Viking Vow by S. T. Bende
Author:S. T. Bende [Bende, S. T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Goodreads: 46394091
Publisher: S.T. Bende
Published: 2019-09-10T00:00:00+00:00
Chapter 12
OUR NEXT VISIT WENT considerably better. Clan Firense hadnât been terrorized by dragons, or watched their neighbors die in a blaze of glory. But they had been raided by the very tribe we were offering protection against. Lars and his men had visited this fishing village one month prior, and stripped it of all valuables before abducting half its members and sailing into the night.
âThose helbeasts deserve to pay for what they did to us,â Firenseâs chieftan sputtered. Ragfinn was a large man, whose long, braided beard fell nearly to his bulbous belly. He stood in front of a roaring fire inside the traditionally constructed log house that served as their clanâs meeting area. All around him, the weather-worn faces of half-a-dozen men expressed their agreement.
âLetâs go after âem.â One grunted.
âKill them!â barked another.
âIâm afraid itâs not quite that simple,â I said.
âTell us what we must do to avenge our kinsmen, and we will do it,â Ragfinn vowed. âSit. Let us discuss.â
He gestured to the table nearest the fire. Erik nodded, pulling out a chair for me and sliding it in once Iâd settled. He, however, remained standing behind me, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
âWhy would you do that?â Ragfinn studied Erik curiously. âSheâs a woman. Sheâs meant to serve you.â
My inner feminist bristled. For the umpteenth time since my arrival in Vikingdom, I had to remind myself that this was a different era, with different values . . . values we were working very hard to change.
âIn our tribe, positions are assigned based on strengths and merit,â I said coolly. âNot gender.â
The men broke into angry murmurs, and Ragfinnâs eyes narrowed. âCan he not speak for himself?â
âOh, I speak for myself just fine.â Erikâs voice was deadly calm. âAnd if you want to get your clansmen back, Iâd advise you sit and listen to what Saga has to say. Our offer wonât come around again.â
Ragfinnâs brows angled downward. His lips pressed together in a tight line, but he sat at the table and pressed his palms firmly against the wood. Turning to face his men, he raised his chin and issued his command. âLeave us. We must negotiate privately.â
The men rose, and marched to the far end of the room. As they passed, their eyeballs pierced me with disgust, as if they couldnât fathom a female behaving as I did.
Yikes.
âWell?â Ragfinn said. âGo on, woman.â
âAgain, my name is Saga,â I reminded him. âAnd our offer of protection comes with conditions. You must stand with us against Bjorn in the days to come.â
âWe already agreed to fight those monsters.â Ragfinn said.
âAnd we require that you embrace our lifestyle. In Valkyris, men and women are equal. We choose our vocations based on personal strengths. We strive to bring out the best in every member, which naturally begets increased productivity, heightened loyalty, and an overall betterment of the tribe.â
Ragfinn frowned. âMen and women . . . equal?â
âItâs a non-negotiable term,â I said firmly. âI understand things have always been done a certain way here.
Download
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.
Action & Adventure | Aliens |
Dystopian | Space Opera |
Steampunk | Time Travel |
Shadow Children #03 - Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix(11601)
La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman(9893)
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo(9698)
Through the Dark (A Darkest Minds Collection) by Alexandra Bracken(7513)
A Thousand Nights by E. K. Johnston(6844)
Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare(6620)
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo(6496)
Truthwitch by Dennard Susan(6258)
05 Trials of Death by Darren Shan(6231)
Renegades by Marissa Meyer(6101)
Bleach 486 by Tite Kubo(5158)
Invictus by Ryan Graudin(4977)
Prophet of the Dead by Richard Lee Byers(4861)
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas(4822)
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo(4665)
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee(4652)
His Dark Materials 1 - The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman(4397)
Enders Game 5 - Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card(4349)
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas(4248)
