Tara: Taken
Viking Guardians 5
Kaitlynn Clarkson
Contents
COPYRIGHT PAGE
THANK YOU
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
EPILOGUE
LOVED IT? DIDN’T LOVE IT?
GLOSSARY
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Aeveen: Healer of Ráith Mór (Sneak Peek)
CHAPTER 1
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ABOUT KAITLYNN CLARKSON
COPYRIGHT PAGE
Copyright © 2020 Kaitlynn Clarkson
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic and mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
Disclaimer
Although the places described in this story are real, it is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to any event, either historical or recent, or any person, living or deceased, is completely coincidental.
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When Halvar takes his younger sister Freja to the festival of the Disting, he expects her to be on her best behavior. After all, she’s supposed to be finding a husband.
But Freja cannot help herself. Wild and free-spirited, she is a skilled archer and a keen competitor who ignores the rules for women in her society. She finds a way to join the men-only archery competition and her talent catches the eye of a jarl, who decides he must meet her.
Freja’s mind is as sharp as her aim and she eagerly engages in the discussions surrounding the politics of the land. The jarl has never met a woman like Freja and he cannot stop thinking about her.
But with trouble looming in the form of a new king, the jarl must do his best to keep his people safe and he is forced to attend to political matters. When the crisis passes, the jarl’s thoughts turn to Freja. Is the difference in their social status too great? Can they be together? Or must the jarl bow to the will of the people and take a wife who will offer a political advantage?
This novella is set in the days of Norway’s King Haakon the Good; a time when the Vikings left their homelands to raid and plunder; when Christianity was making tentative approaches and kings fought for the right to rule.
CHAPTER 1
“Today is the day,” Aine declared. “The men will be gone tomorrow and the moon is in the right phase. Today we will collect the plants. Tomorrow, we will start the dyeing. Tara, go tell your sisters that we will go soon.”
As Tara hurried down the road to her eldest sister’s house, she found herself looking forward to the day. She enjoyed helping her mother and sisters collect the plants they would need to dye the cloth for making their clothes. It was a fun outing with her married sisters and their children; she was the only one not yet married and she missed the company of the older girls.
Soon they had gathered baskets and pouches and set off across the fields towards the Tolka River. Tara glanced back at her home village of Mullach Eadartha, nestled cozily into the landscape. It wasn’t often that they left the safety of the village, but gathering materials for dyeing cloth was one such occasion. It was true that the finngail were in the area but it was unlikely that they would come so far up the river. No one had seen any of the fair-haired foreigners for some time and the villagers felt safe enough to relax a little.
“Do you think the finngail will find us?” Caireann asked anxiously.
Tara smiled at her niece; of all the children, she bore the greatest resemblance to Tara, with red, curly hair and freckles. “No one has seen any lately,” she said. “We should stay alert but not be worried.” She put her arm around the younger girl’s shoulders. “Worry would just spoil a good day out, would it not?”
Reassured, Caireann ran ahead to play with the other children. It wasn’t often that they got away from the village and they were excited and happy. It was a good day to be alive and Tara tried to push away the lingering concerns about the finngail. These cruel foreigners were known for raiding and plundering and capturing slaves. People who were taken as slaves never returned; or at least, Tara didn’t know of anyone who had. They vanished, never to be seen again. The villagers were terrified of the finngail, with good reason. They left families bereft of loved ones, looted and pillaged crops and valuables, and had no mercy.
But today, Tara felt safe. The fields were green, the crops were growing, and the sun was shining. The happy laughter of the children filled the air and she was enjoying the company of her sisters again.
They reached the river and found a large patch of elderberries, perfect for purple dye.
“Look, Mother!” Eachna exclaimed. “Look at the trom! We will be able to make lots of dye
