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WALKING TOWARDS THE stone circle in the waxing crescent moonlight, Lothar turned the events from the harbor in his mind. Remembering what Park had said about being hand-fasted was the same thing the knee-bender had asked.
Lothar wished he and Dara were married.
He’d denied his own body’s response to her, kept from making love with her because he knew he would have to leave. The winter chill didn’t cool any thoughts of Dara’s warm body next to him, either.
Like his family crest depicting Fenris, the wolf, he was a skilled hunter, living and caring for his family. He also believed in another wolf characteristic: Once mated, he mated for life. No other would take her place, even after death.
Lothar recalled his confrontation with Ivarr tonight, and what Ivarr said about meeting Dara sometime. He felt like an idiot. He should have realized he’d placed Dara in danger on the day he met her. Now that Ivarr knew Lothar cared enough for Dara to give up one of his cuffs, Ivarr would use her against him. Lothar knew he wouldn’t be able to thwart the attack now. He needed to stay here, to protect her when his Norse brethren came. She was worth any price he’d have to pay to be with her and keep her safe. He’s need to tell her the truth about where he was from.
A welcoming relief came over him. He could stay. He could be with her. He had asked her before to be part of his journey, and she hadn’t yet answered. Now, with the weight of having to leave her behind lifted from him, they could begin their life here together. In his excitement to tell her, he started to run.
Suddenly, he tripped over a gnarled tree root, twisting his ankle. “Loki be damned!” he yelled. Gritting his teeth, he held his ankle until the pain became tolerable, stood up and limped to the edge of the forest. The stone circle was ahead.
The horizon brightened as it neared the hour before dawn. Lothar hobbled forward to investigate the firelight in the distance.
From the safety of the trees, he quietly observed the ceremony at the circle of stones near a mound. A fire that blazed in the center of the circle illuminated the surrounding stones. He heard a low humming noise originate from the group of ten robed figures while they walked the perimeter of the stone circle. Each person carried a small basket of food, drink, or a small animal in a cage, and set them near the fire as an offering. The humming grew louder, and the tempo faster.
He spotted someone come out of the entrance of the mound. He recognized Dara as she pulled the hood back on her robe and joined the group. Fascinated, he continued to watch.
She stood in front of the tallest stone of the circle, and the music and chanting stopped. She turned, placed her hands along the sides of the stone, and spoke something, but he was too far away to hear her words.
To his surprise, Dara turned, flashing an enchanting smile in his direction, as she and the other women dropped their robes revealing their skyclad bodies of different shapes and sizes. A couple of the women picked up the drums from the center of the circle and began a rhythmic beat that resonated through the area as the rest of the women danced around the fire. He heard the low hum begin again.
His erection pressed against the confines of his leggings, but he wouldn’t turn away to cool his arousal. He gazed intently at Dara, his Valkyrie, while the shadows from the flames swept across her body. She bowed towards him, then joined the others in their dance.
When the fire died down, Dara stopped next to the large stone. She raised her hands as the first rays of sunlight reflected off the bracelets, glowing white against her skin.
His eyebrows rose in amazement when he saw that her silver bracelets with the intricate interlinked three-spiral pattern matched the design carved into the stone behind her.
He watched her turn, entering the mound once more. The other women gathered the offerings and followed her.
Lothar waited in silence under the cover of trees, as the sunlight beamed across the rest of the ceremonial area. The women finally came back out, reclaimed their robes, and departed.
He watched as Dara draped her robe over her body, walked over to the large stone, stared in his direction just as she had during the ceremony, and waited.
“You can come out now,” Dara yelled.
He limped from his hiding place, scanning around.
“We’re alone,” she called out, while she stepped outside the circle.
“You saw me during your... ” Lothar hesitated remembering how her body moved while she danced in the firelight.
“Celebration of the Winter Solstice and the rebirth of the sun,” she said while she gathered her belongings. “Yes, I knew you were there.”
He pulled down on the front edge of his tunic. “Explain the belief for the circle.”
“Well, it may be difficult to understand.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“Very well, then,” she began. “There is power that has no beginning and no end, like a circle. We pray upon the power of that circle to strengthen us in mind, spirit, and body.”
He gazed at her face, but his body remembered the vision of her skyclad body’s rhythmical movements to the beating drum. “Tell me about the power you feel.”
“The power is different with each person. That is what makes it difficult to understand.”
“Try.”
“You have a power within yourself,” she continued. “It can only be released and used after you understand it. Until then, you’ll be only an innocent.” Dara turned and walked away from him.
Lothar stood for a moment and gazed at the stones. He remembered hearing a hum echoing from the area of the stones during the ceremony, but now the area was cold and silent. He hesitantly reached to touch a stone.
“Coming?” she inquired.
He withdrew his hand before it touched the stone, and limped back to the hut with her.