12 #2
a??It is difficult,a?? Askhold said at last. a??There are different footsteps here and they are merged together.
It is the two men who were with the women, but I cannot be certain whose feet belong to the women, there is too much confusion, too much overlapping.
See the spots of blood? Ita??s from one or both of the men, but again, there is too much confusion to know which blood spots belong where.a??
a??So,a?? Rorik said, a??she saw their steps and is trying to copy them to lead us astray.a??
a??Aye,a?? Gurd said, and spat in a mess of leaves, a??now youa??ll be saying that she cut herself to mix her blood with theirs to confuse us all the more.a??
a??I wouldna??t be surprised at anything she would do,a?? Rorik said. a??I will tell all of you again, but you, Gurd, you will really listen to my words. Mirana is smart; she knows guile, she sleeps with cunning close to her breast.a??
a??Aye,a?? Askhold said, his eyes gleaming. a??You were right, Rorik. She has a mana??s brain. Hold your thoughts to yourself, Gurd, they are useless to you and to us.a??
Gurd looked both furious and uncertain, an unusual combination in the blacksmith, who had always known the way of things even when he was in the wrong. Then he just shook his head, and held his tongue.
Rorik said nothing more. He walked back to the beach and sat down two feet beyond the water line. He stared over the water, at the roiling heavy waves, churning and crashing onto the dirty sand.
His men looked at each other, but said nothing.
Rorik sat there quietly for some minutes. Then he rose, stretched, and said in surely an overloud voice, a??Hafter, you will stay with me.a?? He divided the other men into two groups and told them what to do, again, his voice loud and carrying. They looked at him oddly, but nodded.
a??And where will we go?a?? Hafter said, watching the other men disappear into the trees.
Rorik didna??t look at him as he said quietly, a??We will go into the maple woods just yon. Then we will double back and go over there, just beyond the point, and hide behind those black rocks.a??
Hafter started to laugh, then he frowned, and slowly, his eyes never leaving Rorika??s face, he, like the other men, nodded. a??So that is why you nearly yelled in our ears.a??
a??Aye,a?? Rorik said, and grinned. a??Now, leta??s make a good show of it.a??
The two men slung water bags over their shoulders, arranged their weapons, strapped small packets of food to their waists, then strode toward the woods in the opposite direction of the other two groups.
They looked purposeful; they looked determined.
They looked ready to search until they collapsed from exhaustion.
a??Patience,a?? Mirana said, lightly tugging back on Enttia??s sleeve.
a??But theya??ve been gone a very long time.a??
a??Not long at all,a?? Mirana said. a??Rorik is smart as a snake. Doubt it not. I dona??t trust him.a??
a??Hea??s a man and thus he believes women are weak and silly and without subtlety.
He and Hafter are at least a mile from here now.
You saw how he gave the other men orders, you saw how they walkeda??so sure of themselvesa??the direction they took.
Let us go, Mirana. What if those men we wounded return with others? They will kill us, do not doubt it.a??
Entti was right, but still Mirana didna??t like it.
The sun was shining again, the bulging gray rain clouds dispersing, and she knew they could gain distance from Rorik in the warship, even with just the two of them rowing, but still, she didna??t trust him.
She didna??t know why she felt so strongly, but she did.
Why would Rorik leave no one to guard the warships?
Aye, that was it, that was why she knew, simply knew that something wasna??t as it appeared to be.
And why had he spoken so loudly? Still, Entti was right.
If the men theya??d wounded returned with others, they would be in grave trouble.
Entti said, a??We will steal the food from their warship and then cut it adrift.
We will escape them for good this time. They know we are holding close to shore.
Did you not tell me there were several large islands just off the coast?
We could hide amongst the inlets. That would confuse them if somehow they managed to regain their warship, if somehow they managed to keep after us.a??
Mirana sighed, for Entti was speaking to her with a bit of sarcasm, as one would to a stubborn child. She smiled at the irony of it. a??Youa??re right and your plan is a good one. Perhaps it is time. Perhaps I am wrong about Rorik this time, ah, but it vexes me, Entti.a??
a??You worry overmuch. I feel so itchy to move, I think Ia??ll scream if I have to hide here a moment longer. There are sand fleas here, Mirana.a??
She and Mirana rose and stretched, then walked slowly forward, peering through the dense foliage onto the beach.
There was no one to be seen, not in any direction.
It was silent. Odom and Erm were probably back at their farmsteads, getting more men together.
Shea??d been surprised that they could move so quickly with their wounds, but they were running from the beach the moment theya??d seen Rorik and his men leap over the side of their longboat into the surf.
Entti was right. They had to leave and they had to do it quickly.
It made no difference that Rorik had left both warships unguarded.
a??All right,a?? she said. a??Quickly, Entti!a?? They bolted from the cover of the trees and ran as fast as they could toward the longboats.
a??Hurry, Entti, fetch whatever there is from Rorika??s warship, but move quickly!a??
She herself was pushing with all her strength at the bow of Rorika??s warship, grunting as it eased very slowly on the wet sand toward the water.
She felt fear pounding through her, and strength she didna??t know she had.
She pushed harder, then harder still. A huge wave burst onto the sand and the warship finally slid forward toward the water.
Entti shouted that shea??d found water skins, food bags and weapons. She was crowing, rubbing her hands together, smiling as Mirana had never seen her smile before. a??Aye, perhaps Ia??ll leave Hafter his sword. It has that foola??s blood on it. Aye, herea??s a clean one Ia??ll take!a??
a??Hurry, Entti!a??
a??Mirana, theya??re leagues from here. You give Rorik too much credit. He isna??t a god, hea??s just a man, like all the other men. Stop your fretting.a??
a??No, Entti, youa??re quite wrong.a??
At the sound of Rorika??s voice, Mirana felt herself grow very still. She felt suddenly very cold. Shea??d known, by all the gods, shea??d known how smart he was, how treacherous.
She slowly turned to face him. Hafter stood at his right, his eyes on Entti.
a??I knew,a?? Mirana said, her voice dull, a??I knew we wouldna??t trick you.a??
a??Ah, I knew as well that you wouldna??t dash off into the woods, not knowing where to go.
Youa??re not a fool. And there are those men you and Entti wounded.
It was well done of you, but again, I knew you wouldna??t leave because those men and their families just might be waiting for you.
You did well, but you couldna??t escape me, Mirana. You will never escape me.a??
Slowly, Mirana drew the knife. There were still flecks of Odoma??s blood drying on it. a??Wea??re leaving, Rorik. Entti! Come here and bring the food and water.a??
Hafter looked at Mirana as if she were a fool.
He grinned toward Entti and called out, a??You dona??t have to obey her any longer, sweeting.
Be a good girl and come to me. I will take care of you.
I wona??t let her hurt you anymore. If she has promised you rewards to help her reach her brother, she is lying. Come, sweeting.a??
Suddenly Entti looked perplexed, like a child who couldna??t understand why her parents were arguing. She looked from Mirana back to Hafter. He stretched out his hand to her. a??Come, Entti, Ia??ll see that she doesna??t hurt you ever again. You can believe me, trust me.a??
a??All right,a?? Entti whispered. Only Mirana saw the glimmer of Haftera??s sword shea??d slipped alongside her body, hidden in the folds of her gown. Hadna??t Hafter heard her speaking? Was he so caught in his belief of her as a sweet halfwit that he couldna??t grasp anything else?
Hafter was smiling at Entti and nodding, his expression gentle and reassuring, the look one would give to a slow child. But his stance was smug and confident. As for Rorik, he never looked away from Miranaa??s face. She saw him begin to frown and wondered if he were beginning to doubt Entti.
She held herself perfectly still, as if deep in thought, waiting tense and anxious.
Suddenly, Rorik heard a choking yell. He whipped about to see Hafter falling slowly to his knees in the sand. He was clutching his head and he stared up at Entti, who stood over him, the sword handle extended.
a??Dona??t move, Hafter,a?? she said, this voice very different from the voice he knew. It was the voice hea??d heard just before he and Rorik had come out to catch them, but then hea??d thought he was mistaken, hea??d thought . . . He wanted to vomit, from the blow and from his own stupidity.
Rorik yelled, a??By Thora??s hammer, what is the meaning of this!
a?? He took a step toward Hafter, then stopped in his tracks.
He shook his head. a??Never,a?? he said, looking from Entti to Mirana, a??never again will I underestimate a woman.
You are no simple female, are you, Entti?
No sweet-faced child to warm a mana??s bed and smile at his jests.
You arena??t Miranaa??s hostage and you never were.
By all the gods, I was a fool to disbelieve what my good sense was screaming at me.
I was a fool to disregard the very words I heard you speaking to Mirana, no witless childa??s words they were.a??
a??Go away, Lord Rorik,a?? Mirana said, her voice cold as the night wind.
a??Go away. Hafter will be all right. Evidently Entti has some liking for him and thus didna??t kill him.
Go away. I have no wish to hurt you and now it is the two of us against you.
We will win, Rorik. Entti knows weapons as well as I do.
Aye, she is vicious with that sword and she wona??t hesitate to stick it through your belly.
Do not forget the feel of my knife in your throat.
I will do it again, only this time, your blood will spurt out onto the sand. Go away.a??
She didna??t believe what shea??d said for a single instant, but there was no hesitation, no uncertainty in her voice.
Rorik looked undecided. Had he believed her?
She had sounded vicious, very sure of herself.
Was it possible he was frightened of her?
She had never seen this expression before and was instantly wary.
No, she wouldna??t fall into his trap again.
She would sooner trust Odom the bull. She took a step back from him, keeping the knife pointed out in front of her, aimed at his chest.
He sighed, then said, his hands splayed in front of him, a??You plan to push both warships into the sea. What will I do? I have no wish to be stranded here. Those warships are valuable. They cost me much silver.a??
a??I am sorry, but you would follow us, and I cannot take the chance.a??
a??What if I swear to let you go,a?? he said very quietly, his eyes never leaving her face.
She stared at him, not knowing what was in his mind, but this man who sounded as if he were pleading, as if he were trying to bargain with her, she didna??t recognize.
The Rorik she knew never bargained. He commanded, he ordered.
He never gave an inch, never faltered or acted the supplicant.
Something wasna??t right and she felt her belly knot and twist. She took another step away from him.
She shouted over her shoulder, a??Entti, come here. Leave Hafter. Youa??ve downed him. Dona??t worry about him now, he will survive the pain to his head.a??
Entti, after one final look at Hafter, turned away to do Miranaa??s bidding.
Suddenly Hafter jerked upward and tackled her, slamming her facedown onto the sand, coming down hard on her back.
He twisted the sword from her hand and flung it beyond her reach.
She struggled wildly with him but it did no good.
He was large and he was heavy and he simply lay flat on her, forcing her face into the wet sand.
As Mirana cried out, turning to run to help Entti, Rorik was on her, grabbing and twisting her wrist until he felt the bones twisting, ready to break beneath his strength.
Still, she didna??t release the knife, if anything her fingers tightened around the ivory handle.
He hardened his grip. He stared down at her face, saw her eyes nearly black with pain and determination.
a??You cannot win now, Mirana, for I am the stronger. Surely you will realize that. I can tighten my hold and break every bone in your hand. Drop the knife, damn you. Drop it now.a??