Viking Africa

Marie Lawrence

Description

Adrenaline is not for the faint of heart in this forbidden romance action-adventure. Viking Africa is a time of two cultures colliding between greed and violence vs. peace. Klaus, a conflicted Viking soldier, must discover his own path away from his brother, a brutal leader who only trusts his brother. An act of betrayal for Klaus would mean death.
When the time comes and Klaus has to face his truth, his soul has been captured by a woman of royalty he has never known, a woman that is considered the enemy. The decision of ultimate betrayal is made upon a sacrifice to try and save the woman of his heart and her nation of Horizon.

Sujets

• Science Fiction
• África
• Africa
• Fiction
• Viking

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris US
• Date de parution: 30 novembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669837268
• Langue: English

Extrait

Viking Africa
 
 
 
 
 
 
Marie Lawrence
 
Copyright © 2022 by Marie Lawrence.
 
Library of Congress Control Number:
2022922196
ISBN:
Softcover
978-1-6698-3727-5

eBook
978-1-6698-3726-8

 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Cover Art by Elizabeth Fowler.
 
 
Rev. date: 11/29/2022
 
 
 
Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com
843387
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Book Two
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Book Three
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty- Five
Chapter Twenty- Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty- Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty- One
Chapter Thirty- Two
Chapter Thirty- Three
 
 
 
With heartfelt appreciation I would like to dedicate this book to my daughter Braven. You have always been my support and believer in me with everything I do.
 
I’d like to thank a special friend for years, Lee Marc Burg who believed in the success of this book and offered his support. You rock and Sheereen my fr iend!
CHAPTER ONE
NIGHTFALL CAME and the town was beginning to settle. A father with his young boys sat meditatively upon the once ferocious grizzly that had met its match and became floor covering to its victor. The rug was hardened from the dirt they had tracked in from their usual venture. They sat close to the fire that burned hot inside their modest home to ease the chill in their tired bones. This was the night for the great, fierce Lordon to tell his sons once again the legend of what would come to pass.
He sat sternly, upright, and collected his words with care: “The land is filled with many treasures no man of our kind has ever seen. There is gold that glitters as bright as the sun and stones that sparkle like the stars.” His dark gray crystalline eyes beamed with calculating intensity and he spoke his words with conviction. “Your destiny, in time, will be to conquer every man that stands in the way of you staking this claim. Conquer them all with the pride of a Norseman, as the greatest of Vikings to ever live. Learn the ways from me. It is your right to fulfill this destiny with a mighty sword that bares no mercy for your opponents. Strike your enemy with power and might and you will never be left wanting for anything or anyone.”
Lector, the oldest of Lordon’s two sons by eight years, was always captivated by his father’s words and knew someday that he would be the next to lead the Vikings in his region. His father had drilled this into him from the moment of his birth. Legend had it that he would lead the Vikings to conquer the English, a success that meant everything to Lordon because he himself had failed. Lordon had suffered the defeat with great despair. He did not realize that he and his men had gained ground during their battles and that they had posed a bigger threat than the biggest armies the English had ever fought. They had been nearly victorious. Later, Lordon realized that however misguided, true power was in wealth.
At fifteen years, old Lector was consumed by thoughts of gold and power. Making his father proud was his underlying intent. More than pride was his fear of failing the man. “Father, tell me again where is this land of treasure and gold?” Lordon smiled at his son’s faithful interest. “It is far away where only one man has dared to sail or even thought to journey. It is deep into the continent of foreign waters, where the people are not of our color or any color that you have seen. Their skins are dark and captivating to the eyes, but do not be fooled by this beauty because they are deceiving in their ways. They are punished by the great god Thor who will relinquish them of their treasures and give it to those who are more deserving.”
The father could see that Klaus was completely distant to his words. He was looking at his father only out of respect, or perhaps fear, but Lordon could see in the little boys eyes that his interests were miles away. This was not because he was too young to understand his father’s cause, but because he was different. The young boy did not see the significance of these stories nor did he desire to. Klaus was more interested in the unseen entity that was lurking in the shadows around the corner of the room.
Only Klaus realized its presence and knew to keep it a secret. Unlike his brother who would hang on every word his father spoke, Klaus possessed what neither of the other two had, a conscience. His father knew that someday, this would be the cause of his young son’s demise.
The father scrutinized his son silently and continued, “Lector you are like me. You will take my place as my eldest son someday. It will be the responsibility of you to look after your little brother since he is more of his mother’s child.” He emphasized “child” with discontent as he glared at Klaus. Lector rose to his feet as he took hold of the sword that lay beside his father’s leg. Unsuspecting of the continuing gaze that Lordon was giving to his six-year-old brother, he had more important matters to deliver. “Death to all that stand in my way, victory is mine from the mighty hand of Thor now and forever!” The proud father smiled to himself, and thought, ‘I taught him well.’
The mother listened intently to what she overheard, as she remained hidden out of sight around the corner. She was not permitted to be in the presence of Lordon during his manly discussions. Her husband always instructed her that it was not a woman’s place. She was saddened for her son Klaus. She knew that somehow, he would need to be spared from all of this and soon.
It had been ten long difficult years with her husband. Ghrette had forgotten their days of courting. Those wonderful days of Lordon’s undetectable master manipulation were now over, and so was the happiness. She remembered when he would pay his respects to her parents to gain permission to see her. His eyes were not hard and vindictive then, but after years of battling and beer, the gentleness was replaced by a seductive fury that was no longer capable of gaining respect so much as taking it at will from whomever he chose.
Ghrette was no longer was his idol. His idols now were Thor and Odin, and he only served the heathen Gods that he claimed were the source of his strength. He swore to pass his beliefs down to his sons and Ghrette had no alternative but to sit back and watch her dreams of love and happiness fade into the darkness of one man’s thirst for acquisition. It must not happen to Klaus. She had to prove to the world and to herself that she was not a complete failure. She had to make right all her wrong decisions through one little boy, and she would die trying. The thought of abandoning one of her sons was heart wrenching, but Ghrette knew he was beyond hope. Lordon had seen to that. Besides, it would be difficult enough to provide for one child alone, let alone two. This was the only logical choice. This was the only hope.
Lordon had drunk himself into his usual unconsciousness. The sedation was the only way for him to relax and for Ghrette to execute her plan. The boys were sleeping in their bunks. Ghrette lay beside her husband and looked around the room. This was such a familiar place; one that provided shelter, one in which she gave birth to both boys. But most of all, this was a place of unexpected terror. She carefully observed them still in their dreams and knew that now was the time to do what she had to do. Her racing heart beat rampantly as she began to lift the weighted arm that was sprawled heavily across her chest as he lay on his stomach, his typical position after he’d filled his pleasure. Lordon stayed still.
Ghrette knew what a terrible temper he had if he was awakened unexpectedly. She slowly slid her frail body out from underneath his clutches and onto the edge of the bed. Relieved for a moment that he did not awaken, she began to rise. Then she heard the disturbing grunts her husband usually made before he awoke to go relieve himself of his ale. She panicked. ‘NOT NOW,’ she screamed in her head. Ghrette could not afford for him to become suspicious, nor could she afford another blow to her head. No, not tonight. Tonight, she needed to think clearly. The helpless little woman sat upright, frozen quietly on the edge of the bed. She closed her eyes, giving desperate thought to some form of higher God other than Thor. All she knew was Thor, but she resented him, and hoped in that moment there was somet