The Journey #2
The men removed the meat from the fire and cut it up onto wooden trenchers, which the women shared, while the men ate right off the bones.
Ilona recognized that the men gave the women the trenchers they usually used.
Taking the meat in her hand, she hid it in her oilskin.
Ilona and the other women became more nervous when the sky darkened.
The women lay next to each other to sleep after they had taken another trip into the woods and back. They were closely guarded then too.
When Ilona returned to the campfire, Rathnon captured her hand and drew her away from the women.
She tried to pull away to nae avail. He was immovable.
He took her to a secluded spot where he tied her to him with a length of leather rope.
Ilona struggled to move away and attempted to push him from her, but he only smiled and did nae budge.
Rathnon pulled her to him and spread a fur on the ground for them to lie on.
Ilona’s heart galloped at a treacherous pace.
Ilona did nae want to be taken by this man.
She sat, refusing to lie down, but he spoke to her in his foreign tongue and gently pushed her down to lie next to him.
He covered her with a fur to keep her warm and turned his back on her.
Rathnon showed his disinterest in her at the moment.
But why did his touch make her skin burn and hunger for more?
Ilona relaxed slightly but bided her time until she could next go to the forest under the pretext of needing to relieve herself.
When Rathnon seemed to have fallen asleep, she tried to undo the knot in the leather strap that bound her to him. She pulled on it, tugged, and attempted to unravel it.
She was nae able to undo it, nae matter how she tried. Ilona tapped him on his shoulder to awaken him, and he grabbed her wrist. She tried to communicate to him that she needed to go into the woods, pointing and hoping he would understand what she wanted.
He stood and pulled her to stand, held her hand, and led her into the woods.
He stopped and pointed. Still tethered to her, he walked a few paces away.
Ilona quickly relieved herself and, taking her dirk, severed the leather.
Keeping it loose, she tied it on a branch.
Then she sheathed her dirk and carefully crept in the opposite direction, making as little sound as possible.
Although no moon hung in the sky, her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
Silently, she walked for about ten minutes, her initial nerves fading the farther she made it from her captor.
An arm clamped around her waist, and she was pulled into the rock-hard chest of Rathnon.
Ilona kent him from his scent of spruce, spice, and the sea, even though she couldn’t see him clearly.
She had been getting ready to congratulate herself on escaping when he grabbed her.
Rathnon’s arms circled her waist tightly, leaving nae doubt she would nae elude him.
In the dim light, she could see him smiling at her, as if he’d expected her to do this.
Exasperating man! But now she had given away that she kept a weapon.
He grabbed the leather tether and tied her to him again.
But a shorter distance separated them. Capturing both of Ilona’s hands in his massive one, he held them and ran his hand over her body, searching for her weapon.
Rathnon found it tied to her leg. Strangely, he did nae relieve her of her dirk but let her keep it, and she did nae understand why he had nae taken it away from her.
Perhaps to show that, even armed with a weapon, he could easily overpower her; fighting him was to nae avail, and she could nae escape him.
Instead, he used his hands and tether to show her what he would do if she walked away again.
Rathnon went through the motions with his fingers: He would find her and tie her up again, with the tether shorter and shorter each time.
He pulled her inch by inch closer until finally, he pulled her and held her flush against his body.
Ilona felt a hard bulge against her abdomen as he held her pressed against him.
He had communicated his intentions to her without words.
Terror, like she had never known, radiated through her and made her heart beat so loud, she feared the man would hear it. This man had the power and strength to do anything he wanted to her. She was powerless for the first time in her life. Clenching her jaw, it made her more determined to escape.
Ilona feared pushing him too far, since she did nae wish to discover the full extent of what would happen to her if she did.
What does it mean that he has bound me to him, when the rest of the women are sleeping in a group?
Does he intend to have me for himself, or does he guard me for someone else?
Rathnon held her hand and led her back to their camp, and they lay back down on the fur. He covered her with fur. Ilona expected him to turn his back to her as before, but he put his heavy arm around her waist. She gasped at his touch, not knowing what he intended to do.
In Gaelic, he said one word: “Sleep.” He kens Gaelic, but how much does he truly ken and understand?
Her skin sizzled at his touch, inflaming her, not only in her abdomen but other places.
Ilona’s heart raced for several minutes.
Rathnon’s feathered breath blew across her cheek, and she listened to its cadence as he fell back to sleep.
How could I sleep with this heavy weight over me?
How did he fall back to sleep so easily?
His hot skin and hard-muscled body kept him and Ilona warm.
Considerate of her, he covered her with a second fur as the night grew colder and the wind blew in from the sea.
Was his intention to intimidate me and make me fearful earlier?
He succeeded. Rathnon seemed unpredictable, making him an opponent nae to be underestimated.
Ilona did nae cower easily. Still, she would nae give up.
I will find a way. When the time is opportune, I will try to escape again.
Gradually, as she listened to his deep breathing, the weariness of the day overcame her and she fell asleep.
When Ilona awakened before dawn, she was mortified to see she had nestled closer to Rathnon in the night.
Or he had pulled her to him, and she had awakened with her head on his chest with his arm wrapped around her.
Ilona studied Rathnon in his sleep. He had long, lush eyelashes, and his mouth was turned up in a smile.
Mayhap he enjoyed a pleasant dream. His lips were plump and sensual.
Gazing at them, Ilona wondered what it would feel like for a man to kiss her.
As her mind wandered, Ilona thought of home.
She would have started work already, as soon as she was dressed and broke her fast. There was much to do daily on the farm and in the fields.
As Ilona ruminated on her work and her family she was forced to leave behind, tears silently streamed down her face and onto Rathnon’s chest.
He must have felt them; he rolled onto his side toward her and rested his head on his hand as he gently stroked her face, wiping away her tears.
He murmured soothing words to Ilona, even though she did nae understand.
Finally, when her tears stopped, he took her into his arms and hugged her and kissed her head.
It was a paternal and comforting kiss. Maybe I misunderstood his intentions.
But I cannae ignore the alternative—equally daunting to contemplate.
The sounds of people stirring and arising from sleep became louder when more men arose.
The men folded their furs and carried them to their ship.
Ilona observed that the men had changed the guard during the night, as different men now guarded the women.
Rathnon stood, pulled Ilona up, and led her into the forest where they each relieved themselves at the ends of the tether.
She contemplated how difficult it would become with successive shortening of the tether and blushed upon realization of what that could mean.
When they returned to camp, the Vikings took turns traveling to a burn and filling their waterskins and barrels.
The barrels of fresh water were stowed on board the sailing vessels.
Oatcakes were passed out with smoked meat.
The women took one last trip to the forest to relieve themselves before boarding the ship.
Rathnon cut their tether as if taunting her to escape but kept Ilona under his watchful eyes and remained nearby.
Ilona smiled at him as the dawn painted the sky in rose and golden colors, as if blushing from a lover’s kiss.
Somehow, she needed to figure out a way to undermine his intentions and escape.
Rathnon smiled back, even more devastating and breathtaking when his smile lit up his face and his eyes.
Let him think what he wants. I will find a way to escape, but if I can disarm him with my smile, all the better.
He has his brawn, but I have my feminine wiles.
The Vikings left the Shetland Islands behind them.
Another long day and night onboard the sailing vessel stretched before them.
On the horizon, a storm brewed, and the sky darkened.
The wind whipped stronger across the waves, making their journey slower than the day before.
They had to battle the headwinds against them.
Ilona had been out at sea with her father when a storm suddenly came up.
He had wanted her to experience it and reassure her they could still row to shore, even though it was harder and took longer.
But then, shore had been visible. A few of the women’s brows creased in worry as they gazed across the sea, despite again being tied securely to the ship for their protection.