Norse Valor by Constantine De Bohon Read Free Book Online Page A

respectful of him. David seemed happy enough.
    David had smiled when he had seen Svana cooking.
    It hadn’t been an easy task. The vessel was made of wood.
Fire could be a deathtrap onboard. Vakr had explained normally they would find
land and cook a meal if at all possible. Some days they went for long periods
without land in sight. Once when Vakr had traveled years before, he and his men
had become lost in a storm. They went for weeks without a warm meal. Flour had
sat unused in barrels. Their dried meat and dried fruit was all they could have.
If only they could have made a small fire. It would have been nice to warm some
mead and take the chill from their bones. It had given him an idea.
    Enlisting his men’s help, a kitchen of sorts was created. A
small iron table was made a foot up off the bottom of the boat and tied
securely. On that was placed an iron pot that was nailed to the table to limit
its motion. They didn’t want it to go flying off in a storm. The pot could be
filled with burnable items. Suspended over the fire was another pot to cook in.
    The tabletop grew very hot and Svana had filled another pot
with the treasures she found, melting the contents.
    “I found pemmican packed in rawhide,” Svana said, answering
David’s question. “I was surprised your men and you hadn’t eaten it, since there
is a lot.”
    “This is pemmican?” Vakr asked.
    He looked skeptical.
    “Viking pemmican is cereal.”
    “This is Native American pemmican and it’s made with dried
meat and berries and fat. It stores well and with the last of your flour it
made a nice gravy.”
    “It is hard to believe roots can taste this good,” Vakr
said. He took his fingers and shoved a huge amount into his mouth.
    “It’s hard to believe there isn’t a single fork on your
vessel,” Svana replied.
    During her search of the small cooking area she had found
huge wooden spoons and even a prong but there weren’t any teaspoons or forks.
All the men used either their fingers or daggers to eat with. Neither she nor
David was allowed a knife so they used their fingers. It had been a chore to
mash the potatoes, and the two men Vakr enlisted to help her peel them had
grumbled the entire time, but it was worth the effort. She had cooked them in
saltwater and used the last of the pepper she had found as well as some garlic.
    “Perhaps I can find someone to make you a fork,” Vakr said.
    Svana was grinning inwardly. After last night, she imagined
Vakr would do anything for her. Men were so much more agreeable when their
cocks were happy. After last night, she bet if his dick could talk, it would be
shouting hallelujah. When Vakr leaned forward and his fur-covered arm touched
her hip, she shivered. It wasn’t with the cold; for an instant, she was
remembering her fantasy of a man-beast. Svana and David and the other men had
made good use of the buffalo furs Vakr had traded for. All of Vakr’s men were
huge; she was surrounded by sheer strength. The air was frigid, and the ocean
choppy. It was amazing to her. Just days ago, the July sun had beat down on
her. Now it felt like February.
    Her thoughts were interrupted when a man bellowed,“Land!”
    Everyone was on their feet in an instant and Vakr was
shouting orders. Svana looked over the side. Something large crashed into the
boat and she was knocked off her feet. Svana rubbed at her backside. The vessel
was struck again.
    “Svana, go below!” David shouted when he hauled her back up.
    “No!” Vakr yelled, as there was now shouting all around
them. “The men are going below to row.”
    “You can’t think they would touch her in this?” David looked
incredulous.
    Surrounding them in the water were massive chunks of ice.
Some smashed into the boat as the wind picked up. Svana and David were both
pitched to the side. Vakr’s men raced below. Ari was at the bow calling out
directions as the oars slipped into the ocean.
    “If there is damage to the hull, I don’t want her to