Viking Vow by S.T. Bende

Author:S.T. Bende [Bende, S.T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: S.T. Bende

Chapter 12

OUR NEXT VISIT WENT considerably better. Clan Firense hadn’t 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.

“Those helbeasts deserve to pay for what they did to us,” Firense’s 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 clan’s meeting area. All around him, the weather-worn faces of half-a-dozen men expressed their agreement.

“Let’s go after ’em.” One grunted.

“Kill them!” barked another.

“I’m afraid it’s not quite that simple,” I said.

“Tell us what we must do to avenge our kinsmen, and we will do it,” Ragfinn vowed. “Sit. Let us discuss.”

He gestured to the table nearest the fire. Erik nodded, pulling out a chair for me and sliding it in once I’d settled. He, however, remained standing behind me, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Why would you do that?” Ragfinn studied Erik curiously. “She’s a woman. She’s meant to serve you.”

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.

“In our tribe, positions are assigned based on strengths and merit,” I said coolly. “Not gender.”

The men broke into angry murmurs, and Ragfinn’s eyes narrowed. “Can he not speak for himself?”

“Oh, I speak for myself just fine.” Erik’s voice was deadly calm. “And if you want to get your clansmen back, I’d advise you sit and listen to what Saga has to say. Our offer won’t come around again.”

Ragfinn’s 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. “Leave us. We must negotiate privately.”

The men rose, and marched to the far end of the room. As they passed, their eyeballs pierced me with disgust, as if they couldn’t fathom a female behaving as I did.

Yikes.

“Well?” Ragfinn said. “Go on, woman.”

“Again, my name is Saga,” I reminded him. “And our offer of protection comes with conditions. You must stand with us against Bjorn in the days to come.”

“We already agreed to fight those monsters.” Ragfinn said.

“And 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.”

Ragfinn frowned. “Men and women . . . equal?”

“It’s a non-negotiable term,” I said firmly. “I understand things have always been done a certain way here.

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