Ragnar the Just (Ragnar the Dane #3) (16 page)

Any of the glass making tools would have made a good weapon, but they were nowhere near him, so agonisingly, Lini curled down towards the seax in his boot, the one Kjartan insisted he carry at all times, bless him. He drew the knife out, slowly, carefully, and hid it against his wrist.

Styrkar looked up and rose to standing, stepping towards the shackled man.

“That’s what you get for being
ergi
. If that doesn’t teach you to love women, nothing will.”

Lini flung himself at him with all his strength, not caring about his own safety. One of his feet bindings broke and he thrust the knife at Styrkar, and caught him in the guts, pushing it in as hard as he could, twisting and turning it in his flesh, making him groan in agony.

“That’s how it feels,” Lini snarled.
“When someone sticks something in you that you don’t want.”

One foot was still tied to the table so he was trapped with the injured man, who pulled the knife out with a mud-like slurping sound and waved it at Lini, who easily dodged and crawled back to the table and fought with the rope tying his foot.

Styrkar began making strange groaning, gurgling sounds, but Lini didn’t stop to listen. He staggered off towards home, hobbling with pain and covered in Styrkar’s blood.

*
 
*
  *

Silence from the crowd now. All that could be heard
was the sound of the water mill
and distant calls from men working in the fields.

“Why did he rape you? I don’t understand,” said the Jarl.

“He’d been stirring up trouble for me and Kjartan since people found out abou
t us. He and his gang said they - he wanted to -
to teach me a lesson, prove how manly he was.”

The Jarl nodded.
“I can see his motive, although it is extreme. You should have defended yourself better.”

“As I said, he knocked me out and tied me up while I was unconscious. So it was hardly a fair fight.”

Lini stared at the Jarl and wouldn’t lower his eyes.

“This changes everything. Sit down, Huskarls.”

They did so, leaving Kjartan standing alone.

“In that case, Lini, why was Kjartan disposing of the body and not you?”

“Because I -
I couldn’t go back to the forge. He did it to help me.” He gulped, shooting a quick look at the defendant.

“I see. So Kjartan is now the accomplice to a murder. That complicates things.”

“And Styrkar and his gang were the ones who vandalised Lini’s forge. He admi
tted it,” added Kjartan quickly, “s
o he can’t even work anymore as his kiln is destroyed.”

The Jar
l frowned. “What a cowardly act
and damaging to our village’s welfare. We need glass urgently. I will order a kiln to be made at once.” He made a sign to Steinar, who nodded.

He summarized the situation aloud,
then
Arnbjorn related the legal aspects, which were basically the same as before. Lini
wasn’t listening. He felt sick
and trembled where he stood.

The crowd’s murmurs grew louder and louder. Kjartan stared at Lini, worried by his pallor.

“It is correct that you were dishonoured for allowing him to rape you, but you regained your honour by killing him,” said the Jarl finally.

“You are heroic, Lini,” interrupted Rachel, her ebony eyes flashing. “The scriptures say ‘take an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’. You have done well.” She stepped towards Lini and patted him on the arm.

“Yes,” agreed the Jarl. His strong-willed wife was always right. “Why didn’t you tell us all this, Kjartan?”

“I was protecting him. I didn’t want him ridiculed for being raped.”

“Well, that is an honourable motive. I must say I am pleasantly surprised. What do the twelve men say?”

The Huskarls conferred among themselves. Ragnar, as head of the group, stepped up with the verdict.

“It is even, my lord. Six believe Lini should be punished, six don’t.”

“Hm.”
The Jarl spoke aside to his wife, who replied passionately, gesturing, frowning. Kjartan eyed Lini admiringly.

“I don’t believe Lini should be punished,” said the Jarl. “He stood up for himself and fought his own battle. Kjartan shouldn’t
be punished either
as he did
n’t do anything but protect his – er -
friend. Release him.”

Ragnar stepped up and cut the ropes binding Kjartan’s wrists.

“Cheer up,” he said. “You’re innocent for once.”

Kjartan gave a weak smile. In a way this was worse than death. Now he’d have to watch Lini and Mildrith being happy in front of him.

“I think instead
they should pay fines to Styrkar’s family. His parents are grief-stricken,” said the Jarl, looking at the older couple with set, pale faces, sitting at the front of the onlookers.

He turned to address them.

“It is true that your son was murdered, but it was entirely due to his own actions, rather than in cold blood. Lini is a respected craftsman who should not have been
assaulted,
therefore he was simply recovering his honour. It was also a grave misdeed to destroy his workshop.”

He turned to the law sayer.

“I suggest the minimum fine. Lini cannot pay if he has no work and he has been grievously wronged so does not deserve harshness.”

Arnbjorn b
egan working out
the fine with his assistant, frowning over the details. The Jarl turned to the crowd.

“This matter came about due to the harassment of residents of Hallby. I will not tolerate it! Lini and Kjartan are both married men and they have done their manly duty by fathering children with their wives. So their current relationship is of no consequence.
As everyone knows, accusations of
ergi
and
sansorthinn
are illegal, so if this happens again, the accusers will be punished. I will not have unrest in my village! The sexual assault of a man by another man is only done in battle as a way of humiliating an enemy. It should not be used against a member of our own kin.”

The crowd and Huskarls muttered among themselves mutinously. Some birds flying south for the winter began calling to each other, as if joining in the unrest.

As Kjartan suspected, Mildrith came forward and put her arm round Lini as he still appeared pale and exhausted. How brave he’d been to risk telling all and how fortunate the Jarl was merciful.

“Thank you, my lord,” Kjartan said to Thorvald. He wanted to apologise for taking Yngvild but didn’t want to annoy him.

“In a way, you did me a favour two years ago.” The Jarl seemed determined to bring up the subject anyway. “Yngvild was a two-faced deceiver, and I’ve now found true love in Rachel.”

He smiled at her as she self-consciously patted her black, wavy locks. She couldn’t be more different to Yngvild, who had been tall with go
lden hair and an air of modesty -
false modesty, as it turned out.

“Come home now,” said Mildrith happily, plucking at Kjartan’s sleeve. “Come home with us.”

She put her arm through his as Lini led the way
,
carrying Dalla, and Kjartan watched the back of his neck and the caramel coloured hair which was starting to grow over it again.

Dalla began to cry so Mildrith hurried on home to feed her, while the men followed slowly.

“Thanks for saving me from execution,” Kjartan said as they walked. He held out his hand and Lini shook it.

“For Odin’s sake, I wasn’t going to let you die for something you hadn’t done, was I?”

“But you could have been executed for murder instead!” He’d planned exactly what to say. “I didn’t want that. You and Mildrith deserve to be happy together. I didn’t want you to be separated. So I’m going to leave a
nd go to Gippeswick, so you can …
”

His words tailed off at Lini’s expression, mouth open, brow creased.

“What?
Me and Mildrith?
What the hell are you talking about?”

“I know it’s her you want. You’re both good people, and you both always do the right thing,” Kjartan blurted. “I’m not.
I always fuck everything up and -
”

Lini pulled his arm to make him stop walking.

“What the hell’s wrong with you? I don’t want Mildrith! She’s nice but I don’t want her like that!”

“But I know you’ve been – been -
having sex with her. I heard you!”

“It was just the once!”

Aware of passers-by listening, Lini pushed him off the path into the woods, the brown, orange, yellow and read leaves providing ample disguise.

“We just had
sex once. It was after the rape
and I was confused. I just wanted to feel like a man again. It was nice and everything but it’s not her I want, you witless, violent fool!” Tears gathered in his eyes.

“I -
I thought I’d leave you both to be happy with Dalla. Have more children perhaps.”

“I don’t want that! I want you to stay! All I’ve been doing is talking to her about you!”

Lini stroked Kjartan’s cheek, running his thumb over the scar and towards his lips. The wind swished the leaves, blowing some of them gently onto the two men.

“So you don’t think I meant you deserved to be raped?” That was his deepest fear.

“No! I know you didn’t!”

They gazed at each
other,
hearts pounding, then Lini stepped forward and kissed him hard, pushing him backwards. Kjartan sagged against a tree. All he could feel were those
lips, that
tongue, that body declaring it wanted him.

“S
hall we go to the shelter? More -
more private,” said Kjartan, stuttering with lust.

Lini nodded and they hurried off.

Reaching their den, they’d hardly got through the door before they were ripping each other’s clothes off, Kjartan pushing Lini back onto the bearskin bed, kissing him deeply, their naked, sweaty muscles rubbing against each other.

Lini was overwhelmed by the concentrated essence of him, unwashed in the dirty prison for the last few days. He breathed in the spicy, musky smell and felt lightheaded.

“I stink, don’t I?” said Kjartan, pausing between kisses.

“I don’t care.” Lini kissed him quickly, taking advantage of his hesitation, twining his fingers in the white-blond hair, despite its tangled state.

Kjartan hesitated. “You’re shaking.”

“Yeah, sorry, I …
” He looked away, biting his lip.

Kjartan rolled off him, onto his side and studied him. “We don’t have to do it. As long as I’ve got you with me, I
don’t care about anything else …
”

“Can I tell you something?” The words burst out of Lini in a rush.

“Anything.”
He stroked the honey-coloured hair.

“Styrkar wanted me. I saw it in his eyes.”

Kjartan frowned.

“I just had to tell someone. He wanted to hurt me becaus
e he liked me, I don’t know ...
” He chewed his lip more.

“It’s no excuse for what he did to you.”

Lini paused a long time, idly playing with his lover’s long blond plait.

“I’m glad I killed that bastard.”

“Me too.
Come here.” Kjartan held him tightly. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you again. I’ll always be there.”

They kissed gently. Lini stroked his back, feeling the familiar scars, and couldn’t stop a tear running down his cheek as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

“I can’t believe you’d -
you were going to let yourself be killed to save me, just because I was too stubborn to talk to you.”

“I thought you’d be the one killed when you stood up at the trial. But it’s over now, so forget it.”

“I’ll try.”

“But what you mustn’t forget is that I love you.”

“I love you too.” He reached down and Kjartan gasped, shuddered and caught his breath. Then he hugged him, ran his hand down the lean, tanned body and squeezed him in return.

“Stay there,” said Kjartan, turning so his head was nearer the amber smith’s feet.

“I’m not going anywhere,” said Lini with a smile.

Kjartan replaced his hand with his mouth, the wet softness making Lini quickly lose control, his seed bursting out in a greater rush than usual. Shuddering with pleasure, he lay back and put his hands behind his head, grinning.

The warrior sat up and winked at him, running a hand through his short hair.

“I must love you. I just nearly broke my neck doing that.” He moved his head around to ease the stiffness and Lini laughed.

Kjartan lay down and cuddled up to him. “I like you calling me
mjaldr
.
Forgot to tell you.”