man insulted my honor. As punishment for his insolence, I ask for his head.”
“His head?” Ivarr leaned forward.
Ulf moaned and Konal twisted around. “From where I stand, he doesn’t require it any longer.”
The crowd cheered.
“Jarl Konal the Red,” the prince called.
Jarl? No one had ever referred to him that way. He gazed at Ivarr.
“You remind me of our tribal ancestors who once lived in fur shelters and ate each other’s flesh to survive harsh winters. Has Odin driven you mad?”
Konal looked down. His armor was covered in blood and he did feel unusually violent. He eyeballed Ivarr and shrugged. “I have my reasons.”
“Who am I to deprive you of your trophy?” Ivarr sighed. “Wolves tear their prey to pieces, why shouldn’t you?”
Konal didn’t want the bastard’s head for a prize. He’d deliver it to the Saxon witch who questioned and resisted his every command.
Sunset was still hours off. By Thor, he’d get his reward tonight. “I am, once again, indebted to you, milord.”
Konal approached Ulf’s body and then reached for the axe slung across his back. “If any of you called him friend and wish to avenge him, step forward now.” No one moved. Thankful for the gods’ generosity, he raised his weapon. “For Allfather…”
Chapter Seven
D id Silvia have the courage necessary to defy her captor, to see her father’s last wish fulfilled? By sneaking inside the sanctuary, did she risk the lives of the men who’d protected her growing up? Her answer came in the form of a bone-crushing hug Father Andrew gave her the moment she found him praying in the vestry.
“My child…”
Her heart beat so fast she felt dizzy. “Father Andrew, how can I bear it? My sire gone.” She collapsed against his shoulder. Until now, she’d held in her pain. “All that’s left are these.” She offered her cloak.
He ignored it and cupped her chin the same way he always had whenever she cried as a child. “God’s will.”
She sniffed, unable to accept the idea that any god would send a plague as gruesome as a Danish army to slaughter the faithful. “No matter what you say, I cannot believe the Almighty would do this.” She’d been surrounded by the bodies of dead men. How did that glorify God?
“Remember the Israelites as Moses led them from captivity in Egypt?” he asked.
She nodded.
“How quickly did they forget God’s mercy and turn to idolatry and fornication? We, too, have failed somewhere along the way. We cannot question the Lord’s will. Nor can we doubt it and hope to receive His favor.”
“But my father remained one of the most pious men I’ve ever known. If it wasn’t for me, he would have taken vows, joined you in service.”
“Aye,” Andrew whispered. “And would have been a welcome addition. But he loved you more.”
She felt responsible for his death. If she’d never been born, perhaps her sire would have been somewhere else during the raid. Spared. Out of respect for the elder, she kept her lingering doubts to herself. “My father directed me to save these manuscripts.” She unfolded the cloak, revealing the scrolls.
The monk rubbed his nose. “Did you look at these my child?”
“No,” she said. “I wouldn’t betray my father’s trust.”
He accepted the bundle. “There’s nowhere safe to hide them, not even here.” His gaze swept the alcove. “Ivarr sent a list of demands to Father Joshua this morning. The sanctuary, even our quarters are to be searched. This uprising has set us back a century. Aelle acted before he considered the consequences.” He sighed. “And look where he is now.”
His mutilated carcass was nailed to a post beyond the courtyard to serve as a deterrent for anyone else tempted to lead a rebellion.
“Prince Ivarr has gone as far as to forbid more than two Saxons to meet in the public thoroughfare. Until we’ve regained his favor, everyone is under suspicion. Men, women, and children alike.”
Any freedoms
“His head?” Ivarr leaned forward.
Ulf moaned and Konal twisted around. “From where I stand, he doesn’t require it any longer.”
The crowd cheered.
“Jarl Konal the Red,” the prince called.
Jarl? No one had ever referred to him that way. He gazed at Ivarr.
“You remind me of our tribal ancestors who once lived in fur shelters and ate each other’s flesh to survive harsh winters. Has Odin driven you mad?”
Konal looked down. His armor was covered in blood and he did feel unusually violent. He eyeballed Ivarr and shrugged. “I have my reasons.”
“Who am I to deprive you of your trophy?” Ivarr sighed. “Wolves tear their prey to pieces, why shouldn’t you?”
Konal didn’t want the bastard’s head for a prize. He’d deliver it to the Saxon witch who questioned and resisted his every command.
Sunset was still hours off. By Thor, he’d get his reward tonight. “I am, once again, indebted to you, milord.”
Konal approached Ulf’s body and then reached for the axe slung across his back. “If any of you called him friend and wish to avenge him, step forward now.” No one moved. Thankful for the gods’ generosity, he raised his weapon. “For Allfather…”
Chapter Seven
D id Silvia have the courage necessary to defy her captor, to see her father’s last wish fulfilled? By sneaking inside the sanctuary, did she risk the lives of the men who’d protected her growing up? Her answer came in the form of a bone-crushing hug Father Andrew gave her the moment she found him praying in the vestry.
“My child…”
Her heart beat so fast she felt dizzy. “Father Andrew, how can I bear it? My sire gone.” She collapsed against his shoulder. Until now, she’d held in her pain. “All that’s left are these.” She offered her cloak.
He ignored it and cupped her chin the same way he always had whenever she cried as a child. “God’s will.”
She sniffed, unable to accept the idea that any god would send a plague as gruesome as a Danish army to slaughter the faithful. “No matter what you say, I cannot believe the Almighty would do this.” She’d been surrounded by the bodies of dead men. How did that glorify God?
“Remember the Israelites as Moses led them from captivity in Egypt?” he asked.
She nodded.
“How quickly did they forget God’s mercy and turn to idolatry and fornication? We, too, have failed somewhere along the way. We cannot question the Lord’s will. Nor can we doubt it and hope to receive His favor.”
“But my father remained one of the most pious men I’ve ever known. If it wasn’t for me, he would have taken vows, joined you in service.”
“Aye,” Andrew whispered. “And would have been a welcome addition. But he loved you more.”
She felt responsible for his death. If she’d never been born, perhaps her sire would have been somewhere else during the raid. Spared. Out of respect for the elder, she kept her lingering doubts to herself. “My father directed me to save these manuscripts.” She unfolded the cloak, revealing the scrolls.
The monk rubbed his nose. “Did you look at these my child?”
“No,” she said. “I wouldn’t betray my father’s trust.”
He accepted the bundle. “There’s nowhere safe to hide them, not even here.” His gaze swept the alcove. “Ivarr sent a list of demands to Father Joshua this morning. The sanctuary, even our quarters are to be searched. This uprising has set us back a century. Aelle acted before he considered the consequences.” He sighed. “And look where he is now.”
His mutilated carcass was nailed to a post beyond the courtyard to serve as a deterrent for anyone else tempted to lead a rebellion.
“Prince Ivarr has gone as far as to forbid more than two Saxons to meet in the public thoroughfare. Until we’ve regained his favor, everyone is under suspicion. Men, women, and children alike.”
Any freedoms
Similar Books
