Page 28 of Highlander’s Viking Sin

17

“Where are they?!” Rune thundered as he burst into Isla’s room. Isla was sitting on the bed, the picture of calm, completely opposite to Rune’s quaking figure.

“I dinnae know who ye mean.”

“Don’t play games with me, woman! You have no idea what you’ve done. You have no idea what depends on this! You come here and make a fool of me and release these prisoners? Well, there’s nothing to save you now. Your son might be out there, but I’ll find him, and I’ll bring him back here, and I’ll get what I want. As for your friend, the next time I see him, I’m going to kill him on sight. And you…I hope you enjoyed your slumber because it will be the last night you will ever see! I am not going to tolerate any more of this. You shall never see your son again. From now on, he is my son, my kin, and I will squeeze whatever’s left of your thin Highlander blood from his body.” As Rune said this, he clenched his hand and snarled. Fear flickered within Isla’s heart, but she managed to keep her face even. This seemed to infuriate Rune even more. He threw his hands up and stormed out of the room while barking orders to his guards, firstly to take her to the prison and then to send out search parties for Andrew, but it didn’t matter to Isla. She knew that her son was safe; that was all that mattered to her. And nobody had to suffer but her. She loved Emmel for the grand gesture he had made to save Andrew, but Andrew was her son, and if anyone was going to be beaten or killed for him, it was going to be her. She had given him life, and she would give her life if it were necessary.

She was waiting for a while, strangely relaxed even though these could be her last moments. She wasn’t sure when the allied army was going to arrive. They might come too late to save her, but she hoped that Andrew and Emmel were far away from here, and she hoped that Emmel had enough sense to not come and rescue her, at least not if he was alone. It was then that she heard the cries of battle rising through the air. It was a slow storm at first, and people turned around in surprise, questioning their senses. Then understanding came across their faces. They dropped what they were doing and ran as enemy soldiers crashed through the walls of the town, and suddenly the settlement was amok.

When Emmel had found the army, he had rushed them to get ready, telling them what Isla had done and the danger she was in. Even though the army wasn’t quite at its optimal standard, they realized how desperate the situation was. Once again, the Viking Highlanders and the native Scotsmen joined forces to fight a common foe, with Emmel leading the charge. He had left Andrew behind in the camp with a number of guards who were under strict orders to take him back to Ewan if the tide of battle should turn away from favoring them. He grabbed his sword, shrugged off as much pain as he could, and then ventured into the settlement.

The enemy clashed all around him as Emmel made his way to Rune’s house. He stalked through the settlement, battling back Viking warriors left and right. It was far easier now that he had a sword in his hand, and he was starting to embrace the vigorous side of himself. He growled as he ran and left the others behind in his wake. He crashed through the door and shouted out for Rune. The Viking was waiting for him in his chamber, sword drawn, looking resplendent in his fine cloak and other garments.

“You again!” Rune said.

“Aye, it’s me, and if ye think ye are gaeing tae get away with what ye hae done, ye are wrong.”

“Is that the best you have? I’ve had people try and defeat me before. I have fought back against bandits and brutes and all kinds of creatures, but you Hoffstads…you can’t let anyone else have the glory, can you? I was never content with having this little bit of land. I want an entire kingdom! But it’s harder than it once was.”

He shook his head as he walked toward Emmel. Emmel panted and let one of his shoulders drop, acting as though he was in a worse condition than he actually was.

Rune continued speaking. “I was on the cusp of something great here, and all I needed was the boy. But you had to get in my way. I’m going to make you pay, and by the time I’m done, the only thing associated with the Hoffstad name will be blood.”

He charged forward, bringing his sword slicing through the air in a wide arc. Emmel waited until the last moment to dodge the blow, swiveling on his heels. Rune had put all of his effort into the blow, intending to end the fight with the first strike, but he had been taken in by Emmel’s ruse. Emmel lunged with his sword, seeking to strike the vulnerable side of Rune’s body, but Rune managed to twist away, meaning that Emmel only caught the fabric of his clothes.

Rune brought his sword up and eyed Emmel carefully.

“It seems as though we both intended this fight to be a swift one. We will have to settle for the second strike instead of the first, but I will not let you emerge victorious, Emmel. I will not rest until I have laid my claim to this land. You are in my way.”

“Your arrogance will be your downfall, Rune. You have only faced me when I have been beaten and bloodied, unarmed, and outnumbered. This time will not be the same as the last.”

“No, this time will end with your death,” Rune said, and launched into an attack again. He flailed his other arm out as if to distract Emmel, but it didn’t work. Emmel kept his eye on Rune’s sharp blade and brought his own down to deflect the blow. Vibrations reverberated up his arm as he stepped forward and drove the sword home into Rune’s chest. The movement was fluid and swift, and for a moment, neither man was sure what had happened. They were locked together, entwined in a dance of death, before Rune’s wrist twisted and his sword fell to the floor.

Emmel pulled his sword out, and Rune came with it. He sank to his knees, a stunned expression on his face. He sprawled down, a pool of blood seeping out from underneath him, staining his fine clothes. Emmel kicked the sword aside and scoffed at the mighty Rune Dolph. Some men were only strong when they had others around them, and Rune was such a man. Emmel didn’t waste a moment of remorse on him; he was simply glad that the leader was dead.

After killing Rune, Emmel surged through the house for survivors. He called out to everyone that he had killed Rune Dolph, and that they should either surrender or flee. Servants and commoners cowered in hallways, waiting for the battle to subside. Emmel flung open the door to every room to ensure that no Viking remained that could leap out and strike at him. In some rooms, he found gold, which he pocketed, thinking to himself that he was done dancing for gold.

18

Shortly after the fighting had begun, a soldier came up to Isla and spoke in a thick Scottish brogue, identifying himself as an ally. He unlocked the cage and took her back through the village. She gasped at the sight of so many warriors clashing. There were moments when the battle threatened to come to her, but the warrior guarding her managed to fight those who challenged him. He took her away from the settlement and back to her son. The reunion was a happy one, and now Isla could feel confident in knowing that she wouldn’t have to worry about being parted from her son again. However, she had to wait to see the outcome of the battle. While those around her were confident, she was nervous because she knew what kind of man Rune was. When she heard that Emmel had thrown himself into the thick of battle, she hadn’t been surprised, but she wished that he had kept himself back. He had been through too much, and she feared that Rune would kill him.

But then again, if he hadn’t gone with the other warriors, he wouldn’t be the man she had grown to admire.

She bent down and kept Andrew close, praising him for being such a good, brave boy. He beamed with pride, and he looked tired.

“Are ye gaeing back home soon?” he asked.

Isla nodded and smiled with relief that he still considered her village to be home.

“We just hae tae wait for Emmel, and then we’ll be on our way,” she said, and then gazed toward the direction of the settlement in the hope that Emmel would indeed emerge alive. After all they had been through, it seemed wrong to think that it might all end with Emmel’s death. She didn’t know what she would do without him.

They waited and waited as the song of battle soared through the air. Even the horses around her seemed agitated, shifting their weight between their hooves and pacing around pensively. Eventually, people began returning with triumphant cries. The battle had been won. Rune’s forces had been demolished. She saw prisoners being taken away, one of whom was Varrik. There was no mistaking his red beard. But Emmel was nowhere to be seen. She rushed up to the returning warriors to ask them where Emmel was, but they shrugged and told her the last they had seen of him was going into Rune’s house. She looked past them and walked toward the settlement, looking in the direction of that foreboding house that had been her prison. Her heart began to beat rapidly, and she raised her hand to the hollow of her throat, looking at the door, waiting and hoping and praying.

Eventually, a figure emerged, staggering out. She knew at once that it was Emmel. Emotion overwhelmed her, and she ran up to him, flinging her arms around him. He grinned.

“Is Rune…?” she asked.

Emmel nodded. “I did what haed tae be done,” he said. “And look what I got for my troubles.” He lifted the pouches of gold he had stolen. “I figure that we’re due a bit of luck considering everything that Rune put us through.”

They walked through the settlement back toward their own army. The other men were nursing their wounds and sorting out the prisoners and survivors.

“I’m glad ye made it through,” Isla said.

“Aye, I’m glad tae. What were ye thinking with that plan of yers? Rune could hae killed ye!” Emmel said.

Isla brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. “I knew ye wouldnae approve, but I didnae want ye tae suffer for the sake of my child. I saw the look in Rune’s eyes and the look in his men’s eyes tae. They would hae killed ye, and they would nae hae been quick about it. I didnae want ye tae suffer, Emmel.”

“Well, thank ye. I believe it’s the riskiest thing anyone haes ever done for me.”

“Ye hae done no less for me. Think of it as returning the favor,” Isla said with a smile, but they both knew it was far more than that.

Conversation between them died down for a few moments. They gazed at each other shyly. The battle was over now, and so was the ordeal. Isla had been dancing around her feelings for Emmel for some time, and now she was faced with the prospect of having to confront them. Her heart beat fiercely for him, and yet there was still so much uncertainty within. For ten years, she had denied herself the opportunity to experience romance, so in some ways, she was still a sensitive, naïve young woman, afraid to put her heart on the line again. Part of her worried that he would not feel the same as her. Surely if he wanted to kiss her, then he would have done so already?

She longed for him to say something, to make the first move so that she could be sure. When they gazed into each other’s eyes, she was more confident, but even so…then she began to get lost in his eyes. The deeper she looked, the more certain things made sense. All they had been through together, all he had done for her and Andrew…it quickly became impossible to deny the feelings that blossomed between them. Soon enough, she realized that confessing her feelings to him was not a risk at all.

“Emmel,” she began in a soft voice, as tender as moonlight, but she didn’t get to finish the sentence because there was an interruption. A tall, pale man sat astride a horse. He was flanked by a number of men and wore a concerned look upon his face.

“I’m Laird Callan. What is gaeing on here?” he asked sternly. Isla glanced at Emmel and wondered if this was going to be Rune Dolph’s final retribution.