Page 88 of The Viking’s Captive

When he was done, Bjorn handed the sword to Adam and muttered under his breath, “I still think ye are demented. He will kill himself … that he will.”

Walking out of the smithy, Adam handed the sword to Alrek and said, “This is for you.”

“Me?” Alrek’s eyes went huge with wonderment. Alrek took the short sword by the hilt and almost tripped forward, not being prepared for its weight.

Adam winced at Alrek’s first near-accident with the weapon. He could just hear people telling him, “I told you so. I told you so.”

“Why?”

“It’s a gift.”

“No one ever gave me nuthin’, ‘ceptin’ the king, and that was a job.”

“Well, I am giving you something, but there is a price attached.”

Alrek was staring at his new sword adoringly. “Whatever you say.”

“You know that I am going away soon, and I am not … cannot take you with me.”

The boy immediately stiffened at that reminder. “I do not see why—”

Adam put up a halting hand. “You should be able to live as a boy, but God … the gods … have dealt you a different fate. That means you must continue to be the head of your family. Being the head of the family also means protecting those under your shield. That is why I’m giving you the sword. That is why I will practice with you as much as possible till it is time for me to leave. Having your very own weapon means being responsible, Alrek. You must learn to be more careful. A sword can be your friend or your foe. Make it your friend. Do you understand?”

Alrek nodded, but Adam wasn’t sure how much the youthling understood. Well, he would once Adam was done instructing him. Some people believed that they were helping children by keeping all dangerous objects out of their path, but he was of the opinion that people—even little people—must learn to deal with the dangers that surrounded them.

‘Twas as Rashid always said, “Do not stand in a place of danger and pray for miracles.” Well, Alrek kept looking to him for a miracle. Adam chose instead to provide Alrek with his own means to a miracle. But, bloody hell, he hoped the boy didn’t kill himself first.

By the time dusk rolled over the Norse mountains, Adam and Alrek were both feeling proud of the youthling’s accomplishments. He was not yet a skilled swordsman, but he had made progress. And the two of them had only a dozen or so nicks on their arms to show for the effort. Alrek promised to practice with him early the next morning and again in the late afternoon. Adam would speak to Rafn about tutoring the boy after he left.

It was the best he could do.

As they trudged back toward the keep and the sweat house where they planned to heat up their aching muscles, Alrek turned to him and said, “A man’s sword should have a name, should it not?”

“Absolutely.”

“I know what mine will be.”

“Now, Alrek, remember what I said about so many of your problems being the result of acting before thinking. Stop, think, act. That is to be your motto.”

“I do not need to think about this. The name of my sword shall be …”

Adam just knew he was not going to like this.

“… Miracle-Maker.”

Always keep a woman guessing …

From a distance, Tyra had been watching Adam and Alrek practicing swordplay at the far end of the exercise field. For three hours, Adam had worked patiently with the accident-prone youthling. He would have cuts up one arm and down the other to show for his efforts.

At first, when she’d heard that the healer had commissioned a small sword to be made for the boy, she’d been furious. Storming out of the smithy, she’d stomped over to the exercise fields and had been about to chastise the healer for interfering in the affairs of Stoneheim. Arming and training a Viking boy was her business, not his.

But Rafn had put a hand on her arm to hold her back. “Adam is doing the right thing. We cannot continue to overprotect Alrek. The boy must learn himself.”

“Even if he hurts himself?”

Rafn had nodded. “Even if he hurts himself.”

So Tyra had watched and marveled at the tolerant manner in which Adam instructed his pupil … over and over, teaching the same lesson. The Viking short sword was not made for the thrust-and-parry action of the longer, lighter Saxon sword. And so Adam and Alrek practiced the hacking, slicing motions with their swords against a tall tree stump.