The Viking's Captive(35)

Soon Misty stopped wriggling and he settled beneath her chin, his soft fur a comfort to her. Duna found herself drifting away.

But it wasn’t a dreamless sleep.

Snow. Thick flakes falling. The moonlight catching in them, creating a glittering display. Home. She was running, barefoot, dressed in a warm woolen dress. But soon the beauty of the snow and the full moon faded. Panic gripped her. She wasn’t home. She was at the longhouse. Something was wrong. She turned this way and that. Raven was barking. The hens creating a racket in the coop. The sheep were bleating.

It was then she saw it.

Wolf.

Its amber eyes were staring at her through the darkness. It had paused in what it was doing, but quickly resumed. It was digging, at the side of the barn, creating a tunnel to get to the sheep.

The sheep.

They needed the sheep to survive. That knowledge was deeply ingrained in Duna’s psyche. Livestock had always been precious to her.

“No,” she yelled, rushing forward. The wolf stopped again and stared at her; it pulled back its lips and growled, a low menacing sound that chilled the blood in her veins.

It was then she realized it wasn’t growling at her, it was growling at Raven who was at her side.

She spun around, looking for Halvor, but the longhouse was quiet; he was oblivious to what was happening. Movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. There were more wolves creeping from the shadows, coming their way. “Halvor. Help!”

“Duna. Duna. Stop it!”

A deep voice, sounding like it was coming from underwater, penetrated the dream.

She twisted this way and that, sending snow skittering over her feet. The wolves were coming closer, snarling, their attention on Raven. They were going to kill him to get to the sheep.

“Duna, for the love of Odin, wake up.”

“Halvor?” she murmured.

“Aye, I’m here. Wake up, you are scaring Misty.”

The wolves faded, the snow melted away, the sounds of the terrified flock quieted.

She opened her eyes.

Her master was staring down at her, his brow creased and his eyes narrowed. “Good, you have woken.”

She clutched Misty and willed her heart to stop racing. “I… I…”

“Shh, it’s all right. You are safe.” He stroked her hair. “I’m here. Nothing will harm you.”

“But my dream… it was of here.”

“This is your home now, of course you dream of here.”

She stared up at him. “No, you don’t understand, I have dreams that tell of the future.”

He frowned.

Turning away, she wished she’d not spoken. Her father had always mocked her dreams, saying it was simply a vivid imagination.

“Go on,” he whispered, still smoothing her hair from her damp forehead.

She shook her head. If she was dreaming of here, this strange land in the winter months, it meant she would be staying, for the next season at least.

“Try me,” he said. “I might surprise you, slave. I might understand.”

She gulped in air. “I saw you, your boat, before I ever met you.” She turned back to him, feeling sure she’d see disbelief in his eyes.

“Go on.”

“Your face.” She reached forward and touched the ink around his right eye. “It’s the same as my dreams about you.”

He appeared to tense, as though shocked by her gentle touch.

“And the snake’s head, on the longboat. With its tongue, and scales, it’s exactly like my dream.”

He nodded, just a little.

“And this one. The dream I just had. It’s the same, it’s a window to the future.” She paused. “And it’s not good for us, Master.”

“Tell me about it.”

She swallowed. “It’s winter, snow all around. We have secured the animals but the wolves are here, digging around the barn, tunneling their way in. And Raven, he—”

“Tunneling?”

“Yes, as if they’ve been at it for months, planning a way into the sheep for when they’re hungry.”

He stood, forcing her to drop her hand, and pushed his fingers through his hair. “I believe you, wench.”

“You do?” She sat.

“Yes, for only this day I spotted evidence that something had been digging on the yonder side of the barn. I didn’t think much of it, but yes, it could be the wolves that were here the other night. They have a plan and are working stealthily on it.”

“We must do something. Raven, he’s outnumbered in trying to protect the flock. In my dream I fear for him, that he will be attacked… killed.”

“We will do something.” He placed his hands on his hips. “At first light, I will investigate further, and now, thanks to your dream, we can change the course of our future, and that of our livestock.” He smiled. “You are quite the find, Duna.”

“I’ve pleased you?” She knew she had, by the tone of his voice and the soft look in his eyes.

“Yes, very much.”





Chapter Thirteen


Three weeks later



“Oh, you clever boy, you found the little critter.” Duna clapped as Misty shoved his tiny paw between two barrels and prodded a mouse. “You’re growing up to be so clever.”