Viking Conspiracy

by S. T. Bende

  “Where did the fire come from?” I leaned forward in the saddle, scanning the snow. I’d just decided I’d imagined the whole thing when a fireball burst from the depths of the crevasse. Deathknell flapped backward, putting us out of range as two more balls surged upward.

  Erik!

  I steered Deathknell to the ground.

  “Stay here,” I ordered the dragon. I leapt off her back and scrambled through the knee-deep powder, until I reached the edge of the crevasse. “Erik! Erik, are you down there?”

  “Saga?” My knees buckled at the sound of his voice. “Stay back! It’s unstable.”

  “Erik, my God! Are you hurt?”

  “My leg’s pretty banged up,” he called. “But my dragon’s worse. I think her wing is broken.”

  I stepped as close to the ledge as I could and peered down. Erik lay on his back a good fifty feet down. A green-scaled dragon was curled around him—must have been the one who’d sent up the distress signal.

  “Your dragon’s kept you warm,” I surmised. “But you must be starving.”

  “Ja,” he admitted. “Is Axel with you?”

  “No. He’s still out looking for you. Let me try to get his attention. Deathknell, ild. Ild!”

  My dragon craned her neck and blinked, apparently verifying that I meant it this time.

  “Ild,” I repeated. “Now.”

  Deathknell’s nostrils flared, and she reared her head back before firing three flaming shots into the sky. I could only hope someone in Valkyris East was watching. This would have been an opportune time to have a smart phone. Or even a flip phone. Anything to tell Axel to get his butt up this mountain and help me out. Immediately.

  “You flew all the way out here on your own?” Erik yelled up. “In this storm?”

  “Turns out Axel’s a good riding teacher,” I called down. “But I’ve only had one academy lecture in crevasse rescue, so you may need to walk me through this.”

  “Are you with Deathknell?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. She’s done this before. Have her keep up the distress signal until someone responds. Rage’s is getting weak, and you’re going to need Axel’s help to get him out of here.”

  “How do I get you out of there?” I asked. I didn’t know how long Axel would be, and I wasn’t sure how safe a crevasse was in a storm. If Erik got buried, I didn’t know how long it would take to get him out.

  If we even could.

  “Do you have rescue gear on the dragon?” Erik called.

  “I do.”

  “Good. You’ll need a pickaxe, rope, and blanket. Stake the axe far enough back from the ledge to be stable. Secure the rope, and throw it down. Then tuck the blanket beneath the rope near the ledge, but not too close. I don’t want you falling in.”

  “On it.” I trudged through the snow and retrieved the items from Deathknell’s nets. Before I returned to the ledge, I tilted my head and studied the dragon. “Any chance you know how to set the distress signal on repeat?”

  Her yellow eyes blinked twice.

  “Can you fire it every couple of minutes?” I tried again.

  Another blink.

  “Please?”

  Finally, Deathknell nodded. She tilted her head back, opened her mouth, and shot three streams of fire into the sky. Then she dropped her head and stared at me, as if waiting.

  “Thank you?” I guessed.

  She nodded before stamping the snow.

  Whoa. Who knew a dragon named Deathknell had a thing for manners?

  “Keep doing that at two-minute intervals. Axel’s bound to see it eventually—or someone at Valkyris East will.”

  Deathknell narrowed her eyes at me.

  “Please,” I amended. Deathknell pulled her lips back and chuffed.

  Is she laughing at me?

  I grabbed a carrot from the food bag in the net, tossed it to her, and slogged through the powder. When I was fifty feet from the ledge, I jammed the axe into the snow. I checked that it was secure before I knotted the rope around its handle, then made my way to the ledge. I anchored the blanket, tossed the rope over it, and called down to Erik. “Now what?”

  “I’m going to tie the rope around my waist and pull myself up. I need you to man the anchor, and make sure it doesn’t come loose under my weight.”

  “Okay.” I ran back to the pickaxe, knelt in the snow, and pressed my hands to its edges. “I’m ready!”

  “So am I.” Erik grunted. There was a tug on the rope, and I held tighter to the axe. It felt secure in the ice, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

  “Are you doing all right?” I called.

  “Ja.” Erik didn’t sound so confident.

  “What’s happening?”

  “It’s my leg,” he called up. “I’ll be fine once I stabilize it.”

  “Do you want me to pull on the rope, or do you think Deathknell can pull you up?”

  “If she falls in, she’ll crush Rage and me both. Just hold . . . the rope . . . steady.” He grunted again. “I’m nearly to the—whoa!”

  The axe jostled beneath my hands, jerking forward and sending my heart straight into my throat. I held tight to the blades and shifted onto my butt to dig my heels into the snow.

  “Arugh!” Erik’s pained cry echoed through the mountain.

  “I have it!” I shouted, gripping the anchor and jamming it back into the snow. “Are you hurt?”

  “Nearly. There.” He sounded exhausted. Half a minute later, his arm appeared at the ledge. He hauled himself up hand over hand, using one leg to push off while the other hung limply at his side. His hair and beard were matted with ice, and the redness of his nose and cheeks were visible even at this distance. But he was free. He was alive. And in that moment, that was everything.

  I waited until Erik was a safe distance from the ledge before releasing the anchor and running to his side. I dropped to my knees, ripped my cloak off my back, and flung it around his shoulders.

  “Oh, Erik. Thank God you’re alive!” I pulled my mittens from my hands and shoved them over his frozen fingertips. He winced as he dropped onto his butt, shifting his weight off of his injured leg.

  “Thank Odin you showed up. I don’t know how much longer I could have lasted down there.”

  “Can I touch you, or—”

  “Come here.” He raised a hand, and I crawled into his arms. I tucked my head into his chest, pressing my cheek against his heart. He was absolutely freezing and no doubt exhausted beyond measure. But he was here. We were here. Everything was going to be okay.

  “I was so worried about you.” I wrapped my arms around one of his, and clung to his bicep. “The last time I saw you, we were both upset. And I thought . . .”

  “Shh.” Erik pressed his lips to my hat. “We’re okay. We’re going to disagree, Saga—that’s part of being in a relationship.”

  “But you just dismissed my points as if they were worthless,” I whispered.

  “And I’ve had a day at the bottom of a crevasse to think about how wrong that was.” Erik stroked my back. “I’m sorry, Saga. I was angry, and I spoke without thinking. I never should have said what I did.”

  “You said I wasn’t one of you,” I whispered.

  “I was stupid.” Erik’s fingers pressed against my spine. “You may not be from Valkyris, but you’ve proven to be every bit as dedicated to our tribe as members who were born into it. I didn’t agree with your ideas, but I had no right to suggest you didn’t belong.”

  “I’m sorry I walked away,” I said softly. “We should have talked it through.”

  “No, you were right to walk away. I wasn’t open to hearing your point of view that night, and if you’d stayed . . .” Erik rested his chin atop my head. “I’m still not certain revealing ourselves is the best course of action, but I’m open to exploring the option. After we get off this gods-forsaken mountain.”

  Erik’s stomach rumbled, and I pulled my head back. “I have rations on the dragon. I’ll get you s
omething to eat.”

  “Thanks. I finished the last of my food earlier this morning.” Erik shifted his weight, grimacing again. “Any chance there’s a healing kit on the dragon, too?”

  “Axel packed everything. I’ll check.” I extracted myself from Erik’s embrace, and scrambled to Deathknell’s side. She jerked her head backward, as if she were trying to tell me something.

  “You want me to back up? Go down the hill?” She jerked her head again. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak head movements.”

  Deathknell angled her head back and shot three short flames into the air. Then she stared at Erik before jerking her head back again.

  “You want me to get him back here?” I tried.

  Deathknell did the weird lip-curl chuff thing.

  O-kay.

  “Erik?” I called. “I think the dragon wants you over here. It’s probably smart to get farther away from the ledge, anyway.”

  “I’m not sure I can walk,” he admitted.

  “I’ll drag you.”

  “Never mind. I’ll crawl.”

  It took some maneuvering, but between the two of us, we managed to get Erik back to where Deathknell stood. She fired off another distress signal, then lay on her side and used one leg to pull Erik against her chest.

  “Oh, my God. She wanted to warm you up.”

  “Rage did the same thing down in the crevasse.” Erik curled into the dragon. “They do it with their young, too. It’s a survival thing.”

  I rooted through the net until I found some food and instruments to splint Erik’s injured leg. “Just stay there.” I handed him the rations and turned my attention to his leg. “I’ll secure your injury, and we’ll wait for Axel. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

  “Thank you, Saga. If you hadn’t come when you did . . .” A deep shudder wracked his torso.

  “We’re a team,” I said lightly.

  “That we are.” He reached up to grasp my arm. “But still. Thank you.”

  I nodded, turning my attention to Erik’s leg. Once it was splinted, I curled up against him and closed my eyes.

  And I waited.

  Chapter 14

  “WHAT THE HELL, SAGA? Where are you? Are you hurt?”

  I heard Axel before I saw him. The storm had let up while Erik and I huddled against Deathknell, but a thick layer of clouds still blanketed the mountain.

  “I’m fine,” I shouted. “I’m over here—next to Deathknell.”

  The flap of dragon wings was followed by the muted thud of four paws landing in snow, two feet jumping to the ground, and one absolutely livid Viking storming toward me. “You were supposed to wait for me in Valkyris East, not come up here by yourself! I saw the signal, and I thought you were—"

  “Hello to you too.” Erik shifted me against his chest. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”

  “Erik?” Axel’s footfalls increased as he ran around Deathknell. When he came into view, he dropped to his knees, wringing his mitten-clad hands together before rubbing them against his red-rimmed eyes. “Gods, man. You scared the skit out of us. Are you hurt?”

  “Ja.” Erik jutted his chin at his splinted leg. “But I’m stable. And alive, thanks to Saga.”

  “Thank Odin.” Axel exhaled heavily. He apprised Erik, taking in the heir’s injured leg and exhaustion-lined face, before glaring at me. “You have a serious lack of respect for protocol and survival.”

  “I told the watch captain to have you follow me,” I objected. “And we’re all alive, aren’t we?”

  Axel scanned the mountain. “Where’s Rage?”

  “At the bottom of the crevasse.” Erik pointed to the crack in the snow. “Saga just extracted me. We’re going to need both dragons to pull Rage out—he tore his wing and can’t fly.”

  “Skit.” Axel narrowed his eyes at me. “You could have been killed.”

  “But I wasn’t,” I pointed out.

  Axel’s glare didn’t falter. “I have never been so scared in my life.”

  Despite the cold, a warmth filled my chest. “Aw, Axel.”

  A low growl erupted from his throat. “Don’t ever take off like that again. Do you hear me?”

  “I can’t promise that,” I said honestly. “And I don’t think you really want me to. What if it had been you up here? Or Ingrid?”

  Axel’s eyes twitched. “Saga . . .”

  “I’m just saying that I’ll always look out for my family. I love you guys.” I held out my hand, my fingers pinked with cold. Axel crawled forward on his knees and grasped my palm before ripping his mittens off and stuffing them onto my hands.

  “You’re going to get frostbite,” he muttered. Then he threw his arms around me and held on tight. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “And me too, right?” Erik piped up from behind me. “You’re glad I’m okay?”

  “Ja.” Axel muttered into my hat. “I’m glad you’re okay too.”

  “Your sincerity warms my heart,” Erik said drily.

  Axel pulled back, settling on his heels and staring at his friend. “What the hell, man? Why’d you take off without telling anyone? And how did you end up way out here?”

  Erik pulled me tighter against him. “I was upset. Saga had made some points I wasn’t ready to consider, and I dismissed her. Wrongly.” He ran his thumb across my arm before continuing. “I needed to clear my head, so the next day I pulled a dragon and took off. Then the storm came in, and we got blown up here, and . . .”

  “And you fell in a crevasse?” Axel shook his head. “Gods, you’re stupid.”

  “In more ways than one,” Erik agreed. “And I’ve had plenty of time to think on that, trust me.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re alive. Now we just have to figure out how to get you and your injured dragon off this hunk of ice.” Axel looked around. “Saga and I have nets, but they’re not going to be strong enough to carry Rage. Think you can stay out of trouble long enough for me to get to the colony and back? I’m sure Valkyris East has something we can use.”

  “Erik can’t move,” I pointed out. “And I’m too cold to get into trouble right now.”

  “I’ll believe that when I see it,” Axel muttered. He pushed himself to his feet, pulled off his cloak, and tossed it at me. “Stay here. I’ll be back in ten.”

  “Thanks, Axel.” I tucked his cloak around me like a blanket, and nestled deeper against Erik’s chest.

  “Ja. Thanks, man.” Erik stretched his arm out, and Axel clasped his hand. Then he clomped through the snow, mounted his dragon, and disappeared into the thick grey clouds.

  Ten-ish minutes later, Axel was back with the watch captain and a thick net.

  “Mage wanted to help.” Axel jabbed his thumb over his shoulder as the woman leapt from the saddle. So that’s her name. “She felt partially responsible for Saga’s act of stupidity.”

  Hey!

  “Heroism,” I corrected. “It was an act of heroism.”

  “I didn’t realize who you were. I thought you were one of Axel’s warriors. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let you go up the mountain alone.” Mage bowed her head. “I’m sorry, Miss Saga.”

  “Who I am?” I shot her a puzzled look.

  “You’re Erik’s,” she said simply.

  “Saga belongs to no one,” Erik corrected. “Though she does hold my heart.”

  My own heart swelled. I reached up to stroke Erik’s beard.

  “We need to get Erik back to Valkyris,” Axel said. “Mage, you’re sure that net’s strong enough to carry a dragon all the way there?”

  “It’s älva enchanted, so it should be,” the watch captain answered. “The question is, can the dragons carry something so heavy for that long?”

  “They’ll be fine,” Axel assured her. “They train to carry three times their own weight.”

  “Good.” Mage nodded. “Axel, you and I can attach the net to one of the dragons. If it flies low enough to the opening, one of us can climb down and help the injured creature climb inside. The
n we’ll use a rope to run the other side of the net up, and attach it to the second flier. We can secure it on stable ground, then take off.”

  “Sounds easy enough.” Axel waded through the powder and attached the net to his dragon. He guided the animal toward the crevasse, and issued his commands. “Saga, keep Erik warm while I borrow Deathknell. Mage, attach that rope”—he pointed—“around the red dragon’s mid-section. Get her close enough to the ledge to toss it down, but not so close she’ll compromise its stability. I’m going in.”

  He directed his dragon to fly just above the crevasse. Then, he leapt from the ledge. His hands wrapped around the fibers of the net and he climbed carefully down.

  “His left wing’s the injured one,” Erik called out.

  “Got it!” Axel grunted, and a burst of flame shot from the crevasse. God, I hoped he didn’t get charred.

  It only took a few minutes for Axel and Mage to extract the injured animal. And it took a few more to secure the net between the two dragons, and help Erik on the back of Deathknell’s saddle. I didn’t look back as we flew away from the North Mountain, an injured Rage moaning quietly in the net between his two barn-mates. If I had my way, I’d never see that frozen wasteland again. Ever.

  Landing on Valkyris proved more difficult than I’d hoped. Rage roared furiously as the dragons touched down on the snow-covered field behind the Dragehus, but he didn’t shoot fire at us. And he didn’t appear to come out any worse for wear. The second we landed, he extracted himself from the net and thundered toward the barn. Poor thing was probably freezing.

  I know I am.

  While Axel tended to the dragons, Mage and I helped Erik toward the castle. His leg was injured enough that he couldn’t put weight on it, so he mostly hopped across the seemingly endless field. By the time we’d reached the castle and handed him off to the white-clad healers, the weight of the day had set in. My limbs trembled as I lowered myself into a chair beside his bed and waited for the healers to assess Erik’s injuries. I knew I’d need to find Freia and Halvar and let them know what was going on. But for just a moment, I allowed myself to bury beneath the thick blanket one of the healers had thrown over me and close my eyes.