Chapter 23 - Lost in the Dark

Chapter 23

I was in complete shock when there were suddenly hoofbeats close behind me. Trying to gather up the last bit of my strength, I fought my way through the thick underbrushes, suddenly realizing that my name was called out.

Yorick.

Out of breath I stopped, turning around. The horse was approaching rapidly and I swallowed hard when I saw the flames that seemed to shoot into the night air. 

“Your hand!” Yorick suddenly yelled at me and my gaze was fixed on him at an instant.

My hand?

He didn’t stop, simply reached out his own hand towards me when he rode by. I had seen this move in movies, mostly of the romantic kind, but this procedure was everything but romantic. It was sudden. Swift. And painful. He simply grabbed me and pulled me up to sit behind him on his horse. But he almost dislocated my shoulder in the process and I let out a piercing shriek of agony.

“Hold on tight, it’s not far.” He shouted over his shoulder and put my arms tightly around his waist.

My teeth clattered and I bit my tongue when he made the horse jump over a few tree trunks.

Home, I am going home. Closing my eyes, I put my forehead between his shoulder blades. Home. Tightening my grip around the man in front of me, I lifted my face after a while.

“What will you do?” I yelled at him and felt him shrug.

Suddenly he drew in the reins, making the stallion prance. I squealed again, grabbing his shirt to prevent myself from falling.

“Off the horse, Seeress.” Agitatedly he swung his leg over the horses head, pulling me down with him. With a little slap and a low whistle he drove the fully packed and astounded horse away and took my hand.

“This way. Move it, woman!”

Completely out of breath I let him pull me through the dark forest.

“Where?” I managed to get out of my mouth that was as dry as sandpaper.

He turned around, facing me confused. “This is the place I found you in.” He gestured towards the rocks a few yards away. “Whatever happened to you, wherever you came from, this is where I found you.”

Fearfully interlacing fingers with him, I threw a look around. So this was it. I was about to leave. Leave this place. Leave Yorick.

I gritted my teeth and tried to keep step with him.

Unexpectedly he stopped, turning around to face me. “Do you remember anything?”

His warm body was suddenly very close and I felt my own body taking spontaneous refuge right below his collarbone.

“I don’t.” I answered bleakly, feeling the speed of my heartbeat increase, when he put his hand on my back, to pull me even closer.

“Nothing?” he whispered with his lips on my ear and I shook my head, looking up at him.

“I got lost in the fog and I fell. From that moment on everything is blurry and dark.”

His fingers travelled up my back and touched my neck. “Fog.” He repeated and looked around. “There is loads of it between the hills to our left.” Wrapping his arm around my shoulders he pulled me along.

“Yorick, wait!” frightfully I tried to stop him, detain him at least. “I don’t… I can’t…”

“You can and you will!” he interrupted, grabbing my chin to force me to look at him again. “You are not safe here. There is nothing for you in this place, Elida!”

“Isn’t there?” I held his stare, feeling his hand slip around my neck again.

He sighed and tilted his head back to avoid my eyes.

“Elida!” he whispered through his teeth but I softly took hold of his beard and tugged him down.

“Nothing?” I said lowly, running my fingertips over his cheek.

He shook his head very slowly.

“You are not safe.” Tenderly he put his lips on mine. “I can’t keep you safe and as much as I want it, I can’t keep you as my own wife, you are my brother’s. And I won’t let that happen.”

The look in his eyes became stern and authoritarian. “I want you to be mine, but you’ll never be so there is no other way.”

“We could run.” I insisted in a throaty voice but he only shook his head with a sad smile on his lips.

“Where? To what end?” eagerly he kissed me again before he pulled me in the direction of the nearby hills. “Asgard is waiting for you and I will personally make sure that you will find your way back. Oddgeir will haunt me for the rest of my life if I don’t return you.”

Even though I struggled against his grip, he kept pulling me along and right into the misty clouds of dense fog. Refusing to let go of his hand, I felt a shiver running through my whole body.

“Yorick!” I whispered, feeling his fingers trying to loosen my grip.

“Please, Elida, just go.” He pleaded and shook his head. “I can’t lose you. Return to your home and be safe.”

“But I don’t want to go.” I insisted, feeling ridiculous and helpless at the same time.

Again he only shook his head. “The one thing that comforts me right now is to know that you will be safe.” Grabbing my neck he pulled me close one last time and kissed my forehead. “For the love of the great Allfather, will you simply do as you’re told for once, woman?”

I was about to tell him where to stuff it, when there was a sudden light around us. Only for a split second, but I felt a rush of fear. Yorick instinctively wrapped his arm around me and grabbed his dagger.

“Looks like Heimdallr has opened the Bifröst for you.” Sheathing his dagger, Yorick stepped back. “Be safe, Seeress.” He took another step away from me. I wanted to protest, beg him to stay with me or at least let me stay with him. But I was rotten to the spot. Within a few seconds there was thick fog between us. Yorick gave me a gloomy smile and all of a sudden he had disappeared. It was dark around me and there was so much pressure inside my brain that I sagged to my knees, wrapping my arms around my head. Then everything went black and I gasped for air.

It felt like I was being sucked into a whirlpool. A vortex of emotions and darkness.

His name was on my lips before I lost consciousness.

A gentle touch made me flinch.

“Elida?” suddenly there were lips on my cheek.

“Love, wake up.” Still the husky voice was close to my ear and I tried my best to finally open my eyes.

“Elida! Wake up, you’re dreaming again!”

When I finally managed to open my eyes, I flinched.

Samu? What was Samu doing here?

“Yorick?” I croaked, sitting up with my heart pounding in my throat.

My room! I was in my bedroom. Completely confused I looked down on my clean bedsheets and up and down the naked man that lay next to me. We were here, we were alright. Nothing… Baffled I stared at Samu, finding him smiling and pulling me down to rest my face to his naked chest.

“You’ve been dreaming a lot lately, love.” Softly he caressed my neck and started to place little butterfly kisses on my forehead. “It has been yet another night with you tossing and turning, but since you are doing it naked, I am still fine comforting you.”

His broad smile helped my heartbeat to slow down and I put my hand on his face.

“You’re here.” I stated, still puzzled and not sure what else to say. 

He chuckled slightly, kissing the palm of my hand.

“Of course I am, you are my sexy personal guide, remember?” Kissing my lips he bent over me. “But I’d be very thankful if you could stop dreaming about this Yorick-guy for one night, alright?”

Swallowing hard, I nodded. “Of course.” I whispered, quickly closing my eyes when he bent down to kiss me.

The smell of fire was still in my nose. Yorick’s lips on mine. It had been so realistic. Far too real to only turn out to be a dream.

“Stop thinking.” Samu nudged me softly before he bent over, slowly kissing his way down my body. “Let me help you to relax a little. No Vikings for today, alright?”

I nodded with a lump in my throat.

Dream, Elida.

Shutting my eyes firmly, I tried to concentrate on Samu.

Nothing but a dream …