Warrior's Last Gift(16)

            He didn’t want to think of her expression when he returned empty-handed, unable to do more than tie the little boat together with strips of cloth.

            It shouldn’t matter to him in the least. She’d been the one who’d up and married another man. The moment he’d heard, he’d vowed never to spare her another thought. A useless vow if ever he’d heard one. He knew that now.

            He was a man who didn’t care to deal with his own emotions. He avoided confronting those emotions head-on, preferring to hide within the comforting walls of anger. He would also admit to taking more than a generous time to consider his options when he had a decision to make. These were his faults, and he was all too aware of them.

            But standing at the foot of the rise today and watching Jeanne topple off the other side had nearly killed him. Losing her to another man had been bad enough. Truly losing her was something he couldn’t bear. Just as he couldn’t bear seeing her broken and defeated.

            He couldn’t fail her in this. He’d promised to fix that damn boat of hers and he would do everything in his power to make it so.

            Which was why he was out here, traipsing through the barren wood on a fruitless task to enable her to fulfill a vow based on some ridiculous ancient religion.

            Which of them was the more foolish?

            “So much for yer Viking belief,” he muttered aloud. “So much for Eymer’s faith in the great Thor’s mighty power.”

            He stopped to check his bearing, making sure he hadn’t traveled so far from their campsite that he couldn’t hear Jeanne if she needed him. Boat or no, he wouldn’t risk a chance of having harm come to her because of his carelessness. He’d already managed to lose one of their horses by deferring to her judgment. He wouldn’t make a mistake like that again.

            A furry figure darted onto the path ahead of him. A large rabbit stared his direction as if it waited for him, making no attempt to conceal its presence.

            Fresh meat! Considering the food stores they’d lost to that damned Dobbie Caskie, a rabbit would be a welcome addition to their fare.

            Cautiously, slowly, Eric slid his hand to his boot to retrieve the dagger he kept there. Before he could lift his arm, the little beast bounded off the trail into the trees beyond.

            Eric followed, his dagger at the ready, led on by the sight of a wisp of fur darting through the underbrush. He broke through into a clearing as the rabbit came to a stop next to a massive evergreen tree. Keeping his gaze fixed on the animal, Eric moved forward only a few steps before his toe caught on a root hidden in the leaves and debris, sending him headfirst toward the tree.

            He went down on his knees, landing with a grunt against the tree trunk, barely managing to get his arms out in front of him in time to break his fall.

            The dagger he clutched embedded itself into the tree and he used it for leverage to pull himself up to his feet.

            What a fool he was! Even the youngest of lads knew well enough to check their footing during a hunt.

            With an effort, he pulled his dagger from the tree, amazed to see the blade glistening with moisture. He touched a finger to the metal to find it coated with a thick, sticky substance.

            Impossible!

            “My apologies for doubting you, Thor,” he called out, hurrying to retrieve a cup from his sporran to hold beneath the spot on the tree where sap ran freely. This shouldn’t be happening, but it was.

            Across the glade, leaves rustled and the rabbit hopped back into sight.

            With a flick of his wrist, Eric sent the dagger flying, hoping that Thor was still feeling particularly generous.

            • • •