Jaysen Bjorn

The blood colored the water a slight red as Bjorn dipped his boot in the basin to scrub away. His clothes were drying, and he wore a simple tunic. Thankfully, his parchment with the list of monsters he’d slain had been unspoiled after Lind had practically eviscerated the monster across Bjorn’s body.

Bjorn sat outside in the courtyard of Castle Vrodr. There was a secondary well at the rear which was used for bathing and laundering. He always hated bathing, as it left him vulnerable for a moment, though he had several daggers lined up beside him in case he needed them. Admittedly, this was probably the most secure place he’d ever bathed, surrounded by castle walls. A series of curtains and short walls provided some privacy so he wasn’t immediately visible to anyone else walking by, though the only other person who’d come to this area was Elowyn.

He heard her footsteps as she approached again, probably bringing back another bucket used to help clean Lind.

The rest of the “crew” was inside Castle Vrodr with Lind, Lorelai, and Elowyn’s mother, Selke.

Bjorn hadn’t been at all surprised by the revelation that King Knos was involved in dealings with the monster. Kings and queens were always doing foolish things to endanger the lives of their subjects. He’d heard of a dozen stories back on the mainland.

The thing that really stuck with Bjorn though was what Hallik had said. Hallik was young, no more than a boy, but it was clear he held strong convictions. Both he and Elowyn were committed, devoted individuals, and he had to admit that he was impressed by them. He wondered what he might have been like if he’d been raised in such a society. Perhaps he would have been cursed with the same hope they carried. Alas, he was a realist. Death was life’s only certainty.

But Hallik’s words about being a part of the team wouldn’t leave his mind. The boy was too discerning for his age. Bjorn could have left at any moment, but he’d willingly followed Hallik back to Selke’s home after saving the boy from the liowolf. He’d felt some semblance of kinship with him, even though he was annoying.

It was true, though. Bjorn could have engaged the monster sooner. It was only when Hallik’s life was at risk that Bjorn decided to take his chance at sneaking up behind it. He could have stood beside Lind and tossed a few knives or even fired a bolt into its gaping mouth. That would have spoiled its appetite.

Both Hallik and Elowyn had stood their ground, not backing down at all as a superior foe charged at them. They were either brave or foolish. Probably both. It would get them killed eventually, but there were worse ways to die.

Bjorn was a hunter, not a fighter. He was accustomed to seeking out his prey and killing it cleverly, not typically facing it in an outright attack. That was how he was used to it, but Hallik was right. There was more than one way to kill a monster, and as part of a team, he’d have to figure out how to stand with them a little better.

Team.

He scoffed to himself and put his boot aside. Kel’s abyss, what had he gotten into? The very idea that he’d somehow ended up on Avskild still seemed incomprehensible.

“Bjorn,” Elowyn said from the other side of the short wall. “We’ve prepared something to eat if you care to join us.”

“I will come, thank you,” Bjorn said. He took down his breaches and swung them around a couple times before tugging them on. They were still slightly damp, but he had no desire to wait around all day, and he hadn’t eaten in several hours. His armor would need a little more time, but he at least strapped on his sword and headed into the castle, bare feet plodding on the stones.

They’d transported Lind to his room on the second floor of the castle, though it had taken all four of them to carry him there, not counting Selke. Lorelai had stuck with them. With the death of King Knos, Avskild was about to undergo a change in leadership, and she seemed like the kind of person who liked to be around power. With the entire Grimnir Guard out, Lind was probably the most powerful person in the city, even with his injuries. His magical display during the battle made Bjorn almost believe that humanity had a chance. To think that they had an entire army of Grimnirs out there was astounding. The kind of impact they could have made if they’d never hidden away had him gritting his teeth.

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The scent of food had Bjorn’s mouth watering before he reached the room. Lind’s quarters were quite large. As the head instructor of Castle Vrodr, he lived much like a lord. The tapestries, the carvings, the beautiful furniture, and the rich sewn rug that covered most of the floor all combined to create the most extravagant setting Bjorn had ever seen. Granted, he’d never even seen a building that was larger than a couple stories. For all he knew, everyone in Dalstava was equally wealthy.

A round table sat at the center of the room, covered by a few wooden plates that were loaded with steaming, freshly cooked fish and pork.

“Kel’s abyss,” Bjorn muttered again.

Lind laid on a cot near an open door that led out onto a balcony. Elowyn and Hallik stood on the balcony as they ate. Selke sat beside Lind. Lind’s legs had been wrapped, and he wore a fresh set of clothes. Lorelai was at the back of the room, seated on a wooden chair as she ate from her own plate. That gorgeous dagger rested on her lap. It had been the first thing to catch his attention when she’d come down from the stairs. There was something mysterious about what she was doing and her involvement with the king, but he didn’t read people as well as he did monsters. What she needed was to be stuck alone with Hallik for a couple hours, and that would probably drain her of every secret she’d ever had.

“Help yourself, Bjorn,” Lind said, looking over his shoulder upon Bjorn’s entrance.

Bjorn grabbed a wooden plate without hesitation and immediately dug into the pork. It was salted just right, and his taste buds exploded with pleasure as soon as it touched his tongue. He was tempted to go hide in an unoccupied portion of the room, but Lind waved him over. Bjorn swallowed a bite of meat and stood beside Lind’s cot.

“Bjorn,” Lind said. “I know you didn’t have to come and help, but you saved our lives back there. For that, I am grateful. Though you are not Avskildian, I want you to know that you are more than welcome among us, and I hope that you might consider staying here, at the school. There can be great opportunities for one such as yourself.”

Bjorn wasn’t sure how to respond to such a comment, but he didn’t have time to answer. Hallik and Elowyn shouted from the balcony.

“Someone is returning!” Hallik said. “A Valtyra.” The balcony faced out to the east. They couldn’t quite see over the edge of the castle walls, but the Valtyra flew high enough that he or she was easily visible.

Beside him, Lind heaved a sigh of relief. “Perhaps the battle is over, then,” Lind said.

“I'm sure they’ll be interested to hear what happened here at the tower,” Selke said, one of her thin eyebrows raised into a tall arc.

At the comment, Bjorn glanced over his shoulder at Lorelai. She sat stiffly, and one of her hands had settled over the dagger in her lap. He didn’t think she would attack them, but her behavior made him uneasy.

Hallik waved his arms around so that the Valtyra would spot him, but whoever it was had already been heading straight toward them. The idea of a person flying still made Bjorn a little uneasy. They looked too big to be in the sky and not at all like their bodies had been built for such activity, but magic was always a mystery.

Lorelai sank further into her seat, and, despite his inclination to stay to himself, he sighed and moved to stand beside her. There was only so much information he could glean by observation.

Lorelai gave Bjorn a quick look over as he approached. “You’re not from Avskild,” she stated.

Bjorn hadn’t told her that, but perhaps one of the others did while he’d been cleaning up. “I am not.” He eyed her dagger. The gemstones almost seemed to writhe inside. “I like your dagger.”

She breathed a laugh. “I can see you are a collector. I’m afraid you’ll not be adding this one to your inventory.”

Bjorn only nodded. The monster, an ashimal, had mentioned something about a blade before they’d killed it. If it had been seeking to escape the building or to simply kill people, it could have done so. With its powers over mist, it could have traveled rather quickly, but it hadn’t. It remained in the building and had only descended a couple floors. There was something that had motivated it to stay, but he wasn’t sure what. Perhaps that dagger had something to do with.

He didn’t get the time to ask more questions however as the Valtyra crashed into the balcony. Bjorn was so taken aback by the scene that he drew one of his daggers aloft. The Valtyra’s legs had cracked into the railing of the balcony before she fell forward and thunked onto the floor, nearly rolling into the room. She looked like she’d been mauled by a flock of birds, every bit of exposed flesh either bruised or bloody, and her clothes were torn in several places. Her brown wings remained sagging at her side as she slowly climbed her way back to one knee.

“Stay put, Arenda,” Selke said as she sprang up from Lind’s side. Everyone stared at the winged woman, Arenda, with open mouthed expressions.

Bjorn took it that they hadn’t expected to see her in such condition.

“We,” Arenda wheezed, then her face contorted with pain. She dropped her head then shook it. One of her hands was pressed to her side, blood seeping from a wound there. A feather fell from Arenda’s left wing after it twitched. The woman was clearly dying. It seemed a miracle that she’d even been able to fly this far.

“The battle, Arenda,” Lind said. “What happened?”

Arenda let out a pained gasp before she was able to speak. “We lost.”