Chapter 10
CHESSA WAS SLEEPING deeply, dreaming of Egypt, that land very far to the south, that land of endless sand and heat that seared the flesh off the bones.
She remembered the feel of the heat. She remembered the trees and the delicious dates as she picked them and stuffed them into her mouth.
She remembered the soft white linen she wore, the open sandals. But above all she remembered the heat.
She also remembered a woman, her voice, her softness, and she knew in her dream that it was her mother, Naphta. She moaned softly, and the sound from deep in her own throat brought her awake.
She stared up into a man’s face. In the next instant, his fist landed on her jaw and she fell into blackness where there was no more sand, no more heat, just emptiness and peace.
When she awoke, she wasn’t in Mirana’s box bed. She was alone and her hands were bound. She shook her head. A pain seared through her jaw where the man had struck her.
She was sitting up against a bale of hay in a small hut. Light came through the cracks in the wood plank walls. Her ankles were also bound. She was still in her white linen nightshift that came to her knees.
When the small door creaked open some minutes later, she immediately stopped trying to pull her hands loose of the rope. Kerek bent over and came into the hut. He was carrying a bowl and a hunk of bread.
“Good morning, Princess,” he said. “I hope you feel all right. By the gods, your jaw is bruised. I told that fool to go easy with you, not to hit you. He’s large, he could have merely held his hand over your mouth.”
“Who was that man?”
“One of Ragnor’s men. I couldn’t come for you because I’m being watched too closely. I will make Ottar pay for this, the clumsy bastard. Does your jaw hurt?”
“Of course it hurts. Why did you have me taken?”
“Come, you know why.”
She sighed. “Untie me, Kerek, and take me back to the longhouse.”
“Nay, after you’ve eaten I will take you to the warship. Even now Ragnor is gathering the men together.”
“Oh? Are there enough men who want to return to York with him? It isn’t just you?”
“He is promising them more silver if they return with him.”
“Do they realize he’s lying to them?”
“You won’t speak like that of your future husband, Princess, and he will very shortly be your husband. I will ensure it. I promised the queen.”
“You, Kerek, you will ensure that Ragnor keeps his word and gives them more silver?”
“No, I will ensure that you marry him.”
“Listen to me, Kerek. Your loyalty to him is—I don’t know what it is. Let me go, else I swear to you that your wretched master will be very unhappy if you force me back to York.”
“We will see about that. Why did you tell everyone that Ragnor raped you? I have wondered and wondered and come up with no answer. Ragnor believes it is simply a sign that you want him, thus your compliance. He is wrong, of course. Why did you do it?”
She said nothing, merely looked at the bowl of porridge in Kerek’s large hand. He untied the ropes around her wrists, then rubbed the feeling back into them. She began to eat Utta’s wonderful porridge, laced through with honey.
She said at last, “It was Ragnor who said he’d raped me. I merely agreed with him.”
“Why?”
“I don’t wish to marry William of Normandy either. It seemed an excellent way to make him break the marriage contract.”
“There’s more to it than that,” Kerek said. “I didn’t want to believe it, but I’ve seen you looking at Cleve. His face is ugly as a monster’s. He isn’t handsome like Ragnor. Why do you look upon him the way you do?”
“He isn’t ugly. He’s beautiful. I’ve finished the porridge. Let me go now, Kerek.”
“I can’t, Princess.” He leaned over her and stuffed a cloth in her mouth.
Before she could spit it out, he tied another cloth over her mouth, knotting it at the back of her head.
He quickly tied her hands. He said to her as he wrapped her completely in a thick wool blanket and lifted her over his shoulder, “I’m sorry about your discomfort, Princess, but I couldn’t take you to the warship earlier.
The palisade gates are well guarded. They wouldn’t have let me pass, not carrying something over my shoulder.
Now all Ragnor’s men are carrying their belongings to the warship. No one will question me.”
He opened the small door, looked both ways, then strode with her over his shoulder, well hidden in the blanket, toward the palisade gates.
The gates were wide open, men, women, children, goats, chickens, and cows all milling about.
Men were climbing back up from the dock, others carrying foodstuff or clothing down to store on the warship.
Kerek whistled as he walked down the long path to the beach below. There was a lot of activity. It appeared that many of Ragnor’s men did believe he would pay them more silver. He wondered if Ragnor really would. Probably not. He didn’t care.
“You’ve got her?” Ragnor said staring at the fat woolen blanket over Kerek’s shoulder.
“Aye, I only had to stuff a cloth in her mouth and tie her hands. I will speak to Ottar. He had no right to strike her. He hurt her. I didn’t even like tying her up but I knew she wouldn’t come with me willingly.”
“I told him to strike her if he needed to, so speak not to him, Kerek,” Ragnor said, then he turned away, saying over his shoulder, “I must return to the longhouse. I will be back shortly. Have everyone ready on the warship and at their oars.”
Kerek stared after Ragnor, wondering what he’d left at the longhouse, wanting to strike him for ordering Ottar to hit Chessa if he wished to, which he had.
He carried Chessa on board and beneath a new leather tarp that covered the few goods that had survived the storm.
He laid her gently on the wooden planks and unwrapped her.
She looked up at him, her eyes deadly with anger.
He quickly tied her wrists a bit tighter and rose.
“I am sorry, Princess, but it must be.” She made a furious gurgling sound.
He just shook his head and sighed. He stayed with her a few more minutes, saw that she was breathing more easily and then went out to the men.
There were only thirteen men there to row them to York.
He would row as well, and he hoped that even Ragnor would take his turn at the oars.
They would have to row as quickly as they could for Kerek had no idea how long it would be before Chessa was missed and a hunt was mounted.
They had to hurry. He said to Torric, who was propped up against the rudder, his leg stuck out in front of him, “Why did Lord Ragnor return to the longhouse?”
Torric rolled his eyes. “You’ll not believe it, Kerek.”
“Believe what?”
Then he heard a yell, looked up to see Ragnor running as fast as he could down the path, the girl Utta slung over his shoulder, unconscious.
Kerek could only stare. Torric was right, he couldn’t believe it.
That stupid bastard. He’d told Ottar to mould a blanket in Chessa’s shape in the box bed so anyone looking in would think she still slept.
It would have bought them time. But now that ass Ragnor had ruined everything.
He’d simply grabbed Utta and carried her off.
There was nothing he could do. He yelled, “Everyone prepare to row until your hearts burst, else you’ll be food for the fish.”
When Ragnor reached the warship, Kerek yelled, “Drop her, Ragnor, leave her, else they’ll come after us and kill us all.”
“Nay, she will make me mead and let me bed her. You’ve seen how she looks at me. She wants me. She won’t mind that I can’t wed her. You’ll see. When I bed her, she’ll scream my name. Think you I should demand that when she screams, she screams Prince Ragnor or Lord Ragnor?”
“Damn you, you idiot, drop her on the beach!”
Ragnor raised her off his shoulder and tossed her to one of his men, his mightiest warrior, Olya, who caught her against him as if she were naught but a small child. He looked at Kerek and just shrugged. Ragnor yelled even as he jumped onto the warship, “Row, damn you all, row!”
But it was too late. Kerek watched helplessly as men swept down the path yelling at the top of their lungs, carrying swords, axes, knives.
Some had even picked up rocks beside the path.
At their head was Haakon, Utta’s husband.
Had Ragnor grabbed her right out of her bed? Had her husband still been beside her?
Behind him were Rorik, Merrik, and Cleve. Kerek would die for this fool of a man, all of them would die.
He said to Torric, “Tell Olya to throw the girl Utta back onto the beach. Do it or we’ll be butchered.”
Ragnor screamed, “Row!”
They obeyed Ragnor, muscles straining, they rowed, but still it wasn’t enough. Haakon and two dozen warriors splashed through the waves and climbed over the side of the warship. The fighting began.
Torric tried to rise, but Rorik merely frowned at him and brought the flat of his sword down on his head.
Torric collapsed and fell beneath the rudder.
As for Olya, he dropped Utta on the center wooden plank, drew his sword and fought with all his strength and skill.
He got a sword through his belly, another through his chest. Because they were Vikings, because they were trained warriors who would never surrender, most died.
Three were groaning, helpless, when it was over.