Valor of the Norsemen by Jerry Autieri

Author:Jerry Autieri [Autieri, Jerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-09T16:00:00+00:00

16

Yngvar stared at the points of candlelight dancing on the rippling water in the bowl before Alasdair. Faint light drew the edges of his horrified stare in the heavy gloom. He kept shaking his head, hands held back as if to deny he had ever bumped the column that held the bowl.

Bjorn’s hoots of delight echoed from the chamber behind him. It galvanized Yngvar. He snatched Alasdair from before the water bowl.

“Forget the Arab. We have to get the men out of here.”

They both dashed back across the floor, their boots clapping to the polished stone. They slid into the candlelight.

The four whores were disrobed, their dark blue clothing torn and scattered. Yngvar could see bare legs and feet protruding from the press of men surrounding them. Some had pulled down their pants and their white buttocks were glaring in the dark.

“They defile the temple or whatever Muslim’s call this place,” Yngvar said.

Though Alasdair was not a Muslim, through some confused history Yngvar had no patience to learn, he shared a common god with them. Seeing the whores being ravished inside what must be the main hall of this temple caused Alasdair to turn aside and make the sign of the cross.

“It’s a trap!”

Yngvar’s voice boomed out as if he were shouting across a battlefield. To his dismay, only Thorfast stood up from the press of men. At least he was still clothed. His pale hair glowed in the low light.

“Where’s Jamil?” Alasdair asked.

The old Moor had vanished along with Arab. Before Yngvar could curse, however, from the darkened front the slam of doors opening into the stone walls echoed. He turned to face the darkness, and saw a warm globe of light spill beyond the archway.

Arab voices shouted.

“Get the men!” Yngvar ran to his crew and began to pull them back. “Flee! We are trapped!”

The crew were sodden with lust and drink, and while they staggered away, many ran back to the throng.

“Thorfast, get out of here!”

Arab guardsmen poured into the chamber. They wore chain shirts and heavy belts that cinched off billowing pants. The points of their spears and the iron of their small round shields gleamed with the light.

The whore, who had just been moaning with pleasure, now began to scream and cry out. The crew remained unaware of the threat, except for those that Yngvar had pulled free.

A half-dozen Arabs flowed into the room, spears lowered, but stopped in shock. Their shouting turned to hisses and their spears dipped.

Yngvar shoved Alasdair toward the rear door. “Flee to the ship!”

But from the rear, more guards flowed in. The same armored men charged from the darkness to also pull up in horror.

A sharp wail from the women, splitting the lusty laughter of the men pressing over them, launched the guards forward.

“Don’t fight!” Yngvar shouted.

A guard stuck his spear into Yngvar’s gut, but held it back from a full thrust. His black eyes burned with hatred hotter than the furnaces of Muspelheim. He roared at Yngvar and prodded him against the wall with the blade of his spear.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.