Page 89 of Alien Viking's Plunder

She grinned. “You’re hoping for a really good wedding night with lots of language learning.”

“You got it,” he said and cupped her breast. “That’s what I’m hoping for. Let’s cook and eat.”

After the delicious meal they took off their clothes and went into the big sauna, which just needed some water sprinkled on its glowing rocks to get really hot and misty in a matter of seconds.

Josie laid down against Bragr, a thick towel under her. “This is so niiiceee!”

“It has a certain appeal,” the Viking agreed, leaning back and relaxing.

She stretched, letting her body relax completely. “You could fit a squad of warriors in here.”

“You could. I’ve done it several times.”

“There’s no snow outside, though. How will we cool down?”

“A dip in the ocean usually works just as well as snow.”

“That figures. I notice there’s an ocean just outside.Soconvenient. It has waves and everything.” Josie was so relaxed she didn’t care that she wasn’t making sense.

“Oh, you noticed that? Good, then it won’t be a surprise when I throw you in.”

Josie half-turned her head. “What?”

“My love, the bastu is a place where things can be talked about that are not talked about outside it. One of the things we warriors often talk about in here is what we saw when we got our Marks in the Ice Caves. While we’re being burned, we’re also shown things about ourselves and about the future. For instance, when I got the Marks, I saw Gudruna’s face. She was smiling at me and saying that she would always help me. It was weird — I’d never seen a picture of her and, yet I knew it was her. I also saw myself fighting strange, dead enemies. This was long before Gornt made skrymtir.”

“Like an oracle,” Josie drawled, relaxed.

“I say this only because we are told about it before the Trials. We often hear the tales of older Warriors. And after the Trials, when we have our Marks, we often want to talk about the things we saw. It can be good to tell others about those things and think about what they may mean. The warrior herself or himself decides what to share. Some share a lot, some share only a little. And whatever is shared, we never mention it outside the bastu.”

Josie tensed up. Should she tell him, even though she wasn’t sure? Well, shewasmarried to him. It wasn’t like he could get away from it.

She took a deep breath. “There is one thing I want to tell you. I was burning in the Ice Caves. I could smell my flesh burning. Gornt was laughing and Aretha was screaming. And I was two. Not one. Not just Josie. There was another, too. One that I wanted to protect.”

“You mean…” Bragr’s voice failed, and he squeezed her hand.

“There are no other signs,” she hurried to say. “It could all be wrong. But it also might be right.”

“That you… that we…”

“That I’mpregnant, as we call it on Earth.With child, as you say it here.”

“And of course that child…” Bragr’s voice trembled.

“Is yours, yes.” She managed a dry laugh. “Believe me, Chief. There’s no other possibility.”

She was actually pretty sure it was real, despite the lack of other signs. That feeling in the Ice Caves had not been vague. Therehadbeen someone else there with her. Someone fragile.

Bragr lifted her closer to him and embraced her, hard. “That makes me happy, my love. I never dreamed the Ice Caves could have something good about them. And certainly not something as good as this! You’re with child! Withmychild! Withourchild, Josie my love!”

Josie laughed through sudden tears, relieved he was taking it so well. She clung to his hand. “Our child.”

“But… my love, is it good for the child to be in the bastu? Won’t you be hot?”

“I was going to say it,” Josie admitted. “I think it’s safer not to do it. At least not for long. And I’m getting hot right now.”

Bragr bounced to his feet and scooped her up into his arms, then marched naked through the hut, out into the cool air, onto the rocks, and then down to a small beach, going straight into the water. “I was going to throw you in, but now I will be much more careful.”

He stood on the bottom and dipped Josie into the sea.

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