The Viking's Chosen by Quinn Loftis (5)

I stood, watching as each of the long ships came ashore and the warriors scurried like ants onto the land. The relief on their faces mirrored my own, but it would be short-lived. Magnus was already setting up a tent for his temporary dwelling, which meant he intended to do just as he’d said. We would stay in England a full month to spy on the king, looking for weaknesses in his court and placing our own men inside the castle by relieving the king’s guards of their duties, or more accurately, killing the king’s men to take their uniforms.

I wondered how long we could pull the charade off before someone found out and the tides turned. Magnus had many flaws, but one would be his downfall—Magnus believed his intelligence was superior to all others. He could not fathom his foe strategically besting him. I, however, was under no such illusion. There would be loss on both sides, and whether we would be successful was yet to be seen.

Brant walked over and stood next to me, his large arms folded across his chest. His eyes were filled with alert intensity. “Is this a mistake, Torben?”

I clenched my fists at my sides, and I felt as though the weight of the world had been lowered onto my shoulders. “No,” I began, “this is not just a mistake. This is the first of many.”

Suddenly, a loud horn was blown and all eyes were on our leader. Two more notes and all the warriors were headed for the spot where Magnus stood.

“Why is he blowing that damn horn?” Brant muttered under his breath as we began to walk toward the gathered men. “He is going to bring all of England down upon us.”

“He does not care if they know we’re here.” I explained. “He is daring them to make a move.” Brant started to say something but I held up a hand to stop him. “A few of his sympathizers are close by,” I said as a couple warriors positioned themselves close to us. Brant nodded and pressed his lips closed.

“Torben!” Magnus bellowed.

I pushed through the crowd until I was standing next to my jarl.

Magnus held up his hand to silence his army. “We will spend the better part of a month here.” He projected his voice to carry over the troops. “Torben will be choosing small contingents of men to go in and gain access to the palace as well as information.”

“What is the goal?” Halvard asked.

Jarl Magnus narrowed his eyes. “The goal is to show them how weak they are and that their weakness makes them unfit to live, but before we make any moves, I’m sending in a spy to assess the situation, and then we will go from there. Everyone begin setting up camp. Stay alert—we might have to defend the beach, and I will not lose before this has even begun.

My men and I didn’t bother setting up our own camp, considering we would be staying in the palace if things went as planned. Instead, we helped the others unload the ships and set up defensive stations with spiked blockades in case the English came in on horses. We checked with the archers and made sure the bows were in working order and that there were plenty of arrows. Several hours later, we hear a shout as Magnus’ spy came running over the hill and down to the beach. He was holding something in his hand, but was too far away to tell what it was.

I motioned for my men to follow and we headed for the jarl’s tent. When we arrived, it was already surrounded by most of the men.

“What have you found out?” Magnus asked the spy.

“The other king has indeed arrived, and he only brought a small contingency of guards, not an entire army. However, I wonder, my lord, if we might need to pick another kingdom to raid.”

“What are you talking about?” Magnus snapped.

“The people are poor. I overheard some villagers talking and they’ve been relentlessly raided by another Viking clan for months. They’ve practically cleaned King Albric out, which is why Albric has agreed to the marriage of his daughter to the king of Tara.”

“If they have no funds, they are weak, making easy to defeat,” Magnus said.

I frowned. Did he not just hear what the spy said? There were no riches to be had here. Why on earth would he still want to raid the English? His madness was becoming more and more apparent, and it was going to get us all killed. The spy continued to tell Magnus what he’d learned, but I’d heard enough. I moved quietly away from the group and headed back to where we’d left our things.

“It seems we have no reason to be here,” Rush spoke up as all six of my men joined me by our packs and weapons. I began gathering my weapons and went through my pack, throwing out anything I felt was unnecessary. The others followed suit.

“We are here for a reason,” I said. “Regardless of the jarl’s plans, we have our own. The Oracle has spoken, and I am here to fulfill her prophecy. But no one,” I paused, looking each of them in the eye, “no one is to know about it. This is a private mission. Understood?”

Each of them nodded their heads and gave their word to take the secret to their graves. I didn’t feel the need to elaborate on what the Oracle had told me, and nobody asked. I glanced back over toward Magnus’ tent and saw he was still occupied. “Wait here for me,” I told Brant. “I need to speak with my mother before we take our leave.”

I didn’t have to look long to find Hilda. She was bossing around some warriors who were setting up her tent. She looked to be in good health for being on a ship so long. She was strong, my mother, and it was a good thing, too.

“Are you just going to stand there watching or are you going to help?” She asked me without bothering to look at me.

I chuckled as I picked up a large trunk that probably held her clothes and possibly a few hidden weapons. “It didn’t appear as though you needed my help.”

“I raised better than to have you stand and watch others work,” she told me.

“Yes, Mother, you did. And see,” I motioned to the trunk in my arms, “I am proving you right.”

She pointed, telling me where to place the trunk, and once it was in its temporary home, she turned to the others. “Thank you for your assistance; I can take it from here.” She waited until the men had gone before speaking again. “Why are you still here? You need to be in the castle.”

“My closest men and I were just about to begin our trek, but I wanted to check in with you before we departed. Are you well?” I asked.

“Aside from being stuck on a boat with that crazy oaf of a jarl, I’m fine.”

“You’ve brought weapons with you?”

She clucked her tongue at me. “Do you take me for a fool or a child? Of course, I brought weapons. I will be fine, unless you fail to woo your princess—then none of us will be fine. Do not just snatch her up, Torben. She is meant to be yours; you only need to be available for her and fate will take over.”

She made it sound so easy, yet I knew it would not be that simple. There would be obstacles to overcome, like infiltrating the castle without getting caught.

“Deal with things one thing at a time, Torben. Once you get in the castle, you can forge ahead with a more laid-out plan. Don’t try to have it all figured out before you know what the situation is.”

“I will do what I must to ensure that our clan survives,” I told her. “You just make sure that idiot of a jarl we have doesn’t put you in any more harm than he already has by bringing you on his fool’s errand.”

“You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve been taking care of myself for quite a while now. Now, off with you.” She pushed me in the direction from which I’d come from. “And do not fail.”

“Thank you for your encouragement, Mother,” I said dryly.

“It’s not my job to encourage you, Son. It’s my job to kick you in your arse when you need it. Now go get my future daughter-in-law and keep her safe.”

I left, chuckling at my mother’s words. The woman had a wicked, sharp tongue, but I would do as she asked. I would somehow convince the princess to come with me. I would do whatever it took to save my clan. What I didn’t know, was that I would soon want to save her and her people, too.