“Is it magic?”
Völundr stared into the ring. “No.” He scoffed, eyes heavy with drink and lack of sleep. “It is only metal. A token of love to mock me until the end of all things.” He looked across at Erik, stowing the ring. “What do you know of magic?”
“Nothing.”
“I’d call you a liar, but you might agree.” Völundr walked to the back corner of the shop and pulled a blade with no handle from a pile. He came and laid it on the anvil. There were runes chiseled into it and angled lines snaking up the length of the blade. “Magic is all around us.”
Erik laughed. “In the rivers and the trees or some shit?”
Völundr pointed at him. “You mock but it’s true. As much here as in Midgard. A river…” He leaned back. “What is a river spread over land? Something with no depth. Useless, barely something a man would notice. But give it direction…” Völundr slapped the sword against the anvil and electricity arced out from it, crackling in the air before dissipating.
In spite of the risk of electrocution, Erik held his hand out.
“Boo!”
Erik jumped back, immediately wishing he hadn’t. “Oh, you’re an asshole.” He exhaled, relieved in spite of Völundr’s mocking laughter.
“I was worried you’d confused it for a pert breast, the way you were looking at the damn thing.” He laughed for too long and entirely too hard from Erik’s perspective. Eventually he regained his composure. “Tell me, have you been in battles? Not Göll’s playfights.”
It was all Erik could do not to tense up just thinking about it. “Yeah. A few.”
“With the valkyries?”
“Yeah, a few.”
Völundr smiled and leaned forward. “Get any good licks in?”
Erik chuckled at his enthusiasm. “A few.”
“Oh?” He seemed genuinely surprised. “You wouldn’t lie to a man fool enough to bang on metal, I hope.”
“Hey! I don’t lie!” Erik’s mouth turned to a mock-smug smile. “Well, sometimes I lie.” He feigned reassurance. “But never about fights! Haha, I think I even broke one’s arm. Mist maybe.”
The easy smile faded and Völundr’s brow came down, not believing what he’d heard. “You what?”
“Yeah, she was flying at me, so I sort of caught her with my elbow and then I stomped on her arm. Some sort of einherjar power, maybe.” Erik chuckled, wanting the expression on Völundr’s face to go back to something more relaxed. Instead, his face only became more serious.
“You’ve seen their backs then? Describe it.”
Erik let go of his pretense of casual conversation, realizing there might be information he could get from the smith. “The shimmering wings, right? I couldn’t see them very well. Tried to grab them. Split my hand into a thousand pieces, give or take.”
“You were bare-handed?” Völundr stood suddenly.
“Yeah, I—”
The smith’s rough hands grabbed Erik’s arms, feeling them and checking the fingers one by one. He did the same to Erik’s neck and face, looking intently at his eyes for longer than he’d inspected the rest. Völundr turned around, pacing the room.
“Is that weird? There was this guy, Haki, he—”
“Go sleep.”
Erik was confused, taken aback by the sudden command. “Are you not coming?”
Völundr walked over to him, smiling. His eyes were almost twinkling when he placed thick hands onto Erik’s face “Go. Sleep.” Völundr pulled Erik up and walked him out the door. “Tell Göll not to bother me. And not to leave until I come out.”
“What should I do?”
Völundr laughed. “Keep playfighting with your valkyrie.”
The door to the shop closed and Erik heard the rattle of metal inside. As he was walking across the yard, smoke started coming out from the stacks. Erik showed himself back inside, not nearly as tired as he had been when Völundr had woken him up. Göll came walking to him as he made it back into the house.
“What did he want?”
Erik looked over his shoulder before closing the door. “Help with some rings.”
Göll shook her head. “Still, that ring.” Her eyes scanned over his face. “That was all?”
“Yeah, we talked a bit. About magic swords. That sort of thing. He told me to go sleep.”
Göll nodded her agreement with the last statement. “You should. We will be training in the morning.”
“We?”
“You.”
He put a hand on her shoulder as he walked by, not thinking anything of it. She twitched when his hand landed on her. Erik realized it was the first time they’d touched that didn’t involve a weapon.
“Good night, Göll.”
She hesitated, not responding until he was near the door to the bedroom. He barely heard her. “Good night, Erik.”
The morning came and Erik rose to the sound of an argument in the main room. He left Völundr’s bedroom and found Tove and Göll having a heated discussion. Tove was holding a practice sword.
“I’m better than him with a blade and you know as much!”
Göll noticed Erik before she could manage a response to Tove.
“Outside, Erik. It’s time we got to work.”
Erik groaned, the girls’ meaningless fight resulting in another morning with no breakfast. Völundr hadn’t returned to sleep the night before, so it was just as well.
When they entered the yard, Tove was sticking close to Erik’s back. Wisps of smoke were floating out of the stacks in the shop. He could hear the sound of a hammer working metal. Tove left Erik’s back and stood beside the house with her training sword. Göll retrieved the two from the previous morning and handed Erik his. The training began with Tove watching as Göll began her charges. For the bulk of the morning, it was just watching but before long Tove was mock guarding against the valkyrie’s attacks on Erik.
A few hours passed before Göll lost her patience with it.
“You’re not meant to be practicing! Stop what you’re doing!”
Tove pointed the sword at Göll. “No! I’ll learn it however I can and you won’t stop me!”
“I won’t have you waving around cheap mockeries of the things I instruct Erik to do.”
“Instruct, hah! You barely tell him a thing. Just abuse him constantly.”
“His body will learn faster than his mind!”
Erik was happy for the break, but the arguments weren’t relaxing ambiance. “Both of you lighten up.”
“Perhaps you should take things less lightly,” Göll snapped. “The girl is better than you with a sword by far.”
“Well, maybe you should train her then.” He wanted to laugh, but he was fairly certain Göll would push the blunt sword through his face if he did.
Göll huffed and took her place in the yard. Erik readied himself and the training went on, Tove continuing to fight with shadows. Lunch came and went with no break except for water. It was punishment, Erik was sure of that but he wouldn’t complain. It was a frustrating bunch of work. The edge of that power in his mind was no closer to his reach no matter how many times she ran at him. His eyes were slowly getting used to her movement and he was starting to catch up. He’d even caught the edge of Göll’s sword a time or two, but there was nothing behind it, not like when he’d fought Hrist and Mist. It was worrying, enough that he wanted to ask how long it might take until he reached whatever was inside, but the arguments had left Göll in a sour mood.
Dusk came and Göll finally called an end to the practice, heading inside without saying anything to either of them. Tove walked over to Erik, sweating profusely. She pulled on her shirt, fanning herself in the cool air.
“She said I was better with a sword than you.”
Erik frowned, tossing the practice sword into the grass a few feet away. “Well, you cheat
ed.”
“How have I managed that?”
“You’re older than me.”
She shoved him, smiling, and trotted into the house. Erik followed her in. Göll was waiting in the kitchen with Tove at the table.
Erik looked at them both and then over to the workshop. “Wonder how long he’s going to work. I’m starving.” He looked at Tove. “Why don’t you cook us something?”
Tove scoffed. “I’m no housewife.”
“Hey! You cooked in the woods!”
“That was different.”
“How?”
“No house.”
Erik rolled his eyes hard enough that he nearly pulled something. It was a point he couldn’t argue. The smug satisfaction Tove was beaming in his direction made him frustrated at his lack of a response.
“Well, I burn things. That’s all I know how to do.”
Göll’s voice unexpectedly entered the conversation. “I will cook.”
Erik was sure he’d misheard. “You’ll…”
“Cook,” Göll repeated. “I have been in the kitchens of Valhalla. I have seen Andhrímnir do his work.”
“Well, that’s… good? I’ll eat whatever you make. Happily.” He smiled at Göll and she nodded, turning to start her work.
Erik joined Tove at the table. “I’m bathing first after dinner.”
“I think the better swordsman should bathe first.” Tove was still beaming.
“If you keep up like that, I’ll challenge you to a duel.”
“And I’ll accept. So be careful.”
Erik leaned back in his chair. “The thanks I get for rescuing people.”
Göll set to work cooking, finding pork and vegetables. She cooked the food simply, preparing a sauce out of various herbs that she went to gather from the edge of the clearing and wine and the juices in the pan. Tove shouted at the valkyrie when they ate it, accusing her of using magic. It was easily the best food Erik had eaten in Helheim.
“I am not nearly as capable as Andhrímnir.” Göll was modest, but he could see her hide a tiny smile when she turned back to clean a pan she’d used in a bucket of water. He wondered how she’d done so well with the food considering she never ate.
“Why don’t you eat?”
The thought was on his mind so he said it aloud.
“I have no need to.”
“Yeah, but you can eat, right? Why don’t you just eat for the taste? Food tastes good. Some food.”
“I have no need to.”
He recognized the pattern and a flush of anger ran through him but he let it pass and finished the last piece of food on his plate. “Well, thank you for the meal.”
Tove stood up, taking her plate. “Agreed. It was delicious. Whatever you may think of me, Göll, I appreciate you.” She placed her plate down and reached for Göll’s back. The valkyrie leaned away from Tove’s hand.
Erik leaned his chair back and let it come back down, clacking against the floor. “Guess you’ve still got a ways to go Tove.”
She looked at him, letting the awkwardness wash away, replacing it with a smile. “I do.” She darted toward the door. “The spring will fill up if I don’t hurry.” She ran off, leaving the door open. Erik could hear her laughter fade off into the distance.
chapter|21
It was morning again and Völundr hadn’t reappeared in his room when Erik rose. It was just barely light out and Göll hadn’t come to drag him to training just yet. It was a welcome change from the rough morning’s reverie he’d received of late.
Opening the bedroom door, he found Göll standing in her usual place, looking through the open shutters of a window at the front side of the house. She looked over at Erik and then back out the window before finally deciding to walk over to him.
“We will train again today.”
“I had sort of guessed that.” Erik yawned, stretching out. “Tove still sleeping?”
“It’s no business of mine where she is or what she’s doing.”
“So, sleeping?”
Erik headed to the table in the kitchen. There was still some food left from the night before sitting in a dish on it. It had been meant for Völundr but the man hadn’t returned from his work. Curious, Erik opened the door. The smoke from the shop had stopped, but he could still hear the occasional ping of a hammer against metal. That made the food fair game as far as Erik was concerned.
He came back to the table, looking at the dish and giving a conflicted sigh. “Alright, I’ll be fair.”
Göll followed him as he went to the door where Tove had been sleeping. He cracked the door open to find a much nicer room than he’d been sleeping in, with a pair of plush beds only one of which was in use.
Tove was spread out across the entire bed in which she slept. It was a far cry from the way she’d slept in the bedrolls, and an interesting sight to say the least. The bed frames weren’t high off the ground, so Erik crouched beside Tove. She was sleeping in loosely wrapped linen that barely still clung to the areas she’d used them to cover.
Erik poked at her face, mashing in the meat of her cheek. Tove didn’t so much as break the rhythm of her breathing.
“Tove, get up. Breakfast.”
He hadn’t said the words quietly, but it still brought no response from the sleeping girl.
“Alright. Well, I tried.”
He flattened his hand out over her forehead and snapped his wrist down. The satisfying noise of a well-executed slap rang out and Tove’s hands swung up toward the spot he’d hit.
“Ah! What?” She opened her eyes and saw Erik squatting beside the bed and Göll standing in the door. “What is this? Is something happening?”
Erik stood up. “Breakfast.” His eyes rolled down over her and he looked away. “And get dressed.”
Tove looked down at herself and yanked the covers up over her body. “There’s nothing wrong with my current state!”
He shrugged as he walked out of the room. “Hey, you covered it up.”
He could hear her shift toward the table beside the bed. There were things on the table. Not wanting one of those things to collide with the back of his head, Erik shuffled out of the room, ducking and laughing. Göll followed him back to the kitchen where he sat at the table and started eating from the dish. Tove came and joined them, fully dressed. She sat down in a bit of a mood and began picking at the food with a sour look on her face.
“It’s hardly right to sneak into a room while someone sleeps.”
“Sneak? I thought we were a warband? Don’t warbands share everything?”
“Hmph!” She popped a piece of carrot into her mouth and said nothing more on the matter.
Erik was more interested in what Göll had planned for the day anyway. The afternoon before she had begun teaching him more about how to move the sword and the things he was doing wrong rather than simply rushing at him.
“So today, I get to learn how to swing the sword, right?”
Göll ignored the half-sincere question, but Tove did not.
“What would you do, swinging the sword at something you cannot hit?”
“I feel like you two are ganging up on me.”
“Finish your food,” Göll said, flatly.
Erik gave a mocking grimace to the command and finished eating. He stood up and motioned toward the door. “Alright, let’s go have another day full of bruised rib meat.”
“At least you are prepared for it.”
It was as close as Göll ever got to a joke, and Erik enjoyed them. He could hardly stand the seriousness of most of the things involved in his being dragged to Helheim, so the small bits of humanity were important to him. Whatever Göll thought of him, he couldn’t bring himself to dislike her presence. Maybe he’d read into things more than made sense, but he would swear there was more to her than the stern face she wa
s forced to put on. Völundr seemed to agree with him and it had only made Erik’s interest in her grow.
She handed him the sword and Erik felt that he might want to retract his wistful thoughts if the look on her face was anything to go by. The day started up much like it had every time she set out to train him. She charged across at him bullishly and he struggled to keep up. Something was different about today though. She was more vicious in her strikes, and the normal look in her eyes was not there when she walked back across the yard. It was something harder and less like her. It had been an hour and a few dozen charges when the skin on Erik’s flank finally broke open, trickling blood.
Tove dropped her practice sword when she saw him place a hand over his shirt and draw back blood. “What are you doing?!” She was shouting at Göll as she walked to Erik’s side.
“Back to your place, girl!”
Göll’s voice was unmistakably angry and it proved enough to at least stop Tove in her tracks. Erik looked over, nodding to Tove.
“It’s okay. I’m fine.” He put on a sideways smile.
He wasn’t. It hurt, horribly, but for the first time since they’d come to Völundr’s little plot in the woods, he could feel the energy inside him slip closer. It wasn’t by much and Erik couldn’t quite understand why, but he was determined to see how close he could come to grasping at the only thing he had to use against the valkyries who actually wanted him dead.
Göll didn’t wait for Tove to clear before she charged again. Erik struggled to keep pace with things and again her dull blade dug into his side. In spite of willing himself to stand, Erik fell to one knee, doubled over by the pain. Tove began immediately running toward him. Göll spun, facing the girl.
“Stay back!”
Tove ignored the order and Erik saw Göll rear back the blunt sword. He came up, back toward Göll and the training sword dug hard into his shoulder blade. The metal hit bone along his shoulders and ribs. He stumbled forward, saved only by Göll’s last minute decision to soften the blow. Tove caught him awkwardly, and they both fell to the ground. She had meant to kill with the swing. It hadn’t been square on his spine and he was thankful for that at least.
From Death to Valhalla (The Last Einherjar Book 1) Page 18
