Ulfrik laughed again as he pulled himself up into the ship. He did not expect to find much of value, beyond the boat itself. He would have to include it in his take for the year and let Thor decide how to portion it out. While he waited for the berserker lord to arrive, he imagined Raven’s Talon and Wave Spear sailing together, returning home filled to the gunwales with gold and silver.
***
By the time Thor arrived with ten spearmen and several slaves, the raiders’ heads were on poles, lining the approach to the beach. Ulfrik did not enjoy the task, so had delegated it to a few men who had seemed happy to do it, knowing that ten rotting heads would give enemies pause before attacking. The bodies would be burned en masse in the pit Toki had dug, and whatever remained would be buried to deter scavenging animals.
“I heard about the battle,” Thor yelled as soon as he came within earshot. “What a victory for you, Ulfrik. Tell me all about it.”
Ulfrik smiled and met Thor halfway to the pit. “The gods were with us today. That is all. My men have discipline and were more than a match for sloppy pirates.” He turned Thor away from the pit, guiding him back along the beach as he explained. Thor listened, but his brow was furrowed and he occasionally ran his thick, gold-ringed fingers through his beard. Ulfrik finished the account just as they approached the gathered treasures and the Raven’s Talon. Both men stared out at the waters of the fjord. The morning fog had rolled back to unveil a flat gray expanse of water.
“I see you portioned out the treasure already.” Thor nodded to the bags and boxes stacked to the side. “My men will recount it, all the same. It looks like a good raid for you.”
Ulfrik nodded and pointed at Toki. “I have captured him and his ship. How do you want to handle them?”
Thor knelt down to peek into the nearest bag and withdrew a figurine of a dolphin carved from jet. He admired it as he replied. “The ship is too small for me. You can keep it. But if you want to crew it next season, you better have a good plan to pay all those men.”
Ulfrik again nodded. He had hoped the ship would not interest Thor and was glad to keep it. “The prisoner was one of their leaders. Will you take him as a slave?”
“I want him to tell me where his men went. Then I’ll skin him alive and throw him into the sea with a stone about his neck.” Thor replaced the dolphin, apparently pleased that it had been included in his pile. Then he drew out a silver torc that must have come from some warrior of the western islands. “No one raids my lands and lives. The heads on poles was a good idea, too.”
Ulfrik paid no attention to the compliment. He watched as Karvi shoved an exhausted Toki with his spear butt, making him stumble toward the pit. Ulfrik felt a sudden pang of sympathy for the man; after all, he had only been attempting to do what Ulfrik had just done to the Svear. He reminds me of someone, Ulfrik thought, although he could not say whom. The thought of presiding over Toki’s gruesome death made him uneasy.
“I want him for my crew,” Ulfrik said, on a whim.
Thor replaced the torc, raised himself up on one knee, and clapped the sand from his hands. “You can have his skin.”
“No, I want him to replace the crewman I lost.” His stare met Thor’s sunken eyes-onyx eyes that were unused to holding another man’s gaze. Ulfrik felt Thor’s mood growing as dark as the berserker’s eyes.
“I have told you what my plans are for that scum. Do not speak of him again.”
“I will pay you half of my own share to keep him.” Ulfrik eyes remained locked on Thor’s. It is important to show strength to those you lead, and even more important to show to those you follow. The words that sprang into his head were Auden’s. His uncle had told him that years ago, but Ulfrik only now found use for the advice. Thor’s face remained unmoved, but his left eyebrow jerked upward. “You really intend to take him on your crew?”
“He will be grateful, loyal to me for sparing his life and preserving him from slavery. Not only do I need loyal men, but I need a man who can pilot my extra ship. If he fails me, I will tie a stone to his neck and kick him into the sea.”
“And skin him first?” Thor asked, a smile pinching the corners of his mouth. Ulfrik grinned in agreement. “Then I’ll have half your take added to mine and the prisoner is yours. But he must tell me where the other raiders are hiding. I have to destroy them before they regroup.”
They concluded their deal with a handshake and a smile.
“Yngvar!” Ulfrik gestured for him to bring Toki to where they stood. Karvi hauled the raider up and shoved him forward.
“I think you overpaid me, Ulfrik.” Thor snorted at the ragged prisoner. “But you are a wise leader and an interesting man.”
Toki stumbled to his knees in the sand before Thor and Ulfrik. In their shadows, he appeared smaller and weaker. His face was crusted with blood and black circles rimmed his eyes. He lowered his head, and dark hair hung over his face and curled from the sweat of his efforts.
“I have paid Thor Haklang one half of my take in return for your life,” Ulfrik announced. Karvi sucked in his breath at the words, but Yngvar folded his arms and looked amused. “Before I make that payment, you must swear an oath of loyalty to me. If you do, I will make you one of my crew. When you have worked off the money I paid for your freedom, you will take an equal share, like the others.”
Toki raised his eyes, and Ulfrik read the gratitude there.
“You will have my oath. And gratitude for my life,” Toki said.
“Ulfrik is sworn to me,” Thor interjected. “That means you serve me as well. So the first test of your word will be to tell me where your men fled.”
Toki grimaced at the order. Then he lowered his head again. “I will tell you. They were mostly Koll’s men anyway. All of my men are dead now.”
So Ulfrik heard Toki’s oath, sworn with his hands upon Ulfrik’s sword. Then Ulfrik raised Toki up and gave him over to Thor to reveal the location of the remaining raiders. Karvi left, disgusted.
“Saw yourself in him, did you?” Yngvar’s smile was quizzical.
“Do you think I was wrong?”
“No. You let wisdom lead and put vengeance aside. We lost a good crewman today, but perhaps you got one back who will be just as good. And probably smart enough to realize he had better reward your faith.”
Yngvar patted Ulfrik’s shoulder and gestured to the pit. “Let’s burn those scum and lay Johan to rest.”
Twenty-six
Runa remained in the stables for several weeks. After Bard raped her, he vowed he would care for her, see her dressed in better clothes and have her working in the main hall. Days later, he returned to tell her she would care for the horses and live in the stables “until things improved.” She understood this to mean she was still Bard’s toy.
Runa continued to hope Ulfrik would return for her, so she waited, expecting him every time the stable door opened. He never came. As foolish as she felt for it, she continued to expect him. It was all the hope she had.
“He has fled to suck what he can from another hall, this time from Thor Haklang and his father,” Bard told her, sensing that she held out for him. “He took his men to their next meal, and he won’t be coming back here.”
The horses alone gave Runa the warmth and acceptance she received from no other source. She learned how to groom, feed, and exercise them, and although she was made to clean the stables, she was also allowed to keep a small corner for herself; Bard required somewhere away from the horses when he came to deliver empty promises and force himself on her.
She stubbornly fought him every time: screaming, kicking, spitting, anything short of leaving a mark on him. It discouraged Bard enough to reduce his visits, but it did not stop him completely. Runa knew resistance only complicated her life, but she had learned her lesson at the hands of the Svear. Now, she vowed to fight every time, no matter how futile.