Free Sandra Hill - [Vikings I 05] by The Blue Viking Page B

Rurik was starting to be sorely annoyed by that fact. He suspected that Maire feared contamination by him… as if he might turn the wee-laird into a Viking, of all horrible things.
    “What do you think?” Rurik asked Stigand and Bolthor, who had been working with the men all day, attempting to instill some discipline and rigor into their fighting exercises.
    “They have heart,” Stigand informed him. “Even those who are lame and weak have the will to fight. That may not seem like much, but it could make the difference.”
    “And there are those who were fierce warriors and can be again, despite their weaknesses,” Bolthor added. “Like Young John with the one eye. Even with just a few lessons this morning, I was able to show him how to better handle himself. In truth, his half-blindness is not near as bad as mine. He can still see blurry shapes with his bad eye. It is a question of balance, and he is an enthusiastic learner.”
    Rurik nodded. “Toste and Vagn have been assessing the physical defenses.” He peered off into the distance where they were assisting some of the younger Campbells, pulling down the rotting timber walls with their crumbling stone foundations with an eye toward rebuilding and remortaring them over the next few days. Of course, there were several Campbell lasses about admiring their work… or could it be their good looks? Truly, the twins garnered female admirers no matter what country they were in. “We have much to do to repair the walls,” Rurik went on, “but this clanstead is well situated to ward off attacks when guards are positioned strategically.”
    “It’s all a question of time and numbers of fighting men,” Bolthor concluded.
    “And skill,” Stigand added.
“That
the six of us have aplenty, and the others can be taught. In time.”
    “Jostein,” Rurik yelled out to the young man, who was working with his Campbell counterparts on the wall. Hastily, Jostein rushed over to do his bidding. “Dost think you could find your way back to Britain on your own?”
    Jostein nodded eagerly, panting from his vigorous activity.
    “This is an important mission, Jostein. I would likeyou to ride out on the morrow. Go to Ravenshire in Northumbria, the estate of Lord Eirik and Lady Eadyth. Explain the situation here, and ask if he has troops to spare that he could send to our aid.”
    Jostein fair beamed with self-importance over the task he was being assigned. “I could depart right now,” he said, overanxious to fulfill Rurik’s wishes. “It should be only a three-day trip each way. I could be back within a sennight.”
    Rurik patted him on the shoulder. “Tomorrow will be soon enough.”
    Maire walked up to them then. She was still annoyed with him over being confined to the keep, and Bolthor wasn’t too happy either. A short time ago, he’d grumbled that he’d never known a woman to visit the privy as often as Maire did. He was even considering the creation of a special saga about it, “The Mystery of What Women Do for So Long in a Privy.” He’d immediately quashed that idea when Maire had overheard and whalloped him over the head with a halibut that the cook had just given her to examine for dinner fare.
    But now, it appeared that the annoying wench had another matter on her mind. Unfortunately, he was the target of her scowls now. Fortunately, she had no fish in hand, although she was carrying a long stick, which he suspected was her witch’s staff. No doubt, she could turn a rake into a fish with one swish of that long wand. Best he keep a safe distance from her.
    “Well, now that we’ve gotten rid of the cage, there’s only one thing left to do. Why are you edging away from me like that?”
    He inclined his head in question at her first comment, but refused to answer her second. He was no half brain. Leastways, not usually.
    “The snakes.”
    “Huh?” He glanced across the bailey toward the area where her cage had hung. Then he gulped.
The snakes
. He’d