The servant who had been shifting side to side stumbled backward, lifting the pitcher and drinking as fast as he could.

Vikings swarmed around him, weapons being drawn as the other men and women inside the tent dropped to their knees, pointing at the band on their arms.

“Mine!” “Jepi shouted as he moved to where a woman was on the ground, eyes locked on him.

“Same!” Vidar called out as he raced toward a servant who had two guards with axes pointed at the man.

Einar ignored all that, tackling the servant as the jug of liquid fell and broke, grabbing his jaw and forcing it open with his fingers before jamming another down the helpless victim’s throat.

Over and over, the would-be assassin started to gag, vomiting, but it didn’t take more than a moment to realize it wasn’t going to matter.

Blood was starting to seep from the blond-headed man’s nose, and his eyes were going dull.

“Throw him down, and someone get water!” Unnulf. “Bring soap! We need to cleanse Einar! No one else drinks anything!”

“What in the gods is this?”

The Jarl moved to where the dying man was now convulsing on the ground and frowned.

“Something far more dangerous than I have seen in a long time and not used for anything but someone like you,” Unnulf replied. “You’re a target, and whoever did this gave strict orders. Somewhere, I have no doubt, a person is doing a summoning ritual soon, and this man will be gone, escaping our grasp.”

Men and women were stopped at the tent, each of them being inspected by the guards.

“Look at his armband,” Einar said as he bent down. “It looks real, but it’s now noticeable that it’s a fake of yours.”

The Jarl who oversaw this city growled as he joined the newest pack leaders in inspecting the corpse.

“This is my fault then.”

“No, Unnulf, it’s not. Someone did this and had a plan. Obviously, they intended to cause me harm and weaken me. What better way to either cause a decrease in morale than to strike down the leader?”

“Sir!” a Viking exclaimed as he moved a few feet away from the pair. “We have a station outside with water and soap like you asked!”

Standing to his full height, the Jarl nodded.

“You need to go wash. If it is what I’m afraid it might be, that poison can seep in through your skin if given enough time. Let’s hope you didn’t get enough on you that it will matter. Besides, you’re strong and virile. Surely, you can handle a little bit of suffering for a week.”

Rising, Einar moved to follow the guard, watching as Avitue and the other two pack leaders followed behind him.

“You are a dangerous man to be married to,” she teased as they moved outside the tent and toward the small station where four guards stood with a single servant from their entourage. “Tell me, should I worry about my life?”

Seeing her grin, he shrugged.

“I doubt it. Anyone foolish enough to intentionally harm you would have to deal with me and they should pray that day never comes.”

Her green eyes sparkled and her grin turned playful.

“Oh what I wouldn’t give to help you wash up right now, but forgive me if I choose not to risk death.”

Chuckling, Einar began to undo his clothing, glad he had learned long ago not to care about modesty.

***

Men continued to curse, and Thorodd clenched his fists as the second in command paced back and forth.

“It’s earlier than we expected,” Osvif stated, the only one seemingly unaffected by the announcement.

“You knew this was coming?!” Hallad asked. “Yet you didn’t think to warn us?”

“Don’t get upset with him,” Einar said as he waved a hand at all his men. “Sit. We need to stop acting like angry Vikings when there is nothing to take our anger out on. All that will do is cause problems.”

Frowns and narrowed eyes were his initial response but after about half a minute most of them had sat back down on the wooden stumps they used for seats, reclining by the fire.

Looking at the thirty men and ten women who made up their group, Einar considered what this next step was going to really be like.

Oh Guat… you’re a fast one…

“Nothing changes. We head toward the portal at light. The only difference is now you are going to be pulling guard duty during the evening, even while we are in Midgard. We have four days, maybe five, depending on how the horses manage these loads. Everyone takes a turn, including myself.”

Motioning to where Avitue was sitting beside him, she stood up.

“Those of you who have recently joined us has not heard this talk so I will give it only once. Treat my sisters with the respect due and if they tell you no, do not press them. It would be a bad thing for men such as yourselves to anger me.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Her eyes moved around the circle and a few smiles appeared on many of the men in the original two packs.

“As my wife has said, she and I both expect no problems within the ranks. If you have a conflict with another Viking, bring it to Thorodd or myself. Each pack leader is responsible for your men. The rewards that come from our success are based on your actions.”

Pointing a finger at their newest addition, Jepi stood up.

“Jarl Unnulf has selected Jeppi Snagason to lead a pack from all four warbands within his city. Know each of these men are as competent and skilled as those gathered. While we have the chance, I encourage each of you to train and learn from one another.”

The red-haired Viking sat down after being given a few greetings from the others.

“Finally, now that we are all here, I’ll have Osvif review our plans.”

Einar studied the eyes and faces of the newest Vikings, seeing a confused look on those who had yet to understand why such a task would be given to the shorter one.

Pulling a leather bag that was leaning against his stump, Osvif pulled out stacks of papers and motioned to Thorodd, who took them and handed them out to the warriors.

“On this sheet, you will see a few things to be mindful of,” he said, grinning the moment reactions started to appear on some of the Viking’s faces. “You might have already noticed but the weapons we have brought are not the typical things and a lot of gold and time was invested in creating them.”

“Poisoned spears?”

Nodding, Osvif didn’t miss a beat as one of the men’s questions had others reacting the same way.

“We are are going to fight a giant at some point and the real problem is how long it has been since a warband has done such a thing.”

“Twenty years almost,” Vidar answered. “It has been almost twenty years since we have done such a feat.”

“And how did that fight go?”

The pack leader frowned and shook his head.

“I was not there for it but I heard about it from Bior. He said they were not prepared as they should have been and that over half of the warriors died.”

“Without causing problems,” Osvif said, “I talked with Jarl Bior and his description of the fight was a foolish one. One hundred warriors charging at a creature, most using only spears and axes. As you might notice we do not have one hundred warriors and I personally would prefer to not die.”

Chuckles and nods came as others agreed with his statement.

“Einar and I are not men who fear death, but we will use tatics that go back to the time when Vikings fought how Odin intended. We will hit and run, luring the giant to our desired killing area. Traps will be set and yes, we will use poison, hoping that what we have brought does what it is supposed to do.”

“And you don’t think such things are beneath a Viking?”

Osvif looked at the warrior from Jepi’s pack, seeing his shaved head glistening in the light of the fire.

“Tell me, what is your name?”

“Gylfi Bergsson.”

“How many times have you died?”

Many of the men grunted and frowned at that question.

“You know that is not something we talk about.”

The tone of the warriors face was easy to pickup on and Osvif nodded, never taking his eyes off the Viking.

“I do. And yet, how many of those deaths would you gladly have avoided if all it took was pretending to pull back and run away, luring the creature you faced into a trap and slaughtering it while you stayed alive.”

The crackling of the wood burning was the only sound for a few seconds as every warrior knew the answer that was about to come.

“All of them.”

Nodding, Osvif begin pointing at the different men from the two packs that had joined them. Then he turned to the shieldmaidens who all sat near Avitue.

“What about you sisters? Would you gladly trade a death or two for running away and luring a foe into a trap?”

Laughter came from the women and Drifa stood up, her hand gently tugging on her red braid of hair.

“Unlike these men who feel the need to wag their dicks, we shield maidens have no problems using traps.”

Everyone laughed as the woman sat down, earning some gentle slaps on her back and shoulder from her sisters.

“Odin didn’t just give us this gift so we could die like fools. He gave us minds and intelligence. Well some of us, just don’t ask Skardi for plans.”

The giant gave Osvif a hand gesture but the smile on his lips never departed.

“Tyr has given us tactics and battle plans. He once gave me a boon which aided in our packs success in Alfheim.”

Some muttering came from the new members again and Einar stood up, moving to where his friend was at.

“Osvif has told the truth and I’m about to share something that cannot be spoken of outside this circle. If I find out you do, I will hunt you down and extract two deaths for breaking this agreement. Do all of you understand?”

His eyes left no doubt in the truth of his statement as he glared at those around him.

“We received over four boons in our time in Alfheim.”

“Four boons?”

“Impossible!”

Letting the men and women discuss that information for a few seconds he held up his hands and they went silent.

“Osvif was given a boon from Tyr. All of my men received boons from Odin, Freyr, and other gods. We do not advertise this because I cannot promise you they will come again, but know that what we are doing and how we fight have earned the favor and eyes of those we worship. So when Osvif tells you this is how we will fight, do not think he is a coward or doubt his plan. Ask any of the warriors behind me who have followed his tactics. None of them would be foolish enough to chase him, all well aware that wherever he led, death for them was most likely coming.”

Nodds and grunts of agreement rang out from all nine of the Vikings.

Moving back to his seat, Einar left the tatician to continue.

“While I appreciate the kind words of our leader, now making it seem like everything I plan will result in victory without deaths, know that I won’t promise that at all.”

The shorter Viking pointed at the list he was holding.

“Learn the list. Practice with these weapons. We are about to face something none of us ever have and unless the gods themselves show up, some of us are going to die.”

He pointed at Thorve who was sitting near Thorodd.

“This is our main healer, Thorve. She and Kojala are the ones who will be responsible for bringing us back when that happens. Out of everyone here, they are the most important Vikings we have. As such, there will be a rotation to protect them while the others are facing an enemy.”

Letting that knowledge sink in and the truth that some would miss out on glory from a fight while serving guard duty, Osvif grinned as he held up his list.

“Now for the fun. Everyone look at the sixth item on the list.”

“A poisoned harpoon?”

“Yes,” the short Viking replied. “We have two and hopefully, they will help us kill a giant. Now tell me, who wants to work the ballista that fires it?”

Laughter and hands immediately sprang up, everyone wanting a chance to claim they had killed a giant.