Chapter 14

Both Finn's family and Rika's had established daily routines and now both had to deal with a change. Rika was no longer in her family's house and doing the chores she had done. Her mother and sister were prepared to pick up the slack, so to speak. Esther, on the other hand, had an additional person in her house, and Rika needed to be fitted into the routine. The younger woman was used to being busy and was eager to fit in, which Esther welcomed, although another person in the "kitchen" could cause some confusion. In addition, Rika was using crutches and had to be careful not to trip anyone. Luckily, much was done outside.

Niklaus, Kol and Rebekah found it fun to have the new person with them. They liked her and made her feel welcome. They also told her stories about their home. Some of this she knew and some she did not. She patiently listened and joked with them. The boy she knew least was Niklaus, who tended to be quiet, but observant. Like most in the village, she knew Mikael was often harsh with this boy.

It was also interesting for her to know she was living under the same roof as Celesta, the person suspected of trying to hurt her. Due to the fact that Celesta could do magic, it was not an even contest and Rika was wary. Although she knew Finn's father didn't want werewolf traits in his family, she was secretly wary of the fact that his family contained a witch. Was that a trait that was handed down? Was little Rebekah a future witch? Would any girl children of Finn's be potential witches? She just didn't know and she didn't ask Esther.

Finn had chores of his own and he was not surprised when his new wife excused herself to go to her parent's home to see if her father needed any help. In truth, Jan had enough help from the rest of his family, but Rika was a dutiful daughter. Her sister was the one who took over some of her chores and didn't complain about it.

Coming back from their house, one of Rika's wooden crutches snapped and she fell to the ground. Finn happened to be close and to see this and he hurried to her and helped her up. While she leaned on him, he studied the break in the wood. There was a possible weak spot, so he could not automatically blame Celesta. Looking around, he did see her, but she was busy some distance away.

"Are you alright?" he asked Rika, who was looking at the broken piece of wood.

"I'm fine. I just seem to be having a run of bad luck. Except for marrying the man I love," she said. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, but he held her closer and planted a proper and long-lasting kiss on her lips.

"I have to go with the wood crew today," he said when he came up for air.

"I know. Be careful out there, my husband."

He helped her to his own house and then took the broken crutch to her uncle, who said he would carve a new one. The village used a lot of wood for cooking and some for heating, so from time to time a group would go into the forest to chop down trees. Little by little over the years, the forest had moved farther from the village, although there were young trees replacing the ones chopped down. The men had axes and saws to work with. These were prized tools and cared-for, since there was no new source of iron and steel.

Nothing else happened for several days and Finn was hopeful that Celesta had come to accept the marriage and would not interfere in any way. He was very happy to be married to this wonderful young lady Rika. His heart sometimes felt it would burst with his emotions. He thought he could feel joy just watching her go about her business, or upon hearing her laughter. And to hold her in his arms or to make love to her was a blessing from the gods. He wondered if they were making a child. How wonderful that would be!

At one point during the day, Rika went with one of her brothers, Ragnar, who was going fishing in the river. They hoped to bring fish for both families. When she spotted a family of raccoons along the opposite bank of the river, she laughed at the antics of the small ones. When they moved eastward, she followed on the south bank.

At least two hours passed before anyone realized that she was missing. When Ragnar returned to the village with a string of fish, he went to Esther's house to give her some. He also expected to find his sister there. She was not. When he went to his own home, she was not there either. A quick check showed that she was not visiting in any other house. In fact, no one had seen her for some time. Finn knew she had gone with Ragnar and he had not worried about her. Now, he was very worried.

"She stayed with me a while and then left. She was watching some raccoons, but I assumed she then came home," the brother explained.

He went to the meadow and talked to the boys watching the animals, but none of them had seen her. He even went to Celesta and confronted her as she sat with her mother sewing some clothing.

"Where is my wife?" he demanded.

"How should I know?" the girl said with a snort. "I don't keep track of her."

Bennett's Wife was not pleased with Finn's suggestion of wrong-doing. "Celesta has been right here with me," the woman said firmly. She knew people were looking for Rika.

"Can either of you sense her?" Finn asked somewhat desperately.

"I sense nothing wrong, Finn," the mother said. "Go ask your mother."

He sought Esther who told him she was about to try to contact Rika or somehow feel where she was. There was always the possibility that the girl had fallen again and had been knocked unconscious. Since she had been by the river, there was now fear that she had slipped and fallen into the water and had been swept over the falls and downstream.

Finn didn't wait for his mother to cast a spell. He joined men who were making their way down the river, looking for the girl, or at worst, her body. He took the dog with him, but Thor was good at guarding, not tracking with his nose.

Ragnar was with the large group that went searching down the river. He was the last to have spoken to his sister. He explained again and again that they had seen a family of raccoons heading east along the opposite bank, and Rika had decided to watch them by moving east along the close bank. She was reasonably agile with the crutches and could move around trees, rocks and bushes. The brother had not worried about her and had not watched to see just where she went, but he said again that he assumed she had gone home after a few minutes. He felt terribly guilty, although her disappearance was not his fault.

Finn knew she had not fallen into the cave again. Men had erected a low wall of stone around the opening and had laid wood over it. The cover could be removed and the ladder put down if anyone wanted to use the hole as an easy entrance.

There was also the possibility that a group of native people had come along on the north side of the river, had seen her and had captured her. When the Norse settlers had first come to establish the colony, there had been a few rough times with the natives. Both sides were accustomed to taking a few prisoners and making slaves of them. This did not work out well under these circumstances and the practice stopped. Still, it was possible that Rika had been taken.

Esther and Ayanna, Bennett's Wife, together prepared to see if they could sense the girl's presence somewhere and maybe even locate her. Quite a group of people gathered outside the long house to watch and listen in silence. Rika's family was there, of course, for they feared for her safety. The one person who refused to participate was Celesta, even though her sister Grace joined with her mother. Celesta stayed inside the house and looked after her younger siblings.

Finn's younger siblings were outside watching. They had not seen such a large gathering for spell-casting. They could see the worry and fear in people's eyes. Niklaus, Kol and Rebekah all loved Rika and they wondered where she had gone. Niklaus, especially, worried that something bad had befallen her.

The result of the witches' efforts was that Esther, Ayanna Bennett and Grace Bennett came to the conclusion that Rika was alive. She was fearful. Somewhere to the east of the settlement. She was not alone. The witches sensed that she was with a young man. Was he one of the natives? The only other possibility was that she was with someone from the settlement.

"Nels," Grace whispered.

"Why would you say that?" Surprised, Esther asked the young woman.

"He has feelings for Rika. Just as Celesta has feelings for Finn."

"How do you know that?" Ayanna asked her daughter in a hushed voice.

"His sister Dagna told me. Nels is too shy to ever tell Rika."

"It can't be Nels she is with. He went with the group to the ships," Esther said.

"He left with them, as did Jan. Jan came back because of his injury," Ayanna said. "Perhaps Nels changed his mind and turned back. He could have come upon Rika by the river. He would not have known she had married Finn already."

"I wish Finn would return. I want him to know that she is alive," Esther said.

The witches told the gathering this news, but they did not name Nels. However, one person had overheard the young man's name and soon everyone whispered that he might be involved in the situation. Nels' family did not believe he had anything to do with Rika, and besides, he was way over by the coast and the ships.

When Esther returned inside the house with the items used in the spell, Niklaus asked,

"Mother, is it true? Is that man Nels with Rika?"

"I don't know, son. I really don't."

A/N A new twist in the story. Just what has happened to Rika? Thanks for reading, guys!