Piece in Our Time
Chapter Twelve
The furs of Eva’s handmade cape were doing nothing to keep her warm from the gusting wind. The air was deathly cool. Like knives, the air cut through her skin and right to her bone. Her breath could be seen, like a cloud of smoke, escaping her lips. Her skin had grown pale, almost blue. Her lips were numb, and her eyes were heavy. She was exhausted. She had walked for what felt like hours. The moon was still high in the sky, and the stars still gleamed above her. Her feet were like ten pound weights, as she picked them up to walk. Eva walked with her arms around her body, holding the furs to her body tight. Her hair had fallen free, thanks to the wind, and was flying around her head, blocking her vision. It was growing more and more difficult to continue walking. She must been far away enough to sit. But Eva knew that if she did, she would fall asleep, and quite possibly die.
Eva found herself constantly sniffling. She had adopted a horrid cough, each time it felt like the walls of her throat were rubbing together, raw. She could almost see her throat tissue turning an angry read, with each cough. She covered her mouth, looking behind her, over her shoulder constantly. She needed to be sure she wasn’t followed. Eva had wondered far, some time ago she had come upon the trees; she was pushing through broken branches, and tripping on the ones that had fallen. She had a few cuts across her cheek, and her lips were painfully dry. She needed water, but Eva was afraid of stopping. She knew Asmund would have realized her missing, and he would most likely be looking for her by now.
Still not sure where she was going or what she was going to do Eva gave into temptation, and upon finding a thick enough branch that had taken home on the snow covered ground, Eva sat down for a moment. She was catching her breath. This proved more difficult than she thought it would. The cold air burned her lungs, it was painful to breath. Eva had begun to shake, and her knees knocked together. Her teeth chattered, and her fingers were stiff. Eva took a moment to look at her fingernails. They were dirty, caked in mud. The nail had been worn down to the nub, and her skin was rough around the edges. She snarled for a moment. She had always kept her nails neat, clean and white. Eva reached down and gathered snow, attempting to clean her nails.
For a moment Eva enjoyed the silence. There was no being around, the silence was comforting. The moon above her glistened, allowing for a sort of spot light. There was no chirping of birds, no scampering of tiny critter feet. The wind was all there was, and it was whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Eva closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Gripping the stump below her, she took in a deep breath, and ignored the sting in her lungs. It was refreshing, a sign that she was alive, she could still feel. She was dirty, alone, freezing and exhausted, but Eva was alive. For a moment, time stood still. All there was was Eva, her dirty, nubby nails, the moon and the sting in her lungs.
Eva tried to think of what everyone in Pearl Harbor would be doing at that moment. Are they mourning her? Do they even know she is gone? Of course they know. Eva had a lot on her mind. Did her friends cry? Do they have any idea she is missing? Was Cary Grant, really his name? Lost in thought was exactly how Eva was caught off guard, when two large arms gathered around her shoulders and pulled her up and into a hard chest. Eva screamed, and flung her body up, kicking into the air, grasping at the arms. She was not going with him again. She could not live with such barbarous people.
“Let me go Asmund!” She screamed loud, and her throat burned in protest, as the cold air shocked her nerves. Her cloak flew open, and her body was exposed to the frigid midnight air.
“Silence woman!” Eva’s eyes grew ten times in size. This was not Asmund. It was not Asmund who had his large, strong arms around her shoulders. It was not his warmth she felt at his back, and it certainly wasn’t his bulge she felt at the base of her spine. This realization only prodded Eva to scream louder. This man was a stranger. She put more emphasis on trying to wriggle from his grasp, kicking her thin legs into the air, digging her nubby nails into his hairy arm.
“Stop your moving now!” The rumble, Eva felt could have shaken the trees around them. It was loud, deep and rough. It was thick with brogue. She could feel him breathing behind her, heavy and slow. His heart, she thought she could hear through his chest.
“Put me down this instant!” She screamed, and clawed uselessly at his arms once more. She fell from his grasp, right into the snow, in a puddle of furs. She looked up, this man was by no means ugly in the least. He was handsome, tall and dark, cliché to say the least. His hair was bundled at the top of his head, and a trimmed beard covered his chin. Ripples of muscle cascaded down his chest like a waterfall. His arms were bulging in the most exquisite of ways. Eva swallowed hard.
He was looking down at her. His face was not blank, not at all like Asmunds. His lips were curved in an arrogant smirk. His arms were crossed over his chest. He wore similar clothing to Asmund. A sword of sorts was slung over one shoulder and Eva shivered as she glanced over its blade. She knew that if she looked into it she would see her reflection looking back at her.
“Get up.” He motioned his head towards her, and she staggered to her feet. As she stood, she could feel his eyes on her. It was a familiar feeling. It was a burning desire, staring right through her skin and into her very soul. When she was standing she watched as his eyes gazed over her now up right body. Her thin shape, her pale skin, and her wounded cheeks, were all open to his gaze. With this knowledge she quickly pulled her cloak tight around her body, and met his eyes with her own. They were caramel in color. Deep, like freshly churned caramel sauce.
“Wha’ tis your name? “ Eva’s eyes almost rolled in pleasure. His voice, it was like purr of a cat. Scratchy, deep and full of musk, it rumbled deep from his belly, and escaped to make her tremble.
“Eva” She spoke softly, but with confidence.
The man before her watched, his eyebrow rose in curiosity, that arrogant smirk still clung to his luscious lips. They were plump, and Eva watched with pleasure as his tongue snuck out to lick them.
“Eva” He repeated after her.
Eva could only nod. Her body had warmed up upon setting her eyes on this man. He was a flame in the cold. A heat when there was none to be found. She felt a need in her groin. Similar to but not quite the same as the need she felt deep in her soul, her very human essence, for Asmund. The man, Eva could tell, knew her thoughts. He was very confident in what little speech he had bestowed to her, and he stood tall and open, like a man who had nothing to fear, a young man who had not yet had a chance to feel the pain of loss.
“What is your name?” Eva stood forward, taking a step towards the man before her. She was now guessing he was some years younger than her.
“Tiernen” with that he grabbed at Eva’s cloak and pulled her close.
“Komdu út!” Four more men came from behind the trees. They had been there the whole time, so silent, so invisible Eva had no idea that she and Tiernen had not been alone.
Letting out a short scream Eva was pulled to Tiernen and back the way she had come, and towards the edge of the trees. She was being kidnapped. If this even counted as being kidnapped, she did run away. Eva could spot horses bundled together, and she was soon hoisted upon one and Tiernen behind her.
This was a very familiar situation, but Eva was less comfortable in this version. She felt very unsafe, not in the least bit warm, and she was hungry. This time she did not fall asleep against her captor’s chest, instead she looked around hopefully. She was desperate to find even the smallest glimpse of Asmund and the rest of the Thorirson clan. But none came, and she and the group of men she found herself with continued riding throughout the night.
These men were loud, and mocking. She could feel them laughing at her, at her situation. Tiernen grumbled behind her. Chuckling, they spoke in their language, and made lewd gestures in her direction. Eva kept her eyes ahead, and did her best to ignore them. She was afraid of where they were going, but she would be a fool to fight and try to run again. Not to mention they had come upon a camp site, an empty one with a fire going. It was their own camp, and she was pulled from the horse roughly, and tied to a nearby tree, away from the fire.
Eva had found herself in a worse situation than she was in before. Not only was she cold, but a warm fire was feet in front of her and she could not reach it. Her arms hurt from being stretched for so long, and the skin of her wrist was becoming raw. Her body was open for the men to gaze at, and she might as well have been naked. Tiernen had not taken a single look at her since they arrived at the camp. While his men could not take their eyes off of her it seemed, he simply ignored her and took his place by the fire.
“Ég vil koss” Eva heard one of the men say, and a large man stood from the fire. He in particular had been ogling her since they found her. He too was quite handsome, but he seemed ruthless and she had no intention of giving him whatever it is that he wanted, because he started over towards her, a sick smile on his lips.
“A kiss?” He lent down towards Eva, his lips puckered his hands on her hips, slowly making their way towards her chest, his face came closer and closer, and Eva did her best to avoid what was coming. He smelled horrible; he had obviously not bathed in maybe weeks. His lips ascended onto hers, and then they were there. Hot and heavy on her lips, moist and unpleasant. Eva groaned and pulled her head back, only to have it pulled forward again by his hands at her neck. She struggled against him, and was finally granted freedom as he pulled away.
Eva gasped for air as the men around her laughed heartily. A round of applause came from the fire and Eva caught Tiernen out of the corner of her eyes, staring at her. The smirk on his lips had vanished and he was now scowling. His hands gripping the cup in his hands, she could almost see the whites of his knuckles. Eva turned away, tears burned her eyes as they pooled at her lashes. She took in a deep breath, no longer able to enjoy the silence that the night had to offer. One single tear fell down her cheek as she looked off into the distance. Eva was now wishing she had stayed with those barbarous people.
Eva found herself constantly sniffling. She had adopted a horrid cough, each time it felt like the walls of her throat were rubbing together, raw. She could almost see her throat tissue turning an angry read, with each cough. She covered her mouth, looking behind her, over her shoulder constantly. She needed to be sure she wasn’t followed. Eva had wondered far, some time ago she had come upon the trees; she was pushing through broken branches, and tripping on the ones that had fallen. She had a few cuts across her cheek, and her lips were painfully dry. She needed water, but Eva was afraid of stopping. She knew Asmund would have realized her missing, and he would most likely be looking for her by now.
Still not sure where she was going or what she was going to do Eva gave into temptation, and upon finding a thick enough branch that had taken home on the snow covered ground, Eva sat down for a moment. She was catching her breath. This proved more difficult than she thought it would. The cold air burned her lungs, it was painful to breath. Eva had begun to shake, and her knees knocked together. Her teeth chattered, and her fingers were stiff. Eva took a moment to look at her fingernails. They were dirty, caked in mud. The nail had been worn down to the nub, and her skin was rough around the edges. She snarled for a moment. She had always kept her nails neat, clean and white. Eva reached down and gathered snow, attempting to clean her nails.
For a moment Eva enjoyed the silence. There was no being around, the silence was comforting. The moon above her glistened, allowing for a sort of spot light. There was no chirping of birds, no scampering of tiny critter feet. The wind was all there was, and it was whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Eva closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Gripping the stump below her, she took in a deep breath, and ignored the sting in her lungs. It was refreshing, a sign that she was alive, she could still feel. She was dirty, alone, freezing and exhausted, but Eva was alive. For a moment, time stood still. All there was was Eva, her dirty, nubby nails, the moon and the sting in her lungs.
Eva tried to think of what everyone in Pearl Harbor would be doing at that moment. Are they mourning her? Do they even know she is gone? Of course they know. Eva had a lot on her mind. Did her friends cry? Do they have any idea she is missing? Was Cary Grant, really his name? Lost in thought was exactly how Eva was caught off guard, when two large arms gathered around her shoulders and pulled her up and into a hard chest. Eva screamed, and flung her body up, kicking into the air, grasping at the arms. She was not going with him again. She could not live with such barbarous people.
“Let me go Asmund!” She screamed loud, and her throat burned in protest, as the cold air shocked her nerves. Her cloak flew open, and her body was exposed to the frigid midnight air.
“Silence woman!” Eva’s eyes grew ten times in size. This was not Asmund. It was not Asmund who had his large, strong arms around her shoulders. It was not his warmth she felt at his back, and it certainly wasn’t his bulge she felt at the base of her spine. This realization only prodded Eva to scream louder. This man was a stranger. She put more emphasis on trying to wriggle from his grasp, kicking her thin legs into the air, digging her nubby nails into his hairy arm.
“Stop your moving now!” The rumble, Eva felt could have shaken the trees around them. It was loud, deep and rough. It was thick with brogue. She could feel him breathing behind her, heavy and slow. His heart, she thought she could hear through his chest.
“Put me down this instant!” She screamed, and clawed uselessly at his arms once more. She fell from his grasp, right into the snow, in a puddle of furs. She looked up, this man was by no means ugly in the least. He was handsome, tall and dark, cliché to say the least. His hair was bundled at the top of his head, and a trimmed beard covered his chin. Ripples of muscle cascaded down his chest like a waterfall. His arms were bulging in the most exquisite of ways. Eva swallowed hard.
He was looking down at her. His face was not blank, not at all like Asmunds. His lips were curved in an arrogant smirk. His arms were crossed over his chest. He wore similar clothing to Asmund. A sword of sorts was slung over one shoulder and Eva shivered as she glanced over its blade. She knew that if she looked into it she would see her reflection looking back at her.
“Get up.” He motioned his head towards her, and she staggered to her feet. As she stood, she could feel his eyes on her. It was a familiar feeling. It was a burning desire, staring right through her skin and into her very soul. When she was standing she watched as his eyes gazed over her now up right body. Her thin shape, her pale skin, and her wounded cheeks, were all open to his gaze. With this knowledge she quickly pulled her cloak tight around her body, and met his eyes with her own. They were caramel in color. Deep, like freshly churned caramel sauce.
“Wha’ tis your name? “ Eva’s eyes almost rolled in pleasure. His voice, it was like purr of a cat. Scratchy, deep and full of musk, it rumbled deep from his belly, and escaped to make her tremble.
“Eva” She spoke softly, but with confidence.
The man before her watched, his eyebrow rose in curiosity, that arrogant smirk still clung to his luscious lips. They were plump, and Eva watched with pleasure as his tongue snuck out to lick them.
“Eva” He repeated after her.
Eva could only nod. Her body had warmed up upon setting her eyes on this man. He was a flame in the cold. A heat when there was none to be found. She felt a need in her groin. Similar to but not quite the same as the need she felt deep in her soul, her very human essence, for Asmund. The man, Eva could tell, knew her thoughts. He was very confident in what little speech he had bestowed to her, and he stood tall and open, like a man who had nothing to fear, a young man who had not yet had a chance to feel the pain of loss.
“What is your name?” Eva stood forward, taking a step towards the man before her. She was now guessing he was some years younger than her.
“Tiernen” with that he grabbed at Eva’s cloak and pulled her close.
“Komdu út!” Four more men came from behind the trees. They had been there the whole time, so silent, so invisible Eva had no idea that she and Tiernen had not been alone.
Letting out a short scream Eva was pulled to Tiernen and back the way she had come, and towards the edge of the trees. She was being kidnapped. If this even counted as being kidnapped, she did run away. Eva could spot horses bundled together, and she was soon hoisted upon one and Tiernen behind her.
This was a very familiar situation, but Eva was less comfortable in this version. She felt very unsafe, not in the least bit warm, and she was hungry. This time she did not fall asleep against her captor’s chest, instead she looked around hopefully. She was desperate to find even the smallest glimpse of Asmund and the rest of the Thorirson clan. But none came, and she and the group of men she found herself with continued riding throughout the night.
These men were loud, and mocking. She could feel them laughing at her, at her situation. Tiernen grumbled behind her. Chuckling, they spoke in their language, and made lewd gestures in her direction. Eva kept her eyes ahead, and did her best to ignore them. She was afraid of where they were going, but she would be a fool to fight and try to run again. Not to mention they had come upon a camp site, an empty one with a fire going. It was their own camp, and she was pulled from the horse roughly, and tied to a nearby tree, away from the fire.
Eva had found herself in a worse situation than she was in before. Not only was she cold, but a warm fire was feet in front of her and she could not reach it. Her arms hurt from being stretched for so long, and the skin of her wrist was becoming raw. Her body was open for the men to gaze at, and she might as well have been naked. Tiernen had not taken a single look at her since they arrived at the camp. While his men could not take their eyes off of her it seemed, he simply ignored her and took his place by the fire.
“Ég vil koss” Eva heard one of the men say, and a large man stood from the fire. He in particular had been ogling her since they found her. He too was quite handsome, but he seemed ruthless and she had no intention of giving him whatever it is that he wanted, because he started over towards her, a sick smile on his lips.
“A kiss?” He lent down towards Eva, his lips puckered his hands on her hips, slowly making their way towards her chest, his face came closer and closer, and Eva did her best to avoid what was coming. He smelled horrible; he had obviously not bathed in maybe weeks. His lips ascended onto hers, and then they were there. Hot and heavy on her lips, moist and unpleasant. Eva groaned and pulled her head back, only to have it pulled forward again by his hands at her neck. She struggled against him, and was finally granted freedom as he pulled away.
Eva gasped for air as the men around her laughed heartily. A round of applause came from the fire and Eva caught Tiernen out of the corner of her eyes, staring at her. The smirk on his lips had vanished and he was now scowling. His hands gripping the cup in his hands, she could almost see the whites of his knuckles. Eva turned away, tears burned her eyes as they pooled at her lashes. She took in a deep breath, no longer able to enjoy the silence that the night had to offer. One single tear fell down her cheek as she looked off into the distance. Eva was now wishing she had stayed with those barbarous people.
♠ ♠ ♠
I am so sorry this took so long! Life and classes caught up with me! I got sick for a while, and I've been trying to stay on track with school, which I am failing at terribly.But,
We have a new character!
Here he is! I will have him posted on the summary page soon. But, for my faithful readers, a sneak peak at Tiernen
Translations: "Komdu út!"= "Come Out!"
"Ég vil koss"= "I want a kiss"