The Eighth Lost Tale of Mercia: Canute the Viking Read Online Free

The Eighth Lost Tale of Mercia: Canute the Viking
Book: The Eighth Lost Tale of Mercia: Canute the Viking Read Online Free
Author: Jayden Woods
Tags: Historical fiction, Romance, Gay, Short-Story, pagan, Norse, Vikings, free, Viking, vinland, homoerotic, norse mythology, lost tales of mercia, canute, canute the great, eighth lost tale, jomsborg, jomsvikings, knut, knutr
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raven
in my life.”
    “What?”
    The surprise in Tosti’s voice stung. Canute
scowled at him. “From a very far distance, perhaps. But never close
by. It is as if they are always flying away from me.”
    Tosti was quiet a moment, then he chuckled
softly. Once he started chuckling, something seemed to release
within him, and he burst out laughing.
    Canute watched him with a curious expression.
“Do you find the gods amusing?”
    “Sure,” he said gleefully. “Don’t you?”
    The Viking prince considered a moment. “I
think the gods are very real. And I think they are no laughing
matter.”
    At last, Tosti stopped laughing. “So you’re
not Christian?”
    “I’m not sure yet. The Christian God seems
real to me, as well.” He looked up at the sky, its hues shifting to
red with the setting sun. “It seems to me that all the gods are
fighting now, and Jehova will be the victor.”
    Tosti’s face held a strange expression, torn
between grimness and the lingering urge to laugh. Canute turned to
face him, and stared at him long and hard.
    “The strongest god will be my God. It is as
simple as that.”
    The look on Tosti’s face changed again, this
time into something completely new. His eyes darted from one
section of Canute’s face to the next, restless, searching. He
leaned closer.
    Canute pushed himself from the tree and
stepped forward. Tosti glided back slightly, swaying in his usual
graceful way, dancing with a moment of hesitation. Then he grew
very still. Canute moved closer, holding Tosti’s eyes with his own.
Tosti breathed quickly, his chest rising and falling rapidly with
the strain, his thick lips parting. Canute reached out and put his
hand against Tosti’s chest, pressing until he felt the racing beat
of Tosti’s heart against his palm. Tosti trembled, and Canute
feared that he might flee. He slid his hand up, around Tosti’s
neck, and gripped it tightly.
    Then he pulled Tosti close and kissed
him.
    At first Tosti went completely still, his
body so stiff it seemed that all the water within him had frozen to
ice. But Canute only pulled him closer, gripping him until he
melted. Tosti’s arms folded around Canute, his braids tickling
Canute’s chest, his thigh sliding along Canute’s.
    Their hips locked, only for a moment; then
Tosti jumped away again.
    Canute felt dizzy, his breath gone as if
Tosti had taken it with him. His eyes swam, his hands searched, but
Tosti only drew further away.
    “Hey … hey!”
    Tosti turned and ran.
    “ Tosti! ”
    The young Jomsviking only ran faster.
    Canute fell back, his raw shoulder colliding
with the tree and knocking the breath back into his body. A tremor
wracked him, and he yelled with rage.
    He remained there a long while, and did not
move again until the sun had nearly fallen.
    *
    The next day, everyone treated him
strangely.
    At first, he thought he might be imagining
it. He felt different, first of all. When he woke up, he was
light on his feet, his frown lifted, his eyes bright. The memories
of his kiss with Tosti were fresh in his mind, and the taint of
Tosti’s sudden departure seemed to have vanished overnight. Tosti
had simply been overwhelmed and confused. If he had treated the
incident casually, it would have given the event less meaning. No:
his running away had been a good thing, and given them both a
chance to absorb what happened.
    He knew that Tosti enjoyed it as much as he
had. That had been clear enough when their hips brushed.
    But during the day meal, when he went to find
Tosti in the main hall, a strange thing occurred.
    Tosti ignored him.
    While Canute approached, Tosti sat with a
group of boys, laughing and snickering to one another. Canute
wondered what the joke might be, and hoped for once he might find
out and laugh along with them. But as soon as he stopped to take
his seat, everyone grew quiet, and no one moved over for him.
    Canute looked to Tosti for an answer, but
Tosti would not return his glance. In fact, no one would
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