Viking Conspiracy

by S. T. Bende

  Loudly.

  Exploring passed uneventfully, and after class I headed to the common area. Erik usually met me there before lunch, so I waited by the fireplace expecting the best. There was no way he’d stand me up twice in one day. Right?

  Wrong.

  I stormed upstairs, threw my gear on my bed, and barreled down the hall to pound on Helene’s door.

  “Hei, Saga! Are you going to lunc—” Her face fell as she took in my fisted hands, set jaw, and angrily squared shoulders. “Great Odin, what’s wrong?”

  “Have you seen your cousin?” I ground out.

  “Not today. Why? Is everything all right?”

  “Everything is not all right.” I stomped past her, flinging myself onto her sofa and crossing my arms. “He stood me up twice today. Once at our morning training session, and just now.”

  “Why would he do that? Did you two have a fight?”

  “We sure as hell did,” I muttered. “Concerning my prophesy, and the best course of action for Valkyris in light of it.”

  Helene closed her door and crossed to the armchair opposite me. “I’ve been wondering about your prophecy. Is it something you’ll share with me, or . . .?”

  “Oh. Yeah.” I waved my hand. “I’m destined to immortalize our world and possibly end it.”

  Helene’s mouth fell open. “What? How?”

  “I don’t know. The prophets aren’t so big on details, remember?”

  “Ja.” Helene snapped her mouth shut. “But that seems like one they should be more forthcoming on.”

  “I know, right?”

  “I don’t know where Erik is.” Helene fingered the end of her braid. “But I saw him take off on a dragon yesterday. Maybe he went to Valkyris East, or spent the night at one of the watch huts?”

  “Maybe.” Something nudged at the back of my head. “But if he did those things, wouldn’t he have sent word that he wasn’t going to make our trainings?”

  “He’s pretty reliable. That seems like something he would have done.” Helene leaned forward. “Do you think he’s hurt? Should we go talk to his parents?”

  “I don’t know. We’ve never had a fight before. Maybe this is how he deals with conflict?”

  “No way.” Helene shook her head. “Erik’s many things, including absurdly stubborn, but he’s not petty.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Skit. Did I have to worry about that thick-headed Viking?

  “He probably just got held up wherever he is and couldn’t get word back to you. Have you checked with Axel?”

  “No. I don’t want him to know Erik and I are arguing.”

  Helene bit back her smile. “Axel’s a decent guy, Saga. And he’s known Erik a long time. He might be a good person to talk to right now.”

  “Maybe.” I stood.

  “I’m sure he’ll be back soon with a perfectly good explanation,” Helene offered. “And, if he’s smart, some sorry-I-stood-you-up flowers.”

  I nodded. “Thanks, Helene.”

  “Any time. But if he isn’t back soon, you should definitely talk to Aunt Freia.”

  Fair.

  “So, do you want to head to lunch?” Helene asked. “I’m starving.”

  “Sure.”

  “I told Axel I’d meet him in the main dining hall.” Helene arched one brow. “He wanted to ask me about some healer thing. My guess is he got a dragon burn and can’t go to the healing wing because one of his former conquests is on duty.”

  “Ha!” I mulled that over as I crossed to the door. “Just let me change—I’m not dressed for the fancy hall.”

  “Five minutes,” Helene called after me. “I’m really hungry!”

  “Okay!” I hurried to my room and traded my school clothes for a red-and-cream dress. Then, I ran a brush through my hair, re-braided it, and tied the end with a crimson ribbon. If Erik decided to show up at lunchtime, I wanted him to remember exactly who he’d stood up that day. Twice.

  Erik didn’t come to lunch. Axel hadn’t heard from him all morning, which meant he was probably still wherever he’d flown off to on Sunday. Whether that was by choice or circumstance, I didn’t know.

  What I did know was that on the subject of our fight, Axel was firmly Team Erik. At Helene’s urging, I told him what had transpired between us. Axel agreed that Erik should have chosen his words more carefully, and he definitely shouldn’t have insulted my value to the tribe.

  “But Saga,” he said gently, “Erik’s not wrong. He only brought you to Valkyris a few months ago. You don’t have enough perspective to understand how things work around here—or what opening ourselves up will most likely mean for our safety.”

  “Maybe not, but I do know the way you’re doing things isn’t working. Bjorn’s amassing an army.”

  “Someone’s always amassing an army.” Axel shrugged. “We’re constantly getting ready for some battle or another. We prepare for the worst while simultaneously living our lives. You have to understand that Erik’s been doing this a lot longer than you have. He’s been raised to protect Valkyris, and for the last few years he’s been training to lead it. Did you really think you could show up, train for a few months, and tell him how to run his tribe?”

  “It’s my tribe too!” I threw my hands in the air. “Why the hell do you think I’m working so hard?”

  “I get that,” Axel said calmly. “But I also get that Erik inherited a title he never wanted and dedicated his life to doing a job he didn’t ask for. He does it because he loves his family, he loves his clan, and he believes in the world his parents have built. And for you to tell him he’s doing it wrong . . .” Axel’s low whistle followed the trajectory of the lead ball in my gut.

  Ouch.

  “Look, I’ll ask around to see if anyone knows where he is. If he doesn’t show up by the time classes get out, we’ll go track him down together.” Axel sighed. “But based on what you’ve told me, I’d imagine the guy just needed some space. I know I would.”

  Double ouch.

  “Erik scheduled us for an extra training this afternoon,” I said. “If he doesn’t show, I’m coming to find you.”

  “Ja.” Axel rubbed his beard. “That’s probably a good idea.”

  I cut class after lunch, changing into training gear and opting for the comfort of the big armchair in my room. I curled up under a thick blanket and just stared at the light snowfall outside my window. Occasionally the sun would peek through the clouds, illuminating the mountains on the far side of the Valkyris shore. The craggy peaks were covered in a thick layer of white, and when the wind picked up I could see the snowy swirls whipping off their edges. We’d made it through the worst of the winter, but a bitter cold still blanketed Norway. I was grateful to be ensconced in my suite, with a soothing fire lapping in the hearth. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. It wasn’t like Erik to disappear like this. If he wasn’t at our afternoon training, I was going out after him.

  Wherever he was.

  By the time classes ended, the storm had intensified. Thick flakes dropped from the sky as I trudged through a fresh layer of powder, reporting to outbuilding two with a guarded optimism. But Erik was nowhere to be seen, and my stomach immediately went into a tangle of knots. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

  “Did he show?” Axel’s low voice made me jump. I spun around to find him standing in the doorway.

  “No,” I whispered.

  “He wasn’t in his room—I checked before I came here.” Axel turned on one heel and marched outside. “Follow me.”

  “Where are we going?” I threw my cloak over my shoulders and hurried after my friend.

  “The Dragehus. I haven’t been in there since early Sunday morning, and I want to see if any of the dragons are missing.”

  Oh, God. Helene had seen Erik on a dragon yesterday. Were they still out in this storm?

  Axel was silent as we clomped through the thickening layer of powder. When we reached the Dragehus, I shook the snow from my hair while
Axel scanned the stalls.

  “Anyone missing?” I asked.

  “Rage is gone,” he confirmed. “Let me check the chart—it’ll tell me who checked him out.”

  Of course. There’s a dragon named Rage.

  I followed Axel to the end of the barn, where he scanned the sheet of paper tacked to the wall near the juvenile pen. Borg mewled at me as I passed, but I was too worried to do more than nod at her.

  “Skit,” Axel swore.

  Dread filled my veins. “What?”

  “Erik took Rage out yesterday. He didn’t give a departure or return time, and under ‘reason’ he just wrote, personal.”

  I wrung my fingers. “Oh.”

  “That means he’s been gone for about twenty-four hours. He might be staying at Valkyris East, or one of the huts, or . . .”

  “Or he could be hurt. And with this storm getting worse by the minute, we need to know for sure.”

  Axel didn’t waste a second. He grabbed a saddle from the wall and hauled it to the pen of a purple-scaled dragon. “I’m going out. I’ll scan the mainland first, and if he’s not there I’ll check with the watch huts. Go back to the castle, and I’ll find you when I have some information.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” I shot him the side-eye as I marched to the wall and hauled my own saddle to Deathknell’s pen. “Obviously, I’m going with you.”

  “You can’t fly in this storm. It’s too dangerous.”

  “It’s just as dangerous for you,” I pointed out, before grabbing a carrot from the bucket on the floor.

  “Saga.” Axel crossed his arms. “You’ve never flown in this kind of weather. Erik would kill me if anything happened to you.”

  “I have to learn sometime. And if Erik’s hurt, we don’t have time to waste arguing.” I hauled the saddle into Deathknell’s stall, tossed her the carrot, and signaled her to lie down. She chomped happily as she lowered herself onto her belly. Without waiting for Axel’s approval, I flung the saddle on the dragon’s back and tied it tight.

  “Fine.” Axel gave a mighty sigh. “Grab skis, an excavation kit, and survival packs from the cupboards by the door. I’ll pull the carrying nets and cold weather gear for both of us. We need to be dressed, loaded up, and in the air in five minutes.”

  “Aim for three.” I threw the reins over Deathknell’s head and slipped from the stall. I ran to the far end of the barn and pulled items from the cupboards. After dropping Axel’s gear in front of his dragon’s stall, I carried mine to Deathknell’s and waited. Half a minute later, Axel tossed a bundle of clothing at me and stepped into my dragon’s stall.

  “Carrying nets are attached,” Axel called. “Slip your skis and excavation kit on one side, and the survival packs on the other.”

  “On it.” I darted past him, entering the stall and securing my rescue gear on either side of Deathknell’s saddle.

  “Now layer up,” Axel instructed. “It’s freezing in the clouds. And we’re no good to Erik dead.”

  Gulp.

  I slipped the thick cloak, mittens, and warm hat Axel had brought me over my clothes. Then I led Deathknell from her stall and waited for Axel at the front of the barn.

  “What’s our plan?” I asked him.

  “I’ll scan the huts while you take Valkyris East. It’s a straighter shot in the storm, and you’ll get a fast answer as to whether they’ve seen him.” Axel guided the purple dragon from a stall. “Wait for me on Valkyris East, and if neither of us have found him we can scan the mountains together.”

  Fear churned in my gut. “He’s okay, right?”

  Axel just stared at me. His silence spoke volumes.

  “I get it. The odds of that decrease by the minute. We need to move.” I climbed into Deathknell’s saddle, and held tight to her reins. “I’ll see you in Valkyris East.”

  “Be careful, Saga.” Axel opened the Dragehus door before climbing onto his dragon. “Don’t do anything dangerous.”

  “I could say the same to you. Haw!” I nudged Deathknell with my heel, and she lunged forward. The second we’d cleared the barn, she stretched out her leathery wings and launched herself into the air.

  I screamed.

  “Holy hell, it’s freaking c-c-cold!”

  My teeth chattered as I ordered Deathknell higher. In the time it had taken me to saddle her up, the wind had increased considerably. It stung my face as we leveled off just below a cloud. The storm had reached all-out blizzard levels, making visibility near impossible and comfort the stuff of dreams. Icy balls pelted my cheeks, the sharp, snowy pebbles embedding into my already raw skin. I was cold, and sore, and utterly miserable. But I wasn’t about to turn around. Not when Erik needed me.

  I shuddered, and Deathknell angled us toward Valkyris East without being prompted. I took advantage of the act of kindness and dropped my cheek toward her neck, shielding myself from the storm. Maybe she sensed my fear, or maybe she was as worried about Erik as I was. Either way, we raced for Valkyris East, cutting through the blizzard as if it were no more than a light dusting.

  God willing, Erik would be there waiting for us.

  Chapter 13

  “SO YOU’RE SURE HE’S not here?” I clung to Deathknell’s reins beside a small wooden watch hut on Valkyris East. The wind was so fierce I had to shout to be heard. “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “A few weeks ago.” Valkyris East’s tall, red-haired watch captain shouted back. She wore a thick hat and thicker mittens, and a fur vest over her high-necked woolen top. She appeared to be managing the cold like a champ, whereas my teeth were still chattering and I was pretty sure I had icicles hanging from my completely frozen nose.

  “A few weeks ago?” Skit. “You’re absolutely positive he hasn’t been here since then? Like, maybe yesterday?”

  “We’d have known if Major Halvarsson was here. My guards always present themselves for inspection on his arrival.”

  “Right.” I stamped my feet in the snow for warmth. “So . . . he’s not here.”

  The watch captain frowned. “What exactly is going on?”

  “Nobody on Valkyris has seen Erik since Sunday. He took off on a dragon and never checked back in.”

  “A dragon?” The woman crossed her arms. “One of my guards spotted a dragon flying toward the North Mountain yesterday. We thought it was one of you doing a routine check.”

  My already-chilled veins froze over. “Which one’s the North Mountain?”

  “Up there.” She pointed above the wooden buildings that made up the colony’s primary residences. The mountain was barely visible through the storm, but from what I could see its peak crested well above those of its neighbors. And its slopes looked infinitely steeper.

  Perfect.

  “You said you saw the dragon yesterday?” I ran numbers in my head. If Erik really had been out for a full day . . . and if the storm had been raging for even a portion of that time . . .

  The captain switched into command mode. “I can have a team to the mountain within an hour.”

  “There’s no time.” Fear pulsed through me but I shut it down as I climbed onto Deathknell’s back. What I lacked in riding experience, I more than made up for in determination to keep my boyfriend alive. “Axel will be here soon—tell him I went up to look for Erik, and send him after me.”

  “I will.” The woman nodded. “Send the distress signal if you find yourself in trouble.”

  I turned my head. “Distress signal?”

  “Have your dragon flame.” The wind whipped my braid into my face, and the woman stepped closer. “Three short bursts of fire, shot straight up. It may be difficult to see through the storm, so keep at it until we find you.”

  “How do I make her flame?”

  “I’ve only seen it done a handful of times. But it sounded like the riders shouted ild before their dragons shot fire.”

  “Eeeld,” I said slowly. Deathknell craned her head around and flared her nostrils. Oh, Lord, was she going to burn down the watch
hut? “I was just practicing,” I said quickly. “No ild yet, okay?”

  Deathknell chuffed, and I turned back to the woman. “Thank you,” I said earnestly. “For everything.”

  “Be safe,” she said by way of farewell.

  I angled my dragon toward the North Mountain, nudged her with my heels, and with a mighty “haw” we were again airborne. I used the reins to steer Deathknell low to the ground as we soared over the rudimentary structures of Valkyris East. Unlike its island counterpart, the mainland colony was designed to resemble a typical Viking settlement. Where we had a castle, they had small wooden homes. Their barn was a sizeable wooden structure—one that I knew contained goats, sheep, and chickens, not dragons. But their outdoor training arena rivaled ours in both size and scope. Even through the snow, I could make out archery and axe-throwing targets. I figured the swords and hand-to-hand materials were kept in one of the small buildings that lined the field, though nobody was out training today. Nobody should have been out, period, in this weather. And if Erik had been exposed for any length of time . . .

  I urged Deathknell forward, driving her toward the mountain. Fierce swirls of snow whipped in rotations off the peak, making the mountain look like a massive, white tornado. My dragon lowered her head and flapped faster, carrying us through the blizzard until we’d reached the base of the hill. I held tight to her reins and ordered us onward, circling the bottom quarter of the mountain until I was positive no Viking heirs dotted the snowy base. We repeated the pattern on the next section up, Deathknell flying low around the second quadrant as I scanned the snow for any sign of life.

  I was just about to take us higher when three fiery bursts from the top quadrant caught my attention.

  The distress signal!

  “Did you see that?” I shouted at my dragon, before remembering she wasn’t supposed to understand me. But before I could høyre her in the right direction, Deathknell dipped her head and swung around. She soared straight for the top of the mountain, flapping backward and drawing up at the edge of a massive crevasse a few hundred yards below the tip. At this altitude, the wind was even more ferocious. It battered my face to the point of numbness, and I tucked my chin into my cloak to lessen the pain.