8 #2
Mirana combed her fingers through her hair, then tied it back at the nape of her neck with a string Old Alna had given her.
She wanted to bathe; she wanted to relieve herself.
But more than that, she wanted to know what Rorik planned, if he truly meant he would whip the women if the food continued badly prepared.
And why had he acted so quickly, even before hea??d eaten the morning porridge? It didna??t seem right to her.
She walked to where Rorik was standing and stopped not two feet from him, her arms crossed over her breasts. Kerzog looked at her and wuffed softly. He didna??t move from Rorika??s side, but he began to wag his tail.
a??Thanks be to Frey,a?? one of the men said gratefully. a??Theya??ll obey you, my lord, aye, the women know you can only be pushed so far.a?? He grinned, then added in a wistful voice, a??I wish I could have been there to hear you, to watch their sly expressions turn fearful.a??
Rorik didna??t say anything to that, but remarked instead, a??Yet I look at Kerzog here and hea??s not suffered a bit. They fed the animals, themselves, and the children good food, and us, they gave swill.a??
That, Mirana thought, was because Kerzog and the children didna??t bed with Entti.
The other man whistled. a??Aye, the women played a deep game. I hope our food isna??t filled now with crola berries, a??twill send our bowels galloping to the mainland. Wea??d be too weak to punish them. Think you theya??ll try to poison us in their anger?a??
Rorik shook his head. a??I will inform Old Alna that tonight we wish to have boar steaks.a??
Four widgeons flew over. Kerzog wuffed at them, then sprawled down, his head resting on his front paws.
One of the men noticed Mirana. He nodded to Rorik, who turned around very slowly.
He took one step toward her then stopped. a??Who unchained you? What do you want?a??
He sounded mildly annoyed, as if she were naught but a dog whoa??d chanced to come upon him at a time that wasna??t convenient to him.
No, he would have been delighted had it been Kerzog that came to him.
No, he viewed her as less than his damned dog.
Her chin went up and she said sharply, in a voice filled with unconscious arrogance, a??Come here, Rorik. I would speak to you now.a??
He stiffened as straight as an oak tree.
He was still furious at the women for their duplicity, still smarting from his feelings of outrage that they would dare do such a thing to him and to his men.
a??You dare? You will show me proper respect.
You will say, woman, a??I wish to speak to you, my lorda?? or a??If it pleases you, my lord, I beg a moment of your time.a?? a??
She just stared at him. It was true; she hadna??t sounded at all conciliating, at all willing to compromise with him.
a??It is my title. Say it. Change it, if you wish, to your own words, but you will show me respect and obeisance. Now, say my title.a??
She shook her head. a??You arena??t my lord. You arena??t my master. Youa??re the enemy, nothing more. Ah, I forget. Youa??re also a vicious monster who threatens women who nurture you and care for you and feed you anda??a??
a??Feed, ha! I counted my ribs this morning. I was starving last night, you saw it. No more of it, so I have told them and so it will be if they dare to disobey me again. Now, Mirana, say my title. Address me as your Lord Rorik. Be quick about it for I grow weary with the taming of you.a??
The moment he shut his mouth, Rorik realized hea??d gotten himself in a situation that wouldna??t win him a thing.
Hea??d given her an order in front of his men.
Had he given it any thought at all, he would have known that shea??d stand stubborn as a mule before paying him any homage.
Still, he couldna??t let it stand. Not in front of his men.
By Thora??s hammer, hea??d ordered her to say it.
He could still hear the damnable arrogance in her voice, ordering him to come to her.
It galled him to his toes. In addition, shea??d sided with the women, calling him a vicious monster, when all hea??d done was bring it to an end.
He said slowly, as if to a witless child, a??I am your lord and your master and your enemya??all of those things. Right now, I am your lord. Say it.a??
She turned on her heel and walked away. She heard one of the men suck in his breath and say, a??Lord Rorik wona??t let that pass. He cana??t.a??
a??Aye, I pray he wona??t kill her.a??
Kerzog wuffed softly but didna??t move.
She wasna??t at all surprised when she felt his hand close over her upper arm and jerk her to a stop. He whirled her around to face him with such force that she would have fallen had he not held her upright.
He said low, a??Listen to me, Mirana. You will obey every order I choose to give you, just as will every other damned woman on Hawkfell Island.
I am the lord and master here. You will temper your voice and the words that come from your mouth.
You will treat me as you would a god. You must, there is no choice.
My men have excellent hearing and I am their leader. Do you understand me?a??
She shook her head.
He took both her arms in his big hands and shook her hard, snapping her head back in her neck.
He leaned down, his breath warm on her cheek and said low, just for her ears, a??Dona??t force me to whip you in front of them.
Dona??t be unyielding about this. Dona??t wallow in your damned pride.
It will gain you nothing but pain. Dona??t be stupid.
Say it now, loudly, so they will hear you. Say a??my lord.a?? a??
a??I cannot,a?? she whispered. a??You know I cannot.a??
Rorik cursed. a??How like a woman you are, when all is said and done.
You have lost because you lack judgment, because you dona??t understand how to reason properly.
You must learn to pick your battles. This one you couldna??t win.
It is already lost. Now, say it.a?? As he spoke, he turned slightly to see that his three men were watching him avidly.
He cursed again. Hea??d done it to himself and now she would suffer for it.
Hea??d told her the truth. There was no choice for her or for him.
But shea??d made the decision not to obey him.
It was her fault, after all. He waited. She said nothing.
a??I will give you one more chance. Say it.a?? He shook her again. Kerzog wuffed again, but still didna??t move.
She looked at him helplessly, then shook her head.
He cursed very softly. She knew only she had heard him.
He held her right wrist and took off his belt with his other hand.
She stared at it. It was wide supple leather.
It would hurt, for he was very strong. He grabbed both her wrists and held them high with his right hand, bringing her to her tiptoes.
He wondered briefly at her passivity, but only briefly.
In the next instant, she spun about, jerking her hands free, and sent her fist into his belly, her knee toward his groin.
Her fist in his belly hurt but he was quick enough to have her knee land hard against his thigh.
She was on him, her fingers going for his face.
He cursed her, dropped the belt, and managed to grab her quickly enough.
Still she fought him with amazing strength and agility.
Well, why not? She, after all, had been eating like a stoat for the past day and a half.
She was no longer weak, curse her and curse the women for seeing to her needs and not his.
a??You will only make it harder on yourself. Hold still, damn you.a??
He ended up binding her wrists together, then holding them high in his right hand. She struggled, but she couldna??t break free of him. She cursed him now, vicious curses that impressed him with their range and intensity.
He turned her so that her back was to him, her face to the three men. He knew he wouldna??t hurt her badly for he had no leverage, though his men wouldna??t realize it. He picked up the belt and swung it, wrapping it around her back.
She jerked, but didna??t make a sound, not even another curse.
She didna??t struggle anymore. She looked over her shoulder at him, and her eyes were deep and calm, as green as the moss grass in the salt marsh.
a??You are naught but an animal. I will kill you if I have the chance.
I should have killed you at Clontarf when I had you caged.
Aye, I just pricked your pretty throat to give you a taste of pain and the sticky feeling of your own blood, but I should have sunk my knife deep.a??
a??You didna??t, so it doesna??t matter what you spout out now. I am your lord. Say it.a??
He gave her several moments, wishing to Thor, to Frey, to Odin All-Father, that her stupid pride would bend.
But she remained silent. He saw her tense for the next blow, but she didna??t try to escape him again.
He swung the belt. It stung her back harder this time, he knew it, he felt her shudder, heard her sharp intake of breath.
a??Say it.a??
She remained silent as a tomb. He stopped after the fourth swing of the belt. Hea??d given her only a small jolt of pain, nay, not really pain, just the warning of it. Shea??d given him more pain when shea??d stuck her damned knife in his throat, and she had the gall to call it naught but a prick.
What he had forced on her was the knowledge of her helplessness against him. That humiliation wouldna??t leave her for a very long time. He turned her about and looked silently at her pale face.
He released her, hooked his foot behind her leg, and sent her sprawling to the ground.
Again, there was little or no pain, but another dose of humiliation, which for her was a more powerful lesson.
Slowly, he fastened his belt around his waist. a??Get up,a?? he said. a??Go bathe. Your smell offends me.a??
The men were nodding in approval. She got to her feet, felt the pulling in her back, but walked away, not speaking, not looking at him or the men.
She heard Kerzog wuff to Rorik, as if in agreement with what hea??d done, she thought, anger flooding through her, momentarily blocking out the pain in her back.
She heard one of the men say with great satisfaction, a??Aye, no more from her.
Well done, my lord. She is only a woman and she is our enemy.
She deserved a lesson. She will know better next time.
Let her tell of her beating to the other women.
If they were wondering whether to obey you, they wona??t wonder now.
Aye, theya??ll now do as you bid them to do.a??
Rorik didna??t say anything. He wondered what she had wanted to speak to him about.
To her surprise, Mirana heard another man say, a??Nay, Askhold, shea??s a small girl and proud. Her pride does honor to her parentage. Despite her brothera??s dishonor, she has honesty. Shea??s a true Viking woman. She shouldna??t be abused, Rorik, she should be protected.a??
Mirana resolved to discover the mana??s name. Unfortunately she couldna??t turn around to see him.
She heard Rorik curse.
What she was, she thought, wincing with each step from the stinging in her back, was stupid.
Hea??d been right. Her pride had kept her silent.
Her pride had seemed her only choice until hea??d struck her back with his belt.
All shea??d had to do was bend, just a small yielding, but she hadna??t.
So simple really, just say my lord to him, nothing more, just a simple my lord, for it meant naught, she could even have said it with revulsion in her voice and he would have known she didna??t mean it. But she had to be stubborn.
What had Einar done for the man to call him dishonorable?