Einar wanted to frown but instead yawned, mimicking Thorodd who now had Lyeneru yawning as well.

“Sorry! It’s been a long three days and I’m glad to be on the road and just riding for a bit.”

Wiping the water that appeared from such a long and hard yawn, Einar grunted.

“It has been. Everyone did their part and now all we can do is follow the plan. Tell me, Lyeneru, do you think the scouts will find anything?”

Her face finally lost the red tint from yawning before them as she nodded.

“Varitan set out with four scouts yesterday, all familiar with that area. Hopefully, they will have a general location of the trolls at least. The five of them will be at our meeting spot we picked out in five days. For now all we can do is start making sure everyone knows what my people can do.”

Glancing over his shoulder, Einar saw the elves she was talking about.

Both warriors sat in the front of the wagon they were driving. Two toned women with blue eyes and braided hair sat side by side, almost looking like twins. Each carried a pair of swords on their back and had their shields strapped to the side of the seat.

Behind them, in the covered area was the pair of healers and mages. He had promised to show them his talent tonight as well as getting to see what they could do.

On the left side of the wagon a pair of archers rode on tan horses, chatting quietly, their bows across their back.

The one eyed elf gave him a nod and a smile when he spotted Einar glancing at them.

“How much better is Raihan than you?”

Coughing, Lyeneru took a moment to collect herself.

“Dare I ask how much better you are than Thorodd or any of your other warriors?”

“Please don’t. None of us wants to look any worse when compared to Einar.”

She rolled her eyes at the second in command.

“You do realize that in our society, things like ranking might not be discussed openly, but it is still there. Varitan and my own position within the town has risen greatly and if you had to guess, how bad do you think it was when we first met?”

“So Nissa really does dislike Varitan that much,” Einar replied, thumbing his chin for a moment. “Part of me wonders what you two did to get on her bad side but I also know people like her often only have one side.”

“You have no idea. That woman is so evil. However, the King and Queen don’t manage the towns or cities. That is left up to the advisor and somehow she has convinced them she is a child of Freyr.”

“You keep throwing that term around,” Einar said, as he gently moved his horse closer to hers. “What does it actually mean to be a child of Freyr? Even Thorve hasn’t answered that question when I asked her.”

Biting her lip for a moment, her face took on a quizzical expression as her eyes narrowed, focusing on the neck of her horse for a few seconds.

“What kind of runes do most vikings have?”

A chuckle came from Thorodd, but Einar held up his hand slightly and the man quieted down.

“Do you mean the average person or someone like us?”

“Someone like you and then say your… Jarl I believe he is called and then the king.”

“Most warriors try to get intermediate and the occasional advanced runes. They are hard to come by and the items we’ve collected will go a long way in making more for my warriors. Jarl Bior has mostly advanced runes. The difference is quite substantial as there are two more levels permitted per rune and the bonuses add up over time, especially if one has all eight runes.”

Seeing her cock sideways and an eyebrow raise, Einar continued, knowing there would be more questions later.

“The king is rumored to have an epic rune or two. Some say even three, and there are those who believe he might even have a legendary rune.”

Snapping her finger and smiling slightly, Lyeneru began to bob her head.

“Legendary! That’s what I was thinking about! How does one get a legendary rune?”

“Only from a god,” Thorodd stated, having drawn closer, anxious to hear what their ranger was talking about.

“That is what I thought. And the epic runes?”

“Very difficult parts to obtain, typically from multiple realms, but again much more powerful and has seven levels versus five.”

“Okay, that’s what I needed. So let me explain. To be a child of Freyr means that one has been granted special power and strength from our god. It goes beyond a boon which as you know is rare, to an actual change inside our soul. You mentioned how sometimes it looks like we are glowing. If you do manage to get a chance just to see the King or Queen you’ll be in for a shock.”

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“Why don’t you ever use their names?”

Grimacing slightly, Lyeneru shook her head.

“It’s considered inappropriate for any but a select few to ever use the names of those two. They have a power inside them that is impossible to describe. It’s like…”

She paused and glanced around the area, looking up at the sky and then at the trees and grass that bordered the dirt road they traveled on.

“Everything around us has life. It is a gift from Freyr. He provides the rain and the sun, allowing trees and plants to grow. Yet that is barely a fraction of his power. You mentioned him and the other gods healing your bodies and taking away the damage that was done. The King and Queen, if they came together, could do the same thing, but to only one person at a time.”

Einar whistled at the thought of such a powerful healing ability.

A direct connection with a god so strong they can heal that kind of damage… is that what my connection with Odin is like?

“Are other healers able to do something like that?”

“No… their power is, but a trickle compared to a raging river that cuts through the land and rock that stands in its way. Yet Freyr is an ocean… No, all the waters that surround every realm, able to engulf all the land in a moment.”

Does King Erik have something like that which keeps the people of Midgard in check?

“What about you? What kind of power do you have?”

Their ranger laughed, her gentle voice matching the birds that flew overhead and called out.

“I don’t have power like the King or Queen yet I feel something else happening inside me. One day it will unlock like Varitan if I’m lucky.”

“Varitan’s power unlocked? When?”

“Oh, well, not completely, but after the gods gave the boon to everyone, he visited our temple and was told his power had changed. If we…”

Grimacing, she stopped talking suddenly.

“Is everything okay?”

“I’m not sure it’s my place to say but I know Varitan won’t. He doesn’t want to put pressure on you since he considers you a friend now, Einar. Before, that fool would have told Nissa she wasn’t a child of Freyr, without concern for the consequences. Now… Now he has to make sure you succeed. If he does and you make it to the capital, then he shall see the spirit guide at the main temple and Freyr will unlock something within him. Something like this doesn’t happen often and once it does, his rank and reputation will take him very far in our land.”

“That bastard,” Einar mumbled, ignoring the gaze she gave. “A friend doesn’t hide shit like that. I don’t want him to be stupid and risk his life because he carries that weight alone.”

“Says a man who knows enough about carrying weight and not sharing.”

Lyeneru laughed at Thorodd’s comment, which made Einar’s face scrunch up.

“It’s called being in command.”

“And I’m second in command, remember? The one who is supposed to help you carry the burden of all this. So stop being a bastard like Varitan and share the problems. Otherwise, don’t blame me if you end up dead.”

No one said a word for a while as they traveled down the road, leading the caravan of six wagons.

Einar knew each of them felt the weight of it all in different ways and the thought of sharing that burden seemed unkind.

***

“Nice work!” Einar exclaimed as he gave Varitan a pat on the back. “I never doubted you and your scouts would find their location.”

Smiling, the exhaustion that was obvious from how his body had been slouched and their hair not as kept as it usually was, Varitan moved three rocks on the map they had drawn of the area.

“Remember that thought when you see what this scouting cost, but know I’m glad we did. Those three appear to be moving in a circle around the lake and over the stream that leads to the east.

It’s going to take two days to get close to where they are. We can bring the wagons here, but I wouldn’t take them any closer.”

Moving a few pieces of wood, Varitan created a ring of twigs.

“Now, this spot here is probably our best hope of using the items Osvif has. The trees are tall, thick and won’t break like the other ones we fought near last time. Their roots run deep and the nearest branch is about seventy feet up.”

“Which means we’d have to build platforms on the trees if we wanted to use them for the archers.”

“Correct, but I also think it will help with what Osvif shared with me for other traps. The space between the trees is twenty-five yards on average, but some are closer and others are further apart. In this section are some good choke points and the trees could be used as defensive barriers when the trolls get close.”

“I still wish you had managed to get eyes on them,” Osvif said as he wrote a few things down in a journal. “Knowing their sizes helps with setting the wires and the traps. Also knowing their weapons is important.”

“We didn’t want to risk getting closer. The wind wasn’t in our favor and the thought of having three trolls chasing us through the forest wasn’t something I wanted to experience. I paid for scouts, not an army of fighters.”

Grunting as he continued to scribble in his journal, Osvif went silent, focused on whatever his mind was working on.

“So we camp tonight, head in tomorrow and then move by foot,” Einar repeated to all the people gathered around them outside. “Make sure if someone has an idea or a recommendation on what might work to speak up. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Viking or an elf.”

He could see the slight smiles and looks of approval of his words by their newest additions to the pack.

“Alright, does anyone else have anything to add?”

Silence hung for a moment in the air after Thorodd shouted.

A lone hand rose up from the one eyed archer and everyone turned toward him.

“My only question is what happens if more than three trolls show up?”

“You have to kill one by yourself,” Lyeneru said, not missing a beat.

Grinning, Raihan gave a deep bow.

“Just remember, I don’t have to share the kill if I take it out all on my own!”

Everyone burst into laughter, the closest Vikings giving the man a few slaps on the back.

“Alright, so it’s decided, Raihan can kill one by himself and the rest of us will deal with the other two!” Thorodd announced. “Now unless someone else plans on offering to take one on by themselves, it’s time to get settled and sleep. We’ll move out at first light and I expect us to be ready long before then!”

A few groans came, but no one complained, well aware beforehand what was going to take place.

Still the air seemed lighter after Raihan’s question, and Einar was grateful for the man’s well timed boast.