Goddess, I acknowledged in my head. I wasn’t sure which, but I was convinced, with what little consciousness I had left, that I was in the presence of a Goddess.
Her Goddess.
What I didn’t know at the time, was that I had been sentenced to two blows more than most executioners called for. I retained awareness—well, a form of it—until they untied me. The agony of my own weight was what made the world go dark around me.
Chapter Eleven
What Is Destined
Thane
I sat with my knees drawn up and my arms wrapped around them. I had told myself I wouldn’t cry. That was before I had seen his back. The muscle was laid open and no one seemed in any big hurry to get him any help. They had even separated us from Zhenni, which I assumed was to assure that she wouldn’t treat his wounds. Another peek toward him had the hot tears rolling down my cheeks again.
“I’ll fucking kill them all,” I ground out.
My hand shook. The weight of the knife was still very much settled against my palm, even if the weapon was nowhere in sight. I tried to focus on something. Anything. But all that came to mind was the sound of Einar’s bowels spilling. I sighed, somewhat contented. It was the only fucking joy I could find or foresee from where I was stranded.
The crowd still hadn’t settled down outside. I didn’t need to see them. I could hear them. They were like a pack of animals. Hungry and circling their prey. I wasn’t sure what the fuck I would do if they took me and Zhenni back out to Mother’s yard. I would accept the most excruciating of deaths not to see hers.
A commotion sounded near the front. It charged my pent-up anxiety and carried me to my feet. I moved to the edge of the stall in time to watch Zhenni slap Alrik in his face. She tried to break toward us, but the men caught her. Rather than take her back to her stall, however, they escorted her outside.
“No!” I screamed, hurling my weight against the stall door. I’d use my own body to break it down if I had to.
“She has been released. Set free,” Veleif spoke up.
I glared at him, unsure if I should believe him or not. I raced to the window to see if it was true. Zhenni stood scuffling at the edge of the yard with Alrik’s men, her gaze intent on the window, but they refused to let her near me.
I almost broke out in an open sob.
“Go, get the fuck out of here!” I called, waving her off. It was the only good thing to have come from Alexavier’s whipping. His testimony had freed her. It was enough for me, for now. Or so I thought, until I knelt close to my brother and tried my best to clean the blood that still trickled from his open wounds.
“Veleif, please… a healer.” I begged, not bothering to conceal the panic in my voice. “Please he is my little brother. You were always a man of honor…”
“I’ll not hear talk of honor from the likes of you,” the old man quipped before leaving us to our misery.
Thorne
I’d had more than enough time to contemplate things during my trip to Galena. I never would have guessed that this new life would come with such rewards. A woman of my own and a son, perhaps. The Gods themselves couldn’t have wiped the smile from my lips, or so I thought.
I clung to the window sill, watching as the King’s Justices were dispatched. They travelled with an impressive group of soldiers at break neck speed. If it was an intimidation effort, it was a damn good one.
“Thorne. Word from the village,” Jotnar called. He rushed into my quarters without knocking, something that was very out of character for him. I turned to find the man ashen.
“I don’t even know where to start…” he stammered. “I… uh. There have been a few casualties. Einar and your father.”
I blinked at the man like he was speaking one of the many foreign tongues that the Saxons embraced.
“Einar’s woman Zaphori made claims against your brother Alexavier. They mean to execute him for rape, and they want Thane for the murder of Einar.”
I clutched the side of the desk while the world spun, “What the fuck are you saying? Jotnar, slow down! Slow down and tell me what it is you’re saying, man.”
His words swam and twisted until the only thing my brain could formulate was the crucial need for me to get my ass home. Fast. I don’t even think I bid farewell to him, I grabbed my axe and flew toward the stable. I had been given enough silver to get by comfortably for a few more days. I threw it uncounted toward the lad combing the mare and mounted her.
“I’ll send her straight back,” I called on my way out.
I rode toward the village, cursing myself for having not realized the lawmen’s direction in the first place. The wind whipped through my hair and whistled until everything around me was drowned out and all I was left with was my own guilt. Memories of our childhood flashed before me. Visions of Zhenni stretched beautifully before and between us left my teeth clenching so tightly it hurt.
Was it really all gone? Was it possible half my family was gone and I had no inkling of it? I refused to believe such a thing. I dug my heel into the already straining beast and screamed my frustration onto the wind and universe.
It didn’t help anything, but it reminded me that I wasn’t really choking, despite the tricks my mind and anxiety were playing on me.
“Do not let it be so,” I whispered. To anything that would hear me. “I would give my life for any of them. Do not do this thing.”
The events had all happened so fast. It wasn't until the ride back to our village that I realized with sudden stroke of clarity, that it had all happened for a reason. How could any of it have been anything but fate? Her arrival, the many trials and struggles, mother’s sickness, all of --this.
Chickens scattered, and mud sloshed over those that I passed by as I careened through the village. I pulled my leg over and slid from the horse before it had even stopped once I reached her home.
“She’s not there,” Sven called, stopping in my tracks before I could reach Zhenni’s cabin. I took the boy’s words at face value and turned on my heel. Before I made it through my mother’s door, he called again. “She ain’t there either. She went toward the Seer’s place. I didn’t follow… it’s creepy up there.”
I batted the air in dismissal. My legs felt like jelly, but I managed to run up the hill toward the sacred stones. I was gasping and wheezing when I found them, but they were so deep in their discussion they didn’t notice me atop the hill. I composed myself without taking my eye off them.
Once I had managed to silence my breathing, I could hear a little of what passed between them.
“I told you the fates were tied. Now you must trust me. Sacrifice or all will be lost. You lost your husband.” Mother scoffed, interrupting the Seer momentarily. A stern look caused her to sit back and take heed once more. “You lost Einar. Alexavier is on his way out as we speak… you will lose them all if you do not sacrifice one.”
I swore the earth was splitting between my feet. I didn’t know which way to lean. I didn’t know what the fuck all I had missed, but somewhere deep in my heart, I knew the Seer spoke truths. Chills prickled up the back of my arms. Honeysuckle enveloped me as I wrapped them tightly about me to ward off the sensation. The shifting caused a twig to snap beneath me, and they both turned in search.
“Einar, huh…” It was all I could say. She had lost Einar. She was at the tavern with him… Sick at the same time… Einar. She was fucking Einar. The words chanted in the most menacing of tones in the back of my mind while the honeysuckle scent grew thicker. “Tell me of this sacrifice. Zhenni is my wife. If I allow myself to be sacrificed, will she be free to live her life as she chooses?”
“Thorne!” Mother snapped.
“She is my wife. My child grows in her belly. If someone must be sacrificed, then it shall be me.”
“You are the only decent son I have left.” Mother thrashed her head back and forth. She tried to reach out and stroke my cheek, but I swatted her hand away. The horn bellowed in the distance and my stomach instantly
soured. I turned without another word and followed the noise down the hill.
“It will be me,” I called over my shoulder.
“It will be as it is meant to be,” The Seer stated firmly. “It has to be, for all of us.”
I realized half way down the hill that it was my mother and not my father that had sent me to Galena. I was furious with the list of betrayals, and they just kept coming. Villagers thickly littered the path ahead. I brushed past some, shoved others, and plowed my way to the center.
Thane was being led back into the hall. His face was ashen and stoic, but his body was a mere shell of the man I had called brother all our lives.
“I come to offer sacrifice in place of this slaughter. I will forfeit my life to right the many wrongs that have transpired around my family and this village,” I vowed.
The King’s Justice turned, his tall mound of artificial hair wiggled like gelatin atop his head. He acted as if I hadn’t spoken at all.
“Did you hear me? I offer an honorable trade. My life for that of my brother and woman.
“The matter is settled,” the disgruntled man barked.
“Tis the third brother,” a shorter man mumbled loudly. “It would be a wise move to…”
The King’s Justice paused and faced me once again. He studied the crowd around him and then stepped forward until we were cheek to cheek.
“I shall accept your sacrifice,” he said without emotion.
Chapter Twelve
This Life and The Next
Zhenni
I sank against the door. It was as far as I made it. My back and the wood became one. I’m not sure why, it wasn’t like I was strong enough to keep anyone out should they chose to have barreled in after me. I hadn’t seen Alexavier since they hurled him into the stable, but I’d seen enough of his blood to know it was serious. Thane’s pitiful noises told me it was bad. Nausea brought the back of my hand to my mouth, and I fought another bought of tears.
I crawled toward the hearth and found my basket. The berry essence candles were swatted aside. Instead, I found the charcoal-based ones. Their black smooth surface was rolled between my hands while I bargained for everything I was worth.
The Goddess had never failed me. My mother and Cairn had both agreed. I was chosen. I held the favor. Nothing could hurt me. Perhaps I had a different definition of pain than those ladies. I felt like my heart had been ripped out and annihilated. I’d never seen carnage like that before. It was inhumane. It didn’t matter that he had suffered it in relative silence.
After the first few blows, he had simply hung in there, for better or worse. It was Thane who hollered and flailed like he was being flayed. It broke him to watch Alexavier’s sentence be carried out. I think it shattered a little something in all three of us.
Einar had been sick. A likely coincidence that he and Trysta were both recovering from the insect fever. My brain fought exertion and paranoia to piece it all together. After I had shook my head until my neck hurt, I finally accepted the fact that some things in this life would never make sense.
A knock thudded against the door and rumbled against my back.
“Zhenni. Zhenni come quick!” Osanna cried. I exhaled and nearly teared up at the shakiness of my own breath. Rolling to my hip, I cracked the door and peeked out at the tearstained, cherub face. “Thorne’s back.”
I sobbed and laughed all at once. The door was thrown open and I scrambled through it. She grabbed onto my hand, and we ran towards the hall together. The crowd was now forming around the grazing section of the massive yard. It was an unfortunate case of the land having more value than the ragged structure that stood on it.
Each step was a task. The air seemed thicker. My mouth became so dry, I gagged trying to swallow. Something wasn’t right. Thorne was here she had said. I scanned the crowd as the dread and panic started to take over.
The door to the hall opened, and Veleif led the way. Behind him, two men flanked Thorne. I grew light headed. She hadn’t said Thorne was under arrest, she had said he was back. The sunlight warmed my flesh through the back of my gown, but I still had goosebumps. It was an overwhelming combination of sensations that were only made bearable with the sweet beckoning scent of honeysuckle.
“Save him,” I whispered, only to be met with the weight of invisible hand on my shoulder.
“No!” I screamed. I squirmed past the guards and flung myself onto my husband. I latched around his neck while the men with him fought to pry my fingers off him.
“Thorne.” I babbled, “Thorne…”
“It is fate,” he whispered before tenderly smashing his mouth to mine. “I love you, Zhenni of Olaf’s Fjord. Know that.”
Tears showered us both before I was grabbed and tossed to the side. The ground caught me, staining my dress an ugly green hue near the hem.
“It will happen as it is supposed to happen,” the Goddess whispered. The sound of her voice swirled around me until I could feel her swaddling me with the warmest of breezes.
I laughed, unable to help myself. My nerves and mind were gone. My only joy in this life. The only one I had claimed as my own was being shattered. Ripped apart on a tree, led toward an executioner’s block.
“Nothing can take away what I have given you. They are yours. Now and for all of eternity,” the voice came again. I turned toward the sound of it to find the flesh-formed Goddess standing next to Zaphori. No one seemed to notice her except me. The long, elegant neck was bejeweled in the brightest gold I had ever seen. It was hard to look directly at her. She smiled, and for a moment I could breathe. Her favor radiated through the exchange.
Unfortunately, neither my Goddess or anyone there could have helped me when I noticed Thane placing his head over the stump. He held his arms out like one of Odin’s great birds and a deafening swish crippled me. I screamed, only becoming aware of it when my throat began to burn from my guttural efforts.
It was too late. It was over just that quick.
Blood was everywhere. Splattered across those gathered like a ceremonial offering. It ran down the stump and down my inner legs. I clung to the grass like the earth might escape me.
“I have them,” the voice lovingly assured.
I was alone on that grass, but I felt the soothing attempts of a mother’s kiss against my temple. I glanced back toward Zaphori to find the Goddess looking down at her. Zaphori’s big eyes were lit with satisfaction and she absently cradled her lower abdomen.
She was fucking pregnant.
The realization made everything whirl around me. I swayed, and for a moment, I thought I would faint. Fuck I would have welcomed it.
“Be strong,” Alexavier’s words rushed back to the forefront of my mind. I heard them in his voice rather than that of my conscience.
“I love you,” Thorne’s words echoed in my mind. The sound of them, the scent of the Goddess, and the memory of our last encounter chased me from the center of the circle.
“This is because of you!” Trysta hissed, grabbing ahold of me as I made my way past. She shook me. Jostling me about as she tried to force me to confront the sight of Thorne’s body. The violent motion abruptly stopped, and she stared past me.
“What are you doing?” she demanded. “You took one. You’re only supposed to take one! The Gods haven’t authorized this.”
Her belligerent wailing was scoffed at. As were the claims that her Gods held any authority in Saxon judicial matters. The wigs dismissed her. Instead, they faced the crowd, keeping Thane pinned rigidly between them.
“Now that we have gotten the Heathen sacrifice out of the way,” the official paused with a laugh. “Let it be known, his woman is free to choose her own fate. That was his sacrifice. His business, truly. Mine is with the murderer at hand. His Majesty, the King’s Justice shall be now administered.” He sounded so detached. So formal and indifferent to the words he spewed.
I swayed toward Trysta without meaning to, my balance was as lost as my scattered wits.
Thane
lifted his head and our eyes locked. Every moment I had ever spent with him flashed before my eyes, along with her accusation of it being all my fault.
His long silky blond hair fluttered in the breeze, and despite the many hands that restrained him, there was a freedom and fire in that man’s eyes that they would never take from him. Not while he still drew air. His life might have been forfeited, but his pride was very much still intact.
“Go. Go now. Keep our child safe,” Thane called over the astonished gasps of the crowd. They tried to shove his head down, but he defiantly kept his head high until I had freed myself from his mother’s vice-like grip and blindly ran through the crowd.
I had no sense about me. I stumbled and crawled, so confused that I passed my own lane. I found the creepy Seer in the trail between Zaphori and Tyrsta’s yards. I wanted to pummel her, but all I could do was collapse into her ancient outstretched arms.
“They’re waiting,” she whispered over my head. My fingers sank into her tattered cloak. It smelled like mold one moment and honeysuckle the next. I glanced up in awe toward the wrinkled, but friendly face. She extended a single finger toward the forest.
“It is the only way…” I asked.
“It is the surest way,” she answered in time with the Goddess. Her words were so real this time, I could feel her breath wash over my throat.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“My child.” The Seer obliged before hugging me gently.
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