Soon enough they reached Crabber Island, the vessels dropping their anchors just close enough to it that they wouldn’t run ashore. Einar and the others got off, the cold water reaching up to his waist as he trudged to the shore. People began to make camps for the night as the young giant picked up a few dry branches for a small fire for the night. By the time the sun went down, all of the ships got anchored and dozens of campfires lit the shore of Crabber Island.
Einar shared his fire with Arvid and a few other God-marked from the ship, most of them fast asleep after eating some gruel they cooked from smoked fish, grains and vegetables. The other fires were still lively as people laughed and talked, but he was far enough from them that they wouldn’t bother him. Although, punching Prince Fastúlfr made sure that people wouldn’t try to get too close to him, likely being afraid of getting on the prince’s bad side.
“Would you mind sharing your fire with me for a bit, lad?” A creaky voice snapped Einar out of his lonely stupor, a warrior standing a few steps beside him. “The night’s getting cold out here.”
The man had light grey hair, a few wrinkles and only one eye, the other one covered with a worn-out leather patch. He looked like a veteran, probably a raider who wanted one last adventure before he was too old to sail.
“Sure,” Einar pointed at the log beside him. “There’s still some food left if you’re hungry. It’s not much but it’s warm and filling.”
“I have nothing to pay for it.” The old man said with a downcast gaze as he sat down.
“No need to pay. Just eat if you’re hungry.”
“Just like that?” the man eyed him suspiciously. “Most of the other God-marked were against the idea of sharing their fire with an old nobody, let alone offering to share their food. Not a shred of respect for their elders.”
“So it would seem,” the youth nodded. “I’m Einar by the way.”
“Spear.” The old man introduced himself as he grabbed a wooden bowl from beside the fire, filling it with the still-warm gruel.
“Spear? That’s a strange name.”
“It is,” the old man chuckled. “Earned it after taking down a troll with a single spear throw.”
“Sounds like a fight worthy of tales.” The young giant remarked as he watched Spear take a spoonful of gruel.
“You’re not even questioning it?”
“Questioning what?” Einar looked at him puzzled.
“If I’m just boasting or if I really did it. Most of the God-marked on our ship called me a liar when it was brought up. Said that no ordinary man could claim such a feat.”
“Well,” Einar shrugged. “My father fought against a dragon and survived without being a God-marked so it’s just as possible for an ordinary warrior to kill a troll with a spear.”
“Good,” the old man nodded after wiping his beard. “Having an open mind is a good thing, lad. And I did kill that troll with a single throw. Never felt luckier in my life. I was not much older than you when it happened. My fellows and I were sent to the great forest at the southern edge of Wolf-head Island.”
Spear stopped his tale for a moment, accepting a waterskin to get a mouthful of water.
“We heard rumours about cattle going missing at a village on the edge of the capital’s domain but since it was near the forest, people thought that wolves did it. So, the king of that time sent out a five-man pack to hunt down the wolves. Imagine our surprise to find a bloody troll running about in the forest. It was a good fifteen feet tall and stank like rotten flesh.”
“And you chose to fight it?”
“Didn’t have a choice in the matter,” Spear sighed. “It found us first. We were still looking for the wolves when it came charging at us from the forest. Sent one of ours flying through the air with a swing of its wooden club that was bigger than me. Squashed another one when the fool tried to stab it in the guts with his sword. I was too scared to get close enough to stab it with my spear because I knew it would squash me with its club so I threw the spear at it. Went through its left eye and killed it.”
“Sounds like a gnarly fight. Did the one that was sent flying survive?”
“No,” the old man shook his head as he finished his meal. “He got his chest caved in from the club strike and his skull shattered from hitting a tree. The poor sod left a waif and two toddlers behind. Luckily, the king had just enough honour to make sure the widow and the brats wouldn’t starve. Goes to show how bad things can turn from one moment to the next.”
“At least some of you survived,” the young giant tried to cheer up the old man. “From what I’ve heard, trolls aren’t supposed to be walking about in our kingdom. Some traders said they’re more common in the Falling Sun Empire, but not in ours.”
“They sure shouldn’t be walking about here just like that,” Spear remarked, absent-mindedly drawing something in the sand with a stick. “But I heard that the Torn Serpent is teeming with far worse things and you lot are supposed to fight those.”
“We weren’t told much about that,” Einar admitted. “King Baldr made it sound like an epic quest where we would slay monsters and the God-marked of the other kingdoms, but told us nothing truly helpful.”
“Take this from an old man who survived a few battles of his own. Every lie has a bit of truth in it and those in power will never tell you the whole truth. They will always have a plan of their own and you can only hope they don’t involve you in those.”
“How can I make sure of it if I don’t even know what those plans are?” The young giant asked back, earning a sigh from the old man.
“By getting strong enough to become more than just a pawn. Whatever you’ll face out there. No matter how terrifying or strong it looks. Never falter. Fight with everything you have until your last breath.”
“I will.” Einar said, taking the old man’s advice to heart.
“Anyway, I should get going,” Spear hummed as he stood up to walk away. “Thank you for sharing your fire and the meal.”
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After taking a few steps toward the crowded area of the coast, the old man threw a few parting words over his shoulder.
“While it’s good to have the will to fight, it’s also important to know when to stop. The Fates might look like a bunch of dear skull-wearing draugr, but you should greet them with respect if you aim to survive.”
Einar couldn’t make heads or tails of the old raider’s words but as he turned to look at him, the old man had already disappeared in the bushes, likely to take a piss or something. Letting out a sigh, the young giant turned back toward the dying fire, his eyes drawn towards the drawing left behind by Spear. He could almost make out the image of a raven, but something felt off about it.
As he kept staring at it, something clicked in his mind just as it did when he looked at the drawings Helga showed him back home. ‘Sneaky old man.’ He thought as he realized that Spear must have left it behind as payment for the meal, even though he offered it to him out of kindness. Shaking his head, the youth decided to turn in for the night, sleep finding him quickly after he lay back on his bedroll. When morning came, he woke up to someone slightly kicking his feet. opening his eyes, he found Arvid standing not far beside him.
“Time to wake up,” the warrior said as he pointed toward the ship with his thumb. “The captain told us to get our things together. We’ll set sail in twenty minutes.”
“Right.” Einar nodded groggily as he got up, dusting off his armour before gathering his belongings.
Once everything was packed up, they trudged through the shallow water and climbed back onto the ship, waiting for the captain to give out the command. Einar noticed some of the other God-marked at the front of the ship whispering amongst each other, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“What are they on about?” He asked Arvid, the young warrior letting out a helpless sigh as he looked at the small group.
“They are probably talking about Princess Brynhildr.”
“What about her?” The young giant asked back as he watched his travelling companion sit down.
“She claims that Svanhildr visited her last night.”
“You’re joking, right?” Einar turned his gaze toward one of the nearby ships he knew the princess was sailing on. “She was visited by the queen of the gods, wife of the All-father?”
“The one and only, if you believe it,” Arvid shrugged. “Brynhildr claims that the Gentle Queen bestowed a blessing on her. Nothing big, mind you, but a blessing’s a blessing I guess.”
“And what about Fastúlfr? Was the prince also...”
“No,” Arvid shook his head. “And he openly called his sister a liar. Said she only claimed that Svanhildr blessed her to gain more followers before we reached the Torn Serpent. I’m surprised you didn’t wake up to their scuffle earlier. The captains had to pull them apart before the two sides would clash as the argument went sour.”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
“So I’ve noticed,” the warrior chuckled. “You slept like a log. Were you up all night or something?”
“I was, for a while,” he admitted. “Had a lot of things on my mind, then Spear came by.”
“Spear?” Arvid asked surprised.
“An old raider,” the giant explained. “He got his name for stabbing a troll in the eye with his spear.”
“Sounds like a battle worthy of songs.”
“It does. He asked if he could warm himself by our fire, so I invited him to sit and offered some of the leftover food. In return, he shared some of his wisdom with me and then left.”
“I’d rather take the wisdom of an old warrior before any daydream of godly blessings,” Arvid remarked. “There’s a reason they managed to reach old age after all.”
“True.” Einar agreed as he noticed the captain climb back on their ship.
“Pull up the anchor and lose the sail! The Gods’ Gate is waiting for us.” The captain yelled suddenly and the sailors did as told.
The ship began to move forward, cutting through the waves as they continued on with their journey that lasted three more days. On the early morning of their fourteenth day on the sea, a dark dot appeared ahead of them on the horizon, growing larger by the minute as they sailed closer to it. A good hour later they found themselves staring at an enormous stone arch that rose out of the sea, large carvings adorning it.
“Gods’ Gate.” The captain sighed.
“No matter how many times I see it, this damned thing always gives me the shivers.”
“When will it open?” An impatient God-marked asked as they pulled in the sail.
“The moment all of our ships are here. If we can believe the seeresses.”
“Almost everyone is here captain,” a sailor remarked. “The last two ships should get here in a few minutes.”
“Then we wait.”
They did as the man told and a few minutes later all of the ships had finally lined up not too far from Gods’ Gate. As if on cue, the gentle waves began to pick up, a storm brewing without any clouds to cover the sky. Einar watched in awe as lightning fell from the clear and cloudless sky, striking the archway. One by one the runes lit up under the onslaught of lightning bolts, everyone watching with baited breath as a swirling mist spread across the space in the archway. When the last rune lit up, a pale teal light flashed across the wall of mist and the captain yelled at his crew.
“Gods’ Gate had opened. Set sail!”
The crew loosened the rope that held the sail tied to the yard, the sail furling down as they pulled at it. A moment later the wind finally caught it and the ship lurched forward a bit. All around them, the other ships had also set sail, cheering God-marked and sailors urging their ships forward. They began to move forward, each vessel racing forward to be the first as a line of ships formed and Einar watched as the one on which Princess Brynhildr sailed cut to the front, passing through the wall of shimmering mist before disappearing from sight.
His vessel came in second, barely a dozen meters ahead of another one. As they passed through the wall of mist they found themselves sailing on water that rushed forward beneath their ship as if they were sailing down on a river while the glowing mist formed a tunnel around them.
“Amazing!” Arvid said with his eyes stuck on the shimmering tunnel of mist. “Think about it, Einar. We are the first ones in centuries to be able to go through Gods’ Gate.”
“How long do you think it will take us to get through this... tunnel?” the young giant asked with his eyes focused ahead of them with his looking glass in his hands. “I can barely see the other ship ahead of us, even though it got through the gate barely a few moments ahead of us.”
“You heard the same thing as I did,” the warrior beside him shrugged. “A minute here should push us forward a day or two and we were about a month and a half away from the Torn Serpent, so... half an hour I’d wager. I’m more worried about what happens once we get there. You’ve seen how people reacted when the gate opened. We all cheered and acted as one army back at the feast but now, everyone wants to hog the glory of reaching the isle of the gods first.”
“It will only get worse once we reach our destination,” the captain remarked from behind them, making Arvid shudder. “I’ve seen the look those people had before. The look of men and women ready to do anything for power and treasures. Us sailors mean no threat to the God-marked, but you lot do so watch your back.”
“We’ll do.” Arvid noted while sitting back down.”