by Warhammer
'Praise the gods!' he cried, squeezing her even tighter, until her panicked mewling forced him to release her. 'I thought you might never come back to me.'
She looked at Ruprecht, her brow creased in concentration.
'Come back?' she asked, looking confused. 'How long have I been sleeping like this?'
'Two days.' Ruprecht said, laying a hand on her forehead and stroking back her hair.
Ursula said nothing. With a befuddled nod, she lay back on the bed, eyes closed, breathing heavily. A few moments passed before she opened them again, her gaze immediately directed to the blade lying on the floor by the far wall.
'Is... Is that what I think it is?' she asked hesitantly, her face a mixture of hope and suspicion.
Ruprecht had quite forgotten Ulfshard in his moment of happiness, but now he turned and strode across the room to pick it up. He hefted it in his hand, and it felt as light as a feather.
'Yes, yes I do believe it is.' he answered.
'I saw it in my dreams.' Ursula mumbled.
'What dreams?' asked Ruprecht, crossing back to the bedside.
'I don't really remember.' Ursula told him. 'I just remember being somewhere cold and bright. There was blue light everywhere, and a voice spoke to me. The sword, it spoke to me, but I could not understand the words. I think it might have been the language of the elves.'
Ruprecht held the sword away from him, eyes wide with amazement and fear, as if it were a snake that might bite him.
'How did it come to be here?' Ursula asked, sweeping her legs from the bedclothes and standing up shakily. She reached a hand towards Ruprecht but he drew the sword further away.
'Perhaps it is better if neither of us touch it.' he suggested, placing it on the bed and stepping back. 'Not until we're sure of it.'
At that moment the door to the housewagon banged open and Lady Halste stepped inside.
She saw the sword immediately and flew into a rage.
'What are you doing?' she said, storming forward. Ursula grabbed her arm as she tried to snatch up Ulfshard, spinning her around. 'Let go of me!'
She wrestled to break free, but Ursula was much stronger and the noblewoman ended up falling to the floor, hair spilling down around her shoulders, scattering jewel-headed pins. Halste sat there, fuming with indignity, eyes as sharp as broken glass boring into Ursula. Then she looked up at Ruprecht, who flinched from her angry stare.
'Explain yourselves!' the noblewoman said, crossing her arms across her chest. She looked comically defiant.
Ruprecht was about to reply when Ursula cut in.
'I think it is you who have some explaining to do!' she said with a snarl, pulling Lady Halste up and then propelling her into one of the small chairs that furnished the housewagon. 'I think it's us who deserve some answers!'
Halste sat there, silently glowering at the pair of them. She looked from Ursula to Ruprecht and back again, and then relaxed. Then she started to laugh.
'You think that's the real Ulfshard?' she said with a thin smile. 'Well, I'm glad my gold bought such a convincing forgery.'
'Forgery?' said Ruprecht, looking closely at the sword.
'Yes, I paid the dwarfs to provide me with a replica.' Halste said. 'It's just a symbol after all, I'm not expecting the count to lop off any heads with it or anything. A cunning artifice, which I had to conceal otherwise what would have been the point?'
'Nonsense,' said Ursula. 'Dwarfs would never take part in such a fraud. And they would certainly never agree to forge an elf weapon, whether it is real or not.'
'And when did you become such an expert on dwarfs, my dearest Ursula?' said Lady Halste. 'A month with them and now you know everything about their ways and means and character?'
'Ursula's right,' said Ruprecht. 'Dwarfs would not willingly take part in such a deception, it's against their whole sense of honour. In fact, if you had even suggested such a thing, I suspect we would not have been welcome a heartbeat longer in Karak Norn. No, this is the real Ulfshard. It weighs no more than a dagger, and that means there must be elf-magic bound inside.'
Lady Halste looked like she was about to argue the point further, and then stopped. Her head sunk to her chest and she started to sob. Ruprecht and Ursula exchanged disbelieving glances - they were wise to the noblewoman's playacting nature now. They waited for her to stop the pretence. After a few minutes, the lady looked up at them, tears streaking down her cheeks, her eyes rimmed with red.
'Alright,' she wept. 'I had to have the blade. I'm doomed without it!'
'What do you mean?' Ruprecht asked, unconvinced.
'You cannot tell a soul, not a single person outside must know,' said Lady Halste. Ursula eyed her suspiciously for a moment, but there was genuine fear in the noblewoman's eyes. She glanced quickly between the two of them.
'I can't promise anything,' Ursula said, folding her arms. 'You've taken an ancient treasure from the dwarfs. Don't you think they won't come after it? In Sigmar's name, you might have started a war!'
'You assume I've stolen it, that is the loyalty you have for me is it?' Halste said, standing up and walking to the bedside. Ulfshard seemed to quiver as she approached. 'The dwarfs will not miss it for a moment. They did not even know where it was. I plied Thane Grundab with ale, a lot of ale, by the gods those dwarfs can drink, until he was drunk enough to tell me more about the sword. He said that the dwarfs knew they had it, but not where it was. To them it's just another elf-blade. They don't even consider it treasure. It was the principle that angered the king so much, not the actual artefact. Oh, yes, it was just discarded in some chamber somewhere, out of sight if not out of memory. They sent someone to search the records, but they could find no trace of where they had stored it. That's why it took the king so long to see us.'
'You're expecting us to believe that King Hunkrik lied?' Ruprecht warned. 'A dwarfs every word is his bond, I can't believe he would do that.'
'No, he did not lie,' admitted Halste. 'As you say, that's almost physically impossible for their kind. No, he did not lie. What he told us, or rather what his son told us, remember, was that he would not part with Ulfshard for anything. That was true. Even if he had been sat there with the sword on his lap, he would have said the same. The dwarfs have a saying, you know. "What's yours is mine, and what's mine's my own". They had it and they were going to keep it forever, or until the great storm of the north comes and sweeps us all away, which will happen sooner than the elves paying for its return.'
'So you stole it?' said Ursula scornfully 'You risked having us all imprisoned, perhaps killed, so you can play politics.'
'The time for deception is over.' Halste said, casting her eyes to the ground. What I said is true. Ulfshard is a great symbol for the people of Marienburg and the other counts to rally behind.'
She pointed to the crown of Marbad that now lay on the floor where Ruprecht had moved the dresser.
'That is not a symbol, it is a piece of worthless iron,' said the noblewoman. 'Besides, I need Ulfshard, not some barbarian king's crown.'
'Need it?' Ruprecht picked up on the noblewoman's particular choice of words. He knew she always spoke carefully, and never said a word out of place.
'Yes, I need it.' agreed Lady Halste, looking at him with her tear-filled eyes. She leant over the bed and reached her hands towards Ulfshard. Ursula stepped forward to intervene but stopped. The noblewoman merely held her palms a foot above the blade, which began to jump on the bed, dancing from side to side. The light from the gem-pommel increased to a blinding glare. Halste withdrew her hand and the sword stopped its peculiar movements, the gem dimming to its normal blue glow.
'I am possessed, and only Ulfshard can free me...' Lady Halste told them.
There was a long silence, eventually broken by Ursula's laugh.
'I'm telling the truth.' Lady Halste wailed, looking plaintively at Ruprecht. He was staring at the noblewoman with narrowed eyes.
'You saw how the sword reacted.' he told Ursula. 'Something is not
right here.'
'I was cursed.' Halste explained weepily. 'Enemies of my father, they paid an enchantress to summon a creature into my soul. I swear by my life, this body contains a spirit that is not my own!'
'You sound desperate.' Ruprecht said warily. 'Desperate enough to steal from the dwarfs. Desperate enough for this to be true.'
'Desperate enough to do anything to keep this matter secret.' Ursula continued, following Ruprecht's line of thought.
It was a moment before Lady Halste spoke.
'You think... You think it was I who killed the priest.' she exclaimed. 'You think I murdered the wildfather because he discovered something I wanted him to be ignorant of?'
'I've come across men who have killed for less, and women for much less.' Ruprecht said harshly. 'Perhaps Gerhardt caught you out, and there was only one way to silence him. Maybe you acted without thinking, striking out in defence of yourself?'
'No.' Ursula said suddenly. 'His neck was snapped. The lady could not even break my grip, she does not have the strength to do such a thing.'
Ruprecht paused and looked at the lady.
'I have faced many of the evils in this world, perhaps if you were to tell me more, I could help,' he said finally, gesturing Lady Halste to sit down again.
'There is nothing.' she replied, her voice ringing with bitterness. Wiping the tears from her eyelashes, she sat down, hands clasped neatly in her lap. 'I have spoken to everyone: thaumaturgists, priests, wise men, theologists of my country and elsewhere. I have consulted old books and ancient scrolls. My father's wealth and power brings considerable benefits, but there were none who could rid me of this curse.'
'But what actually happened to you?' Ursula asked, drawing a chair up beside Halste. 'What is this curse?'
'I can hear its voice sometimes.' the lady replied quietly. 'It whispers in my mind. It says lewd things to me, tells me to do evil things. When I sleep, it comes to me in my dreams, a twisted, horrid thing full of spite and ill will. I try not to listen, but every year it grows harder. I fear for myself, but I fear for others more. It will drive me mad, I swear it. It will make me do vile, disgusting things to myself and others. I will kill myself before I allow that to happen. My father will not concede to his enemies, and so I am doomed to this slow torture. Only the sword, only Ulfshard, contains the power to banish this thing.'
'How do you know this?' Ruprecht asked cautiously, sitting on the bed.
'I learned that there are artefacts of power in the world, crafted by the elves and the dwarfs, and even older races than they are.' explained Lady Halste. 'They contain spells to ward against these creatures, to thrust them back to the realm in the north which spawned them. Many were lost thousands of years ago, others fell into the hands of evil warlords. Some the elves and the dwarfs hold still, but I could never have access to them. Ulfshard, I believe, is one of those artefacts which holds enough power to rid me of this infernal presence. I have incantations, prayers if you like, back in Marienburg. If I can release the power of the sword, I might be able to free myself from this living torment.' The lady's eyes were moist and bright, and her cheeks flushed at the thought of salvation. Yet Ursula was still not convinced.
'Why did you not tell the dwarfs the truth?' she asked. 'Why did you have to steal the sword?'
'They would not part with it, not for any reason or price.' she snarled.
'Why not bring your incantations with you?' probed Ruprecht, with a glance at Ursula. 'If you could not take the sword you would have at least been able to perform your rites at the hold.'
'Dwarfs despise magic of that kind, they would not permit it.' Lady Halste replied, shaking her head. 'And I was afraid. I have lived my life since I was a child with this horrible burden, and I have learned that there are few who can be trusted with this knowledge. I am frightened, and I was scared that if I brought my research with me it might be lost. It has taken decades to glean what I have already, and I left it in Khemen's safekeeping in Marienburg. He has made the preparations in my absence, collected certain other things required for the ceremony, so that I might perform the ritual as soon as I return.'
She stopped with a choking sob, and her hands wrung at the folds of her long dress.
'For years I believed that I was doomed, and I came close to suicide more than once.' she told them. 'Now freedom, freedom from this curse, is within my grasp. Perhaps I acted wrongly, perhaps I am misguided, but for the first time since I can remember, I have a chance, this one hope, to rid myself forever of the voice that plagues my sleep and my waking dreams.'
They sat there, none of them speaking, for a long while. Ruprecht stood and paced back and forth, deep in thought. Ursula stared at Ulfshard, almost mesmerised by the pulsing light that emanated from its pommel. Finally, Ruprecht spoke.
'I believe you.' he said. 'Though I have never encountered it before, I have heard tales of such possessions, and what you say rings true. We will tell nobody of this and will guard Ulfshard until we reach Marienburg.'
'The sword is yours once I am done with it.' Lady Halste promised. 'Not all that I have said has been fabrication. The count paid me monies for this expedition and I intend that he receive Ulfshard so that our great plan might be put in motion. Though I have more personal reasons for wanting the blade, there is no reason why we can't all achieve what we set out to do.'
Ursula put her arm around the lady's shoulders and pulled her close, stroking her hair with her other hand.
'I am sorry for doubting you.' she whispered.
'I am sorry that I used you, deceived you, dearest Ursula.' Lady Halste replied. 'Had I known how caring and understanding you would have been, I might have told you the truth from the outset.'
A knock on the door attracted their attention. Ursula stood up and paced quickly across the housewagon, opening the door only a crack. It was Soval, the ex-sailor, and he asked if the caravan could move on. They had searched again for traces of the priest's killer, but nothing was to be found.
Ursula looked over her shoulder at Ruprecht and Lady Halste. Ruprecht gave a nod. With a heavy heart, Ursula asked that the caravan wait long enough for them to bury the wildfather in the woods, and then they would be on their way.
CHAPTER FOUR
Trap
Sea of Claws, Summer 1711
'What bloody use is that to me?' Captain Leerdamme bellowed at the short, wiry man standing next to him on the quarterdeck of the Graf Suiden.'That won't feed and water my men for another week!'
'Captain Leerdamme,' the considerably younger man replied with a placating wave of his arms, 'I cannot spare any more of my stores.'
'I have barely enough supplies to get me back to Marienburg,' Leerdamme hissed. 'I know that bastard's still out here somewhere, and the moment I put into port he's going to slip past.'
'My squadron has seen nothing in the last three weeks,' the other captain assured him. 'We've put in at Erengrad and come back, and there were no signs of other raids by these ships you speak of.'
'Captain Vierle, I beg you, keep your three wolfships with me for just a month more,' Leerdamme insisted. 'I've been up and down the Norsca coast since they slipped us with their accursed spells, and there's been no sign of them. I know where they hail from, and they did not slip past us.'
'Are you sure of that?' Captain Vierle asked.
'Of course I'm bloody sure!' roared Leerdamme, causing the other officers on the deck to pause in their duties, and then look away with the steadfast expression of men who were ignoring something as if their lives depended on it. 'I took this ship right into sight of the Fjaergard coast, and they had two ships on the beach with their masts down.'
'Could they not have been the ships you saw?' Vierle continued. 'You said it was only two ships.'
'How many Norse tribes do you know have only two ships to their name?' snarled Leerdamme. 'Look, man, I holed one of those bastards with the fore-chasers, and there was no sign that I could see that those ships were up for repairs. They'd been
like that since winter time.'
'Lord Douwe expects my return within the month,' argued Vierle. 'I have to account for the expenditure to him.'
'Bloody professional navy.' sneered Leerdamme. 'I thought this business was about chasing and sinking pirates, grabbing their ships and selling the bastard things off to fill the coffers. That's why I turned your precious Lord Douwe down. I don't want to kick my heels in Marienburg while the count decides whether he can be at all arsed to actually do something about the pirates and scum that raid these coasts. Manaan's salty arse, man, you should have become a quartermaster in the count's army if you wanted to count salted pork and beer barrels!'
Vierle did not answer, but he was impressed by the privateer captain's impassioned tirade.
'Look here,' Leerdamme said, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. 'You stay with me, look over the horizon with those fast wolfships of yours, and when we catch those damned Norse, I'll give you my share of the prize money as well. Come on man, I'll see your pretty young wife in a new dress before autumn...'
'How do you know about my wife?' Vierle asked, taken aback. 'What's she got to do with anything?'
'Look, Vierle, every bloody wolfship commander I have ever known in my thirty-eight years at sea had a pretty young wife,' Leerdamme reassured him. 'Real pretty ones, every single one of them. But they've got a roving eye and don't come cheap, do they?'
'Well, Lisella does want to have a baby, and that means a bigger house...' admitted Vierle.
'Exactly,' agreed Leerdamme with a wink. 'Now, a double captain's share of two longships, that'll set you up nicely for a small 'un to join the crew, won't it?'
Vierle hesitated for a moment, looking doubtful, and that was his crucial mistake. Spitting in his palm, Leerdamme grasped the other captain's hand and heartily shook it three times.
'So, we've shaken on it, and I know that a gentleman like you won't go back on your word,' grinned Leerdamme.
Unseen behind by the pair of them, Verhoen hurried below. The sound of deep laughter echoed up between the planking a few moments later.