Free Viking Wrath by Griff Hosker Page A

could Aiden not see your dream as he usually does?"
    He kept his eyes closed as he said, "I was not asleep. I see the Dragon Heart's dreams when I sleep and I dream."
    Haaken shook his head. I could see that he felt foolish. "When you say it then it is obvious."
    Aiden opened his eyes. "I think that most of the dream reflects the fear you have for your daughter and the danger represented by the witch. It is the other part of the dream which is more curious. I believe you have seen into the future. Elfrida and Kara are both fey and can speak with the spirits."
    I shook my head, "Kara lost that power and she will not regain it until she has become a woman."
    Aiden said, "No Jarl; there you are wrong. Who told her she could not speak with the dead?"
    "Angharad but I know that she had lost her powers. She did not see the attacks!"
    Aiden poked the fire with a piece of driftwood, "She could not sense danger because she was under a spell. Angharad gave her a potion did she not? That not only did not help her, it blinded her to danger. I believe that was part of the plan to make Kara fall under her spell."
    It all became clear. The only question which remained was the reason they had been taken. That, of course, was immaterial; so long as we got them back.
    My son smacked his hand against the sand in anger. "If they harm my wife I will make them pay."
    Cnut shook his head. "Wolf Killer, we will make them pay for what they have done already. Do not give ideas to the Weird Sisters. When we find these men and women of On Corn Walum, they will die. It is as simple as that." My Ulfheonar were all listening and they nodded their assent. None needed an oath. They were my men and they would extract savage retribution from those who had dared to steal our most precious possessions.
    "If Kara had not allowed them into your hall then they would not have been taken. Rolf and your men would have protected them. It is my sister's fault! I have lost my wife and my child! I will never forgive her if any harm comes to my family."
    I pointed a finger at my son, "You will do as I command! This is not your sister's fault. Can you not see the Weird Sisters at work here? It is like blaming Odin for striking my sword and drawing my enemies to me. Does Aiden blame the sword? He nearly lost his life."
    "It is not the same!"
    I stared at my son until he lowered his eyes. Aiden said, quietly, it is the same. It is wyrd ."
    My son rolled over in his wolf cloak and turned his back on us. It was the beginning of the rift.
    We left on the high tide the next morning. We had decided, during the night, that we would continue south but that we would not row unless the wind changed. If we could catch them at sea then we had a better chance of recapturing the captives without too much loss of life. Assaulting the castle meant men would die. The sea is large and empty but we hoped that luck would be on our side. We kept a ship's boy at the masthead scanning the horizon as we sailed south down the coast of Cymru. Every sail he spied was greeted with an expectant hush until he reported that it was either a fishing boat or a drekar. Inevitably they changed course when they saw the wolves of the sea prowling. I was not aboard 'Josephus' but I knew that my son would be fretting and worrying more than we were. He was impatient. If the Norns wished us to sail to Tintagel then we would. I knew not why they wished us to do so but that seemed the course they had made for us to steer.
    We stopped twice more on our journey south. Our last stop was at Casnewydd. The Welsh who lived along the Sabrina were our allies and we traded with them. Although the king was absent fighting the Mercians again we found out a great deal more information about the men of On Corn Walum and their stronghold.
    Llewellyn ap Daffyd was in command of the castle and he knew more about the political intrigues of this most distant British Kingdom. "This Mark of Tintagel would be King of On Corn Walum. He is