Bothvar Beorcolsson
After the meetings, I’m grabbed by Solmund, Griotgard, and Skardi. They pull me away as soon as they can. A bowl of shrooms is shoved in my hand along with a mug of mead to wash them down.
“Now, you better eat up. You’re behind and you have to catch up,” Griotgard declares, his hands at his belt with his unkempt beard sticking out in every direction. It’s strange seeing him with a beard. I still remember him as my older brother’s best friend and Solmund as mine, along with Skardi. Skardi has always just been Skardi. Always sailing in a ship of his own wind.
I eat the shrooms as fast as I can and wash the shit-tasting mushrooms down with the sweet mead. Then I’m pulled by the fur on my cloak. My three friends drag me over to where a bunch of other women from the Valkyrie tribe are gathered.
“See!” Griotgard says. “I told you I knew Bothvar. We go way back.”
The young Valkyrie women giggle amongst themselves. One with a head held high steps up. Her beautiful, flowing, golden hair seems to shine in the setting sunlight. “So, you do know the Bone Breaker, a Friend of the Yeti.”
She turns her eyes towards me. Those bright blue eyes. Just like Arngunn’s. How could I forget that endless ocean? I can’t. They’re the only sea I want to swim in. The woman sizes me up, her sapphire eyes travel up and down my body. “You don’t look so tough. I saw you come back with Amalasontha. The sisters that battled that day all speak of your deeds. The way you fought the Bone Breakers with such utter ferocity. And your kindness to the yeti. I would not believe a man is capable of such things if I did not hear it from my sisters’ lips themselves.”
“It is all true, trust me,” Griotgard says, walking up to the Valkyrie. He wraps his arm around her. “I fought alongside him against the most ferocious beasts of the night. They had antlers on their heads and venom dripping from their dagger-sharp teeth. It was an endless sea of them attacking. Not to mention the invasion of the Jotnar. If it weren’t for Bothvar, we’d all be dead.”
She shrugs his arm off and grabs the mug of mead out of his hand, drowning it in one swig. “I may not have been there, but I am no newborn. I’d like to see for myself if the rumors are true. Bothvar Beorcolsson, I challenge you to a duel to first blood!”
I sigh. “Do we have to fight? I still have to spar with my niece, and she’s getting good enough to leave welts. Do you have any idea how hard that girl can hit?”
The maiden’s all laugh. “He must not be the same Bothvar the War Chieftess mentions. He can’t even defend himself against a child.”
“If that child was trained by Bothvar, I wouldn’t be surprised if she teaches you all a thing or two about humility,” an all too familiar voice says. The women all stiffen and clamp their fists to their chests in respect. I turn to find Amalasontha standing behind me. I am shocked I didn’t hear her. She nods as we meet eyes. “It seems you have taken my advice to heart.”
I remember what she told me. The path of pain and suffering. I’ve tried to alter my course. To find a better purpose in life. And here I am, drinking and eating shrooms instead of doing what I promised. “I try to, but it is hard.”
She laughs. “You don’t know the half of it, young Beorcolsson. It’ll be the hardest thing you ever do. As you can see, my own warriors do not understand it. I have my work cut out for me to teach it to them.”
“Teach what, mother?” the same woman who challenged me asks.
“Do not worry, my child. You have much to learn before you can handle that lesson. Much,” she says, with a half-hearted smile. “Now come, children. The friends of Bothvar only want one thing from you, and it isn’t to test your ability to fight.”
“Take care of yourself tonight, Bothvar, and try not to let others lead you astray,” she says as she eyes my friends before she turns away and leads her warriors away. I hear her whisper under her breath. “Young ones, never thinking with their head.”
“Oh, for the love of the gods,” Griotgard complains. “Don’t leave!”
“Bothvar, you, my friend, have quite the reputation,” Solmund says as he clasps a hand on my shoulder. “I’m proud to be your friend, and I hope to share in your glory.”
“I doubt it is about glory, Solmund,” Skardi says as he eyes me. “I think it is about much more than that, but what do I know?”
“You are not wrong, my friend,” I say to Skardi, clapping his shoulder. “It is about duty and service to our people. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“Let us go drink with the Builders. If I remember correctly, they had some fine women,” Griotgard says.
I laugh and pat him on the back. “You all go ahead. I’ll meet back up with you. I have a promise to fulfill.”
They all nod. Griotgard grabs his empty mug. “Don’t take too long or you’ll miss out.”
“I hope they have that herb we smoked the one time,” Skardi says as the three of them walk off. I head back to the camp to find a little girl who will always have my vow of service. When I meet Thorkel again, I will tell him with pride that his daughter carries on his honor along with our pride.
I stop dead in my tracks as I see what stands at the edge of the woods. My breath catches in my throat. My hands tremble and my heart stands still. Longhorn, White-Hair, and Short-Snubs stand watching me with dead eyes. They just stand there staring at me. “I’m sorry! I should’ve been there. I…”
“Who are you talking to?” I turn around to see my sister with Thora.
“You’re late! After the meeting, you promised to spar with me. You gave your word!” the little girl says with her arms folded against her chest as she glares at me. I turn back to the woods to find nothing. I blink and rub my eyes. It must be those mushrooms they gave me. I shake my head and blink once more. Nothing’s there.
“What are you staring at, brother?” Svala asks as she rubs her chin, looking at the woods.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“So? Are you going to explain why you broke your promise?” Thora asks, tapping her foot.
“I did not break my promise. I told you I would spar with you after the meeting. I did not specify what time after the meeting I’d spar with you. And here I am, as promised,” I say with a smile.
She glares at me. “I suppose you’re right. Only by a technicality.”
“Why is a youngling telling me about what is right and wrong?” I ask no one in particular.
“Someone has to,” Svala says with a grin. My eyes narrow.
“I’m not a youngling. I’m just as old as you were when you trained with father and grandfather. You can’t deny it. Svala and grandfather told me all the tales of you and father’s youth,” she says with a glare.
“So, they have. Well then, shall we get to it?” I ask.
“I want in too. You always leave me out,” Svala says.
“Very well. Get three practice swords and shields. You two will test your skills against me,” I say.
The two scurry off before coming back with practice swords and shields, followed by Thormar and Bodvar. Both with their own practice swords and shields. Bodvar points his at me. “We want to practice with you too! Don’t you dare tell us we can’t!”
I sigh. “Very well. You’ll face me two at a time.”
I’m handed a practice sword and shield. As Thora pushes Bodvar and Thormar out of the way. “We’re first!”
“Seriously?” Bodvar asks. “What’s the point? You’re a girl. You might as well just step aside and let the men train.”
Thora turns around and attacks Bodvar with such speed and ferocity. He’s forced to give ground and back up. “Say it again! Tell me I’m not worthy. Say to me that training me is pointless. I dare you!”
“I was just saying…” He starts, but she roars in defiance and barrages him a volley of strikes, kicks, shield bashes, and screams. For the first time, I see fear in Bodvar’s eyes as he backs peddles, desperately trying to perry and block Thora’s attacks. He trips and she pounces. Whacking him without mercy with her practice sword. Thank the gods it’s not a real one.
“That’s enough!” I shout, yanking her off him.
Bodvar leaps to his feet with wild eyes. “You demon child! I’ll make you…”
“You’ll do nothing!” I snap at him. “You earned that with your stupid words. Now take your shame like a man and step aside. She’s earned the right to train just as you have.”
He huffs but ultimately yields. I must admit, I am just as shocked as the rest. I don’t think I’d ever see the day Bodvar the fearless would be beaten at his own game, but Thora is a different beast indeed. She’s just so full of anger and rage, and I can’t really blame her. A girl without a mother and father, forced to grow up at such a young age. Her childhood was stolen from her by fate. She should play with the other children, but instead all she wants is to practice and grow strong. She’s taking the same path of vengeance upon those who have taken her life from her. The same path I once sought. The path that took what was most dear to me. I can’t blame her. I just hope I can show her a different path. The one I now take. A path of service and duty to our people. That is how she will earn the honor and pride of her father, for that is why he gave his life.
Svala smiles. “You know what, Thora. Let’s let the boys show us how it is done. Let’s let them teach us how to properly fight.”
“But Bothvi promised to spar with us, not them!” Thora wines.
“I know, but trust me. It’ll be best for us to let them try first,” Svala says with a grin. There is something about the way she smiles that makes me feel a bit uneasy. She’s always up to something. The girl has the mind of our mother and father. A dangerous combination.
“Fine… But they better not take too long. I want plenty of time to test out what we practiced,” she says, tossing her shield and practice sword to the ground and folding her arms against her chest.
“Finally, someone sees reason,” Bodvar says as he and Thormar step up. Thormar is a little wearier than our younger brother.
They ready their stances and I wave them on. They both charge at me, swinging wildly. Nearly fighting each other as much as they are fighting me. I dodge and duck at Bodvar’s manic strikes while Thormar is just as busy avoiding the wild swings. He pushes Bodvar aside to strike at me with little effect. Bodvar growls and cuts Thormar off while he attempts to stab at me. My wooden blade deflects it like a still branch.
Thormar heaves his shoulder into Bodvar and swipes at my side to only meet my shield. I let this go on a little longer in amusement before I end it as I get in between them and watch them charge at me, only to step out of the way, letting them collide into each other to fall on their arses.
Both Svala and Thora burst into laughter. Thora falls and rolls on the ground, laughing so hard. Svala leans over to rest her hands on her knees to catch her breath. “See Thora? I told you it would be best to let them go first.”
Bodvar tosses his shield and sword down as he pushes Thormar. “This is your fault.”
Thormar kicks Bodvar’s leg, tripping him. “My fault? How is it my fault?”
Bodvar shoots at Thormar’s ankles, tripping him. “You were getting in my way!”
“You were swinging your wood like a drunken scoundrel! You lost the fight before Bothvar even had to swing his blade,” Thormar says as he throws several punches at Bodvar.
“Okay, that’s enough, you two,” I say as I grab both of them and toss them in separate directions. “You’re both to blame for your loss. You were defeated because you fought each other more than you fought me. I didn’t even have to swing my sword. You two did the fighting for me.”
“It’s our turn now!” Thora says, grabbing her own practice blade and shield. The fire in her eyes makes me hesitate. That and the grin Svala wears. It’s a confident one.
The two girls step up in front of me with their shields up and swords ready. I stretch my neck back and forth, cracking out the dust in my bones, and nod. Thora and Svala charge at me in a fury of strikes and feigns. One fakes a swing only for the other to strike where my shield is not. I have to exert myself to perry with my blade. The two have been spending a lot of time practicing together. They fight as one. Svala swings at my throat while Thora attacks my legs. I barely avoid the blows as I leap over Thora’s sword and block Svala’s with my shield.
Sweat breaks out on my brow as a barrage of strikes and misdirects keeps me on my heels, moving as fast as I can to block and perry their attacks. They move as separate arms to the same body. Attacking where the other is not. When did they get so skilled?
In time they could surpass even me. Despite that, I see their weakness. They all attack without defense and there’s a pattern to their attacks. I let them continue their barrage of strikes, laying my trap as I let them get close. A smile turns upon my lips as they walk right into it. Thora swings at my feet as Svala once again goes for my head. I step on Thora’s wooden blade and duck under Svala’s swing, sending her flying over my shield. Thora releases her sword and darts back. Smart girl. I go to attack and…
I stop dead in my tracks as I see her. She stands behind Thora, staring at me with dead eyes. Tonna watches me with that face of sorrow. Tears of blood run like rivers down her face. Her neck remains ripped open from the teeth of those wretched Bone Eaters. She just stares at me.
A loud crack echoes out as a sharp pain erupts across my back. A rage blinds me as I seek to undo the past. I whip around and attack. Losing myself in my hunger for blood. I see the eyes of every Bone Eater my blades have fed upon. I feel their neck in my hand as I ready my blade to drink their blood once more.
“Bothvar!” My name tears through the blood-red rage. I blink and look down to see my hand wrapped around Svala’s neck. Tears streaming down her eyes. My eyes go wide in horror as I pull myself off of her. What have I done? I look around at Thora, Bodvar, and Thormar as they stare at me in complete terror. My head snaps back to where Tonna stood, only to find the white-haired girl with icy blue eyes staring at me. Her eyes narrowed as they pierce into me.
I turn away from all of them and leave. I walk as far away from all of them as I can. Even the sun hides itself from me, and rightfully so. The fear in their eyes was because of me. Am I becoming a monster?
—
I continue to wander through the sea of people. They drink and celebrate. Cheering with mugs raised. Singing and dancing. None of it brings me peace or joy. Everywhere I look, I see the faces of the dead. They’re haunting me. Every face is one I’ve killed. Even the creatures of the night linger in the darkness, watching me. They’re out there waiting for me. I can smell their stench.
I have no solace. No safe haven. No matter where I go, the dead follow me. Haunting me. I stop dead in my tracks at a sight that grips what’s left of my heart as I’m confronted by two little boys, one younger than the other. Their eyes are white and their skin decays. They hold the hands of a woman as cold as a winter chill. Asfrid stands there with a face gaunt with death as her rotten flesh clings to her bones. A skeleton wrapped in dead skin. Her son in one hand and mine in the other.
“Why are you haunting me?” I scream.
My skin crawls as I hear her speak. “You did this. You let us die.”
I let out a roar.
“Are you okay?” I look up to see the eyes of a stranger. “You don’t look so good.”
I realize I’m on my knees. I look past him to see that same icy blue-eyed girl with white hair. Is she behind this? Is she haunting me?
I push past him and rush through the crowd of people who whisper about me. I hear my name on their lips. Why won’t they leave me alone?
I rush out of the camp and into another as I stop dead in my tracks at the sight in front of me. Gorm and his friends hold a slave girl down and take turns fucking her as she sobs and cries in shame. Gorm pauses as he sees me. “Oh, look who has graced us with his presence. The Giant Slayer himself. Want a turn on the bitch?”
I look down at the woman as she stares up at me with pleading eyes. No! The face staring up at me is none other than Arni’s. Those deep sea-blue eyes are full of tears. But the blue fades in them, leaving nothing but the paleness of death. “Why did you leave me? Why did you let me die?”
I lose it. My rage and wrath pour out as I attack the men. Slamming my fist into Gunnstein’s face as he tried to shove his cock in Arngunn’s mouth. I turn on Moldof and bury my fist in his gut, making him cough out blood. I roar in a blinding rage as I toss Sigmund aside and clamp my hands around Gorm’s neck, pinning him up against a tree as I try to choke the life out of him. But when I see whose neck, I have my hands wrapped around; I gasp in horror. Thorkel’s lifeless eyes stare back at me. I let go and scramble backward, nearly tripping over Arngunn as she sobs tears of blood. Thorkel’s eyes bore into me. “It was you who killed us, brother. You!”
I turn as I see the frosty blue-eyed girl with the snow-white hair watching me and I run. Running through the crowds, into the town, and past the buildings until I find myself at the docks.
Kneeling before the dark, endless sea, I bring my eyes to the stars above. Searching for a sign. Any sign. “I’m sorry! If any of you can hear me, please know that I am sorry. I was not there to save you, and your deaths are all my fault. Please forgive me.”
I slump down and hang my head. How can I find redemption when I can’t bring the dead back to life? I can’t undo my failures. If only I could’ve done things differently. Thorkel would be alive if I had acted. If I would’ve sought out and killed the Shadow Stalkers, Longhorn, White-Hair, and Snubs wouldn’t have become their prey. Why do I lose myself in my rage? Tonna died because I was drunk in bloodlust and I nearly killed Svala in it, too. Why didn’t I return home when they needed me most? Why did I leave my wife, her sister, and their sons, my own and my brother’s, to fend for themselves and starve? Their blood covers my hands.
I hear the dock creak with footsteps. I turn to find that icy-cold stare upon me. Her eyes seem to glow with the cold, winter ice in the darkness. “Why are you following me?”
“You see them too, don’t you?” she asks.
“See what?” I ask.
“The dead. You see them just like I do. They haunt you as they haunt me. Tell me I’m wrong,” she says.
I meet her icy stare and silently nod. “That’s what I thought.”
She sighs as she walks by me and sits down at the end of the dock. “They won’t leave you alone, you know that, right?”
“What do you know of it?” I ask as I sit down beside her.
“I was there… I saw my father fall as I stood helpless by my mother’s side. We watched from afar as our army marched against the Southerners. The Usurper Vandil swept upon our force like the wind. I suppose that is why they call him Windfury. His giant ax howls every time he swings it. And his strikes leave carnage in their wake. I stood with my mother as he cut down our warriors with each swipe of his ax. One by one they fell in his path, but my father did not fear his ax. He stood strong and faced him. He fought bravely. Like a true warrior, and I am proud to call him my father. He was the strongest warrior I ever knew. I thought no man could defeat my father. He fought like the storm itself, but it was not enough…” She turns her eyes to the sea as tears wet her cheeks. With a sleeve, she wipes them away and grits her teeth.
She stares out at the water, taking in a deep breath. “I watched frozen as the two met in battle and fought long and hard, but then the Tyrant Usurper beheaded my father so suddenly. His ax was soaked with the blood that gave me life, and there was nothing I could do. Over and over again, I see it happen. I want to kill the usurper so badly. I want to drench my blades in his blood, as he did to my father and I want to cut his head off. I don’t just want to kill him; I want to utterly defeat him. But most of all, I just want to see my father one last time.”
She wipes more tears from her eyes and rests her head against her knees as she brings them against her chest. “I don’t even know if he is in Valholl. We couldn’t recover his body. If that wasn’t bad enough, after we came out of hiding in the land of the elves, my half-sister was taken by Southern slavers. Just to pour salt in the wound, I now have word that she is none other than the slave of the son of the Tyrant Usurper himself. I will kill both of them. I swear it. The Tyrant Usurper and his son.”
I look at her, finding tears in my own eyes. I don’t know what to say, but I know exactly how she feels. I let out the breath trapped in my lungs and stare out into the endless sea. “You might be one of the few people who truly understands my pain.”
She breathes and turns to me. “Thanks.”
I raise an eyebrow as I meet her eyes. “For what?”
“For listening and not apologizing. I hate when people do that as if they were responsible for the death of my father.”
I laugh. “I know exactly what you mean.”
“By the way, I saw what you did back there and I thank you,” she says.
“For what?” Once again, I have that eyebrow raised.
“For stopping those bastards from raping my servant. They had no right. If it was me, I’d have killed them,” she says.
“I should’ve. Gorm and his friends deserve no less,” I say.
“Why didn’t you? It looked like you were going to,” she says.
I stare back out at the black sea. “I wanted to, but when I looked into his eyes, I saw my brother’s face staring back at me.”
“I see. Well, either way, I appreciate what you did,” she says.
I only shrug. “I did what I thought was right.”
A silence passes by, but not an unpleasant one. She looks at me with a smirk. I find myself once again raising an eyebrow at her. “What?”
“You know I’m not going to marry you, right?” she says.
I lean back with my eyes narrowing in confusion. “Where did that come from?”
“I heard your father speak to my mother, trying to convince her to wed us. It’s not going to happen,” she says.
“Good, I don’t want it to happen,” I say.
“Why? Are you saying I’m not good enough?” she asks. This time she’s the one with a single eyebrow raised.
“What? I didn’t say that. I just said I don’t want to marry you either,” I say.
“Yeah, but why?”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to marry me? Why does it matter?” I ask.
“Well, I don’t, but why wouldn’t you want to marry me?” she asks.
“Because I don’t have a heart to give you. It is somewhere out there with the one that I love, and one day I’ll get it back when I see her again.”
She nods. “I understand.”
“Good. And why wouldn’t you want to marry me?” I ask, tilting my head at her.
She only smiles. “You’re simply not the one my mother prophesied about.”
“Is that so? What makes me not the one?”
She shrugs. “First, I don’t think you are my enemy. In fact, I’m surprised to find that I think I like you. You’re a bit crazy, but so am I. I believe you’re just as broken as I am. And I don’t think you are my long-lost kin either.”
“I don’t know about long lost, but we are kin. We are both descendants of the great Ironside who was the first king of our people.”
“So… You’re still not my enemy, are you?” she asks.
“Maybe not now, but who knows what the future brings. I hope I’m never your enemy, but if I ever become your enemy, that would certainly fulfill the prophecy, wouldn’t it?” I crook my head down at her.
“I thought you said you didn’t want to marry me,” she says.
“I don’t. I was just pointing out the possibility.”
“Good, because you’re not my type,” she says, crossing her arms against her chest and tearing her gaze away from mine.
“Is that so? What makes me not your type?” I ask.
“Well, for starters, you have a sword dangling between your legs and I prefer shields.”
It takes me a moment to understand what she means by what she said. Then my eyes go wide as I figure it out. “Oooh. I see. I guess if that is what you like, then that settles it.”
She smiles. “Glad you understand. Besides, I think I am in love with another person. She’s a bit crazy, but aren’t we all? Unfortunately, she’s an outsider and my mother doesn’t trust her. That’s why she wasn’t allowed to attend the feast. I’m rather mad at my mother because of it.”
“I suppose that’s what parents do. My mother can be a bit infuriating at times as well.”
She laughs. “I’ve heard.”
I share the laugh. “I bet you have.”
“I’ve actually heard a lot of things about you. It’s hard to figure out what’s true and what is false.”
“Don’t believe any of it. It’s all exaggerated and blown out of proportion. People love to make a sea out of a pond.”
She giggles. “I bet. What is true, then?”
“I fought the Bone Eaters, but I didn’t fight them alone and I got lost in a rage, paying a high price for it. Because of my actions, a friend died. As far as the giants go, I may have killed a few, but if it weren’t for this wizard warrior named Thon, our village would’ve been completely destroyed and the people all either dead or taken. And I didn’t fight the Shadow Stalkers alone. I had help. In fact, if it were not for a friend named Longhorn who paid the ultimate price, I would be dead.”
“So, it is true. You are the one she spoke of,” Scyra says as she looks at me in a new light.
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“Shuli, the yeti woman. She spoke of a human man she said was like me. She called him Shadow Killer because he slew the hunters of the night and saved her life. I wasn’t sure who she spoke of until I heard rumors about you. That you were a slayer of giants, a Bone Breaker… I laughed at those, by the way. Then I heard them call you a Killer of the Shadows and a Friend of the Yetis, and that made me wonder. I still wasn’t sure until now. Until you mentioned Longhorn. That’s what she said you called her father.”
I can’t help but drop my jaw as my eyes widen. Is she talking about… No. “Although, she also said he didn’t like that name. At least initially. She laughed as she told me he thought you were very annoying when they first met you. But you honored them with your gifts, and he felt like he owed you hospitality because you saved his life, even though he also saved yours. However, she said he grew to like you and enjoy your company after a while. They all did.”
“You spoke to Blue-Eyes? How?” I ask in complete astonishment. My jaw still hangs gaping.
“Her name is Shuli. Although, she liked the way you looked into her eyes with such reverence, so she didn’t mind you calling her Blue-Eyes. However, her brother hated the name Short-Snubs and her mother didn’t really care for White-Hair. You do know that all yeti have white hair, right? And Short-Snubs? Seriously? You’re not very good with names. If we were ever forced to be married, I will definitely handle the naming of any kids we’d have, which won’t happen anyway, so there’s no point in humoring it. But seriously, you know his horns will grow, right?”
A laugh snorts out of me. I laugh so hard it makes me tear up with joy. I can’t remember when I laughed this hard. “So, what were their names?”
“Well, Longhorn’s actual name was Ukam. White-Hair was named Feneborn and their son, who you called Short-Snubs, was named Ulluc. Their names are kinda strange, but not as barbaric as I expected. I honestly thought they would choose something like Longhorn or Blue-Eyes. Do you know how rare it is for a yeti to have blue eyes? She’s one of the few I saw with them. How strange,” she says, scratching her chin.
My smile deepens thinking about the little yeti. “How did you come by them?”
She looks at me, biting her lip. Then she looks out at the sea before she dives into the tale. “Well… That’s a complicated story. You see, originally, we saw the yeti as a nuisance. They made it impossible to travel in the mountains and would often attack our people. We’d return in kind of course, but tension grew and things were misunderstood. It didn’t help that the Southerners of Barefrost were also attacking the yeti. Then we met a wizard warrior, as you would call it. Not too unlike the one you mentioned, but she was a woman named Aketa and had another woman with her. My mother hired her to deal with the yeti.”
She turns and smiles at me. “Of course, me being me, I couldn’t let them have all the glory by themselves, so I joined them along with Thyia, the outsider I told you about. We traveled up the mountains and stalked them until we found one fighting the Southerners. It was Aketa who said we should help it. She was sure she could talk to it. I wasn’t convinced, but Thyia said we should humor her. So, we attacked the Southerners and killed them before they could kill the yeti.”
I listen to her story as anger rises inside me. After my experience with Blu… Shuli, I feel protective of the yeti. She continues. “The yeti was weary of us, but Aketa seemed to be able to converse with it. I understood some of what was being said. Her name was Shuli, and she wanted to find a human she called Shadow Killer. She found the Southerners and went to talk to them when they attacked her.”
I tense up with wide eyes. “What was she doing outside of the conclave?”
“She wanted to see you. You should visit her,” she says.
“I will certainly have to. When was this?” I ask.
“It wasn’t that long ago, earlier this spring. But anyway, Aketa became our translator and Shuli told us your story. She also introduced us to the other yeti. We discussed many things, and I learned how to roughly speak their hand talk. I’m not very good at it, but I can communicate with them well enough to make trades and have a rough conversation. Anyway, we later introduced my mother and uncle to the yeti and brokered a peace treaty. We also explained that we were not with the humans from Barefrost. They are treacherous and can’t be trusted. They seemed to understand, and we now have a rather good relationship with the yeti. We trade goods with them. They allow us to get minerals and metals, and we give them fish and other goods. Shuli and I still talk. She always asks if I found you. I can’t wait to tell her I finally did,” she says with a smile, tucking a loose string of bright white hair behind her ear.
“Thank you for telling me all of this. You have no idea how much it means to me. I needed to hear this. Especially after all that has happened today. It feels good to know she is well.”
“Of course. Maybe tomorrow we can pay her a visit before you leave,” she says.
“Yes, I’d like that very much,” I say.
I hear footsteps coming out onto the dock. We both turn to see two girls walking out towards us, one slightly taller than the other. “Bothvi? Is that you?”
Scyra bursts into laughter. “Bothvi?”
I ignore her. “Thora? Svala?”
Thora runs out to us and I shout at her. “Don’t run on the docks!”
“There you are! We’ve been looking everywhere for you. We heard you got into a fight with Grom and his minions, and you kicked their arses,” she says, smacking her fist into her other hand. “You showed those rotten, no-good, pansy, goat turds.”
“My god, girl! Who teaches you how to talk like that?” I ask as I eye Svala.
“Hey, don’t look at me,” she says, but not in her normal sarcastic tone. Her face is full of fear. She’s afraid of me and for good reason.
“Everyone talks like this. Why can’t I talk like this?” Thora asks.
“Because you’re not old enough,” I say.
She huffs. “I am too old enough. I’ll talk how I want to talk.”
I sigh and let the issue go. “So, what do you want?”
I realized as soon as the words left my mouth that they weren’t the best choice of words. Both of the girls cross their arms against their chests and look down at me with scorn. Thora practically growls. “What do we want? Well, we certainly didn’t come out here to see if you were okay or anything. Obviously, you’re fine since you’re sitting here with a beautiful woman. Besides, only a weakling would lose to Grom.”
Both Svala and Scyra laugh. I eye Svala suspiciously. I know she gets Thora to talk like this. “You’re the one who gets her to say all that, aren’t you?”
Svala only shrugs. “None of it is wrong.”
Thora steps up and punches my shoulder and it actually hurts. “What in the name of the gods was that for?”
“No one tells me what to say.” She sticks her bottom lip out and actually huffs. Suddenly, one of those blasted whales springs up from the water and sprays us.
Thora laughs. “Tell ’em, Meara! She thinks you’re an old grumpy bear!”
“Okay then,” I say.
Scyra’s jaw is hanging as she stares at Thora and then back at the sea where the whale was. “What…”
“For whatever reason, the killer whales seem to think she’s one of them,” I try to explain with a shrug.
“They’re my friends and they aren’t the only ones. I met a shark named Lulu back in Stormfront and she is absolutely adorable. She’s a great white with the sweetest smile. A bit toothy. I even convinced the whales to get along with her. They’ve welcomed Lulu into their pod-like she’s one of them,” Thora says.
This earns another strange look from Scyra. “And I thought I was the weird one with the ability to wield ice and winter storms. You are on an entirely different level.”
Thora smiles. “That’s not all I can do. Check this out. I just learned this not that long ago.”
Thora concentrates really hard and water slings up from the sea like a rope and pools into her hands like a ball. However, she sneezes, and the ball rains down on the docks.
Svala smacks the back of her head. “Thora! Mother said you’re not supposed to show anyone this stuff.”
“Mother knows about the water and her friends?” I ask.
Svala nods. “But she wants us to keep it a secret.”
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” Scyra says. She puts her hand on Thora’s head. “I know what it is like to be different. Trust me, it is not a bad thing. You are special.”
“She is the Daughter of the Sea,” I say.
“I don’t even know what that means,” Thora says, getting a laugh from us all.
“Well, we’re going back to where the people are. We actually have friends that want to be around us. We’ll leave you with your…” Thora looks up at Svala. “What was the word you wanted me to say?”
Svala sighs, dragging her hand down her face. “Betrothed!”
“What does that mean?” Thora asks, tugging on her blonde hair.
Svala throws up her arms. “Nevermind. I’ll tell you later. Come on, let’s go and leave these two lovebirds alone. We don’t want to know what they’ll be up to.”
“Svala, wait,” I say. She stops and looks at me. “About earlier. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s fine. No big deal. It was just a sparring match in which we won, by the way.” She shrugs, but without realizing it, her hand goes up to her neck. Then she realizes it and quickly pulls it away, taking Thora’s hand. “Come on Thora. Let’s go see if we can egg Thormar and Bodvar into a fight.”
“Yes! Let’s do it,” Thora says, pumping her fist in the air.
I let out a long sigh, dragging my hand down my face in exacerbation. How have my siblings lived this long? The two walk off. “My sister is a bad influence on my niece. Those two together are trouble. They’re like those damn killer whales. They work together too well, and it doesn’t help that they’re both getting so strong and fast, nor the fact that Svala is so damn cunning. She will make a great warrior one day, and so will Thora. That punch actually hurt. It felt like I was hit with a hammer.”
Scyra laughs. “They’ve got spunk, and they’re not bad in a fight. I like them. They certainly gave you a run for your coin. At least until you got distracted staring at me.”
“I wasn’t staring at you. I just… I thought I saw a ghost,” I say as the memory of Tonna’s bleeding eyes haunts my thoughts. I shake it out. “But yeah, I tell you what, more and more Thora resembles my brother Thorkel. Her father. I see him in her every time I look at her. Him and her mother. She’s got both of their stubbornness. And her mother’s mouth. That woman cursed more than anyone I’ve ever known. She and Thorkel would argue a lot, and yet I think that made them love each other more. It was confusing. And yet her sister, my beloved Arngunn, was the exact opposite. She was kind and sweet. Wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
I turn to stare off at the sea.
“My sister was like that. She was too kind. I tried to harden her up a bit, but she was never like me. She cared about everyone and everything. Even the ugliest of creatures. We once found a nasty-looking animal in the Elven Woods and she treated it like it was a little puppy. I think it’s because she was half-elven. I don’t know. The elves I met were fierce. They taught me how to fight and made me strong, but Alyndra was nothing like them. Just a little girl who liked to smell flowers.”
I look at her with a hurting heart. “Arngunn loved flowers too. She’d spend all day picking them if she could. She always had them in her hair and always smelled of them.”
“She sounds sweet. I bet I would’ve liked her. Hell, I might’ve stolen her right out from under your nose,” she says with a devious smile.
I laugh. “You are something else.”
She shrugs. “I am who I am.”
“I’m glad I met you. It has been a long time since I had a good laugh, and I am happy that Blue… Shuli is doing well. I cannot wait to see her tomorrow. I think I will bring my family. She will want to meet them.
“I bet so too. Well, I need to sneak out and meet up with Thyia. She’s camped outside the village, stuck by herself. She’ll need some company.” She gets up and dusts herself off. We’re both a little wet from that cursed whale. “I can honestly say it was a pleasure to meet you, Giant Slayer. Try not to get too many ridiculous titles.”
I laugh as I climb to my feet. “It was nice to meet you as well. I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
She nods. “I’ll meet you at your camp. Don’t forget to bring some gifts. They think gifts are a high honor or something.”
I nod. “I should get carving Shuli a toy. She liked the ones I gave her back in the mountains.”
She snorts a laugh. “I think you’d be surprised.”
I raise an eyebrow. “What, why? She’s only a little cub.”
Scyra grins. “She’s not the little cub you remember. She’s taller than you. You do realize younglings grow up, right? You’re a little thick in the head sometimes, aren’t you?”
I tilt my head as my face contorts with a cringe. “Me? Thick in the head? No… Okay, maybe just a little.”
She giggles. She’s got a delightful laugh. It is a sweet melody. Her voice is pleasant to hear in general. Crisp, clear, and sweet like honey. “Well, I’ll see you in the morning, Shadow Killer,” she says as she walks off. I turn to take one last look at the sea and breathe it in. I am starting to think marrying her wouldn’t be so bad. It’s too bad she prefers shields over swords. But it wouldn’t work, anyway. She’s not Arngunn.
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