Eira: Banished (Viking Guardians Book 1), стр. 18

Halvar could see the figure of a woman in the flickering firelight. It wasn’t long before one of the men led her to a cart standing near one of the outbuildings. He bent over her and did something that Halvar couldn’t see; he assumed that the man had just tied her to the cart. He was furious at the thought but he knew he had to stay focused. Anger would only cloud his judgment. He and his men stayed still, waiting for the slave traders to settle off to sleep. They were apparently unconcerned about anyone coming to rescue Eira. Halvar figured that they captured slaves to sell all the time and probably rarely got caught.

Halvar was horrified when he heard the men talking about selling someone to a wealthy merchant. He realized it was Eira they were talking about and it fueled his fury. He was so angry that he was ready to wreak vengeance on the entire village but common sense restrained him. He had to get Eira out of there safely. He planned to wait until the men were asleep and slip in to rescue her in silence. They would only fight if necessary. He knew it would awaken the village and he didn’t want the village warriors to join the slave traders. He and his men would be outnumbered if that happened. They could deal with the slave raiders later. He forced himself to be patient as the men laid down around the fire.

But one of them wasn’t asleep. He waited till the others were asleep and the fire was dim. Then he got up and went over to Eira. Halvar couldn’t hear the words but he was sure the man was intending to rape her. He had to act now.

Like a ghost, Halvar silently loomed over the slave trader as he knelt above Eira. One hand clamped down hard on the back of the man’s neck while the other held his axe high above his head. He was a formidable sight in the gloom. The trader gave a muffled cry of terror but wisely didn’t try to move.

“Make a sound and you are dead!” Halvar hissed into his ear. “How dare you molest my woman,” he growled in a menacing undertone. “I should just kill you now and be done with it.” He shook the man by the neck.

“Taft said she belonged to no one,” the man squeaked, terror in his voice.

“She is the daughter of a chief and my men are surrounding this camp as we speak. If you make a noise or try to fight, we will completely destroy you. Just give me the woman.”

“You can take her,” the trader said in a shaky voice. “Just leave us alone.”

With a swift blow, Halvar cut the rope that bound Eira to the cart. She unwound it from her legs and scrambled to her feet.

“If you come near my village again, we will hunt you down and kill you,” Halvar ordered the slave trader.

Then he took Eira’s hand and silently led her past the sleeping traders. One of the men stirred and muttered something but they kept moving until they reached the forest path. One by one, Halvar’s men joined them, quiet as ghosts.

Finally, they reached the waiting horses and Halvar considered it safe enough to speak, albeit in a whisper.

“Those slave raiders will not bother us again,” he said. “I was so worried about you,” he whispered to Eira. “Did they harm you?”

“No, but that man was about to. Thank you, thank you for saving me!” Eira could feel tears spilling down her cheeks. She threw her arms around Halvar’s neck and he pulled her close against him. He was glad it was so dark and the men couldn’t see them. He kissed the top of her head. “Let us get you home,” he said quietly.

As they moved away from the village of Kallekot Dalr, Eira felt the adrenaline draining from her body. While it was true that she was not yet out of danger, she felt safe with Halvar and his men to protect her. She rode in the middle of the group as they moved in single file along the path. She let her horse have his head and he plodded resolutely towards home. The rhythmic swaying of his movement almost lulled her to sleep. She was so exhausted after her terrifying ordeal. Halvar rode ahead of her, his broad back barely visible in the gloom of the forest.

She wondered what would happen when they returned to the village. Would Taft be happy to see her? She was sure that Kaarina would be delighted that she had been rescued but she wasn’t so sure about Taft. She made up her mind to ask Halvar when she got the chance why Taft appeared to hate her so.

After hours of riding, the sun rose and the forest no longer seemed to hold such menace. With daylight came a renewed sense of purpose and energy as the group continued the long, weary trek towards home. Even the horses picked up the pace. The path widened and Eira found herself riding side by side with Halvar. She decided to ask the question that was on her mind.

“Halvar, do you know why Taft has hated me ever since I’ve been here? He was nice to me just before I got taken by the traders but that was the first time. He wanted me to make him something for headaches. That was why I was near the edge of the boundary. I was picking birch buds to make him some headache medicine.”

Halvar paused to think. Should he tell her his suspicions? She had no idea that Taft had arranged her kidnapping. He decided he had to tell her the truth. After all, she would no longer