The Viking Read Free Page B

Wealth be not.”
    Stefan wrinkled his brow, “But we are Vikings.”
    “We are lads afore we are Vikings. Only the protection of yer family be worth dying for. Everything else comes and goes like the tide. Today yer wealthy, tomorrow yer wife dies and ye have wasted yer life trying to bring her treasures – when all she wanted was more time with the lad she loved.” He crossed himself in his wife’s memory and then looked up at the brightest star. “Soon ye will see Scotland. Many a Viking lives in Scotland and so will we.”
    “What?” Stefan swallowed hard. “Why?”
    “Because I promised yer mother. The only way to prevent ye from going to sea be to let the ships leave without us.”
    “But father …”
    “Stefan, ye dinnae have my rage and rage be what it takes for a Viking to stay alive. Ye are a gentle soul with yer mother ’s kindness. I would have ye live free o’ war, loving a good lass and giving me lots o’ grandsons. Do ye agree?”
    Stefan did not agree. His mind was filled with the excitement of fierce battles, women and plunder. But he loved his father and so he reluctantly relented with the slightest of nods.
    For three days, the men used the sail to shield themselves from driving rain while a massive storm tossed the ship around. If they were to be eaten by sea monsters, a storm was the most dangerous time and all the men worried – all but Stefan, who would have been delighted to see at least one.
    On the fourth day, the heavy fog lifted, the sun broke through the clouds and Donar was relieved to see they had not lost a single ship. They were, however, off course. He studied the disk shadow on the deck, corrected their course and headed t hem once again toward Scotland.
    When he could, Stefan stood in the stern hoping to be the first to sight land. Like most of the men, he wore a braid on each side of his face and then tied the two together in the back with twine to keep his long hair out of his eyes. He wore his dagger, sword and sheath proudly. His boots that laced up the sides were nearly too small, but it meant he was still growing and that was a good thing especially for a Viking.
    Being a Viking was a dream he had not yet given up. He fervently hoped his father would change his mind, perhaps when he saw how completely boring living on land day after day could be. He hardly paid attention when his father came to stand next to him, but when Donar pointed to a bird, Stefan took notice.
    “The gulls tell us we are near land.” Donar pulled another string from around his neck, put it over his son ’s head and dropped the heavy pouch inside his son’s tunic. “They will expect me to have this instead o’ ye. We will trick them.” He winked and then folded his arms. “When the commander o’ a ship dies, he be put out to sea and the ship set afire.” He playfully nudged Stefan and leaned a little closer. “‘Tis a waste o’ a good ship.”
    Stefan smiled and went back to keeping a sharp eye out for land. The death of his commander was not something he wanted to cont emplate now…or ever.
     
     
    CHAPTER III
     
    Kan nak needed a husband.
    She did not want one and was not at all convinced she would know what to do with one, but now that her father neglected to return, life promised to be extremely difficult for a mother and daughter trying to survive alone. Marriage was Kannak ’s idea and her mother flatly refused to consider it, but in the end Kannak could think of no other answer.
    There were stipulations of course for the two had talked of the man she would marry. ‘See that he has the strength of an ox, does not take to strong drink and has good teeth,’ her mother instructed. As she mounted her horse, Kannak wondered just how she could ask a man to show his teeth before she married him. But she decided she would puzzle that out later.
    They were members of Clan Macoran and lived in a cottage on the north side of the river that separated clan Macoran from Clan Limond.