Chapter 10
Magnus stared at her from behind the crimson curtain.
He felt such pain he thought hea??d choke on it.
As he watched her, his pain cleansed itself into pure anger.
Even though she was dirty, her hair straggling down about her face, her gown torn at the shoulder where someone had ripped off a brooch, still, she looked proud and unbending.
By Odin, he had missed her, had dreamed of her more nights than he could remember now, for she always seemed to be there with him, in his mind, soft beneath his hands and whispering his name only the way she could; and yet she was naught but a fraud, the woman who had played him for a fool, the woman who had betrayed him.
He listened to her speak, so impassioned she was, and felt the pain return in full measure, but not with pity or longing for her, but with building rage. She had wronged him. She deserved to suffer for it, and she would.
When he came out to stand beside King Guthrum, when she saw him, he thought she would faint.
For an instant he thought he saw joy in her expressive eyes, and hope .
. . nay, it was surprise and chagrin he saw, for he was here now, to face her.
It was guilt too, he realized, for what shea??d done to him, perhaps even a moment of remorse.
Had she killed Olav?
He hadna??t wished to believe it, had initially dismissed it as absurd, but the witnesses were many and their words rang true to his ears and to the kinga??s ears as well.
They reported how Olav had told all of his love for the little girl, how Olav had wanted Zarabeth and the little girl to be protected and thus he wedded with her, how Olav had planned to give Zarabeth all upon his death because of her hold on him.
Did that make her guilty of murdering him?
Did that mean she had turned Olav away from his own son? Evidently most believed so.
But then, many witnesses also spoke of Zarabetha??s kindness, her care of Olav during his illness, and her love for her little sister.
Still, he found himself looking again and again at Keith and Toki.
Again he found himself going over Zarabetha??s story in his mind, and he looked toward Toki.
The womana??s eyes were lowered now, modestly, her mouth a tight line, but he felt something malignant about her, something that was cold and unwholesome.
Not that it really mattered to him. He was glad Olav was dead, truth be told.
The man was no longer Zarabetha??s husband and she was free now to be whatever he, Magnus, wished her to be.
He had come in time to save her, and that should have amused him.
He, the man shea??d betrayed, saving her.
Aye, there was humor in that. But when he tried to find the humor, he failed.
The thought that if he had been just several days later she would have been dead made him nearly double over at the empty blackness her death would bring him.
But he refused to dwell on that. No, what would happen now would give him pleasure, great pleasure.
She would get the punishment she deserved.
He realized in a moment of truth that what he blamed her for, what enraged him to the point of near-senselessness, what he wanted to punish her for until she was pleading with him, was not the poisoning of her husband, but her betrayal of him, her humiliation of him, her freely given pain to him.
He nearly rubbed his hands together at the pleasure of his revenge on her.
She was alive and the king had agreed he could have her.
He had paid Keith the danegeld for Olava??s life, an amount of gold that wasna??t all that great after all, for, strangely enough, Keith had seemed anxious that Zarabeth not be killed for her act.
His wife, Toki, had carped and yelled and screamed at him, but hea??d stood firm.
Now Zarabeth was his slave. He could do with her whatever he wished to.
He thanked Guthrum once again, then turned to walk toward her.
He wanted to see the fear in her eyes, see her shrink back from him because of the lies shea??d told him, because now she was whatever he dictated that she would be.
He wanted to see her pale; he wanted to see her cower.
Instead, to his surprise, her shoulders straightened even more and that damned pride of hers radiated outward like a shield.
He met her then, halting but inches from her, and he said low, a??Justice has been served. You are mine now, completely mine. We are leaving on the morrow.a??
Zarabeth felt the room darkening, felt the floor tilt toward her.
She was going to faint, she realized, astounded, and the knowledge made her blink and shake herself.
She looked up into his face, the beloved face that she had held close in her mind since the first morning he had come to her.
She would make him understand. She had to.
a??There is no justice in this instance, but there seems to be nothing I can say to change that. Very well, Ia??ll come with you.a?? She would not thank him for saving her life, for it seemed to her that his words to King Guthrum had made her look all the more guilty.
Magnus frowned. Somehow he hadna??t expected her to bend to his demands so quickly.
a??I need my clothes.a??
a??You look like a witch, and your smell sickens me.a??
She merely nodded. a??Very well, then, clothes and a bath and a comb for my hair.a??
a??No.a??
She found nothing strange at his show of perversity. Shea??d lived too long with Olav. Again she nodded, saying nothing more.
Actually Magnus had already had her clothing fetched from Olava??s house, over Tokia??s loud and shrill objections.
She had wanted to sell the clothing. The vicious bitch would die, so who cared what would happen to her clothing?
But Horkel, a man of few words and frightening aspect, had merely taken Zarabetha??s things without heeding the shrieking woman.
In fact, he had smiled as hea??d left Olava??s house, Toki running behind him, yelling her head off.
a??Come. We will go to my vessel now.a??
She turned to walk with him from the presence of King Guthrum.
She saw Old Arnulf standing there, displeasure weighing heavy on his face.
Toki and Keith hung back, Toki looking furious and Keith looking, strangely, somehow relieved.
And Zarabeth knew why. She wished she could place her hands around Tokia??s throat; she wanted to kill her, for it was she who was the murderess.
No, there was no justice. Zarabeth didna??t believe that Toki would ever be punished for her deed.
As for being eaten with remorse, she doubted Toki had ever had a twinge of remorse in her life.
She had won, but still she was furious because Zarabeth wasna??t to die. At least by King Guthruma??s order.
Zarabeth waited until they were outside the palace compound before saying, a??Magnus, please, I will explain everything to you. But first we must fetch Lotti. She is frightened of Toki and she will hurt her, I know it. Please, we must get her.a??
Magnus felt equal portions of rage and pain, and all because of this damned woman who stood disheveled and dirty in front of him, still so proud, so certain of her ability to charm him that she gave him no real notice.
He said, his voice as cold as the viksfjord in winter, a??No.
The child stays here with her brother. I do not wish to have her on the journey home.a??
Zarabeth reeled back from his words. Shea??d never believed Magnus to be cruel; it hadna??t occurred to her that he would refuse her in this, no matter what he felt about her.
By the saints, what a fool she was. If ever shea??d thought that he could be so quick to hurt a defenseless child, she wouldna??t have come to care for him so quickly.
She felt that pain, not elusive now, but full and deep, grind inside her.
She wanted to scream at him that it was all a lie, that she loved him, but she knew that now, at this moment, he was set against her.
But she had to get Lotti. She shivered at the thought of the child with Toki for even another hour, let alone another day.
But she was now Magnusa?? slave. His slave.
A creature with no rights, no choices, no freedom.
She would have to figure out something. She had to.
She would not leave Lotti here at Tokia??s mercy.
She walked in silence now beside Magnus, trying to gather the proper words together to speak to him.
She had to explain, to make him believe her.
It was a goodly distance to the quay, but neither spoke.
She was tired, so weary she was trembling, unable to find words to beg him to stop, just for a moment.
She realized she was hungry, for she had been given nothing to eat since the previous evening.
It was hot, the sun brutal on her head, and she felt herself becoming light-headed.
She tried to shake it away, to keep control of herself and her body.
She couldna??t afford to show weakness. Not to Magnus, never to Magnus. She would die first.
Magnus was fully aware that she was slowing beside him, but he didna??t shorten his step.
He saw her weave, then get control of herself again, and against his will he admired her.
He quashed it. He saw her swipe her hand over her forehead and rub her eyes.
He said nothing. He knew that if he did, he would want to strike her, and a blow from him could kill her. He didna??t want her dead.
He remained silent. When she fell behind, he stopped and turned to face her. a??Quicken your step. I have matters to see to and have not the time to waste in coddling you.a??