“So tell me why you think the undead might have been collecting our gear.”
Thorve was still frowning as they let the horses move at a steady walk.
“Hearing that some of the gear was missing completely and not able to be recovered has me wondering about some of the beliefs that my circle of healers has.”
Einar waited, watching the woman as she tapped a finger against her downturn lips, finally grunting when she rode silently, lost in apparent thought.
“Sorry,” Thorve chuckled. “I forgot you were waiting. So, the theory is that when a Viking dies, the creature that often kills and eats the body, getting stronger by doing so. Similar to how we level up our runes. I gain experience by healing, but not just by simple wounds. The worse they are, the more it is. Most healers will also not tell you that we do gain experience by bringing back the Vikings who have fallen but it isn’t worth that as a whole. The real growth for us comes from being within a certain distance of the fighting, like today or on the road. Those are the moments when we heal and gain more experience than usual.”
She paused, seeing him motion with her hands to continue.
“And once more, I got sidetracked… There is a belief within some circles that not all creatures do this immediately. Trolls are often known for devouring a Viking as soon as they kill them, but if enough are slaughtered and it lives, they will carry the remains away. If the undead are like this, it might be safe to say they do something with the bodies as well.”
“Like take them through the portal?” Einar asked, grimacing at the thought he was considering.
“Perhaps. Why do you look like that?”
“Hel… it’s where Draugr go… if they took one of our bodies there and did something to it, could there be one using our skills and abilities?”
It was Thorve’s turn to match his displeased look.
“Which might mean an Einar who can cast magic far worse than those two undead casters could.”
All he could do was nod, still weighing that concern in his mind.
Both rode in silence, neither with a face that looked pleased at the potential of encountering an undead soldier like Einar.
***
“Warrior Einar, your men have performed exactly as Freyr promised they would. I want to congratulate you upon the successful completion of that quest.”
Shael bowed deeply, her white braid falling along the side of her head before she stood up.
Einer gave a simple head bob in acknowledgement, watching the advisor to the King and Queen of the elves as she rose, her blue dress sparkling in the light of the room they were gathered in.
It matches her eyes rather well, but I guess she already knew that.
“Now then, from the reports I have read by Varitan, you did suffer some casualties. You, yourself, died once.”
“I did, but thankfully Odin has made it so that a single death or two does not render us gone forever. While no one wants to die, the service we were asked to complete required the sacrifice and my men and myself gave it willingly. Your… our people did a lot of the heavy lifting, the mages you sent with us helping to cut down the undead numbers each day.”
She laughed, the sound of it so light and uplighting a bird might have gone silent to listen to her do so.
“That is not what I have read nor heard,” Shael replied with a grin. “It was said your ability to cast multiple kinds of magic are what allowed the eventual defeat of the undead horde. Now tell me, how much more time do you need before you shall set out upon the last task Freyr has given you?”
Snorting, he shook his head.
“You don’t waste time. Is this where we can skip the formalities and just talk plainly?”
Once more she chuckled and nodded.
“I would prefer that, Viking Einar.”
“Just Einar is fine. If that is the case, then let us look at the map you have waiting on the table and discuss what my people are considering.”
Motioning for her to go first, he followed behind as she moved to the part of a tree that seemed to be growing out of the floor. It rose up from a large hole in the stonework, and then after a few feet, spread out seven feet in one direction and four feet in width. Rough edges with bark still ran around the entire piece.
She unrolled the map he had seen before and saw this time there were a few new marks on it.
“Up here to the north, the scouts returned with news that it appears there are three of the Leuca ango instead of the one or two we had believed. While I don’t expect you and your men to be able to remove all three, we do need the male one destroyed.”
“Is it smaller than the other two?”
Shael shook her head.
“No, it is at least half again the size as the other two. Why do you ask?”
“Sometimes the females are larger than the males because they lay eggs or carry children. Part of me was hoping.”
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“That would be better if it was, but no. The male is easily the size of a three story house.”
Clearing his throat, Einar had to work at not reacting how he almost had.
An Elven three story house… that is at least forty feet tall.
“So the other two you had originally found were not the male which means we’ll need to rethink one of our strategies,” he informed her, considering how Osvif’s plans were possibly not going to work.
“Which is why I am thankful to Freyr that we were able to locate it. The male seems to fly around in these areas,” she stated as she circled a section with her finger. “It would appear that it must be mating season as the scouts said there was always a female nearby.”
“Fuck…”
Looking at the expression on Shael’s face, Einar grimaced.
“Sorry… that was not something I should have said before you.”
Chuckling, she waved it off with a hand.
“I think in this instance that word was most likely used correctly. We have a word that is similar to yours but doesn't have as many uses as yours appears to.”
“It does get used a little more than it should, but the meaning is often understood,” Einar admitted. “Now then, do you mind if I head out and let my men know about the new information? I’m afraid it's going to cause a few headaches with your metalsmiths as we will need to change a few orders.”
“By all means go,” she replied. “If anyone asks, let them know you have my full backing. Removing this menace will open up some areas we have not been able to access for four years. There are many things within that would be of much use to you and your warriors in the coming times.”
Nodding once, he held out a hand and she took it, gripping just as firmly as anyone else and then he was off.
***
“FUUUUCCKKK!”
Einar chuckled as Osvif threw a cup across the room he had been working on some paperwork.
“What’s so funny? This screws up everything?!”
“An earlier conversation, but forget that. We have time. Besides, we have Shael’s backing and we can adjust some of the items we need.”
“Not that easily, or that quickly,” Osvif replied, standing and moving toward the cup he had tossed. “The wire ropes will have to be rebraided. We can’t just lengthen them or expect them to work against something that size. You’re looking at least a week if not more and that’s with them working around the clock.”
Grunting, Einar glanced at the list of items his friend had been working on and frowned.
“And without them, our plan is basically impossible.”
“Unless you can find a way to bring one of those things down another way, then yeah. Even if you hit one with a spell, fully charged, I’m not sure it would be enough. Everything I’ve read and learned is how tough they are.”
Setting the cup down, Osvif grabbed a journal and flipped it open.
“Look at these things, they are heavily armored and the claws are larger than any of our weapons.”
He had already seen the drawings but taking another look, Einar hated how much these reminded him of dragons from the legends back on earth. The only difference is while they had a scaled body like a serpent there were also feathers which seemed out of place.
“We can’t modify the siege weapons?”
“Not to be able to hold the beast down. Everyone I’ve talked to says their hide protects against most weapons that unless it gets within fifty yards, we can’t pierce it. Even the wings are a luck shot.”
“Which means we have to bring it down to the ground.”
“Exactly,” Osvif muttered. “The plan is perfect and if it works, we can do just that, but remember they aren’t stupid creatures either. We’ll only get one shot at this and after that, it won’t work again.”
Nodding, Einar felt the cards stacked against them. They all knew Freyr’s boon would expire before they reached the Leuca ango. That wasn’t the issue of time. He needed to return at some point to Midgard and the window was closing quickly before he would have to stand before the king.
“I’ll see what I can find. For now get with Skardi and Thorodd and make sure the rest of the equipment is ready.”
“All this for those stupid coins,” Osvif muttered as he sat back down in his chair.
“And the reagents needed to craft the runes you want.”
Snorting, their tactician began going through pages, ignoring Einar who stood there a moment watching before he walked off.
***
Sweat poured down from his chest as Einar tried to hold onto the thread he felt inside him.
Control… controlled fury…
A mental image of a river that had been diverted through channels played out over and over in his mind.
Inside him was a power that didn’t want to be contained. Everywhere the electricity radiated off his body.
Eyes still closed, Einar could feel the cool wind from the east blowing over him in the clearing away from everyone and anything.
A single wooden beam with a few strands of metal wrapped around it was twenty yards away and no matter how hard he had tried, the lightning that he wanted to summon wouldn’t come.
Exhaustion came and relaxing, Einar felt his wyrd that he had drawn upon vanish, gone from the attempt.
“You look like you’re trying to wrestle the wind.”
Turning around, he spotted Lyeneru who was standing with Varitan.
“Why is it you can seem to burn down a room but you can’t ignite a simple log,” she added after he spotted them.
“Ignore her, she’s just upset she didn’t get to come fight the undead.”
Picking up the cloth on the ground near his feet, Einar started to wipe off the sweat and moved to where the two were waiting.
“You both are brave to be out here, especially since both of you know how bad that room got destroyed.”
Chuckling, his Elven friend tossed a small water flask to him.
“It’s ok, we’re not responsible for fixing it. Besides, I heard you were out here and we wanted to talk about this next fight.”
Cocking his head slightly, Einar could see the corners of both of their lips were slightly turned upward.
“Good news?”
“Very,” the ranger replied. “I have gotten permission to help with your insane plan and Salihn has agreed to give us two ballistas from within the walls. All we’ll need to do is get them taken apart and loaded for transport.”
Clapping his hands and grinning, Einar let out a breath of relief.
“Should I ask how that was accomplished?”
“You can thank Shael and Lyeneru for that gift,” Varitan stated. “Both of them explained to the Captain just how important this next part is and that without those items, we may find ourselves fighting at the walls sooner than later.”
“Or blame that fool Osvif and his constant begging. He wouldn’t stop asking me since you all have been back.”
“Perhaps he is smitten by your green eyes and just wanted to be around you more,” Einar teased the now red faced ranger.
Both men chuckled as Lyeneru scowled and made a hand gesture he had only seen once.
“May the gods make both of you suffer some day for teasing an innocent woman!”
“Oh, they do my elvish friend, they do.”