ready the boats. We sail for Ravenscar in a week, then we sail to war.” He dropped the seal in my hand before holding out his arm. Clasping his forearm, I shook it.
“Thank you. I truly am sorry for what your clan has suffered,” I said.
Rafal shook his head. “I do not understand why you’re on this path, but if an oracle put you there, then you’d best not stray. Perhaps if this Cathal had been able to secure the English princess as his wife, it would have given him the ability to conquer lands north of him, which would have led him to us anyway. It is not folly to hunt the wolf you know is stalking you today, rather than to wait and become dinner tomorrow.”
“That is true. Whatever could happen, anything involving King Cathal is bad. He is a malicious man who lives with no honor.”
“Then he will die with none as well.” Rafal pulled his sword, then raised it into the sky. The rest of Clan Akefor did the same. In one voice, they roared their battle cry.
Rafal offered to let us to stay the night, but I declined. We needed to keep moving. We needed to get to the other clans, and I hoped they would be as well receiving as Clan Akefor.
Once back on the ship, we set course for the next clan. I had Siv set up a rowing rotation so the men could get some rest.
“You need to sleep as well,” Rush encouraged. “No one wants to be allied with a tired and weak king.”
I shoved him as he laughed. “I am neither weak, nor tired. But I will sleep for a bit. Wake me in an hour so you can nap,” I instructed, then found a barrel to lean against as I sat. When I closed my eyes, the rocking of the ship sent me straight to sleep.
She was there almost immediately, sitting on the grass next to a quiet stream. “Princess,” I said. I sat behind her, scooting close enough to wrap my arms around her. I tucked her back against my chest, then buried my face in her neck, breathing in her scent and wishing I were back in our hut, in our bed.
“Took you long enough,” she teased.
“I apologize for making you wait, my love. But I can report we have our first northern ally in the coming war,” I said.
“How bad was the attack on their clan?” My heart sank. I didn’t want to answer, but I knew I’d best deliver the news without any attempt at sugarcoating.
“Bad enough the jarl is willing to sail to the kingdom of Tara with the king of England as an ally.”
Sighing, she laid her head on my shoulder. “I hate he did this to them, and I hate it was in search of me. If Magnus hadn’t taken me, then Cathal wouldn’t have had any reason to sail near those clans.”
“I don’t think it matters, Allete. Even if you’d married him, Cathal is power hungry. He would have used your father’s resources to take more land. He’s done it to the south of his kingdom. England was an opportunity to move north. You can’t try to rationalize the decisions of a madman. All they want is power.”
“No sense in stressing over it now, right? We just move forward. And Dayna,” she said, her body growing tense. “How are we going to get her back? And what do you think Brant is going to tell my father?”
That was the thousand-pound question. I hadn’t given Brant any instruction on what to say to the king in regard to his other daughter. “Damn it,” I bit out through clenched teeth. A knot coiled in my gut as realization hit me. Without given commands about what to tell Albric, Brant would decide based on what he thought was best for Dayna and the clan. I knew Brant. I knew him too well.
“What?” Allete jumped in my arms.
“I don’t know what Brant will say, but I have a hunch. I don’t want you to worry yet. You have enough to worry about. Let me know as soon as your father arrives, please,” I said, not wanting to burden her with what I believed my commanding officer would probably do.
“I will. I will let you know the minute we see the sails,” she promised.
“You need to get your rest.” I squeezed her tighter, wanting to tuck her inside me, somewhere safe where nothing could ever hurt her. It was completely unrealistic, but it didn’t stop me from giving it a go. “I love you, Princess.”
“Be safe, my Viking. Come back to me,” she said.
As I pulled back from the dream, I could feel Allete’s emotions in my soul. I could feel her love and her worry. Could sense her desperation to get her sister back, but to also not to sacrifice any one person for another. She was a truly selfless leader, and she was mine. What I ever did to be blessed by the gods with one such as her, I would never know.
“Torben. Torben. Jarl.” I could hear my name being called and feel my shoulder being shaken, but I struggled to blink my eyes open. The cool morning air was crisp, and there was a wet layer of dew all over the ship. My shoulder was nudged again, and I blinked.
“You let me sleep all night?” I asked unnecessarily.
Siv shrugged. “You needed it.”
“Damn it, why do I give orders if you bloody fools won’t take them?” I grumbled. Pushing to my feet, I stretched out the kinks. “Where are we?”
“That’s why I was waking you,” Siv said. “We’ve arrived. There are clan flags on this beach.” He nodded toward the land about three hundred yards away, maybe a little farther. “We have the white sail raised. And they’ve returned the signal.”
Nodding, I patted his shoulder. “Good man, Siv.” I took care of some quick morning business, snatched up a chunk of bread from a barrel turned makeshift table, and bit off a piece. “Is the dingy in the water?” I asked Rush.
“It is,” he confirmed.
“Then let’s get this done. Thank you for letting me rest, though it is not what I wanted,” I said to the crew, getting nods in return. Rush and Siv were the only ones who had the nerve to give me lip about it.
“Our job is to protect you, Jarl,” Rush said. “Even from yourself.”
I motioned him over to the ladder where we would climb over to the dingy. “Tell yourself whatever you need to in order to justify not doing as your jarl told you,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Get in the dingy before I push you overboard.”
Rush chuckled, but he climbed obediently over the side.
We rowed to shore. And so began the process of recruiting new allies, much like the night before.
After presenting the same information to Jarl Hagen I had previously relayed to Jarl Rafal, Hagen took time to confer in private with his general and top warriors. Rush and I stood on the beach with axes and swords held on us. I thought the response was a little overkill. There were only two of us, but I understood Hagen’s paranoia and desire to keep his clan safe. When it was all said and done, they, too, agreed to become allies and join
us in a week’s time at Ravenscar.
By the time we reached the third clan, it was late into the night again. It took nearly two days to get there. They were farther north than I’d realized. The moon wasn’t bright, and there was little visibility. We shot the flaming arrow, then held torches up to light the white flag in hopes they would be able to see it. We didn’t want to get within range of their archers if they decided we were the enemy.
It was an hour before we saw or heard anything. Finally, they responded in kind, so we were able to row ashore.
Jarl Blaine of the Brending clan was young, though not as young as me. He was also a tad aggressive for my taste. He raged for a good hour about Cathal, and he’d apparently even come to blows with the Taran king.
“I cut his face.” Blaine laughed. “He ain’t so pretty anymore.”
I imagined Cathal was beyond pissed someone had been able to get past his sword. I admitted I wished I had been the one to do it, but I would get my turn. And when it came, it wouldn’t simply be a slash across the cheek. It would be across the neck…and deep enough that his head would roll at my feet.
In the end, Blaine happily agreed to join our attack. His ferocity would be an asset, but his foolhardiness might prove a detriment. Perhaps engaging in this undertaking with jarls who were more levelheaded would curb Blaine’s appetite for destruction. If nothing else, it would be good to have Blaine as an ally before he goes too far off the deep end.
After five and a half days sailing and meeting with the clans, we made our way home, knowing our allies would soon be joining us at Ravenscar.
“Thank the gods,” Rush breathed as the afternoon sun warmed our faces from the November chill. “I honestly didn’t know if Blaine was going to be on board.”
“Me either,” I admitted. “I’m surprised he didn’t chase after Cathal when the king fled.”
“There was probably too much destruction to even begin worrying about going after him. Blaine’s general, Latham, mentioned they’d considered going on a raid in the spring to Tara. So, it sounded like they were planning to deal with Cathal one way or another,” Siv added.
