The Viking's Warrior Bride by Mairibeth MacMillan

Author:Mairibeth MacMillan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: family drama, marriage, betrayal, norse, pict, viking, briton
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing

Chapter Fourteen

Qasim joined them from where he had been exploring around the western side of the base of the rock. Ylva knew they were being watched as they approached the gates. They hung unevenly and she wondered how well they even managed to open and close. The first time she had seen them had been as the siege began and they had been strong and perfect. They had withheld the Norse attacks for four whole months and might have done so for longer had the well not dried up and the people nearly starved.

Beyond the gates lay the many stairs that led up the rock. Even close to being deserted, the place had a formidable air about it. They could only hope whoever was in residence would not attack them — at least until they found out who they were and why they had come. Ylva touched the sheath hanging from her belt again. It wasn’t as large a knife as she had tucked in her boot, but it was much easier to reach wearing a dress.

“This place, it is impressive. And yet you conquered it?” Qasim said. “I had heard about it but have never seen it before. It is not a place that one could easily enter nor escape from.”

Ylva shrugged, frowning at the slight smile that played around Qasim’s mouth, almost as if he saw Alt Clut as some kind of challenge. “The well ran dry. In the end, they opened the gates themselves and surrendered.”

“And you were merciful to your captives?” Qasim kept his gaze higher up on the rock and Ylva could tell from his face that he already knew the truth, so she looked away towards the gates.

“State your purpose!” Two heavily armed men appeared on the guards’ platform above the gates.

Stigr stepped forward and smiled up at the men, waving before bowing low. “We are traders recently arrived from the Norselands. We bring silks and jewels from the east and furs from the north. Fine pottery, weapons and jewellery such as you may not have seen before.”

Ylva frowned. The traders had not arrived from the Norselands. Hjördis had shown her a bracelet that she had purchased in Ath Cliath and the woman had also mentioned being on the small island of Mannau. Not that they needed to tell these Britons the truth, but it was a strange thing to lie about.

The two guards looked at each other, then one nodded. “Bring these goods forward!”

All of them moved forward, and Hjördis and Qasim held out some fine silks and jewellery.

The gates creaked open. “Enter.”

As they passed through the gates, Ylva felt a flutter inside her and then another. She shivered. It felt like… it was the child moving, she was sure of it. How strange to feel her child move in this dead place. She turned and looked down towards the river and caught sight of Björn, watching them from the shore. Even from this distance, she could see the tension in his body. He raised a hand and waved, and she waved back.

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