by Farah Cook
The car gains speed and lush green forests and silver-peaked mountains come into sight. The wild blue river streams next to free running horses. I was here with Gustav when I let him win the Chasing Game. It feels like just yesterday when I was with him, hunting and exploring the woods. Frederick slows down and takes a sharp turn. We’re only a few more miles from the village now.
“We just crossed the southern route. If you drive through the gorge next to the river, it will lead us into Blossom Heights.” My heart is slamming hard against my chest when Frederick sets the course uphill. The soil beneath us is no longer black and muddy. It’s red and dusty. Just as I remember it. My eyes are desperate to see the serene village I was torn away from. How I long to feel the wild flowers tickle my fingers. The straws of green brushing against my face as I lie in the fields listening to the chirping of the crickets.
“By the gods!” His deep slow voice rolls over me like big barrels of water. We both stare at each other. The sky in the East is dark. Streaks of gray, shadow the burning lines of the sun. Blossom Heights is burned to the ground. Blood-spattered bodies color the soil. I turn my face away. I know these people. All of them. Lisa, Sasha, Agatha, and the woman I called mother. There are more whose names prickle my tongue.
“Take me away from here.” I hold my breath. A burning twists inside my stomach. I release my breath. “Why would anyone do this?”
Frederick pulls the car away from the village. He drives down the hill to where Peace Point used to be. Caravans and shaky built houses were once here. Now there’s nothing except birds, cawing and scraping the remains from hollow carcasses.
Frederick’s mouth twists in despair of the memories he never knew. He stops the car. We get out. The smell of blood and coal reaches my nostrils. I turn my eyes to the sky. The hallowing darkness of Yggdrasil is still there. I turn sullenly to Frederick.
“The attack on your village must have been by creatures from the Forbidden Areas. There’s no one else out here,” he says.
“It makes no sense for them to attack so suddenly,” I cry. “We’ve lived in peace for years. It could only have been that evil Veran lord from your clan.”
“I don’t know what to say. I had no idea, Nora. I’m so sorry.”
I fall to the ground and let the earth carry me. Then I close my eyes. The last thing I see is the vision of a smile quirking the corners of Gustav’s mouth. He’s one of the best hunters in the East. He knows the woods and fields as well as I do. He wasn’t among the bodies, and my heart tells me he’s alive. Maybe he’s taken cover in the woods. We used to keep lodging there when we hunted.
I stand as hope spirals like a gust of wind through my lungs.
“Maybe Gus is still alive,” I say.
“Everyone here is dead,” Frederick shouts. “The place has been wiped clean of anything living.”
I run into the old communal area where the Rainbow People used to sit.
“Where are you going?” He follows me into the dust and smoke. There are mounds of black human bones around us. “Come back.”
“My home has been destroyed. The people I grew up with are all dead.”
“It must have been the creatures from the Forbidden Areas.”
“No, I believe that Nourusa is behind all this. He has the largest army in the Triangle. The East was an easy target. There are no weapons here. People live in peace.” Tears stream down my hot cheeks. Frederick takes me into his arms, but I push him away. I run as fast as I can. I don’t look back. I will have my revenge. I swear it.
At nightfall, Frederick finds me sitting and staring into the Forbidden Areas. I lean against an old tree trunk taming my wild thoughts. Everything I knew is gone. There’s nothing left. No hope, no place to call home. If I let Yggdrasil wither, I will be digging my own grave too.
I push my chin skywards to meet Frederick’s eyes.
“Nourusa did this because he knew I would hesitate to open the gate. With the East in smoldered ashes and the West blown up he knows he has weakened me. He knows there is little left of the North, barely enough to keep the people that live there. He thinks he has broken me. But he has not.”
Frederick sits down facing me. “You feel him, don’t you?”
“Like a sting in my heart.”
“All this must be overwhelming. Too much to take in, but we cannot slow down. We have to search for the others. They can’t be far from the beach where we came from.”
“They’ll arrive at the harbor north of this border,” I say.
“Are you suggesting we cross this forest to get there? It’s not such a great idea to wade through the woods. We’re in danger already just by being here.”
I look around. “Where’s the car?”
“It was stolen.”
“STOLEN?”
“Trolls took it. I saw their mud tracks.”
I sigh. My head drops between my knees. “No, no, no!”
“The weapons?” I say. “They’re our only hope if we want to survive.”
“I knew you’d say that.” Frederick pulls out his sack. I steal a glimpse at the sword. I long to hold it in my hand and to cut off Nourusa’s head. “But we can’t use them.”
“To Helheim we can.” I say and get up. I draw the sword, and swing it in the air. It makes a scraping sound when I brush its blade against the leaves.
“Nora, please,” Frederick pleads. “I can’t live to see you turn into what your ancestors were. You will be no different from Nourusa.”
“Do you think he wants peace?” I say.
“If we get Magnus on our side, and I speak to my father, we’ll stand stronger. Don’t forget what you did for the Garms. They have their land back, and swore to help us. Enough blood has been splattered.”
I pin the sword to the ground, and walk briskly into the Forbidden Areas. Frederick pulls it out and follows me angrily into the woods. I hear his heavy breathing. He has caged his rage and is struggling to keep it in control. He catches up with me. His ears are sharp as an elf’s, and he also hears the strange sounds and mysterious whispers. But when I look around nothing comes into sight except Frederick’s beautiful face.
“We need to get out of here fast,” he whispers. “I have a bad feeling about this place.”
“You also sense it?”
The ground underneath us trembles. We run following the winding trail. I stagger and fall to the ground. My head hits a tree trunk. Frederick is right across from me. A giant snake swirls from underneath the soil. It hisses at me, flicking its tongue, tasting the thick air. With red bloodshot eyes bloodshot it glares at me. It’s a Jormungand—a great serpent that escaped Midgard before the Viking doom. The snake hurls its silver body slithering its way to me, its scaly skin shimmering in the darkness. The tail of the serpent twists around me. I can’t move or breathe.
“Help, Frederick,” I mutter. The blood drains from my body. I turn numb. I can’t breathe. My head is heavy, and my eyes see only darkness. I fall to the ground, coughing out pockets of air, as if it was trapped between my airways.
A heavy thump shakes the earth. The Jormungand’s body falls into two parts, and its head rolls into the forest like a big boulder. It smashes against a tree. A thick green slime oozes from its face. The serpent’s long black tongue hangs limply from its mouth. I stare at it in disbelief. It was alive just a second ago.
Catching his breath, Frederick’s hand reaches for me. I take it, and he pulls me in close. I feel safe.
“I thought I lost you.” His chest is moving rapidly. Beads of sweat coat his face. I press my lips against his and kiss him gently. He responds with a tender kiss back, soft and velvety. For a brief minute I hold back and gaze into his deep blue eyes.
“I love you, Frederick.”
“And I love you, Nora.”
We kiss again, the warmth of his body pressed against mine. A thunderous sound makes the ground shiver. Hisses and snarls surround us. Eyes darting at us from the shadows. Red, dangerous eyes. I look down as t
housands of black snakes rise from beneath us. Frederick takes out the shield. The sword still sits firmly in his grip coated in the Jormungand’s blood. I shut my eyes for a moment. The image of the gateway hovers behind my lids. I see the door; I know where it is now.
“Nora!” he shouts. The earth splits and pulls me away.
A snake closes in on me. It’s getting bigger and keeps rising to the sky. The snake jerks his head back and snaps just inches from my face
“Get down!” familiar voices shout. I squat keeping my head low. The snakes just missed a taste of my flesh. Guns are shooting in our direction. Thousands of tails of snakes swirl away some die from the bullets hitting them, between the eyes, in the head.
I peek up. I can now only see smoke. The crack in the ground begins to close sweeping me closer to the shadows coming out of the mist.
“Hello again, Nora. I thought I might find you here.” It’s Niels. He stretches out his hand. But I don’t take it. I pull myself up pushing my palms into the dirt. I stand tall, peering over his shoulder.
“Bring her to the gathering. We have very little time left,” says Magnus. I barely see him as he marches out of the woods. The tone is his voice is sharp like daggers. This will not be a pleasant gathering. He’s clearly vexed at me.
“What just happened?” says Frederick. He glares at Niels. Who begins to follow Magnus’s trail.
“They’ve come for us,” I say.
You know where the gate to the tree is, don’t you? Frederick says in my mind.
I say nothing. I smile, and toss my arms behind my back. My right hand grabs hold of my left wrist. A warm glow prickles my palms. I’m ready to show the world what is has been waiting for. It’s time to meet the Nine Worlds of the Vikings.
24
The Nine Worlds
AT THE GATHERING, every member of Jarl and Orkeney is there. My eyes find Helena among the familiar looking faces. She appears different. The bridge of her nose no longer wears the red framed specs. Her hair is tightly braided into a crown. In her hand she holds a map. She looks in my direction, determined, strong. She cannot speak to me, I understand that now. How I long to talk to her. But I can’t. She follows orders from Magnus, and she has brought him here with the rest of her crew.
Standing next to Helena, is Tanya. I did not expect her to be involved, and wonder how long she knew about me before recruiting me as a raider. The older members of the council that Karen led nod their heads when they see me. Behind the crowd, a tall frame with wide shoulders comes through. It’s Magnus. He has not changed much. Still, he carries an air of dominance. With dark smooth hair, icy gray eyes, and lips pursed he glares right into my mind. I feel Frederick’s breathing grow heavy. There’s tension in each inhale and exhale. He never liked Magnus. I don’t know how to feel about my betrayal when I stare back at him.
Guilty? Responsible? Or just free?
“This is the last place I want to be right now,” says Magnus keeping his eyes firmly locked into mine. “It’s dangerous, and the only village here has been burned to the ground. We are not safe. Not here or anywhere.”
“Then why are we here?” I say. “Surely not to mourn the people of Blossom Heights.” I feel an energy running through the forest, a faint whisper in Norse. It’s calling to me. The time has come for my decision.
“We are here because of your stupidity,” he answers coldly.
“No, you are here because you are too cowardly to stop Nourusa,” I say. “It appears the only one that will prevent him from destroying us is me.”
“We would have defended ourselves, if we had the weapons,” says Magnus. “Those you were tasked to bring back.”
“You know damn well what the weapons are,” says Frederick. “They spread evil and carry only the desire to kill. Is that a curse you’re willing to carry?”
“That shouldn’t prevent us or anyone else from using them to protect ourselves or those we care about.” His eyes shift between Frederick and me like an angry bull. Frederick roars. His hand reveals the shield, the sword, the spear and the hammer. He tosses everything at Magnus’s feet.
I give Frederick a look of annoyance. “What in the name of—”
“There,” says Frederick cutting me off. “You carry the weapons and use them to finish off Nourusa. One swing of the sword is enough to finish him”
“I have a Viking assassin to do that,” says Magnus. He peers back at Helena and Tanya who both seem to agree with him. Niels looks amused.
“Does it really matter who it is?” says Niels. “Someone needs to get rid of the enemy.” He stares at me expectantly.
“We’ll forgive that you failed your duties as assassin, Nora,” says Tanya. “But we will not forget. We still need your help defeating Nourusa. The weapons are for you to use, and the door is for you to open.”
“That’s just perfect,” I say. “If everyone else is a coward—” I glance at Helena. She’s out of words, and says nothing. I gather the weapons and put the sword into its sheath. “I’ll use them. They were forged by my ancestors; they are my burden.”
“Nora, don’t you think it’s time you set yourself free from this burden?” There’s a faint hope in Helena’s eyes. “If you betray the trust of your dynasty again there will be no hope left—”
“What?” I stagger backwards. She’s meant to be my friend. Even Helena has turned against me. “How dare you tell me what to do?”
“Wait!” says Magnus. “First you need to ensure the safety of the people you have sworn to protect. Your people.”
“My people are dead,” I say. “What I am about to do, is not because it is my duty. I am doing it to save innocent lives.”
Frederick grabs my wrist. “What do you think you are doing?”
“Setting her free and putting an end to this madness. What else?”
“And the gate?”
“I’ve seen it. I know where it is.” I say.
I march ahead like an army sergeant. The image of the road burns behind my eyelids. I should have known she would lead me back to the East, to the one place I call home. What a fool I have been. My vision shows me the road. All I have to do is follow it.
“Where are you going?” Magnus catches up with me. “Stop!”
I continue to walk into the dark forest. “We have little time left,” I say. “If you want me to unlock the door to the Nine Worlds I need to do it now, before the tree withers.”
I can hear Yggdrasil whispers in Norse getting louder as she continues to call for me.
“We still work as one, even though I find you difficult, stubborn, and untrustworthy.” I ignore the truth that pours from Magnus’s lips. “I trusted you, made you the leader of our band. If you had been back with the weapons on time all this could have been avoided. We could have stopped Nourusa. Because of you Tove and Tene, my sisters are dead.”
“What?” I stop. “Magus I am—”
He waves me off and walks ahead of me. “I have no family left. I am alone.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” I say. But he’s not listening to me. He walks in the wrong direction, trailing off the path. I flash my torch at his feet. He stops.
“Save your words.”
“Please. I’m giving you what you want. Isn’t that why you’re here? Your gathering seeks refuge in the Nine Worlds. I hold the keys in my palms and the door is close.”
“You have duties, Nora Hunt. Just like the rest of us. We may not always like what we’re tasked with, or how the world around us circles, but that doesn’t mean we should make decisions that risk the lives of others. Now you tell me that you’re ready for what you were tasked with your entire life. Now you show me the way. Well it’s thousands of lives too late.”
“It’s never too late Magnus.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?” he says. “When did you stop trusting me?”
“When you sent me the message that I should kill my father.”
“I did what?”
“When I was in
the City of Vikings, don’t you remember?”
“You’ve lost your mind. Why would I do that?”
“Then who did?”
Thunder strikes suddenly. I push my chin up and feel the first drops of rain wet my face. My eyes close and I realize that Robert did this. He must have used a spell to transmit a fake message. He wanted me to kill him and to become a traitor to my dynasty just like he was.
Lightning sparks in the darkness. Magnus’s face illuminates for a brief second. He is closer to me than my own thoughts. I feel his soft breath against my face. I wonder if he still has feelings for me. Or has he replaced them with hate and loathing.
“Hurry,” I say. “We need to follow this trail till the end. I look back. The voices of the others are getting closer. We huddle together. Niels gets one step ahead of me.
“Where is this gate,” he says. “Are you sure it even exists? There’s nothing but darkness and danger ahead of us.”
“What do you mean? Of course it—”
“Have you drawn a map?” says Helena. She wipes the rain dripping from her face.
“I don’t have to,” I say. “It’s in my mind. I know these woods inside out.”
“You could lead us into our deaths. Who knows what’s lurking in the shadows.” Helen’s voice is clipped. She doesn’t move when I walk past her. So much for our friendship.
“If you want to live you have to follow me.” I say.
The rain gets heavier, and I know it is Yggdrasil’s doing. She is urging me to my calling. The others follow me. We wade with our torches through the thick forest. This part should be safer, with little risk from being attacked by the creatures that live here. But after what happened in Blossom Heights, I am not sure we are safe anywhere.