A Viking's Lost Soul

by T. M. Grinsley

  The man holds his crotch and mutters several curses before getting to his feet. A few of the men snicker as they start to lead me inside.

  “Damn, girl. Remind me to stay on your good side. Get ready, the real show is about to begin.”

  The massive door before us opens, and we walk into a large cathedral with pictures dating back hundreds of years. Someone with gifted hands painted pictures that captured a time from long ago. My jaw opens at the beauty around me, but I shake my head, getting it back into the game.

  A long table is on the right, with several men dressed in military gear, sitting down eating their morning meal. On the other side, there are smaller tables with papers littered all over the place. Furniture is destroyed all around us, and blood stains are scattered all over the floor. Bile threatens to invade, but I lock my mouth in place. I can do this.

  As the men herd me around the long table, I am shoved to my knees, in front of the man who changed my life forever.

  “Well, well, well. The daughter of my greatest conquest has finally arrived.” Bjarne emerges from behind the massive chair several feet in front of me. He twirls a knife in front of him and eyes me with a curious look on his face.

  “I came for my grandmother.”

  “In time. But first, we have a few things to discuss. Ginus, get the girl.” Keeping his eyes locked on mine, I hear a man scramble next to me.

  “Steph. Things are going to get rough. Whatever you do, do not stand down to him. You cannot show any fear, or he will know something is up. Become soulless and immune to pain. Screw Finn and Etienne and whoever else. Don’t do this for them. Avenge your mother and father.” Christian’s words strike a nerve, and everything I feel towards this man boils in my veins. He is the reason my parents are dead. He killed my family and tore us apart.

  “No! Let me go. Get your fucking hands off me.” Kari screams as the man drags her by her hair to stand in front of Bjarne. She claws at his hands, doing everything she can to get away.

  I see blood drip from his hand, but he never budges. Tossing Kari at Bjarne’s feet, she crawls to her knees but freezes when her eyes land on mine.

  Rising to my feet, I take a step towards her, but feel strong hands pull me back. No, what the hell is Kari doing here?

  Bjarne’s hand grabs a fist full of hair and pulls her to her feet. “Now, my love. Is that how we act in front of our guests? Seems you have lost your stutter all the sudden. I wonder why that is.”

  Kari has tears streaming down her face as realization strikes me. No. No. No. No. This can’t be. She warned me. “Kari?”

  “It’s not what it seems. Don’t listen to him! I did what I had to, to keep you safe.” Kari screams. A loud thud sounds when Bjarne throws her to the ground. Kicking her hard in the stomach, I hear a loud oomph before he directs his attention to me.

  My veins turn ice cold when I realize what a huge mistake it was to come here. “Silence, woman. Or I will let my men fuck you until you beg for death.”

  Spitting at her feet, he takes several steps towards me. “Now, where were we?”

  “I’m so sorry, Steph.” Kari’s words barely register before Bjarne goes to strike her again. Mustering all the courage I have, I leap onto his back and bite his ear, hoping to bring his attention to anything but Kari. Keeping my hands firmly wrapped around his neck, I hold on.

  I hear his intake of breath, which makes me hold on tighter. Clinging to him like a spider monkey, I muster every ounce of strength I have to keep holding on.

  Bjarne’s men stand their ground, but I feel a strong arm wrap around me and the next thing I know, I am thrown off Bjarne and landing on my back. Then the unthinkable happens, I hear a loud gunshot and pain erupts on my thigh.

  Biting my lip to keep from screaming, hot searing pain explodes on my left thigh. Don’t show him you’re weak, keep it in, Steph. Blood starts to pool out of the wound, so I apply pressure, trying to stop from bleeding to death.

  “Steph? Fuck. Steph, can you hear me?”

  “You fucking cunt!” Blood starts to trickle down his neck, and his eyes are murderous.

  Spitting the piece of his ear out of my mouth, I use my nails to dig a hole into my shirt and rip a good chunk off. Using what I have, I wrap it around my wound and start to stand. “I didn’t come here to watch you beat on my cousin. I came here to make a deal.”

  “Don’t do this, Steph.” Kari pleads with me, but I ignore her. The only way to end this is to be one with my enemy.

  “Steph, what are you doing? This is not the plan!”

  Bjarne continues to curse in his foreign language as I limp my way over to Kari. “Are you okay?”

  Falling to my good knee, I pull her to me, needing someone to keep me stable. “Steph, you don’t get it. He isn’t the one who is behind all this. It’s-”

  “What the hell is going on in here?” Eira’s voice booms and all eyes turn to her. Every man drops to their knees and bows.

  Eira walks in with grace, like a queen, but with the look of Satan. Dressed all in black, with clothes way too tight for her age, she scans the room before her. When her eyes fall on us, she sneers.

  “Care to explain why my granddaughter has a bullet hole in her leg?”

  The man who I kneed in the groin starts to approach her, but before he utters a word, Eira pulls out a gun and shoot him in the head. “I believe I was asking Bjarne.”

  Oh fuck. My arms lock around Kari, and my heart rate starts to soar. Who the hell is this chick?

  “Fuck. Steph, whatever you do, stay alive.” The panic in Christian’s voice is not helping at this current moment.

  “She came here offering a deal. I was planning to use Kari, but it seems plans have changed.”

  Eira clicks her tongue and puts her gun back in its holster. “And this is why our kingdoms always fall. Men like you are a waste of breath and should never be put in charge.” Stalking towards him, she sits down on the large throne and motions at the men.

  Next thing we know, I am ripped from Kari’s body and thrown down at Eira’s feet. I attempt to get up, but I feel a heavy boot step on my wound. I bite down on my lip, not giving her the satisfaction of seeing me in pain.

  “So, you thought you could come here, and what? Bargain for your life, like the low life whore you are. I heard rumblings the men turned their backs on you. You see, these men will give their lives to worship someone of power. You are just a weakling, like your mother. No, I have better uses for you.”

  Fighting everything inside me that wants to lash out and scream, I bite my tongue and hold it in. “Why are you doing this?” I say through clenched teeth.

  “Doing what? Taking what is rightfully mine? Taking back my home, which was stolen from me, and given to a man who is spineless. A man who has no balls to do what is right. Before I took over, this place was nothing. For years, this place was going to the dogs. I made it what it is today. I killed and took what I needed to survive. I created warriors, unlike anything this world has ever seen. I will become the most powerful woman in the world, and no one will be able to stop me.”

  Before I can say anything, the heavy foot that is on my leg is gone, and my body is flying into the wall. I hear a loud crack, and black dots cloud my vision before I tumble to the ground. Something warm trickles down my neck, but before I can register what is happening, someone’s hand wraps around my neck and pins me to the wall.

  “You see, my darling Stephanie. You came here to save your precious friends and kill the man who murdered your mother. You are so predictable, it is rather nauseating. You, my dear, were supposed to die alongside your mother all those years ago.” Eira takes calculating steps towards me, with a sharp knife in her hand.

  “No.” Christian whispers in my ear. He starts to say something else, but I tune him out. I have to hear this.

  “You see, I ordered Bjarne to murder you and your mother that day. I didn’t care what he did, as long as you were both dead. Toy with her, make her scream, I didn’t car
e. She was nothing to me. I was building an empire, and she was slowly destroying it. Spouting her peace crap and useless nonsense. She was a means to an end, you were just the bonus.”

  Digging my nails into the hand that is keeping me suspended in the air, I pull his hand back enough to bite between his thumb and index finger. Landing hard on my bad leg, I lean against the wall and try to keep my distance. “How. Could. You?” I ask between breaths.

  “Oh, it was easy. You see, I searched the land for children born to fight. I can see it in their eyes when they are born. Etienne, Christian, Karl, Darren, Ian, Finn, and all the rest of them. When they were just children, I hunted down their families and sent Bjarne to kill them off, one by one. Leave the boy and kill the rest. It was that simple. Then start to mold them into who I want them to be. Use the anger boiling inside to fuel their desire and give them a false enemy to hate. It was rather brilliant.”

  A few grunts echo in my ear, telling me Christian is in trouble. “I’m coming for you, Steph. Keep her busy.”

  “What about Kari and my father?” Keep her busy, Steph, you can do this. Blood starts to trickle down my leg, and the world around me starts to tilt.

  “Your father was a thorn in my side. Always putting a stop to my plans and making my life hell. He knew who I was and tried everything in his power to ruin me. Taking one of my best warriors with him to the states and have you two grow close. Have my biggest achievement and best warrior fall madly in love with you, so no matter what I ask, he would never see it through. You see, Finn is the best thing ever to come out of this. He is the best trained killer in the world and is loyal to a fault.”

  “As for Kari, well, she was used as a ploy to keep Bjarne satisfied and out of my hair. He was paid well enough but always hated me for killing the one woman he loved. So, to compensate him, I gave him the next in line. You see, he loved your mother. But when I asked him to kill you and her, I think in his heart he didn’t have it in him to kill both of you. You see, love is a hindrance, an emotion that clouds your judgment and stops you from performing what needs to be done.”

  Everything around me starts to spin. My bad leg buckles a few times, but I hold my ground. Come on, Christian. Hurry up. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. “Why are you telling me all this?”

  “Haven’t you figured it out yet? Finn and the men have left you. You are nothing to them. Not even the gods of Valhalla will welcome you in. No, I plan to perform the sacred ritual on you myself, and hear you scream as no one comes for you.” Eira takes another step towards me and slams her knife into my shoulder.

  “AH!” Tears start to pour out of my eyes as the reality starts to set in. Everything she said is completely true. I am absolutely and utterly alone in this world. The people I love have turned their backs on me, and the only ones who can save me are on the verge of death themselves.

  “Grandma. No! Don’t do this. Take me instead. Spare Stephanie, please!” Kari fights against the man holding her back, and her voice cracks as sobs wrack her body. “Please!”

  “HUSH! Your stutter never fooled me. When I am through with her, you will be next.” As she twists the knife, I scream out in agony as everything tears inside me. “That’s right, scream! I want to hear you.”

  “AH FUCK! Stephanie, he’s here.”

  Chapter 36

  ~ Stephanie ~

  No. No. No. Get him out of here. He cannot be here. The knife that is sticking out of my shoulder hurts like a bitch, but the thought of Finn seeing me like this is breaking my heart.

  “Ginus, Bjarne. Get the table ready. It’s time to end this.” Eira leaves the knife in its place and releases me from her grasps. My body starts to fall to the ground, but massive arms catch me before my face eats the stone floor.

  I hear something grind against the ground, but right now all I can feel is pain. Each movement triggers a new spark of pain to shoot through my body, causing me to cry out. I don’t care if they see it as weakness. I just want this to end.

  “I’m coming for you, baby. I never should have let you leave.” I hear Finn’s words in my head, but my body is shutting down. Blood, so much blood. “Hold on. Just hold on.”

  Keeping my eyes on the ground, I feel someone grab the knife, snap it in half, and lay me across the table. A small whimper escapes my lips when they strap my arms and legs to the table. I hear material start to shred on my back and cold air lick my skin.

  “This ends now.” I hear Eira say as the tip of the knife traces my spine.

  Squeezing my eyes shut, I clench my hand, waiting for the pain to start. Tears start to drip off my nose, and I pray they don’t see me like this. “I love you, Finn. I’m sorry.”

  As the words leave my mouth, I hear a loud bang and several gunshots. Men scurry around us, cursing at our intruders. I turn my head as far as I can and see Ian with several of his brothers fighting the masses.

  Glass shatters above us as men start to fall from the sky, rappelling to the ground to join the fight. All around me, men are falling to their deaths. Men scream as knives slit their throats, and others never even get the chance to defend themselves.

  I feel warm blood splatter on my back, forgetting what Eira has started to do. I struggle to get myself free but cry out when my shoulder and leg protest in agonizing pain.

  Above me, several more bodies fall, and the man who I love more than life itself emerges. Sliding down the rope, he looks like Death himself. No trace of blood touches him as he kills anyone who approaches him. His eyes are fixed on his enemies, and he doesn’t even glance towards me.

  Falling debris lands on my back, but I don’t care. He’s here. Keeping my eyes on him, I fight the darkness that threatens to take me. I have no idea how much blood I have lost, but I have to see him. I have to tell him I love him, one last time.

  Moving my good arm, I try one more time to get free. A sense of fear washes over me when I feel a massive body land on top of me.

  “Easy, Steph. It’s me.” Christian whispers in my ear and I feel his hands start to release me from my bonds.

  Relief washes through me when I am lifted in his arms and carried away from the bloodbath.

  Resting my head against his chest, I start to feel heavy. “Dammit. Fight it, Steph. Don’t give in.”

  “I’m trying,” I whisper into his chest.

  I feel his pace quicken, but all too soon, a loud explosion rocks us to the core, and I fly out of his arms. My body slams into the ground, and I see Christian motionless across from me, and I can’t move. His eyes are closed shut, and he doesn’t look like he’s breathing. No, God, no. Please don’t be dead.

  Fire and smoke engulf us from the massive bomb that just went off right behind us. I feel a few new cuts and bruises, and I know my body is going to hate me when this is all over.

  I see a shadow emerge from the smoke and my heart stops when I see that it’s Eira. She glares at me with a murderous look in her eye. She has a massive gash on her forehead and is covered in soot.

  “You! You ruined everything!” She raises a loaded gun at my chest, but never gets the chance to pull the trigger, because several bullets penetrate her chest.

  She falls to her knees, and I see Etienne standing behind her. “I should have killed you years ago.” Eira shifts to look at him, but Etienne puts a bullet in her head. “And that is for fucking with my family.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief when Etienne drops his gun to the floor and runs towards me. Dropping to his knees, he lifts me into his arms, and I cry out in pain. Keeping completely still, I hear him barking orders, but I point to Christian.

  “He is alive, Steph. Just going to have a massive headache later.” Etienne whispers in my ear and kisses my forehead. “Don’t ever do this again, do you hear me? I am so sorry for what we did, but we had no choice. Freya, we thought we lost you.”

  “A few more minutes, and you would have.”

  I hear groaning coming from my right and Christian starts muttering a few curse
s that make me laugh. Wrong move. I start to hack up a lung and taste something metallic in the back of my mouth.

  “Steph?” Christian rolls onto his stomach and crawls over to me. Still on the ground, cradled in Etienne’s arms, Christian grabs my free hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.

  “You told me backup was coming. You never said it was them. You lied.” I try to act serious, but I am sure as hell glad he did. Without them, we would be dead.

  “These jackasses are my brothers. I gave them coms so they could listen in on the conversation. Before we left, I dropped a box on the ground, so they knew our every move. They may be jackasses and need to do some serious groveling, but they love you more than life and death. When they heard the first shot, they were already on their way. Then when Eira confessed, and we heard her torture you, that’s when shit exploded.” Christian’s eyes glistened, but a tear never fell. Everything they grew up believing in, was just shattered.

  Etienne’s shoulders start to shake, and a single tear slips out. I try to wipe it off his cheek, but my body doesn’t respond. My energy is spent. “Steph. I didn’t-”

  “I never doubted you, well I did at first, but Christian helped me see things in a new light. Superman and Xena forever. But you doubted me, and that tore me apart. You broke the one rule we have always had.” I say through labored breaths. Looking away from the eyes I thought would never betray me, I turn to face Christian. “Take me from his arms and get me out of here.”

  I hear a sharp intake of breath, but I don’t care. They only cared when I was in danger. When things were perfect, and I shattered the bubble they lived in, they attacked me. They turned on the one person who would give anything and everything for them. I don’t care if it was a game or a farce, it was wrong. I risked my life to prove a point, and I put an end to this shit. And what does that get me? Shot, stabbed, and laid on a table to be tortured.