Agile and sure, he held her enfolded in his embrace, wanting now to conquer her more completely than he ever had. Their bodies joined in an ageless rhythm, the warm, sweet depths of her being welcoming each of his thrusts until the ecstasy she gave washed over him with the shattering power of a cresting wave. He was lost in her embrace. She covered his face with light kisses, and whispered the most flattering of endearments in his ear, but he could think of no words to describe his deepening need for her, when surely it was a weakness he should fight with all his strength rather than enjoy to the fullest as he always did.
Savoring the taste of her kiss, he ceased to worry over who had triumphed that night when she gave so generously of her love. This surrender was the only one he needed to make his life complete. Her beauty was superb, her capacity for giving pleasure limitless, and he regretted wasting so much of the evening walking the forest alone when the joy of being with her was all that made his life worth living.
Chapter 12
While Mylan fell into a deep, contented sleep, Celiese lay wide awake in his arms, sadly recalling the weeks she had spent in his home. If only he had just once spoken of love, or of how much he had come to care for her, she would have some cause to hope their future would be a bright one, but as always he had given unsparingly of his body without voicing a hint of the emotions filling his heart. Her choice had already been made before he had returned home that night, but his silence had sealed her fate as surely as she prayed his sword would seal that of the bear.
She left his bed as soon as the first light of dawn lit the small house with a soft golden glow, and she could see well enough to gather the things she required. She dressed quickly, and put on the silver necklace Mylan had given her, knowing she would need every manner of luck she could summon that day. She placed the flint he always carried into her pocket, slipped his dagger under her belt and took his sword from the chest where it had lain hidden.
She was ready to depart. Wishing there were some way to make the proud man realize how dearly she loved him, she hesitated. When she could tarry no longer she bent down to give him a light kiss upon the cheek and whispered softly, “Do not forget me, my darling, for I have loved you well.”
Turning swiftly before her tears fell upon his face and awakened him, she hurried through the door and ran toward the stream just as she had the day she had fled the house fearing she would soon be sold to the rude pair who had come to visit. Her terror was every bit as real as it had been that day, for her situation was no less desperate. She had not understood Mylan?
??s sullen silence then and still did not. His touch was always tender, his manner gentle, so why could he not return the love she gave to him with words? Was the fact she was a slave making him so reticent, or worse, the lingering resentment for the trap Raktor had set with their marriage? Would he never forgive her for Raktor’s appalling plot? She continued to torment herself with unanswerable questions, wanting Mylan’s love so desperately at the same time she feared she might not survive the day to see him again.
There were many trails through the forest, and since she had always had Mylan to lead the way when they had gone hunting she got lost more than once, circling past trees she recognized as landmarks again and again. But still she pushed on, hoping to find her way to the bear’s cave before darkness fell. She had not thought it necessary to bring food, but now she was hungry and sorry she had been so foolish as to leave the house without provisions.
It was late afternoon when she finally sighted the uprooted tree where she had once taken shelter for the night. The bear’s den was nearby, and she grew doubly cautious. Scanning the underbrush carefully, she found the trail Mylan had taken and made her way stealthily to the spot behind the trees where they had been able to see the cave. She stood perched on the balls of her feet, ready to run at the slightest provocation, but she heard no sounds other than the soft calling of the birds overhead in the trees.
The cave was exactly as she had remembered it, set back in the rocks of the hillside, and the ledge that hung over it looked both easy to climb and solid enough to support her slight weight. Seeing no sign of the bear, she approached the lair slowly, finding the animal’s scent strong. He had been there the previous night, she was certain of it, and prayed he would return that night as well. Forcing herself to be brave, she scampered up the side of the hill to test the ledge, gauging the angle from which she would have to strike with the sword before climbing down with all possible haste.
Leaving the sword behind, she ran to the meadow where Mylan had shot the deer. Skirting the edge of the wide field, she gathered branches for the fire she would need, bundling the dry wood with green and carrying it back to the trees close to the bear’s den. She was careful to select a spot downwind so as not to attract the bear’s notice, and began practicing with the flint to be certain she could start a fire in the dim light of dawn. She had often watched Mylan build fires and understood the process, but she rehearsed it repeatedly, too anxious to leave such an important step to chance.
It was nearly dark when she heard the bear returning to his lair, his low growls sending shivers of fright up her spine, but she remained hidden among the trees and her presence went undetected. Huddled in the shadows she waited for the night to pass, blowing on her hands for warmth while she sang softly to herself to stay awake, but most often her mind was filled with thoughts of the handsome man who had won her heart. She gripped his charm tightly, the coolness of the silver reminding her all too vividly of the differences between them.
If she did not live to reach home, then she hoped he would remember the last night they had spent together as being as beautiful as all the others, for she knew if the bear were to attack her as savagely as he had mauled Mylan there would be nothing left of her for him to recognize, let alone remember. That gruesome prospect kept her wide awake until dawn lent a faint tint of rose to the eastern sky, and, after stretching to gain confidence that her tired muscles would not fail her, she carried the wood she had gathered to the entrance of the cave and placed it just inside. Her fingers shook badly as she struck the flint, but the dry wood caught fire instantly and in a moment ignited the green branches, which burned with billows of acrid smoke. The morning breeze carried the evil-smelling fumes well into the dark recess in the hillside. She took the heavy sword and climbed up to the rocky ledge to await her prey.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears while the fire crackled and surrounded her with near blinding smoke. She feared she had outsmarted herself rather than the bear, but at last heard a low growl and then another. She braced herself carefully against the rocks, and when the enraged beast appeared at the mouth of the cave seeking relief from the dense smoke disturbing his slumber, she raised the sword. The sharp edge of the steel blade caught the beast on the side of the neck, slashing his dark fur, and a bright fountain of crimson blood spewed so high into the air it splashed her, dampening her soft suede clothing with gore.
Terrified, she shrieked more loudly than the wounded bear, but she held on to the shining weapon, ready to strike again. The bloodied animal staggered back into his smoke-filled lair and was quiet, leaving her no choice but to wait on the ledge as the sun rose. She dared not relax her pose when at any minute the beast might again come lumbering out into the open. He would now surely be able to sense her presence, the fire had died down to no more than a few wisps of smoke, and her scent would fill the air. She heard no sound at all from deep within the cave, but she still shook with the fright of her grisly deed.
Her mouth was dry, her breath coming in hoarse gasps, but she dared not leave the ledge until she was certain the bear was dead. When she had heard nothing by the time the sun was high overhead she was convinced he could not possibly have survived the vicious blow she had dealt him. She now focused upon a new problem, for even though she had slain the bear, Mylan had asked for proof, and she could not possibly skin the animal unless she were able to drag the carcass out into the sunshine so she would have room and light enough to work.
The beast had been immense, weighing far too much for her to attempt to move unassisted, so what was she to do? Her only choice would be to summon Mylan to help her, and, after waiting a short while longer simply for safety’s sake, she climbed down from the ledge and ran back through the trees, hoping she would not become as lost on her way home as she had on her journey there.
*
When Mylan had awakened to find Celiese gone he had not been greatly worried. That she had left him no breakfast was annoying, but he refused to prepare his own, and did not notice the flint was missing. When he could not find his dagger he feared it was misplaced and tried to recall if he had had it with him when he had gone out the previous evening. If he had lost it on his walk he would never be able to find it, for he had paid no attention as he had wandered through the woods and could not recall where he had been. Fortunately, he had other knives among his weapons, but hoped he had not lost his favorite. Unwilling to wait for Celiese to appear, he left the house to begin a series of troublesome chores that could no longer be ignored.
He worked all day, expecting his ambitious slave to appear at any moment with game for their supper, but when he returned to his home in the afternoon he found her bow and quiver where she had left them the day before and was angry for not noticing them earlier. It was then he began to wonder where she could have gone and what her purpose might have been if it were not to hunt. Perplexed by that mystery, he sat down to enjoy some ale while he considered what her options were.
There was honey, of course, and wild berries, which they enjoyed, but had she gone to search for those delicacies she would have returned by now. He grew increasingly anxious and got up from his chair frequently to go to the door and survey the path that led to the woods, hoping to see her approaching. Too late he realized she was not coming home, and his rage was too fierce to contain, for he had not thought the young woman would ever dare to run away again. He threw himself angrily down upon the furs and attempted to sleep, but could not. At the first light of dawn he set out to search for her.
*
Celiese had traveled no more than half a mile when she met Mylan upon the path. He was carrying his spear and scowling wickedly as she ran up to him, but she was so excited by what she had accomplished that she did not stop to consider how greatly her disappearance had angered him. “Mylan, come quickly!” She turned back in the direction from which she had come, expecting him to follow, but he reached out to take her arm and drew her around to face him with a forceful yank.
“Were you still so angry with me you’d risk running from me again? I thought the matter settled between us.” He had slept no better than she the previous night, and swore bitterly at her before he continued his hostile interrogation. “Did you think me so taken with your charms I’d not beat you as I would any slave for trying to escape me?” Before she could reply he caught a glimpse of the gleaming sword in her hand and lost his temper completely. “That you had the audacity to steal my sword is even worse! Whom did you expect to kill?”
She backed away, repelled by the menacing gleam in his amber eyes. She had been so involved in her own plans to win her freedom that she could offer no other excuse for her actions now. “Your own words tell my story, Mylan. After all we have shared you still think of me as your property, as no more than a slave, and accuse me of theft as well as running away when I’m guilty of neither crime. You gave me only one hope of winning my freedom and I took it. I have slain your bear, he lies dead in his den, and since I must drag him outside to skin him, I will need your help to take the pelt home as the proof you demanded.”
“What?” He was shocked to his very marrow by the calmness of her manner, as well as by her outrageous explanation. He had thought she had run off simply to punish him for walking out on her, but that she had had such an impossible although noble purpose stunned him. “How could you have killed that bear all by yourself? Why would you have attempted such an impossible feat?”
“It was not impossible because I did it, I tell you. Come with me and you will be able to see for yourself.” She reached out to take his hand, but he drew back as if her touch disgusted him.
Alarmed, he continued in an accusing tone, “If you have only wounded the beast, no one will be safe in this forest.”
She shook her head impatiently. “No, the bear is dead, he has to be.” She described what she had done, but the astonished Viking could only gape as he listened, too amazed to