Destiny Enslaved (editing)

Part 9

Bjorn's POV so far

The voice had rocked my core.

It was a ghost of the man I once looked up to as he sat atop his mountain of fame.

Yet now... his voice came from a locked room as a crack of thunder. Preceded by a musical song in words I had never heard, and simply... Gone a second later. Rollo didn't hear it- none of the men who followed did. It was only Hvitserk and I who felt the words penetrate us as we stared at each other in apprehension as Rollo unlocked the door.

I couldn't wait. I had to see if he was really in there- somehow. My foot struck the doors and they flew apart to reveal... a room full of women. It wasn't the treasure we sought nor was it Ragnar.

The women fled immediately to the back of the room cowering before us. Except for one. She was still as a statue. Did she think we wouldn't notice her? But I had no time for musings. I spoke to them in the English tongue- more travelled than we in this place. But they merely whimpered in response.

It was Rollo who resolved the issue and after a feeble attempt at bargaining it was the statue who was thrown to the slaughter.

Draped in translucent red cloth I could barely make out her face even in this room lit by fire. My sword aided in revealing her only to me. and I couldn't help the smile that took hold. She was beautiful. Not like the women around her with delicate features.

Her body was muscular- not as our women but still she had some strength in her. The dress and wrapping cloth covered most of her skin. That which I could was stained by the red light which came through the veil. Her hair like fire in the red glow. Different shades curling and falling in ringlets- she would be a sight on the battlefield.

Her face was sharp and angular. A straight and button nose seemed misplaced with her bowed lips and slanted eyes. Her eyes- they dazzled me. Silver that drained to the faintest line of warm gold which bled onto the cold colour before giving way to the large black pupils which had locked onto me. Her gaze was hard and did its best to disguise her fear but the tremble of her bottom lip gave it away.

Still, she was alone. Isolated from the pack and didn't cry for their help. Instead she projected her strength outward and had I not battled a berserker I might have left the girl for fear she lashed out. But she didn't. The men came to my order to please themselves with this new flesh when the banshee who had tried without success to throw herself at Rollo's mercy stood and rushed toward me screaming her foreign tongue; eyes lit with pain.

She met a swift if bloody, end. And Hvitserk pouted, calling that his choice had been sent to hel were he would never find her. We laughed under it I swore I heard a sombre whisper.

I saw that blood had seeped into my boots leather- I would have to kill another pig to replace them. I said as much to my men ''now she costs me a pig too!''

The gong of metal sounded as it clashed to the floor and a clap of flesh on flesh echoed in the chamber. The hot rush of blood to my ear and cheek came first followed by the tingling pain that one usually received from a hard slap.

It was the statue come to life. Her veil had dropped back into place but staring hard enough I felt the anger in her glare. Imagined her eyes swirl as molten metal.

She was interesting. But I didn't like being caught off guard in front of my men.

I smiled with my intention already rooted. 'A fiery Valkyrie!'' I mocked to my men. Rollo already knew what I was going to do.

With the power that had come from my years of experience, I whirled around to grab her throat. Up she went. I felt the smoothness of her skin, the frantic beat of her heart. She gasped for air and I squeezed then released slightly. The sound of her feet smacking weakly against the bloody tiles old me as she stilled.