Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 59320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
To be honest, I had felt stung Erik was planning such a thing and hadn’t told me. I wondered if he would have just left in the night, leaving me with Rolf, never to see me again. But as much as it hurt, I was glad he was doing something to escape a life that had grown too barbaric for a big-hearted man like him.
I looked over at Knut and Karst, who were snoring lightly in the hay.
“Should we wake them up soon?”
Erik was still watching me. “Give them a few more minutes. We still have a long ride to Criolium. And then… Well, then, it gets worse.”
“How are your wounds?”
He winced as he pulled back his shirt to show me his shoulder. I was surprised to see it was wrapped in layers of muslin, and I wondered if Erik had gotten any sleep at all.
“As long as I keep pouring the alcohol on it, it should be fine. Did you know, in Norway, we have a drink made out of dill? It’s called akevitt. It cures anything.”
I smiled and leaned forward on my knees. “Tell me more about Norway.”
His eyes lit up, shining brighter than the grey sky outside as he began to tell me about the craggy mountains, deep fjords, and his mother’s famous potato pancakes. I could see how much he needed to go home, how much he loved it. And now, if everything went as planned and we survived the journey across the North Sea, it would be my home too.
Though I could have listened to Erik wax on about our new home, it didn’t take long for Knut and Karst to wake, and the four of us were off again, riding for several more hours through fog and drizzling rain. On the way, Erik had told me the weather would be much worse once we were at sea, that there was no place for us to sleep below deck except for the small cargo hold. He said I could sleep there while everyone else stayed up top, and as long as I pulled my weight by rowing for a few hours each day, the other men wouldn’t mind.
That was part of the problem too: the other men. There were only four of us, and we needed more to do a proper rowing job. Erik’s plan was to lie to the men stationed there and tell them Rolf was sending us back home, that they weren’t needed anymore. He hoped they wouldn’t question him, but since Erik had been Rolf’s second in command all these years, they’d probably accept whatever he told them. Then, with a near proper crew, we could arrive home quickly and be back to start our new lives.
When we finally rode into Criolium at dusk, I was tired and on edge. Being back in my village was about to take its toll on me, and the moment I saw the spire of the thatched roof church poke above the trees, I couldn’t keep the tears from rolling down my face. No matter how far I’d gotten, no matter what new life I had learned to take on, being home again hurt.
We pulled our horses to a walk, and Erik reached across for me, taking my hand in his. I hadn’t had much affection from him during the escape, and his touch almost created more tears.
“Are you all right?” he whispered, not wanting Knut and Karst up ahead to hear.
I shook my head and sniffed, glad he was trying to comfort me in secret. I didn’t want to appear weak in front of the others, even though they’d already seen me at my weakest.
“I didn’t think returning would be so hard,” I said, squeezing his hand and looking at each familiar landmark as we pressed closer into town. The smell of the ocean caused the back of my throat to thicken.
“Well, it’s your family. Of course, this won’t be easy.”
“No, that’s the thing,” I admitted with an anguished sigh. “They weren’t really my family. I never really loved them and they never really loved me. I never expected to feel anything when they died.”
There it was, the feeling I’d been trying to suffocate for the last month. The guilt in never grieving properly. The surprise to find I cared at all.
“I’m sorry for that. If I could take it back, Cherine…”
I took one hard look at his face and remembered it was in fact the Vikings who were responsible for my family’s death. Erik had certainly taken lives that day, maybe even the lives of Marc or Pierre. He had been a killer, a plunderer. And now, he was my lover. He did all of this and yet saved me at the same time. He had taken everything I ever had, and in the end, he loved me.