33 #2
a??Poor little girl,a?? Sculla said, shaking his big head mournfully, a??soon shea??ll not be able to walk if Rorik has his way.a??
a??Ha, he will have his way until she is so large with child he dare not continue.a??
Rorik didna??t laugh, though he did smile at the thought of Miranaa??s belly filled with his child.
It warmed him and he called out her name again and again.
He went to the fields, but she wasna??t there.
He went to the cow byre, then to the small houses his warriors had built just beyond the fields.
He couldna??t find her. He stood next to the palisade walls, breathing in the soft sweet air, looking over his island. Suddenly, he felt something cold and dark twisting deep within him, and it scared him witless.
He immediately raised the alarm. He set guards on the longboats immediately, not knowing why he felt it so important, just doing it.
Mirana was shivering. Her hair was still damp, tangled around her head and down her back. She wore only a wet shift, all that hea??d allowed her when hea??d taken her from the bathing hut several hours before.
He looked at her now, rocking back and forth on his heels. There was such rage in his eyes that she had to look away from him.
a?? a??Tis your fault,a?? he said. a??I vowed I would avenge my Asta if you returned. Aye, I prayed for your return, mistress, prayed you wouldna??t die, prayed that I would be the one to kill you and avenge my Asta.a??
a??But why would you want to hurt me, Gurd? I did nothing to Asta. I loved her as I would a dear sister.a??
a??You let her eat your food, you murdering sly bitch!a?? He jumped to his feet and she thought he would kill her then, but he didna??t, just kicked her ribs, sending her sprawling onto her back, her chest heaving with the pain.
a??Why did you let her touch your food? You knewa??I saw it in your eyes and I see it nowa??you wanted her to eat it. You knew she would die.a??
It was clear to her then, all very clear and very frightening. a??You poisoned my food.a??
Gurd stared down at her, his hands fisted at his sides. a??Aye, I did, but you didna??t die, you let my Asta die instead, and you did it apurpose, and I swore I would make you pay for that. The gods sent you back to me so I could make you pay.a??
a??You tried to poison me again but the taste was awful and thus I ate only a few bites. Sira was blamed for it.a??
a??Aye, poor little Sira, a beautiful girl who didna??t deserve your cruelty or Rorika??s.
Such lovely hair she had. I couldna??t bear it when he whipped her.
I wanted to strike him when he offered to let me whip her, too, believing I would want to hit her and force her to her knees for Astaa??s death.
I left then, for her cries smote me, and that was your fault, too, for you convinced everyone that she was guilty.a??
She wanted to tell him that she hadna??t done anything save lie in her bed and vomit until her face was blue, her throat so raw with pain that she couldna??t talk, her belly so knotted with agony that shea??d wanted to die more times than she could count.
She said instead, a??Why did you want to kill me? What did I ever do to you, Gurd?a??
He came down next to her on his haunches.
She didna??t move, remained on her back, her arms covering her ribs as best she could.
He raised his hand, then slowly lowered it as he said, a??You dared to keep me from Entti.
You made her change, made her sneer at us, made her refuse us, made her refuse me.
I wanted her and Ia??d had her before you came, before you made yourself the mistress and gave your insolent orders and stuck your proud nose in the air, treating all of us like we were thralls.
a??Aye, I wanted Entti, and Ia??d had her before you came and Asta knew and it pleased me that she knew, her anger and jealousy pleased me, but I had to show Asta that I was a man and that she couldna??t have the ordering of me, ever.
Always Asta laughed and I knew she laughed at me, even though she swore it was only her nature to laugh, to jest, that she loved me.
But she changed and she taunted me and I knew it well.
I needed Entti to prove to her that I was her master and she would never have a say in what I did.a??
a??But thata??s madness,a?? Mirana said, then instantly regretted the words, for he was on her, straddling her, leaning over her so close that she could smell the rage on his breath, see the wildness in his eyes, and he was locking his hands around her throat now, and she knew then that she would die.
Shea??d come home, all right. Home to die.
Suddenly he leapt off her, panting hard, backing away from her as if he couldna??t bear the sight of her, the feel of her.
She sat up, rubbing her hands over her throat.
The thick rope around her left wrist had rubbed it raw, but she no longer noticed the grinding pain of it, nor the pain in her ribs.
a??No,a?? he said, more to himself than to her. a??No, youa??re not to die here, not like this. It must appear an accident so that none will suspect me.a??
a??Asta loved you!a??
a??Aye, she did, and you killed her.a??
She could only stare at him.
a??You killed Asta and you forbade Entti to come to me.a??
a??Please Gurd, listen to me. It is Entti who refused to be the whore any longer. If you had taken Entti, it would have been rape, do you understand me? If you had forced her, she would have killed you herself. It is true, I swear it to you.a??
He was shaking his head even as he yelled, a??Nay, a??tis a lie! Entti was mad for me! She begged me to take her, told me again and again that I was a better man than all the others on Hawkfell Island. But then you refused to let her to come to me. Then you killed my Asta.a??
Now it was her turn to yell and she did, so frustrated and afraid that she couldna??t help herself. a??But why would I want Asta to die? There is no sense in that! I loved her as a sister!a??
He was silent a moment, his brow furrowed.
a??It matters not. You did it. You made her eat most of the food from your plate.
I didna??t realize what you were doing until it was too late.
I had to watch her laugh and jest and knew that soon she would be dying because of what you did.
You knew about the poison. You cajoled her.
Perhaps it was jealousy of her that made you kill her, I know not.
You are a woman and women are creatures beyond a mana??s understanding.
You killed my wife and now I will avenge her.a??
a??You fool! Do you think me stupid? Do you think I would chance killing myself as well as Asta? It makes no sense! I did not know the food was poisoned!a??
His huge upper body tightened in his rage, but he forced himself to calm with a shrug, for he was the victor and knew it. a??It matters not how you knew. I just know that you did. And my Asta is dead and Entti is wedded to Hafter. There is nothing here for me now.a??
What else was there to say? She lowered her head, the weight of hopelessness heavy on her, defeating her, numbing her mind.
She felt beyond herself in those moments, and beyond Gurd, beyond the pain that would take her from life, and she knew it was because she was preparing herself to die, preparing herself to leave this earth, to leave Hawkfell Island, to leave Rorik.
She didna??t want to leave Rorik.
She drew a deep steadying breath. She felt herself planted firmly within her own mind and body again.
She would not die without a struggle. Gurd was the strongest man on Hawkfell Island, his years upon years as blacksmith making his chest and arms so powerful that few of the men ever wanted to wrestle with him, even in games.
Rorik would laugh and say he had no wish for Gurd to break his back.
What could she do?
She could run. She looked about, careful to keep her head lowered so he couldna??t see her eyes, guess at her intent. He was standing over her, breathing hard.
Hea??d brought her to the thick woods at the eastern end of the island, she recognized it now, for dunlin were flying low overhead, screeching and angry, for they nested here and were worried about their young.
If she could run and hide in the deeper part of the woods, then she could sneak back toward the farmstead.
a??Let us go,a?? Gurd said. He grabbed her left arm and jerked her to her feet. He quickly untied the rope at her wrist. a??You look like a witch.a??
Her damp hair was filled with twigs and leaves and dirt, her damp shift filthy from the ground. He held her there, his long thick fingers closing completely around her upper arm. He shook her, bringing her close to him.
a??Aye, youa??re beautiful, Mirana, daughter of Audun, and you should have remained at Clontarf.
You had your chance to wed with that damned foreigner who is now the king, but you didna??t.
You wanted to return here and make my life a misery, to brag about how you killed my Asta, to taunt me with your knowledge and how youa??d succeeded in escaping punishment for what you did.
And youa??ve turned Entti against me.a??
a??You wona??t escape, Gurd. You will die too.a??
He pulled her to him, kissed her hard, then his huge hand was rubbing over her breasts and down to her belly, then he dropped his hand and turned about.
He was walking toward the cliff, dragging her now, for she knew his intent, and she had no intention of going quietly to her death.
She screamed and yelled and grabbed at bushes and low-lying tree branches, but he just jerked at her and kept pulling her, her left arm shooting with pain now, and she wondered if he would wrench it from the socket.
She dug in her heels, but that was useless.