Blue Words - Part I

by M.C. Edwards

head around what had happened, or almost happened by the fire. Gudrik wandered down the old rear steps and returned with two massive steins of honey mead. George laughed and dropped her face into her hands. “You’re a bad influence on me Gudrik of The Twelve. I am going to have a headache in the morning again, aren’t I?”

  “Aye, that you are,” he said as he held his mug up for her to cheers. George clanged her pewter stein to his and took a long drink. The clang of three more meads quickly followed the first. They laughed, they joked and they flirted, enjoying each other’s company until eventually, drunk and with all inhibitions lifted George suddenly leant toward Gudrik again. This time she did it with far more conviction, and kissed him on his lips; just lightly. She pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes, weighing his reaction. Goosebumps bristled all over her skin as she tingled with excitement. Gudrik, being a man, needed no more provocation than that and slipped his arm around the small of her back drawing her close and kissing her right back.

  The kissing continued for some time, gradually becoming more and more passionate as the intimacy and urges grew. Clothing loosened and hands wandered, until Gudrik suddenly paused and slid back leaving a startled look on George’s face.

  “Are you sure you want to do this George?” he asked, eyeing the door separating them from the sleeping princess. His look was strained, like he was fighting within himself. George stared back at him for the briefest of seconds.

  “Fuck yeah,” she sighed loudly. “I am a single mother with a two year old kid. These opportunities don’t come along very often, so shut up before you wake her.”

  The grin on Gudrik’s face was so large it belonged on some absurd cartoon character. “I’m not really sure that your whole body was onboard with the chivalrous offer either,” George added looking down at his hands which were still stubbornly clamped around her breasts.

  I am Gudrik

  For two days we rode without rest. I was hungry and I was saddle sore. I was so tired that giving up was never more than a few steps away, then in the distance I saw the guard towers of Sovenglen peek above the horizon and my strength was renewed. Scurt led us up a winding goat track which meandered its way through the hills overlooking the city’s fortified walls. There in a small, rock littered clearing I came upon it. To this day I can still recall it as clearly as that first bitter, cold afternoon, a sight to make a man realise his complete and utter insignificance in this world.

  In the centre of the clearing was a large circle of flame being tended by two of Scurt’s clan. In the centre of the fire ring stood a large flurry of blue light, violently throwing itself against the unnaturally tall flames. Every clash thundered and caused the very earth to shake beneath us, unsteadying the horses. The rest of the Varth-lokkr greeted us as we rode closer. Their relief was painted into their expressions. They had no doubt begun to give up hope Scurt would ever return. Before I had even dismounted, they began preparations for the ritual. There would be no time for rest and no time for recovery.

  The twelve of us gathered at the northern point of the fire ring. All shed a drop of blood onto the amulet, a single drop for each of the stones; twelve bloodlines, twelve stones, twelve sacred words. This was no accident; twelve is a powerful number when dealing with the spirit realm. We began chanting the sacred words from the amulet.

  The ritual seemed only to enrage the creature further and its actions became more and more violent. Finally as the crux of the ritual approached, Scurt thrust the bloodied amulet above his head, the group silenced. He placed it in the ring of fire and backed cautiously away. The presence of the amulet caused a break in the flames. The Valkyrie halted its rebellion for a second, as if eyeing the opening. Then, with blurring speed, the fragmented light poured through the gap intent on reaping vengeance upon us, its captors. I stepped back in fear as the incandescent splinters of blue flowed towards me, a sign of my inexperience. I questioned the sanity of what we were doing. This plan was based on a song from before my grandfathers’ grandfathers’ time. Though, not one of the other hardened Varth-lokkr even flinched. They stood steadfast staring the spirit down, eyes afire.

  Before the Valkyrie could reach us it was halted mid flight, like a mad dog which had run out of rope. It seemed to have been snagged by the amulet. It struggled, roared and screamed, but could not budge an inch further. The stones on the amulet began to glow and the blue mass began to drag back, as its very form was being drawn into the amulet. The piercing screeches grew in volume and ferocity. The formerly incoherent clusters of light began to take on the form of fingers with long, crystalline talons. They scratched and clawed at the ground desperately. A very human face appeared from the disorder. A female face, one of the most beautiful I have ever laid eyes on. It looked into my eyes; it saw the doubt and fear in me. The woman reflected it right back, her eyes begged for help, her lips mouthed words I could not hear. I pitied her. I actually wanted to save her. Slowly, more and more of the spirit was devoured by the amulet, screeching as it went, until finally…….it was done. The ambient glow which had shrouded the amulet began to flicker and slowly fade.

  The mood lightened. Confused glances turned to smiles, they spread amongst us. They were deserved smiles, we had done it. Father slapped me proudly on the back, I had never seen him more jovial. Scurt scooped the amulet from the ground. It exploded with light. The flash nearly blinded me. Shards of blue lightning shot forth from the amulet. I felt an instant of heat as one pierced my chest and flung my body back as if I were a small child. Everything went dark.

  Slowly I woke. Was I dead? Was I about to see these “gods” the others believed in so strongly? I glanced around, below me was Sovenglen. Around me others were stirring on the ground or climbing to their feet. Not one of us had experienced anything like that before. We didn’t know exactly what had happened, but the Valkyrie was gone and we lived, under the circumstances that was considered a success. Other than a blistered scar on my chest, I seemed to be unharmed.

  The celebrations began. Over the following twelve days and nights we feasted and drank with the Jarl and citizens of Sovenglen to a standard which would rival the very halls of my father’s gods themselves. On the final day, our minds still dusty with the memory of drink, Father and I said our goodbyes and continued on our own.

  I looked at my father and smiled. His brow crinkled, “Since when have your eyes been blue?”

  Revelations

  “When life is at its most perfect, complications are bound to reveal themselves.”

  “Mummy!” came a familiar and excited call. George wrenched her eyes open. Her cheek was nestled into the pillow.

  “Morning darling,” she croaked back, raising her head. She rolled onto her back and yawned, a deep yawn which opened her mouth so wide that her eyes squinted closed again. This time when they opened, the ceiling was wrong. It was then she noticed the bed didn’t feel like the one which had become so familiar. In an instant George realised that she wasn’t where she usually woke up at all. Memories of last night instantly snapped back into the front of her mind. George was all of a sudden painfully aware of her current predicament; on a mattress, in the middle of the main room, as naked as the day of her birth.

  George flung Gudrik’s arm off, sprung up and began scampering around desperately searching for something to cover her nakedness. “Here love,” said Kahn, holding up a large bright beach towel which had been draped over one of the chairs. He was sitting at the table enjoying a coffee and scratching Pup’s head. Paw was beside him bubbling with crooked laughter.

  “How long have you been here?” she growled, furiously snatching the towel from him and covering up.

  “Got back from the city about an hour ago. You two looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to disturb you. We’ll be off again once I weed my garden. So you can get back to all....that again,” he said winking at George. She huffed, scooped up Tabitha and trotted back towards the bedroom to get changed. On the way through, George swooped down and gave Gudrik
’s bare arse a firm slap, nearly losing her towel. His head shot up and groggily looked around the room.

  “Fair warning, the girls and Brood will be back this afternoon!” Kahn called after her as she slammed the door. “You’re lucky I wasn’t Brood; he’d have been naked and snuggled in beside you before you could even flutter your eyelids open.”

  When George returned from dressing herself and Tabitha she was surprised to see Gudrik still naked, leaning against the wall and casually chatting with Kahn. He had taken the time to make a coffee of his own, but the notion to dress himself hadn’t even crossed his mind yet. “Gudrik cover up, you’ll scare Tabitha!” she yelled. He mumbled something that was meaningless to her ears while fishing his clothes from under the table. He quickly stepped into the jeans and buttoned them up. Before he could put his shirt on George interrupted him. “It’s okay, you can leave the shirt off,” she whispered with a steamy wink as she slipped past him to the stove, running her finger lightly across his stomach. Paw and Kahn chuckled to each other.

  The heated romance raged on for the next two months. Both George and Gudrik all but forgot the lives they had left behind. George