by Quinn Loftis
“Allete?” Torben’s voice filled my mind. “Are you okay? Who’s hurt? I felt your power.”
“Am I good?” Lakin asked.
Grasping her hand, I yelled, “We’re getting up. Make room,” to the women protecting us so they knew to raise the shields a little higher. “How do you feel?” I asked Lakin. Since I could still feel Torben in my mind, I tried to send him feelings of comfort, despite the fact I wasn’t feeling comfortable at the moment.
“I think I’ll live,” Lakin said, then hugged me. “Thank you. That would have been a death sentence if you hadn’t been here.”
I patted her back. “You’re tougher than you know. You’d have survived.”
“Maybe, but my arm wouldn’t have worked the same. Considering I’m a hunter and a fighter for my clan, that would have royally pissed me off.”
“If you two are done with your bonding and shite, could you please join the party?” Babs asked as she handed over my shield. Freya offered Lakin hers. Suitably outfitted, we joined the circle of females. Swords out and shields up.
Eyes widening, I studied the group of men about fifty feet away. They were big. Instead of pointing out the obvious, I tried to sound hopeful. “No more arrows?”
“Only the one,” Freya said. “Now we just have to deal with them.”
“What did I miss?” I asked.
“Nothing much,” she said. “I asked them why they’ve been creeping up on our clan.”
“And they answered with?”
“You’re looking at it.”
I frowned. “They answered with a silent, menacing stare?”
“Yep.”
“What now?”
“Allete,” Torben roared into my mind.
“Bloody hell,” I snarled.
“Now is not an appropriate time to have a meltdown on us, Al,” Taina, one of the twins, said.
“But if it’s bad enough, it might scare the intruders away,” Talia said. “If you’re going to lose it, make it good.”
“I’m not going to lose it. Give me a sec,” I said, then inwardly focused. “Hey there, Viking. Everything is good. Nothing is wrong at all. Lakin got a little arrow to the shoulder. I ripped it out. She’s right as rain, and life is great. Miss you. Love you. Bye,” I said the words as quickly as I could, then tried to shove him from my mind.
“It doesn’t work like that, Princess,” he rumbled. “You can’t kick me out. Whatever the bond between us, you actually pull me to you as your anchor when you use your magic. Don’t try that again. Now why in the hell does Lakin have an arrow in her shoulder?”
“Had, not have. She had an arrow in her shoulder. I took care of it,” I reminded him. “And now we’re grand. But I can’t really chat right now.”
“Who shot her?”
The one time I needed him to not be observant, he was suddenly a detective. “I’m not sure who shot her. But it doesn’t really matter since she’s completely fine now. I feel like we’ve gone over this. Lakin is fine. Arrow gone. No more boo-boo. Kisses!”
“It matters because they need to be taught how not to shoot a comrade,” he oh-so-helpfully pointed out.
“She wasn’t shot by a comrade,” I said. I was sure it had sounded as if the words came out through gritted teeth because they had.
“Are you listening to anything I’m saying?” Freya shoulder bumped me, and I nearly dropped my sword.
“Would you believe me if I said yes?”
“Not a chance.”
“Hold on a sec,” I said, then pulled out the big guns with my husband. “About fifty yards away from me and the other shieldmaidens, there are ten or so men. They are holding swords. Possibly foaming out of their mouths. I cannot sit here and explain all the details that led up to this moment because, if I do, I might end up taking an arrow to the face. I will explain things once I’m no longer putting my comrades in danger by focusing on you and your damn questions. Be safe. I love you.” I could feel his anger, shock, irritation, and fear, but he didn’t say another word. For that, I would kiss him hard when I saw him again.
“Okay, I’m here. What’s the plan?” I said to Freya.
“If we live through this, you are going to tell me what in Odin’s name was happening with you just now. That’s the plan. Got it?”
“Yep. Now, have do we plan to live through this?” I nod in the direction of the men.
“Our backup should be here any minute,” Freya explained. “I sent out the signal while you were working on Lakin.”
Sure enough, one of the threatening men fell forward a second later, an arrow sticking out of his back. The men who had been facing us quickly spun around, searching to see who had snuck up behind them. I saw no one. Apparently, neither did they because they crouched, searching the horizon.
“Now we fight,” Babs yelled.
As one, we lunged forward. I joined my voice to their battle cries, running full force toward the now-startled men. As we charged, I saw two more men fall with arrows in their eyes and hearts.
“Keep moving,” Freya yelled. “Remember, they will tire before you will so stay out of their sword reach if you don’t think you can take them.”
“Right—move, sword, don’t die,” I muttered. Metal clashed as swords met. Deep voices joined the higher pitch of the shieldmaiden. I shifted to intercept a man who charged toward Babs, but Rhetta was suddenly there. She was easy to forget because she was the smallest and quietest, but she met the warrior’s sword with her own and used her shield as a battering ram.
As I turned to face another male, Astrid stepped in front of me. “I got this one, Al. You just stay alive in case someone falls.”
I realized then Freya had no intention of letting me fight.
“Watch out!”
Freya’s voice broke through my thoughts. I turned, raising my sword at the same time. A sword met my own with such force it nearly drove me to my knees. As soon as it lifted, I backed up and darted to the side, never letting my eyes leave my attacker. He was a mountain of a man, at least a foot taller than me, with a full beard, black eyes, and a crooked nose. The man didn’t appear as if he’d missed any meals either, which was good for me. He would definitely tire faster…I hoped.
When he lunged a second time, I dropped to the ground in a forward roll and jumped up, pivoting so fast I didn’t even lose sight of him. He whirled around and snarled. I tried not to grin, but I failed.
“Are you going to fight him or just grin and dance around?” Babs hollered.
“I’m going to stay alive, just like Freya told me to,” I said, darting to the side again. The third time he lunged, he was met with Freya’s and Babs’ blades. They both moved in front of me at the same time I took a step back.
“Drop your sword,” Freya barked at the man. “You’re the only one left alive.”
At her words, I stopped and slowly scanned the area. She was right. The rest of the raiders were in the dirt. Some groaned, holding hands against grotesque wounds. Most were motionless.
“Anyone hurt?” I asked, surveying the shieldmaidens.
“I got some cuts, but I want the scars so don’t even think about healing them,” Maarit said.
“Same,” Taina and Talia said together.
“I’ve got a deep one you could take a gander at if you don’t mind,” Rhetta said quietly from beside me. I hadn’t even heard her approach.
“Of course,” I said, sheathing my sword. I slung my shield onto my back. “Where?”
Rhetta pointed to her arm. There was a three-inch slash across her bicep. Blood poured freely from it, and it didn’t appear to be slowing.
I placed my hands on the wound. Calling my magic to the surface, I chanted the words that appeared in my mind. I could feel Torben’s fear, but I had to push that aside until I had time to address it. He was probably having a meltdown right about now. I certainly would be if our positions had been reversed.
“Good as new,” I said to Rhetta when I was done.
Her
eyes were a little wider, her lips shifting into a smile. “Thank you, Allete. It won’t be forgotten.” She gave me a slight bow before joining the rest of the women who stood alongside Freya and Babs.
“How are you?” Delvin said to me.
“I’m fine. I take it I have you and Amund to thank for the arrows that shifted things in our favor?” I asked, spotting Amund jogging up to us.
“We heard Freya’s owl call. She does a dead ringer of a barn owl mixed with a spotty,” he explained.
“I’m glad you two showed up when you did,” I admitted.
“You ladies could have handled them without us,” Amund said.
“Of course we could have,” Taina said, overhearing our conversation. “But we don’t like listening to men cry like little babies when you miss the fights.”
“Am I surrounded by children? I’m trying to question a prisoner,” Freya growled, her voice rising above everyone else’s.
When I hurried over to her, she stepped aside. “This is the queen of our clan. She has the power to let you live,” Freya told the man. His eyes widened.
“You mean she has the power to kill me?” he asked.
Freya laughed. “Of course she does. But you’re already dead. She has the power to bring you back to life. You would be wise to plead a compelling case. Give her a reason to want to see your corpse rise.”
“Wow, she does have a way with words,” Delvin muttered. I had to agree.
“Who are you and why have you been scouting our clan?” I asked, using the voice I’d heard my father use when he expected to be obeyed.
“We are not anyone, and we seek the oracle,” he said.
Freya didn’t miss a beat. “Oracle,” she spat. She subtly shifted her body closer to him, forcing me to take a step back. “Are you one of those clans that sniff mushrooms and dance naked under full moons?”
The man narrowed his dark eyes. “We’ve been sent to ask the oracle for a telling,” he said, fixing those eyes on me. “We need to know the outcome.”
“Who sent you?” I asked.
“The wind, the water, the fire, the earth,” he said.
I forced myself to keep a straight face even though I wanted to point a finger and yell something ridiculous like ‘witch’—because why else would he have just spouted off about the elements? Hadn’t Myra and I just discussed how witch magic came from the elements?
“Who. Sent. You?” I asked again, emphasizing my words.
“Evelyn,” he finally said, her name like a prayer on his lips. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back. “Evelyn.” This time, he whispered, “I have found her.”
We stared at the man who now had his head facing the sky, almost appearing serene.
“Can I kill him now?” Babs asked.
When I started to speak, his head suddenly snapped up. His eyes popped open, he pointed at me, and he wailed. “She has found you!”
The sound was abruptly cut off when his head rolled off his shoulders and his body fell over. I felt my eyes go wide as saucers as I gaped at Freya, who breathed heavily after having just swung her sword to silence the man.
She shrugged. “What? That shite was creepy. You can’t go pointing and yelling at people without expecting someone to cut your head off.”
“Agreed,” the twins said.
“And who the bloody hell is Evelyn?” Babs asked.
“Don’t,” I said quickly. “Don’t say her name.” They frowned. “I don’t know why, but it almost feels as if we’re drawing her attention. No, I’m not sniffing mushrooms. Just trust me.”
Freya shrugged. “As long as you don’t start pointing and yelling about someone finding you, we are good.”
“Excellent,” I said with a loud breath. “Now we need to get back because I have to find out what in the gods just happened.”
Freya nodded. “Right. You, you, and you,” she pointed to Delvin, Amund, and Babs, “deal with the dead. The rest of us will get our oracle safely to the witch, who will hopefully know why people were pointing and yelling at Al.”
“You point and yell at her all the time,” Astrid said as we started in the direction of the clan.
“I’m the only one allowed to point and yell at Al. Everyone else gets their heads chopped off.”
“What about Torben?” I asked with a small smile.
“He’d chop his own head off before he yelled at you like that beast did,” Freya said.
“Tell me you’re all right,” Torben’s voice said in my mind.
“Speak of the devil,” I said, then added. “I’m fine, Viking. Freya beheaded the bad man and saved the day.”
“Freya beheaded a man?” he bellowed.
Sighing, I attempted to prepare myself for the long conversation with my husband. I was also going to mention Freya liked to chop off the heads of men who yelled at me. But I doubted anything I said would calm him down.
“The secret to being successful at anything is to convince yourself you’ve already done it. Convince yourself that you have already accomplished what it was you set out to accomplish and all you’re doing now is reliving it.”
~Brant
It only took three days to arrive at Clan Thornag’s territory. The wind and the sea allied to spur us on, propelling our ship through the waves with unnatural speed. As we approached Thornag’s beach, I began searching the coastline. After a few minutes, I spotted an alcove where we might anchor the boat and go ashore without being seen.
I listened as Clay gave the crew strict orders to stay on the boat and keep watch, but my eyes were on the land. Dayna was out there, somewhere. After weeks of sitting idle, I’d finally made some progress in actually getting her back.
“You ready?” Clay asked.
“The dingy is already in the water,” I said, speaking of the small boat we would row to the shore.
When we arrived, we both climbed out and tied the dingy to a tree. I pulled out a compass, then found north pointed in the opposite direction. “I think we need to go south. It’s been a while since I’ve been to their clan. I’m not exactly sure how to get there from here.”
“How far will it be from the coast?” Clay asked.
“A good hike. They have a river that runs close to their village, so they have access to fresh water. They don’t need to be close to the beach. If I recall correctly, I think their village is about ten miles from the coast. Still, they’ll most likely keep a rotation of guards on the beach, so they’ll have plenty of warning against potential invaders.”
“How do we find the village? Should we follow the guard rotation back to it?”
Yes, we could. But I hated the idea of just sitting and waiting for the guard change to happen. What if we got to the beach and a new shift had just started? That meant we could be sitting and waiting for hours before another change happened.
Seeming to sense my reluctance, Clay said, “Why don’t we just scope the beach? Wait for a little bit and see if we can pick up any talk between the guards on when their shift is ending. If it’s going to be too long, we’ll continue.”
It was a wise move, and I had to force myself to not think with my emotions. I wouldn’t do Dayna any good if I couldn’t keep myself calm and think clearly. “That will work,” I said.
We started off in the direction of the beach where Clan Thornag’s longboats were docked. Thankfully, the moon was full, making it easy to see. I made sure we stayed in the thicker parts of the trees and foliage. If we were spotted, all hopes of rescuing Dayna would be lost.
We reached a break in the trees, and I was able to see the first longboat. Sure enough, there were five guards patrolling the beach. Every now and then, they would stop to talk before continuing. They were probably trying to keep from falling asleep. I knew from experience patrol duty at night could be insanely boring.
We got as close as we could, hiding behind some overgrown brush and a couple of large trees. I knelt, and Clay crept up beside me. Now we just had to wait. I hated waiting.
“You staying behind on our next campaign?” the one on the right, wearing a black tunic and a crossbow on his back, asked.
The guy on the left shrugged. “The jarl hasn’t told me if I’m going. I heard that witch has something to do with it. I don’t like her. She makes my skin crawl.”
“Yeah, but she’s something to look at,” crossbow guy said, slimy grin obvious.
“I don’t like to even glance at a wench who could make my jewels fall off. I don’t care how easy on the eyes she is. Not worth going there,” the other said. “She’d probably turn you into a toad afterward…or cut off your member and use it in a spell or something.
A third man approached. He had two sword handles sticking up on either side of his shoulders, indicating he was a two-handed fighter. He would be a worthy opponent if he were any good.
“What are you two lazy wenches gabbing about?” the newcomer asked.
“About sailing out in a few days,” the man with the crossbow answered.
“Waste of time if you ask me,” the third man said. “Gisele is holding something over the jarl’s head, forcing him to make us her guard dogs.”
“She’s blackmailing him?” the other asked.
The man with double swords nodded. “I was standing guard outside his hut when she met with him. She’s got one of those English princesses captured, the younger one, and she wants to use her as a bargaining chip for some book she thinks is hidden with Magnus’ clan.”
“What the hell does that have to do with us? Why is Calder even worrying with this?” the man with the crossbow growled. “Magnus was supposed to come back, which he failed to do. We were supposed to end up with one of those oracles, and I think the jarl was even considering taking the one Gisele cut as his woman. How in the gods’ name did Gisele even get one of the English princesses after they escaped?”
“She’s a witch,” double sword answered. “She can probably do whatever the hell she wants.”
“Then why didn’t she capture the older one who actually has powers?” the first guard challenged.
