City of Vikings

by Farah Cook

“What are you going to do now?” I ask. “Have you told the Jarl Raiders—”

  “I’m to become Emperor and my duties will mainly be strategic – strengthening our alliance with the chancellor and embedsmen in the senate, making sure—”

  “They don’t corrupt us and switch sides?”

  “That’s a possibility,” he sighs and buries his granite gray eyes into mine. “We need them to approve our interests. If the Republic gets sole power, and overthrows the senate we will not have any say.”

  “I never realized the Empire is a captive,” I say. “They’re watching our every move, and they’ll be watching me. The new Jarl leader and assassin.”

  “I’d want them to know who you are. It’ll create fear in their black hearts once they know what you are capable of. Killing is your legacy.”

  “The Empress told me…”

  “Exactly what you needed to hear,” he says.

  “How can you say that? How do you know what I wanted to hear?”

  “Nora…”

  “Killing is my legacy?” I shout. “Is that all you see me as? A weapon to kill the enemy. Fearless and drained of emotions?” I feel like I just lost all the respect I had for Magnus. He’s just like the rest – a coward waiting to be rescued.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

  I hide my angry face under my hood, and prepare to leave turning my back on him. I hear him breathe loudly, and for a while I believe he’s going to turn me around and slap me in the face for disrespecting him – the new ruler of the Empire.

  “We’re the same you and I. Nora, together we’re strong and I need you to lead the Jarls, and help me protect the Empire. You’ve got something inside you – a burning fire – and I know the Triangle will know your name. You’ll be a legend – the highest ranked of our kind. Viking assassin. Give the enemy something to be afraid of.”

  I stare at Magnus out of curiosity. The hope in his eyes shines over me.

  “I’ll try not to disappoint you.” I say and make my move to leave, but he takes my hand and pulls me in close. “Let go of me.” Rage washes over me.

  “Trying is for losers and I want you to be a winner.” The sudden change in Magnus’s personality is not frightening me. He’s under pressure I sense the worries on his mind and see why he’s lashing out on me. He holds power over me, and there’s nothing I can do except accept my fate.

  An Emperor and assassin don’t have the same aim. He will lead the Goth Empire – an old realm that stretches far across the Triangle. Eventually he will lead the nine Viking worlds. I’m just the girl destined to assassinate his enemies.

  As much as I want to, I can’t imagine Magnus killing anyone. Tove, yes – at any time, even in people’s dreams. She is ruthless and born with blue blood in her veins – a Viking Empress. Tene, no. She’s not meant to rule, but blind people with her beauty. Maja, she’s a warrior at heart just like me. Lately I’ve been having doubts if she can be trusted. She’s in love with Magnus, and love is dangerously blind.

  I have a feeling Maja is not all that she seems. The way she steals glances at Magnus, like she knows she will never have his love. The authority Magnus has over me is different. It’s power, and it’s making me feel uneasy. I don’t want anyone to control me or tell me what to do. The very thing I hold dear, my freedom is at risk.

  “I’m a winner,” I say. “But don’t think just because you are to rule the Empire that I will take orders from you blindly.” I defy him willingly and it’s making him upset. His face turns scarlet.

  “Foolish girl. I don’t have time to remind you what you have to do, and will discuss all of this later with you. Meet me in the rose garden in two hours,” says Magnus, interrupting my thoughts and walks briskly away. I’m left in a dilemma. Do I want to serve the Empire? What happens if I refuse to do what Magnus demands of me?

  When Magnus doesn’t show up two hours later I begin to sense something terrible might have happened to him, and suddenly I feel guilty. I pull up my hologram to search for a map of the palace, but there is none.

  The grounds of Slotsplads are big, empty and unnerving. I leave and venture my way out of the rose garden walking across the uneven cobblestones to the main entrance of the palace. I push open the enormous oak door to my right and take the steeply twisting spiral staircase up to one of the towers.

  The place feels cold, ghostly and hollow – the kind that evokes nightmares.

  As I walk up the staircase I place my hand against the stone walls and end up in a circular room in one of the turrets. It takes me a second to figure out that I’m lost. All the rooms look exactly the same. Each one empty with windows like great slits in the thick walls.

  When I reach the last room at the end of the great hall the door is locked. I fiddle with the handle and push my shoulder against the heavy oak door. The third time I push it with all the force I have, and it opens. I stumble inside and look around.

  Ancient tapestries depicting Viking voyages and ships in rich colors hang on the walls. Fine swords are crossed on the wall and suits of armor stand guard. A room of ancient history that’s sealed from the world. I bet Hildebrand would love to get his greedy little fingers on some of these hidden treasures.

  “No one is allowed in here,” I hear a voice say behind me. The cold and crisp air touches the back of my neck and before I turn around I know exactly who is there. Lord Wilhelm. There’s a sardonic smile on his face and he’s not surprised to see me.

  He walks toward me, and with each step Yggdrasil writhes her branches across my back. The pain is stabbing, but I swallow it and pull a straight face. Revealing anything suspicious to him could harm me. I have no weapons, no powers, and no loyal friends to protect me. He could kill me in an instant if he finds out who I really am.

  “Then what are you doing here?” I ask, making my disgust known to him.

  “I’m here to wish the Empress good health,” he says. I detect his dark aura and conceal my thoughts as much as I can. “I believe your reasons for being here are a matter of your own concern.” He draws closer to me. His feet do not touch the ground, and still he travels with such speed he reaches me within a second – his face only inches from mine. He holds great powers, from the dark ways. Overwhelming and irresistible.

  The grin on his face exudes both malice and delight. He’s been watching me and it is no coincidence I’m meeting the dark Lord Wilhelm like this. I hurry past him but he looms over me. I avoid looking into his wild eyes, which are on fire.

  “My business here is none of your concern,” I say, while he circles me like a wild animal waiting to attack its prey.

  “I have heard rumors about your untamed personality and of people from the East,” he says, his voice needled with bitterness. “They said, because you are wild you would make a good raider. What they didn’t say was how beautiful you are. And I must confess, Miss Hunt, you’re so beautiful you make my glass eye cry – so beautiful in fact that my own son is too blind to see what’s good for him and his future.”

  “Frederick is not my concern,” I say and suppress my emotions for him. The air feels tight in my throat. “You have nothing to worry about.” Now I feel Lord Wilhelm digging into my heart with a shovel. He clearly doesn’t believe my lie.

  “My son will be a tough and worthy rival to you,” he says sharply. “The best of his kind with elite powers that will lead the Rognvald Dynasty to victory in all that they do.”

  “I will soon become elite, too,” I state coldly. He shakes his head and utters a sarcastic laugh, which echoes through the walls. I stand there frozen.

  “Awakened your heart, the Empress, has she?” His dark gaze locks against mine.

  “She will,” I say and conceal my face further under my hood.

  “You’re not just untamed, Miss Hunt, you’re also a naïve and a silly little girl.” He blows on the tip of his fingers like he’s bored and amused at the same time. “The Empress is dead.” I peek at him from the shadow of my hood. He drums
the tips of his fingers against each other.

  “What?” I exclaim. I fall to the ground, darkness circles around me. That’s not possible. She can’t die. She has to awaken my heart. Rage bursts out of my chest. “You are lying you snake!” I shout. He laughs, hovering over me. He has a black heart, and I don’t hear it beating.

  “Don’t come begging for me to awaken you, Miss Hunt,” he hisses resentfully. “I only awaken darkness in raiders, sadly you’ll never experience the power of the dark ways. You don’t have what it takes to truly kill, for what you want. Killing is what makes us strong and leaves no trace of doubt and guilt.”

  “I’d not want you to awaken me if the world depended on it.”

  “Ironically it does,” he says eagerly. “The Sovereign Republic will soon hold all power in the Triangle,” he curls his lip into a sneer.

  “Magnus will never allow it.”

  “Magnus who?” he laughs. “Soon there will be no Empire to keep peace treaties and preserve the rights of the East. You can wave your division goodbye.” His jaw tightens and his long wolfish face turns hostile. He turns around and his cloak flaps against the wind. “Leave the premises of Slotsplads immediately – all imperial estates will belong to—”

  “Empress Benedikte’s children,” I say. “You forgot about them, didn’t you?”

  “Her children are not fit to run anything. She chose to keep them from public view and so there’s no connection between her children and the Empire.”

  “You’re wrong, Lord Wilhelm!” says Magnus from the doorway. When I see him, I feel relived that’s he’s okay.

  “Magnus?” I run toward him, and stand by his side.

  “The Empress?” I say. He looks at me, and I know, she’s okay… she’s alive.

  “Young Emperors are bound to make mistakes,” sneers Lord Wilhelm. His eyes are like balls of fire. But Magnus is not bothered. He’s confident and his firm attitude is a match for Wilhelm.

  “Mistakes create wisdom,” says Magnus. “Wisdom that I can’t wait to acquire. I will be an Emperor of the people who know me for my qualities, for I was not raised behind the walls of the palace. I was raised among the people.”

  “Magnus, you are dimwitted to think you can run the Empire so easily. And the people you claim you know so well,” Lord Wilhelm pauses and blows his nails arrogantly again without looking at Magnus. “Are ordinary people known as commoners that are loyal to serve the Sovereign Republic. Easy are their minds to manipulate. Almost, too easy,” he leers.

  “Empress Benedikte is still alive and well, Lord Wilhelm. The well wishes you sent her were a miracle indeed. She will shortly announce her health and knight Nora. As for the Empire, she will abdicate from her duties as Empress and pass these on to me.”

  Wilhelm’s face is simmering with rage. “I’m not quite sure what you mean, but this is not the end,” he says. He glares angrily in my direction. “And as for you, I shall find who you really are, Miss Hunt. He walks away fuming.

  I release a deep breath and feel the tattoo cooling down on my back.

  Magnus twitches like he’s shaking off the bad encounter and turns to face me. His eyes are soft, and his usual arrogance cooled.

  “I’m sorry about before, “he says. “Do you understand now what we are up against? I need you with me on this and you have to trust me, when I say…”

  “He’ll soon discover who I am,” I say, anxiously. “Then what?”

  “He can’t touch you once you become an Elite Raider. You will be under the Triangle’s law of protection – being an elite is a privilege and Lord Wilhelm will face trial if he as much tries to pluck a hair from your head.”

  “Magnus, what about my heart…”

  “You are ready,” says Magnus. “If you can face a vile weasel like Lord Wilhelm without letting him read your thoughts then you’re an elite, Nora Hunt.” Suddenly my hope to be knighted is rekindled, and I feel my glow. The Empress will knight me and I will receive my secret raider weapon that will empower me.

  “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for,” I whisper. Magnus smiles broadly.

  “I know,” he says. “It’s a big moment, and you should be proud that you’ve come this far, from the dirt roads of the East, to the palace walls.” I’m not sure what to feel when Magnus says that. Mention of the East only brings me back to one thing – Gustav. I often think about him and what he’s doing. Does he think about me? If only he knew the new world I live in. He’d never believe it

  In the evening, I am summoned to the chambers of the Empress, who has had an apple of immortality to carry her through the next few days. Members of the Republic cast a strong death spell on her during the sports games, and she has no power left to fight it off. It will eventually kill her. The death spell is one of a kind and is not contagious. It must have taken the enemy years to prepare and wait for the right moment.

  Her three children stand next to her while the last hours of her life are being counted. Every precious breath she takes sends a prayer to the gods for her children’s safety. With Tene and Tove sitting by her side her weakness turns into their strength. They’re prepared to let her go.

  Magnus face is flushed and his eyes filled with tears, only visible up close. I wish I could tell him that everything will be fine. But we live in a world where every day will be a battle to survive. The pressure from the Republic and the resistance to succumb to their temptations and dark magic is always there.

  All we have is trust between us – our ethics and our powers that will keep us alive and aligned with the Jarl Dynasty, which I’m proud to be leading. I kneel next to the Empress, finding this ceremonial activity gloomy. There’s never been a sadder moment in my life. Empress Benedikte possesses so much grace and compassion and it is gradually leaving her body.

  “Don’t let me die in bed,” she whispers. “I want to see their faces when I confront each one of the seven monsters.”

  “You will, mother,” says Magnus. “It’s all taken care of.”

  Any true Viking would not want to die in bed, but in battle. The Empress has her battles to fight against the Republic. Once she has confronted them, she will set herself free and be among the gods in Valhalla – the great resting place for Viking warriors.

  Empress Benedikte gathers her remaining strength to lay her hand on my heart. She whispers words of wisdom from old Norse into my ear and as she does a storm hits my mind. My limbs go numb. Her whisper gets louder and brings me to a place of light and grace.

  As my soul leaves my body, I travel to the kingdom of the elves – a beautiful woman beckons me to join her. She has long silver hair and glowing golden eyes. Am I dreaming or is this real? She’s tempting me – and I can’t resist the world she wants to show me. I can’t break loose.

  The whispers in my ear get louder and I feel strong and empowered. When I step back from the elf woman, she turns black and ugly, transforming into a hideous creature. Black wings shoot out from her back and her yellow claws reach out for me. I run, but there’s nowhere to hide. I stagger backwards, trip and fall to the ground. Quickly I scramble to my feet when she flies in my direction.

  I turn my wrists toward her and out shoot poisonous arrows which hit her in the face. She screams and contorts, convulses and jerks, landing on the ground. She jolts and twists and her screams sound like the roar of a hurricane.

  The whispers in Norse in my ears stop and when I find myself back in reality I feel fully alive and my heart is light and liberated. Strong like a lion. Fast like the wind, raging. Now, I see everything differently. Life feels renewed.

  I find myself seated next to the Empress. Her face is glowing. She places her hand on my heart, and my chest feels tight.

  “Congratulations, Nora Hunt, your heart is stronger than I thought,” says the Empress. “The elf queen is not easy to defeat, and by using your hidden abilities you’ve chosen your raider weapon. It is something that must have existed in your mind or evolved from your memories. Your unique raider
weapon shall advance, and be with you at all times.”

  “This is my weapon?” I ask and look down at my wrists. Next to the twirling circles and triangle is my Viking clan tattoo. I feel the pulse on my wrists beating unusually fast. I see nothing unusual, but I feel something special underneath my skin.

  “Nora, you are an Elite Raider who shall lead the Jarl Dynasty,” says the Empress. “You must use the power inside your mind to call for your raider weapon. Whenever you face danger, the weapon will respond. It is unique to you and in my years as Empress I have never seen anything like this before. We’ve forged knives and daggers and whips. Never has any raider had a weapon like this.”

  “Why did this weapon call for me?” I ask. “I can’t find anything in my memory that tells me that this weapon called for me.”

  I get to my feet and gather my thoughts. Some of my memory is not there. I don’t remember much from my past anymore. Some fragments of the East appear inside my head. Gustav – I know that name. I hear everything and my senses are heightened and my mind feels sharp.

  “Why can’t I remember certain things from my past?” I turn around to look at the faces I recognize. Everything else seems blurry.

  “The powers you’ve acquired have erased some of your past to make room for your future,” says the Empress. “Don’t rush into things – always think with your head before your heart. You’ll see your past doesn’t matter anymore. Only your future.”

  Then I see my reflection in the mirror. Something about me has changed. A tone lighter, my white-silver hair flies in the wind, my deep green eyes shining. My skin is a shade paler. Who am I? Suddenly my appearance is frightening me. I stand still taking in the new impression of my new self. The girl in the mirror looks over her shoulder and a dozen just like her imitate the gesture. It’s me staring back at myself.

  Magnus walks over and stands behind me, I see him looking at me in the large framed silver mirror. The tattoo on my back moves like waves from the cold sea. The feeling inside me crackles and this new change wears me, but it doesn’t own me.