The Betrothed Sister Read Free Page A

and ransoms.’
    Edmund had come up behind the Dane. ‘That’s right, Gunor.’ He reached out and helped Thea to step around him. ‘Get back to Grandmother and do not move.’ He glanced over at the privy with its flapping leather curtain. ‘Not even for that.’
    A slew of arrows arched from the pirate ship and hissed their way, but went amiss, hitting the ship’s sides. For a moment the onslaught stopped. Edmund gave her a gentle push. Bent over almost double she retreated. When she paused, she straightened up again, unable to resist looking out to sea, where she discovered the reason for the brief reprieve. Godwin had set up a response from the Wave-Prancer which he had deftly manoeuvred between the Sea-Dragon and the enemy. The pirate ship was only yards behind them, gaining on both of their vessels. She bent down again and scuttled back to her place amongst the frightened women, their shivering children and her grandmother. The women clutched each other, then pulled the children under their mantles and ducked low as the pirates returned fire.
    â€˜I need the bucket,’ Gytha said imperiously, rising from her furs.
    â€˜You can’t, Grandmother,’ she heard herself shrieking. ‘We are being attacked! Edmund says …’
    â€˜Never mind what Edmund says, what is necessary is unavoidable. Help me to it. Take my arm, girl.’
    Despite protests from Aunt Hilda, who was greening at the gills, Gytha dragged her frightened granddaughter back into the danger zone.
    â€˜Grandmother,’ yelled Edmund, ‘you can’t.’
    â€˜I can and I must.’ Gytha clutched at the wooden rail, pulled herself behind the makeshift curtain and ordered Thea to hold it closed for her.
    Thea’s legs felt weak. She was shaking. She could hardly hold on. ‘Hurry, Grandmother, hurry,’ she hissed through her teeth.
    It seemed to take Grandmother an age. Curses crossed the water followed by the swish of returned arrow fire from the Wave-Prancer . Thea heard screams as men were hit. The battle was beginning in earnest; arrows were fired to kill. Gunor and Edmund shouted orders past the women crouched down behind the coffers, holding their children close, petrified.
    The oarsmen momentarily stopped rowing. Gunor came weaving his way past them followed by Padar who had climbed down from the mast. He spoke to Edmund who nodded. Gunor handed him his arrow quill. Agile as a squirrel Padar scurried up the pole again towards the opened sail and nimbly worked his way above it. He lashed himself to the top of the mast, withdrew his bow, plucked an arrow from the quill, set it, pulled back the bowstring and let it fly.
    The arrow sped like summer lightning over the Wave-Prancer and straight into the enemy’s mast. Thea could not see how it landed but she heard Padar’s yell of success and their crew’s applauding cheer. Gunor stood below Padar and struck a flint into a spark. Once he had set fire to another arrow he thrust it up towards the skald. He followed Padar up the mast. Padar leaned down and grabbed it. Within another intake of breath, he had set the burning arrow into his bowstring.
    â€˜Aim for their sail this time,’ Gunor yelled up.
    Padar was light and fast. A moment later, he had let the flaming arrow fly towards the mast of the Moorish vessel so that it caught the very top of the sail. The wind would do the rest.
    Thea was as mesmerised as if she had been watching an archery contest at old King Edward’s court. She moved from her post in front of the privy and scrambled up onto a chest. She leaned over and clung to the ship’s wall. A second arrow arched. Within a heartbeat it was gone. The Wave-Prancer was just to the left of the flaming arrow’s trajectory. She prayed that none of the burning arrows would catch Godwin’s sail. With amazing accuracy three flaming arrows hit their mark and she let go a breath of relief. As the