xiii. her monk
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"We have a message from Mercia." Bloodhair announced and Cnut turned to him. She stands with Sihtric as they watch, Sihtric looks at Cnut with disdain.
"What's this?"
"We have a message from the Dane-slayer." Bloodhair answered and shoved the Saxon forward.
"Uhtred, sent you?" Brida asked in doubt.
"He did, lady." The Saxon man spoke.
"And his message is what?" Cnut questioned as he placed a hand on Brida's shoulder.
"He says he will come for you, lord. For all of you, in the night, as a shadow walker. He says you will die, as Ragnar died. He says he will send you all to Niflheim." The Saxon spoke with fear and she turned to Sihtric with a small smile.
"I say, let him come." Bloodhair speaks loudly and looks around him. Skade scowled at Sihtric and Sigyn from where she leaned against Hæsten.
"Yes."
"Feed his guts to Odin's ravens." Skade snarled as she looked at Bloodhair. Skade watched anger as Sihtric pulled her sister into a side hug.
"I'll make a sacrifice of the Saxon bastard." Bloodhair promised the seer.
"You should have done that at Fearnham." Hæsten spoke but not loud enough as he looked away.
"I hear a rat's wheeze." Sigyn snickered at the man and Sihtric smirked in amusement.
"I said, if you wished to make a sacrifice of Uhtred, you should have done it at Fearnham, but you chose to run." Hæsten snarled as Skade watched smugly.
"Hæsten, no." Cnut ordered.
"Mind how you speak."
"Oh, you fled, did you not run away?" Hæsten taunted.
"Bloodhair, say nothing." Cnut demanded and then looked at her in suspicion.
"I lost men in battle. You were fool enough to lose men in a fortress." Bloodhair snapped at the blonde.
"Though, I managed to keep hold of my woman." Hæsten spoke smugly.
"Shut your mouth!"
"Shall I show you how I bed her?" Hæsten placed his hands on Skade's shoulders as the seer just smirked. Sigyn grimaced in disgust and turned to hide her face in Sihtric's chest and Sihtric placed his hands over her ears to help her avoid seeing and hearing anything else.
"Shut your mouth!" Hæsten chuckled.
"Come on, come on Bloodhair! I'll be gentle, come to Hæsten. And I will whelp some pups on you." Hæsten taunted purposely humiliating the man.
"We make the square, you and I!" Bloodhair demanded.
"Bloodhair, no! Enough of this!" Cnut shouted.
"Do you want me to hump you in the square, Bloodhair?"
"We fight! We fight now!" She glanced at Sihtric when he acted accordingly and grabbed Bloodhair.
"If this is what you want, then yes." Dagfinn grabbed Hæsten.
"Fight me!"
"Hæsten, no more!" Cnut shouted as he watched the two men.
"I'll cut your heart from your chest!" Bloodhair threatened.
"Prepare."
"I'm ready! I'm ready!" Bloodhair snarls and cuts the throat of the Saxon man.
"We will make the square, then." Cnut said and he tossed his hands up, smiled in amusement at the defeated redhead, and moved to Sihtric's side once again. She leaned against him when he kissed her head as they watched the fight between Hæsten and Bloodhair.
"Come on! Come on!" Danes cheer as Hæsten motions for them to urge him on.
"Valhalla awaits one man. Are you ready then? Begin!" Cnut shouts and moves to watch them fight. Sigyn grows confused when Bloodhair goes in for the fatal blow but suddenly freezes and groans, Sihtric notices and looks at Skade. Brida looks over at Cnut, Sihtric, and Sigyn with a worried glance.
She noticed Skade was biting and sucking her fingers seductively as she gazed down at Bloodhair. Hæsten wounded the man with his distraction and she watched as he kneeled before the blonde witch.
Sigyn smirked when Bloodhair attempted to attack Skade, she was a bit disappointed when he failed and Skade jabbed two daggers into his throat. Brida kneels next to Bloodhair as she wraps his hand around his axe, ignoring the grin Skade wore.
"She is poison to all men." Sihtric announced looking at Skade and reaching a hand out to grab Sigyn's.
"We will bury him, as a warrior. He is feasting in the great halls with our fathers. Bury him." Cnut shouted and looked at his men. The two managed to sneak past the guards to go into the woods, Cnut was too busy with Brida and Hæsten was watching Skade leaving her alone.
"You have something to say to me, boy?" Uhtred spoke when Sihtric made himself known.
"I do," She watched as Sihtric unsheathed his sword. "Yield to me." He ordered and she noticed Uhtred dropped his weapon as Sihtric then jabbed his into the soil. The two hug and laugh as the men surrounding them grow confused.
"You were playing us. My goodness, they were playing us, Finan! Why?" She looked down and noticed Osferth had been kneeling next to Finan, her eyes lit up at the sight of her monk.
"Osferth!" She said happily making the monk turn to her with a large smile, she ran to him and he pulled her into a hug. She pulled away from his warm embrace and didn't hesitate to pull him into a kiss. The men around them watched in shock and Uhtred grinned proudly at the scene, Finan whistled once they pulled away. Osferth was flustered and she giggled at the sight, she leaned against the monk as Uhtred continued to talk.
"If you had not believed it nor would others." Uhtred spoke as he picked up his weapon with a laugh.
"I fooled you." Sihtric said happily. She felt herself smile softly at that, she wanted them all happy. She smiled at Osferth when he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close after he hugged Sihtric.
"No, I knew."
"No, you did not. Was I good?" Sihtric asked them.
"A little." Osferth said with a shrug and hid his smile in her hair.
"I'm telling you, I knew." The Irishman insisted as he pulled him into a hug. "I just hope it was all worth it."
"I hope so, too." Sihtric said and Uhtred watched them softly.
"Should I be worried?" Uhtred said teasingly to Osferth and stroked her hair lightly.
"What do you know? We saw Cnut on the road." Uhtred said.
"Only Hæsten remains at the camp." Sihtric informed.
"What of Bloodhair?"
"Dead. He fought with Hæsten and was killed by Skade."
"Thank the gods." She mumbled against Osferth's chest.
"Good Jesus." The Irishman mumbled.
"She's a witch like no other." Sihtric teased with a laugh.
"She knows I'm near?" Uhtred interrupted.
"Yes, she knows of your promise to shadow-walk. But there are too many guards." Sihtric told the Dane.
"She is allowed to collect grass and herbs by a tree for her spells. A single tree on the other side of the camp. You cannot miss it." Sihtric teased the Dane.
"Tell her I'm here and take her there tonight."
"And if she refuses? If Hæsten prevents her?" Sihtric questioned.
"She will not refuse and Hæsten will not refuse her." Uhtred said with a chuckle.
"You have never failed me, Sihtric. I will see you at the tree. Let's go. Finan?" Uhtred spoke and patted his back before walking away. Osferth pulls her into another kiss that has them both smiling as she reluctantly leaves with Sihtric.
"So....monks, huh?" Sihtric teased and she shoved him playfully.
At nightfall, the sisters and Sihtric move behind a tent as he unchained the seer's ankles. She felt a little smug that they didn't bother chaining her up. The three quickly go to the tree where Uhtred waits for them.
"I knew you'd come for me, lord. I am ready." Skade says as she moves closer to him.
"I am ready."
"I'm ready." She says again and kisses him, Sihtric and Sigyn look away in disgust.
"Skade can you hear me!" Hæsten shouts in the distance.
"It is Hæsten. Kill him now. Kill him for me." Skade demanded as Uhtred pulled her away from the tree.
"Not now. Run!" Uhtred orders.
"He is here, lord! Uhtred is here!" Dagfinn shouts in alarm.
"Uhtred, run!" Finan shouts as they run past the camp.
"There are ships on the river."
"To the river! Sihtric, you lead!" Sihtric runs ahead as they wait so he can play the part of a loyal dane. Osferth reached for her hand as they waited on the signal from Sihtric, she squeezed his hand softly.
"We are under attack! Hæsten says to ready the ships. Now! Untie them now!" Sihtric orders urgently.
"Come on." Finan says as they run out and kill the men. She stands back to watch Skade, she doesn't like the way Skade glares at her monk.
"Sihtric, the boat!" They all climb onto a boat as Finan barks out orders. "Make sure it doesn't list, lads!" Uhtred pushes the boat to get some distance and jumps onto it.
"Prepare the oars, ready the oars!"
"And pull!" Uhtred demanded.
"Pull! Pull! Pull and pull!"
"Archers, quickly!" Hæsten shouts as they notch the bows.
"Pull! Pull! Pull like a darn slave! Pull and pull!" Finan shouts as they row away from Hæsten who glares at Uhtred and Skade. Sigyn moves to stand away from the seer and instead watches Osferth who smiles at her shyly.
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