Viking Tribute

Chapter 14: Travel

The next morning I was roughly shaken awake, and rushed into getting ready. The tide was coming in fast and it was time to go. I was tearful leaving Aidan; he had been so good to me. The farewells were brief and soon we were sailing away, rounding the Hebrides and into the open sea.

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful. We had reasonably good weather and the magic powder he was feeding me saved me from being sick. We passed the Orkneys and the Shetlands and wharfed for the night in the Faroe Islands before heading for the crossing towards Iceland.

One of the few things I remember of that time was a strange and frightening eddy they called maelstrom, just north of the Orkneys. The water appeared to be sucked down to the bottom of the ocean. I asked my captor about it and he told me the story of two giant sisters enslaved to a mill, grinding salt under the water. The Swelki, so was its name, was caused by the flow running through the central hole of the grinding stone. I didn't believe a word of it, but enjoyed the tale.

When we left the Islands he was in a bad mood. He had been drunk the previous night, coming to bed late and falling asleep instantly, to my utter relief. He wasn't talkative, but Magge confided to me that the King of Norway, Olaf Tryggvasson, just visited the Orkneys. He had forced Jarl Sigurd the Stout to convert to Christianity, along with all the inhabitants, under threat of death and having their home ravaged by fire and steel.

I was shocked at the news. Although this wasn't unheard of, I always believed that the true Faith has to be taught and not imposed. Only then can pagans truly accept Christ in their hearts.

He slept until noon, forcing me to snooze with him. I was frustrated; the day before, he had shown me the landmarks, holding me to him while he was steering the ship, and I was hoping he would do it again. Partly because I have always been curious and partly because I thought it might be useful for my escape plans. For that, I was willing to disregard the grins the crew had been sporting every time they stole a glance at us.

Although at that time, we were surrounded by low, blue waves as far as the eye could see.

I sat in the shade of the tent, watching the rare birds and the shape of the few white clouds above the raven banner. By sunset I was bored out of my wits, my legs begging for exercise. Yet I couldn't, I was still barred from leaving the tent. I nearly envied Magge's freedom, before shaking the thought: it came at a heavy price.

When he summoned me, after a supper of cold meat and bread, I was glad to go.

He was standing at the side of the stern, holding the tiller. I stepped carefully towards him in the scarce light. The night seemed to be falling earlier the further north we went, and the breeze was getting colder. I had no winter clothes and I was bitterly regretting it.

He appeared to share my thoughts, when I eventually joined him, as he brought my back against his chest and threw his cloak around us. His left arm found its way around my shoulders, his hand pointing at the clear sky.

"Look at this star, how bright it is. Whenever I want to go home, I just have to follow it."

I listened while he named the constellations for me, telling me of legends attached to them.

"But how do you know where to go during the day, when you can't see the coast?"

Until this morning, we had always been close enough to land that we at least had a peek at it. Now we were sailing in the middle of the ocean.

"I follow the currents, observe the birds. When the whales are feeding, my country isn't far."

"How long will it be before we reach the shore?"

"Another day, maybe two. We are making good progress, the winds and currents are pushing us ahead. You'll love my land Sunngifu, it is beautiful. You can feel the magic in it; nothing is as it seems. The rivers can be warm in winter and the frozen mountains spit fire sometimes..."

I could feel the smile in his voice when he added:

"Very much like you..."

I turned around to protest, but he kissed me, silencing me instantly. I blushed at the thought of the few members of the crew still awake, waiting for orders while devising around a lantern. Then I realized that the darkness would prevent them to notice us.

He held me in place, lifting his head again.

"Why is it that you Christians find it right to force people to embrace your faith? We have never been offended when others worshipped different gods, nor did we try to convert them. Why do you want to eradicate all gods that are not yours?"

I really had no answer to it, yet I couldn't let him think so low of my religion.

"We believe that men will be damned and suffer in the afterlife if they don't follow Christ. Some zealous priests make it their duty to ensure it doesn't happen, and would use any mean to achieve it. I do not approve of their actions, though..."

He paused for a few instants.

"I believe you. You have a good heart under your bad temper, little dreki."

I didn't complain, remembering what it had got me earlier. I remained there, immobile, until my eyelids felt heavy and I couldn't help the yawns.

"Go to sleep Sunngifu," he chuckled, "you are not used to staying up late... yet..."

Clenching my jaw, I untangled myself from him. For a few moments I had been quite comfortable in his arms, and I blamed myself for it. My compliance was an act and I shouldn't allow myself to forget it. Sleep eluded me for some time, while I tried to figure out where I had gone wrong.