by Angela Foxxe
“Now that isn’t proper,” Hans chided. “Here we go. The late lady of the house bought these tests wholesale for some strange reason.” He had a sick smirk across his face as he opened up one of the tests. “Now, let us see if my suspicions are correct. You definitely smell it,” he said distastefully, with his lip curled.
Hans dipped the absorbent tip into the kidney dish full of urine. Igor impassively stood at the door, waiting for her attempt to flee in case Hans’ control wore off.
Rachel’s heart beat like a drum in her chest. She couldn’t believe what he was testing for. “Hey look, it’s too early to tell! We only had...”
“Silence, bitch,” he barked. “You have absolutely no idea what you are meddling with.” He looked at the pregnancy test with a false sense of surprise on his face. “Why look at this, congratulations! You’re going to be a mommy,” he spat. With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.
Rachel, finally free of the evil butler’s spell, sat up and looked around for her underwear. Igor walked over to her from the door and handed her the white cotton bikini briefs he had removed from her on Hans’ orders.
“What the hell was that all about? And I’m...?”
Igor looked at her. “We’re going to have to contact the master. Such a thing isn’t really supposed to happen. Usually, his girls die when they first begin to carry. I don’t know why. I’ve buried at least five of them in the past year. It breaks him up every time, too. I think you need to be careful.”
Rachel swallowed hard as she pulled her underpants on. “Do you know where he could be?”
The groundskeeper looked around nervously. “I might...” he replied evasively.
“Well, I need to get to him. I really don’t know what’s going on with me, the test says I’m pregnant and...” she picked up the test that Hans flung to the ground as he exited the room, “it looks like I’m further along than I should be.”
Igor silently nodded. “You need to get away from Hans. That much I know. Go to your room and get dressed. I’ll try to get you to where Valemon is, if he’s still there.”
Rachel looked at the large, towheaded man and gulped, and fled the room. She still felt woozy after her accident but she was not going to let that stop her. She felt a chill go down her spine as she remembered the conversation that had just taken place between her and the groundskeeper. He put the emphasis on the word try, and that was not lost on her.
She pulled her khaki hiking pants on and pulled on her grey sweater over her turtleneck. She tied her long blonde hair back in a rough ponytail, grabbed her camera bag and swiftly left the room. She strode by Hilda as she silently fled the manor before Hans knew she was gone. Rachel knew Hilda wouldn’t say a word to Hans as to her whereabouts so she wasn’t too concerned.
She exited the large front door of the ancient manor and noticed Igor hulking near one of the stone corners of the castle. The day was overcast with a mild drizzle filling the air. “Good,” he said. “This will help mask our scent from them.”
Rachel looked up at Igor, confused. “Scent?”
“No time to explain; let’s get down into the tunnel. With luck, Valemon left the boat behind.” Igor shuffled her down the ramp as he held the door open. “Get in, hurry.” The sounds of distant howls tickled her ears as she climbed the ladder into the tunnel below. She heard the thud of the door close over her head followed by the heavier thud of Igor leaping off the ladder. “Let’s get to the cavern, fast. Hans knows where this tunnel leads to.”
They rushed down the steep dirt path towards the sound of the lapping waves, she stumbled and Igor swiftly picked her up by the shirt collar with his powerful hands and pulled her back on to her feet. “No time for that, there’s the boat.” He pointed to the wooden rowboat with a new outboard motor fitted to it.
Rachel climbed down the rope ladder that hung off the dock and into the old wooden boat. Igor followed suit and caused the boat to list dangerously to the side as he embarked. “Sorry about that, it’s sort of difficult when you’re as big as me,” he rumbled as he pulled the cord to the outboard motor to start it up. The roar of the small engine echoed through the cavern causing Rachel to flinch at the noise.
“There’s no hope for secrecy now,” Igor said as he increased the throttle and steered the small craft out of the cavern and into the narrow fjord.
Rachel looked at Igor carefully, now that she had the chance. She noticed there was a slight family resemblance between him and Valemon. “Um. I was wondering, are you and Valemon related?”
Igor cast her a side-glance as he kept his eye out on the water. “Yes. We’re cousins.”
“Really?” Rachel sat closer to the edge of the seat.
“Yes, the thing is, I’m a bastard. Like the whelp you’re pregnant with right now,” he rumbled. “I have no rights to this castle, nor have I attracted the attention Valemon has.”
Rachel nodded quietly. “So you’re saying...”
“Valemon will explain everything to you in short order. We have a few hours of travel down this fjord to get to his location. He rarely ever swims this, so it must have been urgent.”
Rachel looked out at the sheer cliffs to hide her concern for Valemon. She felt a little queasy as a small wave lapped at the boat and tried not to vomit, she definitely did not want to fall into the frigid waters.
Suddenly a searing pain ripped through Rachel’s abdomen. She doubled over and clutched her stomach, collapsing in the wet bottom of the rowboat. Igor didn’t stop, he knew he couldn’t. He glanced at the woman who lay in the boat writhing in agony as her insides felt like they were being torn to shreds from the inside. He knew exactly what was going on, but remained mute. He put his own mother through the exact same agony Rachel was going through. He secretly hoped that her outcome would be better.
“We’re almost there,” he shouted over the roar of the outboard engine. “Just hang on!”
Her abdominal muscles felt as if they were splitting in half. Rachel gritted her teeth trying not to cry out in agony as her body contorted in the icy bilge water inside the boat. Her stomach suddenly bulged out in a grotesque manner, and settled down, giving her the appearance of a woman roughly fifteen weeks into her pregnancy.
Rachel struggled back onto the flat board seat of the boat. Her pregnant stomach protruded over her wet khaki pants. Brand new angry red stretch marks marred her skin from the sudden surge of growth from the baby within her.
She felt the bottom of the boat grind on the shallow gravel shoal as they approached a small island. Rachel perked up; it seemed vaguely familiar somehow. That tall rock in the distance, this was the island she pointed out to National Geographic! Why was she back here?
Igor cut the engine and stepped out of the boat into the icy water. He held his large hand out to help Rachel disembark. She grabbed the offered hand and carefully stepped out of the boat. She felt a bit unwieldy due to her sudden growth, but Igor was there to steady her. She waddled slightly through the shallows to the rocky beach and noticed tufts of white fur everywhere.
Igor dragged the boat onto the beach with his massive strength and turned it over. He then went and found some loose boughs and covered the boat as best as he could to hide it from prying eyes.
She looked up at Igor who shook his head and kept guiding her through the woods. “You need to come this way,” he said gruffly.
Rachel nodded in silence as she followed the grim man through the dense evergreen forest of the island she had heard about not so long ago. She hadn’t explored this side of the island, and it seemed that there were more paths than the one she came in on.
She heard yips and barks in the immediate area, causing her to cling to Igor as they went deeper into the woods. “Shh, they won’t harm you this time,” he assured her. “They know this place is sacred.”
That confused Rachel even more as they neared the base of the large rock. There was a triangle shaped cave and inside, the large white bear who had helped her whe
n she injured her ankle!
“Come, he won’t hurt you, and you know it,” Igor said as he roughly grabbed Rachel by the arm and forced her to approach the great ursine.
The large bear looked at her with sorrow in his ice blue eyes as he shook his massive head in denial. Rachel felt a twinge of recognition, beyond knowing that this bear had assisted her in the past. It felt as if she should know him on a more personal basis.
Igor stood behind her, blocking her escape as she approached the exhausted looking bear. She held out her hand instinctively to show this great animal she wasn’t a threat. The bear snorted at her and turned around, as if he was insulted by the gesture.
“Valemon, you know she has no idea,” Igor said to his cousin. Rachel startled and looked at the large man. “Now, if you’ve rested long enough change back and let’s go home. Hans has betrayed us finally. The time has come. Also, your pet here is fat with your cub; it’s ripping her guts apart.”
Valemon took in Rachel’s pale countenance and shook his massive body. Igor removed the backpack he brought with him and opened it up. He pulled out a large blanket and some clothes. He tossed the blanket over the massive form of Valemon.
A loud growl type groan emerged from the blanket as it shifted around and shrunk, then it shifted into a human yell as the blanket covered the large human form of Valemon.
“My apologies,” he said weakly to Rachel. “I have not told you the entire truth, and for that I beg your forgiveness.”
She stood there at the mouth of the cave, completely speechless at what she had witnessed. She was trembling as the massive Valemon approached her with his arms outstretched. He drew her in for a warm embrace. “I’m so...so sorry. I should have told you. If I had, you probably wouldn’t have agreed to carry my child.”
“Well, now it’s killing me,” she spat, pulling away from him. “I don’t know what to do now; I might go to the city for an abortion just so I don’t get ripped apart.”
“That isn’t possible,” he said softly. “The child would tear you apart to preserve its own life if you tried.”
“It’s tearing me apart now,” Rachel said, as she shook with rage. “You have no idea what this is doing to me.”
“Yes, I do,” he said softly. “I witnessed Igor’s mother go through the same torture as you are. Only another who is under the Bjorn clan curse can carry a Bjorn child. I was foolish to try with another normal human.”
“Another?” Rachel shouted. “What do you mean another?”
“Well, I have tried at least four times prior to you. All four have met with unfortunate results. Three went through ectopic pregnancies that ruptured and killed them. The other went insane and hurled herself off the cliffs. You felt different, stronger. I almost had hope.”
Igor coughed nervously, interrupting the two. “I remember my father saying, if he had just taken mother to the Aerie, she might have lived, while he was experiencing one of his nights of drunken self-pity.”
The man tossed the folded clothes towards the naked Valemon. “I have no idea where the Aerie could be, but it’s worth a shot. We can’t go back to the manor. Hans has summoned the Úlfhéðnar to search for Rachel. Rumor has it that the Ironwood clan also need females that they can sire offspring from.”
Valemon grunted as he pulled on his clothes. “Yes, I guess they can’t get on Angrboda anymore.”
Igor smiled “Yeah I’m guessing that fucking their grandmother lost its luster long ago. They seek fresh meat.”
Rachel coughed. “I’m right here, you know. This Ironwoods clan, or whatever they are, are looking for me? Are they crazy animal people, like you two?”
“Yes,” Valemon answered. “They are the dire wolves you encountered on your first visit here. Some are locked in their bestial form. Some can shift between the two, like Hans.”
“Wait, you knew Hans belonged to your enemy?” she interrupted.
“Yes. Long ago, there was a battle. We struck it from the national history roles and shattered all the rune stones that mentioned it. It was long and bloody. The bears, my clan, fought the clan that belonged to the Troll Hag, Angrboda, because my ancestor slighted her and married another. She really handled the rejection poorly. After half a century of warfare, my ancestor and Fenrir fought for days in a great battle, neither would give quarter. He wanted to defend his mother’s honor, and my ancestor, Valemon, yes, I carry the same name, fought to defend his honor. Angrboda finally had enough as both of the combatants wore down. My ancestor and she agreed to a truce. In that agreement, she cast an enchantment on our clan. By the time each male reaches fifty years of age, if he has not produced an offspring, and offered it to her in sacrifice, he shall be forever locked in his bear form. To make sure we honored our end of the bargain, she sent one of her grandchildren to watch over us.”
“Where do I come in?” Rachel asked.
Valemon heaved a heavy sigh and continued with his story. “The only acceptable offspring was one of pure Bjorn blood. Angrboda would have no other. For generations, despite great pain and sorrow, we honored our agreement with the witch of the Iron Woods, for we did not want another war. Then one day, while my father was out hunting with my mother and sisters, Angrboda snapped and set her dire wolves to attack them. They didn’t have a chance,” Valemon said through gritted teeth.
“I was then set up as heir, at thirty. My wife, whom I was paired with since childhood, was fat with our first child. We were steeling ourselves for the inevitable.”
Igor shifted and looked at his shoes as Valemon spoke. He knew very well what went on next.
“One day, my wife went into labor. Hans was busy cleaning the infirmary for the impending arrival, and then all of a sudden, the wolves attacked. They charged through the doors with their fangs flashing. The biggest one set upon my wife, who was in the throes of labor, and tore her throat out. It then ripped her pregnant belly open with one bite and devoured my son. I charged in and broke that one’s neck with one swipe and the other turned tail and ran off. Hans offered no explanation as to why his brethren acted as such. I have yet to forgive him for his treachery, and now this...”
Igor looked at his cousin and then at Rachel. “You should have been prepared, Valemon. You knew that mangy dog was no good, and Angrboda has lost her ever loving mind. He’s loyal to her and only her. Soon, no place will be safe from them, not even here. We need to get moving soon.”
Valemon glanced at Rachel. “Are you sure you can make the trip?” he asked her. “It will be long, and we won’t have a car.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “I just don’t want to die.”
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.” Valemon comforted her as he embraced her. “You have no idea how sorry I am about this.”
“You can make it up to me by making sure your cub doesn’t kill me,” Rachel snapped. “Alright Igor, where do you think we need to go to fix this?”
Igor heaved a sigh. “That’s the thing; I have no idea where the Aerie could be. I just know it’s up in the mountains somewhere.”
“So we go north,” Valemon stated. “How much gas does the outboard have left?” he asked Igor.
“Not much. It took almost three quarters of it to get here. We can get half way to the ocean but we’ll have to row the rest of the way,” his cousin replied.
Valemon grunted, it wasn’t ideal but it would have to do. “Now if we need to go on foot, and we probably will, we won’t be able to carry you unless you really need it. Every time I shift into my bear form before I offer Angrboda her sacrifice, it increases the chance of me becoming locked in.”
Rachel swallowed hard. “So if I become too big too soon...”
“We’ll worry about that when we get to it. Just try not to get injured on the way,” Igor replied as he looked up at the blue sky above. “We need to get moving now if we are to at least try to get some distance to the mountains. Maybe we’ll run into someone who might know where the Aerie might be hidden; reindeer herders and
shepherds out in those parts keep to themselves mostly and know the local area better than anyone.”
“You’re right. Let’s go.” With that, Valemon pushed his way out of the cave and made his way to the path Igor and Rachel had used to find him.
Rachel mutely walked between the two large men to where Igor had beached the rowboat. She was lost in her own thoughts as they trekked through the dense woods. She knew the deal was too good to be true; she kicked herself mentally for her impulsivity. She was so swept away by Valemon’s charm and wealth that she didn’t completely pick up that something was amiss. Sure, Hans gave her bad feelings and she sure was on to something when she found that rune stone on the internet.
“Hey guys,” she spoke up. Both men slowed down and looked at her. “I think I might know something that could help.”
Valemon arched a silver eyebrow. “Go on,” he said skeptically.
“OK, when you were gone one time, Hans gave me some serious skeevy vibes. I wanted to know more about your family and whatnot, because the maid said that old hatreds die hard and to be careful. Well, I got on the internet and I found this page in some kind of Norse dialect and there was a picture of this huge rune stone on it. It had a bear on top of a wolf and a bunch of old runes carved into it. I was about to look for a way to translate the picture but you showed up,” she said as a blush crept over her cheeks.
“So you saw a grainy photo of a rune stone,” Valemon said. “Do you remember the address of the site?”
“Well, it should still be in my laptop’s history. But my laptop is still at the manor,” she said sadly.
Igor smiled. “I think I might have a plan. Do you have your cell phone?” he asked Rachel.
“Yeah, but there’s no signal here,” she replied as she fished it out of her camera bag.
“We’ll get one when we leave this area. I’ll call Hilda and see if she can bring us the laptop into the cavern without Hans knowing. The manor’s WiFi should extend into the cavern so you can get that page up again.”
“That works,” Rachel said as she waddled behind Igor. Her belly seemed to be getting larger as the day wore on. At least it wasn’t as painful as it was when it first popped, but the pain still throbbed intermittently as the creature within her grew rapidly.
