Betrayed Read Online Free

adventure of ocean exploration. Their duty to the Templar Order had taken them to the coasts of Africa and Asia Minor. But those voyages paled in comparison to the miraculous crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Together, they had followed the ancient maps of Prince Henry’s Viking ancestors to the land the Nordic explorers called Vinland. It had been almost four hundred years since the last European had set foot on these distant lands! Vinland was indeed beautiful and seemingly endless. But as the Viking sagas foretold, it was a land already claimed.
    â€œAre they stained red like those at our last landing?”
    Prince Henry shook his head. “No red stain this time. They are all dark-skinned.”
    â€œPraise the Lord,” Antonio replied. “We might not need the cannon this time.”
    Prince Henry smiled. “Let’s hope not.” He nodded. “This reception seems quite different. No sign of weapons. The people actually seem to be enthusiastic to see us, not nervous or angry.”
    â€œEnthusiastic to have us for dinner, perhaps?” Antonio quipped.
    Prince Henry’s eyes narrowed. “Prepare a skiff for launch.”
    Antonio squinted at the people lining the shore. “I’ve always trusted your amazing eyesight, Henry. If you think they’re going to throw us a welcoming party, then I believe you. But do you think it prudent of me to still prepare the cannon? Just in case?”
    Prince Henry’s blue eyes sparkled in the morning light as he lifted a battle-tested helmet and placed it over this thick mat of yellow hair. “Fools only hope for the best without preparing for the worst. Aye, Antonio. Prepare the cannon.”
    He stood in the bow of the landing craft as a half-dozen of his most trusted knights paddled for shore. The men were dressed in full battle gear, their metal breastplates, helmets and swords glistening in the bright spring sunshine. As they neared shore, the men raised their paddles, and the boat skidded up onto the pebbly shoreline.
    Prince Henry stepped over the rail of the boat and onto the shore facing the leather-clad crowd. Almost a hundred people approached and surrounded their tiny craft.
    A gasp rippled though the native population as they noticed Prince Henry’s eyes. They were as blue as a clear winter sky. What could that mean, they wondered? Such eyes had never been seen before. Surely he was not of this world.
    The rest of the crew jumped off the boat and fell into a v-shaped position on either side of their leader, one hand resting on the handle of their swords. Prince Henry stepped forward and addressed the gathering in Gaelic. “My name is Prince Henry Sinclair. I come to you in peace.”
    The crowd looked at each other, then back to the strange visitors. A voice from the back of the crowd spoke up. Prince Henry did not recognize the unusual tongue, but it had an effect on the crowd, for the wall of people parted and allowed a young man with long, black, braided hair to step forward, seemingly out of breath. Prince Henry assessed the wiry young man. His lean, muscular shoulders were well-defined, and he moved with a natural agility. Likemost of the men of the gathering, he was wearing only a simple loincloth and leather shoes.
    His dark, calm eyes examined Prince Henry as he caught his breath. The prince looked to his men, and not sensing any danger, simply shrugged and waited to see what would happen next. The young man reached toward Prince Henry’s head with his hands and touched the helmet. Then, with surprising quickness, he lifted the helmet right off the prince’s head! The move surprised the soldiers beside the prince, and they began to draw their swords.
    Prince Henry raised his hand, ordering them to stand down. The crowd rippled in apprehension as the raised helmet released the prince’s golden locks. Even Na’gu’set stepped back in surprise.
    â€œGlooscap was not to have hair as golden