I began to stand. Thannen rushed over.
“Varghoss, you cannot go,” he said.
I shook him off, “I can rest on the ship. Come, fetch my clothes.”
He did. I dressed and Thannen handed me my spear down from the wall. I stood, feeling my groin’s soreness, and leaned on it.
“My cloak, and my crown, if you would.”
Thannen obliged, clasping my fur cloak over my shoulder and setting my crown upon my brow.
“Tell the guards to call the nurse,” I told him, “and to ready my horse. No doubt, you came on yours.”
“As fast as I could. As soon as we spotted the ship.”
I went to the cradle of the newborn babe and touched his chest.
“I have not named you, yet.”
I put a finger in his palm and he closed his little fingers around it.
“Don’t go, Varghoss.”
“I am king, Thannen, and that means I do go, until the day I die and he is king.”
“Nurse!” There was a rapt knock at the door.
“Come in,” a woman with tight-skinned features and small eyes brushed past Thannen and into the room. She pulled up a chair next to the cradle, bowed to me, and sat. She was in her night clothes, her hair piled atop her head in braids.
“Go on, my king. I won’t leave the prince until you return.”
Her words shocked me. My son was the prince, it was true.
“Thank you.”
“Vilde,” she said.
“Vilde, thank you.”
“The sooner you go the sooner you see him again, yes?”
“Yes,” I nodded, “Come Thannen, Ulfvaldr will find us on the way.”
On our way out, I ordered four more guards to watch my son, and the rest to follow me to the castle doors. I left some in the hall.
“You must keep vigil and patrol,” I said to half the men who were Ulfvaldr’s wolves, the former slaves who came with me from the slave ship, and Fundinn’s old men.
They nodded. I told the other half to follow me.
“We are going on a ship’s journey that should be no more than two days. If we are not returned in four, something is amiss. Care for your prince.”
“I’ll guard him with my life, my king,” said my red-haired friend, Finli.
I put a hand on his shoulder and led the group from the castle.
“Follow when your horses are readied. We go to the dock,” I called.
Thannen had to help me onto Setnar. It burned to sit across the saddle, but I ignored it. We rode out.
The wolves followed immediately, running, some as men, and some as animals, alongside us. They had no need for horses, a fact that unsettled the other men. It was an hour’s fast ride out to the sea. When we arrived, the horses were sweating, the water cold and clammy on their coats. We took them to the small stable that stood beside the fishermen’s barracks. There were only barracks by the sea for now. The fishermen came from their villages and slept there while fishing for a few days, and returned, but I had the feeling it would not be long before a small fishing village sprang up, and the families joined the men and women who were fishing. It felt like growing myself to watch my kingdom grow. At times, there were so many parts, all moving together, it was hard to wrap my mind around them.
A couple of fisherwomen took our horses. They led them away to the stable. Their hair was braided and crusted with frost. The sea out here was deep enough that only the edges along the shore froze. The ice quickly gave way to vast, gray saltwater.
“Show me,” I said to Thannen.
Something warm trickled down my legs. Blood, no doubt. I should not have ridden so. I leaned on my spear and followed him to the dock. From that vantage point, with no rock or tree blocking us, I could see the ship.
A blue fire burned at the top of the mast. It gave off no smoke, and I marveled at how it could be so large. Then I saw the rest of them. Blue flames sparkled along the sails, and across the bow.
“The candles of the dead,” Thannen whispered.
“What are those?”
“They appear on ships. Fires that do not burn. They are cold, and they are a very ill omen. I have never seen any burn so brightly.”
“Divide our men amongst the warships. You and I shall set sail on the lead.”
“When do you want to sail, my king?”
“As soon as Ulfvaldr arrives.”
I do not know how I knew, but I turned to see a brown-gray wolf fast approaching across the snow. He had overtaken the horses of the other men and was going to reach us at any moment.
He transformed as he ran, his fur giving way to flesh. I tossed him the pants and cloak I had brought.
“Why are you out here - you’re bleeding,” he said.
I looked down. No blood was visible. It was his wolf nose. He smelled it.
“You only have to look to the sea, Ulfvaldr.”
His face turned gray when he saw the ship, “That is fell magic, Varghoss, you cannot go near it.”
“Thannen, prepare two of our warships, we will go to meet this approaching ship.”
“Varghoss,” Ulfvaldr took my arm, “Don’t go - let me. Return to the castle. Hold our son.”
“I am king,” I looked him in the eye, expecting defiance, but all I saw was fear.
“You are my love,” he whispered.
The words shocked me to my core. He took my hands in his. I stared down at his nails. They were fully human in this moment, no claw to be seen.
“I am the crown,” I said, “I must meet this danger.”
“I am the claw,” he said, stroking my face, “let me go for you. I have never had a child. I do not want to leave an orphan.”
“If you think the danger is so grave, I cannot let you go.”
“You know one of us must. You have done nothing but create, your kingdom, your laws, your child. Let me defend all that you have made.”
He did not let me respond. Ulfvaldr pulled me into a kiss. His cheeks were wet. I tasted him, smelled his sweet scent. The kiss warmed me from head to toe. When I let him go, it was as though I were pulling two halves of something apart.
Thannen came, “Are you ready, my kings?”
“Thannen, I will stay on shore,” I said, “I entrust the safety of our fleet to you, and whatever treating that may occur with these foreigners to King Ulfvaldr.”
Thannen smiled, to my surprise. He looked relieved, “That is good,” he said, “I fear that without your presence, your kingdom would not hold.”
“You will have to tell me of this later, Thannen,” I said.
An ache was forming behind my eyes. I watched Thannen board one of our vessels. They did not hold many men, a score in a pinch and ten on a long journey. The ends where Thannen said it was traditional to carve dragons, he had carved wolves, in honor of the Wolf Tribe’s role in our new kingdom.
The ships set sail, wolf-end first into the sea. I watched for as long as I could before weakness overcame my legs. The fisherwomen who were left behind escorted me into their barracks and set me on reed blankets near the fire. I slept.
Chapter 4
Ulfvaldr
The salt of the sea washed away the last of the scent of Varghoss’s blood from my nostrils. The smell had lingered, or the memory of it, the worry. I missed the smell. It might be the last part of him I would ever hold.
It was my first time on a ship, my first day as a father, and the first moment I had ever known myself to be in love. I gripped the railing and stared down the ship in the distance. If it weren’t for the ghostly fires that burned without burning on all ends of the ships, I might think it was a trading vessel from a far away land, but that ship’s only cargo was death.
“King Ulfvaldr, your majesty,” a man stepped up beside me.
It was Varghoss’s friend, Thannen. He had been only a fisherman before being sold as a slave, but he used his knowledge to supervise the construction of our humble fleet.
“What is it Thannen?”
/>
“Do you want to come inside? Sit with the others? There’s a fire.”
I shook my head, “I cannot sleep. You know, I always felt pulled by the sea. I never thought these paws would traverse it, no wolves do, and yet, here I am.”
“Never thought I’d be captain of my own ship, let alone a small navy.”
I smiled and nodded.
“You don’t need to keep me company, though I thank you for your trying.”
He nodded and left. I stayed to watch the ship in the distance, lit by its cruel flames.
~
Approaching the monster made it no less ominous. The boards of the ship were black as pitch. The sails absorbed all light and stood out like shadows even in light. The sun rose and disappeared behind clouds.
“Flag them,” I called.
Someone came out with a white piece of fabric tied to the top of Varghoss’s flag. He waved it over the bow of the ship.
The waves lapped against our hull. Sea spray collected in my beard. The winds were cold as ice, and between sea and sky, all the world was gray. I wanted to know how far it went on, but at the same time, the idea filled me with dread.
I focused back on the ship. Thannen was yelling orders to his crew.
Then, there, on the top deck of their ship waved what must have been the only scrap of white fabric aboard. A man dressed in black armor, his face covered with a cloth, waved their flag.
“Thannen, they reply!” I called.
“Let’s go. Arrowmen, stand ready but show not your arms. Prepare oil rags and a torch and stand ready and OUT OF SIGHT. You! And you!” He called, “Prepare the rowboats.”
We descended the side of our ship in the two-man rowboats. I took Thannen with me and in the other boat were two of my wolves, Oyrí and Irlor. We rowed to the edge of the boat. The wood of the ship was black even where it splintered. It was not stained so. It looked wrong. When we reached the side of the boat, I reached out and touched it. A shock went through my fingers.
“Shit,” I spat.
More of the armored men from above dropped rope ladders down to us. We tied our boats to them and began to climb. I tried to look calm when I swung over the side of the ship, but the truth was the thing was packed with those men. I stood and steadied my hand on the hilt of my sword.
“Who is captain of this ship?”
They parted to allow a man through. He had on a great black horned helmet. His shoulders were padded with scaled armor and his cloak billowed out behind him. His face, like the faces of his men, was shrouded in a black cloth, save for his eyes.
He walked toward me. It took a great deal of strength to stave off my animal instinct to run. I walked forward and met him, not two yards apart.
“Are you the captain?”
I pulled my sword an inch from its scabbard, loosening it.
“Answer. You waved the flag that says you will speak with us. Let me hear your voice.”
Slowly, he lifted a gloved hand to his face. He unclipped the fabric and pulled it back.
I gritted my teeth. I smelled Thannen begin to sweat beside me. My two wolves began to transform and I felt my claws come out with theirs.
His face was hideous. His skin was white like a skull. The flesh around his mouth was cracked and peeling and seemed to be pulling in toward the hole like a wind was pulling it inward. The man’s face looked like it was trying to consume itself.
“He’ll be pleased with me when I bring him the last of you.”
The fires on the tips of the ship flashed. It blinded me. I drew my sword and heard the sound of a hundred swords drawn from black, scaled scabbards.
Chapter 5
Varghoss
I sat up with a start. I looked for the fisherwomen. There was Nurse Vilde and the midwife, sitting at the edge of my bed. Vilde held my son. The midwife had needlework in her lap.
“I was by the shore.”
“They brought you back. You would have bled to death if they hadn’t.”
“Something’s wrong,” I put a hand to my head.
“Aye something’s wrong. You rode a horse the night of the day ye gave birth. It should have killed you outright. I’ll get ye some milk and honey. The babe will need to nurse from you soon or risk falling ill, so regain yer strength, even if you have only the babe to do it for.”
“Giving me orders.”
“I was not born to take orders, I was born to see as many infants as I could into this life. You were born to give orders, but you need also take them. I’m gettin yer milk so be prepared to drink all of it.”
She was right. I did have to prepare. The scent of the warm milk and honey she brought back made my stomach roil. She held it my lips. I tried to take it from her, but was surprised to find how weak I was. I drank it down.
“Now rest.”
My eyes closed before she had finished.
~
I woke to a cold, dark room. The fire went out. Another gurgling cry told me what had awakened me. The babe let out another soft, weak, “Eeeeeeeeh,”. The nurse was slumped in a chair, sleeping. Irritation rose in me before I remembered she must have watched the child for over a day without rest. He was mine, after all. I let out a hiss of pain as I rolled near the edge of the bed. My feet hit the cold stones. I took the furs off the bed off and wrapped them around me and made my way to the cradle.
“Shhh,” I lifted the child into my arms, “Here,” I pulled back the furs.
The child’s lips found my nipple. It began to suckle and was quiet.
I stood for a long time, afraid to disturb the child. He finished on his own and began to twist and fuss.
“Shhh,” I started to rock.
The child quieted. I tried to still my rocking, but each time, the child would begin to fuss again.
“A walk, then,” I said, “Come on.”
I pulled the furs around us both and creaked open the door to my chambers. The guards outside had eyes rimmed with dark circles. One smiled when he saw the babe. The others looked nervous.
“Only a walk. Word of Ulfvaldr?”
The guard who had smiled shook his head, “No news of any return, your majesty.”
“I will set out at first light. Where is your relief?”
“They will come,” he said.
“Very well. I hope you get some rest soon.”
“If we ride at dawn, there will not be much, but we will get what we can.”
I nodded and, feeling strange, still, that these men who once followed Fundinn obeyed my orders, continued down the hall.
I walked the corridors that were once Fundinn’s, and held my son cradled in my arms. I thought of Ulfvaldr, of what he had said before he left, You are my love. My stomach twinged. I did not say anything in return. I should have, and I would. I knew that now. I stroked the wispy hairs on the head of the beautiful child we had created, and made that promise. Next time I saw him, I would tell Ulfvaldr of my love.
I came, without knowing, to the chambers that I had asked to be locked since Ulfvaldr slew the man. They were my father and my mother’s rooms before they were Fundinn’s. I put my hand on the door handle, just to feel it, to see if it felt any less like trespassing.
The handle gave way.
I started back, clutching the babe. He let out a soft sigh.
“Shhh,” I rocked him until he was back asleep.
I pushed open the door. It swung inward to a room that already saw a few cobwebs. No fires had burned in here since the start of winter. The floor stones froze my bare feet and the shutters were coated with ice. I looked about the place. Not a thing had been disturbed. The door was unlocked, but no one was here. I hoped it was only an oversight of the guards. I had never checked the door to make sure they’d done as I asked. A thought chilled me. What if someone still loyal to Fundinn entered? What if my reign was not complete?
The smell of Fundinn still clung to the air somehow. I thought of opening the shutters and letting the cold wash away the pestilence, but did not
want to chill the babe any further. I looked round the room.
A tapestry of a wolf hung in the corner. It was beautiful, and its beauty made the way Fundinn had used it as target practice reprehensible. Knives, clearly thrown, and arrows protruded from the tapestry that hung over the wall.
I stared a moment.
“That wall should be stone.”
I moved to it, and pulled aside the tapestry. Knives clattered to the ground. Behind the tapestry was a wooden door.
Or, you could call it a door, but it had no handle and the edges were all nailed round. I pulled one of Fundinn’s longer knives from it. A whistle of cold, damp air came through. This door led somewhere, and it led somewhere big.
I racked my brain, trying to recall the lay of the castle.
“This should not exist, son,” I whispered to the babe, my only audience.
I pulled the rest of the knives off, and with some reluctance, pulled the tapestry down from its hangers. The door was nailed shut on three sides, handle removed and filled with a piece of iron, and hinges nearest the outside wall.
I looked at it a moment, then with one of the knives, pushed up the pins of the hinges. They came out, not without some squeaking. The babe stirred. I knew if I put him down, he would wake. I shushed him and rocked a moment.
I removed one of my furs and twisted and tied it around me until it formed a secure binding. I placed the babe in, close to my chest, and tied it once more around, tight. Now, with both my arms free and the cold night air against my skin, I began to work on the door.
I took not a little bit of pleasure at thrusting the sword Fundinn was so proud of ordering for himself, one thick and long, he had told of the swordsmith, between the wood and the wall. I pried. Since sleeping, my strength had much improved. I pulled, and one by one, the nails popped from the wood. The door groaned and swung open, the wrong way, revealing a long, dark hall.
Claw and Crown Bundle Page 10
