by Farah Cook
“I thought I’d join you your highnesses, ladies and lords,” I say and push a chair forward with my foot. I slouch into the chair and cross my legs. Flustered for breath.
“Nora,” says Magnus. “We are in a meeting, and you can wait outside till we’re done.” He points his finger to the door through which I entered. A member of the senate rises. He’s tall and skinny with a ghostly pale complexion and thinning gray hair on his big head. His irises are gray and amber, with raven-black pupils.
“Pleased to finally get acquainted with you, Nora Hunt. I’ve heard a great deal about you,” his voice is old and gravelly, and I ignore his gesture when he stretches out his hand. I snort and stand up, kicking the chair behind me. I couldn’t care less about an alliance to these people right now.
“There’s nothing great about me,” I say.
“You carry a great burden for us all.”
I don’t stop myself from laughing. “And what burden might that be?” I say and slip off my cloak. Members of the senate whisper among themselves. “It’s no good,” I say. “I can hear what you’re saying.”
“Nora,” says Karen, “What in the name of the gods has gotten into you?”
“Secrets,” I say. “Tell me the truth. Am I the one who is cursed, Karen?”
She lowers her blue eyes and furrows her brow. “Who told you that?” she asks “You are not cursed.”
“But I am,” I shout. “To kill.”
“It’s not a curse, Nora,” says Magnus. “It’s a blessing. You’re the only one who can protect our Viking clan.”
My eyes burn holes through Magnus’.
“You depend on me because of my curse.”
“Because of your unique abilities,” says Magnus. “You are an aristocrat and carry Goth blood. You will possess powerful abilities once you secure the Viking assassin weapons.”
“That’s not what concerns me, Magnus,” I say. “Tell me about the nine worlds and the map I carry that will lead us there.” Magnus’s face looks worried.
I reveal the tattoo so everyone can see my back.
“Tell me what it says,” I say. “What was I chosen for?”
“The map is protected by cryptic runes and is unreadable,” he says. “Each rune is a symbol that consists of a series of characters. We believe only you will be able to read the map upon turning seventeen.”
“Why when I’m seventeen?” I ask. “Is that the age I reach maturity?”
“Yes, and no, Nora.”
“Magnus,” I say firmly. “I want the truth. Why was I chosen by the gods?”
“You know why,” he says. “You hail from Viking assassins. It is only natural that the gods trust you to do what your ancestors fought to preserve.”
“But Lord Wilhelm…” I shake my head. He wasn’t lying. I know he was on to something and if I tell Magnus what he told me, he’d say they’re manipulators and tricksters.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?” Magnus darts his question hard like stone, but I am unable to answer. Karen nervously folds her hands and paces toward me facing the members of the senate and nods at them with a fake smile.
“My lords and ladies…” one by one, they start to walk out of the room, their sliver cloaks dragging heavily behind.
“Nora!” Karen tightens her grips around my arm. “Maybe you are cursed. If that’s the term I should use. And I am sorry I didn’t have the stomach to tell you this earlier. You are destined to become a Viking assassin and protect the Goth Empire. A duty Robert turned down and the reason why he is hiding in the City of Vikings. He’s defiant, just like you. Like any curse, you cannot escape your duty. If you do, there are consequences. You’ll lose everything. Your freedom and your life you hold so dear.”
“You’ll stick me in a cage and kill me?” I ask and laugh. “Is that it?”
“Live an honorable life and serve the only true empire – Goth – or lose your freedom like your father. You’ll be hiding for life living with your curse if you’re not hunted and killed before that…”
“I want to know more about the old Viking legacy,” I say.
“Why don’t you ask your father?” says Karen.
“Why don’t you tell me?” I scream. “I demand to know. You’ve been lying to me my entire life.” I release myself from Karen’s clutch and stalk out.
“Where are you going?” she shouts. “NORA!” I stop, and only turn my head slightly to the side, my nostrils flaring with anger. I can’t look at her, or at Magnus. The Empire that he is going to rule needs me, but if they cannot tell me the truth what else do they expect? An obedient and ruthless killer?
“I’m going to the City of Vikings.”
“Wait,” shouts Tove. “Nora, I’ll join you.” Tene moves sleekly behind her.
“I’ll come with you,” says Tene “You’ll need my help.”
“I can’t take you with me,” I say. “I have to go on this journey on my own.”
“Nora,” says Magnus. “Shadow Forest is no place for the faint hearted. Take at least Mina with you. She knows the Forbidden Areas – she came from there.”
“I will travel alone, your highness,” I say. “I’ll prepare for my journey and be gone tomorrow morning.”
I hear Karen breathe loudly and whisper, “May the Norse gods turn in your favor.”
At dawn, I wake suddenly. It is still dark in the room. Mina is banging on the door.
“It’s time. Get up, Nora,” she says in a hushed tone. The cold, clean air sweeps in when she opens the door to my room, and she crawls in like an animal hunched and excited. No, no. She is not coming with me. Still shaken and bewildered I look at her, raising my eyebrows. Mina looks prepared, like it’s a moment she’s been waiting for. I guess it’s no good telling her off, and she’ll be coming with me.
“Nora. What happen?” cries Mina. “We must go. Fog outside. Come. We eat breakfast. Must go. Shadow Forest. Pack bags. Must see Orkeney.”
“Helena!” I say. “Where is she?”
“Sleep. She sleeping.”
“Go get her, I have to see her before I leave.” I force her out, indicating with my fingers, and get up from my mat and stretch my body. I meet with Helena in the towers breakfast room. She’s drinking coffee, and Niels who has tagged along is yawning. They made necessary preparations for my journey. The map, any warnings, and trails to look out for. Niels’ skeptical morning glare doesn’t escape me. I feel the questions sealed behind his lips ready to burst out in resentment.
Helena’s face is marked with sadness. In her eyes a fire glowing like a burning coal about to burst into flames. Unlike Niels she’s not ready to unleash the torment she feels inside. I can only imagine what they must be thinking. I’m a mad girl, a savage taking a great risk journeying alone into the Shadow Forest. At least I’ve agreed to let Mina tag along. If anything, she may be of help.
Helena embraces me tightly. I feel her pulsating nerves and galloping heart. She’s not going to say anything and sometimes silence says all it needs to. She adjusts her round-framed glasses and when she walks off with Niels I hope to see her again soon.
Quietly I creep out of the towers, Mina marching in front of me. She loads my motorcycle and carries a small rucksack on her back. There are no glistening trees or dripping twigs. Just illuminated light from several billboards flashing above high-rising buildings. A city of glitter and glamour, I’ve never truly seen what’s hiding inside it, and as I imagine the lives of others, I miss my own in the East. But my memories are faint. I just recall one name – Gustav. And like a splinter it scrapes the surface of my mind.
Outside in the parking lot is my motorcycle. The roaring powerful beast that Andreas gave me as a token for saving his life in the wilderness. That all seems a million miles away now and Dock Harbor is just a tainted haze.
I mount the motorcycle, with Mina swinging her arms tightly around my waist, and ride off into the fog along a misty road which opens its arms unwillingly before me and closes them ble
akly behind me. The feeling of the unknown is as exciting as it is frightening. And although I may not show my fear, I feel it. Fear of missing out on the truth.
After riding for about an hour we see the perimeter looming ahead. Barbed-wire fences, tall and thick. I kill the engine and we dismount.
“What we do now?” asks Mina and stares at me.
“Wait,” I say. “You’ll see.”
I take out a pair of metal cutters. I turn to the left along the fence, cutting underneath the thick wire and bending it inwards, rolling it along as I cut with enough room for us to wiggle under.
“We need motorcycle,” says Mina worriedly.
“No, we have to leave it behind us, Mina.”
Her beetle-black eyes move fast and she unloads the things necessary and carries them with her. She slopes gently down to the ground, dodging the rolled-up wire and diving deep under without scraping against it. She comes out on the other side meeting me with a smile plastered all over her face. Ignorance is bliss, I think, and the worst is yet to come.
“Bye, bye, City of Skies,” says Mina. Some part of me wishes I wasn’t going on this journey, and another part of me has been waiting for this my entire life. Mina and I walk to the far end which is closed by a spiked iron gate. She shoots off to the woods and to my surprise pulls out a metal key from underneath some turf and unlocks the gate. We walk through and it shuts with a loud clang that causes the birds to fly off into the damp and dark air.
“We outside city border now,” says Mina. “Shadow Forest edge not far.”
“What’s inside, Mina?” I ask and watch her carefully.
“Danger,” says Mina. “Must be careful.” She strides ahead of me, like some lost creature finding its way home. My senses alert me. A queer feeling from the swaying branches without any wind and thick whispers from deep inside the forest float in the air. Something alive is ahead of us. Nothing like wolves or flesh-eating beasts, something familiar like the feeling that crawls up my back.
The trees are tall and full of life, watching over us as we enter the forbidden territory. I do not want to know what it’s like at nightfall in here. Lurking evil creatures haunt this forest, hemming in the most skilled warriors. I gave Niels the map from Hildebrand and he’s prepared a route that should take us to the City of Vikings. So far, we’ve reached no farther than the south point.
The broad path ahead leads to an unknown track – strange and dark. A marked area on the map reads Burskov, which can only mean we have to follow it. Mina and I leave the iron gate and stride across the hollow. On the far side, another path leads deeper into the forest.
I follow Mina, but when I turn, the path disappears, eliminating all trace of us. A thick stem of trees surrounds us, as if it’s getting closer. Heavy tree trunks, old and mysteriously shaped. Some tall and straight, others twisted oddly and bent into all shapes and sizes with green moss and a black shaggy ground underneath forming the deep swallow.
Mina seems happy, briskly trekking her way through the forest pathway.
“You better be sure this path leads to Burskov,” I say. “And don’t walk so fast ahead of me. Stay close.” I hope I’m reading the map correctly. I’d rather just follow my intuition, which tells me to go south.
We stride along walking close to the narrow of the thick writhing tree roots sticking out from the ground. Heavy thick roots crossing and rising higher than usual above the ground.
My memory of the East is faint, but I’ve never seen a forest like this before. Mysterious and dangerous with murky shadows that move and follow us. I speed up, staying close to Mina. I tune in with my senses and hear nothing unusual. Water slipping off the moist leaves, but no whispering or movement. Although I get the feeling we are being watched by someone or something.
My foot gets caught in a snare and I let out a loud cry that is muffled by the heavy trees which provide a thick canopy. No echo or noise. Just emptiness. Mina turns around.
“Must be quiet. Danger,” her black eyes expand. There’s more fear than worry. What does she know and is not telling me? I snap out my foot, experienced with these traps which are perfectly designed to catch humans. Someone must have put it there.
I look ahead of Mina and recognize the swaying path beyond Burskov as marked on the map. It’s hard not to notice the winding trail. As we get closer, it seems to be moving farther away.
“Are we chasing a trail?” I ask. But Mina doesn’t answer. She hushes me with her eyes, signaling to lower myself down as we walk. But I don’t, I forge ahead, and run as fast as I can.
“Aha. It does move,” I say and jump on a ray of light. I beckon for Mina to follow, and the path suddenly becomes clearer. The heavy shadows from the trees pull back like curtains and we find ourselves standing in a circular clearing.
The sky is hanging clear blue above us like a roof has lifted the mist and darkness folds itself away. The hostile trees look friendly and green, birds are chirping loud and clear. The thick leaves on the trees wave in the direction of the wind. Branches pointing sharply downward.
The place is dreary – nothing unusual. With renewed energy, we march ahead, breaking through the wall of the trees that leads beyond Burskov. The twisted trail is dry like a desert and no sooner do we begin walking when things change. The earth beneath us rumbles and the trail itself lifts up like a rug and drops us back into the circular clearing.
Astonished, we look at one another. Screams are muffled, and sounds swallowed in these woods. There’s no escape and our trail is lost. Eaten perhaps by the dark murky trees that suddenly begin to close in on us. The air is hot and as I stumble to my feet I come face to face with a pair of gigantic hairy feet. I prop myself up and straighten my spine. I crane my neck backwards for what feels like ages. That’s how tall the giant is.
“Run!” I whisper and stretch out my fingers but my sword doesn’t move from my side. I hear Mina’s small feet staggering around. I don’t think twice and without looking back I run as fast as I can. The heavy thumping behind me gets louder and the earth underneath me shakes. The sharp branches cut me as I run, bewildered, in circles, dodging the roaring giant that is chasing me. I stagger and fall sideways, when someone pulls my arm. Gasping for air, I turn and my heartbeat settles when I see who it is.
“Frederick? What… how did you?” he steals a kiss from my lips, hushing me as the giant gives up his search. “What are you doing here?” I whisper.
“I couldn’t let you come here by yourself.”
“You are mad,” I say. “You are going to get us both killed now.”
“Nora, I know these woods.” The silence in his eyes is frightening. “Come with me, if you want to make it to the City of Vikings.”
22
SHOULD I TRUST Frederick? My mind plays games with me, and my unreliable heart stumbles and falls into the same trap. My mind says I can’t trust Frederick. He is the enemy, and will always pick his clan over me. His sense of belonging is stronger.
Emotionally I am able to attach and show feelings, I know this now, and it frightens me as it could cost me my freedom. My sense of belonging is not as strong as Frederick’s, and I do value my freedom above anything else. Perhaps Magnus is right about me. I am too free-spirited.
Behemoth the colossal giant rages over us, taking down trees with his bare hands. He pulls a large tree trunk from its roots and swings it furiously above his head, using it as a club, banging it against anything that stands in his way. His hulking figure is dominating the center of the forest and beyond the hedge is the trail that will get us out of these damned woods. But there is no way ahead, without crossing the larger-than a skyscraper giant.
“Nora, listen to me. When I say run, you run faster than the wind.”
“I’ve got this,” I say and nod. I get up and ready myself for a sprint. I breathe in the dense air, and my eyes fall on Mina, who has made it to the other side and is hiding behind a large bush. Her eyes move heavily like a ticking pendulum, back and forth.
/> I dash off and instantly trip as the earth shakes underneath me. The giant’s foot rises above me, and Frederick throws himself into me to knock me over. I roll to my side and scramble up, jumping to the other side.
My eyes stay firm on Mina’s. The giant bellows so the air splits and the monster has caught Frederick in his fist. No. this can’t be. I will not let him sacrifice his life for me. I climb the tree fast like a spider. I hold out my hands and walk along the thin swaying branch. From the edge, I jump and drop myself onto the giant’s back, clutching and scratching my nails into its hard and thick green skin.
The giant launches his hand backwards to make a grab for me, shaking Frederick in the other. I take out my sword, a red shade illuminating it, and swing. The sword expands and spirals through the giant’s skull and out of its eye on the other side. The sound of thunder rumbles through the forest. The giant groans and crashes to the ground like a falling tree. The monster’s tongue drops from his mouth clumsily and thick black blood streams down his skewered face.
The sword flies out of the giant’s head and returns to its original size to take its place firmly by my side. The thick ink-like blood dripping from it into the air. Frederick holds his hand out to me. There’s still life in this huge beast. He may not be fully out. We run. I stop at the bushes, grabbing Mina’s hand, and drag her along when something stings my hand. Mina has bitten me and escaped taking another route tumbling down the hill. I don’t have time to think, and just keep running.
“Frederick, where does this road take us?”
“To the gates,” he says. “The golden gates of the City of Vikings.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“That’s where I had to return from before I was attacked by a giant sea monster. Trust me when I tell you this. I’ve seen the large golden wings that stretch widely out in the cold wind. The gates to the city are protected, and before reaching them, we’d have to pass through the deadliest road yet. There everything is alive, and moves and shifts shape. Your sword will not be enough to protect us. Remember, the city does not want to be found. It is for the forgotten who do not want to return. They do not like strangers. Especially uninvited strangers, and so the gates are highly protected by spells of illusions – the most powerful magic.”
