Page 116 of The Viking’s Captive

Adam nodded and stood, noticing that Thorvald was doing the same, with the help of two servants, one of whom handed him his staff. If Adam wasn’t so worried about Tyra, he would be concerned about the king, who was not as strong as he believed.

Within seconds, the four of them stood before the emperor and empress, whose divans were on a dais elevated slightly from the rest of the room. Romanus and Theophano—both extremely handsome people—did not rise for them. Instead, they remained half reclining on their low sofas.

The four of them were dressed in their best finery … quality cloth, exquisite embroidery, amber jewelry, silver armlets … but they looked like paupers compared to these two, and most others at the court.

“Welcome to Byzantium, Thorvald. I believe you were a friend to my father.”

Thorvald nodded. “And to his son, as well.”

After Thorvald introduced the three of them, Romanus said, “I understand you had a miraculous operation performed on you of late.”

Here we go again with the miracle business,Adam thought.

“Yea, I did. A hole in the head.”

Oh, God, please, no hole-in-the-head jests.

“This is the physician who cut into my scalp and saved my life,” the king went on, waving a hand at Adam.

“Aaahh!” the emperor and empress both sighed, duly impressed, he supposed. Or bored.

“Would you care to tour my hospitiums on the morrow? I have five of them. Mayhap you can explain this head drilling to my healers,” Romanus suggested to Adam.

“I would be honored to do so … at another time. There is a more urgent matter on my mind … our minds … first.”

He could tell that the emperor was not pleased with his answer. Still, Romanus inquired, “And what would that urgent matter be?”

“My daughter,” the king said. “I must see my daughter Tyra.”

At the same time, Adam said, “My betrothed, Tyra.”

“Your betrothed?” the empress asked with surprise.

Equally surprised, the emperor turned to his wife. “She did not tell us she was betrothed, did she, Theo?”

“She does not know yet,” Adam admitted, feeling his face heat up with embarrassment.

Romanus and Theophano both smiled, while Thorvald, Tykir, and Bolthor chuckled on either side of him.

“Where is she?” Adam asked bluntly.

The emperor narrowed his eyes at him and replied with equal bluntness. “Serving with the Army of the East.”

Theophano put a hand on her husband’s sleeve, a crafty expression sweeping over her face. “Did I forget to tell you, husband? The Stoneheim soldiers are serving with the Varangian Guard under General Leo Phocas, but the warrior princess known as Tyra …” She shrugged, and said no more.

“What of Tyra?” Adam and Thorvald both prodded at the same time.

“Alas, she is missing,” Theophano explained.

A bull-like roar emerged from Thorvald’s chest, and Adam saw for the first time where the king had got his reputation as the Wolf of the North. In truth, Adam was as angry as the king over the empress’s seemingly indifferent attitude about Tyra’s fate.

The emperor was clearly shocked at his wife’s words, but not about to challenge her in such a public forum. He gave his wife a long look which made it clear that there were explanations to be made on her part later. For now, he stood behind her by proclaiming, “There you have it, then. My wife has told you … Tyra is somewhere in the East … missing.”

Adam and Thorvald exchanged worried glances then. Thorvald had warned him of the dangers of court intrigue. Now he was experiencing them firsthand. He would bet his bag of herbs that the empress knew more than she was saying.

The king’s face was red with suppressed fury and his hands were clenched into tight fists, but Thorvald, to his credit, spoke in an even tone when he addressed the emperor. “Romanus, I am the king of a small section of a small country, but I am ruler there, just as you are here. And my daughter Tyra is a princess in her own right, no matter how she may portray herself. You have not shown the proper respect for a daughter of Norway. And I can tell you this for a certainty. Not only do I take umbrage at your lack of concern, but my fellow kings of Vestland and all the Norse countries would join in my outrage if they learned of this. We protect our own.”

Romanus sat up on his divan, then stood abruptly. His Imperial Guard behind him drew their weapons, ready for any command. Romanus’s face was as red as Thorvald’s when he asked, “Do you threaten me, Viking?”