The only answer to Ragnifer’s tirade was a repeated clomping noise. “Pah!” Ragnifer exhaled, and then said,”We have need of you, Giant.”
Gunnar held a finger up to Elin, “Stay here.” When he opened the carriage door to slip out, she shifted so that she could see the road. Hako the moose stood implacably in the middle of the lane, looking directly at Gunnar. As Gunnar opened the door, Alys saw that Hako was standing in the middle of the path. Elin could hear him speaking softly to the enormous moose. Something passed between them.
"Alright, we need a minute to saddle Hako, where I go, he goes,” Gunnar said. There was much to-ing and froing as people scurried to find the appropriate gear. "This may take a moment, “said Armund, propping up his feet, “Moose saddles aren’t exactly thick on the ground, I wouldn’t imagine."
It was located under a pile of things in Ragnifer’s cart and only Gunnar dared buckle it on. Even then, Hako gave Gunnar a sharp poke with his antlers as he tried to mount. "You are being silly, I need a sword, what if something happens?” Gunnar said exasperatedly. "Fine!" he withdrew a hammer from his saddle bag. and handed the sword to the man driving the carriage. "Better now?" he asked sarcastically. Hako bowed his shoulder making it easier for Gunnar to mount him. The Calvary accompanying them had trouble keeping up with the moose. Elin would have liked to see out the window, this was a part of the country she had never seen before, but all she could really eye was the livery of the soldiers surrounding the carriage.
They kept up a brutal pace. She had many questions to ask Armund, but he lowered his cap over his brow and fell asleep. After hours of jouncing over rocks and tree roots, Elin’s bones ached, she also needed to pee, but she was mortified at the idea of stopping the entire caravan. She sat uncomfortably jostled by every bump until she could take no more. "Sir Armund?" she asked timidly.
He opened one eye.
"How do I ask the carriage to stop?"
"Why would you want it to stop?"
She could feel herself blushing, “A call of nature..."
"Oh."
He took his cane and gave the ceiling of the wagon three loud raps. They stopped so fast that she was thrown forward on to the floor of the carriage. An armed soldier yanked the door open, and Elin could see, from her spot on the floor tangled up in her own skirts the soldiers ready to defend them. This was mortifying. "I didn’t mean for everybody to stop." She pushed her skirt down her legs and carefully maneuvered herself upright. Armund cheerfully said, “Time for a short break." He hopped out of the carriage and whispered something to the soldier who had opened the door. The man stood at attention. "Ma’am, if you will come with me." Before Elin could take a step out of the carriage, Hako came barreling back the road. Soldiers and horses skittered out of his way. Elin had the mortifying duty of reassuring her frantic husband and his crazy moose that all was well. Apparently, Snowforce training included learning how to not need to urinate. The need to stop bemused the Calvary. With as much dignity as she could muster, which was a very little, she followed a soldier into the woods. Three other soldiers followed. The four men positioned themselves in a wide circle and politely turned their backs. Rustling up her skirts, Elin was so embarrassed she thought she might not be able to go. However, her very full bladder opened with a torrent, that Elin sincerely hoped could not be heard by the men. Wiping herself quickly with some moss, she dropped her skirt and carefully stepped around the puddle of her own making.
They were moving almost before Elin had sat down within the carriage. Armund reached under his seat and brought out a basket. "No one runs a kitchen like our queen Sylvie, let’s see what she had packed for us." It contained a roast chicken, oatcakes, some pears. Armund was disappointed, “I had hoped for some of her smoked herring. Glancing around the small enclosed wagon, Elin was thankful that nothing quite so pungently odiferous had been provided for them. Armund pulled out a wineskin and took a long draught. He offered it to Elin. Remembering the mortification of the entire Calvary knowing she was going into the woods to relieve herself, she firmly declined.
She dreaded the rest of the journey, "Tell me more about the magic. What sort of spell could break all of those swords?"
"Well, magic is usually subtler. A spell that makes an entire armies blades shatter is both a potent and an open declaration of war."
"Are you sure it's Hoor?"
"I am sure he is at the root of it, yes. I do not know who he is using, but whoever they are, they are powerful."
"What do they want?"
"They want to be able to cross the wall and take over our world."
"I thought there was just ice and strange creatures on the other side, no people."
Armund gave a gentle cluck of his tongue, “There are rumors of a sort of man who lives deep on the other side of the wall. I suspect Hoor has made them offer, but I do not know more than that."
"Do you really think this is Gunnar's destiny."
He reached for her hand. "I have never been more certain. And I am not a man plagued by insecurity."
"But why would he have had to leave the wall then?"
"Because the world is not linear. It’s a series of paths that twist back on themselves and go in unexpected directions. For instance, I got married this past year." Elin was surprised, he seemed so very old. "Yes, I am ancient, “he agreed with a smile. "I do wish we had found each other earlier, but the universe had other plans. We were brought together when we had traveled the paths laid out for us."
"Congratulations," she said.
"Thank you. I am reveling in it," the mage said with a wink.
“I still don’t understand. Why are we doing it this way? I mean, couldn’t Gunnar just make the swords here and ship them up?”
“The wall has made it clear that it needs to happen this way. We need to arm the Snowforce along the wall, but the final battle will happen at Pinnacle keep.”
A sudden jerk and the wagon had stopped. The guards on either side of the carriage slipped behind them so that they could fit through the palisade. As they gathered in the courtyard, a heavy gate fell behind them. The door was opened, and A gloved hand reached inside and helped Elin, and then Armund emerge. Gunnar was surrounded by soldiers. He knew some of them from his childhood, others were slapping him on the shoulder grateful that he had arrived. The throng opened to allow Elin through. She glanced around, no moose in sight. Gunnar seemed to understand what she was looking for. "He prefers the woods, to fortresses." Gunnar seemed delighted to introduce her as his wife. Elin wished she had taken a moment to smooth her hair. As it was, she was sure she looked jostled and somewhat homeless.
Chapter 26
An older knight in a russet wool tunic greeted them warmly. "I am Karl, the Paladin of Gateway Keep."
Elin had never even met a Paladin before, so she wasn’t sure if she should curtsy. Gunnar nodded his head respectfully, so she did the same. "Do you need to rest? “Karl asked.
"No sir, I am ready to go." Elin was astonished, he and Hako had ridden through the night.
Gunnar was resolute, “I work during the day, and then we travel at night."
"At least let us feed you first,"
"Is my forge ready?"
"Yes, we used the embers you sent ahead."
"Do you have men ready to help me?"
"We do, and if you need more than I expected you shall have them."
"I will go to the forge now."
Elin watched in amazement, there was no question of who was in charge. The forge was buried in the keep, within the cellar. Elin was surprised, a forge usually needed fresh air. Gunnar nodded his approval. I will begin,” he said formally. His tools had already been assembled. Elin handed him his leather apron. The workshop was long and narrow. There was more than one fire, which surprised Elin.
Karl continued,"We tried different ways to help you, any sword we transported here shattered. We believe that you do not have to do all of the swords, the one that survived the spell was only finished b
y you." He gestured to a pile of long pieces of steel. "We found that these are far enough away from being swords that they were not affected."
Gunnar nodded. " That’s a good start. I will begin and finish each blade. How many knights live here?"
"Forty-two," one of the young knights standing by a fire said. "We know it will take days; usually we round up in case some crack in production."
Gunnar shook his head, “We will do it one day, and none will crack." the men looked from one to another, doubtful, but wanting to believe it was possible. He removed one of the pearls that Ran had given him from his pocket and dropped it into one of the barrels of water. Everyone gasped when the water within the barrel began to move and crested in waves against the sides. It went back and forth like a small tidal pool. Gunnar took three of the long pieces of steel and buried them in the fire. While they heated, he asked his comrades about themselves. All were knights of the Snowforce who knew a few things about blacksmithing, most had blacksmith fathers. Any insecurity Gunnar might have had about issuing orders to knights of the Snowforce, melted away as soon as he pulled the first piece of metal from the fire and began to apply his hammer. His power was marvelous and awe-inspiring. He handed the now glowing yellow and much wider piece of steel to the man next to him.
Elin tried to stay out of everyones way. The men were all too engaged in their own tasks to pay any attention to her. The small space grew unbearably hot. All the men were working hard, but it took all five of the other men to keep up with Gunnar. The first sword was handed back to Gunnar to finish. He used a rasp to finish the razor-sharp edge and then plunged it into the barrel of water. Steam rose and transformed in the air into snowflakes that drifted gently to the ground. A cheer went up from everyone in the forge.
Gunnar paused for a moment, "I can’t move fast enough in this." He pulled his apron off and tossed it into a corner. He pulled his shirt over his head.
Elin gasped, "Honey, you will get burned!"
"Well, with that gear on I will drop dead from heat exhaustion, I'll take my chances."
If he had been fast and mighty before, he was a man uncontained now. Sparks showered in all directions as his hammer landed and turned steel into a blade. The day stretched on, Elin was of no use in the forge but felt she needed to be there. While Gunnar hammered, other men, used a manual grinder, while still others fashioned the grips. A young woman, Elin knew she was married because her hair had a colorful scarf over it, arrived with pitchers of drinks. Gunnar had to be encouraged to leave his post, even long enough to have a drink. "Snow Wolf, "Elin said in what she hoped was a tone both respectful and firm, “You must drink something." She was right, the sweat streamed down his body leaving rivulets in the soot. He shoveled some embers around the pieces of steel that were heating and stepped away from the forge.
"I am Liv," said the young woman who handed them each a horn filled with a sweet cold drink.
It was sweet and tart and absolutely thirst quenching.
"Thank you, “Elin said. Gunnar just drank more. He stood abruptly and returned to his work.
"I appreciate you bringing this to us," she glanced at her husband who was already swinging his heavy hammer.
Liv understood. "He has work to do. I do hope you will be joining us for dinner later."
Elin had no idea when Gunnar might finish or what they would do. "I hope so, too," she said.
The assembly line continued at a breakneck pace. The din of the hammers and the heat made Elin dizzy. She leaned against the wall and was shocked to feel herself sliding down it.
This was the only thing that could have drawn Gunnar away from his work. He was at her side in a second and insisted on helping her out into the much cooler corridor. "Please, honey I will be fine," she said. The young woman who had brought the drinks was nearby and ran to see if she could help. Over Elin’s protests, Liv agreed to take her somewhere where she could get a drink and lay down. Gunnar immediately returned to his forge. The sound of his hammer met Elin's ears before she'd taken even a few steps.
Liv took her into a cool room and helped her to a chair. The familiar scent told Elin where they were.
“You have a dairy,” Elin said. Liv dipped a cloth into a bucket and wrung it out, she laid it on Elin's forehead and without asking loosened the lacing of her dress.
Liv smiled, “Now wait here, I will go get you a drink." She was only gone a few moments when she returned with some icy watered-down wine. Elin drank it gratefully. "Thank you, I feel better."
She looked around. The room was large with many shelves holding cheeses in various stages. A work table held several unwrapped wheels of cheese that had a strong sour smell. "I was working in here today, but I think we'll have to throw all of these away."
Elin walked to the work table, loosely replacing her dress as she went.
"Oh, it's souring form the rind inwards, “she said.
Liv raised an eyebrow. "I don’t even know what that means."
Elin smiled. "It's good news. What we need to do is scrape off any soft patches and wipe the cheeses with a cloth wrung out in vinegar. Let them air dry and then rewrap them in cheesecloth. They stayed too damp."
"Are you an expert on this?" Liv asked.
"I am, I was raised on a dairy farm."
"Will you help me?"
"Of course." The two young women spent the rest of the afternoon unwrapping and checking the various cheese. Elin learned that the woman who usually ran the dairy had traveled for a daughter’s wedding and others were taking up the slack. This was a revelation to Elin. She had imagined life on the wall as one long wait for her husband to be done with his work. She hadn’t really absorbed that she could make friends and use her skills. "How many families live here?"
"Well, we are one of the bigger keeps, since we are the gateway to the wall. We get the most visitors. I think that we have about 40 knights."
"Forty-two." Elin corrected her.
Liv smiled, “Forty-two. Most of them have families. We also have some skills that we need, there are a few carpenters, wheel makers, translators, scribes."
"What do the women do?"
"What don’t we do?" Liv laughed. "We do all the things a housewife would do, but we don’t all have to do all of them." The cheeses needed some time to dry after their acidulated dip, so Elin asked Liv to show her the keep.
“How often do people who live here get to travel?” Elin had assumed life on the wall was a sort of ongoing prison sentence, with no reprieve.
“It depends, it’s easier here since we are the closest to the rest of the world. In the winter, we can travel along the wall, but it’s not easy.”
Liv opened a door and gestured Elin through it.
She could not have chosen a better guide, Liv's father was Karl, the Paladin who had met them in the courtyard. She had been born at the keep and had recently married a knight of her own. They walked through the long great hall, which had a fire burning in a vast fireplace. Long tables filled the room, with benches pushed under them. There were a few chairs set at the heads of tables. Liv greeted the women who were draping the tables with fresh linen. The smells from the kitchen were very tempting. "Does everyone eat all their meals here?"
"Mostly. Although our apartments all have a fireplace and you can cook for yourself if you want to." Entering the kitchen, Elin was astonished at the happy, busy chatter that greeted them. Women were kneading dough, one was stirring soup in a cauldron that at home would have been big enough for laundry. Continuing they went through a room that had more windows than Elin had ever seen in any one room, or for that matter any building. Women and girls sat on high backed benches, using the light to sew. A long table held some men that were writing and a few children doing school work. "The solar has the most light, so a lot of different things happen in here." Everyone clearly knew who Elin was. A darling little girl with bright red curls gave a shy wave. Elin waved back.
"Would you like to see our quarters? We don’t have childre
n yet, so it’s one of the smaller apartments." Elin thought she detected a coy smile on Liv's lips.
"No children...yet?"
Chapter 27
Liv flushed and grasped both of Elin's hands. "I think maybe, but it’s too soon to be sure." Elin threw her arms around her new friend. Joy was joy wherever you were from.
Elin was not sure what she had expected the apartments to look like. Liv's was not grand. The stone floor did have a thick carpet, and the walls had bright tapestries on them. There was a very tall window that had shutters on the inside. There was a table with two chairs. On the table was a basket that contained some knitting. The bed hung from the ceiling by stout ropes. Elin had never seen anything like it.
"It’s in case of avalanches," Liv explained. She hurried to add, “They almost never happen, though" when she saw her companions horrified expression.
The fireplace had a fire laid in it but was not burning now. Polished candlesticks adorned the mantel. An embroidered sampler hung on the wall. It contained a beehive with bees flying around. It also had what Elin knew were words but that she couldn’t read. "I was so afraid of bees. But Erik was with me one day, and he calmed me down. That's when I knew for sure that I wanted to be his bride."
She continued, “It says You make me brave."
Elin agreed with the sentiment. She felt the same way about Gunnar. Looking around, Elin had a question. "Someday.... " she drew the word out as long as she could, “When you have a baby, “she gave Liv's wrist a happy squeeze, “Where will it sleep? Do you hang the cradle?"
Liv opened the door, “Most mothers do. Once the baby is out of a cradle, we will move into a bigger apartment. I'll show you."
They walked down the corridor. Liv opened the door, “This one is empty, so it will probably be in here."
The room was a bit bigger but not much, it had similar furniture, although the bed was unmade. Beside the fireplace, there was a door. Elin opened it and realized that it was another room. She recognized the long doors of closet beds. "I grew up sleeping in one of those with my sisters!" Suddenly the thought of her sisters made her lip tremble.
Her Gilded Firebird: Book Three in the Norse Warriors series Page 12