Bjorn.

"Who looks forward to Ragnarök?" Pepper asked me in a whisper as we leaned against a tree watching William rant about something to Sullevan, Gallion and Cal. Shrugging I shook my head, "People can keep you wondering, can't they? I wonder how long he's been hiding out here?""Good question, it doesn't look like he has been here long, maybe he's wanderer?" Pepper suggested.

William was dressed in a blue men's gown tied tight with a leather belt. The belt had a few potion bottles, a small pouch and a dagger hanging from it. His head was bald with blue tattoos all over his scalp, a blue mark in place of his eye brows where there was no hair either. The marks were arrows that pointed inwards towards his nose. Down the bridge of his nose was a single word, but tattooed in black. Ragnarök.

"Maybe..." I walked over to Gallion's side. "What's going on with this guy then?" I asked him."Well it seems our friend William here has known that this place was going to burn its way into the ocean, his words not mine, that this isn't the true Ragnarök. Says something about a heartless mountain."

"That's right! I promise you, you will not miss his entrance." William said. "Who is he?" Sullevan asked William. "He is the one who will change everything." William said. He turned around and poured what I think was watered down dirt into a drinking horn. He offered it to Sullevan first. Sullevan politely waved his hand in front of him and and told William he was unable to drink it.After Gallion declined William shrugged and drank it himself. Cal sighed in relief he was not offered.

Sullevan placed his hand on his sword under his cloak, Gallion and I moved back to our horses and pulled ourselves back up. I was unsure of this man and it seemed that I was not alone."William would you join my friend's and I, to guide people out of the village of Mons? We need as many men as we can to come help." Cal asked him. "Why? People will die anyways." William said. "What will I get?""You will be rewarded for your help, William I promise." Cal said.

Pepper was looking at what William had lying around un noticed as we waited for him to mull over the idea of joining us. It wasn't much, a small single horse wagon, except it was a mule who looked as though he had seen enough sunsets in its life that accompanied William. Items were strewn about in the open, a barrel that was probably filled with dirty ale, a bag of wheat, other sacks filled with things I couldn't identify in the dark.Sullevan pushed aside a fur that was slumped over a stump, seemingly by accident. William leaned over and picked it up replacing it on the stump. Sullevan nodded once at Cal. "What say you, William? Will you help us?" Cal pushed. Pepper came running over to her own horse and slung her self on top effortless giving me a wink. I couldn't help but smile."For as long as I want to be there." William finally agreed. "Fair enough." Sullevan and Cal each shook wrists with William. "Whatever help you provide is welcomed and appreciated."It was decided that we would leave immediately and continue our travel to mons. William put his few belongings onto his messy wagon and strapped up his old mule. The poor thing let out a few bray's in protest and then went forward with more protesting.

As Williams wagon bumped along in front of me I could see a bag of scrolls rolling around that I hadn't noticed before. "William, what is it that you read? What are the scrolls you travel with there?" I asked him . "Oh, those? Nothing that would of interest to a man such as yourself." He said, then started to hum a tune. "Do you read them all the time, or have you only just acquired them?" I asked again. "I read them always, every day. Whenever I can. I want to know everything I can about them." "Oh, what are they about then?" Gallion added. "No ones business but my own." William said looking cross then started to hum again. I looked at Gallion who had thought the same thing I did. William was an interesting character.

The night past in what seemed a short period of time after William joined. This was probably due to the fact the man never stopped singing, or humming. He told us stories of men and gods. Things that sounded like children's stories. We Were un able to convince more men to help in the village, instead they decided to remove their own families from the area. Eventually we came to over look a village in a valley below a mountain base. The mountain looked peaceful. Beautiful in fact. It reached so high it seemed to touch the edge of the world. Snow covered the top of the mountain and grew into thick forest. The trees different colors making it look as though they flowed down the mountain side like water. Mons was small, a few dozen buildings only, which gave me relief. The less people we had to convince for leave to safety seemed for the better. However, it didn't look as though anything was happening. I figured that Bodil and Kara would have been here by now, preparing people for our arrival. "Cal..." Pepper started. "Yeah, I thought there were be more going on as well." He finished. "Let's head down and see what's happening." Cal lead the way down a well traveled path towards the village.

"No birds." William said."What's that?" Gallion asked him. "No birds." William repeated motioning around us with both arms. "No singing, no tweets." "They are all probably aware of the mountains anger." Pepper said to William. "Gone to safer lands. Beasts know more of this earth then we do at times.""A very elvish thing to say." William said. "We prefer Dryads. Elf is a primitive slang I have no care for." Sullevan said annoyed. "I could do better and call you an Eladry, friend Sullevan" William said. Surprised that William would use the term Pepper asked him, "And what do you know of Eladry. They are to be respected mind you." She was stern."More then some, less then others." William said"You are not a man that shares much are you, William?" Pepper asked him ."No."Pepper left it at that. I could see that she trusted William less the more she got to know him. I don't think I could blame her. I also found it hard to have any trust in this man. And what did we actually know about him?

Stolen novel; please report.

There were no animals though. I started to wonder if Pepper was right, or William. Even if they did have some sense to get away from the mountain, surely we would have seen at least a deer, or bear. A rat...

The Village gates were open and still we haven't seen a single person. "What's going on? Where is everyone? Where is Kara and Bodil?" I asked Cal. " Has something happened here?" Cal shook his head just as confused as I was. "Pepper go to the main hall there, see if anyone is inside. Kara and Bodil may not have needed much help convincing them to leave." Sullevan order Pepper. She didn't hesitate, she commanded her horse forward with her legs and she went off without a word. "I'm going to check out the area." Sullevan said turning his own horse and moving towards a group of homes. "Let's do the same, move out and check it out." Cal said. He went towards the same direction as Pepper, towards the hall.

"I'm staying here, I'm tired." William moaned. He stood up and stretched then practically fell into his wagon and started to pull up a fur over him before Sullevan was out of site.

"Shall we?" Gallion asked, dismounting his horse.Following his lead and dropping my feet to the ground, we walked our horses over to tie them up at the ale house that stood in front of us. "What the hell, Gallion. An entire village gone? Where is Bodil?" I was worried that we had stepped into something more then a simple disaster. "I don't know." Gallion said as he pushed the door to the ale house open.

Empty. There were horns lying on tables, and the firepit was cold. There were plates with food on them, looked as though they have been there for a while. "Gallion, no one has been here for a few days at least." I said kicking over an empty ale barrel. "Seems that way." He went to the ale wife's cupboard and took out a wooden box. Upon opening it we found it full of gold and gems. "Why would you leave this behind if you were leaving for a new life?" Gallion asked me. "Maybe they didn't leave." I suggested. "Aye, maybe they didn't." He agreed.

We left the alehouse in search for the rest of our group. From the sounds coming William's wagon he was fast asleep. Leaving him there Gallion and I walked towards the hall as well. We could see Pepper and Cal standing there in deep conversation. When Pepper spotted us she waved us over with a hurried motion. "Hah, that young sprite thinks I'm running she's dreaming." Gallion laughed.

Gallion took a seat on a wooden stool that was outside the hall door with a grunt. "You are slow, old man." Pepper said to Gallion. "Should of brought your horses.""They are at the ale house, along with William." I told her. "And why isn't he helping us look around? Something about him isn't right, yes?" She was annoyed and was probably tired of hiding her distaste for William. "Sleeping. Let him. I'm tired of hearing him talk." Gallion said."Agreed." Cal added in. "Come inside, no one is here and can rest ourselves for a while. See if Kara arrives while we wait. It is still early and she may have been delayed.""Been a long time for her to be delayed. She left hours before us." Pepper said holding the door open for Gallion to walk inside. Something caught her attention from down the road. "Wait here." She said as she took off sprinting. "Like a crazy cat that one." Gallion said walking inside letting the door bang behind him. I stood a moment watching where Pepper had run off to. I wasn't worried for her, I had witness the power that woman had. I was curious on what she had seen.

Waiting for Pepper to come back I was hit in the back of the head by a small rock. Turning around rubbing the back of my head I found a group of brownies perched on the edge of the roof. "Sullevan told us to come find you. Where is Ranger Pepper?" A brownie with hair that almost seemed orange stood talking to me. The other four stood silent their tiny bows with arrows ready pointed at me. "Oi, calm down then. She's gone that way. Went to look at something. If Sullevan sent you to find me, then you know we are companions.""Maybe you are..." He jumped off the roof onto a group of stacked wooden boxes and made his way down. Standing no taller then the length of my hand he was quiet confident in himself. " I will wait for her then. Then I know the message will be collected correctly."

The urge to give him a small kick went away quickly as Pepper came jogging back into view. "Always a brownie around no matter the situation, eh comrade?" Pepper said jokingly as she spotted the small warrior. The brownie stood tall and introduced himself to Pepper, " I am Hutch, the mighty! The strong! I have conquered many foes! I have come with a message from our elder, Sullefan Eladry, The long lived, the amazing, the wise!""Bloody toads, get on with it already!" Pepper laughed. "I see your greatness sir, I admire your bravery, now what is Sullevan's message?" She asked him kneeling on one knee, lowering herself to him. The brownie grinned proudly, "He's gone to the mountain entrance with a group of me brownies, we found something inside he wanted to see. He says wait for him here!" Hutch bowed to Pepper. "Ranger, I would like to join your ranks!" He offered himself to her. "Oh? And do your troops not need their leader?" She asked him in a high tone. He thought for a moment, "Next time then!" He bowed deeply to her and then started to climb his way, surprisingly fast, back up to the other brownies. "Go to Sullevan, tell him we wait for him for now. If he is to long we will come find him. So tell him to be quick." She asked Hutch. "Aye!" Hutch bowed again and the entire group of brownies disappeared.