Once all the tents, chairs and wood were taken out of the Bag, I Duplicated a chair for Thaddeus. The poor boy was dumbstruck the moment the first chair came out of my Bag.

“Sir, if Ah may ask? How are you doin’ that? There can’t be enough room in there.” Thaddeus scratched his chin as he asked.

I smiled, replying “It’s bigger on the inside, Thaddeus. I created it that way.” I held up a hand to forestall any questions. I’ll explain everything in time. I’m…having some issues right now.”

I knelt and removed the pan, once again marveling at how warm it was, the skin of the elk, a large amount of jerky, a small stone, upon which I placed a Locator spell and my cloak from the bag. Looking up, I spied the boys running around playing tag and giggling. It seemed kids were just kids no matter where they were. I smiled even wider.

“Hey boys! Come here for a minute, okay?” The three of them broke off their play and sprinted over to me. I gathered them in a big hug, and looked them in the eye. “Gods, but it’s great to see you play and hear you laugh. I hope it never ends. Anyway, I need you three to stay here at camp while I go off for a while. I have something to take care of, outside the safety of the Dome.” Ahte-ukum’s eyes got big and a pout appeared on his face. “Don’t worry. I’m not going far. Just to that hill over there.” I pointed to a hill that stood about a hundred yards away. “I want you to listen to Blainaut, Elizabet and Thaddeus, okay? All three of them have your best interests and safety in mind.” They nodded and hugged me tightly. I returned their embrace, then sent them off with a smile “Go play, kids.”

I stood, gathering my cloak, and went to the group, who had just started a fire. “Guys, I need to go for a while. I need to clear my head. I’ll be back. I won’t be far, so if you wouldn’t mind getting dinner ready tonight?” I looked at the three of them questioningly. Blainaut and Thaddeus nodded, and Elizabet took my hand.

“Ivor, please promise me you aren’t going to do anything crazy or dangerous.” She hugged me close and whispered “I don’t want to lose you. Ever.”

I held her for a moment, and pulled back, looking up into her eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m not doing anything crazy or dangerous. Just going into the hill to clear my head.” I smiled into her eyes, and looked at the others. “I’ll be back.” I waved, and walked out of the Dome, dropping the stone just outside of it.

I made it to the hill just as the sun went below the trees. I placed my hands on the hill, and muttered “Move earth” and began excavating a hollow in the hill. I worked until I had a small chamber, five feet to a side, with a chair of stone in the center. I worked the stone until I had reinforced the chamber on all sides with a couple inches of unbroken, smooth stone. I plucked a pebble from the rubble outside, and cast a Light spell on it, and let it glow a dim red, then went inside, sat down on my chair, and reshaped a wall with a small channel to allow air in and out in front of me, enclosing me within the hill. I seriously needed to clear my head of the death I’d caused, and what better place to do so than what amounted to a grave?

I sat, slowing my breathing and clearing my mind, letting myself settle into a meditative state. Things…happened.

*********

“What d’you reckon he’s doing over there?” Thaddeus asked.

Blainaut turned the steak he’d been cooking. “Young man, I think it best to let him explain -if he does- when he returns. I’m certain that what he’s doing is extremely personal, and I doubt he would be inclined to tell us.”

“Also, sir?” Thaddeus looked at Blainaut.

“Hmm?” Blainaut was more focused on the meat in the pan.

“Um, where do Ah sleep?” Thaddeus scratched his head.

Blainaut straightened, the meat forgotten for the moment. “Now that’s a good question. I would assume with me, young man. I believe there is another cured pelt in that Bag of his. I’ll fetch it if he doesn’t get back before bed. It’ll do until he can make you a sleeping bag.”

“Okay, sir. Ah reckon that will be fine.” Thaddeus looked over at the hill, seeing a faint red glow. “Ah hope he’s okay out there.”

Elizabet watched the faint red light disappear and sighed. “I’m worried too, Thaddeus. I trust him enough to let him do what he must.”

Blainaut chucked. “I think we all do, my dear. However, I wonder if he trusts us enough to speak about it later. You included.”

Elizabet smiled and faced the slim man. “I think he does, Blainaut.” She removed the Slave ring and held it up. “I think he does.”

Blainaut’s face blanked in surprise. “It seems that he does, my dear. Congratulations.” He smiled warmly. “How would you like your steak?”

Ahte-naah looked between the two adults, then at his brothers. “They’re weird.” They all nodded sagely.

**********

As I sunk into trance, fleeting visions flashed before my eyes. I observed them all as dispassionately as I could, and let them vanish. It wasn’t easy seeing the faces and bodies of those you’d killed staring blankly at you. I sighed, and continued, letting my subconscious pull the things up I needed to see, and let the emotion wash over me, and continued.

After a while, the images stopped, and I found myself drifting into sleep.

“Hey. Hey. Hey, boy. Get up!” A hand roughly shook me awake, and I started, looking around me frantically. Nobody should have been able to reach me.

As I took in the salt air, blue sky, and wooden pier, I realized where I was, and looked up into the smiling face of my patron.

“Good to see you awake, Son. Come. We have business in the Hall.” He extended a hand, which I took, and hauled me up to my feet.

“So! It seems those gloves came in handy, eh?” He smirked over his shoulder as we walked.

“Yeah. Had I not been wearing them, I would have shattered my hands a few times over. Especially when I punched through the floor.” I shook my head at the memory, and looked around me, taking in the peaceful valley I found myself in.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

All around me was Life. There were sheep grazing in a nearby pasture, several rather tall people doing the kind of chores that wouldn’t be out of place on any farm, and children running here and there.

“Yeah. About that.” He stopped and turned to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “I would be wary of that power, were I you. It can be quite addictive, Anger.”

I smiled and nodded sheepishly. “Yeah. Yes it can. I’ve had a lot of experience with it in my past, but you probably already know that.”

“Actually, no. As far as we are all concerned, you were there, but not accessible until you turned to us. I know little of your past beyond the age of fourteen. Come.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and we continued to the large Hall.

The hall was a large, three story wooden building, built in the traditional Nordic styles. The walls looked freshly painted, and the roof was in the process of being re-thatched. As we walked through the open doorway, I felt a chill, as if I were being watched.

“You are, you know. Being watched, that is. The Old Man always watches.” He directed me to a room off to the right, where I saw eleven people sitting there, arguing and conversing amongst themselves.

I stopped in spite of myself, and my jaw dropped. They were all here? But what of my Brethren on Earth? Would they still be able to honor our gods if they were here? These and a million other questions rocketed through my head.

My patron leaned over and stage-whispered “Close your mouth, Son. You’ll catch a fly, otherwise.” I obeyed quickly.

“Finally! You grace us with your presence, Boy. About fucking time, too.” The One-Eyed god stood, and gestured to a seat at the long table beside him. “Take a seat. I’m sure you’re hungry, what with all that magic you’ve just been tossing around willy-nilly.”

I turned red and waved shyly to the assemblage of gods.”Uh, hi.” Several waved back. My patron clapped me on the back, and went to sit beside his sister. “Yes, sir. I’ll sit here.” I walked over and nervously sat between Odinn at the head of the table, and his son, Thor.

A throng of elves rushed out from adjacent rooms, carrying all manner of good food and drink. They set the food in the center of the table, and the gods wasted no time in snatching up as much as they could. A mug of pale amber-colored mead was poured for Odinn, and then for the rest of us.

I looked at the food, which was quickly dwindling, and figured I’d join in. “When in Rome…” I muttered, and started snatching at meats, fruits and vegetables. I stuffed food in my mouth left and right, savoring the flavors of the different animals and fish, the fruits and the mead.

Thor smiled at me, and wiped his face clear of grease. “Finally, I get to meet you. It’s so restricting on Earth. We can see you. We can hear you. We can never respond, nor help you in any way. I hate it. But here? Here we can begin anew. Starting with you, Son. I look forward to seeing you fulfill the Destiny the Norns have apparently woven for you.” He clapped me on the back, knocking the wind out of me.

“Well, I hope I can help. But how do you explain away a new pantheon in a foreign world? I know nothing of this world or its beliefs. Back on Earth, almost all of them had some commonality. A flood myth; a resurrection, something that would point to a shared history. How do I retcon a whole-ass pantheon of gods?” I looked between him and Odinn, who simply shrugged.

“I don’t know, Ivor. You’ll figure something out. You’re smart, clever and resourceful. That’s why The Great Mother Herself picked you.” He motioned with his mug down the hall, where a beautiful woman with waist-length, midnight-black hair was entering the hall.

“Hello, Ivor. It’s good to meet you. I hope you aren’t angry with me, though you have every right to be.” She stood beside me, and I could smell her sweet breath carried on the winds.

“Angry? No. No, I’m not angry. Confused? Yeah. I’d say I’m confused. Why me, of all people? Why not someone younger? Stronger? Certainly there are people more clever and much stronger than me?” I turned in my seat, to find her bent over, her hands on her knees, behind me, her top hanging dangerously low. I struggled to keep my eyes on her face.

Her laugh was musical. “Silly man. Of course you can look. I am the source of life here on Chaia. My breasts have fed the entire world. I feel no embarrassment, unlike humans. As to why you? Yes, there are people with more strength, more guile, and more youth than you have. What there isn’t, is another you. You possess the needed qualities to help take my children from bondage, and elevate them to equals in society. That’s why I chose you. Otherwise, you are simply mundane and quite forgettable. On Earth, anyway. Here? Here, you can make a difference, My Child.” She cupped my cheek with a motherly hand, and I felt relaxed and awed. “Here, you can actually help the people reach their peaks. I have great faith and hope invested in you.”

I swallowed and nodded. “I shall do my best to make your hopes come true, Lady.” I looked around the table at the gods. My gods. Smiling, I said “And I will work to see that you have a place in this world, and can hopefully regain your lost strength.”

A cheer went up amongst the gods.

Odinn handed me his mug. “Drink, boy! Drink thrice and seal our pact. Once for yourself!” I took a drink of the strong, slightly bitter brew. “Once for your ancestors! Your honored dead!” I took a second, larger drink. “And once to forge your Troth with your gods!” I kicked back the rest of the mug, mead flowing down my throat, warming my belly, soaking my beard. “Our pact is sealed! Each of us shall gift you a boon in time. Freyr has given his already, and it has proven useful. As we grow in strength, we will visit you. For now, I think my son has something for you.” He motioned to Thor, who was grinning like the cat that got the canary.

“Son, you have called upon my strength many times. I regret that I was unable to do more than encourage you from afar. Here, though? Here, I can actually help.” He reached into a pouch at his side, and drew out a necklace, upon which was strung a beautifully carved rendition of Mjolnir. “I give you my symbol. May it guide your arm in your battles.” He then took my left hand, and cut his rune in the back of it, near Freyr's. “As my battle-brother has instructed you, mine will work the same. Call upon me, when you have need. We are here, Son. We are with you, finally.” The red-bearded god clasped my shoulders and gently squeezed.

I looked up and around at the throng of deities, and my vision began to swim. Perhaps I had drank too much? Smiles and exclamations of farewell reached my ears.

*********

And I opened my eyes from the floor of my small chamber. My vision still swam, but I didn’t feel in any danger of losing the food I’d eaten.

Wait? I actually ate? I sat up, feeling something at my neck. I reached up, and felt a heavy object in my palm. Just like the gloves, I now had a Mjolnir around my neck. I didn’t bother checking my hand. I knew the scar was there.

Taking the light stone in my right hand, I placed my left on the earthen wall, and Moved it. Stepping outside, I took a breath of the crisp night air as a crow perched on the hill and cawed at me. I looked up at her, and put my hand on my heart. “I will do all I can for them. I swear it.” I Moved the earth back into the hole I’d excavated, and focused on my tracking stone, returning to the dome.

Once inside, I saw only Blainaut at the fire. “Thank the gods, you’re okay. You’ve been gone several hours and the rest are in bed. Elizabet may be up, she was awfully concerned. I trust all is well?”

I nodded, belching quietly. “All is good, my friend. Get some sleep. We have a couple days of travel, yet.”

“Yes. You’re right, I suppose. I hope it goes smoother than it has so far.” He ducked into his tent. “Goodnight, Ivor.”

I followed suit, entering the tent, and got myself ready for bed. Elizabet stirred from her space next to the kids. I slid into the sleeping bag behind her, and wrapped her up in my arms. She responded by snuggling back into me, and sighing contentedly. The night passed uneventfully.