She choked on a cry when Muli lunged, but Ari easily blocked the blow. Another lunge, another block, the swords scraping against each other in a loud screech of metal. Thora noted the other men slowly approaching. Her heart slammed against her chest, but she would not make this easy for them. Calmed by the presence of the wolves flanking her, she took another few steps back, her focus darting between the approaching men and Ari in his battle.
Muli jabbed and Ari ducked to avoid the strike. Muli swung his fist around and once again, Ari dodged the blow, landing his own punch hard into Muli's gut, drawing a loud grunt of pain. The other man staggered back a few paces then lifted his sword once again, cursing when he leaped. Ari raised his sword to block his opponent with a shriek of metal against metal, spinning about to free himself of the close fight.
For a moment, Ari and Muli paused in their battle, chests heaving as they stared at each other. In the ensuing silence, the thunder of hooves arose again, growing louder. Thora bit back a fearful cry to see three more riders approaching. With the additional raiders, she and Ari stood little chance of surviving this battle.
"Ho, Ari Hugisson!" The leader waved his hand and reined in his horse, leaping down at the same time with a warrior's grace. A moment later, the others did as well. Thora glanced at Ari, stunned to find him smiling. He knew these men? They neared, withdrawing their weapons.
Moments later, they stood behind Ari, and beside Thora. Muli's men halted in their advance. She imagined this to be some sort of surreal dream, one in which she never imagined saviors to come to their aid. She met Ari's stare, his playful wink rousing all sorts of questions, even as it reassured her.
"In a bit of trouble again, are you, Ari?" the leader of the group asked.
"Not really, though it's good to see you, Karsi. This piece of horse's dung is simply an inconvenience."
At the insulting dismissal, Muli let out a howl of outrage and once more charged. The man named Karsi dragged Thora from the confrontation before she could be trampled by the battling men.
At that moment, Muli's companions jumped into the fray, engaging Karsi and the other two men. Thora ducked behind Gyllir, Kata and Kati beside her, both ready to defend their mistress. She twisted the axe handle in her hand, wondering how she could help, even knowing she was useless in a battle. Still, there must be something. Wincing at the sharp pained scream, she paced between her wolves, grateful to be far enough from the fight to avoid being sprayed by blood. Shouts and insults accompanied the sounds of blades clashing, ringing painfully in her ears. The thud of an axe landing in someone's body left Thora's gut knotted, yet she somehow managed to look and see that Karsi had dispatched his opponent to the next life and turned his attention to aiding one his fellow riders.
Within a few moments, only Ari and Muli still battled, all three of Muli's companions lay either dead or grievously wounded. Thora moved closer to the fighting men, shaking off the restraining hand that attempted to halt her. In her sweaty palms, the dagger slipped and she tightened her grip before dropping it, her gaze riveted to the two men swinging their swords at each other, neither gaining the upper hand until Ari gave an unexpected roll, coming up to stand behind his foe. When Muli turned, Ari landed his fist square in the other man's face.
"I will have my revenge and you will die!" Muli shouted. Blood seeped from his nose, and his free arm dangled at an odd angle. Still, he fought on, lifting his sword once more, though his movements had become more sluggish and sloppy.
Thora studied Ari. He appeared calm and even-winded as he moved about Muli, taunting the wounded man with insults. He didn't need her assistance, yet the urge to be near him while he saved her yet again nearly overpowered her.
"Now who are the Valkyries waiting for?" He mocked Muli with his earlier words and thrust toward his foe again. The injured man somehow managed to block the blow, but in his weakness, he stumbled and fell to his knees. Ari stood over him, sword raised. Why did he hesitate?
"Kill him!" Thora shouted. She noted the way Ari's shoulders stiffened for a moment, then he plunged the sword into Muli's chest. The man gave a gurgling scream at the moment Ari withdrew his sword, before falling to the dirt. Dead.
Thora ran to Ari, dropping her dagger and axe before throwing her arms around him and hugging him tight. His free arm came around her waist, holding her near. Tears streamed down her cheeks, more relief that he had defeated Muli than anything else.
Ari set her away, and his lips curled in a small smile. "You are unhurt?"
She nodded. "Your friends ensured I was safe before they took care of Muli's accomplices."
Ari looked toward the three men gathered a few feet away. He waved them over.
"Karsi, your arrival was indeed a blessing from the gods. We must give thanks!"
"I agree," said Karsi. "We were going to set up camp a bit further. We heard the battle. Wasn't until we got closer that I realized it was you."
"I owe you much. After The Thing, I will be able to repay you properly."
"I just want to return to my home," said Karsi. "As do they."
Ari nodded, his expression sober. "Soon, we will all have justice. Karsi, Leif, Alarr, this is Thora. The man I was fighting is an enemy of her father's."
"So he meant to use you as revenge?" Karsi directed his question to Thora.
"I believe so. It would seem I am quite useful as a tool for vengeance." She gave Ari a pointed stare. When he looked away and shifted uneasily, she gained a small measure of satisfaction at his discomfort. She ignored the curious stares of the other men.
"You are lucky to have someone like Ari to look after you."
Admitting she agreed was not a consideration. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing how his very presence reassured her. She said nothing, aware of Ari's gaze upon her. When he turned to join his friends in gathering the horses of their enemies, she looked down to see that her wolves had once again taken up their positions on either side of her. This was when she was truly safest, she reminded herself, even if the thought rang slightly untrue.
Her gaze fell upon the horses of their attackers. Would he let her have one, ride alone? A brief sting of disappointment accompanied her answer when the other men took the reins of those horses and led them a short distance away from where their own steeds were tethered. The animals pranced and pawed at the ground, short whinnies of fear piercing the air. Clearly the presence of her wolves frightened the beasts.
"Where did you get the wolves?" Leif asked, once he'd calmed the jittery horse under his control.
"They are Thora's pets. They won't harm the horses, though I expect the animals wouldn't believe it even if Sleipnir galloped down and assured them of their safety."
