Catla and the Vikings by Mary Nelson Read Free Book Online

downhill.
    â€œWhew,” Sven muttered at the bottom. “That could have been bad. You almost ran into them.”
    The knot in Catla’s belly tightened. She clutched her middle and asked a quick blessing of Our Lady. At the same time, she knocked her knuckles against a piece of wood, to avert evil. She wanted protection from all sorts of gods. “What are they doing?” she whispered, her mouth next to Sven’s ear. “I didn’t see a ship. It must be on the river.” Fear at her close brush with danger made her voice shake, and she sat down abruptly, wrapping her arms around her knees to stop them from trembling. She was as close to danger as she’d ever been, and her muscles would not stop twitching. She doubted her legs would hold her if she stood, so she shifted closer to where Sven crouched.
    His lips almost brushed her ear when he spoke. “Drink some water. It will settle you. Were you thinking of home?”
    Catla nodded and raised her drinking horn to her mouth. “They’re so close.”
    â€œI think they’re going to Aigber,” Sven whispered back.
    â€œYes. We have to get there first,” hissed Catla. “There must be more men and a ship. They wouldn’t walk from Covehithe.”
    â€œNo, they’ll have a ship,” Sven spoke in an undertone. “They’ll need it to hold the slaves. What will they do next? If they scout the heath, they’ll see us, it’s so open here. We’re in a tricky situation. We’ll have to go back up to hide.”
    â€œBehind the bushes.” Catla nodded agreement. She stood to move, her legs almost giving way.
    Careful not to disturb even one pebble, they crept back up the hill again. They watched as the men stood, spread the cooling ashes, gathered their swords and axes and looked around. Finally, they turned and gazed directly at the hill. Catla urged herself. Be ready. She lowered her head as Sven’s eyes brushed hers.
    The Nord-devils turned, walked to the river and stepped down a narrow cut in the bank’s edge above the water. One by one, they disappeared. For a few long moments Catla dared not move for fear they would reappear. Then she quietly exhaled as Sven touched her shoulder. They crept back down the hill and moved cautiously to the edge of the riverbank, using small bushes as cover. From there they peered at the water.
    A ship was easing into the current, headed upriver. “It’s going the same direction we are, toward Aigber,” Catla said in a whisper. “They look like the Nord-devils from Covehithe.”
    â€œYes,” Sven said. “We have to warn Aigber.”
    The path was well worn on the far side of the hill. They ran and ran. Catla felt desperate. If the people in Aigber were captured or killed, no one would be saved, not here or in Covehithe. Eventually, she had a stitch in her side and she called to Sven, “I need to walk.” He nodded and waited for her to catch up with him. As she slowed her pace her heart stopped its pounding. Then they topped a small rise.
    â€œI see cottages. There’s Aigber. Come on. I think we’re in time.” Catla pelted off, her spirits alive again and full of hope. She didn’t wait to hear Sven’s reply.

CHAPTER FIVE
    The Village in the Setting Sun
    Catla and Sven hurried along the dusty, narrow pathway between the cottages in Aigber. Her eyes pricked, it looked so familiar, so like home. No one called a greeting, and the village felt eerily quiet. Where was everyone? The path ended at a clearing beside the river cliff, sheltered by a single oak tree. Runes and carved figures scarred its bark. The canopy of leaves, some already brittle and brown, hung over hand-hewn wooden stools, benches and slabs of tree trunks—the place of council. A rusted metal hoop hung from a leather strap over one of the branches. Close by, Catla heard someone pounding stone on wood in the otherwise still