City of Vikings

by Farah Cook

  Helena is at the door about to leave.

  “I thought Niels was older?” I say.

  Helena cranes her neck to look and frowns. “He is,” she says. “What makes you say that?”

  “Nothing…” I shut down the hologram. Maybe I was looking at an old picture of him.

  “How certain are you about the map through the Shadow Forest?”

  “The mission is in a gray area. We have very little information – but from what we do have there is a high probability it’s the city you’re looking for.”

  When Helena leaves, I decide to take a shower to wash away the worry and mental exhaustion I’ve been carrying around like heavy bricks. There is a big, open and tiled shower in my room, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the City of Skies.

  The large and transparent glass walls and ceilings expose me and when I look up I see the sky above me and it’s beautiful and makes me think of heaven. But I’m not in heaven, but this seems close enough.

  Warm water spills over me and my reflection is visible everywhere. The black tattooed branches of Yggdrasil embrace me. She’s moved across my entire body. The black branches and leaves are stretching further every day.

  After the awakening, I felt reborn, but this visible change makes me feel renewed. New feelings and sensations run through my mind. No longer do I ask questions, instead I seek answers that are out there.

  In the reflection of the mirror my figure looks toned and my skin less pale. I step out of the hot steamy shower and place myself in front of the small mirror. I grip the edge of the square bathroom sink and stare at myself for a moment. Something is wrong. At first I can’t work out what it is, but then I see it. A dark shadow taking shape in the mirror’s fog.

  I cry out, a wordless gasp, and suppress the urge to shriek. I notice the eyes, the skin around them is lined. The person in the mirror is an intruder. I let out a loud scream.

  “Stop screaming!” he says, his voice hoarse and rough. I’m flushed and out of breath. I grab a towel and wrap my body and pick up the heavy soap bar from the sink.

  “I’m warning you, I will attack you,” I say.

  “What? You’re going to kill me with that?” He points at the soap nearly slipping out of my hand. I watch him closely. He wears muddy clothes and his face is covered in dirt. On his feet are black laced-up leather boots covered in thick red sludge. He takes slow, even steps toward me.

  “Don’t come any closer, I’m warning you.” In one fast motion, I toss the soap bar, aiming at his face. It hits him between the eyes. He staggers and slips, landing on his back.

  He screams out in pain, lying sprawled on the wet tiles. Helena comes rushing into the bathroom. She looks petrified when she sees me standing there red-faced. I step back further, until I feel the warm tiles press against my back.

  The intruder twitches and jerks his legs. He convulses, twists and writhes. With scarred lips and wild eyes, his reflection becomes visible when rays of sun cross the windows. I hear Helena panting louder than usual.

  “What’s going on in here?” she asks. “Niels?”

  “Is that Niels?” I ask, surprised.

  “Helena, don’t tell me that crazy girl is Nora Hunt?” he says rubbing the space between his eyebrows. Helena looks at me and then at Niels. Her face is stoic. She rolls her eyes and the worry drains from them.

  “Niels, I am pleased to introduce you to Nora Hunt, the new Jarl Dynasty leader,” she rolls her eyes more than necessary and trudges away.

  “Leader?” he asks, frowning deeply. “What the…” It is an awkward moment and I am still trying to normalize my heartbeat. I run past him, stepping around the mud pool he is sitting in looking perplexed.

  While I’m getting dressed, Helena tells me Niels is hard-headed after spending too much time in the fields alone. He doesn’t always think, but just reacts. He’s constantly researching the changing territories to find entry points for raiders to explore and only recently came back from the border of the Forbidden Areas – a place I can’t even imagine going to after Dock Harbor.

  I promise Helena I will look past this incident, and just as she leaves I hear Niels make a call from his chip.

  Niels: “Has Magnus lost his mind? Why would a newly appointed Elite Raider lead the Jarl Dynasty?”

  Familiar voice: “Don’t be fooled. She’s not ordinary and she’s not one of the wealthy kids, she’s from the East. I examined her test scores and merits from Dock Harbor. She’s capable of more than you think.”

  Niels: “I believe you. The girl is strong. You should have seen the look in her eyes – man, she’s fearless. No doubt she’s got killer instinct.”

  Familiar voice: “Look, get her on board so I can support the mission. We’ve worked on this long enough.”

  Niels: “I saw her naked, and it nearly gave me a freakin’ heart attack. Give me time to get over it all.”

  Familiar voice: “She’s not that ugly! Just savage perhaps.”

  Niels: “Her body was covered in a strange tattoo. It was everywhere and something tells me it wasn’t ordinary.”

  Familiar voice: “Jarl’s Dynasty crest?”

  Niels: “No, something complex looking. A tree or something.”

  Familiar voice: “Look, she’s an impressive kid. Otherwise Magnus would never have chosen her to lead the dynasty. I want to move ahead with this mission. But my involvement has to be kept a secret. If we expose a secret city we’ll all go down.”

  Niels: “Why do it then? We’ve signed treaties and have to respect the places that do not want to be known. The world is changing and evolving. Clearly the secret societies don’t want to have anything to do with any of this.”

  Familiar voice: “You’ll have to deal with this torture yourself.”

  Niels: “I get it…”

  The voice on the other end falls silent.

  A long silence ensues and Niels steps out, leaving a mud trail behind him on the glossy floor. He shoots me a wounded glare. His eyes rest heavily on mine. Rays of light beam into the room, but his face is an unreadable map. Thoughtful, but unreadable. I want to know what’s on his mind. He pulls a face and I notice the lines he carries around his eyes. He looks older than in the pictures from the hologram.

  His hair is gray and receding at the temples. His jaw square and strong and his blue eyes are hard and mischievous. The division in which he grew up has left its mark on him in his boyish arrogance – or maybe he’s just dominant.

  “Well, don’t just stand there. We have work to do,” he says and breaks the silence. I suppress my anger and walk briskly in his direction. Are all men from the West arrogant pricks? I will not let him talk down to me.

  “How dare you…” I say. “You may be an important ranked raider among your dynasty—”

  “Elite,” he says. “Been doing this since before you were born, little girl.”

  “That doesn’t give you the right to invade my room like this. Who do you think you are?”

  “Look, Nora, I was called in from an expedition urgently. I came straight out of the fields to talk about the unknown territory I’ve been working on.”

  “Who supports this mission?” I ask deliberately. I know who it is, but I want to hear him say it. Can I trust him or will he spin up a lie?

  “She’s an old friend of mine.”

  “Is she?” I ask, surprised. Niels is a bad liar. His ears turn red and he shifts around like he’s not too sure what to say.

  “If you want to be sent on a mission to this territory you better change your attitude toward the supporter, because these things cost a fortune.”

  “Is that who you were speaking to?”

  “Yes,” he says, “her name is, erm, Margrethe.” He clears his throat suspiciously.

  “Why do I get the feeling Margrethe needs this more than I do?”

  Niels looks stunned. “You may be the queen bee in the East, but in the West, you’re far too inexperienced to know how things work around here,”
he says. “Hostile environments are everywhere.”

  His eyes narrow as if he is expecting me to snap back at him. I don’t. I keep my mouth shut. I have to make things work between us – even if it means working with a jerk like him and a supporter he’s clearly lying to me about. What interest does the Talent Acquisition Institute, who recruited me to the West, hold in this? And what is Tanya, posing as Margrethe, possibly up to now?

  I’ve been called to Slotsplads. Standing next to the Elite Raiders in my band, our hearts are gripped with sorrow. There’s no grief heavier than the one that anguishes the heart. Although I did not know her, I heard things about her – gracious and beautiful things that made her who she was. A true Empress of her empire.

  What she’s passed on to Magnus is centuries of wisdom. How can anyone wish for a better gift? In tears, he stands next to her casket. She did not die in bed. She died while engaging in dialogue with the enemy. Just as she wished. Now the enemy has their eyes and ears on Magnus, the new Emperor of the Triangle. But his powers are of no use, unless he wins the battle against the Republic – corrupt senates with thoughts so vile, the dark glow is visible to the naked eye.

  The funeral is ordinary in order to not draw attention to any Viking traditions that could expose our position. Her face is serene. Could it be she’s found peace in death? For all those years, living in fear behind the tall towers and turrets of Slotsplads must have given her an unhappy and lonely life, away from her children and her true duties as Viking Empress.

  The famous Ruhni diamond in her crown will be passed on to Magnus and sit in his crown, but I get a feeling he’s not interested in material items. He looks sedate on the outside, but on the inside, he’s broken. He, Tene and Tove are hiding their anger. One by one they say their goodbyes to the Empress, their mother – a woman they knew but were not allowed to acknowledge.

  I sit on the bench and watch in the large decayed building outside the palace. Brick crumbled and worn-out oak floors. It feels wrong to bury her here. But she’ll be lying next to her husband. Emperor Gudfred, a descendant of Vikings.

  That’s it? I ask myself. We leave her for the critters and that’s it? I can see revenge in Magnus’s eyes and he motions for me to follow as they all leave the burial site. I turn to look at her face one last time. Her beautiful still face is porcelain pale. Her lips blue. Her silver hair is tightly tucked behind a paper-thin veil.

  I place my hand on hers. Folded together resting on her chest. She opens her eyes suddenly, white and ghostly. I jump back. Her body is lifeless and yet her eyes are wide open.

  “Nora, are you coming?” asks Magnus, stretching his hand toward me. He detects the worry in my eyes and rushes to me.

  “What’s happened to her?” I ask. He looks into her face and runs his hand over her eyes to close them, but they stay wide open glaring into nothing. “Magnus, what’s going on?”

  “She’s made it,” he says, smiling. “She’s in Valhalla.” He opens his clenched fist and in his palm glowing is Odin’s sacred eye looking straight at me.

  “What does it see?” I ask, worried.

  “You – killing Lord Wilhelm.”

  13

  AT DAWN I wake to the sound of rain. I prop myself up on one elbow and stare into nothing knowing I am alone and restless. It has been seven days since Empress Benedikte died. Her funeral is still warm in my memory. I didn’t know her, but the brief moments I spent with her invited me into her strategic thinking.

  Magnus has made it clear he wants to avenge her death, and he wants me to assassinate Lord Wilhelm. But killing someone like that takes time and skill. Lord Wilhelm is an old enemy of the Empire and I am not quite sure how Frederick would handle it if he finds out that I have been tasked with killing his dad.

  I’ve called a meeting with the Jarl Raiders tonight to inform them about the mission the Empress gave me before she died. Eighty-odd members of the dynasty that I do not know. But they all know me. They’ve made it their occupation to know the girl from the East with the Viking tattoo burned across her body – I hear Raiders speak of it ever since Niels saw me. My secret is out, and I am no longer safe.

  Mina helps me to get dressed. I stand upright and shake out the nerves I carry. Mina doesn’t speak and her beetle-black eyes narrow and she lets out a sigh.

  “What?” I ask. “Why are you so quiet today?” Still an awkward silence and I start to worry. She’s gone mute. She leaves the room and I buckle my belt and tie my boots. I carry enough expedition gear to equip me for dangerous territories. And I am not afraid. If there’s one place I feel home it is the wilderness. I’ve examined the map Niels has drawn of the gray zone that leads toward Shadow Forest – a dangerous area with an unknown entry point. It’ll be the fastest track out of the City of Skies. If we take a safer route it’ll cost us days.

  My mission is to retrieve the powerful Viking assassin weapons and get as many trusted Jarl Raiders to join me to do so. Although they are oblivious of the mission and I cannot expose that I am an assassin. It will single me out.

  No one knows where the Rognvald Raiders went. Missions are kept secret, but I have strong reason to believe Frederick is leading them to the City of Vikings – the Shadow Forest is a deadly place – dangerous and with old stories terrifying enough to keep human souls far away.

  If only I could get Hildebrand to reveal the true location. He must know it and I should have pressured him more. I wonder what’s hidden in his secret library of wisdom – a dangerous place that carries ancient dark mysteries and riddles. Runes coded in complex language – odd-shaped signs and symbols. Each time I try to read the letters in the book he gave me, my head starts throbbing and I have to put the book away. But I’ve discovered something that will surprise Hildebrand.

  Frederick has the map to the City of Vikings and he’d only be looking for the assassin weapons. Why else would he attend the exhibition and purchase the map from Hildebrand, for which I am sure his dad paid a heavy price. His mission is no coincidence either. I wonder if he read any of my thoughts the day I met him at the Common Grounds? How else would he know?

  I’m not going to confess to Frederick any time soon what I know – and I’d never ask him to give me, his enemy, the map. There’s no point in asking for something he will never give me. But I will deceive Frederick if I have to. There’s no other way. He may hate me forever, but what does he expect from his enemy? If there will be blood, deception is harmless in comparison.

  The real question running through my mind is, what will I say at the assembly tonight? Raiders are already raising questions about my mission to the City of Vikings.

  Do I forge ahead and tell Jarl Raiders I need them to go with me on this deadly mission in search for the Viking assassin weapons, which I have come to believe will help us defeat the Verans so the Goth Empire can rule again?

  Maja received news last night from the senate. Our chancellors and embedsmen will support the search for the City of Vikings, but clear disclosures were handed out. We’re at our own risk. What scares me is that members of the Jarl Dynasty oppose me leading them into a dangerous mission and in worst case death.

  Myth or reality, the assassin weapons have been forgotten long enough and bringing it up at the assembly may just cause an unnecessary stir – a racket and rumpus questioning my ability to lead and vote me out as their leader. I’ll be wise to just gain their trust to join me at the mission to start with.

  I’ve heard whispers from the walls in the towers. Some must have heard rumors. Where do they come from? People speak about guns and missiles. The artilleries that broke our world and destroyed our civilizations leaving us with nothing but Viking legends of the promising nine worlds.

  Where there’s power there’s greed. I’ve learned this coming to the West, where greed breeds greed with no end in sight. That’s one thing I can say with certainty coming from the East. There are several contenders standing in line to claim the nine worlds. What’s the real reason the gods chose me? Jus
t because I hail from a line of Viking assassins doesn’t mean I should be given the responsibility to find the nine worlds. The map could be fake? Is it possible? My visions could be unrelated to the tattoo.

  When Mina returns, she jumps on the stool and yanks a comb though my hair to make a fishtail braid. My hair is much lighter and my eyes olive green. I don’t like the braid and loosen my hair. I stand in front of the mirror and form my hair into a shield maiden braid. Jarl members style their hair in different kinds of braids. Mina stares at me in silence. She jumps down from the chair and sighs heavily like she wants to give up.

  “Nora no different now.”

  “Why do you want me to be different?” I ask. Fitting in is a quest I’ve still not conquered. Being seen as a Jarl Raider I want to win them over. I need their trust and support. When we’re on the mission I need to be sure they have my back. Especially since I have my doubts about Tove – she’s up to something. I can sense it.

  “You different, Nora. Must show.”

  I shake my head. What does this little girl know about being different? She walks away, disappointment on her face. Mina shows her emotions and it makes her appear more human. She’s not there to just take orders. She has feelings – that I see for the first time.

  “Wait, Mina— ”

  I understand her now, because she’s different – she doesn’t fit in anywhere either. From my observation of her she is the type of girl that always has one eye on her surroundings, taking in every detail. She is truly remarkable for her age. Yet her differences are her strengths. The reason she’s in the towers with an Elite Raider.

  Could it be that Mina just wants me to be myself – someone I never really knew. The girl from the East. I feel lost in the City of Skies and partly accepted by Jarl Raiders. But why worry? I was chosen leader above all, including Elites like Tene, Maja and Tove. Magnus trusts me. I can feel it between us when he’s around. The looks of approval that he gives me.