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The Viking settlement was far different from Isla’s small village, if the scattering of homes across the tiny island could even be called that. The Vikings were as industrious as they ever were and had formed a strong community. Their homes were sturdy, their fields filled with animals, and goods passed through their village, being traded with nearby settlements. They were secluded in the woods. Isla looked with envy at all the people who came and went, treating this place like one big market. She dared not raise any alarm in case any harm should come to Andrew.

Rune Dolph had certainly been successful, though. He lived in a large home, and everyone answered to him. The old leader had died of illness, so Rune Dolph said, and since he had taken over, everything had gone from strength to strength. They enjoyed good relations with their neighbors, although Isla wondered if this would still be the case if the Highlanders knew that these Vikings had attacked her wagon. When she had been taken, she had been afraid that the man she had once loved would expect her to act in the same manner again and even reclaim her body as he had once done. Thankfully, that hadn’t happened. It surprised her that Rune Dolph had been such a gentleman, but she was convinced that it was some game or part of his trick. He was so eager to make her believe that the last ten years had been a tragedy when she knew that if he had really wanted to come and find her, he would have. She was yet to understand what was different now, however, and why Rune Dolph had chosen this moment to take her. Was it just opportunity or coincidence, or was there something more?

She plucked some berries from a bowl as she had little else to do when Andrew came running into the house, followed by Rune Dolph.

“Ma! Ma! I saw a hunt taeday, and I learned how tae string a bow!” he said.

Isla winced. At first, Andrew had been shocked when he had heard the revelation that this man was his father, but Andrew had always been one to take things in his stride. Isla couldn’t very well prevent him from spending time with his father now. She knew it would only lead to him resenting her, so she had to bite her tongue and allow it. All the while, she searched for a way to escape, but none presented itself. When she heard what Andrew had been doing, she glared at Rune Dolph.

“I thought I told ye that I dinnae want him daeing anything like this,” Isla said in an aggrieved tone.

The Viking rolled his eyes and pushed Isla’s hand away from the bowl, taking a handful of berries for himself and tossing them down his throat.

“He’s the son of a Viking. This kind of thing is his birthright. You could not take it away from him as much as you could take flight away from a bird. This is his destiny.”

“I dinnae want it tae be his destiny. I hae tried tae give him a simple life without haeing tae worry about losing his life in some fight.”

“You have little faith in our son. He’s a natural,” Rune Dolph said.

Andrew beamed with pride.

“I am, Ma! All the Vikings say sae! They say I’m just like my dad,” Andrew said.

The words were like daggers stabbing into Isla’s heart. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes in an effort to soothe the aching torment that threatened to erupt within her.

“Andrew, gae tae yer room,” she said. Andrew began to protest, but Isla glared at him. Andrew turned away, and the sound of his footsteps receded as he went deeper into the house.

“You are too hard on the boy,” Rune Dolph said, shaking his head.

Isla’s glare did not fade; it merely shifted toward the Viking. She scoffed at him, as though he had any right to lecture her on the way she parented her son.

“He’s my son. I can parent him how I please. I told ye I dinnae want ye tae teach him all of these things. Ye hae no respect.”

“I have no respect?” Rune Dolph thundered. “What about you? You haven’t taught him anything about his culture. You haven’t trained him in the art of a sword or bow. You’ve raised him to be soft,” he said with derision. “I see I have my work cut out for me to make up for your mistakes.”

Isla gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. Her words traveled on a layer of fury. “If ye wanted tae teach him anything, then ye could hae come tae us before this. But nay, ye left us. Ye left me. Ye hae no right tae expect me tae let ye parent him.”

“No right? I’m his father!” the Viking thundered, slamming his hand on the table. He struck it with such force that the bowl of berries toppled over, and the contents spilled out, rolling across the table and falling to the floor. Isla was taken aback by this show of terror and cringed in fear. Rune Dolph straightened and composed himself, turning his back to her.

“I know that the last ten years must have been hard for you. They weren’t easy for me either. I am just trying to make up for lost time. I have as much say in his upbringing as you do. He is a Viking, and I must ensure that he grows up in the manner I wish. What’s more is that the boy enjoys it. He’s old enough now to make his own decisions.”

“I’m still his mother. I still get tae choose the way he’s brought up,” Isla said.

“You’re jealous that you no longer have him to yourself. You will get used to the new way of things, and in time you will fall in love with me again, just as you did before.”

He said this with such arrogance that she barked out a laugh. Pushing her chair away, she rose and walked toward the door.

“You managed tae seduce me when I was a lass, and I didnae know any better. I’m nae gaeing tae make the same mistakes again. Ye might find that Andrew enjoys learning about all these things now, but it’s only because they’re new. There’s more tae being a father than teaching him how tae fight. Ye will see in time that it’s nae as easy as ye think,” she said, and before he could reply, she stormed out of the house to try and clear her mind.

The anger in her was so powerful that her footsteps struck the ground as though a star had fallen from the heavens. She cast her gaze toward the unfamiliar faces and wished that she could tell one of them what was going on, but it was too risky. She had no idea which of them she could trust, and if word got back to Rune Dolph, he would make her life miserable indeed. There was only so much slack he could give her because she was the mother of his child. Eventually, that would run out. If she didn’t give him the affection he craved, then there would only be one way this was going to end.

Isla was determined that she wasn’t going to give into him like that. She had already given into him once, and she considered herself a stronger person now. Now when she looked at him, she couldn’t believe that she had fallen for his bravado, that she had mistaken his arrogance for strength of character. He was a brute in every sense of the word, and she shuddered when she thought of how she had let him touch her, when under the moon he had whispered all those sweet things, and her heart had soared.

She pushed them all out of her mind as she walked through the village, and then she saw something—someone—that caught her entirely by surprise. At first, she wasn’t sure because he looked nothing like he did when she had last seen him, but it was the look in his eyes that gave him away. There was nobody else who had eyes like Emmel, and hope flickered in her heart.

The journey to the mainland had been arduous for Emmel because he had not been able to let himself relax at all. Time was of the essence, and he wasn’t willing to give himself any respite when Isla and Andrew might have been in danger. His new look was aided by his tiredness and his ragged demeanor. He made his way to the area where the wagon had been attacked. There were still traces of blood on the ground, and there were tracks that led deeper into the forest. He followed them, and it wasn’t long before he came upon a well-worn path leading to the Viking settlement.