The ship spots us, but it\u2019s too late we spread out to trap it. It\u2019s a smaller merchant ship with a single mast. The gunners prepare the ballistae to snag the other ship as it attempts to turn, but we cut off its retreat as Einar and Throst circle it while Koll and our crew move in to board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s nothing it can do, but draw up a white flag. Just as we board the ship, another ship comes out of the fog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThorkel!\u201d Varin howls as Thorkel and I walk the planks over to the other ship with our shields leading the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI see them. They sail a black flag. Pirates!\u201d he says as we storm the deck of the other ship. It\u2019s a bunch of merchants, and they do not put up a fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We rush through the merchant ship, taking the crew as slaves, and raiding their supplies and goods. I find a very shiny pendant on a crew member and take it from them to give to Arni. It has a huge white crystal inside it. However, suddenly five more large ships come out of the fog behind the pirate ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThorkel!\u201d Varin shouts from our ship. \u201cThose are Golden Elf ships!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thorkel turns to the rest of us. \u201cGrab what you can, let\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The men and I frantically take whatever we find and rush over to our own ship as the Pirate ship closes in on us with the elves chasing not too far behind. We take their cargo and the sailors for slaves along with the slaves they held while rushing back onto our own ship. Thorkel sounds the horn for retreat and the other ships go to turn around. Koll\u2019s ship pulls away and follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe won\u2019t be able to get away,\u201d Varin says, continuing to watch the elven ships as they sail towards us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thorkel blows the horn several times. Signaling for the others to scatter. Einar draws off one of the elven ships as he sails east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throst takes two with him as he heads west, leaving two more as the pirate ship reaches us. It flies a black flag with a red dragon on it. It doesn\u2019t stop, but continues on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thorkel looks into my eyes and puts an arm on my shoulder. \u201cTake care of my wife and child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d I ask. What is he talking about? Tell me he doesn\u2019t plan on doing something stupid. He\u2019s the captain! He can\u2019t sacrifice himself. I can\u2019t lose my brother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He turns away from me and to the men. \u201cWho\u2019s ready to go to Valholl with me? I need three who are ready to die with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Styrkar and Saksis Hreinsson look at each other, giving each other nods before they step up. \u201cWe\u2019ve got sons ready to take over our legacies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Varin steps up. \u201cI too have my legacy set with sons and grandsons. Besides, I\u2019m getting too old for this. Most of my friends and kin are already in Valholl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVarin, you\u2019re too important. We can\u2019t lose a navigator,\u201d Thorkel says before he gives Styrkar and Saksis an apologetic look. \u201cNo offense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two old brothers shrug, but Varin seems to have taken offense. \u201cYou can\u2019t deny me Valholl. Besides, I\u2019ve taught Skardi everything I know. He\u2019s ready to take over. And you\u2019re more important than I.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFine,\u201d my brother says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat are you planning?\u201d I ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to ram that merchant ship into the elven ship left. That will let you all escape,\u201d Thorkel says as he walks over to the plank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the Captain. You can\u2019t sacrifice yourself. Who will take charge? Let me do it.\u201d I argue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He turns to Rognvald. \u201cRognvald will take command. And you know I can\u2019t condemn men to die in place of myself. As father said, never order a crew member to do what you couldn\u2019t do. Besides, I planted another seed in my wife and I know I have a son on the way. My legacy is secured.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor the sake of the gods, Thorkel, let me go in your stead,\u201d Rognvald says. What is Thorkel thinking? He can\u2019t do this. It\u2019s\u2026 Stupid. This is suicide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo! I will not allow it. I will not order my crew to do something I wouldn\u2019t do myself. Besides, there is no greater honor than to die so your men can live,\u201d Thorkel says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut\u2026\u201d I start to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He doesn\u2019t let me finish. \u201cWe all have to die, little brother. What better way than to go out than in glory like this? Look after my family for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Varin says his goodbyes to his son Sigvid, his grandsons Solmund and Griotgard, and his brother Grimwald, before giving Skardi some last words. They all argue with him, trying to convince him to stay. Styrkar and Saksis also argue with their own sons, Ulf Styrkarsson and Gizor Saksisson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they can\u2019t convince them to stay any more than I can convince Thorkel. He, Styrkar, Saksis, and Varin all walk over to the other ship and kick off the planks before they turn it around and aim it straight at the elves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I watch helplessly with the sons of the others while the rest get our ships turned around and sail off. Thorkel and the others man the merchant ship and turn it around on the elven ships. The large elven ship tries to turn and avoid them at the last minute, but it is too big. It only allows them to ram right into the side of the frame. I watch, helpless to do anything, as my brother and the other men charge\\ with weapons drawn, leaping from the ship’s stern onto the elven ship to engage the elves. My brother slits the throat of one and stabs another, fighting furiously as dead elves fall into the sea to be eaten by sharks or killer whales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My chest feels like it\u2019s being bashed by a giant warhammer and broken. Why didn\u2019t I stop him? Why did I let him go like that? I should\u2019ve taken his place. I should\u2019ve been the one on the merchant ship. My heart feels as if it has been ripped from my chest as I watch Thorkel get impaled by an elven blade. He decapitates one elf and slices open the chest of another before the one with fire-red hair uses some kind of magic to hold him in the air before he sticks him through. I can see his eyes glow as red as his hair from here. I fall to my knees as my brother falls into the sea. They killed him. They killed my brother. My eyes rain with tears. I\u2019ll make them pay. I\u2019ll kill them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I mesmerize every detail of that ship. The flag, the elf with fire red hair and burning eyes. I\u2019ll kill him. I swear it! Swear to all the gods, I\u2019ll kill him. I\u2019ll make him suffer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Skardi and Solmund put their hands on my shoulders. \u201cCome on. We have to get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another ship still follows us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t lose them,\u201d Rognvald says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It feels like there\u2019s a void in my chest as I pull myself up. I look back at the ship following us, and I know what Thorkel would\u2019ve done… \u201cLet\u2019s sail closer to the coast of the Woodland Realm. They\u2019ll run aground if they try to follow us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rognvald nods and gives out the orders. We get the ship turned towards the coast and they continue to pursue as we reach shallower waters and continue north. Just as father mentioned, the other ship finally runs aground, getting stuck. We head back to the deeper water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We find the pirate ship that fled the elves passing one of the Golden Elven ships that\u2019s burning in flames as it sinks. The pirate sails by our side to the east as we both sail north. Three of the elven ships have been taken down or incapacitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pirate ship is much bigger than ours and from what I can tell, the crew is mixed races between people like us, dwarves, elves, and two other races I\u2019ve never seen before. There are two green-skinned creatures hulking in size with big tusks coming out from their bottom lip. The other race are cat-like people with fur covering their entire bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s an elf woman with red hair and a fancy hat. I look up to see their flag again, a black one with a red dragon. I remember my father mentioned this one in particular. He called her Captain Azariah. She nods at us before she sails to the west once we reach the edge of the elven shoreline. Throst and Koll\u2019s ships eventually rejoin, leaving the ruins of another elven ship, but there are no signs of Einar\u2019s ship, or the elves chasing him. I feel defeated without Thorkel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll get our revenge,\u201d Solmund says to me as he claps his hand against my shoulder. His eyes show burning hate in them. The face of the boy I grew up with is gone, buried beneath a beard. Like myself, he\u2019s been forced to become a man. Griotgard buries himself in work, as do Ulf, Sigvid, and Skardi. \u201cI swear, we\u2019ll kill those elves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I only nod. I make my way up to Rognvald as he stands by Skardi at the steering paddle. He talks to Fridmund and Grimwald.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grimwald speaks animatedly. \u201cWe should circle back to see if we can find Einar. Maybe we can catch the last of those bastards and make em pay!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what is planned for these situations. We ought to head back to Stormfront,\u201d Fridmund says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd just leave Einar\u2019s ship to themselves?\u201d Grimwald says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will hail Koll and Throst to discuss this with them. Koll is still the Raid leader,\u201d Rognvald says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fridmund nods and Grimwald grunts. Grimwald grinds his yellow rotten teeth as Rognvald blows the horn and waves the flag to meet. Over on Koll\u2019s ship that\u2019s sailing to the east of us, Koll returns the gesture and we sail closer to each other before we slow down and connect our ships. I follow the three older men onto Koll\u2019s ship while Throst does the same on the other side of Koll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat a bloody disaster,\u201d Koll says, running his hands through his black peppered hair as we board his ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat’s your orders?\u201d Rognvald asks. He pulls off his helmet and rubs his bald head. The sun glares off it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s circle back and see if we can find Einar. Maybe we can trap the elven bastards,\u201d Koll says, running his hand through his matching peppered beard. \u201cMaybe we can still bring home enough resources to salvage this raid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe should go back to the elven ship we left stranded and kill the bastards that murdered my brother,\u201d I spit out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Koll says, his eyes have sympathy, but his voice is stern. \u201cWho knows how many more elven ships were sailing in behind the ones we saw? There will be plenty of opportunities in the future to avenge our fallen. Right now, we need to find Einar and get what little loot we can before we head back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throst says nothing, just nods in agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rognvald nods. \u201cIf that\u2019s your command, we\u2019ll follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Koll looks out at the water. \u201cEinar shouldn\u2019t be far. Let\u2019s head northeast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rognvald nods again. \u201cYou heard em. Back to the ship.\u201d We follow Rognvald back to the ship and set sail to the east, following Koll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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