Page 11 of Highlander’s Viking Snakes

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Egon's time in this village had been rather strange. Addressing the crowd had been an unusual experience for him. Usually, he spoke with action rather than words, and it was clear from the beginning that his talents lay with his blade rather than with his tongue. While he thought what he said made sense, the Highlanders didn't react well to it at all. In fact, they were quite adversarial, especially that girl Caoimhe. She was clearly struggling with grief, but he wasn't used to being spoken to in that manner. She was a spirited girl, and he had no doubt that she might be trouble. After Sven had arrived, Egon had tried to keep out of the villagers' way before he left, and he found himself envious of Sven. The man had an easy way about him and seemed to be able to charm the crowd as though he weaved a spell with his words. Even Caoimhe was taken with him.

Why did it bother Egon that Caoimhe seemed to prefer the company of Sven to him?

Still, the conversation he shared with her had been illuminating. He hoped that he had made it clear to her just why he couldn't go rampaging off in search of these Vikings, even though that was what he was used to doing. After Caoimhe left, he had doused the fire, having made suitable offerings to the gods.

When morning arrived, he left at dawn, intending to return home as swiftly as possible to talk with Erik about what they could do for the village. Miles and the others Egon had brought with him—Vorrik, Darrin, and Cal—rode back home. The inclusion of the Highlanders in his party hadn't made as much of a difference as Egon would have hoped, but they had proven themselves to be good company. The men laughed and joked as they traveled back, glad to have the opportunity to explore the surroundings. Just before they arrived back at the village, Miles sidled up to Egon and spoke in a low voice. He said that he hadn't expected to be humiliated quite so quickly in their duel and asked if Egon could teach him how to improve his fighting skills. Egon was impressed at Miles's humility, for many other men would have chosen to hold a grudge, and he remembered what Erik had said about teaching these men to fight rather than just swatting them away easily. Since there were dangerous Vikings out there, it seemed prudent to help them learn, so he agreed.

That could wait, though. As soon as he returned home, he made his way to Erik to inform him of what had happened.

“And how did the Highlanders react to you, Brother?” Erik asked.

“Not very well,” Egon grumbled. “I spoke plainly, and I told them what I intended to do, but all they wanted was for me to go out and attack the Vikings. For the first time in my life, I held myself back from fighting, and I was insulted for it.”

Erik grinned and slapped Egon on the shoulder. “Sometimes in these matters, you have to tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. Did you make it clear that we will protect them?”

“I did, although I'm not sure that they believed me. They seemed to prefer the other Viking who arrived.”

“The other Viking?” Erik asked, arching his eyebrow in surprise.

“Yes. His name is Sven. He said he represented someone called Arne Hagen. He had heard about the raids too, apparently, and sent Sven and a few other men to reassure the villagers that they were going to protect them, just as we did, although they were far more proactive and suggested that they would go and rescue the ones who had been captured from the other village.”

“This is troubling. The last thing we want is for Vikings to be fighting Vikings on Highland soil, especially when we don't know who made the attack. Do you think Sven knows?”

“If he did, he didn't tell me. I should warn you that the villagers took more of a liking to him as well,” Egon said, with a hint of shame in his voice.

“I will have to tell Father about this. But perhaps the villagers will have a better estimation of you when you return with these...” Erik led him to a storehouse that contained sacks of grain and crates filled with clothes. Egon lifted one of the garments of clothes and looked confused.

“What is this for?”

“For any of the survivors who made it out of the raid. They might not have anything to wear, and the village might need more food if they are taking in survivors.”

“There is only one that I know of,” Egon said, thinking about Caoimhe. “She was quite vocal. She lost her home and her father. She is adamant that she will find him again.”

“Let us hope that he hasn't been killed.”

“From what she described, it seems as though the Vikings took many people, so perhaps they need labor as well as supplies.”

“If that's true, they will probably strike elsewhere. We have a responsibility to these people, Egon. We must take care of them, even if they find our hospitality difficult to accept.”

“She was very shaken by the whole ordeal, and yet she has this way about her, this spirit. If I didn't know any better, I might think that she had some Norse blood in her. I don't think she's the type to back down from a fight.”

Erik had a twinkle in his eyes. “I told you there is more honor to be found in the Highlanders than you might have thought.”

Egon grunted but did not say anything further.

“So, this girl, she made an impression on you?” Erik asked.

“In a way,” Egon said, and then grew defensive when he saw the way that Erik was looking at him. “What are you trying to suggest?”

Erik arched both his eyebrows and lifted his palms. “I'm not suggesting anything. I'm merely saying that both Father and Uncle have been taken by Highland women, so perhaps you will suffer from the same affliction.”

Egon laughed at this. “Highland women are nothing compared to Norse women. I know that my bride will be a flaming-haired warrior as beautiful as Freya and as fierce as Sif,” he said. Erik gave him a knowing smile, which Egon hated. He scowled and tried to ignore the goading of his brother, and also tried to push thoughts of Caoimhe away from his mind. She was just a Highland girl. Why did she linger on his thoughts so much?

“So now you are going to send me back with these supplies?” Egon said. “I'm starting to suspect you're giving me this task just to keep me busy.”

“Well, it's better than you rushing off to fight these Vikings.”