As he drew nearer, he brought the animal back down into a trot so as not to give the impression he was giving chase. If the two ruffians took him for a simple traveler about his business, they would not get suspicious until it was too late. Surprise would be his best weapon, not that he expected any serious issue. He felt more than ready to take on a clumsy fool, however heavy he might be, and a woman, however vicious. They would pay for what they had done and what they intended to do.
Atop his mighty stallion, he quickly gained ground on the heavy cart. Soon, it slowed down and then came to a complete stop. The reason why quickly became obvious. The man, who was driving it, had gone into the bushes to relieve himself.
Perfect. Sven would deal with him first, while he was distracted.
This time he did gallop, confident the man would not see him, from his place in the bushes. A moment later he was behind him.
“Bloody Ealawynne,” Sven thought he heard him grumble as he tucked himself back in his braies. “Why can’t she understand that a hot-blooded man is?—”
Not waiting to hear what the man thought Eahlswith’s sister didn’t understand, Sven pounced, placing his trusted dagger at his throat, forcing his head up.
“Make a move and you’re dead.”
There was no mistaking the earnestness in his tone and the man instantly stilled. “What do you w-want?” he stammered. “I have no money.”
I don’t want money. I want my Alva back. She’s more precious to me than all the gold on this earth.
“Yesterday you abducted a woman.Mywoman,” he growled into his ear. “That was your first mistake.” If he had hurt her, that would be his second.
“Listen, this has nothing to do with me. I only obeyed Ealawynne’s orders. She’s the one who wanted to abduct your woman and she needed a strong man to do it.”
He thought he was going to save himself by placing the blame on someone else and claim he had no knowledge of the fate his lover had in store for her sister? “Yes, she needed a dumb brute to abduct her so that she could kill her. And you agreed. Tell me, you piece of shit, if she had asked you to abduct a child or rape a nun or kill your own brother or anything else equally as foul, would you have done it?”
“She didn’t ask me any of this, I swear. It was not me.”
Was the man really that dim or was he hoping to escape retribution by playing the role of an idiot? Either way it wouldn’t work. Sven had had enough of this. He had to go to Eahlswith.
“Sorry, not good enough,” he told the man, as he plunged the blade into his shoulder.
“Ah! You bastard!”
“I’m not the bastard around here. If I were, I would have plunged the blade into your heart. At least I gave you a chance.” With those words, he knocked him out. Let fate decided what would happen to him.
When he turned around, Sven found himself staring straight into the dark eyes he had fantasized about many a time. His heart exploded. At first he thought Eahlswith had freed herself and relief swept through him. Then the woman—for it was not his Alva but her twin sister, of course—ran to the man at his feet. Blood had already started to soak the snow under him.
“You monster, what did you do that for? We have nothing of value.” She placed a hand on the man’s cheek. “Is he dead?”
Sven shrugged. “Not at the moment, but he might die if no one sees to his wound soon. Still, if he didn’t want to get hurt perhaps he should have thought twice about abducting innocent women with the aim of killing them.”
The woman understood then that he was no mere passerby looking to rob them, as she’d initially thought, but Eahlswith’s champion, come to free her. With a cry of rage she stood up and started to run. Sven rolled his eyes. Did she really think it would be that easy?
“Not so fast,” he said, catching up with her in a few powerful strides and restraining her against his chest. “You’re coming with me. Your sister might have some questions for you and she will be allowed to ask them. Then, once you’ve spoken to her, you can go to hell for all I care.”
Sven dragged the woman back to where Gulltoppr was grazing. There was a length of rope in the saddlebag. Thank the gods he was always prepared for the worst. In less time than it took to tap a cask of ale, he had tied his captive to the nearest tree. It was odd, unsettling even, to treat a woman thus. That she looked exactly like the woman he loved only made the task harder. But he had to be sensible and remember that this wasnot his Alva, but a dangerous woman who had been plotting her murder. She might well strike her out of spite when she saw that her plans had been foiled if he did not incapacitate her before he went to free Eahlswith.
“You can’t do this!” she protested. It was as if she had read his mind and tried to appeal to his sense of honor. “I’m a woman!”
“You’re nothing but a snake,” he hissed in her ear. “Now stay quiet or I will have to silence you and I don’t always know my own strength. I might hurt you.” Repeating the words she’d told Eahlswith the evening before was immensely satisfying.
As soon as he was sure she was securely bound and gagged, he turned away from her and hurried to the cart. Eahlswith would be wondering what was happening, and probably getting scared. He wasn’t sure she would have understood someone had finally come to her rescue. From a distance, with noises being muffled under the cloth, she might just have assumed his captors were arguing. She had no idea he was coming for her.
And he refused to give her a moment of anxiety.
18
“Sven!”
Eahlswith’s whole body felt weak with relief when the cloth was removed from her face and the familiar face of the Norseman was revealed.
