He then took me by the shoulders and looked at me with the most serious expression in his face."Eric your father and your stepmother are much more dangerous than you know. He has promised not to kill you, but that does not mean he cannot seek to hurt you very badly. He lost much today and he has to send servants to do business at the Exchange and have someone else to open and maintain a bank account.
He might be afraid of the day you are old enough to challenge him and he will try to find a way to prevent that!"
"I won't be there. The day I turn sixteen I will be on my way to the Academy."
"That is your plan, Eric. Plans don't always work out the way you like and there are still 4 years to go and that is a long time for something to change or go wrong."
"I have you to watch over me. Have I not?"
"Yes Eric I will do my best, but he is your father and he can decide to call you back to the Burg anytime he chooses and I cannot do much when you are there."
***
Father did give me a trashing when he called me home that evening. Two of his men grabbed right after I came through the gate. Each one grabbing me firm by the arms and laughing, in the middle of the courtyard father spoke with a loud voice:"This is for making a fool out of me, for causing me shame and losing business. Gretel stood in the entrance of the High Halls, wearing once again a red dress, this time she also wore a veil covering her most likely swollen lips. Lothar stood before her she had her hands on his shoulders. Tyr stood behind them but more out of curiosity I was certain. He too was much ignored but never got any bad treatment. Father had Harkun strip me of my clothing and went through my pockets. He carried the Credit strip I got from Hogun to father and also gave him Mjörden. The fists of the men held me tight and without mercy. "Let me go you servants! This is my sword! Grandfather has given it to me!"
"All that you think is yours, misbegotten Whelp is mine and you shall learn now what it means to defy me. I will break you and make you squirm for mercy and I will do that every day. Let's see what is left of you when you turn sixteen. I won't kill you as promised but perhaps you decide to end it yourself."
He did not use his usual whip but an arm long leather tube filled with sand. It was so bad that even Gretel finally turned her face away. I could no longer feel anything but a wall of pain. They doused me with cold water several times, like through many layers of thick pillows I heard Gretel say."Don't kill him! Remember the 2 Billion!"
The men let me go, I could not walk or stand, and he had broken my legs. They let my lie right there on the cobblestones and father came close and said." This is where you belong at the bottom of my feet. Anyone who comes to help you will receive the same treatment!"
I passed out, but woke many times during the night and the pain did not subside. I could no longer see my eyes did not open. It was the longest night of my life so far. I did hear boots as they came across the yard."The school flyer is here. Shall I tell him to leave?"
"No put him in. So we have a witness he left the island alive." My father said and then with some concern in his voice." He is alive, is he not?"
Someone touched me."Yes I feel a pulse but it is weak and his left eye is gone."
"He doesn't need to see. I promised him to be alive, not in what manner!"
Someone else came and said." The Clan Leader of the Arnske Clan wants Eric tonight to visit their burg for the first official courting."
They picked me up and dragged me. I could hear the gate open and the humming of the School flyer. Dietmar's voice gasped in horror." By the gods! What have you done?"
"Utter no words in my present, Slave of the Off- worlders. Take this carcass and take him to that cursed school. He is alive, no other word was given!"
***
I came around, but not in the schools med room. It was the Hospital downtown and I floated inside a tank. I saw the doctor outside and heard him say. His voice was directly in my ear."Well you got the worst behind you, I managed to save your eyes and set your bones, but your internal organs need a little more time. I am growing you a new liver."
He smiled but the liquid I was in distorted it to a hideous grimace." You should be out in two or three hours."
I could not say anything something stuck in my mouth and it would not come out.
"Don't fight the machines, Eric. They are keeping you alive right now."
I felt absolutely nothing. No pain, no sensations. As if my mind was totally isolated from everything. I did see Hogun and three white dressed shapes, most likely Elders standing there.
The doctor said." I cannot understand how a society like yours always claims to be morally so far above the rest, because you claim to have honor. Is it honorable to stand by while a man tortures his child? Do you want to know how often I have worked on that boy?" the doctor's voice became angrier."I was a Battle field surgeon, but I have never seen wounds like that afflicted to a child. He was within minutes of death as they brought him here."
"But he was alive?"
"Yes he was!"
"Then there is little we can do. He is the boy's father. He is bound by his word to leave Eric alive, but that is all."
"I will personally appeal to the council to lift the special status this world has enjoyed so long. The day that happens I have all those child molesters arrested and those who stood by and did nothing!"
"You are not of Nilfeheim. You do not understand!"
"Then explain it to me. Tell me what society allows such crimes? What honor is there?"
"We are painfully aware of the limitations of our laws, but one boy's life and one bad father is not enough to sacrifice our Rules and traditions, but we are not powerless. Isegrim gave his word to the Arnske clan and he must uphold his side of the oath."
***
I had no illusions what awaited me at the burg as I was flown back by Hogun and an Elder. Why they came along I did not know. I did not care either. They would leave and father would do the same thing again. I would have done the same as Dietmar did and stow away on a freighter but he told me, they would return a runaway minor to his planet of origin, as they did not want trouble with the clans they did business with. So all I could do is bide my time and hope I was strong enough not to give up and do as he wanted and give all to Lothar.
Father awaited us in the Yard and he had his fists stemmed into his hips and growled." You are not welcome here. Not you brother and not you Elder! I shall respect you but I do not have to suffer you in my own burg."
"It is not your burg yet. Eric must turn sixteen and give it to the Olafson clan. It is willed to him. You are but the caretaker till then." The Elder said. "I am here to give you a stern warning and my very last. I am not here as Elder but on a personal errand."I told you I knew what Harkun did and I will check on Eric every day. Should he have so much as bruise and tells me it is from your hand? I will reveal it all! Now I expect you to hand Eric back his sword. It is his and no one else's!"
Father nodded and lowered his hands.
"What a sniffling weakling my First born is, crawls to others to complain instead of accepting his father's hand and will as it is proper."
Harkun spat "He could not even crawl or say a word. You will reap what you sow, brother. Evil as thine will not stand forever."
***
Father actually called me and I expected the worst as I had to go to the High Hall. He sat in the big by the fire." You are invited to the Burg of the Arnske Clan. You will behave proper and there will be no talk about what transpired yesterday. You will be at your best behavior."
Gretel appeared next to him and sat down in the chair next to him. It was of course highly improper that a woman would sit in a Lords chair, and without asking for permission." I am under no oath or obligation to keep you unharmed, you filth! Now I want you to draw 20,000 credits from your account. I am in need of new things!"
I did not move or respond.
"Your Stepmother has given you an order, now obey!"
"I cannot, this account is fro
zen until a Federal court heard the case." Uncle Hogun told me to say as he anticipated exactly this.
He grunted a curse and she huffed and left. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his anger. "Now I shall teach you about the Arnske Clan. It is important you remember all I teach you!
So it came that for the first time in my life, my father would teach me something. He went into great detail and made me repeat it often. He was surprisingly calm and as he finished listing the important dates in the Arnske Clan history and I repeated them he said." They are almost as wealthy as the Ragnarsson clan and their Clan Chief has the allegiance of twenty Old Clans. His voice is heard through his father in the Circle of Elders. Nine Subs they own and twelve surface ships. They own vast herds of Fangsnappers in the south."
He put his whip to the side and leaned forward." Twenty two Clan leaders have vowed leigance to you at your Grandfathers funeral. The Steiner clan will be yours. If this union comes to be as I have sworn it will, along with our Allies the Olafson clan will be the first clan to assemble 48 Clans with one voice and only 154 Old Clans remain. Do this well and give me control when you turn sixteen and I shall not forget that you are my first born."
I wanted to tell him what I was thinking about him and his false trickery and Loki inspired words. That even if he decided to raise me to my rightful status and treat me like his son, there was nothing he could do to wash mothers blood of his hands. For this reason alone, I would seek revenge. However I said nothing at all.
He nodded. "I am hard but I keep my word. So tell me the twenty most important battles the Arnske Clan had fought."
***
I was invited to the Burg of the Arnske Clan. The Clan the girl Sif belonged to. As it was tradition I would be allowed to spend an evening with the girl under the watchful eyes of her parents of course. I haven't seen her since my Grandfathers funeral.
Even though girls had to go to Union school as well, here on Nilfeheim they had to go to separated classes. I did not know much about her. Father made sure I knew the history of the Arnske Clan as this would certainly be what her father would talk about.
I did feel a little nervous about the entire affair, decked out in traditional garb. It looked ridiculous anachronistic especially after I had learned about other planets and civilizations. I carried the sword Mjörden and the hasps that held my woolen cape bore the Olafson wolf seal as well as a skinner knife that was handed down through many generations of the Olafson Clan. The fabrics were rough and itchy, but I was allowed for the first time to wear leather pants for the first time. Only a proven warrior was allowed to wear leather.
Sif and her family greeted me formally as Uncle Hogun dropped me of at their burg and I was led into the main hall. Sif looked especially lovely in a long dark blue velvet dress with long white sleeves, girded with a golden belt that matched the golden hair band she wore keeping her long blonde hair and kept a whisk of translucent veil before her face. She curtsied in a demur way, lowering her eyes in a very feminine fashion. Her mother may have been as lovely as Sif once but she obviously liked food and sweetmeats a lot, I was almost certain she was as big as Ragnar but only half his height. Never the less she had a friendly face and smiled at me as paid my respect to her and the Head of the house.
For the next four, however I sat with her father and four high clan lords, Uncles of Sif by the fireplace to talk and answer questions about the family business, our hunting subs, how many Tyrannos my family had caught in the last period and how the Ragnarsson Fish farms faired. Father had provided me with that information and I was able to answer. I had then told about how I killed the Tyrannos, they were quite impressed by that. Then the Clan Chief started to tell me the history of the Arnske clan. He nodded pleased as I was able to tell him dates and names of fights and achievements his clan contributed to the history of Nilfeheim. "Your father has prepared you well and strict to our traditions so it appears, but then I expected nothing less from such an esteemed house. Once you completed the Ancient Challenge and our houses are joined through your bond with my daughter your Clan will be among the most influential on all Nilfeheim."
After this food was served and I was sitting next to Sif who barley looked at me during the entire time.
After dinner I was given a tour of the Burg that concluded in the Trophy Hall. Every Burg and Clan had one and it was here were treasures and trophies of fights and old battles were displayed. I had to look at each piece and listen to the story how it ended up here. I did what was expected and feigned deep interest for rusted swords, dented shields and tattered banners and asked the expected questions. I had arrived at late afternoon and it was now close to midnight. Finally her father retired, left his wife in charge and went to bed.
The fat mother giggled."Now that the official part is over. I think you kids need to get to know each other a little better. It appears you are going to be part of the family in a few years time. I was not much older than Sif when my beloved threw his axe at my braids."
"Of all the wonders and accomplishments of the Arnske Clan. I still can't believe you are Sif's mother. I thought at most you be a slightly older sister."
The fat woman blushed and giggled very pleased." I see you have a silver tongue. You to carry much of your famous grandfather's traits. He too was known to be loved by the women. Yet he stayed true to his wife." She sighed deeply. There was little, so I was told by Midril Nilfeheim women liked more than sad love stories.
She too got up and winked her eyes." I will leave you for a while. Sif will show you to your room when it is time. I am certain I can trust you."
I was alone with the girl who had said nothing at all until now. She now gazed at me. Her eyes above the veil gazed at me with a fiery sparkle and finally she talked." I guess I will be your wife soon."
I nodded." It appears they made this decision for us."
She actually sighed and said."It is the tradition."
"So it is."
There was again a moment of silence. Then she said." Are you very traditional?"
"I have to. Everyone has to."
She looked around as if to make sure we were alone and then she said."I despise these traditions. It treats women like dirt."
She then said."I would love to just run away, but it would bring shame on my family, by not marrying you. But I dream of going away from Nilfeheim."
"I do too!"
She actually got up and sat a little closer."You do?"
"Yes I want to leave and join the Union Fleet and become a Starship captain."
I could see the outlines of her mouth and she was smiling." I will leave too. I think you are a very handsome guy and one day I might think about marrying and he would have to be much like you, but it won't be you." She suddenly realized what she had said and looked afraid."Will you tell this to my parents?"
"No my lips are sealed. I will not tell but maybe I will see you one day off planet. What will you do?"
"I got very good grades and our Teacher said I could go to a good College and study. I think I could become a doctor. I am not entirely sure yet and I am a bit afraid of leaving and disappointing my parents."
"I don't care about my family. My father murdered my mother!"
She nodded."I know of that rumor and also that there is little that can be done because of the old traditions. Will you tell me what happened? Have you seen it happen?"
So I told her and after I was done her hand rested on my knees and her eyes filled with tears. "I am so sorry. I am sorry I had you tell it. She handed me a delicate kerchief and her voice was soft. "Don't be ashamed of your tears. My mother will have fallen asleep in the kitchen after having another snack and my father really went to bed and never gets up for nothing before the sun comes up."
I hastily wiped my tears I had not even noticed. "Sometimes I wish I was a girl then I could cry and my mother would still be alive."
"It was not your fault." She then said."I want to be your friend, Eric and we could meet much more often."<
br />
"I don't think it would be allowed."
"I can have girls over all the time. My parents do not check on those and you could be a girl for that time and perhaps even cry a little."
"You are not serious are you?"
"Why not? The gods think nothing of it and no one will recognize you with a veil like this, so there is no danger."
She could not know how much that plan of her intrigued me.
Chapter 28: Sugar and Spice
Sif and I had hatched our plan and I was supposed to meet her on Monday right after school. Dreadful for what I expected at home I waited for Hogun to pick me up, but he seemed pleased with himself as he showed up and climbed into his floater." Your father has allowed for you to stay with me again for a while. You don't need to go to the burg."
I sighed relieved and told him about father's strange behavior and then about the visit. He threw his hands in the air in a resigning gesture. "The Arnskes are about as traditional as they come. I think they don't lift an arm before checking if it is traditional." He then grinned and looked at me."But they are loaded and from what I hear that Sif girl is one good looking girl."
"I didn't see too much of her she wears a Veil all the time."
He leaned closer, winked with his right eye and said." The face doesn't matter so much. It's what's below her chin and above her hips that counts. Well I do like hips of course as well. If you know what I mean."
Then he became serious."Your father is feeling the pinch, you know. He now sends Greifen to the Exchange to do his business and since he has no longer access to any bank accounts. He uses Harkun. Of course neither Harkun nor Greifen have the same Credit rating and every spare part and everything else he needs has to be paid straight away instead in invoice. He depleted the Nubhir farms to raise cash but a farm will only give so much and then it needs to grow and that takes time. It won't be a cozy Longnight this time."
We reached Bifrost and he was about to land."I guess it is upon me now to teach you about how Fangsnappers and Human Babies come to be."
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 6 (The Galactic Chronicles Series) Page 187
