Chapter 22 #2
a??Perhaps not,a?? he said, and to her surprise, he handed her the other piece. Her stomach settled and she felt waves of tiredness hit her then. She was asleep within minutes.
Orm stood over her. Shea??d quietly fallen to her side, her legs drawn up, and her cheek was pillowed on her palm.
He picked up a blanket and covered her with it. He looked up to see Ingunn staring at him.
a??Come, Ingunn,a?? he said, and rose, stretching out his hand to her.
Her cheeks flushed, for hea??d spoken in a normal tone of voice, and both Kol and Bein looked up.
Both of them knew what he intended. She felt shame at his blatant use of her body, and she was not yet his wife.
Still, what else could she do? She had come to him, trusting him, and if she stopped trusting him, why, she would have nothing.
She rose, pretending to adjust the skirt of her gown, pretending that they were going for a walk, perhaps to discuss their future together.
She heard one of the men snigger. It was Bein, and she hated him for the way he looked at her and the way he spit when he looked away.
a??How would you like me to take you, Ingunn?a??
a??They are listening! Say not such things!a??
Orm laughed, and in sight of his two men, in the sight of the other woman, who was a pathetic creature, he pulled her against him and kissed her soundly.
Then he pushed her back, still holding her with one arm, and let his fingers trail over her throat downward until his palms were brushing across her breasts.
She cried out in mortification, and he laughed, releasing her.
She ran from the camp, knowing that he would follow, knowing that he would not even lower her to a soft blanket, but push her against a tree and jerk up her gown.
It was how he punished her. He had done it several times now when he thought her unwomanly in her speech to him.
He pushed her against a tree this time as well, and she was crying silently during the long minutes when he was grunting against her.
When he was finished with her, she pulled down her gown and wished she was dead.
a??You must bathe, Ingunn, your sweet womana??s scent is gone.
I like my smell on you, but not the sweat of the horse.a??
She nodded, walking away from him, saying nothing, for there was nothing more to say.
She fell asleep finally, only to awaken when he pressed against her back. a??Hush,a?? he said, and kissed her ear. a??Forgive me, Ingunn. I hurt you and it angers me that I did so. I will make it up to you now.a??
She felt his hand under her gown, moving upward, and she wanted to pull away from him, wanted to scream at him to leave her alone, but then he was touching her and she closed her eyes and let the pleasure build within her.
She whimpered softly, her fist against her mouth when her release came, and she heard him laugh softly against her ear.
a??There,a?? he said. a??Now you wona??t give me your wounded looks. You are pleased, are you not? I want you to thank me, Ingunn.a??
She whispered her thanks to him. He laughed again and left her.
The following morning, Ingunn kicked Zarabeth in the ribs. a??A slave doesna??t sleep whilst her mistress works. Get up and collect more firewood. Be quick about it, Zarabeth.a??
She did as she was told, her companion the same one as the evening before. Kol looked sullen this morning, his pockmarked face even uglier today. Still, he remained silent, making no move toward her, watching her.
Orm let the two women slaves walk for three hours before calling a brief halt.
He brought Zarabeth up on his stallion in front of him again.
Ingunn said nothing. He called out to her, a??The woman needs to bathe.
There are no mena??s smells on her, but the scent of horse is strong.
We will halt at the small lake that lies just east.a??
Kol said, a??But that is away from the fjord, Orm!
Do you not wish to be gone from here? All of us are outlaws now.
The thing will have come to no other conclusion, not with that silly little girl speaking against us.a?? Kol turned on Ingunn.
a??Aye, a??twas her proud father who called them all against us, we all know it well! a??
a??There are none to follow us as of yet. Fret not, Kol, for I am your leader and I do not make mistakes.a??
The man spit on the ground near Ingunna??s mare. a??You brought her, did you not? You plan to wed with her!a??
Orma??s eyes narrowed. Then, to Zarabetha??s astonishment, he laughed. a??Listen, both of you. Aye, Bein, I see the same doubts in your ugly face. Aye, I have Haralda??s daughter here because with her in our midst, he would dare not attack us. Have none of you any wits? She is a superb hostage!a??
Ingunn gasped aloud. a??Nay, you lie! I came to you because I did not believe you had done those thingsa??a??
a??Ah, but I did, Ingunn.a??
His voice was very soft, terrifyingly so. Ingunn turned white, her eyes dilated. Zarabeth felt a lurch of pity for her, and an increasing fear of Orm.
Then Orm laughed again. a??I am no monster, Ingunn.
I did nothing at all. I was but testing you.
Kol heard from an old man that one of the Ingolfsson daughters said it was us.
She lied. All of you, attend me now. This beautiful woman, Ingunn, daughter of Haralda??I will wed her, for I love her dearly, and all of us will leave this cold land and make our way to the west. We will settle in the Danelaw.
We will buy lands there with all the gold and silver we have gained in our trading.a??
Bein and Kol spoke low to each other. Zarabeth felt confounded. He was slippery, his tongue agile, and she was afraid of him. Color had returned to Ingunna??s cheeks, and now she was smiling, under Orma??s spell again.
I must escape, Zarabeth thought over and over as the afternoon hours passed. I must escape. Orm would kill, then laugh and deny it even as the blood dried on his hands.
That evening when they stopped to make camp, Zarabeth was once again sent out for firewood, Kol her companion. He grunted at her, pointing to the branches that lay on the ground. He wasna??t going to help, merely watch her.
Finally she said, knowing the time had come, a??I must be by myself for a moment . . . just for a moment.a??
He looked at her, no expression whatsoever on his face. a??I will watch,a?? he said, and crossed his arms over his chest.
She discarded several ideas in the space of a moment.
Finally, she merely shrugged, looked past him, her eyes widening.
When he whirled around, she picked up the skirt of her gown and ran as fast as she could into the pine forest, ducking behind a thick pine at the last moment.
There was no crashing of undergrowth, for Kol was silent as an animal.
She felt terror creeping over her. Where was he?
Suddenly she heard him yell, a??Woman, wait! You come here, do you hear me?a?? He paused and she held her breath, for he was but feet away. a??Orm will be mightily displeased with you. He will punish you! His punishments arena??t pleasant. He could break your jaw this time. Come here, now!a??
He was closer, moving silently. She fancied she could hear his breathing. She closed her eyes, pressing closer against the tree bark. He was saying again, a??You wona??t escape me, woman. Come now, and I wona??t be angry with you.a??
She didna??t move. But she was ready, and suddenly he was there, coming around the tree, his movements stealthy, his step silent.
He saw her and jerked back, but not in time.
She heaved a rock as hard as she could in his belly.
He howled, falling forward, and when he did, Zarabeth lifted that same rock again and struck him on the head.
He went down without another sound. Now you are silent, she thought.
She was free. It was exhilarating. For a moment she couldna??t believe it.
She stood over Kol, panting, holding that blessed rock.
She had seen the rock and had seen herself hitting him with it, but the fact that she had actually succeeded left her momentarily dumbfounded.
Quickly she knelt beside him and took his knife.
Then she was running through the forest, knowing even as she ducked branches that the trees were fast thinning.
In a very few minutes she would come out into a long narrow meadow.
She would be in full view of Orm and Bein.
Ah, but the trees on the other side of the meadow were so near, not far at all.
She could make it, if only she could run fast enough.
Magnus dismounted and stretched. He patted Thorgella??s neck, then leaned down with Eines to check the tracks.
a??Wea??re close, Magnus.a??
Magnus grunted.
a??Two of the horses are carrying two people. Ia??d say a man and a woman on each of the horses.a??
Magnus saw in his minda??s eye Orm carrying Zarabeth in front of him. Who was the other woman? Ingunn?
a??This other horse carries only a woman.a??
Ingunn, he thought. It had to be. Who was the other woman?
a??So,a?? he said, a??we have three men and three women.a??
a??Aye, a??tis so.a??
Magnus rose and looked toward the horizon. a??He travels to the Oslo Fjord. I wager he has a vessel there, waiting for him, and I wager it is finely provisioned. Then he plans to leave Norway.a??
Ragnar came up to him. a??How old are the tracks?a??
Eines turned his head away.
But Magnus knew. a??They will make the fjord and their vessel before we can catch up with them.a??
a??Did she go with him willingly?a??